https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lost-to-altitude--7194398
Lost To Altitude offers a respectful yet unflinching look at these high-altitude dramas, providing context, expert analysis, and a deep dive into the historical and human elements behind each catastrophe. We explore the psychology of risk, the allure of the summit, and the stark realities of survival in extreme environments. Each episode is a testament to the bravery and the inherent dangers of pushing human limits.

New episodes arrive daily, every day of the week at 9:00 AM, ensuring a steady stream of compelling narratives. We bring you detailed accounts, often drawing from first-hand reports, survivor testimonies, and historical records to paint a vivid picture of these epic struggles. Expect a narrative-driven format that respects the gravity of each event.

This podcast is for anyone fascinated by the raw power of mountains, the indomitable will of adventurers, and the tragic price sometimes paid for ambition. If you are drawn to true stories of survival, disaster, and the human condition pushed to its absolute breaking point, Lost To Altitude is your essential listen.

Subscribe to Lost To Altitude and hear the stories of those lost to the heights.]]>enPersonal Journals© 2026 OBOMEDIA Creatorshttps://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/143cdb2b2a80202d8d46364ac6b110e0.jpghttps://www.spreaker.com/podcast/lost-to-altitude--7194398Mon, 26 Oct 2026 13:00:43 +0000Creator at ObomediaCreator at Obomediacreators@obomedia.comLost To Altitude delves into the harrowing true stories of mountaineering tragedies, exploring the fine line between triumph and disaster in the world's most unforgiving peaks. We meticulously recount the expeditions that went wrong, the fatal...
Lost To Altitude offers a respectful yet unflinching look at these high-altitude dramas, providing context, expert analysis, and a deep dive into the historical and human elements behind each catastrophe. We explore the psychology of risk, the allure of the summit, and the stark realities of survival in extreme environments. Each episode is a testament to the bravery and the inherent dangers of pushing human limits.

New episodes arrive daily, every day of the week at 9:00 AM, ensuring a steady stream of compelling narratives. We bring you detailed accounts, often drawing from first-hand reports, survivor testimonies, and historical records to paint a vivid picture of these epic struggles. Expect a narrative-driven format that respects the gravity of each event.

This podcast is for anyone fascinated by the raw power of mountains, the indomitable will of adventurers, and the tragic price sometimes paid for ambition. If you are drawn to true stories of survival, disaster, and the human condition pushed to its absolute breaking point, Lost To Altitude is your essential listen.

Subscribe to Lost To Altitude and hear the stories of those lost to the heights.]]>falseb0614e50-b450-5405-9631-5ebd7e1b162eepisodichttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-orange-rope-left-behind-how-a-guide-s-error-almost-killed-nine--73083803
A single orange rope left coiled at the trailhead saved nine climbers from a forty-meter exposed traverse where a soft spot in the line could have meant a fatal fall. One guide’s notebook showed an unclaimed note-“Upper rope feels stiff”-and the question that trails the case is simple and terrifying: who left that warning unread?

In this episode, you will hear a step-by-step account of the Vantner northeast face expedition, from pre-rigging the Apron traverse to the wind spike at the summit col, and the unresolved note in the field notebook that haunted the investigation. How did routine checks, a stray observation, and a volunteer’s curiosity intersect to avert disaster?

Person: Brenda Myers
Person: Leon Underwood
Person: Corey Spann
Date: September 10
Location: Vantner northeast face

- The Apron traverse is a 40-meter horizontal crossing where the fixed rope is the only protection.
- High Margin Alpine had run expeditions on the Vantner for eleven years.
- Corey Spann recorded checking the ropes at 3:00 AM on September 7 in the team field notebook.
- An additional handwritten marginal note read "Upper rope feels stiff" in a different pen and heavier hand.
- Wind gusts reached 41 miles per hour at 11:30 AM in the summit col on September 10.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083803Tue, 27 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Orange Rope Left Behind: How a Guide's Error Almost Killed Nine A single orange rope left coiled at the trailhead saved nine climbers from a forty-meter exposed traverse where a soft spot in the line could have meant a fatal fall. One guide’s...
A single orange rope left coiled at the trailhead saved nine climbers from a forty-meter exposed traverse where a soft spot in the line could have meant a fatal fall. One guide’s notebook showed an unclaimed note-“Upper rope feels stiff”-and the question that trails the case is simple and terrifying: who left that warning unread?

In this episode, you will hear a step-by-step account of the Vantner northeast face expedition, from pre-rigging the Apron traverse to the wind spike at the summit col, and the unresolved note in the field notebook that haunted the investigation. How did routine checks, a stray observation, and a volunteer’s curiosity intersect to avert disaster?

Person: Brenda Myers
Person: Leon Underwood
Person: Corey Spann
Date: September 10
Location: Vantner northeast face

- The Apron traverse is a 40-meter horizontal crossing where the fixed rope is the only protection.
- High Margin Alpine had run expeditions on the Vantner for eleven years.
- Corey Spann recorded checking the ropes at 3:00 AM on September 7 in the team field notebook.
- An additional handwritten marginal note read "Upper rope feels stiff" in a different pen and heavier hand.
- Wind gusts reached 41 miles per hour at 11:30 AM in the summit col on September 10.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>778falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-dry-boot-on-cinder-notch-how-she-descended-the-impossible--73083802
Cold wind that snapped an anemometer needle and a dry mountaineering boot sat thirty-one hours apart on the same slope - the boot was found bone dry while every surface around it was wet, and the woman who wore it had been missing for three days. What choice on a ridge at 10:45, and what single sound during a silent descent, could explain how Vicki Norris walked away from what seemed impossible?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the summit attempt through the fall and the thirty-one-hour silence that followed, tracing decisions, weather readings, and the unexpected ledge that changed everything; could a single crampon sound and one folded map hold the key?

Person: Vicki Norris
Age: 28 years old
Event: fall at approximately 14,300 feet after a 15-foot lead fall
Date: August 10 (summit attempt), signed out August 8
Location: northeast ridge, Cinder Notch Peak

- The boot was found upright on a rock shelf at 9,200 feet with crampon attached and a wool-blend sock laced inside.
- Two inches of storm had fallen the night before, yet the boot itself was bone dry.
- The boot remained in the crevice for four days before being found and is now in a glass case at Eberle Ranger Station.
- Vicki compiled a 41-page binder for the northeast ridge including route descriptions, elevation profiles, and annotated satellite imagery.
- At 11:04 an anemometer at 13,800 feet logged sustained winds above 30 mph, and by 12:15 wind reached sustained 48 mph with a 14°F temperature drop.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083802Mon, 26 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Dry Boot on Cinder Notch: How She Descended the Impossible Cold wind that snapped an anemometer needle and a dry mountaineering boot sat thirty-one hours apart on the same slope - the boot was found bone dry while every surface around it was...
Cold wind that snapped an anemometer needle and a dry mountaineering boot sat thirty-one hours apart on the same slope - the boot was found bone dry while every surface around it was wet, and the woman who wore it had been missing for three days. What choice on a ridge at 10:45, and what single sound during a silent descent, could explain how Vicki Norris walked away from what seemed impossible?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the summit attempt through the fall and the thirty-one-hour silence that followed, tracing decisions, weather readings, and the unexpected ledge that changed everything; could a single crampon sound and one folded map hold the key?

Person: Vicki Norris
Age: 28 years old
Event: fall at approximately 14,300 feet after a 15-foot lead fall
Date: August 10 (summit attempt), signed out August 8
Location: northeast ridge, Cinder Notch Peak

- The boot was found upright on a rock shelf at 9,200 feet with crampon attached and a wool-blend sock laced inside.
- Two inches of storm had fallen the night before, yet the boot itself was bone dry.
- The boot remained in the crevice for four days before being found and is now in a glass case at Eberle Ranger Station.
- Vicki compiled a 41-page binder for the northeast ridge including route descriptions, elevation profiles, and annotated satellite imagery.
- At 11:04 an anemometer at 13,800 feet logged sustained winds above 30 mph, and by 12:15 wind reached sustained 48 mph with a 14°F temperature drop.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>877falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-yellow-tent-above-13-000-feet-how-they-walked-out--73083801
A yellow tent was found fully erect above 13,000 feet after three days of a violent early-season storm - and its three occupants had already walked out. Winds hit 50-60 mph and temperatures plunged to about -8°F; yet the tent survived and the climbers vanished onto the ridge. What did Teresa see standing motionless that became the hinge of their survival?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from departure to discovery using primary documents found with the team and radio logs from base. You will hear how timing, tested equipment, a broken radio signal, and an unlikely domestic detail intersected to shape their fate - and why one precise moment on the ridge may answer how they walked out.

Person: Teresa Bowers
Person: Tom Aldridge
Person: Sandra Voss
Date: July 15-19
Location: Sutter Range, northeast face, above 13,000 feet

- Storm arrived 30 hours ahead of forecast on the morning of July 16 with winds between 50 and 60 mph.
- Temperature on the ridge dropped to approximately -8 degrees Fahrenheit during the storm.
- Team left lower saddle at 3:40 AM on July 15 and reached high camp ledge at 12,400 feet by 1:00 PM.
- Teresa owned a seven-year-old yellow Ridgeline four-season tent that remained intact after three days on the ridge.
- A radio log entry by Megan Marshall was recorded at 11:47 PM on July 16 and became a critical document.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083801Sun, 25 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Yellow Tent Above 13,000 Feet: How They Walked Out A yellow tent was found fully erect above 13,000 feet after three days of a violent early-season storm - and its three occupants had already walked out. Winds hit 50-60 mph and temperatures...
A yellow tent was found fully erect above 13,000 feet after three days of a violent early-season storm - and its three occupants had already walked out. Winds hit 50-60 mph and temperatures plunged to about -8°F; yet the tent survived and the climbers vanished onto the ridge. What did Teresa see standing motionless that became the hinge of their survival?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from departure to discovery using primary documents found with the team and radio logs from base. You will hear how timing, tested equipment, a broken radio signal, and an unlikely domestic detail intersected to shape their fate - and why one precise moment on the ridge may answer how they walked out.

Person: Teresa Bowers
Person: Tom Aldridge
Person: Sandra Voss
Date: July 15-19
Location: Sutter Range, northeast face, above 13,000 feet

- Storm arrived 30 hours ahead of forecast on the morning of July 16 with winds between 50 and 60 mph.
- Temperature on the ridge dropped to approximately -8 degrees Fahrenheit during the storm.
- Team left lower saddle at 3:40 AM on July 15 and reached high camp ledge at 12,400 feet by 1:00 PM.
- Teresa owned a seven-year-old yellow Ridgeline four-season tent that remained intact after three days on the ridge.
- A radio log entry by Megan Marshall was recorded at 11:47 PM on July 16 and became a critical document.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>854falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-regulator-at-11-200-feet-midnight-choices-that-saved-four--73083799
A single oxygen regulator sat upright in the snow at 11,200 feet with its serial number intact - found two years after anyone had been near that spot and 3,400 feet below its last documented use. How did one device end up alone on a slope, and what midnight decision at 14,200 feet set its path downhill?

In this episode, we tell the episode’s account using only the expedition record and the discovery that reopened it. You will hear who was on that climb, what failed at midnight, and why a seemingly small repair led to a life-or-death choice - but did that decision save them, or nearly doom them?

Person: Paula Morgan
Person: Tom Feld
Person: Person: Roy Abbot
Person: Michelle Ramsey
Event: Regulator found by Neil Zeller at 11,200 feet

- The regulator was found upright in the snow on a Tuesday morning in June with its serial number intact.
- The regulator’s last documented use was 3,400 feet higher than where it was found.
- Four climbers left high camp at 14,200 feet at 2:40 a.m, on June 13.
- One oxygen set lost more than one-third of its pressure by midnight after a field repair.
- Paula Morgan, 44, logged the report of a slow leak on June 11 and attempted an overnight repair that failed by midnight.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083799Sat, 24 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Regulator at 11,200 Feet: Midnight Choices That Saved Four A single oxygen regulator sat upright in the snow at 11,200 feet with its serial number intact - found two years after anyone had been near that spot and 3,400 feet below its last...
A single oxygen regulator sat upright in the snow at 11,200 feet with its serial number intact - found two years after anyone had been near that spot and 3,400 feet below its last documented use. How did one device end up alone on a slope, and what midnight decision at 14,200 feet set its path downhill?

In this episode, we tell the episode’s account using only the expedition record and the discovery that reopened it. You will hear who was on that climb, what failed at midnight, and why a seemingly small repair led to a life-or-death choice - but did that decision save them, or nearly doom them?

Person: Paula Morgan
Person: Tom Feld
Person: Person: Roy Abbot
Person: Michelle Ramsey
Event: Regulator found by Neil Zeller at 11,200 feet

- The regulator was found upright in the snow on a Tuesday morning in June with its serial number intact.
- The regulator’s last documented use was 3,400 feet higher than where it was found.
- Four climbers left high camp at 14,200 feet at 2:40 a.m, on June 13.
- One oxygen set lost more than one-third of its pressure by midnight after a field repair.
- Paula Morgan, 44, logged the report of a slow leak on June 11 and attempted an overnight repair that failed by midnight.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>828falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-packed-crampons-for-descent-she-never-took--73083797
A clean pair of crampons, straps fastened and nested, left facing the mountain on a dirt road 430 feet below the snowline - an image that refuses to settle and hints at a planned descent that never happened; what decision did Marcia Miller make at 11,600 feet that changed everything? The clue sits in the gear she moved that night and a six-word radio message recorded before dawn-what do those details really mean?

In this episode, we follow the timeline of the May 2011 expedition on Crestfall Peak, from the radio log and gear inventories to the summit photo and the choices each climber made, to ask whether Marcia’s private preparations reveal an alternate plan for the descent.

Person: Marcia Miller
Date: May 5, 2011
Location: Crestfall Peak
Event: Summit reached at 9:18 AM
Evidence: Crampons found May 12, 2011

- Crampons were found 430 feet below the snowline on May 12, 2011.
- Marcia was 39 years old and worked as a structural engineer in western Colorado.
- The team reached the summit at 9:18 AM on May 5, 2011.
- Radio log at 10:17 PM on May 4 recorded: "M says route feels wrong. J says hold."
- Marcia moved crampons to the top pouch and buried ascenders at 11,600 feet the night before the summit.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083797Fri, 23 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Packed Crampons For Descent She Never Took A clean pair of crampons, straps fastened and nested, left facing the mountain on a dirt road 430 feet below the snowline - an image that refuses to settle and hints at a planned descent that never...
A clean pair of crampons, straps fastened and nested, left facing the mountain on a dirt road 430 feet below the snowline - an image that refuses to settle and hints at a planned descent that never happened; what decision did Marcia Miller make at 11,600 feet that changed everything? The clue sits in the gear she moved that night and a six-word radio message recorded before dawn-what do those details really mean?

In this episode, we follow the timeline of the May 2011 expedition on Crestfall Peak, from the radio log and gear inventories to the summit photo and the choices each climber made, to ask whether Marcia’s private preparations reveal an alternate plan for the descent.

Person: Marcia Miller
Date: May 5, 2011
Location: Crestfall Peak
Event: Summit reached at 9:18 AM
Evidence: Crampons found May 12, 2011

- Crampons were found 430 feet below the snowline on May 12, 2011.
- Marcia was 39 years old and worked as a structural engineer in western Colorado.
- The team reached the summit at 9:18 AM on May 5, 2011.
- Radio log at 10:17 PM on May 4 recorded: "M says route feels wrong. J says hold."
- Marcia moved crampons to the top pouch and buried ascenders at 11,600 feet the night before the summit.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>804falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/boot-upright-in-april-the-mountaineer-s-last-four-hours--73083796
A single La Sportiva high-altitude double boot stood upright in the snow beside a frozen creek at 8,112 feet with its lace still tied and no damage - found by a birdwatcher who had checked that spot every April for eleven years. Four climbers, a guide with a 22-year record of turning back when the math failed, and a weather model that was off by four hours: what happened in the last four hours on Tolliver's Crown that left one boot and no clean answers?

In this episode, we follow the team's timeline from Camp Two at 13,040 feet to the summit push that began at 1:00 a.m., track conflicting GPS positions and a twelve-minute radio silence, and consider the decision made at 3:17 p.m. that no one on the mountain would walk back from. How did a storm arriving four hours early and a forty-meter GPS divergence turn an experienced team's attempt into a tragedy?

Person: Diane Casey
Age: 62
Location: Bozeman, Montana

Person: Cheryl Riley
Age: 44
Experience: 22 years professional guiding

Event: Camp Two established at 13,040 feet on April 14
Event: Summit push began at 1:00 a.m. on April 15

- Boot found at 8,112 feet beside a frozen creek on the morning of April 19 with lace still tied and no damage.
- Diane Casey had completed eleven summits above 7,000 meters and had attempted Tolliver's Crown twice before.
- Team left Camp Two at 1:00 a.m.; Kevin Pace's GPS logged 13,800 feet at 4:08 a.m.
- Joel Strand's GPS logged a position 40 meters north and 12 meters lower at 4:12 a.m., indicating significant drift.
- Radio silence began at 4:47 a.m. and lasted twelve minutes until 4:59 a.m.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083796Thu, 22 Oct 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaBoot Upright in April: The Mountaineer's Last Four Hours A single La Sportiva high-altitude double boot stood upright in the snow beside a frozen creek at 8,112 feet with its lace still tied and no damage - found by a birdwatcher who had checked...
A single La Sportiva high-altitude double boot stood upright in the snow beside a frozen creek at 8,112 feet with its lace still tied and no damage - found by a birdwatcher who had checked that spot every April for eleven years. Four climbers, a guide with a 22-year record of turning back when the math failed, and a weather model that was off by four hours: what happened in the last four hours on Tolliver's Crown that left one boot and no clean answers?

In this episode, we follow the team's timeline from Camp Two at 13,040 feet to the summit push that began at 1:00 a.m., track conflicting GPS positions and a twelve-minute radio silence, and consider the decision made at 3:17 p.m. that no one on the mountain would walk back from. How did a storm arriving four hours early and a forty-meter GPS divergence turn an experienced team's attempt into a tragedy?

Person: Diane Casey
Age: 62
Location: Bozeman, Montana

Person: Cheryl Riley
Age: 44
Experience: 22 years professional guiding

Event: Camp Two established at 13,040 feet on April 14
Event: Summit push began at 1:00 a.m. on April 15

- Boot found at 8,112 feet beside a frozen creek on the morning of April 19 with lace still tied and no damage.
- Diane Casey had completed eleven summits above 7,000 meters and had attempted Tolliver's Crown twice before.
- Team left Camp Two at 1:00 a.m.; Kevin Pace's GPS logged 13,800 feet at 4:08 a.m.
- Joel Strand's GPS logged a position 40 meters north and 12 meters lower at 4:12 a.m., indicating significant drift.
- Radio silence began at 4:47 a.m. and lasted twelve minutes until 4:59 a.m.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>828falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/empty-crampons-on-tolliver-the-one-word-that-broke-them--73083795
A flash of aluminum caught a fifteen-year-old’s binoculars at 9,200 feet: two crampons, perfectly buckled, no boots inside, and no person in sight - an image that sent search-and-rescue into overdrive. Fifty hours of decisions, a single log entry that read "monitor," and a collapse that cost five climbers everything - how did one word become the hinge of disaster?

In this episode, we follow the six-day sequence on Tolliver Peak in late winter and the people involved, from a veteran guide with seventeen years at altitude to a first-time high-altitude climber. We cover the equipment note, the weather window, the summit timeline, and the descending decision that left a question: could one acted-or-ignored word have changed the outcome?

Person: Amy Cole, 26, pharmacy technician
Person: Nancy Gray, 41, guide with 17 years' experience
Person: Cassie Ford, 22, first expedition above 12,000 feet
Date: Tuesday morning in March (day of observation), day five began at 3:40 AM
Location: Tolliver Peak, summit reached at 8:47 AM; crampons spotted at 9,200 feet

- Five people in the group: one certified guide, four clients, pushing for a five-day summit attempt
- Equipment log noted a "hairline fracture" in Cassie Ford's left crampon with the single-word instruction: "monitor"
- Team left for glacier crossing at 5:15 AM with winds already above 30 miles per hour and temperature -12°F
- All five stood on the summit by 8:47 AM with wind at 50 miles per hour and temperature -18°F
- Nancy Gray called the descent at 9:09 AM after a cloud system descended from 16,000 to 14,000 feet during their 22-minute summit stop

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083795Wed, 21 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaEmpty Crampons on Tolliver: The One Word That Broke Them A flash of aluminum caught a fifteen-year-old’s binoculars at 9,200 feet: two crampons, perfectly buckled, no boots inside, and no person in sight - an image that sent search-and-rescue into...
A flash of aluminum caught a fifteen-year-old’s binoculars at 9,200 feet: two crampons, perfectly buckled, no boots inside, and no person in sight - an image that sent search-and-rescue into overdrive. Fifty hours of decisions, a single log entry that read "monitor," and a collapse that cost five climbers everything - how did one word become the hinge of disaster?

In this episode, we follow the six-day sequence on Tolliver Peak in late winter and the people involved, from a veteran guide with seventeen years at altitude to a first-time high-altitude climber. We cover the equipment note, the weather window, the summit timeline, and the descending decision that left a question: could one acted-or-ignored word have changed the outcome?

Person: Amy Cole, 26, pharmacy technician
Person: Nancy Gray, 41, guide with 17 years' experience
Person: Cassie Ford, 22, first expedition above 12,000 feet
Date: Tuesday morning in March (day of observation), day five began at 3:40 AM
Location: Tolliver Peak, summit reached at 8:47 AM; crampons spotted at 9,200 feet

- Five people in the group: one certified guide, four clients, pushing for a five-day summit attempt
- Equipment log noted a "hairline fracture" in Cassie Ford's left crampon with the single-word instruction: "monitor"
- Team left for glacier crossing at 5:15 AM with winds already above 30 miles per hour and temperature -12°F
- All five stood on the summit by 8:47 AM with wind at 50 miles per hour and temperature -18°F
- Nancy Gray called the descent at 9:09 AM after a cloud system descended from 16,000 to 14,000 feet during their 22-minute summit stop

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>978falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-walked-away-from-13-200-feet-why-glenn-sat-down-to-die--73083794
Cold, calculated sacrifice: a teacher with twenty-two years of mountaineering experience removed his warm gloves at 13,200 feet and walked away into a wind that produced an effective wind chill of negative fifty-five°F - leaving only a pair of $300 gloves clipped to a roadside post at 5,600 feet. Why did Glenn give his protection to a teammate and then deliberately choose a trail almost nobody uses in February?

In this episode, you will hear the timeline from Base Camp to summit and descent, the people on the climb, and the exact sequence of decisions that led to Glenn’s disappearance - including the photograph at the summit, the wind that stalled forty miles west, and the footprints that ended at the access road. What does the evidence say about why Glenn sat down to die?

Person: Glenn Green
Date: February 16-19, 2011
Location: Crestfall Mountain traverse at 13,200 feet and Harlow access road at 5,600 feet
Team: Ronald Hayes (guide), Curtis Doyle, Amber Crane, Marcus Webb, Glenn Green
Found gear: Two mountaineering gloves clipped to a highway delineator post

- Glenn was 48 years old with 22 years of climbing experience and taught shop at a public high school.
- The party left Base Camp at 2:45 AM in -17°F and reached the Shoulder (12,800 ft) at 6:20 AM.
- Summit photo of Glenn was taken at 9:17 AM as wind accelerated; winds were 35 mph then and later gusting to 70 mph.
- Curtis Doyle fell 30 feet on the north face during the traverse and lost both outer gloves to the wind.
- Two mountaineering gloves rated to -40°F and worth nearly $300 were found clipped to a post at 5,600 ft on February 19, with one set of boot prints leading downhill and none returning.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083794Tue, 20 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Walked Away From 13,200 Feet - Why Glenn Sat Down to Die Cold, calculated sacrifice: a teacher with twenty-two years of mountaineering experience removed his warm gloves at 13,200 feet and walked away into a wind that produced an effective wind...
Cold, calculated sacrifice: a teacher with twenty-two years of mountaineering experience removed his warm gloves at 13,200 feet and walked away into a wind that produced an effective wind chill of negative fifty-five°F - leaving only a pair of $300 gloves clipped to a roadside post at 5,600 feet. Why did Glenn give his protection to a teammate and then deliberately choose a trail almost nobody uses in February?

In this episode, you will hear the timeline from Base Camp to summit and descent, the people on the climb, and the exact sequence of decisions that led to Glenn’s disappearance - including the photograph at the summit, the wind that stalled forty miles west, and the footprints that ended at the access road. What does the evidence say about why Glenn sat down to die?

Person: Glenn Green
Date: February 16-19, 2011
Location: Crestfall Mountain traverse at 13,200 feet and Harlow access road at 5,600 feet
Team: Ronald Hayes (guide), Curtis Doyle, Amber Crane, Marcus Webb, Glenn Green
Found gear: Two mountaineering gloves clipped to a highway delineator post

- Glenn was 48 years old with 22 years of climbing experience and taught shop at a public high school.
- The party left Base Camp at 2:45 AM in -17°F and reached the Shoulder (12,800 ft) at 6:20 AM.
- Summit photo of Glenn was taken at 9:17 AM as wind accelerated; winds were 35 mph then and later gusting to 70 mph.
- Curtis Doyle fell 30 feet on the north face during the traverse and lost both outer gloves to the wind.
- Two mountaineering gloves rated to -40°F and worth nearly $300 were found clipped to a post at 5,600 ft on February 19, with one set of boot prints leading downhill and none returning.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>840falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-glove-that-stood-up-missing-tracks-on-arrowhead-mountain--73083793
A single expedition glove was found standing upright in fresh snow, fingers pointed at the sky, with no boot prints or drag marks within fifty yards - discovered January 19, 2011 at 6,200 ft below Arrowhead Mountain. How did one gloved hand appear perfectly vertical with no disturbance, and why was the team who needed it still four days away?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of discoveries and decisions from the service road to the summit plateau, tracing the gear caches, weather forecasts, and personnel present before the January 25 ascent. What gap between discovery and departure might explain the unexplained glove and the events that followed?

Person: Amanda Berry
Date: January 19, 2011
Location: Mineral County service road, utility pole 31, elevation ~6,200 ft
Event: Glove found upright with no tracks
Team size: 11 people (2 guides, 9 clients)

- The glove was found standing upright with liner still inside and no boot prints within a 50-yard radius.
- Amanda Berry, a county lineworker, discovered the glove on the morning of January 19, 2011.
- Arrowhead Mountain summit is approximately 11,400 ft; the East Ledge crossing sits around 10,000 ft.
- Duane Dalton cached a gear bag marked "D. DALTON" three days before the summit, about 300 vertical feet above the service road.
- The group of eleven left high camp at 3:15 AM on January 25 from 9,200 ft with a forecasted front arriving between 2-4 PM that day.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083793Mon, 19 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Glove That Stood Up: Missing Tracks on Arrowhead Mountain A single expedition glove was found standing upright in fresh snow, fingers pointed at the sky, with no boot prints or drag marks within fifty yards - discovered January 19, 2011 at...
A single expedition glove was found standing upright in fresh snow, fingers pointed at the sky, with no boot prints or drag marks within fifty yards - discovered January 19, 2011 at 6,200 ft below Arrowhead Mountain. How did one gloved hand appear perfectly vertical with no disturbance, and why was the team who needed it still four days away?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of discoveries and decisions from the service road to the summit plateau, tracing the gear caches, weather forecasts, and personnel present before the January 25 ascent. What gap between discovery and departure might explain the unexplained glove and the events that followed?

Person: Amanda Berry
Date: January 19, 2011
Location: Mineral County service road, utility pole 31, elevation ~6,200 ft
Event: Glove found upright with no tracks
Team size: 11 people (2 guides, 9 clients)

- The glove was found standing upright with liner still inside and no boot prints within a 50-yard radius.
- Amanda Berry, a county lineworker, discovered the glove on the morning of January 19, 2011.
- Arrowhead Mountain summit is approximately 11,400 ft; the East Ledge crossing sits around 10,000 ft.
- Duane Dalton cached a gear bag marked "D. DALTON" three days before the summit, about 300 vertical feet above the service road.
- The group of eleven left high camp at 3:15 AM on January 25 from 9,200 ft with a forecasted front arriving between 2-4 PM that day.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>899falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/harness-in-a-pine-the-guide-who-didn-t-come-down--73083792
A bright orange climbing harness hung from a pine branch at eye level eleven miles from technical terrain, buckles fastened and straps neat - the only signal that a guide had not returned from a summit push he’d begun the day before. What did happen on the Coldwall between 1:17 p.m. and 11:48 p.m., and why did a seasoned guide’s last tracked decisions end with a harness in a tree?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline and evidence pieced together by investigators, mountaineering safety analysts, and a rescue coordinator with eleven years on the Coldwall to tell the story that began the morning of December 13 and ended in the dark of December 14 - asking whether the choices made on the mountain were the only ones available.

