SA climber dies in Rockies
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Ryan Freeman was climbing without a rope at Mount Kidd. (AAP)
A South Australian man has fallen to his death while mountain climbing in Canada.
Ryan Scott Freeman, 24, was drawn to the Rocky Mountains for work and adventure.
But last Thursday the Adelaide software engineer was climbing with another Australian man at Mount Kidd, west of Calgary, when he fell 50 metres to his death.
Mr Freeman's father, Roger Freeman, says his son had been climbing steep terrain without ropes or harness, an activity known as scrambling.
"Talking to the people over there, he was often out with others scrambling," Roger Freeman said.
"They were just climbing and Ryan got into a bit of trouble and the young lad that was with him went down to him after he'd fallen."
He says his son had been on a working holiday as a cook at a nearby ski resort.
"He wasn't travelling to dangerous places or doing crazy things, so there were no worries from us at all about what he was doing," he said.
"This is one of those unexpected things that happens.
"He's just a young guy that decided to do what he wanted to do and enjoy himself. We're doing pretty good. We've got plenty of family and friends and people dropping in all the time."
Adelaide mountaineer Katie Sarah says scrambling can be dangerous.
"If it was very rocky and uneven and you slipped, you could go down a fair way, depending on where you were," she said.
"It could possibly be more dangerous just because you don't have the ropes to catch you if you fall, because scrambling is not involving any protection like that."
The Foreign Affairs Department is helping the family to bring home Mr Freeman's body.
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