Brief by Allen Best
Mountains – April 2006 – Colorado Central Magazine
Mauri Reiberg owns the highest of the high- end real estate in Colorado, the summit of Mt. Lincoln. At 14,286 feet, it’s the highest privately owned land in Colorado.
But increasingly in recent years, he and other owners of old mines that swaddle Lincoln and two other heavily mined 14,000- foot peaks in the vicinity made it clear that they didn’t want hikers on their property. They are partly disturbed by vandalism, but more broadly about the liability of somebody falling in a mining shaft or in some other way getting hurt while on their property.
The case drew a great deal of attention last summer after a report was filed — incorrectly — that the trails to the peaks had been closed. The Legislature has subsequently passed a law that removes the liability of Reiberg and other owners of property that are similarly crossed by popular hiking trails. The case could potentially affect access to two frequently climbed 14,000- foot peaks in the San Miguel Range near Telluride, too.