Person: Duane Parker
Date: December 13-14, 2019
Location: Coldwall / Breckenfeld Basin approach to summit
Event: Summit departure at 7:41 a.m.; summit reached at 1:17 p.m.; incident began ~5:00 p.m.
Status: Duane Parker did not return alive; harness found by Patricia Hughes at 6:22 a.m. on December 14

- Harness described as orange, hanging from a pine branch at eye level with buckles fastened and straps neatly arranged.
- Duane Parker was 44 years old and had 17 years guiding experience on the Coldwall with two seasons in the Andes.
- The group left Breckenfeld Basin on December 10; storm on December 12 caused a high-camp layover near 12,000 ft.
- On December 13 at 1:17 p.m. Duane and Diane reached the summit, beginning a late descent that narrowed the daylight window.
- At approximately 5:00 p.m. Duane’s left crampon broke through a wind slab, causing a 40-foot slide before his piolet arrested him.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083792Sun, 18 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHarness in a Pine: The Guide Who Didn't Come Down A bright orange climbing harness hung from a pine branch at eye level eleven miles from technical terrain, buckles fastened and straps neat - the only signal that a guide had not returned from a...
A bright orange climbing harness hung from a pine branch at eye level eleven miles from technical terrain, buckles fastened and straps neat - the only signal that a guide had not returned from a summit push he’d begun the day before. What did happen on the Coldwall between 1:17 p.m. and 11:48 p.m., and why did a seasoned guide’s last tracked decisions end with a harness in a tree?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline and evidence pieced together by investigators, mountaineering safety analysts, and a rescue coordinator with eleven years on the Coldwall to tell the story that began the morning of December 13 and ended in the dark of December 14 - asking whether the choices made on the mountain were the only ones available.

Person: Duane Parker
Date: December 13-14, 2019
Location: Coldwall / Breckenfeld Basin approach to summit
Event: Summit departure at 7:41 a.m.; summit reached at 1:17 p.m.; incident began ~5:00 p.m.
Status: Duane Parker did not return alive; harness found by Patricia Hughes at 6:22 a.m. on December 14

- Harness described as orange, hanging from a pine branch at eye level with buckles fastened and straps neatly arranged.
- Duane Parker was 44 years old and had 17 years guiding experience on the Coldwall with two seasons in the Andes.
- The group left Breckenfeld Basin on December 10; storm on December 12 caused a high-camp layover near 12,000 ft.
- On December 13 at 1:17 p.m. Duane and Diane reached the summit, beginning a late descent that narrowed the daylight window.
- At approximately 5:00 p.m. Duane’s left crampon broke through a wind slab, causing a 40-foot slide before his piolet arrested him.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>907falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/climber-removes-his-boots-at-the-summit-the-marvin-mason-case--73083791
A man who laminated cat-feeding instructions and logged radio check-ins for four days removed his size-eleven insulated mountaineering boots at high camp, laces tucked and frost-coated, then vanished into cold that later registered a body temperature of 82°F. Why did a physician trained in wilderness medicine write "Boots off to check for sensation. Good bilateral. Replacing now." and then not replace them?

In this episode, we follow the documented timeline from the Kellum Trailhead parking lot on November 14, 2011, through Marvin Mason's radio check-ins and the discovery of his open field notebook at Serac Shelf; we present the concrete findings left at high camp and the unanswered question that ties them together.

Person: Marvin D. Mason
Date: November 9-15, 2011
Location: Kellum Trailhead / Serac Shelf / Dunmore County, Montana
Age: 44
Occupation: Physician - wilderness and occupational medicine

- At 7:41 AM on November 14, 2011, a pair of size-eleven insulated mountaineering boots sat on the hood of a gray pickup at Kellum Trailhead.
- Jerry Foster, a utility meter reader with 22 years' experience, recognized the truck and called the sheriff after seeing the boots.
- Mason made four radio check-ins between November 9 and the evening of November 12, with the last confirming arrival at Serac Shelf (~8,000 ft).
- The field notebook found on November 15 contained eleven entries dated from 11:00 PM Nov 12 to 10:00 AM Nov 13; the last line ends mid-process: "Boots off to check for sensation. Good bilateral. Replacing now."
- Mason's body temperature was later recorded at 82°F when he was found alive somewhere on the mountain.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083791Sat, 17 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaClimber Removes His Boots at the Summit: The Marvin Mason Case A man who laminated cat-feeding instructions and logged radio check-ins for four days removed his size-eleven insulated mountaineering boots at high camp, laces tucked and frost-coated,...
A man who laminated cat-feeding instructions and logged radio check-ins for four days removed his size-eleven insulated mountaineering boots at high camp, laces tucked and frost-coated, then vanished into cold that later registered a body temperature of 82°F. Why did a physician trained in wilderness medicine write "Boots off to check for sensation. Good bilateral. Replacing now." and then not replace them?

In this episode, we follow the documented timeline from the Kellum Trailhead parking lot on November 14, 2011, through Marvin Mason's radio check-ins and the discovery of his open field notebook at Serac Shelf; we present the concrete findings left at high camp and the unanswered question that ties them together.

Person: Marvin D. Mason
Date: November 9-15, 2011
Location: Kellum Trailhead / Serac Shelf / Dunmore County, Montana
Age: 44
Occupation: Physician - wilderness and occupational medicine

- At 7:41 AM on November 14, 2011, a pair of size-eleven insulated mountaineering boots sat on the hood of a gray pickup at Kellum Trailhead.
- Jerry Foster, a utility meter reader with 22 years' experience, recognized the truck and called the sheriff after seeing the boots.
- Mason made four radio check-ins between November 9 and the evening of November 12, with the last confirming arrival at Serac Shelf (~8,000 ft).
- The field notebook found on November 15 contained eleven entries dated from 11:00 PM Nov 12 to 10:00 AM Nov 13; the last line ends mid-process: "Boots off to check for sensation. Good bilateral. Replacing now."
- Mason's body temperature was later recorded at 82°F when he was found alive somewhere on the mountain.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>947falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-axehead-in-the-lodgepole-how-a-shaftless-tool-saved-a-life--73083790
A steel axe head, burn-scored and lodged forty feet up a lodgepole pine, was found nine thousand feet above sea level with no shaft and no rope - and it led straight to a living climber in a hospital. The serial number matched a labeled ice axe belonging to twenty-nine-year-old Jerry Mason; how did a shaftless, burn-marked head end up wedged in a tree and still mean the difference between life and death?

In this episode, we follow the October Kantner Peak expedition and the chain of decisions, weather failures, and small rituals that framed one man's survival. From a missed Wednesday morning call to a storm that arrived without warning, we trace the moments that produced the axehead in the lodgepole and ask: what sequence of choices made an impossible outcome possible?

Person: Jerome T. Mason
Age: 29
Date: October 7-8 (summit and descent dates)
Location: Kantner Peak, western Montana, ~9,000 feet
Item: steel axe head (burn-scored, shaftless, wedged in lodgepole pine ~40 feet high)

- Jerry Mason called his mother every Wednesday morning at 5 a.m. for seven years; the call did not occur on October 8.
- The expedition summited and began descent at 11:55 a.m, on October 7.
- Visibility dropped to about 15 meters during a storm that struck around 2 p.m, on October 7.
- Dana Pruitt's right crampon binding failed after a self-arrest during the storm.
- The axe head's serial number matched the ice axe labeled "J.T.M." belonging to Jerry Mason.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083790Fri, 16 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Axehead in the Lodgepole: How a Shaftless Tool Saved a Life A steel axe head, burn-scored and lodged forty feet up a lodgepole pine, was found nine thousand feet above sea level with no shaft and no rope - and it led straight to a living...
A steel axe head, burn-scored and lodged forty feet up a lodgepole pine, was found nine thousand feet above sea level with no shaft and no rope - and it led straight to a living climber in a hospital. The serial number matched a labeled ice axe belonging to twenty-nine-year-old Jerry Mason; how did a shaftless, burn-marked head end up wedged in a tree and still mean the difference between life and death?

In this episode, we follow the October Kantner Peak expedition and the chain of decisions, weather failures, and small rituals that framed one man's survival. From a missed Wednesday morning call to a storm that arrived without warning, we trace the moments that produced the axehead in the lodgepole and ask: what sequence of choices made an impossible outcome possible?

Person: Jerome T. Mason
Age: 29
Date: October 7-8 (summit and descent dates)
Location: Kantner Peak, western Montana, ~9,000 feet
Item: steel axe head (burn-scored, shaftless, wedged in lodgepole pine ~40 feet high)

- Jerry Mason called his mother every Wednesday morning at 5 a.m. for seven years; the call did not occur on October 8.
- The expedition summited and began descent at 11:55 a.m, on October 7.
- Visibility dropped to about 15 meters during a storm that struck around 2 p.m, on October 7.
- Dana Pruitt's right crampon binding failed after a self-arrest during the storm.
- The axe head's serial number matched the ice axe labeled "J.T.M." belonging to Jerry Mason.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>932falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-wrong-col-how-four-climbers-followed-the-mountain-s-lie--73083789
A hanger-on sleeping bag, bright orange, dangled from a spruce branch four miles from camp-no prints, no campsite, and a vanished team: one dead, one airlifted, one home bowling. How could four experienced climbers, with checked gear and a leader who’d summited twice, end up on the wrong saddle and pay the price?

In this episode, we walk through the sequence of the climb, the timing, the instruments, and the tiny misreadings that turned routine decisions into tragedy. What happened between the headlamp glow at 4:30 a.m. and the rope going “light” at 13:40 that left one man dead and a map of error behind?

Person: Lloyd Price
Person: Diane Harris
Person: Person: Pete Conroy
Person: Person: Marta Szabo
Event: Saddle misidentification

- The team departed treeline at 4:30 a.m, on September 15, 2019.
- They arrived at a saddle at 6:45 a.m.; Diane called it Upper Platform at 12,400 ft.
- Pete’s altimeter read 11,600 ft while Lloyd’s read 12,100 ft and Diane’s read 12,300 ft at the same location.
- Fenwick Peak’s lower saddle sits 800 feet below the true Upper Platform and one and a half miles to the northeast.
- At 13:40 one climber was found dead on a rock band at 11,700 ft after the rope “went light.”

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083789Thu, 15 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Wrong Col: How Four Climbers Followed the Mountain's Lie A hanger-on sleeping bag, bright orange, dangled from a spruce branch four miles from camp-no prints, no campsite, and a vanished team: one dead, one airlifted, one home bowling. How...
A hanger-on sleeping bag, bright orange, dangled from a spruce branch four miles from camp-no prints, no campsite, and a vanished team: one dead, one airlifted, one home bowling. How could four experienced climbers, with checked gear and a leader who’d summited twice, end up on the wrong saddle and pay the price?

In this episode, we walk through the sequence of the climb, the timing, the instruments, and the tiny misreadings that turned routine decisions into tragedy. What happened between the headlamp glow at 4:30 a.m. and the rope going “light” at 13:40 that left one man dead and a map of error behind?

Person: Lloyd Price
Person: Diane Harris
Person: Person: Pete Conroy
Person: Person: Marta Szabo
Event: Saddle misidentification

- The team departed treeline at 4:30 a.m, on September 15, 2019.
- They arrived at a saddle at 6:45 a.m.; Diane called it Upper Platform at 12,400 ft.
- Pete’s altimeter read 11,600 ft while Lloyd’s read 12,100 ft and Diane’s read 12,300 ft at the same location.
- Fenwick Peak’s lower saddle sits 800 feet below the true Upper Platform and one and a half miles to the northeast.
- At 13:40 one climber was found dead on a rock band at 11,700 ft after the rope “went light.”

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>989falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-unseen-climber-photo-that-rewrote-a-mountain-s-decisions--73083788
A single photograph from a recovered stuff sack showed an unidentified figure on Virden Spire’s summit plateau and forced a re-examination of the choices that put four climbers on a ridge they were never meant to be on. The image came from one of two rolls of film found in Sutter Creek and it contains sixty-one usable frames - but why did that one frame change everything?

In this episode, we walk through the timeline recovered from depositions, summit logs, and the recovered camera to lay out what happened before and after the shutter clicked. What decisions-made hours earlier and off the pre-filed plan-led the party up an east couloir and onto a ridge that ended with a thirty-one foot fall?

Person: Kimberly Jones
Person: Aaron Delgado
Person: Kathleen Sharp
Date: August 14, 2003
Location: Virden Spire, central Nevada

- Stuff sack with two rolls of Kodak color print film was pulled from Sutter Creek at 9:47 AM on a Tuesday in late October 2003.
- One roll contained sixty-one usable frames; three frames were taken on the summit plateau.
- The team left the trailhead on August 9 and established Virden Spire at approximately 11,200 feet on August 11.
- The group deviated from the planned southwest face to the east couloir on the morning of August 14, gaining roughly ninety minutes.
- One climber fell thirty-one feet onto unstable talus after all four had climbed the ridge; nobody died.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083788Wed, 14 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Unseen Climber: Photo That Rewrote a Mountain's Decisions A single photograph from a recovered stuff sack showed an unidentified figure on Virden Spire’s summit plateau and forced a re-examination of the choices that put four climbers on a...
A single photograph from a recovered stuff sack showed an unidentified figure on Virden Spire’s summit plateau and forced a re-examination of the choices that put four climbers on a ridge they were never meant to be on. The image came from one of two rolls of film found in Sutter Creek and it contains sixty-one usable frames - but why did that one frame change everything?

In this episode, we walk through the timeline recovered from depositions, summit logs, and the recovered camera to lay out what happened before and after the shutter clicked. What decisions-made hours earlier and off the pre-filed plan-led the party up an east couloir and onto a ridge that ended with a thirty-one foot fall?

Person: Kimberly Jones
Person: Aaron Delgado
Person: Kathleen Sharp
Date: August 14, 2003
Location: Virden Spire, central Nevada

- Stuff sack with two rolls of Kodak color print film was pulled from Sutter Creek at 9:47 AM on a Tuesday in late October 2003.
- One roll contained sixty-one usable frames; three frames were taken on the summit plateau.
- The team left the trailhead on August 9 and established Virden Spire at approximately 11,200 feet on August 11.
- The group deviated from the planned southwest face to the east couloir on the morning of August 14, gaining roughly ninety minutes.
- One climber fell thirty-one feet onto unstable talus after all four had climbed the ridge; nobody died.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>946falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-ice-screw-below-the-snowline-one-choice-that-kept-them-alive--73083787
Cold, impossible hardware and a single decision kept two climbers from falling farther than a hundred feet: a titanium ice screw 19 cm long was hammered into granite nearly 4,000 feet below where anyone expected it, and someone had walked on broken legs for 17 hours before being found. How did a tool meant for ice become the hinge between survival and a deeper disaster?

In this episode, we follow a three-person climb on Mount Auroch that turned catastrophic on July 9, 2019, and trace the sequence of choices and equipment that decided who lived. What exactly happened on the couloir that morning, and which decision changed the outcome?

Person: Brian Chambers
Person: Kevin Holmes
Person: Aaron Sully
Date: July 9, 2019
Location: Mount Auroch west couloir

- A titanium ice screw 19 centimeters long was driven into bare granite and found nearly 4,000 feet below the last known place anyone had seen it.
- Brian Chambers carried all six ice screws on his harness and none returned to camp after the fall.
- The fall occurred at approximately 10,200 feet and took less than four seconds.
- Aaron Sully waited approximately 90 seconds before climbing up and then cut the rope between Chambers and Holmes with a knife, keeping the short end with a figure-eight loop.
- Someone had been walking on broken legs for 17 hours before being found, according to the record.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083787Tue, 13 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Ice Screw Below the Snowline: One Choice That Kept Them Alive Cold, impossible hardware and a single decision kept two climbers from falling farther than a hundred feet: a titanium ice screw 19 cm long was hammered into granite nearly 4,000...
Cold, impossible hardware and a single decision kept two climbers from falling farther than a hundred feet: a titanium ice screw 19 cm long was hammered into granite nearly 4,000 feet below where anyone expected it, and someone had walked on broken legs for 17 hours before being found. How did a tool meant for ice become the hinge between survival and a deeper disaster?

In this episode, we follow a three-person climb on Mount Auroch that turned catastrophic on July 9, 2019, and trace the sequence of choices and equipment that decided who lived. What exactly happened on the couloir that morning, and which decision changed the outcome?

Person: Brian Chambers
Person: Kevin Holmes
Person: Aaron Sully
Date: July 9, 2019
Location: Mount Auroch west couloir

- A titanium ice screw 19 centimeters long was driven into bare granite and found nearly 4,000 feet below the last known place anyone had seen it.
- Brian Chambers carried all six ice screws on his harness and none returned to camp after the fall.
- The fall occurred at approximately 10,200 feet and took less than four seconds.
- Aaron Sully waited approximately 90 seconds before climbing up and then cut the rope between Chambers and Holmes with a knife, keeping the short end with a figure-eight loop.
- Someone had been walking on broken legs for 17 hours before being found, according to the record.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>847falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/frozen-notebook-seven-thousand-meters-heather-walker-s-last-line--73083786
The cold in that crawl space did not match the crawl space: a green notebook registered a core temperature equivalent to seven thousand meters, open to a half-finished sentence that ends with "the col is." Who wrote that unfinished line, why was the notebook mailed away by accident, and what did that dropped wind foretell before a storm arrived thirty-six hours early?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the notebook’s discovery to the summit push on June 9, 2018, laying out the people, timings, and small decisions that mattered - and asking whether one sentence in the margin changed everything.

Person: Heather Walker
Date: June 3, 2018 (reached high camp at approximately seven thousand meters)
Location: Vennor's Crown, west face of the Arrogate Range
Finder: Debra Hamilton (septic contractor)
Event: Summit push began at 2:00 a.m. on June 9, 2018

- The notebook was found in a crawl space on June 17, 2019, open to a half-finished sentence.
- Heather Walker was sixty-two years old and had been a radiological technician at Dunmore Regional Hospital for twenty-one years.
- Walker reached high camp at approximately seven thousand meters on June 3, 2018, and mailed the notebook on June 7, 2018.
- The summit party began their ascent at 2:00 a.m. on June 9, 2018, and reached the crux traverse at 7,200 meters at 8:15 a.m.
- The weather forecast predicted a viable summit day on June 9 but a storm arrived thirty-six hours earlier than forecast.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083786Mon, 12 Oct 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaFrozen Notebook, Seven Thousand Meters: Heather Walker's Last Line The cold in that crawl space did not match the crawl space: a green notebook registered a core temperature equivalent to seven thousand meters, open to a half-finished sentence that...
The cold in that crawl space did not match the crawl space: a green notebook registered a core temperature equivalent to seven thousand meters, open to a half-finished sentence that ends with "the col is." Who wrote that unfinished line, why was the notebook mailed away by accident, and what did that dropped wind foretell before a storm arrived thirty-six hours early?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the notebook’s discovery to the summit push on June 9, 2018, laying out the people, timings, and small decisions that mattered - and asking whether one sentence in the margin changed everything.

Person: Heather Walker
Date: June 3, 2018 (reached high camp at approximately seven thousand meters)
Location: Vennor's Crown, west face of the Arrogate Range
Finder: Debra Hamilton (septic contractor)
Event: Summit push began at 2:00 a.m. on June 9, 2018

- The notebook was found in a crawl space on June 17, 2019, open to a half-finished sentence.
- Heather Walker was sixty-two years old and had been a radiological technician at Dunmore Regional Hospital for twenty-one years.
- Walker reached high camp at approximately seven thousand meters on June 3, 2018, and mailed the notebook on June 7, 2018.
- The summit party began their ascent at 2:00 a.m. on June 9, 2018, and reached the crux traverse at 7,200 meters at 8:15 a.m.
- The weather forecast predicted a viable summit day on June 9 but a storm arrived thirty-six hours earlier than forecast.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>886falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-boot-in-the-ice-how-a-single-clue-rewrote-a-lost-climber-mystery--73083784
A single orange boot, laced and perfectly upright, wedged thirty feet into a crevasse wall changed a four-day missing-person search into a baffling survival puzzle. How did a twenty-four-year-old climber with a decade of experience end up alive, eleven miles from the trailhead, wearing just one boot - and why did that boot appear pressed into the ice like a deliberate sign?

In this episode, we walk through the events from the May 1 ascent to the Narrows crossing and the moment a snow bridge gave way, showing how weather, rope geometry, and timing shifted the team's fate and the search's focus. What new picture emerges when the boot is the clue that forces every assumption to be re-evaluated?

Person: Kelly Petersen
Date: May 1-9, 2011
Location: Cerro Sable, Narrows and lateral moraine below Serrano Glacier
Event: Snow-bridge collapse during descent on May 5 at 12:15 PM
Finder: George Carlson

- The boot was found on the morning of May 9, 2011, wedged thirty feet above the glacier surface in a crevasse wall.
- Kelly Petersen was identified as the boot's owner two days after the boot was found and was confirmed alive four days after that.
- The team reached Camp Two at 12,600 feet by the evening of May 4 and planned a summit push for the morning of May 5.
- At approximately 4:30 AM on May 5 the team moved through the Narrows at 13,400 feet across an eight-foot-wide snow bridge.
- Doug Reinhart stepped onto the same bridge at 12:15 PM on May 5, made it four feet before three seconds of progressive collapse, leaving him separated by scant usable rope.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083784Sun, 11 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Boot in the Ice: How a Single Clue Rewrote a Lost-Climber Mystery A single orange boot, laced and perfectly upright, wedged thirty feet into a crevasse wall changed a four-day missing-person search into a baffling survival puzzle. How did a...
A single orange boot, laced and perfectly upright, wedged thirty feet into a crevasse wall changed a four-day missing-person search into a baffling survival puzzle. How did a twenty-four-year-old climber with a decade of experience end up alive, eleven miles from the trailhead, wearing just one boot - and why did that boot appear pressed into the ice like a deliberate sign?

In this episode, we walk through the events from the May 1 ascent to the Narrows crossing and the moment a snow bridge gave way, showing how weather, rope geometry, and timing shifted the team's fate and the search's focus. What new picture emerges when the boot is the clue that forces every assumption to be re-evaluated?

Person: Kelly Petersen
Date: May 1-9, 2011
Location: Cerro Sable, Narrows and lateral moraine below Serrano Glacier
Event: Snow-bridge collapse during descent on May 5 at 12:15 PM
Finder: George Carlson

- The boot was found on the morning of May 9, 2011, wedged thirty feet above the glacier surface in a crevasse wall.
- Kelly Petersen was identified as the boot's owner two days after the boot was found and was confirmed alive four days after that.
- The team reached Camp Two at 12,600 feet by the evening of May 4 and planned a summit push for the morning of May 5.
- At approximately 4:30 AM on May 5 the team moved through the Narrows at 13,400 feet across an eight-foot-wide snow bridge.
- Doug Reinhart stepped onto the same bridge at 12:15 PM on May 5, made it four feet before three seconds of progressive collapse, leaving him separated by scant usable rope.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>900falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-heard-the-radio-left-a-milepost-left-a-man-below--73083783
Cold, deliberate choices turned a working radio into a witness that could not call for help, and a broken radio into a lifeline left on a milepost eleven miles from the nearest mountain-so who decided which radios to carry, and how did that decision shape who lived and who died?

In this episode, we follow the April 2009 Cassidy Spire expedition through timestamps, log entries, and radio checks to trace the decisions and failures that defined the outcome; was a single five-word log note the hinge that separated survival from tragedy?

Person: Carol Fitzgerald
Person: Doug Sievert
Person: Cody Marsh
Date: April 9, 2009
Location: Cassidy Spire / Route Nine milepost

- The expedition left Draper Falls trailhead on April 6 and reached the summit on April 9 at 11:50 AM.
- At 2:17 PM on April 9, Cody Marsh logged the note: "Cache at high to stay light."
- Four Motorola HT750 radios were carried; three transmitted and received, the fourth was configured as receive-only by the rental company.
- Sievert fell into a crevasse and dropped approximately 60 feet; temperature that night fell to -21°F.
- A radio placed upright on a milepost was found by Terry Gallagher before 4:00 AM on April 14, eleven miles from the nearest mountain.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083783Sat, 10 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Heard the Radio-Left a Milepost, Left a Man Below Cold, deliberate choices turned a working radio into a witness that could not call for help, and a broken radio into a lifeline left on a milepost eleven miles from the nearest mountain-so who...
Cold, deliberate choices turned a working radio into a witness that could not call for help, and a broken radio into a lifeline left on a milepost eleven miles from the nearest mountain-so who decided which radios to carry, and how did that decision shape who lived and who died?

In this episode, we follow the April 2009 Cassidy Spire expedition through timestamps, log entries, and radio checks to trace the decisions and failures that defined the outcome; was a single five-word log note the hinge that separated survival from tragedy?

Person: Carol Fitzgerald
Person: Doug Sievert
Person: Cody Marsh
Date: April 9, 2009
Location: Cassidy Spire / Route Nine milepost

- The expedition left Draper Falls trailhead on April 6 and reached the summit on April 9 at 11:50 AM.
- At 2:17 PM on April 9, Cody Marsh logged the note: "Cache at high to stay light."
- Four Motorola HT750 radios were carried; three transmitted and received, the fourth was configured as receive-only by the rental company.
- Sievert fell into a crevasse and dropped approximately 60 feet; temperature that night fell to -21°F.
- A radio placed upright on a milepost was found by Terry Gallagher before 4:00 AM on April 14, eleven miles from the nearest mountain.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>905falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-boot-in-the-snowbank-why-april-stayed-and-the-mountain-lied--73083782
A single size seven mountaineering boot, fully laced with a laminated ID for "A. Bailey, Expedition 4, Corvel North," appeared in a highway snowbank nine miles and seventeen thousand feet below the nearest climbable ridge-no blood, no explanation. What began as a routine summit push became a forty-eight-hour test of weather, supplies, and a decision made four days earlier: why did April stay with a teammate instead of descending with the group?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline from a county road-grader operator finding the boot at 7:30 a.m. on March 14, 2011, through the expedition choices and shortfalls that followed, asking how a methodical climber who knew when to turn back ended up unaccounted for while a boot made it down.

Person: April Bailey
Event: Expedition 4 summit push
Date: March 11-14, 2011
Location: Corvel North; boot found near Brixton Flats highway
Status: Missing/unaccounted for

- Boot found at 7:30 a.m. on March 14 by Linda Smith, county road-grader operator.
- Boot identified as left foot, size seven, with liner inside and laminated ID reading "A. Bailey, Expedition 4, Corvel North."
- Summit push departed Camp Two at 3:00 a.m. on March 11 with four climbers carrying three days of food.
- Porter work stoppage left Camp Two with about three days of food for four climbers and fuel forty percent short of planned supplies.
- On March 11 at 6:14 p.m. April wrote "Reyes is off" and decided "Not okay to continue. Nadine and James want to push. I am staying with Chris."

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083782Fri, 09 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Boot in the Snowbank: Why April Stayed and the Mountain Lied A single size seven mountaineering boot, fully laced with a laminated ID for "A. Bailey, Expedition 4, Corvel North," appeared in a highway snowbank nine miles and seventeen thousand...
A single size seven mountaineering boot, fully laced with a laminated ID for "A. Bailey, Expedition 4, Corvel North," appeared in a highway snowbank nine miles and seventeen thousand feet below the nearest climbable ridge-no blood, no explanation. What began as a routine summit push became a forty-eight-hour test of weather, supplies, and a decision made four days earlier: why did April stay with a teammate instead of descending with the group?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline from a county road-grader operator finding the boot at 7:30 a.m. on March 14, 2011, through the expedition choices and shortfalls that followed, asking how a methodical climber who knew when to turn back ended up unaccounted for while a boot made it down.

Person: April Bailey
Event: Expedition 4 summit push
Date: March 11-14, 2011
Location: Corvel North; boot found near Brixton Flats highway
Status: Missing/unaccounted for

- Boot found at 7:30 a.m. on March 14 by Linda Smith, county road-grader operator.
- Boot identified as left foot, size seven, with liner inside and laminated ID reading "A. Bailey, Expedition 4, Corvel North."
- Summit push departed Camp Two at 3:00 a.m. on March 11 with four climbers carrying three days of food.
- Porter work stoppage left Camp Two with about three days of food for four climbers and fuel forty percent short of planned supplies.
- On March 11 at 6:14 p.m. April wrote "Reyes is off" and decided "Not okay to continue. Nadine and James want to push. I am staying with Chris."

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>942falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-glove-nine-miles-from-the-mountain-calder-peak-s-missing-proof--73083780
A single alpine glove, left-hand medium with "J. STEWART" written inside, was found at the base of power pole 114 - nine miles from the nearest trail and twenty-two miles from Calder Peak - and sat in lost property for six weeks before anyone made the connection. Why would one of Judith Stewart’s gloves end up that far from the mountain, and what does that single marked cuff mean for a winter climb that otherwise left no official mystery?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from Judith Stewart’s February 11 summit attempt through the discovery of the glove on February 16, laying out what the team logged, who was on the climb, and which pieces of evidence were recorded but never reconciled. What can a radio switched off partway up, a salvaged expedition log, and one overexposed photograph possibly reveal about that day?

Person: Judith Stewart
Date: February 11, 2009
Location: Calder Peak, Ridgeback Massif, Caldwell County
Finder: Rhonda Stroud
Evidence storage: Caldwell County Sheriff's lost-property bin

- Glove description: left hand, size medium, wrist cuff buckled, marked inside in black permanent marker "J. STEWART"
- Glove discovery: February 16, 2009, caught against the base of power pole 114, sector E
- Distance from mountain: nearest trail 9 miles; nearest reasonable approach to Calder Peak 22 miles from glove location
- Team on climb: four people - Judith Stewart (52), guide Warren Hicks (58), Carl Brody, and Tessa Wynn (29)
- Timeline: ascent started 2:47 AM Feb 11; Brody turned back around 12,000-12,400 ft due to lost sensation; Stewart and Wynn continued to the altered traverse at ~7:10 AM

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083780Thu, 08 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Glove Nine Miles From the Mountain: Calder Peak's Missing Proof A single alpine glove, left-hand medium with "J. STEWART" written inside, was found at the base of power pole 114 - nine miles from the nearest trail and twenty-two miles from...
A single alpine glove, left-hand medium with "J. STEWART" written inside, was found at the base of power pole 114 - nine miles from the nearest trail and twenty-two miles from Calder Peak - and sat in lost property for six weeks before anyone made the connection. Why would one of Judith Stewart’s gloves end up that far from the mountain, and what does that single marked cuff mean for a winter climb that otherwise left no official mystery?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from Judith Stewart’s February 11 summit attempt through the discovery of the glove on February 16, laying out what the team logged, who was on the climb, and which pieces of evidence were recorded but never reconciled. What can a radio switched off partway up, a salvaged expedition log, and one overexposed photograph possibly reveal about that day?

