Manitou Incline saga moves to court as woman 'fearing for her life' seeks permanent protection order

Mar. 20—Allegations of stalking and harassment on the Manitou Incline carried into a 4th Judicial District courtroom Monday as one woman sought to make a temporary protective order permanent.

Noelia Sanchez, a hiker who recently set a goal of completing 500 laps on the popular but brutal set of stairs, has accused Chasidey Geissler, current female record holder on the hike, of stalking and escalating threats of violence in recent months.

Geissler, 42, last month became the fifth person credited with 1,000 Incline laps in a calendar year, besting the all-time women's mark set in January by Rachel Jones.

In court filings, Sanchez, 46, alleges Geissler on March 5 "yelled in my face in front of a crowd saying that she wants me to break my (expletive) neck, and I better watch my back and be careful she doesn't push me down the Incline stairs." Sanchez went on to claim Geissler acted on those alleged threats, saying Geissler "hit me in the back and caused me to lose my balance and nearly fall down the cliff edge of the stairs." Sanchez added that she was being "stalked and followed in Manitou Springs along the local trails."

In those filings, Sanchez said Geissler also previously signed a document prepared by a local Incline club, agreeing to no contact with Sanchez. Fellow hikers say Geissler broke the agreement soon after.

A judge then granted Sanchez a temporary protective order, signed on the basis of Sanchez's claims "constitut(ing) a credible threat, that an imminent danger exists," according to recent reporting by The Gazette.

On Monday, Sanchez sought to make that order permanent, telling Judge Karen Parrott that she "has been fearing for her life," since the incidents.

Because the issue does not involve an "intimate relationship," Parrott ordered that Sanchez and Geissler mediate a resolution "in good faith" — or with a genuine attempt to resolve an issue — at the Neighborhood Justice Center, an alternative to court hearings in downtown Colorado Springs.

The temporary protection order, which includes a 100-yard provision, will remain in place until the next hearing, Parrott said. But that provision does not apply on the Incline or in public park space, where Geissler must instead stay at least 10 feet away from Sanchez, the judge said.

Geissler denies the claims and told The Gazette that she's been the victim of a "bizarre" social setting built around the Incline. She said run-ins with Sanchez have been misconstrued, and claimed that the pushing accusation arose after a group of women "blocked" Geissler's way down the Incline and pushed her first.

"This seems very calculated to keep me off the Incline, to keep my number down is what it seems like," Geissler told The Gazette.

During Monday's hearing, Geissler's attorney expressed concern that the proceedings could hurt the hiker's ability to build on and secure her record through March 31, the end of her calendar year.

"If the court continues the hearing past today, (Geissler) loses the ability to improve upon the record she's already holding," the attorney said.

The mediation is set for March 29 and a hearing to review the results of the mediation is scheduled for April 7. Should an agreement not be reached, the case could proceed to a contested hearing, where witnesses and evidence can be presented.