Person: Judith Stewart
Date: February 11, 2009
Location: Calder Peak, Ridgeback Massif, Caldwell County
Finder: Rhonda Stroud
Evidence storage: Caldwell County Sheriff's lost-property bin

- Glove description: left hand, size medium, wrist cuff buckled, marked inside in black permanent marker "J. STEWART"
- Glove discovery: February 16, 2009, caught against the base of power pole 114, sector E
- Distance from mountain: nearest trail 9 miles; nearest reasonable approach to Calder Peak 22 miles from glove location
- Team on climb: four people - Judith Stewart (52), guide Warren Hicks (58), Carl Brody, and Tessa Wynn (29)
- Timeline: ascent started 2:47 AM Feb 11; Brody turned back around 12,000-12,400 ft due to lost sensation; Stewart and Wynn continued to the altered traverse at ~7:10 AM

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>898falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-left-her-pack-survived-six-days-missing-fingers-and-a-secret-cylinder-trail--73083779
Cold mountain decisions can be the difference between life and death: a solo climber with 25 seasons of winter ascents left her pack at 11,000 feet, both crampons clipped to it, then vanished for eight days-what drove her to rig a rappel into unplanned terrain and abandon every safeguard? Discover how six olive-green oxygen cylinders, a silent radio call, and a hidden rope connect across decades to a single moment on a frozen ridge.

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Christine Whitaker’s last radio check at 6:10 a.m. on January 9 to the rescue team finding her intentionally abandoned pack and a rappel rig on January 15, and we unpack the concrete clues that raise one central question: why would an experienced, methodical climber choose that exact course of action?

Person: Christine Whitaker
Date: January 9-15, 2003
Location: Palliser Range, Gallatin County, Montana
Status: Missing then found after eight days
Rescue lead: Peggy Osborne, technical rescue coordinator

- Christine radioed at 6:10 a.m. on January 9 reporting “summit reached at 4:35, descending now.”
- Temperatures on the ridge fell to -22 degrees Fahrenheit during the five days after the radio call.
- Christine had climbed solo in winter for 25 years and joined a bowling league in 1996 with a season average of 167.
- On January 14, rescuers found Christine’s high camp at 11,000 feet with tent staked, stove stored, sleeping bag rolled, and her pack clipped shut but both crampons attached outside.
- On January 15, a 40-foot length of 7-mm cord rigged with a figure-eight anchor at the top and a single picket at the bottom was found rigged for descent into an unplanned drainage.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083779Wed, 07 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Left Her Pack-Survived Six Days, Missing Fingers, and a Secret Cylinder Trail Cold mountain decisions can be the difference between life and death: a solo climber with 25 seasons of winter ascents left her pack at 11,000 feet, both crampons...
Cold mountain decisions can be the difference between life and death: a solo climber with 25 seasons of winter ascents left her pack at 11,000 feet, both crampons clipped to it, then vanished for eight days-what drove her to rig a rappel into unplanned terrain and abandon every safeguard? Discover how six olive-green oxygen cylinders, a silent radio call, and a hidden rope connect across decades to a single moment on a frozen ridge.

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Christine Whitaker’s last radio check at 6:10 a.m. on January 9 to the rescue team finding her intentionally abandoned pack and a rappel rig on January 15, and we unpack the concrete clues that raise one central question: why would an experienced, methodical climber choose that exact course of action?

Person: Christine Whitaker
Date: January 9-15, 2003
Location: Palliser Range, Gallatin County, Montana
Status: Missing then found after eight days
Rescue lead: Peggy Osborne, technical rescue coordinator

- Christine radioed at 6:10 a.m. on January 9 reporting “summit reached at 4:35, descending now.”
- Temperatures on the ridge fell to -22 degrees Fahrenheit during the five days after the radio call.
- Christine had climbed solo in winter for 25 years and joined a bowling league in 1996 with a season average of 167.
- On January 14, rescuers found Christine’s high camp at 11,000 feet with tent staked, stove stored, sleeping bag rolled, and her pack clipped shut but both crampons attached outside.
- On January 15, a 40-foot length of 7-mm cord rigged with a figure-eight anchor at the top and a single picket at the bottom was found rigged for descent into an unplanned drainage.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>740falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-gate-map-on-oleander-street-a-cartographer-s-broken-hand--73083778
Cold and precise details - a hand-drawn mountain map taped to a gate, ice filling the trembling upper lines, and a rescued climber with no memory of making it: what does a map record when a hand fails? Find out why one taped sheet at 14 Oleander Street became the only clue to three unexplained events on Harben Peak.

In this episode, we follow the December expedition to Harben Peak and the sequence of events that linked a missing memory, a rescue, and an impossible map on a residential gate; what happened on the mountain and why the map felt wrong are the central questions we pursue.

Person: Marvin Wagner
Event: Ascent of Harben Peak
Location: 14 Oleander Street
Date: January 4, 2014 (map found); December 7, 2013 (descent incident)
Status: Rescued

- Map discovered at 7:14 AM on January 4, 2014, taped to the iron bars of a gate at 14 Oleander Street.
- Temperature was 11°F when meter reader Nicole Hunt photographed the map before touching it.
- Harben Peak summit elevation recorded as 14,040 feet; team reached summit at 9:06 AM after leaving high camp at 4:50 AM on December 7.
- Wind reached 40 mph and temperature dropped to -14°F by 10:40 AM during the descent; Tom Ibarra slid 40 feet and wrenched his left knee.
- Marvin Wagner had five frostbitten fingers and carried a Rapidograph and a ballpoint pen habitually in his breast pocket.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083778Tue, 06 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Gate Map on Oleander Street: A Cartographer's Broken Hand Cold and precise details - a hand-drawn mountain map taped to a gate, ice filling the trembling upper lines, and a rescued climber with no memory of making it: what does a map record...
Cold and precise details - a hand-drawn mountain map taped to a gate, ice filling the trembling upper lines, and a rescued climber with no memory of making it: what does a map record when a hand fails? Find out why one taped sheet at 14 Oleander Street became the only clue to three unexplained events on Harben Peak.

In this episode, we follow the December expedition to Harben Peak and the sequence of events that linked a missing memory, a rescue, and an impossible map on a residential gate; what happened on the mountain and why the map felt wrong are the central questions we pursue.

Person: Marvin Wagner
Event: Ascent of Harben Peak
Location: 14 Oleander Street
Date: January 4, 2014 (map found); December 7, 2013 (descent incident)
Status: Rescued

- Map discovered at 7:14 AM on January 4, 2014, taped to the iron bars of a gate at 14 Oleander Street.
- Temperature was 11°F when meter reader Nicole Hunt photographed the map before touching it.
- Harben Peak summit elevation recorded as 14,040 feet; team reached summit at 9:06 AM after leaving high camp at 4:50 AM on December 7.
- Wind reached 40 mph and temperature dropped to -14°F by 10:40 AM during the descent; Tom Ibarra slid 40 feet and wrenched his left knee.
- Marvin Wagner had five frostbitten fingers and carried a Rapidograph and a ballpoint pen habitually in his breast pocket.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>969falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-cut-the-rope-surviving-varden-horn-s-400-ton-wake--73083777
A cleanly cut ascender cord sat on a shelf eight miles from the nearest trailhead-orange nylon dusted with time, removed between September and November-raising the possibility someone altered a life-or-death system. Four climbers vanished in seconds when a roughly 400-ton serac sheared off Varden Horn; who cut the rope, and why did that evidence appear miles from the route?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the team's departure to the moment the serac released and the aftermath that followed, focusing on the physical clues and timeline that left two central questions unresolved: how did four experienced climbers vanish so quickly, and what does the cut ascender imply?

Person: Patricia Ford
Date: November 7, 2019
Location: Varden Horn, Caspar Range, eastern Colorado
Event: 400-ton serac collapse and disappearance of four climbers
Temperature: -14°C

- The ascender with about eight inches of orange cord and a clean-cut end was found on a wooden shelf above the door of a ranger hut eight miles from the nearest trailhead.
- Patricia Ford was approximately 12 meters ahead of the group on the crux traverse when the serac released at 9:40 AM on November 7, 2019.
- The serac block weighed approximately 400 tons and produced a debris field spanning 60 meters.
- Patricia probed the debris with an ice axe for roughly 40 minutes alone on a slope still settling, in -14°C temperatures with strong winds.
- The team of five adults planned a four-day climb, leaving on November 5, 2019, with high camp planned at about 10,000 feet and a summit push on day three.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083777Mon, 05 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Cut the Rope: Surviving Varden Horn's 400-Ton Wake A cleanly cut ascender cord sat on a shelf eight miles from the nearest trailhead-orange nylon dusted with time, removed between September and November-raising the possibility someone altered a...
A cleanly cut ascender cord sat on a shelf eight miles from the nearest trailhead-orange nylon dusted with time, removed between September and November-raising the possibility someone altered a life-or-death system. Four climbers vanished in seconds when a roughly 400-ton serac sheared off Varden Horn; who cut the rope, and why did that evidence appear miles from the route?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the team's departure to the moment the serac released and the aftermath that followed, focusing on the physical clues and timeline that left two central questions unresolved: how did four experienced climbers vanish so quickly, and what does the cut ascender imply?

Person: Patricia Ford
Date: November 7, 2019
Location: Varden Horn, Caspar Range, eastern Colorado
Event: 400-ton serac collapse and disappearance of four climbers
Temperature: -14°C

- The ascender with about eight inches of orange cord and a clean-cut end was found on a wooden shelf above the door of a ranger hut eight miles from the nearest trailhead.
- Patricia Ford was approximately 12 meters ahead of the group on the crux traverse when the serac released at 9:40 AM on November 7, 2019.
- The serac block weighed approximately 400 tons and produced a debris field spanning 60 meters.
- Patricia probed the debris with an ice axe for roughly 40 minutes alone on a slope still settling, in -14°C temperatures with strong winds.
- The team of five adults planned a four-day climb, leaving on November 5, 2019, with high camp planned at about 10,000 feet and a summit push on day three.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>878falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-walked-out-without-her-gear-facing-the-wrong-side-of-harrow-peak--73083776
A trained alpinist walked out of her sealed bivy at 13,400 feet into a storm with no ice axe, crampons, harness, or helmet - and every choice that night was deliberate. The team heard her last steady radio check at 22:51; by 06:12 the next morning she was gone - why would a methodical 22-year-old leave safety gear behind in the dark?

In this episode, we follow the timeline, the roles, and the radio log from base camp through the storm to trace Judith Cook’s decisions and the evidence that contradicts panic. What sequence of deliberate choices led a careful supply manager and AIARE Level Two certified climber to walk out without gear?

Person: Judith Cook
Date: October 7-8, 2014
Location: Harrow Peak, high camp at 13,400 ft
Role: High-camp cook, AIARE Level Two certified
Last radio log: 22:51 to Phil Custer; final wake-up call at 06:12 by Donald Ramsey

- Judith was 22 years old and had worked two seasons on expedition logistics before Harrow Peak.
- She carried her late father’s liquid-filled baseplate compass, kept from age 17.
- The summit team left Camp Three at 04:30 on October 7; they returned to Camp Three at 15:15 the same day.
- Judith made a clear radio call at 22:51 confirming conditions and saying, "Tell my mom I'm fine if she calls."
- At 06:12 on October 8 Donald Ramsey radioed the standard wake-up and received silence; her bivy was zipped shut from the outside.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083776Sun, 04 Oct 2026 13:00:04 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Walked Out Without Her Gear - Facing The Wrong Side of Harrow Peak A trained alpinist walked out of her sealed bivy at 13,400 feet into a storm with no ice axe, crampons, harness, or helmet - and every choice that night was deliberate. The team...
A trained alpinist walked out of her sealed bivy at 13,400 feet into a storm with no ice axe, crampons, harness, or helmet - and every choice that night was deliberate. The team heard her last steady radio check at 22:51; by 06:12 the next morning she was gone - why would a methodical 22-year-old leave safety gear behind in the dark?

In this episode, we follow the timeline, the roles, and the radio log from base camp through the storm to trace Judith Cook’s decisions and the evidence that contradicts panic. What sequence of deliberate choices led a careful supply manager and AIARE Level Two certified climber to walk out without gear?

Person: Judith Cook
Date: October 7-8, 2014
Location: Harrow Peak, high camp at 13,400 ft
Role: High-camp cook, AIARE Level Two certified
Last radio log: 22:51 to Phil Custer; final wake-up call at 06:12 by Donald Ramsey

- Judith was 22 years old and had worked two seasons on expedition logistics before Harrow Peak.
- She carried her late father’s liquid-filled baseplate compass, kept from age 17.
- The summit team left Camp Three at 04:30 on October 7; they returned to Camp Three at 15:15 the same day.
- Judith made a clear radio call at 22:51 confirming conditions and saying, "Tell my mom I'm fine if she calls."
- At 06:12 on October 8 Donald Ramsey radioed the standard wake-up and received silence; her bivy was zipped shut from the outside.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>906falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-rope-that-waited-nine-loads-how-monica-almost-didn-t-survive--73083774
Fear tightens when you learn a rope can hide a silent wound for eight ascents and then give way on the ninth - dumping a climber forty to sixty feet in the dark. A cut crampon tooth removed 40% of the core fibers under the sheath; the rope nevertheless carried eight loads before it failed - how did a flawless-looking rope become a death sentence?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of ordinary choices and routines that aligned to create a catastrophe on the Northwest Face of the Kessler Massif, and ask how a single invisible cut went undetected until it was too late.

Person: Monica Patterson
Date: September 14, 2019
Location: Callow River / Northwest Face of the Kessler Massif
Event: Fixed rope failure after prior unnoticed damage
Status: Survived the fall with a fractured wrist and hours alone on the mountain

- The rope was found on the river at 6:47 AM on September 14, 2019, still clipped to an 11-foot segment of blue-and-white kernmantle rope.
- The rope's sheath was cut by a crampon drag on September 9, severing roughly 40% of the interior fibers beneath the sheath.
- Monica Patterson was 38 years old and had been climbing for 16 years while working as a structural engineer specializing in seismic load analysis.
- The Northwest Face rises roughly 4,000 feet and its upper third has sustained ice at 55-62 degrees; about 30 successful ascents have been documented since the 1980s.
- Roy Davis, 51, photographed anchor five the afternoon of the installation and had a habit of documenting every anchor from his guiding years.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083774Sat, 03 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Rope That Waited Nine Loads: How Monica Almost Didn't Survive Fear tightens when you learn a rope can hide a silent wound for eight ascents and then give way on the ninth - dumping a climber forty to sixty feet in the dark. A cut crampon tooth...
Fear tightens when you learn a rope can hide a silent wound for eight ascents and then give way on the ninth - dumping a climber forty to sixty feet in the dark. A cut crampon tooth removed 40% of the core fibers under the sheath; the rope nevertheless carried eight loads before it failed - how did a flawless-looking rope become a death sentence?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of ordinary choices and routines that aligned to create a catastrophe on the Northwest Face of the Kessler Massif, and ask how a single invisible cut went undetected until it was too late.

Person: Monica Patterson
Date: September 14, 2019
Location: Callow River / Northwest Face of the Kessler Massif
Event: Fixed rope failure after prior unnoticed damage
Status: Survived the fall with a fractured wrist and hours alone on the mountain

- The rope was found on the river at 6:47 AM on September 14, 2019, still clipped to an 11-foot segment of blue-and-white kernmantle rope.
- The rope's sheath was cut by a crampon drag on September 9, severing roughly 40% of the interior fibers beneath the sheath.
- Monica Patterson was 38 years old and had been climbing for 16 years while working as a structural engineer specializing in seismic load analysis.
- The Northwest Face rises roughly 4,000 feet and its upper third has sustained ice at 55-62 degrees; about 30 successful ascents have been documented since the 1980s.
- Roy Davis, 51, photographed anchor five the afternoon of the installation and had a habit of documenting every anchor from his guiding years.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>965falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-man-who-left-his-boots-at-the-edge-of-the-world--73083773
Cold frost held two boot prints at eleven thousand feet, toes hanging over an empty void and no return marks; a locked carabiner water bottle sat twenty feet behind them with ice inside-so why was the man found three hundred feet below, alive and barely speaking? This episode centers on deliberate planning and a baffling outcome that refuses to connect: did he intend to disappear, or did something else intervene?

In this episode, we walk through the timeline and physical clues discovered on Wireback Mountain on August 10-11, 2019, and follow Todd Crawford’s years of calculated preparation for the climb to ask the question that keeps repeating: how do meticulous plans end with footprints aimed at the void and a survivor found half-frozen below?

Person: Todd Crawford
Date: August 10-11, 2019
Location: east face of Wireback Mountain, eleven thousand feet (ledge) and three hundred feet below
Age: sixty-one
Guide: Wade Peterson

- Two boot prints in surface frost, size eleven or twelve, heels pressed to rock, toes pointing over the edge with no return prints.
- A yellow water bottle with a carabiner clipped shut and ice inside was found twenty feet behind the prints.
- Todd Crawford was found conscious at 9:40 a.m. on August 11 with a body temperature of ninety-one degrees and frostbite on three fingers of his left hand.
- Crawford had researched the east rib route for eight months, printed topographic maps, and brought three days of extra dehydrated meals to high camp.
- The summit push began at 3:40 a.m. on August 10; the team reached the false summit at 13,900 feet by 7:10 a.m., with Crawford positioned at the back of the single-file line.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083773Fri, 02 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Man Who Left His Boots at the Edge of the World Cold frost held two boot prints at eleven thousand feet, toes hanging over an empty void and no return marks; a locked carabiner water bottle sat twenty feet behind them with ice inside-so why was...
Cold frost held two boot prints at eleven thousand feet, toes hanging over an empty void and no return marks; a locked carabiner water bottle sat twenty feet behind them with ice inside-so why was the man found three hundred feet below, alive and barely speaking? This episode centers on deliberate planning and a baffling outcome that refuses to connect: did he intend to disappear, or did something else intervene?

In this episode, we walk through the timeline and physical clues discovered on Wireback Mountain on August 10-11, 2019, and follow Todd Crawford’s years of calculated preparation for the climb to ask the question that keeps repeating: how do meticulous plans end with footprints aimed at the void and a survivor found half-frozen below?

Person: Todd Crawford
Date: August 10-11, 2019
Location: east face of Wireback Mountain, eleven thousand feet (ledge) and three hundred feet below
Age: sixty-one
Guide: Wade Peterson

- Two boot prints in surface frost, size eleven or twelve, heels pressed to rock, toes pointing over the edge with no return prints.
- A yellow water bottle with a carabiner clipped shut and ice inside was found twenty feet behind the prints.
- Todd Crawford was found conscious at 9:40 a.m. on August 11 with a body temperature of ninety-one degrees and frostbite on three fingers of his left hand.
- Crawford had researched the east rib route for eight months, printed topographic maps, and brought three days of extra dehydrated meals to high camp.
- The summit push began at 3:40 a.m. on August 10; the team reached the false summit at 13,900 feet by 7:10 a.m., with Crawford positioned at the back of the single-file line.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>585falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-stayed-inside-why-angela-climbed-above-safety-and-didn-t-leave--73083771
A sealed tent survived sixty-mile-per-hour gusts and twenty days on the upper mountain, while a 24-year-old climber lay motionless twenty feet above the last sensible bivouac; why would someone leave a perfectly intact shelter and climb into the open at 19,420 feet? Which single choice, recorded in meticulous detail, explains a final decision that resists easy explanation?

In this episode, we present the sequence of events, personal records, and field evidence recovered from Angela Pruitt’s Varrow Peak attempt to ask the question that remains: why did she ascend past safety with food, fuel, and a tent left sealed below?

Person: Angela Pruitt
Date: July 14, 2011 (discovery); June 24, 2011 (last radio/text contact)
Location: upper mountain, tent below summit ridge at 19,420 feet
Age: 24
Partner: Craig Fossett

- The tent was observed motionless and intact 20 days after it was established, with rain fly and vestibules closed and anchors secure.
- Six days of food and fuel were packed for two people, documented precisely in Angela’s planning files.
- Upper elevations recorded six days of 60-mile-per-hour gusts with no apparent tent damage.
- Craig Fossett fell from the route at approximately 17,800 feet; Angela held the rope for exactly 11 minutes before unclipping, recorded with heavy impressions in her log.
- Angela’s last communications were a radio check to Jesse Portman and a text to neighbor Patricia Yuen on June 23; the message reminded feeding schedule for her rabbit Copernicus at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083771Thu, 01 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Stayed Inside: Why Angela Climbed Above Safety and Didn't Leave A sealed tent survived sixty-mile-per-hour gusts and twenty days on the upper mountain, while a 24-year-old climber lay motionless twenty feet above the last sensible bivouac; why...
A sealed tent survived sixty-mile-per-hour gusts and twenty days on the upper mountain, while a 24-year-old climber lay motionless twenty feet above the last sensible bivouac; why would someone leave a perfectly intact shelter and climb into the open at 19,420 feet? Which single choice, recorded in meticulous detail, explains a final decision that resists easy explanation?

In this episode, we present the sequence of events, personal records, and field evidence recovered from Angela Pruitt’s Varrow Peak attempt to ask the question that remains: why did she ascend past safety with food, fuel, and a tent left sealed below?

Person: Angela Pruitt
Date: July 14, 2011 (discovery); June 24, 2011 (last radio/text contact)
Location: upper mountain, tent below summit ridge at 19,420 feet
Age: 24
Partner: Craig Fossett

- The tent was observed motionless and intact 20 days after it was established, with rain fly and vestibules closed and anchors secure.
- Six days of food and fuel were packed for two people, documented precisely in Angela’s planning files.
- Upper elevations recorded six days of 60-mile-per-hour gusts with no apparent tent damage.
- Craig Fossett fell from the route at approximately 17,800 feet; Angela held the rope for exactly 11 minutes before unclipping, recorded with heavy impressions in her log.
- Angela’s last communications were a radio check to Jesse Portman and a text to neighbor Patricia Yuen on June 23; the message reminded feeding schedule for her rabbit Copernicus at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>850falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-boot-that-stood-upright-how-a-checklists-failure-became-survival--73083770
A single women's size eight boot stood upright on an eastern moraine at 9,200 feet - laced, gaiter secured, as if its owner had planned to return. A retired photographer found it four miles from the nearest climbing route and eleven miles from the nearest road; what happened above that ridge shattered a plan that had depended on checklists and a satellite call that did not come. How did a leaked oxygen bottle and an unshared change in arithmetic turn a controlled expedition into a disappearance?

In this episode, you will hear the timeline of the Criterion Horn expedition and the decisions made at each stage, including equipment status, communications, and the last confirmed movements on the ridge; what do those details say about responsibility and survival?

Person: Darlene Armstrong
Person: Stanley Watson
Person: Kevin Anderson
Location: Pallor Range
Date: June 14

- The boot was found on the eastern moraine at 9,200 feet on the morning of June 14.
- Kevin Anderson, age 63 and a retired postal worker, found the boot while photographing alpine birds.
- Darlene Armstrong was 48 years old and had called her sister Pauline every Wednesday morning at 5:45 for at least six years; she did not call on June 14.
- The expedition reached high camp at 11,800 feet on June 9 and made a reconnaissance on June 10.
- On the evening of June 11 Watson reported two full oxygen bottles and one at approximately 60%; by the morning of June 12 one bottle had leaked to 40% and this was not reported to base camp.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083770Wed, 30 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Boot That Stood Upright: How a Checklists' Failure Became Survival A single women's size eight boot stood upright on an eastern moraine at 9,200 feet - laced, gaiter secured, as if its owner had planned to return. A retired photographer found...
A single women's size eight boot stood upright on an eastern moraine at 9,200 feet - laced, gaiter secured, as if its owner had planned to return. A retired photographer found it four miles from the nearest climbing route and eleven miles from the nearest road; what happened above that ridge shattered a plan that had depended on checklists and a satellite call that did not come. How did a leaked oxygen bottle and an unshared change in arithmetic turn a controlled expedition into a disappearance?

In this episode, you will hear the timeline of the Criterion Horn expedition and the decisions made at each stage, including equipment status, communications, and the last confirmed movements on the ridge; what do those details say about responsibility and survival?

Person: Darlene Armstrong
Person: Stanley Watson
Person: Kevin Anderson
Location: Pallor Range
Date: June 14

- The boot was found on the eastern moraine at 9,200 feet on the morning of June 14.
- Kevin Anderson, age 63 and a retired postal worker, found the boot while photographing alpine birds.
- Darlene Armstrong was 48 years old and had called her sister Pauline every Wednesday morning at 5:45 for at least six years; she did not call on June 14.
- The expedition reached high camp at 11,800 feet on June 9 and made a reconnaissance on June 10.
- On the evening of June 11 Watson reported two full oxygen bottles and one at approximately 60%; by the morning of June 12 one bottle had leaked to 40% and this was not reported to base camp.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>912falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-orange-ice-axe-how-five-climbers-split-by-an-avalanche-survived--73083769
Cold evidence turned up in a parking lot: an orange ice axe, bone dry after two days of valley rain, and five climbers missing for three days - an impossible trace that opens a near-impossible survival story. What decision on a thirteen-thousand-foot ledge split a team in two and sent half down a canyon no guide believed survivable?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence from trailhead to summit attempt, the avalanche that sealed the couloir at 2:15 p.m., and the choices the team faced on the narrow bench at about thirteen thousand feet; was staying put the safer plan, or did a descent into the east canyon offer the only path to survive?

Person: Kelly Olson
Person: David Mills
Date: May 7-10
Location: Arrochar Range, San Juan system, Colorado
Event: Avalanche sealing the Southeast Spur couloir at 2:15 p.m.

- A fourteen-year-old delivery boy, Norman Bowers, found an orange ice axe standing upright in gravel at 7:41 a.m.
- The expedition left the trailhead on May 7 and reached Camp One at 11,400 feet on May 8.
- Camp One was at 12,600 feet on a narrow ledge reached at 2:00 p.m. on May 9.
- The avalanche that made the couloir impassable occurred at 2:15 p.m. on May 10.
- The four climbers were stranded on a bench at approximately 13,000 feet for six hours before the team split.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083769Tue, 29 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Orange Ice Axe: How Five Climbers Split by an Avalanche Survived Cold evidence turned up in a parking lot: an orange ice axe, bone dry after two days of valley rain, and five climbers missing for three days - an impossible trace that opens a...
Cold evidence turned up in a parking lot: an orange ice axe, bone dry after two days of valley rain, and five climbers missing for three days - an impossible trace that opens a near-impossible survival story. What decision on a thirteen-thousand-foot ledge split a team in two and sent half down a canyon no guide believed survivable?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence from trailhead to summit attempt, the avalanche that sealed the couloir at 2:15 p.m., and the choices the team faced on the narrow bench at about thirteen thousand feet; was staying put the safer plan, or did a descent into the east canyon offer the only path to survive?

Person: Kelly Olson
Person: David Mills
Date: May 7-10
Location: Arrochar Range, San Juan system, Colorado
Event: Avalanche sealing the Southeast Spur couloir at 2:15 p.m.

- A fourteen-year-old delivery boy, Norman Bowers, found an orange ice axe standing upright in gravel at 7:41 a.m.
- The expedition left the trailhead on May 7 and reached Camp One at 11,400 feet on May 8.
- Camp One was at 12,600 feet on a narrow ledge reached at 2:00 p.m. on May 9.
- The avalanche that made the couloir impassable occurred at 2:15 p.m. on May 10.
- The four climbers were stranded on a bench at approximately 13,000 feet for six hours before the team split.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>856falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/wrong-side-glove-how-falconer-s-needle-hid-laura-clark-s-return--73083768
A coral-orange glove, buried four feet deep in a roadside snowbank on the wrong side of the fork, turned a quiet mountaineering disappearance into a mystery that unravelled the official search. The glove matched Laura Clark’s description and was found nineteen months after she was last seen descending Falconer's Needle - so how did it travel off-route and who missed it for so long?

In this episode, we tell the account of Laura Clark’s disappearance and the climb she prepared for with care, the team that left Camp Two at 2:15 a.m., and the search that looked in every expected place but missed the clue that would change everything. What the glove revealed about the descent and the missed margins of time becomes the central question.

Person: Laura Clark
Age: 52
Date last seen: April 10
Location: Falconer's Needle, Greylock Range, Montana
Discovery: Coral orange glove found by a road grader nineteen months later

- The glove was buried four feet deep in compacted snow on the wrong side of the fork.
- Laura’s last diary entry was dated April 10 and the team left Camp Two at 2:15 a.m. that day.
- The team reached the summit at 9:55 a.m. and Peggy Bennett called for immediate descent.
- A crampon incident cost the team twenty minutes earlier in the climb when Doug Farrell’s left crampon binding released.
- A complete left crampon, not belonging to any team member, was found three hundred feet below the summit sitting on a corniced edge.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083768Mon, 28 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaWrong-Side Glove: How Falconer's Needle Hid Laura Clark's Return A coral-orange glove, buried four feet deep in a roadside snowbank on the wrong side of the fork, turned a quiet mountaineering disappearance into a mystery that unravelled the...
A coral-orange glove, buried four feet deep in a roadside snowbank on the wrong side of the fork, turned a quiet mountaineering disappearance into a mystery that unravelled the official search. The glove matched Laura Clark’s description and was found nineteen months after she was last seen descending Falconer's Needle - so how did it travel off-route and who missed it for so long?

In this episode, we tell the account of Laura Clark’s disappearance and the climb she prepared for with care, the team that left Camp Two at 2:15 a.m., and the search that looked in every expected place but missed the clue that would change everything. What the glove revealed about the descent and the missed margins of time becomes the central question.

Person: Laura Clark
Age: 52
Date last seen: April 10
Location: Falconer's Needle, Greylock Range, Montana
Discovery: Coral orange glove found by a road grader nineteen months later

- The glove was buried four feet deep in compacted snow on the wrong side of the fork.
- Laura’s last diary entry was dated April 10 and the team left Camp Two at 2:15 a.m. that day.
- The team reached the summit at 9:55 a.m. and Peggy Bennett called for immediate descent.
- A crampon incident cost the team twenty minutes earlier in the climb when Doug Farrell’s left crampon binding released.
- A complete left crampon, not belonging to any team member, was found three hundred feet below the summit sitting on a corniced edge.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>967falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-four-second-decision-that-kept-them-from-dying-on-arnow-summit--73083767
Cold metal stood upright in a fence sixty-three miles from the nearest glacier - a crampon that had fallen down a crevasse and gone missing for twenty-four hours. Four climbers faced a night at 10,200 ft after a fall, an improvised Z-pulley rescue in 50 mph gusts, and one four-second choice that determined who lived; what was that choice?

In this episode, we tell the twelve-hour sequence on Arnow Summit from the moment of the fall through the extraction and its aftermath, describing the gear checks, the rescue techniques, and the small decisions that mattered most - could one instant of judgment really change everything?

Person: Charles Tucker
Person: Steven Hicks
Person: Brian Vasquez
Person: Louise Neff
Date: March 12-14, 2009

- Tucker dropped 30 feet into a crevasse at 6:14 AM on March 12, 2009.
- The team spent 40 minutes on prusik self-rescue and moved Tucker 8 feet before it failed.
- Hicks built a Z-pulley system alone in 12 minutes and extracted Tucker at 8:33 AM, 1 hour 19 minutes after deployment.
- Winds during the rescue gusted up to 50 miles per hour.
- Tucker's logbook entry before departure read "both crampons serviceable" after he repaired a stress fracture.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083767Sun, 27 Sep 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Four-Second Decision That Kept Them From Dying on Arnow Summit Cold metal stood upright in a fence sixty-three miles from the nearest glacier - a crampon that had fallen down a crevasse and gone missing for twenty-four hours. Four climbers...
Cold metal stood upright in a fence sixty-three miles from the nearest glacier - a crampon that had fallen down a crevasse and gone missing for twenty-four hours. Four climbers faced a night at 10,200 ft after a fall, an improvised Z-pulley rescue in 50 mph gusts, and one four-second choice that determined who lived; what was that choice?

In this episode, we tell the twelve-hour sequence on Arnow Summit from the moment of the fall through the extraction and its aftermath, describing the gear checks, the rescue techniques, and the small decisions that mattered most - could one instant of judgment really change everything?

Person: Charles Tucker
Person: Steven Hicks
Person: Brian Vasquez
Person: Louise Neff
Date: March 12-14, 2009

- Tucker dropped 30 feet into a crevasse at 6:14 AM on March 12, 2009.
- The team spent 40 minutes on prusik self-rescue and moved Tucker 8 feet before it failed.
- Hicks built a Z-pulley system alone in 12 minutes and extracted Tucker at 8:33 AM, 1 hour 19 minutes after deployment.
- Winds during the rescue gusted up to 50 miles per hour.
- Tucker's logbook entry before departure read "both crampons serviceable" after he repaired a stress fracture.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>849falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/gloves-on-a-boulder-why-a-perfectly-prepared-climber-died--73083766
A pair of expedition gloves, palms-down and fingers uphill, lay deliberately on a boulder at 4,200 ft - found at 6:47 a.m. on February 9, 2011 - and three hours later a prepared climber sat down two hundred meters below a saddle and never moved again. What chain of small, reasonable choices turned a meticulous planner into a man who stopped and never got up?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the moment Stanley Schmidt left for Varrow Peak through the failed descent and the discovery that followed, tracing decisions, gear, and timing to ask whether preparation can still fail when conditions collapse.

Person: Stanley Schmidt
Date: February 9, 2011
Location: Varrow Peak north couloir / Creswick Valley
Status: Deceased
Event: Discovery of gloves and body

- Gloves were found by Ralph Holt at 6:47 a.m. on February 9, 2011, resting palms-down on a boulder at 4,200 ft.
- Stanley Schmidt was found seated against a rock outcrop two hundred meters below the 6,200-ft saddle on the western slope.
- Schmidt was 29 years old and had left his truck missing since February 5, 2011.
- The summit of Varrow Peak is 11,260 ft; the team had reached the committed traverse by 7:30 a.m, during the climb.
- On February 6 the summit push began at 4:00 a.m, in -14°F conditions; at approximately 8:50 a.m. Pete Barro’s crampon sheared on a 40° ice slope at 10,600 ft, forcing a rescue.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083766Sat, 26 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaGloves on a Boulder: Why a Perfectly Prepared Climber Died A pair of expedition gloves, palms-down and fingers uphill, lay deliberately on a boulder at 4,200 ft - found at 6:47 a.m. on February 9, 2011 - and three hours later a prepared climber sat...
A pair of expedition gloves, palms-down and fingers uphill, lay deliberately on a boulder at 4,200 ft - found at 6:47 a.m. on February 9, 2011 - and three hours later a prepared climber sat down two hundred meters below a saddle and never moved again. What chain of small, reasonable choices turned a meticulous planner into a man who stopped and never got up?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the moment Stanley Schmidt left for Varrow Peak through the failed descent and the discovery that followed, tracing decisions, gear, and timing to ask whether preparation can still fail when conditions collapse.

Person: Stanley Schmidt
Date: February 9, 2011
Location: Varrow Peak north couloir / Creswick Valley
Status: Deceased
Event: Discovery of gloves and body

- Gloves were found by Ralph Holt at 6:47 a.m. on February 9, 2011, resting palms-down on a boulder at 4,200 ft.
- Stanley Schmidt was found seated against a rock outcrop two hundred meters below the 6,200-ft saddle on the western slope.
- Schmidt was 29 years old and had left his truck missing since February 5, 2011.
- The summit of Varrow Peak is 11,260 ft; the team had reached the committed traverse by 7:30 a.m, during the climb.
- On February 6 the summit push began at 4:00 a.m, in -14°F conditions; at approximately 8:50 a.m. Pete Barro’s crampon sheared on a 40° ice slope at 10,600 ft, forcing a rescue.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>823falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-crampon-at-dawn-how-dawn-hughes-came-back-from-verada-s-edge--73083765
A single crampon with its anti-balling plate deliberately cut was found face-up in the snow at the Halcyon Basin trailhead, twelve days after Dawn Hughes walked away from where she should have been on Verada Peak. The only other physical trace was a journal whose final entry ends mid-sentence - so how did a fifty-three-year-old earth science teacher survive a winter mountain that swallowed eleven climbers and a storm four hours early?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from the January twenty-sixth crampon crack report through the summit push, the whiteout, and the staggered evacuations, and we follow the limited physical evidence that led Ross Whitfield to that lone crampon; what decisions, conditions, and small failures produced the outcome listeners must hear to understand what happened next?

Date: February 9, 2011
Location: Halcyon Basin trailhead / Verada Peak, Brecker Range, Fremont County
Person: Dawn Hughes, age 53
Event: Summit push began at 4:15 AM on January 27; storm arrived at 11:40 AM, four hours early
Status: Crampon found; journal recovered with final entry ending mid-sentence

- A crampon was found face-up in the snow near the kiosk at 9:47 AM on February 9, 2011.
- The crampon's anti-balling plate had three clean lateral cuts, described as deliberate, and its front teeth were worn nearly flat.
- Dawn Hughes reported a cracked anti-balling plate on her left crampon on January 26; the field repair note was written by assistant Becca Norris in pencil.
- Eleven climbers began the summit push at 4:15 AM on January 27 with Dawn seventh in column; visibility dropped below ten feet within six minutes at 11:40 AM.
- Six members self-evacuated the evening of the storm; two were evacuated by search and rescue on January 29, and Phil Coe descended to the parking apron at dawn on January 28 with a fractured ankle.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083765Fri, 25 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Crampon at Dawn: How Dawn Hughes Came Back from Verada's Edge A single crampon with its anti-balling plate deliberately cut was found face-up in the snow at the Halcyon Basin trailhead, twelve days after Dawn Hughes walked away from where she...
A single crampon with its anti-balling plate deliberately cut was found face-up in the snow at the Halcyon Basin trailhead, twelve days after Dawn Hughes walked away from where she should have been on Verada Peak. The only other physical trace was a journal whose final entry ends mid-sentence - so how did a fifty-three-year-old earth science teacher survive a winter mountain that swallowed eleven climbers and a storm four hours early?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from the January twenty-sixth crampon crack report through the summit push, the whiteout, and the staggered evacuations, and we follow the limited physical evidence that led Ross Whitfield to that lone crampon; what decisions, conditions, and small failures produced the outcome listeners must hear to understand what happened next?

Date: February 9, 2011
Location: Halcyon Basin trailhead / Verada Peak, Brecker Range, Fremont County
Person: Dawn Hughes, age 53
Event: Summit push began at 4:15 AM on January 27; storm arrived at 11:40 AM, four hours early
Status: Crampon found; journal recovered with final entry ending mid-sentence

- A crampon was found face-up in the snow near the kiosk at 9:47 AM on February 9, 2011.
- The crampon's anti-balling plate had three clean lateral cuts, described as deliberate, and its front teeth were worn nearly flat.
- Dawn Hughes reported a cracked anti-balling plate on her left crampon on January 26; the field repair note was written by assistant Becca Norris in pencil.
- Eleven climbers began the summit push at 4:15 AM on January 27 with Dawn seventh in column; visibility dropped below ten feet within six minutes at 11:40 AM.
- Six members self-evacuated the evening of the storm; two were evacuated by search and rescue on January 29, and Phil Coe descended to the parking apron at dawn on January 28 with a fractured ankle.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>808falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/cut-rope-at-dawn-the-crampon-found-42-miles-away--73083764
A single crampon stood upright in the snow forty-two road miles from Harrow Spire, with no boot, no pack, and no tracks nearby - and the rope connecting two climbers had been cut cleanly eighteen inches from one end. What happened on the southeast ridge that left a guide dead, his partner hypothermic and amnesic, and a crampon inexplicably far from the mountain?

In this episode, we lay out the known timeline from departure at 4:50 a.m. through a slow Narrows crossing and a mysterious stationary GPS stop, and follow how three physical clues - a cut rope, a folding knife, and the distant crampon - redirected investigators; what they found raises the question of whether the official ruling of accident tells the whole story.

Person: Gordon Gallagher
Person: April Zeller
Date: December 11, 2019
Location: Harrow Spire southeast ridge
Event: Ground fall of approximately 22 feet

- Gordon Gallagher was 51 years old and had guided Harrow Spire's southeast ridge 11 times in six years.
- April Zeller was 23 years old and had purchased the crampons 14 months before the expedition.
- The rope was cut cleanly 18 inches from April Zeller's end and a folding knife was found in her jacket pocket.
- Gordon's GPS recorded position every 90 seconds and showed a 22-minute stationary stop at roughly 8,600 feet just above the Narrows.
- The crampon was found by a volunteer on December 14, 2019, 42 road miles from the nearest trail to Harrow Spire.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083764Thu, 24 Sep 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaCut Rope at Dawn: The Crampon Found 42 Miles Away A single crampon stood upright in the snow forty-two road miles from Harrow Spire, with no boot, no pack, and no tracks nearby - and the rope connecting two climbers had been cut cleanly eighteen...
A single crampon stood upright in the snow forty-two road miles from Harrow Spire, with no boot, no pack, and no tracks nearby - and the rope connecting two climbers had been cut cleanly eighteen inches from one end. What happened on the southeast ridge that left a guide dead, his partner hypothermic and amnesic, and a crampon inexplicably far from the mountain?

In this episode, we lay out the known timeline from departure at 4:50 a.m. through a slow Narrows crossing and a mysterious stationary GPS stop, and follow how three physical clues - a cut rope, a folding knife, and the distant crampon - redirected investigators; what they found raises the question of whether the official ruling of accident tells the whole story.

Person: Gordon Gallagher
Person: April Zeller
Date: December 11, 2019
Location: Harrow Spire southeast ridge
Event: Ground fall of approximately 22 feet

- Gordon Gallagher was 51 years old and had guided Harrow Spire's southeast ridge 11 times in six years.
- April Zeller was 23 years old and had purchased the crampons 14 months before the expedition.
- The rope was cut cleanly 18 inches from April Zeller's end and a folding knife was found in her jacket pocket.
- Gordon's GPS recorded position every 90 seconds and showed a 22-minute stationary stop at roughly 8,600 feet just above the Narrows.
- The crampon was found by a volunteer on December 14, 2019, 42 road miles from the nearest trail to Harrow Spire.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>917falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-climbed-knowing-she-d-fail-the-doctor-s-last-logged-minutes--73083763
A four-year-old dog found an oxygen regulator at 9,400 feet with Dr. Tammy Long's medical badge attached - gauge at zero, hose cracked - and her waterproof notepad later revealed she had documented severe neurological decline hours before the summit. How did a methodical expedition physician climb to the top at 7:22 a.m. while carrying symptoms she recorded as nine-out-of-ten headache, ataxia, tinnitus and episodic confusion?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of entries in Dr. Long's waterproof notepad, the calls and radio signals from camp, and the small-town details that framed her life before Vantara. What choices did she record, whom did she tell, and why did she write "Team unaware. Summit push 03:00. I have not told them."?

Person: Dr. Tammy Long, age 38
Date: Last log entry timestamp 22:45 on the night before summit push
Location: Vantara North Face, upper camp at 16,800 feet; object found at 9,400 feet eastern flank
Event: Three short radio keyings (distress signal) at 04:47 from upper camp area
Item: Oxygen regulator with gauge at zero and cracked hose, attached to laminated medical badge

- Dr. Long documented an eleven-hour course of symptoms including a 9/10 headache, dexamethasone administered, then ataxia, tinnitus, episodic confusion and right visual field disturbance.
- She tagged a 60-meter dynamic backup rope on November 10 with "DO NOT USE - SHEATH COMPROMISED - CHECK CORE" which was left untouched.
- At 22:45 she wrote her final entry: "Team unaware. Summit push 03:00. I have not told them." and placed the notepad in her sleeping bag.
- At 04:47 Vic Ormond's radio registered three short keyings from the upper camp area; he attempted contact for nearly forty minutes with no response.
- Huck, a four-year-old beagle mix, pulled toward a snow depression and found the oxygen regulator twelve miles from the expedition's planned descent route.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083763Wed, 23 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Climbed Knowing She'd Fail: The Doctor's Last Logged Minutes A four-year-old dog found an oxygen regulator at 9,400 feet with Dr. Tammy Long's medical badge attached - gauge at zero, hose cracked - and her waterproof notepad later revealed she...
A four-year-old dog found an oxygen regulator at 9,400 feet with Dr. Tammy Long's medical badge attached - gauge at zero, hose cracked - and her waterproof notepad later revealed she had documented severe neurological decline hours before the summit. How did a methodical expedition physician climb to the top at 7:22 a.m. while carrying symptoms she recorded as nine-out-of-ten headache, ataxia, tinnitus and episodic confusion?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of entries in Dr. Long's waterproof notepad, the calls and radio signals from camp, and the small-town details that framed her life before Vantara. What choices did she record, whom did she tell, and why did she write "Team unaware. Summit push 03:00. I have not told them."?

Person: Dr. Tammy Long, age 38
Date: Last log entry timestamp 22:45 on the night before summit push
Location: Vantara North Face, upper camp at 16,800 feet; object found at 9,400 feet eastern flank
Event: Three short radio keyings (distress signal) at 04:47 from upper camp area
Item: Oxygen regulator with gauge at zero and cracked hose, attached to laminated medical badge

- Dr. Long documented an eleven-hour course of symptoms including a 9/10 headache, dexamethasone administered, then ataxia, tinnitus, episodic confusion and right visual field disturbance.
- She tagged a 60-meter dynamic backup rope on November 10 with "DO NOT USE - SHEATH COMPROMISED - CHECK CORE" which was left untouched.
- At 22:45 she wrote her final entry: "Team unaware. Summit push 03:00. I have not told them." and placed the notepad in her sleeping bag.
- At 04:47 Vic Ormond's radio registered three short keyings from the upper camp area; he attempted contact for nearly forty minutes with no response.
- Huck, a four-year-old beagle mix, pulled toward a snow depression and found the oxygen regulator twelve miles from the expedition's planned descent route.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>886falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-axe-head-in-the-river-how-one-choice-saved-four-climbers--73083762
Cold, blistering wind and a scorched ice axe head found upright in river gravel are the last physical traces of a decision made above 8,000 meters that saved four lives - but why did one missing rope and one burned tool matter so much? What unfolded on the ridge of Harrow Spire after the summit would hinge on split-second choices and equipment left behind.

In this episode, we follow the October expedition to Harrow Spire and trace the sequence of events from base camp through summit and the harrowing descent, reconstructing how a single rope discrepancy and a damaged axe shaft shaped the outcome. How did leadership, training, and small failures interact to bring them safely home?

Person: Emily Padgett
Person: Michelle Fitzgerald
Person: Patrick Oubre
Person: Noel Vasquez
Date: October 10, 2011

- Found object: ice axe head with burnt wooden shaft discovered in Garnet River by Edward Sanders in early October 2011.
- Summit time: all four climbers stood on Harrow Spire summit at 10:22 AM on October 10.
- Planned gear: three fixed-rope sections (~40 meters each) specified; only one carried during summit push.
- Fall details: Patrick Oubre fell 22 meters before the single anchor rope tautened, sustaining two fractured ribs and a badly sprained right ankle.
- Weather variance: contracted forecast's stable window missed the actual storm front by approximately eight hours, reducing summit time to 29 minutes and forcing descent into whiteout conditions.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083762Tue, 22 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Axe Head in the River: How One Choice Saved Four Climbers Cold, blistering wind and a scorched ice axe head found upright in river gravel are the last physical traces of a decision made above 8,000 meters that saved four lives - but why did one...
Cold, blistering wind and a scorched ice axe head found upright in river gravel are the last physical traces of a decision made above 8,000 meters that saved four lives - but why did one missing rope and one burned tool matter so much? What unfolded on the ridge of Harrow Spire after the summit would hinge on split-second choices and equipment left behind.

In this episode, we follow the October expedition to Harrow Spire and trace the sequence of events from base camp through summit and the harrowing descent, reconstructing how a single rope discrepancy and a damaged axe shaft shaped the outcome. How did leadership, training, and small failures interact to bring them safely home?

Person: Emily Padgett
Person: Michelle Fitzgerald
Person: Patrick Oubre
Person: Noel Vasquez
Date: October 10, 2011

- Found object: ice axe head with burnt wooden shaft discovered in Garnet River by Edward Sanders in early October 2011.
- Summit time: all four climbers stood on Harrow Spire summit at 10:22 AM on October 10.
- Planned gear: three fixed-rope sections (~40 meters each) specified; only one carried during summit push.
- Fall details: Patrick Oubre fell 22 meters before the single anchor rope tautened, sustaining two fractured ribs and a badly sprained right ankle.
- Weather variance: contracted forecast's stable window missed the actual storm front by approximately eight hours, reducing summit time to 29 minutes and forcing descent into whiteout conditions.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>808falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-wrong-ridge-how-one-headlamp-error-broke-five-climbers--73083759
Cold, calculated planning unraveled because of a single headlamp-lit error that moved a high camp 200 feet higher and a quarter-mile off the intended route - and the mistake went unnoticed for three days. Two men crossed the wrong ridge on a dark, freezing night; five climbers later split across two ridges in a whiteout with one left alone and injured - how did one misstep cascade into days of survival?

In this episode, we follow the team’s eleven-month preparation, the sequence of their acclimatization, and the hours from the night of September 8 through the morning of September 11 to understand the chain of events that led to the split on Trail Massif. What exact errors, decisions, and small items - like an orange stuff sack clipped to a fixed line - reveal how experienced climbers became so separated?

Date: September 11, 2019
Location: Trail Massif north face
Person: Teresa Allen
Person: Todd Owens
Event: Wrong-ridge high camp placement

- High camp was placed at 15,400 feet on the northwest shoulder, 200 feet higher and a quarter-mile off the intended 15,200-foot location.
- Five climbers left high camp at 2:17 AM on September 11 and reached the summit at 9:41 AM.
- An orange stuff sack was clipped to the county survey fixed line at 14,200 feet containing sleeping bag liners, a stove canister, two days of food, and a first aid kit; two items were missing from its contents.
- Owens and Paul Deming left after 9:00 PM on September 8 in a cloud layer below 14,000 feet and moved by headlamp in visibility poor enough that the subsidiary ridge was indistinguishable.
- One climber endured being alone in the dark with two broken ribs while the others huddled above a cliff band for three days waiting to be found.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083759Mon, 21 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Wrong Ridge: How One Headlamp Error Broke Five Climbers Cold, calculated planning unraveled because of a single headlamp-lit error that moved a high camp 200 feet higher and a quarter-mile off the intended route - and the mistake went unnoticed...
Cold, calculated planning unraveled because of a single headlamp-lit error that moved a high camp 200 feet higher and a quarter-mile off the intended route - and the mistake went unnoticed for three days. Two men crossed the wrong ridge on a dark, freezing night; five climbers later split across two ridges in a whiteout with one left alone and injured - how did one misstep cascade into days of survival?

In this episode, we follow the team’s eleven-month preparation, the sequence of their acclimatization, and the hours from the night of September 8 through the morning of September 11 to understand the chain of events that led to the split on Trail Massif. What exact errors, decisions, and small items - like an orange stuff sack clipped to a fixed line - reveal how experienced climbers became so separated?

Date: September 11, 2019
Location: Trail Massif north face
Person: Teresa Allen
Person: Todd Owens
Event: Wrong-ridge high camp placement

- High camp was placed at 15,400 feet on the northwest shoulder, 200 feet higher and a quarter-mile off the intended 15,200-foot location.
- Five climbers left high camp at 2:17 AM on September 11 and reached the summit at 9:41 AM.
- An orange stuff sack was clipped to the county survey fixed line at 14,200 feet containing sleeping bag liners, a stove canister, two days of food, and a first aid kit; two items were missing from its contents.
- Owens and Paul Deming left after 9:00 PM on September 8 in a cloud layer below 14,000 feet and moved by headlamp in visibility poor enough that the subsidiary ridge was indistinguishable.
- One climber endured being alone in the dark with two broken ribs while the others huddled above a cliff band for three days waiting to be found.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>910falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-brought-her-own-photograph-and-knew-what-waited--73083757
The thought of a woman who photographed a summit, saw a stranger in frame eleven, then left that developed film sealed beside a septic tank should stop you cold - the canister sat there three months and turned up thirty-one miles and four thousand feet from the peak. Who was the figure on the summit photo, and why did Brenda leave evidence she had already seen before she ever set foot on the mountain?

In this episode, we follow the timeline of Brenda Miller's final climb: the calm journal entry on August 9, the summit reached on August 10, the fractured guide, the unexplained radio burst, and the sealed film canister found on her sister's property in November. How do those facts fit together, and what does frame eleven mean for a case closed as an accidental fall?

Person: Brenda Miller
Date: August 10, 2011
Location: Sentinel Tooth summit and north face couloir
Status: Body recovered August 19, 2011
Event: Film canister found three months later on sister's property

- Brenda left a sealed film canister beside a septic tank in late July and it sat there for three months before discovery.
- The canister contained eleven photographs, and frame eleven showed a dark-clothed figure facing the summit drop.
- Brenda reached the summit of Sentinel Tooth on August 10, 2011, and her body was recovered eight days later at the base of a north-face couloir.
- The canister was found thirty-one miles and four thousand vertical feet below the peak, on Brenda's sister Deborah Crane's property.
- At 11:49 a.m. during the climb, an inbound radio signal of four seconds with static and a tonal sound was recorded but produced no intelligible voice.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083757Sun, 20 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Brought Her Own Photograph - And Knew What Waited The thought of a woman who photographed a summit, saw a stranger in frame eleven, then left that developed film sealed beside a septic tank should stop you cold - the canister sat there three...
The thought of a woman who photographed a summit, saw a stranger in frame eleven, then left that developed film sealed beside a septic tank should stop you cold - the canister sat there three months and turned up thirty-one miles and four thousand feet from the peak. Who was the figure on the summit photo, and why did Brenda leave evidence she had already seen before she ever set foot on the mountain?

In this episode, we follow the timeline of Brenda Miller's final climb: the calm journal entry on August 9, the summit reached on August 10, the fractured guide, the unexplained radio burst, and the sealed film canister found on her sister's property in November. How do those facts fit together, and what does frame eleven mean for a case closed as an accidental fall?

Person: Brenda Miller
Date: August 10, 2011
Location: Sentinel Tooth summit and north face couloir
Status: Body recovered August 19, 2011
Event: Film canister found three months later on sister's property

- Brenda left a sealed film canister beside a septic tank in late July and it sat there for three months before discovery.
- The canister contained eleven photographs, and frame eleven showed a dark-clothed figure facing the summit drop.
- Brenda reached the summit of Sentinel Tooth on August 10, 2011, and her body was recovered eight days later at the base of a north-face couloir.
- The canister was found thirty-one miles and four thousand vertical feet below the peak, on Brenda's sister Deborah Crane's property.
- At 11:49 a.m. during the climb, an inbound radio signal of four seconds with static and a tonal sound was recorded but produced no intelligible voice.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>881falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-orange-harness-why-she-left-it-and-he-didn-t-survive--73083756
Fear of one wrong step on a near-vertical ice face - and an orange climbing harness dangling alone at 11,400 feet - drew a retired mail carrier into a mystery that began with a missing climber and a woman clinging to the mountain for 41 hours. Why was the harness clipped to a single screw with no rope, and why did she intentionally leave it behind?

In this episode, we follow the three-person summit push on Dellum Peak on July 16, 2011, the decisions made by the team's leader, and the sequence of events that left one climber dead, one rescued after 41 hours, and one walking back to high camp. What choices on the north face explain the harness, the injuries, and the eventual absence of charges?

Person: Curtis Hamilton
Date: July 16-19, 2011
Location: North face of Dellum Peak, Sawtail Range
Person: Melvin Weaver
Person: Janet McCarthy

- An orange climbing harness was found clipped to a single ice screw at 11,400 feet with no rope attached.
- The discovery was made at 8:47 a.m. on July 19, 2011, by retired mail carrier Curtis Hamilton.
- The three climbers started at 3:20 a.m. on July 16, 2011, tied to a single rope and moving in the dark.
- One climber hung from the ice for 41 hours before rescue; the woman who owned the harness lost three fingers to frostbite.
- The north face route had roughly 12 recorded ascents in history and was near the outer limit of Melvin Weaver’s prior experience.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083756Sat, 19 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Orange Harness: Why She Left It and He Didn't Survive Fear of one wrong step on a near-vertical ice face - and an orange climbing harness dangling alone at 11,400 feet - drew a retired mail carrier into a mystery that began with a missing...
Fear of one wrong step on a near-vertical ice face - and an orange climbing harness dangling alone at 11,400 feet - drew a retired mail carrier into a mystery that began with a missing climber and a woman clinging to the mountain for 41 hours. Why was the harness clipped to a single screw with no rope, and why did she intentionally leave it behind?

In this episode, we follow the three-person summit push on Dellum Peak on July 16, 2011, the decisions made by the team's leader, and the sequence of events that left one climber dead, one rescued after 41 hours, and one walking back to high camp. What choices on the north face explain the harness, the injuries, and the eventual absence of charges?

Person: Curtis Hamilton
Date: July 16-19, 2011
Location: North face of Dellum Peak, Sawtail Range
Person: Melvin Weaver
Person: Janet McCarthy

- An orange climbing harness was found clipped to a single ice screw at 11,400 feet with no rope attached.
- The discovery was made at 8:47 a.m. on July 19, 2011, by retired mail carrier Curtis Hamilton.
- The three climbers started at 3:20 a.m. on July 16, 2011, tied to a single rope and moving in the dark.
- One climber hung from the ice for 41 hours before rescue; the woman who owned the harness lost three fingers to frostbite.
- The north face route had roughly 12 recorded ascents in history and was near the outer limit of Melvin Weaver’s prior experience.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>801falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-notebook-left-behind-why-holly-walked-into-the-ice--73083754
Cold dawn, a spine-up notebook in a gravel lot, and a sixty-mile, nine-thousand-foot gap between a missing climber and the pages she left behind - Holly Whitaker kept dated, timed decision-logs for two decades, yet her last entry ends mid-sentence with smeared ink; what single omission turned expertise into tragedy?

In this episode, we tell the sequence recorded in Holly's logs and the radio check-ins, follow the six-person expedition up Abrantes Spire, and track the silences that threaded through the descent - could withheld information about the descent route and injuries explain why Holly never returned?

Person: Holly Whitaker
Age: 52
Location: Abrantes Spire, Fenwick Range (9,000 feet)
Date: June 9-10, 2019
Expedition members: 6 (leader Lisa Hunter, Holly Whitaker, Bill Szabo, Connie Szabo, Frank Yee, Marcus Pratt)

- Holly began keeping decision-logs in 1998 and had 23 years of technical climbing experience.
- The summit was reached at 8:57 AM on June 9; descent began 23 minutes later.
- Bill Szabo fell through a snow crust at approximately 1:15 PM and fell roughly 40 feet before being caught.
- Marcus Pratt fractured his left hand during the arrest but concealed the injury and did not report it to the team.
- Lisa Hunter, the certified guide with 14 years’ experience and two prior Abrantes summits, privately assessed Marcus as unable to descend safely without additional equipment.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083754Fri, 18 Sep 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Notebook Left Behind: Why Holly Walked Into the Ice Cold dawn, a spine-up notebook in a gravel lot, and a sixty-mile, nine-thousand-foot gap between a missing climber and the pages she left behind - Holly Whitaker kept dated, timed...
Cold dawn, a spine-up notebook in a gravel lot, and a sixty-mile, nine-thousand-foot gap between a missing climber and the pages she left behind - Holly Whitaker kept dated, timed decision-logs for two decades, yet her last entry ends mid-sentence with smeared ink; what single omission turned expertise into tragedy?

In this episode, we tell the sequence recorded in Holly's logs and the radio check-ins, follow the six-person expedition up Abrantes Spire, and track the silences that threaded through the descent - could withheld information about the descent route and injuries explain why Holly never returned?

Person: Holly Whitaker
Age: 52
Location: Abrantes Spire, Fenwick Range (9,000 feet)
Date: June 9-10, 2019
Expedition members: 6 (leader Lisa Hunter, Holly Whitaker, Bill Szabo, Connie Szabo, Frank Yee, Marcus Pratt)

- Holly began keeping decision-logs in 1998 and had 23 years of technical climbing experience.
- The summit was reached at 8:57 AM on June 9; descent began 23 minutes later.
- Bill Szabo fell through a snow crust at approximately 1:15 PM and fell roughly 40 feet before being caught.
- Marcus Pratt fractured his left hand during the arrest but concealed the injury and did not report it to the team.
- Lisa Hunter, the certified guide with 14 years’ experience and two prior Abrantes summits, privately assessed Marcus as unable to descend safely without additional equipment.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>909falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-crampon-in-the-ditch-when-a-snow-bridge-betrayed-three-climbers--73083753
A single crampon, upright in four inches of mud and its nylon webbing cleanly cut, was found more than six miles from the nearest trailhead and over four thousand vertical feet below any terrain that would need it - an object that turned a routine rescue into a mystery. How did that crampon end up in a roadside ditch, and what truth did it reveal that the survivors could not?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from departure to rescue: who the three climbers were, their timeline from trailhead to summit, the sudden weather shift, and how a snow bridge at roughly 13,100 feet failed beneath them. What exactly happened on the descent that led to two nearly fatal survivors and one body recovered at 10,300 feet?

Person: Lisa Thorpe
Person: Rob Fanning
Person: Chris Avila
Date: May 15-19, 2011
Location: Kettrick massif, Bitterhorn Wilderness

- A crampon was found on May 19 at 7:40 a.m., standing upright with front points pressed into 4 inches of mud.
- The crampon's nylon webbing was cut, not torn, and found more than 6 miles from the nearest trailhead.
- The three climbers left the trailhead on May 15 and reached high camp at 13,400 feet on May 17.
- Last radio contact was at 6:10 a.m. on May 18: "All three accounted for, moving out shortly."
- A body was recovered on the western drainage at 10,300 feet after four days of search and rescue.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083753Thu, 17 Sep 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Crampon in the Ditch: When a Snow Bridge Betrayed Three Climbers A single crampon, upright in four inches of mud and its nylon webbing cleanly cut, was found more than six miles from the nearest trailhead and over four thousand vertical feet...
A single crampon, upright in four inches of mud and its nylon webbing cleanly cut, was found more than six miles from the nearest trailhead and over four thousand vertical feet below any terrain that would need it - an object that turned a routine rescue into a mystery. How did that crampon end up in a roadside ditch, and what truth did it reveal that the survivors could not?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from departure to rescue: who the three climbers were, their timeline from trailhead to summit, the sudden weather shift, and how a snow bridge at roughly 13,100 feet failed beneath them. What exactly happened on the descent that led to two nearly fatal survivors and one body recovered at 10,300 feet?

Person: Lisa Thorpe
Person: Rob Fanning
Person: Chris Avila
Date: May 15-19, 2011
Location: Kettrick massif, Bitterhorn Wilderness

- A crampon was found on May 19 at 7:40 a.m., standing upright with front points pressed into 4 inches of mud.
- The crampon's nylon webbing was cut, not torn, and found more than 6 miles from the nearest trailhead.
- The three climbers left the trailhead on May 15 and reached high camp at 13,400 feet on May 17.
- Last radio contact was at 6:10 a.m. on May 18: "All three accounted for, moving out shortly."
- A body was recovered on the western drainage at 10,300 feet after four days of search and rescue.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>821falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-radio-that-walked-eleven-days-of-listening-on-mount-calder--73083752
A handheld Yaesu FT-270 radio traveled two miles down Mount Calder and ended up on a truck hood with no new boot prints or tire tracks; the owner was rescued miles away the day before unaware that his device had arrived. For eleven days the broken radio was receiving transmissions it could not answer - so who was transmitting, and how did a device that could not send end up where it did?

In this episode, we follow the April 2011 Mount Calder expedition day by day: the summit on April 11, the storm that began that night, the decision to retreat on April 16, and the chain of radio logs and weather reports that continued from base camp while the party was in trouble. How did a hairline fracture that disabled the radio’s transmit circuit shape every communication the team thought they had?

Person: Grant Sharp
Date: April 7-19, 2011
Location: Mount Calder near Ridgeway, Idaho
Device: Yaesu FT-270 handheld radio (receive-only due to power amplifier fracture)
Rescue: Grant Sharp rescued the day before the radio was found

- On April 7 the party departed at dawn and the first radio check was logged at 6:40 a.m. as "copy one-way."
- By April 9 the team reached high camp at 12,800 feet.
- The summit was reached near noon on April 11; photographs confirm the team was together at midday.
- Winds exceeded 50 mph at midnight on April 11 and temperature dropped to -22°F by 3 a.m, on April 12.
- The retreat order on April 16 was Burke, then Carrie, then Matt, then Grant Sharp; a wind-slab avalanche released mid-couloir at approximately 13,200 feet.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083752Wed, 16 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Radio That Walked: Eleven Days of Listening on Mount Calder A handheld Yaesu FT-270 radio traveled two miles down Mount Calder and ended up on a truck hood with no new boot prints or tire tracks; the owner was rescued miles away the day before...
A handheld Yaesu FT-270 radio traveled two miles down Mount Calder and ended up on a truck hood with no new boot prints or tire tracks; the owner was rescued miles away the day before unaware that his device had arrived. For eleven days the broken radio was receiving transmissions it could not answer - so who was transmitting, and how did a device that could not send end up where it did?

In this episode, we follow the April 2011 Mount Calder expedition day by day: the summit on April 11, the storm that began that night, the decision to retreat on April 16, and the chain of radio logs and weather reports that continued from base camp while the party was in trouble. How did a hairline fracture that disabled the radio’s transmit circuit shape every communication the team thought they had?

Person: Grant Sharp
Date: April 7-19, 2011
Location: Mount Calder near Ridgeway, Idaho
Device: Yaesu FT-270 handheld radio (receive-only due to power amplifier fracture)
Rescue: Grant Sharp rescued the day before the radio was found

- On April 7 the party departed at dawn and the first radio check was logged at 6:40 a.m. as "copy one-way."
- By April 9 the team reached high camp at 12,800 feet.
- The summit was reached near noon on April 11; photographs confirm the team was together at midday.
- Winds exceeded 50 mph at midnight on April 11 and temperature dropped to -22°F by 3 a.m, on April 12.
- The retreat order on April 16 was Burke, then Carrie, then Matt, then Grant Sharp; a wind-slab avalanche released mid-couloir at approximately 13,200 feet.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1145falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-oxygen-canister-below-the-snow-line-what-kessler-hid--73083751
A misplaced oxygen canister sat upright against a rock at roughly 7,800 feet - miles below the high camps where such equipment belongs - and a trail runner found it on March 14, 2019. That single object forced search teams to reframe the last hours of a four-person expedition that left behind one man who never returned: what did the canister reveal about John Sharp's final decisions?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline and the choices that moved a disciplined climber from base camp to a vanished endpoint on Kessler Peak, tracing radio logs, GPS tracks, supply lists, and survivor notes to ask how a stack of reasonable decisions produced an unexpected outcome. Could a sequence of small, correct actions explain a fatal gap in the rope?

Date: March 14, 2019
Location: Kessler Peak
Person: John Sharp
Event: Summit push and subsequent disappearance
Case: Sharp from the Sharp-Peterson Expedition

- The oxygen canister was found upright against a rock at roughly 7,800 feet, below the snow line.
- John Sharp was 56 years old and had 22 years of technical mountaineering experience with four summits above 20,000 feet.
- The summit push began at 1:45 AM on March 8 under clear skies and -22°C with low wind.
- Greg Solis’s GPS wrist unit recorded an 11-minute stop at about 25,300 feet on the morning of March 8 due to numbness in his left hand.
- Christine Peterson authorized the summit push at 5:47 AM on March 8, recorded in the Camp Three radio log.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083751Tue, 15 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Oxygen Canister Below the Snow Line: What Kessler Hid A misplaced oxygen canister sat upright against a rock at roughly 7,800 feet - miles below the high camps where such equipment belongs - and a trail runner found it on March 14, 2019. That...
A misplaced oxygen canister sat upright against a rock at roughly 7,800 feet - miles below the high camps where such equipment belongs - and a trail runner found it on March 14, 2019. That single object forced search teams to reframe the last hours of a four-person expedition that left behind one man who never returned: what did the canister reveal about John Sharp's final decisions?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline and the choices that moved a disciplined climber from base camp to a vanished endpoint on Kessler Peak, tracing radio logs, GPS tracks, supply lists, and survivor notes to ask how a stack of reasonable decisions produced an unexpected outcome. Could a sequence of small, correct actions explain a fatal gap in the rope?

Date: March 14, 2019
Location: Kessler Peak
Person: John Sharp
Event: Summit push and subsequent disappearance
Case: Sharp from the Sharp-Peterson Expedition

- The oxygen canister was found upright against a rock at roughly 7,800 feet, below the snow line.
- John Sharp was 56 years old and had 22 years of technical mountaineering experience with four summits above 20,000 feet.
- The summit push began at 1:45 AM on March 8 under clear skies and -22°C with low wind.
- Greg Solis’s GPS wrist unit recorded an 11-minute stop at about 25,300 feet on the morning of March 8 due to numbness in his left hand.
- Christine Peterson authorized the summit push at 5:47 AM on March 8, recorded in the Camp Three radio log.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>877falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/boot-in-a-culvert-summit-log-in-a-hospital-bed--73083750
A single size-ten boot sat in a culvert with the cordlace tied, liner dry and partially sealed in ice, 430 miles from the nearest peak - while the man it might belong to lay in a hospital bed the day before. How did a folded summit log in a boot toe turn up the same day Scott Mueller was admitted to Portsmith General, and what did that mismatch in sizes hide?

In this episode, we trace the timeline and physical traces left during a solo summit push on Mira Crest and the parallel discovery in Calloway Industrial Drive, following the radios, the practice summit logs, and the people who kept schedules and check-ins. What happened during the five-hour silence on the afternoon of February 16 that produced frostbite, a missing trekking pole basket, and a boot in a culvert?

Person: Scott Mueller
Location: Mira Crest
Date: February 16
Hospital: Portsmith General
Person: Gerald Mueller

- Boot found in a drainage culvert on Calloway Industrial Drive with the cordlace tied in a neat bow and liner partially sealed in ice, 430 miles from the nearest peak.
- Inside the boot liner was a folded sheet of yellow legal paper covered in handwriting, placed in a zip-lock bag at the toe.
- Scott Mueller was admitted to Portsmith General the day before the boot was found, and the two events occurred in parallel.
- Scott wore size eleven, while the boot recovered from the culvert was size ten.
- Last clean radio transmission from Scott was at 1:57 PM on February 16 confirming departure for the summit; he did not make contact again for eleven hours and forty-one minutes.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083750Mon, 14 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaBoot in a Culvert, Summit Log in a Hospital Bed A single size-ten boot sat in a culvert with the cordlace tied, liner dry and partially sealed in ice, 430 miles from the nearest peak - while the man it might belong to lay in a hospital bed the day...
A single size-ten boot sat in a culvert with the cordlace tied, liner dry and partially sealed in ice, 430 miles from the nearest peak - while the man it might belong to lay in a hospital bed the day before. How did a folded summit log in a boot toe turn up the same day Scott Mueller was admitted to Portsmith General, and what did that mismatch in sizes hide?

In this episode, we trace the timeline and physical traces left during a solo summit push on Mira Crest and the parallel discovery in Calloway Industrial Drive, following the radios, the practice summit logs, and the people who kept schedules and check-ins. What happened during the five-hour silence on the afternoon of February 16 that produced frostbite, a missing trekking pole basket, and a boot in a culvert?

Person: Scott Mueller
Location: Mira Crest
Date: February 16
Hospital: Portsmith General
Person: Gerald Mueller

- Boot found in a drainage culvert on Calloway Industrial Drive with the cordlace tied in a neat bow and liner partially sealed in ice, 430 miles from the nearest peak.
- Inside the boot liner was a folded sheet of yellow legal paper covered in handwriting, placed in a zip-lock bag at the toe.
- Scott Mueller was admitted to Portsmith General the day before the boot was found, and the two events occurred in parallel.
- Scott wore size eleven, while the boot recovered from the culvert was size ten.
- Last clean radio transmission from Scott was at 1:57 PM on February 16 confirming departure for the summit; he did not make contact again for eleven hours and forty-one minutes.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>922falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/who-secretly-stocked-war-era-oxygen-that-saved-four-climbers--73083748
Cold, precise, and inexplicably spotless: twenty-two olive‑drab oxygen cylinders manufactured before the Korean War were found stacked inside an unlocked ranger auxiliary station - equipment logged as historical and long forgotten - yet those cylinders kept four climbers alive through a night at -26°C and 71 mph gusts. Who walked into the station and left what no one expected, and why was it crucial to survival?

In this episode, we follow the ascent and collapse on Cantor's Shoulder, the discovery of the pre‑war oxygen cache at the base station, and the people whose decisions and records intersected with that cache - from the climbers on the ridge to the volunteer who found the cylinders - asking how a forgotten stash became the difference between life and death.

Person: Laura Romano
Event: Discovery of twenty-two oxygen cylinders on January 14, 2019
Location: Ranger auxiliary station at the base of Cantor's Shoulder, eastern Sawtooth foothills, central Idaho
Date: January 10-14, 2019 (climb January 10; discovery January 14)
Person: Peggy Taylor

- Twenty-two olive‑drab oxygen cylinders were found stacked in four columns against the back wall of the auxiliary station.
- The four climbers survived a night at -26°C with recorded gusts up to 71 miles per hour.
- One climber was losing consciousness at 11,200 feet and another walked with an altered gait for nearly a year.
- The cylinders were manufactured before the Korean War and featured three‑lug interrupted‑thread fittings and hand‑machined brass adapters.
- The Millhaven Volunteer Ranger Association records showed an original donation of forty cylinders in 1991, with only twenty‑two remaining by 2019.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083748Sun, 13 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaWho Secretly Stocked War‑Era Oxygen That Saved Four Climbers? Cold, precise, and inexplicably spotless: twenty-two olive‑drab oxygen cylinders manufactured before the Korean War were found stacked inside an unlocked ranger auxiliary station -...
Cold, precise, and inexplicably spotless: twenty-two olive‑drab oxygen cylinders manufactured before the Korean War were found stacked inside an unlocked ranger auxiliary station - equipment logged as historical and long forgotten - yet those cylinders kept four climbers alive through a night at -26°C and 71 mph gusts. Who walked into the station and left what no one expected, and why was it crucial to survival?

In this episode, we follow the ascent and collapse on Cantor's Shoulder, the discovery of the pre‑war oxygen cache at the base station, and the people whose decisions and records intersected with that cache - from the climbers on the ridge to the volunteer who found the cylinders - asking how a forgotten stash became the difference between life and death.

Person: Laura Romano
Event: Discovery of twenty-two oxygen cylinders on January 14, 2019
Location: Ranger auxiliary station at the base of Cantor's Shoulder, eastern Sawtooth foothills, central Idaho
Date: January 10-14, 2019 (climb January 10; discovery January 14)
Person: Peggy Taylor

- Twenty-two olive‑drab oxygen cylinders were found stacked in four columns against the back wall of the auxiliary station.
- The four climbers survived a night at -26°C with recorded gusts up to 71 miles per hour.
- One climber was losing consciousness at 11,200 feet and another walked with an altered gait for nearly a year.
- The cylinders were manufactured before the Korean War and featured three‑lug interrupted‑thread fittings and hand‑machined brass adapters.
- The Millhaven Volunteer Ranger Association records showed an original donation of forty cylinders in 1991, with only twenty‑two remaining by 2019.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>933falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-gave-away-her-map-descended-alone-into-night--73083747
Beneath fourteen-below darkness and forty-three feet off a trail, an orange expedition tube sat upright in the snow - found by a dog named Biscuit four days after a rescue - its index card reading only: "Tuesday. Tell her I didn't miss on purpose." Why would a seasoned cartographer and habitual navigator deliberately leave her map before descending alone 6,800 vertical feet at night?

In this episode, we lay out the documented facts of the Varden Horn expedition and Amanda Turner's solo descent through the night as recorded by the recovered route overlay and index card, and we follow the timeline from summit to solitary exit to ask the question left by her final note: what compelled her to give away her navigation kit and walk out alone?

Person: Amanda Turner
Age: 62
Event: Solo night descent from 12,180 ft
Date: December 14-15
Location: Varden Horn, Harwick Creek drainage

- The orange hard-polymer map tube was found upright in the snow at the base of a lodgepole pine, 43 feet off the trail.
- Inside the tube were two documents: a hand-drawn route overlay with two line styles and an index card reading "Tuesday. Tell her I didn't miss on purpose."
- Amanda Turner had 39 years of field experience, two Rainier ascents, three Alaska Range seasons, and worked as an analytical cartographer.
- The team summited at approximately 4:10 PM and the descent began in darkness; Amanda descended about 6,800 vertical feet alone.
- Biscuit, a three-year-old retriever mix owned by Russell Davis, discovered the map tube four days after the rescue during a casual walk on December 19.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083747Sat, 12 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Gave Away Her Map - Descended Alone Into Night Beneath fourteen-below darkness and forty-three feet off a trail, an orange expedition tube sat upright in the snow - found by a dog named Biscuit four days after a rescue - its index card reading...
Beneath fourteen-below darkness and forty-three feet off a trail, an orange expedition tube sat upright in the snow - found by a dog named Biscuit four days after a rescue - its index card reading only: "Tuesday. Tell her I didn't miss on purpose." Why would a seasoned cartographer and habitual navigator deliberately leave her map before descending alone 6,800 vertical feet at night?

In this episode, we lay out the documented facts of the Varden Horn expedition and Amanda Turner's solo descent through the night as recorded by the recovered route overlay and index card, and we follow the timeline from summit to solitary exit to ask the question left by her final note: what compelled her to give away her navigation kit and walk out alone?

Person: Amanda Turner
Age: 62
Event: Solo night descent from 12,180 ft
Date: December 14-15
Location: Varden Horn, Harwick Creek drainage

- The orange hard-polymer map tube was found upright in the snow at the base of a lodgepole pine, 43 feet off the trail.
- Inside the tube were two documents: a hand-drawn route overlay with two line styles and an index card reading "Tuesday. Tell her I didn't miss on purpose."
- Amanda Turner had 39 years of field experience, two Rainier ascents, three Alaska Range seasons, and worked as an analytical cartographer.
- The team summited at approximately 4:10 PM and the descent began in darkness; Amanda descended about 6,800 vertical feet alone.
- Biscuit, a three-year-old retriever mix owned by Russell Davis, discovered the map tube four days after the rescue during a casual walk on December 19.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>833falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-rope-went-hard-what-the-mountain-never-gave-back--73083746
Fear tightens like a climbing rope: a crampon with twelve sharp steel points washed downstream eleven miles, and a rope that "just ends" left a young apprentice alone with a severed line - what did Vashler North keep, and what did the river return? Could a single boot size and a camera's last photo be the only clues to four lives lost?

In this episode, we trace the timeline from the summit photo at 11:47 a.m. to the serac collapse at 12,200 feet and the lone descent of the only returning climber, asking how a routine alpine plan became a disappearance. Listen to follow the discovered evidence, the expedition roles, and the unanswered detail that ties river and mountain together.

Person: Marilyn Walker
Person: Bruce Tucker
Person: Patrick Lund
Person: Teresa Ngo
Event: Serac collapse at 12,200 feet

- Caught on a trotline on November 14, 2019: a crampon with twelve steel points, size 44 European, marked with a black sticker on the frame.
- Five people left the Vashler North trailhead on November 1 and reached Camp One at approximately 11,000 feet before the summit push.
- Summit photograph taken at 11:47 a.m. on November 6 was the last image on the memory card and included all five climbers.
- The serac fell at approximately 12,200 feet on November 6, triggering a rope jolt felt by Bruce Tucker thirty feet below the feature.
- The team radio was in Daniel Orth's pack, which was beneath the ice after the serac collapse, leaving Tucker without radio communication during a 1,200-foot descent.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083746Fri, 11 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Rope Went Hard: What the Mountain Never Gave Back Fear tightens like a climbing rope: a crampon with twelve sharp steel points washed downstream eleven miles, and a rope that "just ends" left a young apprentice alone with a severed line - what...
Fear tightens like a climbing rope: a crampon with twelve sharp steel points washed downstream eleven miles, and a rope that "just ends" left a young apprentice alone with a severed line - what did Vashler North keep, and what did the river return? Could a single boot size and a camera's last photo be the only clues to four lives lost?

In this episode, we trace the timeline from the summit photo at 11:47 a.m. to the serac collapse at 12,200 feet and the lone descent of the only returning climber, asking how a routine alpine plan became a disappearance. Listen to follow the discovered evidence, the expedition roles, and the unanswered detail that ties river and mountain together.

Person: Marilyn Walker
Person: Bruce Tucker
Person: Patrick Lund
Person: Teresa Ngo
Event: Serac collapse at 12,200 feet

- Caught on a trotline on November 14, 2019: a crampon with twelve steel points, size 44 European, marked with a black sticker on the frame.
- Five people left the Vashler North trailhead on November 1 and reached Camp One at approximately 11,000 feet before the summit push.
- Summit photograph taken at 11:47 a.m. on November 6 was the last image on the memory card and included all five climbers.
- The serac fell at approximately 12,200 feet on November 6, triggering a rope jolt felt by Bruce Tucker thirty feet below the feature.
- The team radio was in Daniel Orth's pack, which was beneath the ice after the serac collapse, leaving Tucker without radio communication during a 1,200-foot descent.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>864falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/why-did-the-camp-cook-walk-out-with-a-60m-rope--73083745
A still-burning stove, a compass pointing true north, and a woman found dead facing the wrong way-what forced a seasoned high-camp cook to leave camp at 11,200 ft alone with a sixty-meter rope and an untouched GPS? The scene is full of precise, unsettling details that refuse easy explanation; who decided compass over GPS, rope over radio, and why did the rope vanish?

In this episode, we lay out the chronological facts recorded at Camp Cook and on the summit: the radio logs, the barometric drop, the timing of the summit party, and the condition in which Donna Padgett found Amanda Berry. We follow the decision trail Berry left behind to ask whether one call she made that night can explain everything found at the scene.

Person: Amanda Berry
Date: October 14
Location: Camp Cook, Fenwick north face, 11,200 ft
Event: Stove burning unattended for roughly ten hours
Status: Rope (60 meters) taken from camp and never recovered

- Berry logged an 8-millibar pressure drop between 18:52 and 22:47 on October 13.
- The summit party reached the summit at 03:17 on October 14.
- Berry’s last full log entry was at 22:47; a relay came down at 23:22.
- The stove at Camp Cook had been running for roughly ten hours and the pot boiled dry by ~09:30 on October 14.
- Donna Padgett found Berry at 06:52 on October 14, sitting in snow, legs crossed, holding a working compass pointing magnetic north.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083745Thu, 10 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaWhy Did the Camp Cook Walk Out With a 60m Rope? A still-burning stove, a compass pointing true north, and a woman found dead facing the wrong way-what forced a seasoned high-camp cook to leave camp at 11,200 ft alone with a sixty-meter rope and an...
A still-burning stove, a compass pointing true north, and a woman found dead facing the wrong way-what forced a seasoned high-camp cook to leave camp at 11,200 ft alone with a sixty-meter rope and an untouched GPS? The scene is full of precise, unsettling details that refuse easy explanation; who decided compass over GPS, rope over radio, and why did the rope vanish?

In this episode, we lay out the chronological facts recorded at Camp Cook and on the summit: the radio logs, the barometric drop, the timing of the summit party, and the condition in which Donna Padgett found Amanda Berry. We follow the decision trail Berry left behind to ask whether one call she made that night can explain everything found at the scene.

Person: Amanda Berry
Date: October 14
Location: Camp Cook, Fenwick north face, 11,200 ft
Event: Stove burning unattended for roughly ten hours
Status: Rope (60 meters) taken from camp and never recovered

- Berry logged an 8-millibar pressure drop between 18:52 and 22:47 on October 13.
- The summit party reached the summit at 03:17 on October 14.
- Berry’s last full log entry was at 22:47; a relay came down at 23:22.
- The stove at Camp Cook had been running for roughly ten hours and the pot boiled dry by ~09:30 on October 14.
- Donna Padgett found Berry at 06:52 on October 14, sitting in snow, legs crossed, holding a working compass pointing magnetic north.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>910falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-rope-that-silently-failed-nine-climbers-one-near-disaster--73083744
A single forty-centimeter loop of rope, sheared clean through, swung from a padlocked equipment cage gate six minutes past six on September 14, 2019 - photographed and reported by a pump service technician who knew what it meant before rescuers arrived. Nine climbers had been on the North Face above, one woman with laminated gear checklists was the first to weight a rope that had been quietly failing for three days; how did a cut invisible from above nearly become fatal?

In this episode, we walk through the sequence of events recorded from base camp to the Orvallo North Face to reconstruct what went wrong and why cumulative assumption failure became the official finding; was this a single missed check or a chain of small, verifiable mistakes?

Person: Linda Adams
Person: Denise Slater
Person: Rob Elias
Date: September 14, 2019
Location: Orvallo North Face, summit at 11,800 feet

- A yellow-handled ascender and a 40-centimeter loop of rope, sheared clean through, were found hanging from a padlocked equipment cage gate on September 14, 2019.
- The cut in fixed line two was approximately 18 inches from the upper anchor and had severed roughly half the rope’s cross-section.
- The inReach satellite communicator was found in the base camp tent with battery at 63% and no outbound messages since September 8.
- Nine climbers used the fixed lines multiple times on September 9 and 10 without noticing the damage, and the rope held under ascending loads during that period.
- The fixed lines began above the bergschrund at roughly 10,200 feet on terrain pitched between 50 and 60 degrees.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083744Wed, 09 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Rope That Silently Failed: Nine Climbers, One Near-Disaster A single forty-centimeter loop of rope, sheared clean through, swung from a padlocked equipment cage gate six minutes past six on September 14, 2019 - photographed and reported by a...
A single forty-centimeter loop of rope, sheared clean through, swung from a padlocked equipment cage gate six minutes past six on September 14, 2019 - photographed and reported by a pump service technician who knew what it meant before rescuers arrived. Nine climbers had been on the North Face above, one woman with laminated gear checklists was the first to weight a rope that had been quietly failing for three days; how did a cut invisible from above nearly become fatal?

In this episode, we walk through the sequence of events recorded from base camp to the Orvallo North Face to reconstruct what went wrong and why cumulative assumption failure became the official finding; was this a single missed check or a chain of small, verifiable mistakes?

Person: Linda Adams
Person: Denise Slater
Person: Rob Elias
Date: September 14, 2019
Location: Orvallo North Face, summit at 11,800 feet

- A yellow-handled ascender and a 40-centimeter loop of rope, sheared clean through, were found hanging from a padlocked equipment cage gate on September 14, 2019.
- The cut in fixed line two was approximately 18 inches from the upper anchor and had severed roughly half the rope’s cross-section.
- The inReach satellite communicator was found in the base camp tent with battery at 63% and no outbound messages since September 8.
- Nine climbers used the fixed lines multiple times on September 9 and 10 without noticing the damage, and the rope held under ascending loads during that period.
- The fixed lines began above the bergschrund at roughly 10,200 feet on terrain pitched between 50 and 60 degrees.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>862falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-yellow-boot-on-creston-horn-eleven-thousand-feet-of-silence--73083743
A single yellow boot appeared on a ledge nine hundred feet above a glacier where no trail or climber could reach it, and Kathleen Novak’s archive shows that same ledge bare in two previous summers - so how did a boot get there three days after eight climbers went missing? The photograph was taken at first light on August 14, 2009, and a deputy logged the object as windblown debris; but the ledge sits over eleven thousand feet on an inaccessible face - what really happened up there?

In this episode, we follow the recorded timeline from the summit push to the moment radios picked up eleven seconds of silence and a boot striking rock. The episode covers the climbers, the weather data from the Fenwick Ranger District, and the oddities in the descent protocol that preceded the disappearance - could a half-battery rule or a false spur note have mattered?

Person: Kathleen Novak
Date: August 14, 2009
Location: Fenwick Ranger, Creston Horn summit and a ledge over eleven thousand feet
Event: Eight climbers three days overdue; single yellow boot found on ledge
Time: Summit reached at 7:08 AM on August 12; summit-to-descent call at 7:17 AM

- Kathleen Novak photographed the yellow boot at first light while birding with a telephoto lens.
- Novak had eleven years of alpine bird photography and showed the same ledge bare in two previous summers.
- The summit push began at 2:45 AM on August 12 and all eight climbers stood on the summit at 7:08 AM.
- The leader called the descent nine minutes after the summit (at 7:17 AM), shorter than the standard 15-20 minute observation period.
- Visibility dropped to thirty feet and temperature fell 11°C in forty minutes, as recorded by the Fenwick Ranger District weather station.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083743Tue, 08 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Yellow Boot on Creston Horn: Eleven Thousand Feet of Silence A single yellow boot appeared on a ledge nine hundred feet above a glacier where no trail or climber could reach it, and Kathleen Novak’s archive shows that same ledge bare in two...
A single yellow boot appeared on a ledge nine hundred feet above a glacier where no trail or climber could reach it, and Kathleen Novak’s archive shows that same ledge bare in two previous summers - so how did a boot get there three days after eight climbers went missing? The photograph was taken at first light on August 14, 2009, and a deputy logged the object as windblown debris; but the ledge sits over eleven thousand feet on an inaccessible face - what really happened up there?

In this episode, we follow the recorded timeline from the summit push to the moment radios picked up eleven seconds of silence and a boot striking rock. The episode covers the climbers, the weather data from the Fenwick Ranger District, and the oddities in the descent protocol that preceded the disappearance - could a half-battery rule or a false spur note have mattered?

Person: Kathleen Novak
Date: August 14, 2009
Location: Fenwick Ranger, Creston Horn summit and a ledge over eleven thousand feet
Event: Eight climbers three days overdue; single yellow boot found on ledge
Time: Summit reached at 7:08 AM on August 12; summit-to-descent call at 7:17 AM

- Kathleen Novak photographed the yellow boot at first light while birding with a telephoto lens.
- Novak had eleven years of alpine bird photography and showed the same ledge bare in two previous summers.
- The summit push began at 2:45 AM on August 12 and all eight climbers stood on the summit at 7:08 AM.
- The leader called the descent nine minutes after the summit (at 7:17 AM), shorter than the standard 15-20 minute observation period.
- Visibility dropped to thirty feet and temperature fell 11°C in forty minutes, as recorded by the Fenwick Ranger District weather station.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>899falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-yellow-tent-at-3-900m-how-a-paper-girl-found-him-alive--73083742
A fourteen-year-old paper delivery girl became the reason anyone climbed Dunbar Peak after a yellow tent at 3,900 meters suggested a body and a closed case. The tent was intact, sleeping bags unslept, a meal prepared, a radio at 61% battery switched off - yet the man who pitched it was missing; how did he leave supplies behind and vanish without a trace?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from Gregory Barnes’s summit attempt to the discovery that followed, laying out the timeline, the gear left at Camp Spur, and the small clues that redirected the rescue - could those four objects explain what happened in three days of silence?

Person: Gregory Barnes
Date: June 30, 2011
Location: Camp Spur, 3,600 meters / Yellow tent at 3,900 meters
Person: Scott Renner
Event: Permit signed June 26, planned return July 4

- Barnes made his last radio contact on June 30 from Camp Spur at 3,600 meters.
- The yellow tent was found intact at 3,900 meters with sleeping bags unslept.
- A radio at the tent showed 61% battery and had been switched off deliberately.
- A cache at Camp Spur contained two liters of fuel, one day of food rations, and a pair of crampons.
- The pair of crampons found at Camp Spur belonged to Scott Renner, indicating someone walked down without them.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083742Mon, 07 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Yellow Tent at 3,900m: How a Paper Girl Found Him Alive A fourteen-year-old paper delivery girl became the reason anyone climbed Dunbar Peak after a yellow tent at 3,900 meters suggested a body and a closed case. The tent was intact, sleeping...
A fourteen-year-old paper delivery girl became the reason anyone climbed Dunbar Peak after a yellow tent at 3,900 meters suggested a body and a closed case. The tent was intact, sleeping bags unslept, a meal prepared, a radio at 61% battery switched off - yet the man who pitched it was missing; how did he leave supplies behind and vanish without a trace?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from Gregory Barnes’s summit attempt to the discovery that followed, laying out the timeline, the gear left at Camp Spur, and the small clues that redirected the rescue - could those four objects explain what happened in three days of silence?

Person: Gregory Barnes
Date: June 30, 2011
Location: Camp Spur, 3,600 meters / Yellow tent at 3,900 meters
Person: Scott Renner
Event: Permit signed June 26, planned return July 4

- Barnes made his last radio contact on June 30 from Camp Spur at 3,600 meters.
- The yellow tent was found intact at 3,900 meters with sleeping bags unslept.
- A radio at the tent showed 61% battery and had been switched off deliberately.
- A cache at Camp Spur contained two liters of fuel, one day of food rations, and a pair of crampons.
- The pair of crampons found at Camp Spur belonged to Scott Renner, indicating someone walked down without them.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>983falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/left-boot-on-the-road-how-two-women-vanished-from-the-summit--73083741
Cold, precise details - a single right women's size seven boot with a crampon and a double-knot lace found upright on a gravel access road, and a guide returning incoherent to Camp Three with both oxygen cylinders empty - set a quiet, mounting dread: what happened above twenty-three thousand feet that left one woman saved and the other vanished? Which moment between a regulator seal failing and a "logistical adjustment" became the hinge between survival and disappearance?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from basecamp calls in early June 2009 through the summit push and the eleven hours of silence that followed, laying out the equipment, roles, and decisions on the mountain and asking how a near-invisible equipment fault and one split-second choice changed everything.

Person: Jessica Perry
Person: Connie Hicks
Date: June 10-14, 2009
Location: Kelner Massif, summit 23,800 ft
Event: Regulator seal failure leading to empty oxygen cylinders

- Jessica Perry was 28 years old and had summited Denali in 2006.
- Connie Hicks was 44 and ran Ridgetop Alpine Services as a methodical high-altitude guide.
- Two complete oxygen systems were carried: two masks, two regulators, two cylinder sets calibrated for 2 L/min each.
- Connie and Jessica left Camp Three at 2:45 AM on June 10, roped together; Connie radioed "Conditions excellent" at 6:18 AM.
- At 6:40 PM, Connie descended alone to Camp Three with both oxygen cylinders empty and was incoherent; Jessica did not return.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083741Sun, 06 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaLeft Boot on the Road: How Two Women Vanished from the Summit Cold, precise details - a single right women's size seven boot with a crampon and a double-knot lace found upright on a gravel access road, and a guide returning incoherent to Camp Three...
Cold, precise details - a single right women's size seven boot with a crampon and a double-knot lace found upright on a gravel access road, and a guide returning incoherent to Camp Three with both oxygen cylinders empty - set a quiet, mounting dread: what happened above twenty-three thousand feet that left one woman saved and the other vanished? Which moment between a regulator seal failing and a "logistical adjustment" became the hinge between survival and disappearance?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from basecamp calls in early June 2009 through the summit push and the eleven hours of silence that followed, laying out the equipment, roles, and decisions on the mountain and asking how a near-invisible equipment fault and one split-second choice changed everything.

Person: Jessica Perry
Person: Connie Hicks
Date: June 10-14, 2009
Location: Kelner Massif, summit 23,800 ft
Event: Regulator seal failure leading to empty oxygen cylinders

- Jessica Perry was 28 years old and had summited Denali in 2006.
- Connie Hicks was 44 and ran Ridgetop Alpine Services as a methodical high-altitude guide.
- Two complete oxygen systems were carried: two masks, two regulators, two cylinder sets calibrated for 2 L/min each.
- Connie and Jessica left Camp Three at 2:45 AM on June 10, roped together; Connie radioed "Conditions excellent" at 6:18 AM.
- At 6:40 PM, Connie descended alone to Camp Three with both oxygen cylinders empty and was incoherent; Jessica did not return.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>827falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/crampons-on-a-power-line-how-peggy-came-back-alive--73083740
Fear and awe collide: a pair of crampons hung from a power line at twenty-two feet, dried blood on one bail, and a climber was nowhere to be found - Peggy Kowalski had just survived a slab avalanche that turned the Seaton Ramp into concrete-like debris. How did Peggy move through fractured blocks, a failing radio, and hours of night to end up with her crampons hooked on a power line - and what does that route tell us about the choices she made to survive?

In this episode, we follow the documented timeline from base camp to radio silence and the recovery that followed, reconstructing the hours after the slab released and the moment the last transmission came through. What sequence of decisions and conditions explains how Peggy came back alive?

Person: Peggy Kowalski
Age: 54 years old
Location: Mount Ardath, Seaton Ramp, Bride's Fork valley
Date: May 14, 2019 (events from May 9-13, 2019)
Companions: Ted Warzala (41) and Becky Suhr (37)

- Peggy confirmed summit at 13,800 feet on the morning of May 13 at 10:04 AM.
- A slab released between 11:15 AM and noon on May 13 measuring 40 meters wide and 200 meters long.
- The fourth radio transmission at 12:31 PM included Peggy saying “buried” and Ted’s name.
- At 3:47 PM three clicks were received on the radio after voice transmissions ceased.
- Crampons were found hanging from a power line at 22 feet with dried blood on the left bail the morning of May 14.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083740Sat, 05 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaCrampons on a Power Line: How Peggy Came Back Alive Fear and awe collide: a pair of crampons hung from a power line at twenty-two feet, dried blood on one bail, and a climber was nowhere to be found - Peggy Kowalski had just survived a slab...
Fear and awe collide: a pair of crampons hung from a power line at twenty-two feet, dried blood on one bail, and a climber was nowhere to be found - Peggy Kowalski had just survived a slab avalanche that turned the Seaton Ramp into concrete-like debris. How did Peggy move through fractured blocks, a failing radio, and hours of night to end up with her crampons hooked on a power line - and what does that route tell us about the choices she made to survive?

In this episode, we follow the documented timeline from base camp to radio silence and the recovery that followed, reconstructing the hours after the slab released and the moment the last transmission came through. What sequence of decisions and conditions explains how Peggy came back alive?

Person: Peggy Kowalski
Age: 54 years old
Location: Mount Ardath, Seaton Ramp, Bride's Fork valley
Date: May 14, 2019 (events from May 9-13, 2019)
Companions: Ted Warzala (41) and Becky Suhr (37)

- Peggy confirmed summit at 13,800 feet on the morning of May 13 at 10:04 AM.
- A slab released between 11:15 AM and noon on May 13 measuring 40 meters wide and 200 meters long.
- The fourth radio transmission at 12:31 PM included Peggy saying “buried” and Ted’s name.
- At 3:47 PM three clicks were received on the radio after voice transmissions ceased.
- Crampons were found hanging from a power line at 22 feet with dried blood on the left bail the morning of May 14.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>853falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-crampon-on-harmon-road-kerrigan-s-missing-woman-and-one-survivor--73083739
Fear tightens the throat: a left women's size 7 crampon, every point still sharp, was found on a fire road nine miles and ten thousand feet below Kerrigan Peak - and the woman it belonged to had been dead for about 120 hours. How did that crampon travel down from the summit area when three people went up and only one came down alive?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events on Kerrigan Peak in April 2019 and the physical and testimonial record that shapes the official report. You will hear how timing, weather, an impaired climber, and a catastrophic injury converged - and why the crampon’s presence on Harmon Creek raises the unresolved question at the center of the case.

Person: Vicki Rafferty
Age: 22
Person: Jean Fleming
Age: 44
Person: Dave Cort
Age: 41

- High camp was established at 11,600 feet on April 7.
- Summit was reached at 1:17 p.m., 4 hours and 17 minutes later than planned.
- Temperature dropped 22°F in 90 minutes around 4:00 p.m., visibility collapsing to 30 feet.
- Cort slipped on a 50-degree slope; the rope arrested his fall.
- Vicki sustained a comminuted proximal humerus fracture and continued to assist for 2.5 hours in 30-foot visibility.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083739Fri, 04 Sep 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Crampon on Harmon Road: Kerrigan's Missing Woman and One Survivor Fear tightens the throat: a left women's size 7 crampon, every point still sharp, was found on a fire road nine miles and ten thousand feet below Kerrigan Peak - and the woman it...
Fear tightens the throat: a left women's size 7 crampon, every point still sharp, was found on a fire road nine miles and ten thousand feet below Kerrigan Peak - and the woman it belonged to had been dead for about 120 hours. How did that crampon travel down from the summit area when three people went up and only one came down alive?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events on Kerrigan Peak in April 2019 and the physical and testimonial record that shapes the official report. You will hear how timing, weather, an impaired climber, and a catastrophic injury converged - and why the crampon’s presence on Harmon Creek raises the unresolved question at the center of the case.

Person: Vicki Rafferty
Age: 22
Person: Jean Fleming
Age: 44
Person: Dave Cort
Age: 41

- High camp was established at 11,600 feet on April 7.
- Summit was reached at 1:17 p.m., 4 hours and 17 minutes later than planned.
- Temperature dropped 22°F in 90 minutes around 4:00 p.m., visibility collapsing to 30 feet.
- Cort slipped on a 50-degree slope; the rope arrested his fall.
- Vicki sustained a comminuted proximal humerus fracture and continued to assist for 2.5 hours in 30-foot visibility.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>875falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/left-foot-missing-the-crampon-that-reappeared-sixteen-days-later--73083737
A single left-foot, twelve-point steel crampon with one strap cut clean at the buckle appeared on the rescue depot locker sixteen days after Pamela Wagner fell through a glacier bridge; how did it move from a crevasse at 12,200 feet to a meter reader's monthly route in town? Who handled the gear, and what does that strap tell us about those missing thirty-one hours?

In this episode, we walk through the timeline and the key witness notes from Pamela Wagner's March ninth ascent of Keldrath Peak, the rescue extraction, and the later discovery of her crampon - and we follow the unanswered question about the gap between the last radio check and the first hospital admission that still refuses to close.

Person: Pamela Wagner
Date: March 9 (fall), March 19 (crampon found), February 28 (briefing), March 3 (snowpack report)
Location: Keldrath Peak glacier at 12,200 feet; Dunmore mountain rescue depot
Status: Hospitalized with dislocated shoulder, two fractured ribs, and beginning frostbite on three left-hand fingers

- The crampon found on March 19 was a left-foot, twelve-point steel model with one strap intact and one strap cut clean at the buckle.
- Pamela Wagner fell through a crevasse at approximately 11:30 a.m. on March 9 at 12,200 feet, two hundred meters southeast of the summit ice field.
- The rest of the team extracted Pamela from the crevasse in eleven minutes and radioed mountain rescue at 11:47 a.m.
- No further communication was received from the team for thirty-one hours after the 6:15 a.m. radio check that morning.
- The snowpack assessment used that day was generated on March 3; a warming trend of three to four degrees Celsius in the intervening days degraded crevasse bridges in the center of the glacier.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083737Thu, 03 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaLeft Foot Missing: The Crampon That Reappeared Sixteen Days Later A single left-foot, twelve-point steel crampon with one strap cut clean at the buckle appeared on the rescue depot locker sixteen days after Pamela Wagner fell through a glacier...
A single left-foot, twelve-point steel crampon with one strap cut clean at the buckle appeared on the rescue depot locker sixteen days after Pamela Wagner fell through a glacier bridge; how did it move from a crevasse at 12,200 feet to a meter reader's monthly route in town? Who handled the gear, and what does that strap tell us about those missing thirty-one hours?

In this episode, we walk through the timeline and the key witness notes from Pamela Wagner's March ninth ascent of Keldrath Peak, the rescue extraction, and the later discovery of her crampon - and we follow the unanswered question about the gap between the last radio check and the first hospital admission that still refuses to close.

Person: Pamela Wagner
Date: March 9 (fall), March 19 (crampon found), February 28 (briefing), March 3 (snowpack report)
Location: Keldrath Peak glacier at 12,200 feet; Dunmore mountain rescue depot
Status: Hospitalized with dislocated shoulder, two fractured ribs, and beginning frostbite on three left-hand fingers

- The crampon found on March 19 was a left-foot, twelve-point steel model with one strap intact and one strap cut clean at the buckle.
- Pamela Wagner fell through a crevasse at approximately 11:30 a.m. on March 9 at 12,200 feet, two hundred meters southeast of the summit ice field.
- The rest of the team extracted Pamela from the crevasse in eleven minutes and radioed mountain rescue at 11:47 a.m.
- No further communication was received from the team for thirty-one hours after the 6:15 a.m. radio check that morning.
- The snowpack assessment used that day was generated on March 3; a warming trend of three to four degrees Celsius in the intervening days degraded crevasse bridges in the center of the glacier.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>811falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/gloves-in-the-snow-why-no-footprints-led-uphill--73083736
Coldproof certainty turned to puzzling dread when Jessica Hayes found a pair of gloves in the snow at 14 below zero - four miles below the trailhead, seven miles from the party’s last known position, and with no footprints leading to or away from them. Who left gloves pointing uphill toward the mountain, and how could nobody have passed that exact spot?

In this episode, we present the sequence of events on the Abbot Spire expedition and the key decisions that preceded the discovery, from route choice and weather to leadership and gear exchanges, asking whether one split decision changed everything on the mountain.

Person: Norman Cook
Person: Judith Cooper
Date: February 14-17, 2011
Location: west ridge of Abbot Spire, Sorrow Range
Temperature: 14 below zero

- Gloves were found at 8:00 a.m. on a Tuesday at Forest Service Road 7-Bravo with fingers pointing uphill and no surrounding footprints.
- The gloves were located four miles below the trailhead and more than seven miles from the party’s last confirmed position over thirty hours earlier.
- The climbing party consisted of five people; by the time the gloves were found four were in hospital and one was in surgery.
- Norman Cook, age 62, had 38 years of climbing experience and kept nightly notes including temperature, route conditions, and a margin question.
- At 9:20 a.m. on February 17 the group stood at the false summit of Abbot Spire at 12,400 feet where conditions were already unacceptable before the decision to proceed.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083736Wed, 02 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaGloves in the Snow: Why No Footprints Led Uphill Coldproof certainty turned to puzzling dread when Jessica Hayes found a pair of gloves in the snow at 14 below zero - four miles below the trailhead, seven miles from the party’s last known position,...
Coldproof certainty turned to puzzling dread when Jessica Hayes found a pair of gloves in the snow at 14 below zero - four miles below the trailhead, seven miles from the party’s last known position, and with no footprints leading to or away from them. Who left gloves pointing uphill toward the mountain, and how could nobody have passed that exact spot?

In this episode, we present the sequence of events on the Abbot Spire expedition and the key decisions that preceded the discovery, from route choice and weather to leadership and gear exchanges, asking whether one split decision changed everything on the mountain.

Person: Norman Cook
Person: Judith Cooper
Date: February 14-17, 2011
Location: west ridge of Abbot Spire, Sorrow Range
Temperature: 14 below zero

- Gloves were found at 8:00 a.m. on a Tuesday at Forest Service Road 7-Bravo with fingers pointing uphill and no surrounding footprints.
- The gloves were located four miles below the trailhead and more than seven miles from the party’s last confirmed position over thirty hours earlier.
- The climbing party consisted of five people; by the time the gloves were found four were in hospital and one was in surgery.
- Norman Cook, age 62, had 38 years of climbing experience and kept nightly notes including temperature, route conditions, and a margin question.
- At 9:20 a.m. on February 17 the group stood at the false summit of Abbot Spire at 12,400 feet where conditions were already unacceptable before the decision to proceed.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>891falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-regulator-on-the-trail-how-a-summit-decision-unraveled--73083735
A spent high-altitude oxygen regulator meant for use above 22,000 feet was found intact at 4,300 feet on a recreational trail eleven miles from any technical climbing route - its dial read zero and showed no impact damage. How did equipment from a 17,200-foot Ridgefall expedition end up on a dog-walking path, and what does that single object reveal about a whiteout descent where one climber cannot remember the fall from 12,000 feet?

In this episode, we follow the Ridgefall expedition’s timeline: the team’s staged carries to high camp, the weather shift that arrived 36 hours early, the summit push on January 17, 2011, and the puzzling discoveries afterward. We explore what happened during a 90-second unclipping in a near-total whiteout and why a regulator found on January 19 raises so many unanswered questions.

Person: Douglas Paine
Date: January 19, 2011
Location: Gregory Hamilton Trail, northeastern Montana
Event: Discovery of high-altitude oxygen regulator
Case: Ridgefall expedition descent, January 17, 2011

- The regulator was a high-altitude unit used above 22,000 feet found at 4,300 feet with its dial reading zero and no impact damage.
- The Gregory Hamilton Trail had been open for six weeks and sat eleven miles from the nearest technical climbing route.
- Eleven climbers had reached high camp at 15,800 feet on January 14 after four days of staged carries and pushed for the summit on January 17 at 4:42 a.m.
- The storm arrived 36 hours ahead of forecast on January 15, keeping the team tent-bound for two days before the summit push.
- Guide Marcia Stevens unclipped from the first rope group for approximately 90 seconds at 9:15 a.m. in a near-total whiteout; this unclipping was recorded in Angela Campbell’s debrief filed six days after the descent.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083735Tue, 01 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Regulator on the Trail: How a Summit Decision Unraveled A spent high-altitude oxygen regulator meant for use above 22,000 feet was found intact at 4,300 feet on a recreational trail eleven miles from any technical climbing route - its dial read...
A spent high-altitude oxygen regulator meant for use above 22,000 feet was found intact at 4,300 feet on a recreational trail eleven miles from any technical climbing route - its dial read zero and showed no impact damage. How did equipment from a 17,200-foot Ridgefall expedition end up on a dog-walking path, and what does that single object reveal about a whiteout descent where one climber cannot remember the fall from 12,000 feet?

In this episode, we follow the Ridgefall expedition’s timeline: the team’s staged carries to high camp, the weather shift that arrived 36 hours early, the summit push on January 17, 2011, and the puzzling discoveries afterward. We explore what happened during a 90-second unclipping in a near-total whiteout and why a regulator found on January 19 raises so many unanswered questions.

Person: Douglas Paine
Date: January 19, 2011
Location: Gregory Hamilton Trail, northeastern Montana
Event: Discovery of high-altitude oxygen regulator
Case: Ridgefall expedition descent, January 17, 2011

- The regulator was a high-altitude unit used above 22,000 feet found at 4,300 feet with its dial reading zero and no impact damage.
- The Gregory Hamilton Trail had been open for six weeks and sat eleven miles from the nearest technical climbing route.
- Eleven climbers had reached high camp at 15,800 feet on January 14 after four days of staged carries and pushed for the summit on January 17 at 4:42 a.m.
- The storm arrived 36 hours ahead of forecast on January 15, keeping the team tent-bound for two days before the summit push.
- Guide Marcia Stevens unclipped from the first rope group for approximately 90 seconds at 9:15 a.m. in a near-total whiteout; this unclipping was recorded in Angela Campbell’s debrief filed six days after the descent.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>889falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-cut-the-rope-why-a-guide-sacrificed-herself-on-wickhorn-central--73083734
The thought of standing forty-one minutes immobile on a 45-degree ice face in whiteout winds is a private terror made public: a guide vanished, a rope was cut, and a crampon surfaced 260 miles from any mountain. What could force a seasoned guide to be gone and leave a client alone with only one crampon and no memory of six hours?

In this episode, we follow the recorded movements, equipment, and decisions leading up to the event on Wickhorn Central to present the sequence of facts as they appear in the investigative record. We trace the forty-one-minute GPS silence, the missing rope detail, and the crampon found in Soldier Creek to ask how those pieces fit together.

Person: Debra Vaughn
Person: Melissa Mitchell
Date: December 16
Location: Wickhorn Central (east face, summit ridge, Camp Two at 9,100 ft)
Event: Rope cut; one crampon missing; crampon later found in Soldier Creek

- Debra Vaughn reached the summit waypoint on her GPS at 10:04 on December 16.
- Melissa Mitchell took the last photograph of Debra at 10:08, four minutes before Debra's GPS logged the summit.
- By 10:30 gusts reached 60 km/h and by 11:00 visibility dropped below 20 meters.
- Debra's GPS shows her position fixed for forty-one minutes on a 40-meter, 45-degree ice crux directly above the bergschrund.
- A single, intact mountaineering crampon was found in eight feet of water in Soldier Creek on December 19, 260 miles by road from the nearest mountain.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083734Mon, 31 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Cut the Rope: Why a Guide Sacrificed Herself on Wickhorn Central The thought of standing forty-one minutes immobile on a 45-degree ice face in whiteout winds is a private terror made public: a guide vanished, a rope was cut, and a crampon...
The thought of standing forty-one minutes immobile on a 45-degree ice face in whiteout winds is a private terror made public: a guide vanished, a rope was cut, and a crampon surfaced 260 miles from any mountain. What could force a seasoned guide to be gone and leave a client alone with only one crampon and no memory of six hours?

In this episode, we follow the recorded movements, equipment, and decisions leading up to the event on Wickhorn Central to present the sequence of facts as they appear in the investigative record. We trace the forty-one-minute GPS silence, the missing rope detail, and the crampon found in Soldier Creek to ask how those pieces fit together.

Person: Debra Vaughn
Person: Melissa Mitchell
Date: December 16
Location: Wickhorn Central (east face, summit ridge, Camp Two at 9,100 ft)
Event: Rope cut; one crampon missing; crampon later found in Soldier Creek

- Debra Vaughn reached the summit waypoint on her GPS at 10:04 on December 16.
- Melissa Mitchell took the last photograph of Debra at 10:08, four minutes before Debra's GPS logged the summit.
- By 10:30 gusts reached 60 km/h and by 11:00 visibility dropped below 20 meters.
- Debra's GPS shows her position fixed for forty-one minutes on a 40-meter, 45-degree ice crux directly above the bergschrund.
- A single, intact mountaineering crampon was found in eight feet of water in Soldier Creek on December 19, 260 miles by road from the nearest mountain.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>801falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/notebook-in-the-snow-how-a-medic-survived-eleven-days-alone--73083733
Cold, high-altitude isolation meets a forensic mystery: a medical logbook found at 11,200 feet had dry pages, no tracks to or from it, and was still faintly warm when recovered-so how did it get there and why was the woman who owned it left behind? The search would reveal an eleven-day survival above 10,000 feet, a chain of medical errors, and a decision by the expedition leader that changed everything.

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events on a November 2017 expedition in the Calder Wilderness, the discovery of the notebook, and the timeline gaps that begin with a delayed departure and end with a medic surviving alone; what went wrong on the mountain and why was Sharon Donnelly left behind?

Person: Sharon Donnelly
Date: November 2017
Location: Calder Wilderness, northern Montana
Event: Notebook found at 11,200 feet; survivor left behind
Leader: Wayne Dalton

- The notebook was found by county surveyor Vicki Vogel at 11,200 feet with dry pages and no footprints to or from it.
- The notebook bore a red cross, numbered pages, and the name Sharon Donnelly inside the front cover.
- The discovery occurred in November 2017 on the southwest face of an unofficially named peak, Alder Tooth, in the Calder massif.
- Sharon Donnelly had turned 32 four months earlier, lived in Bozeman, worked as a physician's assistant, and held wilderness medicine certification.
- The team left Upper Camp at 4:47 a.m. though the planned departure was 2:00 a.m., leaving a missing 2 hours and 47 minutes in the radio logs.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083733Sun, 30 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaNotebook in the Snow: How a Medic Survived Eleven Days Alone Cold, high-altitude isolation meets a forensic mystery: a medical logbook found at 11,200 feet had dry pages, no tracks to or from it, and was still faintly warm when recovered-so how did...
Cold, high-altitude isolation meets a forensic mystery: a medical logbook found at 11,200 feet had dry pages, no tracks to or from it, and was still faintly warm when recovered-so how did it get there and why was the woman who owned it left behind? The search would reveal an eleven-day survival above 10,000 feet, a chain of medical errors, and a decision by the expedition leader that changed everything.

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events on a November 2017 expedition in the Calder Wilderness, the discovery of the notebook, and the timeline gaps that begin with a delayed departure and end with a medic surviving alone; what went wrong on the mountain and why was Sharon Donnelly left behind?

Person: Sharon Donnelly
Date: November 2017
Location: Calder Wilderness, northern Montana
Event: Notebook found at 11,200 feet; survivor left behind
Leader: Wayne Dalton

- The notebook was found by county surveyor Vicki Vogel at 11,200 feet with dry pages and no footprints to or from it.
- The notebook bore a red cross, numbered pages, and the name Sharon Donnelly inside the front cover.
- The discovery occurred in November 2017 on the southwest face of an unofficially named peak, Alder Tooth, in the Calder massif.
- Sharon Donnelly had turned 32 four months earlier, lived in Bozeman, worked as a physician's assistant, and held wilderness medicine certification.
- The team left Upper Camp at 4:47 a.m. though the planned departure was 2:00 a.m., leaving a missing 2 hours and 47 minutes in the radio logs.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>936falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-ice-axe-the-note-and-the-woman-who-walked-alone--73083732
Cold, isolated, and methodical: a steel ice axe head, a folded space blanket, and a hand-lettered note tied a single woman's summit to a mystery that began on a mountain absent from commercial maps. How did a precise, experienced teacher who summited at 9,400 meters end up leaving those items in a depot days later - and what does "I MADE IT DOWN" truly mean?

In this episode, we trace the timeline from the team's basecamp radio logs through the summit day and the missing equipment, following the people and choices that shaped the outcome. We lay out the facts from the expedition, the sequence of radio entries, and the physical evidence found afterward to ask whether the standard plan hid a critical fracture.

Person: Jennifer Dalton
Age: 52
Event: Summit of Argent Massif at 9,400 meters on 16 October 2011
Location: Ridgecrest Outfitters depot, Glendale Junction (items found 14 November 2011)
Case: Note reading "RIDGECREST - PLEASE CALL GREGORY DONNELLY. I MADE IT DOWN. J.D."

- Dalton reached the summit at 9,400 meters at 07:14 and stayed for 11 minutes before descending.
- Expedition team left high camp (~8,000 m) at 02:00 on 16 October 2011; three of four members had ended their summit bids by 03:30.
- Kevin Strand, age 39, collapsed at approximately 8,200 meters after 90 minutes and had vomited twice the previous afternoon.
- Donnelly and Orth found the high camp tent midday with one anchor loose, a twisted pole, and a backup fuel canister missing.
- On 14 November 2011 Charles Baker found a steel ice axe head (no handle), a space blanket folded once, and a handwritten note held by a river stone.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083732Sat, 29 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Ice Axe, the Note, and the Woman Who Walked Alone Cold, isolated, and methodical: a steel ice axe head, a folded space blanket, and a hand-lettered note tied a single woman's summit to a mystery that began on a mountain absent from commercial...
Cold, isolated, and methodical: a steel ice axe head, a folded space blanket, and a hand-lettered note tied a single woman's summit to a mystery that began on a mountain absent from commercial maps. How did a precise, experienced teacher who summited at 9,400 meters end up leaving those items in a depot days later - and what does "I MADE IT DOWN" truly mean?

In this episode, we trace the timeline from the team's basecamp radio logs through the summit day and the missing equipment, following the people and choices that shaped the outcome. We lay out the facts from the expedition, the sequence of radio entries, and the physical evidence found afterward to ask whether the standard plan hid a critical fracture.

Person: Jennifer Dalton
Age: 52
Event: Summit of Argent Massif at 9,400 meters on 16 October 2011
Location: Ridgecrest Outfitters depot, Glendale Junction (items found 14 November 2011)
Case: Note reading "RIDGECREST - PLEASE CALL GREGORY DONNELLY. I MADE IT DOWN. J.D."

- Dalton reached the summit at 9,400 meters at 07:14 and stayed for 11 minutes before descending.
- Expedition team left high camp (~8,000 m) at 02:00 on 16 October 2011; three of four members had ended their summit bids by 03:30.
- Kevin Strand, age 39, collapsed at approximately 8,200 meters after 90 minutes and had vomited twice the previous afternoon.
- Donnelly and Orth found the high camp tent midday with one anchor loose, a twisted pole, and a backup fuel canister missing.
- On 14 November 2011 Charles Baker found a steel ice axe head (no handle), a space blanket folded once, and a handwritten note held by a river stone.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>903falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-cache-on-the-wrong-ridge-how-a-sack-sent-a-man-over-the-edge--73083731
A single orange stuff sack sat untouched on the wrong side of Whitecrown for nearly a week, three ridgeline kilometers from the planned cache - and that tiny displacement may have cost a life. How did an experienced guide using a GPS on a clear objective place a life-saving cache at Granger Notch instead of Corwin Col, and what did that error mean for Kevin Slagle?

In this episode, we walk through the team's planned timeline, the night carry, the GPS readings and weather changes that preceded the mistake, and the backgrounds of the four climbers involved to ask whether a sequence of small decisions led to a preventable disaster. Could a map display, cloud cover, and a dimmed headlamp be enough to turn standard practice into catastrophe?

Person: Kevin Slagle
Person: Vicki Graham
Person: Ross Schultz
Person: Patrice Odom
Location: Granger Notch (eastern face of Whitecrown), roughly 11,200 ft

- The team left high camp at 9:00 p.m. on September 8 carrying a rope bag, two pairs of crampons, and three liters of stove fuel.
- The orange stuff sack was found on September 14 sitting on a pale boulder at Granger Notch, intact and untouched.
- Granger Notch is approximately three ridgeline kilometers from the intended Corwin Col cache on the western side.
- Graham logged a waypoint at 11:17 p.m. that placed the team at Granger Notch while navigating with a GPS set to roughly half-kilometer zoom.
- Kevin Slagle was 47 years old and had trained for eighteen months before the expedition.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083731Fri, 28 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Cache on the Wrong Ridge: How a Sack Sent a Man Over the Edge A single orange stuff sack sat untouched on the wrong side of Whitecrown for nearly a week, three ridgeline kilometers from the planned cache - and that tiny displacement may have...
A single orange stuff sack sat untouched on the wrong side of Whitecrown for nearly a week, three ridgeline kilometers from the planned cache - and that tiny displacement may have cost a life. How did an experienced guide using a GPS on a clear objective place a life-saving cache at Granger Notch instead of Corwin Col, and what did that error mean for Kevin Slagle?

In this episode, we walk through the team's planned timeline, the night carry, the GPS readings and weather changes that preceded the mistake, and the backgrounds of the four climbers involved to ask whether a sequence of small decisions led to a preventable disaster. Could a map display, cloud cover, and a dimmed headlamp be enough to turn standard practice into catastrophe?

Person: Kevin Slagle
Person: Vicki Graham
Person: Ross Schultz
Person: Patrice Odom
Location: Granger Notch (eastern face of Whitecrown), roughly 11,200 ft

- The team left high camp at 9:00 p.m. on September 8 carrying a rope bag, two pairs of crampons, and three liters of stove fuel.
- The orange stuff sack was found on September 14 sitting on a pale boulder at Granger Notch, intact and untouched.
- Granger Notch is approximately three ridgeline kilometers from the intended Corwin Col cache on the western side.
- Graham logged a waypoint at 11:17 p.m. that placed the team at Granger Notch while navigating with a GPS set to roughly half-kilometer zoom.
- Kevin Slagle was 47 years old and had trained for eighteen months before the expedition.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>865falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-photo-on-the-porch-a-shadow-nobody-admitted-to-seeing--73083730
A single undeveloped roll of film sat two months in a canister before landing on a porch in Creston, Montana, where a fifteen-year-old found a photograph showing four climbers on Vellum Spire-and a fifth figure at the cornice no one remembered. Who put that unaccounted person on the summit photograph, and why did it unsettle climbers who had just survived a violent storm and a harrowing descent?

In this episode, we follow the four-person expedition up Vellum Spire in August 2011, the decision to delay summit departure by two hours, and the photograph that changed everything; what did the image mean to Gail Draper and her teammates after they came down from the mountain?

Person: Gail Draper
Date: August 13, 2011
Location: Vellum Spire, Graybeck Range, northwestern Montana
Age: Gail Draper - 28 years old
Film: Medium-format 120 film with three rolls carried by Diane Pell

- The photograph shows four climbers at the summit and a fourth figure standing thirty yards behind them at the cornice edge facing Gail Draper.
- The undeveloped film sat in a canister for two months before surfacing on a porch on Kellner Street in Creston.
- Gail Draper had been climbing since age nineteen and was making her fourth attempt at the Vellum Spire summit at age twenty-eight.
- The expedition left Camp Four at 6:00 a.m. on August 13, two hours later than the originally planned 4:00 a.m. start.
- Vellum Spire’s western face becomes technical above 13,000 feet; Camp Four was at 12,800 ft and the bivy ledge (Camp Four) at 13,900 ft.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083730Thu, 27 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Photo on the Porch: A Shadow Nobody Admitted to Seeing A single undeveloped roll of film sat two months in a canister before landing on a porch in Creston, Montana, where a fifteen-year-old found a photograph showing four climbers on Vellum...
A single undeveloped roll of film sat two months in a canister before landing on a porch in Creston, Montana, where a fifteen-year-old found a photograph showing four climbers on Vellum Spire-and a fifth figure at the cornice no one remembered. Who put that unaccounted person on the summit photograph, and why did it unsettle climbers who had just survived a violent storm and a harrowing descent?

In this episode, we follow the four-person expedition up Vellum Spire in August 2011, the decision to delay summit departure by two hours, and the photograph that changed everything; what did the image mean to Gail Draper and her teammates after they came down from the mountain?

Person: Gail Draper
Date: August 13, 2011
Location: Vellum Spire, Graybeck Range, northwestern Montana
Age: Gail Draper - 28 years old
Film: Medium-format 120 film with three rolls carried by Diane Pell

- The photograph shows four climbers at the summit and a fourth figure standing thirty yards behind them at the cornice edge facing Gail Draper.
- The undeveloped film sat in a canister for two months before surfacing on a porch on Kellner Street in Creston.
- Gail Draper had been climbing since age nineteen and was making her fourth attempt at the Vellum Spire summit at age twenty-eight.
- The expedition left Camp Four at 6:00 a.m. on August 13, two hours later than the originally planned 4:00 a.m. start.
- Vellum Spire’s western face becomes technical above 13,000 feet; Camp Four was at 12,800 ft and the bivy ledge (Camp Four) at 13,900 ft.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>942falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-ice-screw-that-fell-a-mile-how-rhonda-died-alone--73083729
Fear and sadness sit in the ridge air when an ice screw coated in frozen gray ice is picked up on a highway shoulder more than a vertical mile below a glacier - the screw belonged to someone who would not come home. How did a 22 cm Petzl Express with ice in its threads travel from an 11,700-foot ledge to 6,200 feet, and what does that falling piece of gear tell us about the choices made on the wall?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a July morning on the North Buttress of Vanderhorn Peak through the rescue coordinator’s reconstruction and the personal histories of the three climbers involved, asking whether a single decision on a changing face turned an accident into tragedy.

Person: Rhonda Whitley
Date: July 17-19, 2011
Location: North Buttress of Vanderhorn Peak
Event: Fall and subsequent discovery of ice screw on highway
Status: Rhonda Whitley died alone on a ledge at 11,700 feet

- An ice screw (Petzl Express) 22 centimeters long was found by Mark Harrison at 7:52 AM on July 19, 2011, at 6,200 feet elevation.
- The ice screw was coated in gray ice despite the nearest permanent ice field being 4,000 vertical feet higher.
- Rhonda Whitley was 54 years old and had climbed 17 significant alpine routes over two decades with technical ratings up to WI4.
- The team left camp at 4:40 AM on July 17; conditions were firm until a thermal inversion softened the ice by about 10:00 AM.
- Jessica Hoffman fell 60 feet while leading the second pitch; one screw held.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083729Wed, 26 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Ice Screw That Fell a Mile: How Rhonda Died Alone Fear and sadness sit in the ridge air when an ice screw coated in frozen gray ice is picked up on a highway shoulder more than a vertical mile below a glacier - the screw belonged to someone who...
Fear and sadness sit in the ridge air when an ice screw coated in frozen gray ice is picked up on a highway shoulder more than a vertical mile below a glacier - the screw belonged to someone who would not come home. How did a 22 cm Petzl Express with ice in its threads travel from an 11,700-foot ledge to 6,200 feet, and what does that falling piece of gear tell us about the choices made on the wall?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a July morning on the North Buttress of Vanderhorn Peak through the rescue coordinator’s reconstruction and the personal histories of the three climbers involved, asking whether a single decision on a changing face turned an accident into tragedy.

Person: Rhonda Whitley
Date: July 17-19, 2011
Location: North Buttress of Vanderhorn Peak
Event: Fall and subsequent discovery of ice screw on highway
Status: Rhonda Whitley died alone on a ledge at 11,700 feet

- An ice screw (Petzl Express) 22 centimeters long was found by Mark Harrison at 7:52 AM on July 19, 2011, at 6,200 feet elevation.
- The ice screw was coated in gray ice despite the nearest permanent ice field being 4,000 vertical feet higher.
- Rhonda Whitley was 54 years old and had climbed 17 significant alpine routes over two decades with technical ratings up to WI4.
- The team left camp at 4:40 AM on July 17; conditions were firm until a thermal inversion softened the ice by about 10:00 AM.
- Jessica Hoffman fell 60 feet while leading the second pitch; one screw held.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>981falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/yellow-notebook-forty-one-kilometers-what-lori-hid-on-draven-peak--73083728
A yellow Rite in the Rain field notebook designed to survive was found in gravel beneath a power line pylon on June 24, 2019, forty-one kilometers from its origin - its last line cut mid-word. The notebook contained precise operational entries that reveal secret equipment moves and a hidden medical struggle; what did Lori decide alone on Draven Peak that no one else knew?

In this episode, we follow the recovered notebook and the expedition records to show what the entries say about decisions made on the mountain and how those choices reshaped the team's fate; could a single unpublished transfer change everything?

Person: Lori Hunter
Date: June 24, 2019 (notebook found)
Location: Fenwick Pass access road, 41 kilometers from base camp
Event: Notebook entry dated June 12 detailing unlogged oxygen transfers
Age: 23

- Notebook model: Rite in the Rain field, with personal stamp "SUMMIT LOG - DRAVEN PEAK - NORTH FACE - 7,400 M"
- Elevation where notebook owner found: woman sitting at 7,300.90 meters facing east with pack open
- Missing oxygen cylinders: 2 of 6 cached at 6,100 meters were unaccounted for when Camp Three was reached on June 20
- Secret transfer recorded: Lori moved two cylinders from the shelf cache to Camp Three on June 12 and noted "Rachel doesn't know. Faye asked me not to say anything yet."
- Faye Ostrowski had been experiencing labored breathing for four days before the summit push and received supplemental oxygen from Lori's allocation

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083728Tue, 25 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaYellow Notebook, Forty-One Kilometers: What Lori Hid on Draven Peak A yellow Rite in the Rain field notebook designed to survive was found in gravel beneath a power line pylon on June 24, 2019, forty-one kilometers from its origin - its last line...
A yellow Rite in the Rain field notebook designed to survive was found in gravel beneath a power line pylon on June 24, 2019, forty-one kilometers from its origin - its last line cut mid-word. The notebook contained precise operational entries that reveal secret equipment moves and a hidden medical struggle; what did Lori decide alone on Draven Peak that no one else knew?

In this episode, we follow the recovered notebook and the expedition records to show what the entries say about decisions made on the mountain and how those choices reshaped the team's fate; could a single unpublished transfer change everything?

Person: Lori Hunter
Date: June 24, 2019 (notebook found)
Location: Fenwick Pass access road, 41 kilometers from base camp
Event: Notebook entry dated June 12 detailing unlogged oxygen transfers
Age: 23

- Notebook model: Rite in the Rain field, with personal stamp "SUMMIT LOG - DRAVEN PEAK - NORTH FACE - 7,400 M"
- Elevation where notebook owner found: woman sitting at 7,300.90 meters facing east with pack open
- Missing oxygen cylinders: 2 of 6 cached at 6,100 meters were unaccounted for when Camp Three was reached on June 20
- Secret transfer recorded: Lori moved two cylinders from the shelf cache to Camp Three on June 12 and noted "Rachel doesn't know. Faye asked me not to say anything yet."
- Faye Ostrowski had been experiencing labored breathing for four days before the summit push and received supplemental oxygen from Lori's allocation

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>935falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-boot-at-seven-miles-how-a-glacial-trail-lied--73083727
The sight of a single right high-altitude boot, size eleven, buckle fastened, upright in snow seven miles from the nearest glacier promises a controlled horror: one man was in a crevasse at eighteen thousand feet and the boot was found far below - how did they become separated? What moved that boot across miles of backcountry and left no other gear, no body, and no obvious explanation?

In this episode, we follow the timeline of the Thresh Mountain expedition, from the summit push to the discovery on the Harwick service road, and outline the two central mysteries - how a climber survived a crevasse at extreme altitude, and how his boot ended up alone seven miles away - questions that drive the episode's narrative.

Person: Wade Lewis
Event: Summit push and crevasse fall
Date: May 11-12, 2017
Location: Thresh Mountain summit at 18,160 feet; boot found at Harwick service road, elevation 6,200 feet
Team: Thomas Roberts, Carl Benton, Susan Mallory, Wade Lewis

- A single right boot, size eleven high-altitude double-shell with buckle fastened and gaiter intact, was found upright in snow seven miles from the glacier.
- Wade Lewis logged the main snow bridge as solid at 11:42 AM on May 11, 2017, with Thomas Roberts countersigning.
- The team of four reached the summit at 9:51 AM on May 12, 2017, and lingered at the summit for thirty-five minutes.
- Camp Two was established at 16,400 feet the evening before the summit push, with the summit at 18,160 feet and glaciers beginning around 13,000 feet.
- Carl Benton showed altitude struggle during the final approach, prompting Roberts to delay descent and contributing to the team's exposure to the solar window.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083727Mon, 24 Aug 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Boot at Seven Miles: How a Glacial Trail Lied The sight of a single right high-altitude boot, size eleven, buckle fastened, upright in snow seven miles from the nearest glacier promises a controlled horror: one man was in a crevasse at eighteen...
The sight of a single right high-altitude boot, size eleven, buckle fastened, upright in snow seven miles from the nearest glacier promises a controlled horror: one man was in a crevasse at eighteen thousand feet and the boot was found far below - how did they become separated? What moved that boot across miles of backcountry and left no other gear, no body, and no obvious explanation?

In this episode, we follow the timeline of the Thresh Mountain expedition, from the summit push to the discovery on the Harwick service road, and outline the two central mysteries - how a climber survived a crevasse at extreme altitude, and how his boot ended up alone seven miles away - questions that drive the episode's narrative.

Person: Wade Lewis
Event: Summit push and crevasse fall
Date: May 11-12, 2017
Location: Thresh Mountain summit at 18,160 feet; boot found at Harwick service road, elevation 6,200 feet
Team: Thomas Roberts, Carl Benton, Susan Mallory, Wade Lewis

- A single right boot, size eleven high-altitude double-shell with buckle fastened and gaiter intact, was found upright in snow seven miles from the glacier.
- Wade Lewis logged the main snow bridge as solid at 11:42 AM on May 11, 2017, with Thomas Roberts countersigning.
- The team of four reached the summit at 9:51 AM on May 12, 2017, and lingered at the summit for thirty-five minutes.
- Camp Two was established at 16,400 feet the evening before the summit push, with the summit at 18,160 feet and glaciers beginning around 13,000 feet.
- Carl Benton showed altitude struggle during the final approach, prompting Roberts to delay descent and contributing to the team's exposure to the solar window.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>966falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-radio-on-the-fence-post-why-april-walked-away-silent--73083726
A bright yellow radio sat muddy on a fence post with its antenna pointed northwest and its screen glowing green - it was covered in mud from a drainage system seventy miles away at the base of Kessler Horn, yet its owner had walked out, set it down, and returned inside without a word. How could a device that "heard everything" be rendered unable to call for help, and why did April leave it facing the mountains?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from April nineteenth back to the Kessler Horn expedition: the ascent that succeeded two days early, the storm that triggered a sixty-meter slab avalanche, and the failed transmissions from a backup radio that received but could not send. What did April know in those moments that left her silent at home while a broken radio sat on her fence post?

Person: April Snyder
Location: Portsmith, Montana
Event: Kessler Horn expedition avalanche on April 10
Equipment: yellow backup handheld radio with transmit failure
Relationship: daughter Becky in Missoula, weekly Tuesday calls at 6:30 p.m.

- April Snyder turned 62 the previous January and had replaced her right knee at age 57.
- The team reached Kessler Horn summit on April 9, two days ahead of schedule.
- The slab avalanche released across roughly 60 meters of width on April 10 during descent.
- Russ Haverford was carried 300 feet down the face and suffered a broken femur and dislocated shoulder.
- The backup radio’s transmit circuit failed due to a broken solder joint caused by thermal cycling.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083726Sun, 23 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Radio on the Fence Post: Why April Walked Away Silent A bright yellow radio sat muddy on a fence post with its antenna pointed northwest and its screen glowing green - it was covered in mud from a drainage system seventy miles away at the base...
A bright yellow radio sat muddy on a fence post with its antenna pointed northwest and its screen glowing green - it was covered in mud from a drainage system seventy miles away at the base of Kessler Horn, yet its owner had walked out, set it down, and returned inside without a word. How could a device that "heard everything" be rendered unable to call for help, and why did April leave it facing the mountains?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from April nineteenth back to the Kessler Horn expedition: the ascent that succeeded two days early, the storm that triggered a sixty-meter slab avalanche, and the failed transmissions from a backup radio that received but could not send. What did April know in those moments that left her silent at home while a broken radio sat on her fence post?

Person: April Snyder
Location: Portsmith, Montana
Event: Kessler Horn expedition avalanche on April 10
Equipment: yellow backup handheld radio with transmit failure
Relationship: daughter Becky in Missoula, weekly Tuesday calls at 6:30 p.m.

- April Snyder turned 62 the previous January and had replaced her right knee at age 57.
- The team reached Kessler Horn summit on April 9, two days ahead of schedule.
- The slab avalanche released across roughly 60 meters of width on April 10 during descent.
- Russ Haverford was carried 300 feet down the face and suffered a broken femur and dislocated shoulder.
- The backup radio’s transmit circuit failed due to a broken solder joint caused by thermal cycling.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>906falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-upright-boot-how-a-figure-eight-knot-became-a-survival-puzzle--73083725
A single boot stood upright on a gravel shoulder, laces tied in a figure-eight knot, eleven miles from the nearest mountain range-no second boot, no footprints, and a twenty-six-year-old woman still alive above the snowline. How did a boot left beside a mile marker become the key clue in a forty-hour collapse of safety on a nine-thousand-four-hundred-foot peak?

In this episode, we follow the summit team of four climbers on Harrow Peak from summit to crisis, tracing each decision and equipment choice that shaped the outcome and asking how one person’s choice to walk toward rescue changed everything.

Person: Nancy Olson
Date: March 14
Location: mile-seven marker on the access road; Harrow Peak summit at 9,400 ft
Event: summit and subsequent descent accident
Status: one survivor who walked toward rescue

- John Burke found the upright boot at 7:40 AM on March 14 and photographed it without touching it.
- Nancy Olson was 26 years old with seven years of technical climbing experience and a wilderness emergency medicine certification.
- The summit team left Camp Two at 4:00 AM on March 11 and reached the summit at 2:40 PM the same day.
- Kevin Albright fell 40 feet on a wind slab at 4:20 PM and suffered a clean fracture of the left fibula.
- The expedition used a five-day weather window identified by leader Peggy Thorpe, and they had two days of that window remaining when they summited.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083725Sat, 22 Aug 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Upright Boot: How a Figure‑Eight Knot Became a Survival Puzzle A single boot stood upright on a gravel shoulder, laces tied in a figure-eight knot, eleven miles from the nearest mountain range-no second boot, no footprints, and a...
A single boot stood upright on a gravel shoulder, laces tied in a figure-eight knot, eleven miles from the nearest mountain range-no second boot, no footprints, and a twenty-six-year-old woman still alive above the snowline. How did a boot left beside a mile marker become the key clue in a forty-hour collapse of safety on a nine-thousand-four-hundred-foot peak?

In this episode, we follow the summit team of four climbers on Harrow Peak from summit to crisis, tracing each decision and equipment choice that shaped the outcome and asking how one person’s choice to walk toward rescue changed everything.

Person: Nancy Olson
Date: March 14
Location: mile-seven marker on the access road; Harrow Peak summit at 9,400 ft
Event: summit and subsequent descent accident
Status: one survivor who walked toward rescue

- John Burke found the upright boot at 7:40 AM on March 14 and photographed it without touching it.
- Nancy Olson was 26 years old with seven years of technical climbing experience and a wilderness emergency medicine certification.
- The summit team left Camp Two at 4:00 AM on March 11 and reached the summit at 2:40 PM the same day.
- Kevin Albright fell 40 feet on a wind slab at 4:20 PM and suffered a clean fracture of the left fibula.
- The expedition used a five-day weather window identified by leader Peggy Thorpe, and they had two days of that window remaining when they summited.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>862falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/left-crampon-pristine-snow-who-walked-eight-miles-from-the-tooth--73083724
A left-foot crampon marked E.W. turned up wedged chest-high on a granite slab eight miles from the nearest road - eight days before its owner was found dead less than 400 vertical feet below his last GPS signal. Who could have carried size large, ice-scoured crampon that far from the mountain, and why did it arrive before Eric Ward's body?

In this episode, we walk through the recorded timeline, the gear detail, and the conflicting radio logs to present what is known and what remains unresolved about the ascent and descent from the Tooth. Can the sequence of radios, calls, and a taped initial answer where the investigation did not?

Person: Eric Ward
Date: February 7 (summit reached at 12:17 PM)
Location: The Tooth, Heldren Massif, Halverson County
Age: 47
Found: Crampon found eight days before body; body found three weeks after summit

- Crampon: left-foot, size large, athletic tape with initials "E.W." written in black marker
- Distance from road: crampon found eight miles from the nearest road and twenty-two miles from the mountain it came from
- Summit time: Eric Ward reached the summit at 12:17 PM on February 7, confirmed by his GPS
- Body location: found on the northwest shoulder at 8,800 feet, less than 400 vertical feet below his last registered signal
- Team composition: three climbers (Eric Ward, Ralph Bennett age 53, Don Aldrich age 38) on one rope with radio log entry "summit possible, proceeding, three on rope" at 6:51 AM

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083724Fri, 21 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaLeft Crampon, Pristine Snow: Who Walked Eight Miles From The Tooth? A left-foot crampon marked E.W. turned up wedged chest-high on a granite slab eight miles from the nearest road - eight days before its owner was found dead less than 400 vertical...
A left-foot crampon marked E.W. turned up wedged chest-high on a granite slab eight miles from the nearest road - eight days before its owner was found dead less than 400 vertical feet below his last GPS signal. Who could have carried size large, ice-scoured crampon that far from the mountain, and why did it arrive before Eric Ward's body?

In this episode, we walk through the recorded timeline, the gear detail, and the conflicting radio logs to present what is known and what remains unresolved about the ascent and descent from the Tooth. Can the sequence of radios, calls, and a taped initial answer where the investigation did not?

Person: Eric Ward
Date: February 7 (summit reached at 12:17 PM)
Location: The Tooth, Heldren Massif, Halverson County
Age: 47
Found: Crampon found eight days before body; body found three weeks after summit

- Crampon: left-foot, size large, athletic tape with initials "E.W." written in black marker
- Distance from road: crampon found eight miles from the nearest road and twenty-two miles from the mountain it came from
- Summit time: Eric Ward reached the summit at 12:17 PM on February 7, confirmed by his GPS
- Body location: found on the northwest shoulder at 8,800 feet, less than 400 vertical feet below his last registered signal
- Team composition: three climbers (Eric Ward, Ralph Bennett age 53, Don Aldrich age 38) on one rope with radio log entry "summit possible, proceeding, three on rope" at 6:51 AM

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>971falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-seven-wwii-cylinders-and-the-climbers-who-vanished-on-widow-s-shelf--73083723
A fisherman found seven olive-drab World War Two oxygen cylinders stamped 1944, full and sealed, stacked on a riverbank six miles from the nearest mountain at 12°F on January 14, 2019 - why were surplus military canisters linked to a missing winter mountaineering party? What connection, if any, ties those cylinders to the climbers stranded on Widow's Shelf?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the team's January 4 check-in through the weather shift and the events on Corrow North, detailing decisions, injuries, and the physical evidence rescuers recovered; could a single on-mountain choice explain the disappearance and the riverbank mystery?

Person: Jean Gray
Date: January 4-14, 2019
Location: Corrow Range, Widow's Shelf and Caskie River
Event: Winter climbing expedition and subsequent disappearance
Status: Evidence recovered - abandoned gear, sleeping bags, river cylinders

- Seven military oxygen cylinders, stamped 1944, found stacked in a pyramid on a gravel bar in the Caskie River on January 14, 2019.
- Air gauges on the cylinders read full and the valves were sealed when discovered by Vernon Holmes.
- The climbing team checked in with SAR on January 4 with expected return January 9; Jean Gray had been alone on the north face for nine days by January 14.
- Pete Carlin fell around midday January 7, arresting within 20 feet and dislocating his right shoulder; Amy Voss sustained two fractured ribs from the shock on the same incident.
- Rescuers found two pristine sleeping bags inside an unused tent, a rope cut cleanly at a fixed anchor, and crampons abandoned inside a shelter at 10,000 feet.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083723Thu, 20 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Seven WWII Cylinders and the Climbers Who Vanished on Widow's Shelf A fisherman found seven olive-drab World War Two oxygen cylinders stamped 1944, full and sealed, stacked on a riverbank six miles from the nearest mountain at 12°F on January...
A fisherman found seven olive-drab World War Two oxygen cylinders stamped 1944, full and sealed, stacked on a riverbank six miles from the nearest mountain at 12°F on January 14, 2019 - why were surplus military canisters linked to a missing winter mountaineering party? What connection, if any, ties those cylinders to the climbers stranded on Widow's Shelf?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the team's January 4 check-in through the weather shift and the events on Corrow North, detailing decisions, injuries, and the physical evidence rescuers recovered; could a single on-mountain choice explain the disappearance and the riverbank mystery?

Person: Jean Gray
Date: January 4-14, 2019
Location: Corrow Range, Widow's Shelf and Caskie River
Event: Winter climbing expedition and subsequent disappearance
Status: Evidence recovered - abandoned gear, sleeping bags, river cylinders

- Seven military oxygen cylinders, stamped 1944, found stacked in a pyramid on a gravel bar in the Caskie River on January 14, 2019.
- Air gauges on the cylinders read full and the valves were sealed when discovered by Vernon Holmes.
- The climbing team checked in with SAR on January 4 with expected return January 9; Jean Gray had been alone on the north face for nine days by January 14.
- Pete Carlin fell around midday January 7, arresting within 20 feet and dislocating his right shoulder; Amy Voss sustained two fractured ribs from the shock on the same incident.
- Rescuers found two pristine sleeping bags inside an unused tent, a rope cut cleanly at a fixed anchor, and crampons abandoned inside a shelter at 10,000 feet.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>855falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-drew-an-impossible-route-then-someone-followed-it--73083722
A laminated map pinned inside a lodgepole pine with four blue-ballpoint words - FOLLOW THIS TO ME - led a rescue team to a coherent woman who’d been stranded for approximately two days in dense fir timber. The map’s route was later confirmed impassable, with cliff bands the entire way and no fixed ropes; how did a fifty-two-year-old cartographic technician, losing finger sensation and disoriented, engineer a successful self-rescue the map should not have allowed?

In this episode, we trace the final four days before rescue and the decisions on Cutter's Horn that produced an impossible map and an unexpected survival. We follow the timeline from the secondary storm that blew in early on December 15 to the moment rescuers found the map and the woman it led to - and ask how professional mapmaking met a route no trained climber would attempt.

Person: Valerie Padgett
Age: 52
Event: Rescue found at 9:47 AM on December 19, 2011
Location: Western foothills of the Cabrejo Range, Cutter's Horn area
Occupation: Cartographic technician with 30 years experience

- The laminated map was pinned inside a lodgepole pine with four words written in blue ballpoint: FOLLOW THIS TO ME.
- Rescuers located the woman at 9:47 AM on December 19 after she had been in place for approximately two days.
- The drawn descent route was later confirmed impassable due to cliff bands the entire way and absence of fixed ropes.
- Valerie Padgett was 52 years old and had worked as a cartographic technician for thirty years, including mapping for field crews and engineers.
- The party turned around at 11:43 AM on December 15 after a secondary disturbance arrived at 11:40 AM while they were at about 11,100 feet.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083722Wed, 19 Aug 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Drew an Impossible Route - Then Someone Followed It A laminated map pinned inside a lodgepole pine with four blue-ballpoint words - FOLLOW THIS TO ME - led a rescue team to a coherent woman who’d been stranded for approximately two days in...
A laminated map pinned inside a lodgepole pine with four blue-ballpoint words - FOLLOW THIS TO ME - led a rescue team to a coherent woman who’d been stranded for approximately two days in dense fir timber. The map’s route was later confirmed impassable, with cliff bands the entire way and no fixed ropes; how did a fifty-two-year-old cartographic technician, losing finger sensation and disoriented, engineer a successful self-rescue the map should not have allowed?

In this episode, we trace the final four days before rescue and the decisions on Cutter's Horn that produced an impossible map and an unexpected survival. We follow the timeline from the secondary storm that blew in early on December 15 to the moment rescuers found the map and the woman it led to - and ask how professional mapmaking met a route no trained climber would attempt.

Person: Valerie Padgett
Age: 52
Event: Rescue found at 9:47 AM on December 19, 2011
Location: Western foothills of the Cabrejo Range, Cutter's Horn area
Occupation: Cartographic technician with 30 years experience

- The laminated map was pinned inside a lodgepole pine with four words written in blue ballpoint: FOLLOW THIS TO ME.
- Rescuers located the woman at 9:47 AM on December 19 after she had been in place for approximately two days.
- The drawn descent route was later confirmed impassable due to cliff bands the entire way and absence of fixed ropes.
- Valerie Padgett was 52 years old and had worked as a cartographic technician for thirty years, including mapping for field crews and engineers.
- The party turned around at 11:43 AM on December 15 after a secondary disturbance arrived at 11:40 AM while they were at about 11,100 feet.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>930falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/harness-on-scree-how-four-vanished-from-mount-calvern-s-face--73083721
A bright orange climbing harness, every buckle fastened and initials K.H., was found in scree a mile of vertical below the collapse site with no rope and no body - a mystery that begins with a radio transmission: "they're gone... rope." How could a harness travel that distance and what do six minutes and one cleanly cut rope tell us about the night four climbers disappeared?

In this episode, we tell the factual sequence from discovery to the moments on the mountain: who was on the rope team, the timeline of the summit push, the radio call at 3:47 a.m., and the physical evidence recovered. Listen to understand the precise facts and the single unresolved question that threads through every detail.

Person: Kimberly Hansen
Date: November 5, 2014 (collapse at 11,200 feet)
Location: Northeast face of Mount Calvern
Event: Radio transmission at 3:47 a.m. with words "they're gone" and "rope"
Status: Four climbers remain on Mount Calvern

- Harness found by Glenn Foster at 7:41 a.m. on November 9, 2014, with every buckle fastened and initials K.H, on the rear panel.
- Kimberly Hansen was 44 years old and had 22 years of technical climbing experience; she taught chemistry at Portsmith Community College for 14 years.
- Six people began the summit push at 2:15 a.m. on day five; the critical incident occurred at 11,200 feet in the dark.
- A rope was found cut so cleanly the lead investigator photographed it before touching it.
- Philip Zeller transmitted the three-word radio message at 3:47 a.m.: a name, "they're gone," then "rope."

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083721Tue, 18 Aug 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaHarness on Scree: How Four Vanished From Mount Calvern's Face A bright orange climbing harness, every buckle fastened and initials K.H., was found in scree a mile of vertical below the collapse site with no rope and no body - a mystery that begins...
A bright orange climbing harness, every buckle fastened and initials K.H., was found in scree a mile of vertical below the collapse site with no rope and no body - a mystery that begins with a radio transmission: "they're gone... rope." How could a harness travel that distance and what do six minutes and one cleanly cut rope tell us about the night four climbers disappeared?

In this episode, we tell the factual sequence from discovery to the moments on the mountain: who was on the rope team, the timeline of the summit push, the radio call at 3:47 a.m., and the physical evidence recovered. Listen to understand the precise facts and the single unresolved question that threads through every detail.

Person: Kimberly Hansen
Date: November 5, 2014 (collapse at 11,200 feet)
Location: Northeast face of Mount Calvern
Event: Radio transmission at 3:47 a.m. with words "they're gone" and "rope"
Status: Four climbers remain on Mount Calvern

- Harness found by Glenn Foster at 7:41 a.m. on November 9, 2014, with every buckle fastened and initials K.H, on the rear panel.
- Kimberly Hansen was 44 years old and had 22 years of technical climbing experience; she taught chemistry at Portsmith Community College for 14 years.
- Six people began the summit push at 2:15 a.m. on day five; the critical incident occurred at 11,200 feet in the dark.
- A rope was found cut so cleanly the lead investigator photographed it before touching it.
- Philip Zeller transmitted the three-word radio message at 3:47 a.m.: a name, "they're gone," then "rope."

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>889falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/summited-he-shouldn-t-found-upright-compass-pointing-south--73083720
A photograph shows a seated climber at 11,000 feet with a compass pointing south - and the compass wasn't his. The man, 26-year-old Wade Griffin, had signed a written agreement not to summit, cached a full oxygen bottle on the east ridge, and left a map plotting a westward descent; what drove him to a summit he was not supposed to climb, and why did he leave his emergency oxygen where he would never pass again?

In this episode, we lay out the confirmed timeline, the objects found at camp, and the documented actions that produced an outcome everyone in the inquiry described as deliberate but inexplicable. Can the evidence tell us what Wade believed would happen next?

Person: Wade Griffin
Date: October 14, 2009
Location: Arrowhead Spire, west cornice at ~11,000 ft
Role: Base-camp cook and supply manager for the Meridian Expedition
Guide: Melvin O'Connor, 51, Bozeman-based with 30 years' experience

- Photograph taken at 6:12 AM on October 14, 2009 showing a seated figure at the west cornice of Arrowhead Spire, ~11,000 ft.
- Wade called Joyce Elam from a satellite communicator at 7:14 PM on October 9, 2009 and said he would be back by Thursday, October 15 for his Wednesday shift.
- Wade had signed an agreement before departure explicitly confirming he would not attempt the summit.
- On October 4 and 5 Wade carried supply loads up the east ridge and cached a full oxygen bottle at approximately 10,800 ft behind a rock outcropping.
- On the morning of October 11 Tess Waring found a topographic map with a blue-pen route to Dennard Valley, a note reading "Spoke to Elam - Wednesday shift - back Thursday," and an empty stuff sack where the spare balaclava had been.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083720Mon, 17 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaSummited He Shouldn't-Found Upright, Compass Pointing South A photograph shows a seated climber at 11,000 feet with a compass pointing south - and the compass wasn't his. The man, 26-year-old Wade Griffin, had signed a written agreement not to...
A photograph shows a seated climber at 11,000 feet with a compass pointing south - and the compass wasn't his. The man, 26-year-old Wade Griffin, had signed a written agreement not to summit, cached a full oxygen bottle on the east ridge, and left a map plotting a westward descent; what drove him to a summit he was not supposed to climb, and why did he leave his emergency oxygen where he would never pass again?

In this episode, we lay out the confirmed timeline, the objects found at camp, and the documented actions that produced an outcome everyone in the inquiry described as deliberate but inexplicable. Can the evidence tell us what Wade believed would happen next?

Person: Wade Griffin
Date: October 14, 2009
Location: Arrowhead Spire, west cornice at ~11,000 ft
Role: Base-camp cook and supply manager for the Meridian Expedition
Guide: Melvin O'Connor, 51, Bozeman-based with 30 years' experience

- Photograph taken at 6:12 AM on October 14, 2009 showing a seated figure at the west cornice of Arrowhead Spire, ~11,000 ft.
- Wade called Joyce Elam from a satellite communicator at 7:14 PM on October 9, 2009 and said he would be back by Thursday, October 15 for his Wednesday shift.
- Wade had signed an agreement before departure explicitly confirming he would not attempt the summit.
- On October 4 and 5 Wade carried supply loads up the east ridge and cached a full oxygen bottle at approximately 10,800 ft behind a rock outcropping.
- On the morning of October 11 Tess Waring found a topographic map with a blue-pen route to Dennard Valley, a note reading "Spoke to Elam - Wednesday shift - back Thursday," and an empty stuff sack where the spare balaclava had been.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>889falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-helmet-on-trapper-road-who-cut-charles-hughes-rope--73083719
The helmet was dry on the outside and wet on the inside, upright on Trapper Road with "HUGHES" written inside and no footprints beside it - a yellow climbing helmet left as if someone had set it down and walked away. A pre-rigged eleven-millimeter rope on Mount Erevan failed in a twelve-foot free-hanging section, not at a rock contact point; who could have cut it, and why was a solo climber seen on the ridge two days earlier?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from the helmet discovery to the climbers' summit push and the later forensic findings, following witness accounts, guide protocols, and recovered gear to ask whether the mountain was merely the site of an accident or the scene of interference.

Person: Charles Hughes
Date: September 14, 2009 (helmet found) and September 6-8, 2009 (sightings and summit push)
Location: Mount Erevan South Ridge and Trapper Road
Status: Rope section recovered and photographed; helmet left upright, no footprints
Guide: Scott Bell, 38 years old, 12 Erevan summits, led Summit Line Expeditions

- The helmet was found a quarter mile below the Erevan South Ridge trailhead on Trapper Road, upright and dry outside but wet inside.
- Search and rescue activated at 7:15 AM on September 14, 2009, after Teresa Cook called 911 from a logging shed two miles up the road.
- Charles Hughes was 54 years old, weighed 212 pounds fully loaded, and had summited Mount Erevan twice before (2003 and 2006).
- A solo climber in a green shell with an ice axe (orange handle) was seen descending past camp and paused at the upper fixed rope traverse for 10-15 minutes on September 6, 2009.
- Recovery team member Paul Denning found the rope frayed and broken in a free-hanging section roughly 12 feet from the upper anchor; the break showed no signs of abrasion from rock contact.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083719Sun, 16 Aug 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Helmet on Trapper Road: Who Cut Charles Hughes' Rope? The helmet was dry on the outside and wet on the inside, upright on Trapper Road with "HUGHES" written inside and no footprints beside it - a yellow climbing helmet left as if someone had...
The helmet was dry on the outside and wet on the inside, upright on Trapper Road with "HUGHES" written inside and no footprints beside it - a yellow climbing helmet left as if someone had set it down and walked away. A pre-rigged eleven-millimeter rope on Mount Erevan failed in a twelve-foot free-hanging section, not at a rock contact point; who could have cut it, and why was a solo climber seen on the ridge two days earlier?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from the helmet discovery to the climbers' summit push and the later forensic findings, following witness accounts, guide protocols, and recovered gear to ask whether the mountain was merely the site of an accident or the scene of interference.

Person: Charles Hughes
Date: September 14, 2009 (helmet found) and September 6-8, 2009 (sightings and summit push)
Location: Mount Erevan South Ridge and Trapper Road
Status: Rope section recovered and photographed; helmet left upright, no footprints
Guide: Scott Bell, 38 years old, 12 Erevan summits, led Summit Line Expeditions

- The helmet was found a quarter mile below the Erevan South Ridge trailhead on Trapper Road, upright and dry outside but wet inside.
- Search and rescue activated at 7:15 AM on September 14, 2009, after Teresa Cook called 911 from a logging shed two miles up the road.
- Charles Hughes was 54 years old, weighed 212 pounds fully loaded, and had summited Mount Erevan twice before (2003 and 2006).
- A solo climber in a green shell with an ice axe (orange handle) was seen descending past camp and paused at the upper fixed rope traverse for 10-15 minutes on September 6, 2009.
- Recovery team member Paul Denning found the rope frayed and broken in a free-hanging section roughly 12 feet from the upper anchor; the break showed no signs of abrasion from rock contact.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>925falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/one-boot-one-ledge-the-vanishing-that-tore-a-mountain-silent--73083717
A lone mountaineering boot, crampon attached and laces threaded, sat on a southern Oregon logging road at 6:20 a.m., while the owner had been missing for more than 24 hours on a granite wall at 12,600 ft. The satellite messenger stopped transmitting at 4:00 a.m., three objects appeared in three locations each farther from where they should be-what happened on that ledge between midnight and 2:00 a.m.?

In this episode, we follow the timeline and the people involved to piece together the climb, the injuries, and the sequence of disappearances that defied easy explanation. We ask whether a fracture concealed during the ascent, the failing satellite transmission, and the scattered gear can explain how Donna Tate vanished from Vantage Spire.

Person: Donna Tate
Person: Christine York
Date: August 12-13, 2019
Location: Vantage Spire, southern Oregon
Event: Missing person / last seen summit photo

- Boot found on logging road at 6:20 a.m. with crampon still attached and laces through every eyelet
- Donna Tate was 22 years old at the time of disappearance
- Satellite messenger stopped transmitting at 4:00 a.m., recording silence
- Summit photo taken by Christine York at 2:47 p.m. on August 12 shows Donna standing and smiling
- Approach to climb was 12 miles with 6,000 feet of elevation gain, high camp at 11,000 ft on August 10

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083717Sat, 15 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaOne Boot, One Ledge: The Vanishing That Tore a Mountain Silent A lone mountaineering boot, crampon attached and laces threaded, sat on a southern Oregon logging road at 6:20 a.m., while the owner had been missing for more than 24 hours on a granite...
A lone mountaineering boot, crampon attached and laces threaded, sat on a southern Oregon logging road at 6:20 a.m., while the owner had been missing for more than 24 hours on a granite wall at 12,600 ft. The satellite messenger stopped transmitting at 4:00 a.m., three objects appeared in three locations each farther from where they should be-what happened on that ledge between midnight and 2:00 a.m.?

In this episode, we follow the timeline and the people involved to piece together the climb, the injuries, and the sequence of disappearances that defied easy explanation. We ask whether a fracture concealed during the ascent, the failing satellite transmission, and the scattered gear can explain how Donna Tate vanished from Vantage Spire.

Person: Donna Tate
Person: Christine York
Date: August 12-13, 2019
Location: Vantage Spire, southern Oregon
Event: Missing person / last seen summit photo

- Boot found on logging road at 6:20 a.m. with crampon still attached and laces through every eyelet
- Donna Tate was 22 years old at the time of disappearance
- Satellite messenger stopped transmitting at 4:00 a.m., recording silence
- Summit photo taken by Christine York at 2:47 p.m. on August 12 shows Donna standing and smiling
- Approach to climb was 12 miles with 6,000 feet of elevation gain, high camp at 11,000 ft on August 10

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>945falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-yellow-tent-how-a-perfect-climb-devoured-vernon-stewart--73083716
A small yellow tent on a protected shoulder, a frozen pot of water containing two sealed meals, and a climber with a sixty-two-entry log who never came home - what broke Vernon's precision on a July summit push? Which moment between a frozen meal and a single wet slough turned a routine ascent into a seven-day search with no remains?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline, the people, and the concrete evidence found at High Camp and on the route, and ask whether an unpredictable mountain event or a single mischance can explain Vernon Stewart's disappearance.

Person: Vernon Stewart
Date: July 16-19, 2011
Location: Saddlehorn Mountains, eastern Idaho
Event: Summit push from High Camp toward Drover's Horn
Status: Missing, never recovered

- High Camp established on July 16 at 9,700 feet on a protected shoulder with a yellow dome tent fully erected.
- Vernon prepared a cook pot filled with water and two sealed servings of food; the water was found frozen three days later.
- Summit push started at 2:00 AM on July 17 with three men roped together; by 5:20 AM they reached the base of the couloir.
- At 8:12 AM a wet slough released, sweeping leader John Sullivan approximately 40 meters before a rock band stopped him.
- Ground teams pulled back from technical terrain above 11,000 feet on July 21 and a helicopter grid on July 23 found no trace.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083716Fri, 14 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Yellow Tent: How a Perfect Climb Devoured Vernon Stewart A small yellow tent on a protected shoulder, a frozen pot of water containing two sealed meals, and a climber with a sixty-two-entry log who never came home - what broke Vernon's...
A small yellow tent on a protected shoulder, a frozen pot of water containing two sealed meals, and a climber with a sixty-two-entry log who never came home - what broke Vernon's precision on a July summit push? Which moment between a frozen meal and a single wet slough turned a routine ascent into a seven-day search with no remains?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline, the people, and the concrete evidence found at High Camp and on the route, and ask whether an unpredictable mountain event or a single mischance can explain Vernon Stewart's disappearance.

Person: Vernon Stewart
Date: July 16-19, 2011
Location: Saddlehorn Mountains, eastern Idaho
Event: Summit push from High Camp toward Drover's Horn
Status: Missing, never recovered

- High Camp established on July 16 at 9,700 feet on a protected shoulder with a yellow dome tent fully erected.
- Vernon prepared a cook pot filled with water and two sealed servings of food; the water was found frozen three days later.
- Summit push started at 2:00 AM on July 17 with three men roped together; by 5:20 AM they reached the base of the couloir.
- At 8:12 AM a wet slough released, sweeping leader John Sullivan approximately 40 meters before a rock band stopped him.
- Ground teams pulled back from technical terrain above 11,000 feet on July 21 and a helicopter grid on July 23 found no trace.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>931falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-mask-on-the-fence-secrets-behind-a-13-000-foot-deception--73083715
A clean oxygen mask with its serial number sanded off was found on a chain-link fence in Pinefall, Montana, 460 miles from the nearest high-altitude climbing zone - and it sat in evidence for eight months before its connection surfaced. What did a commercial Himalayan-grade cylinder with a 40% depletion and a dent, a secret alternate descent route, and a withheld cardiac diagnosis have to do with two climbers who fell and survived above 11,000 feet?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the morning Debra Davis found the mask on June 14, 2019, through the climb, the radio calls, and the rescue mobilization, asking how undisclosed medical advice and unshared plans changed every decision on Aldren's Tooth. Which choice turned a disciplined partnership into a near-disaster, and why was crucial equipment and information kept off the record?

Person: Troy Ramsey
Person: Phil Ostrander
Date: June 14, 2019
Location: Aldren's Tooth, Vorrach Massif, Bitterroot backcountry
Item: Poisk oxygen cylinder (approx. 40% depletion, one dent)

- Debra Davis found a clean oxygen mask on a Pinefall chain-link fence before 6:00 AM on June 14, 2019.
- The mask’s serial number had been sanded down to bare aluminum.
- Troy Ramsey was diagnosed in March 2019 with a cardiac arrhythmia and was not cleared for climbing above 10,000 feet by Dr. Yuen.
- Phil radioed their position at 3:47 PM on June 13, 2019, noting he was "tired but coherent"; Troy called Phil across the tent for nine minutes at 11:50 PM the same night.
- At 2:17 AM on June 14, 2019, Troy reported to SAR that Phil had fallen 30 feet and was self-arrested, then stated "We're going up" and cited an unrecorded northeast ridge descent route.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083715Thu, 13 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Mask on the Fence: Secrets Behind a 13,000-Foot Deception A clean oxygen mask with its serial number sanded off was found on a chain-link fence in Pinefall, Montana, 460 miles from the nearest high-altitude climbing zone - and it sat in...
A clean oxygen mask with its serial number sanded off was found on a chain-link fence in Pinefall, Montana, 460 miles from the nearest high-altitude climbing zone - and it sat in evidence for eight months before its connection surfaced. What did a commercial Himalayan-grade cylinder with a 40% depletion and a dent, a secret alternate descent route, and a withheld cardiac diagnosis have to do with two climbers who fell and survived above 11,000 feet?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the morning Debra Davis found the mask on June 14, 2019, through the climb, the radio calls, and the rescue mobilization, asking how undisclosed medical advice and unshared plans changed every decision on Aldren's Tooth. Which choice turned a disciplined partnership into a near-disaster, and why was crucial equipment and information kept off the record?

Person: Troy Ramsey
Person: Phil Ostrander
Date: June 14, 2019
Location: Aldren's Tooth, Vorrach Massif, Bitterroot backcountry
Item: Poisk oxygen cylinder (approx. 40% depletion, one dent)

- Debra Davis found a clean oxygen mask on a Pinefall chain-link fence before 6:00 AM on June 14, 2019.
- The mask’s serial number had been sanded down to bare aluminum.
- Troy Ramsey was diagnosed in March 2019 with a cardiac arrhythmia and was not cleared for climbing above 10,000 feet by Dr. Yuen.
- Phil radioed their position at 3:47 PM on June 13, 2019, noting he was "tired but coherent"; Troy called Phil across the tent for nine minutes at 11:50 PM the same night.
- At 2:17 AM on June 14, 2019, Troy reported to SAR that Phil had fallen 30 feet and was self-arrested, then stated "We're going up" and cited an unrecorded northeast ridge descent route.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>824falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-desert-crampon-how-a-lost-boot-left-her-stranded-at-10-400ft--73083714
A single women’s medium twelve-point crampon, gaiter clip still buckled and barely rusted, turned up in rabbitbrush 55 miles from the nearest mountain - and its serial number traced back to a purchase in Reno. How did a piece of technical winter gear travel from a snowfield at 10,400 ft to a desert utility easement, and what narrow chain of events kept a 24-year-old climber alive for four nights?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a filed trip plan and a summit at 11,300 ft to a sudden storm that arrived four hours earlier than forecast, a collapsed whiteout above 8,000 ft, and a three-week reconstruction that relied on a lucky find in a drainage ditch - could a sequence of individually sound decisions have nearly become fatal?

Person: Lori Fitzgerald
Age: 24
Location: Turo's Shoulder, Turo group (summit 11,300 ft)
Date: early May (trip started first Thursday of May; summit Friday)
Event: Storm front arrival four hours earlier than forecast

- A twelve-point women’s medium crampon was found at 4,200 ft in rabbitbrush, 55 miles from the nearest mountain.
- Kent Cooper photographed the crampon and called the sheriff at 9:51 AM on a Tuesday in May.
- Lori filed a complete trip plan listing return as Sunday at 6:00 PM and objective Turo’s Shoulder, Northeast Buttress.
- Lori reached the summit at approximately 11:15 AM on Friday and began descent; she was at 10,400 ft when the front hit.
- Nina Burrell called Mineral County Sheriff at 7:45 AM Monday after Lori missed her Sunday 6:00 PM return; Lori had been on the mountain for three nights and four days.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083714Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Desert Crampon: How a Lost Boot Left Her Stranded at 10,400ft A single women’s medium twelve-point crampon, gaiter clip still buckled and barely rusted, turned up in rabbitbrush 55 miles from the nearest mountain - and its serial number traced...
A single women’s medium twelve-point crampon, gaiter clip still buckled and barely rusted, turned up in rabbitbrush 55 miles from the nearest mountain - and its serial number traced back to a purchase in Reno. How did a piece of technical winter gear travel from a snowfield at 10,400 ft to a desert utility easement, and what narrow chain of events kept a 24-year-old climber alive for four nights?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a filed trip plan and a summit at 11,300 ft to a sudden storm that arrived four hours earlier than forecast, a collapsed whiteout above 8,000 ft, and a three-week reconstruction that relied on a lucky find in a drainage ditch - could a sequence of individually sound decisions have nearly become fatal?

Person: Lori Fitzgerald
Age: 24
Location: Turo's Shoulder, Turo group (summit 11,300 ft)
Date: early May (trip started first Thursday of May; summit Friday)
Event: Storm front arrival four hours earlier than forecast

- A twelve-point women’s medium crampon was found at 4,200 ft in rabbitbrush, 55 miles from the nearest mountain.
- Kent Cooper photographed the crampon and called the sheriff at 9:51 AM on a Tuesday in May.
- Lori filed a complete trip plan listing return as Sunday at 6:00 PM and objective Turo’s Shoulder, Northeast Buttress.
- Lori reached the summit at approximately 11:15 AM on Friday and began descent; she was at 10,400 ft when the front hit.
- Nina Burrell called Mineral County Sheriff at 7:45 AM Monday after Lori missed her Sunday 6:00 PM return; Lori had been on the mountain for three nights and four days.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>872falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-locked-shed-the-dry-ascender-and-the-mountain-s-last-clock--73083713
The shed contained an orange-handled ascender hanging from a rafter, two hundred and twelve feet below the snow line above Kellerton - and it was dry in a place where everything else was damp. A rope had been cut almost surgically clean, the shed had been locked for eleven days, and Richard Schmidt never returned from a four-day climb he had planned; what exactly went wrong on Ardenveil's north face?

In this episode, we follow the timeline reconstructed from radio logs, a chess clock left on a doorstep, a note dated April 6, gear checks and the bodies of evidence found on the descent to ask whether a single mistake, a broken piece of gear, or the mountain's sudden change of conditions ended Richard's life. How did a meticulous climber reach the summit and still not survive the exit couloir?

Person: Richard Schmidt
Date: April 9-11, 2011
Location: Ardenveil north face; Briar Ledge at roughly 8,000 feet; lower snowfield where body was found
Event: Solo summit on April 8; body found April 11
Gear: Two orange-handled ascenders; one found hanging dry in a locked shed

- Shed was locked for eleven days before discovery.
- Ascender hung from a rafter two hundred and twelve feet below the snow line above Kellerton.
- Richard made a radio call at 6:14 AM reporting position at 8,800 feet and expected to summit by noon.
- Third radio transmission at 2:51 PM registered for forty-seven seconds of static with no intelligible words.
- Body found April 11 on his back on the lower snowfield with one crampon detached and a rope cut; small unused loop of cord tucked under his right cuff.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083713Tue, 11 Aug 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Locked Shed, the Dry Ascender, and the Mountain's Last Clock The shed contained an orange-handled ascender hanging from a rafter, two hundred and twelve feet below the snow line above Kellerton - and it was dry in a place where everything else...
The shed contained an orange-handled ascender hanging from a rafter, two hundred and twelve feet below the snow line above Kellerton - and it was dry in a place where everything else was damp. A rope had been cut almost surgically clean, the shed had been locked for eleven days, and Richard Schmidt never returned from a four-day climb he had planned; what exactly went wrong on Ardenveil's north face?

In this episode, we follow the timeline reconstructed from radio logs, a chess clock left on a doorstep, a note dated April 6, gear checks and the bodies of evidence found on the descent to ask whether a single mistake, a broken piece of gear, or the mountain's sudden change of conditions ended Richard's life. How did a meticulous climber reach the summit and still not survive the exit couloir?

Person: Richard Schmidt
Date: April 9-11, 2011
Location: Ardenveil north face; Briar Ledge at roughly 8,000 feet; lower snowfield where body was found
Event: Solo summit on April 8; body found April 11
Gear: Two orange-handled ascenders; one found hanging dry in a locked shed

- Shed was locked for eleven days before discovery.
- Ascender hung from a rafter two hundred and twelve feet below the snow line above Kellerton.
- Richard made a radio call at 6:14 AM reporting position at 8,800 feet and expected to summit by noon.
- Third radio transmission at 2:51 PM registered for forty-seven seconds of static with no intelligible words.
- Body found April 11 on his back on the lower snowfield with one crampon detached and a rope cut; small unused loop of cord tucked under his right cuff.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>878falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-red-ascender-in-the-tree-how-a-cut-rope-exposed-a-lie--73083712
The sight of a red-handled ascender wedged in a Douglas fir at 4,200 feet, with four inches of blue rope cleanly severed, turned a routine dog walk into the first crack in a false official story. Who left that device on the wrong side of the Tarlowe Massif, and how did that rope end up where it couldn't have fallen by accident?

In this episode, we follow the discovery and the trail of evidence that forced investigators to question the expedition's official account. We trace the timeline from summit GPS confirmations to a forty-minute gap on a descent, and ask how one split-second decision on an 8,600-foot glacier left Rebecca Bauer missing despite logs that say she returned.

Person: Rebecca Bauer
Person: Paula Graham
Person: Marcia Stroud
Date: March 9, 2019
Location: Tarlowe Massif

- A red-handled ascender was found in a Douglas fir at 4,200 feet with four inches of blue rope cleanly severed.
- Paula Graham, a dog groomer from Aldervale, discovered the device on a Tuesday in late March 2019 and called the county non-emergency line.
- Rebecca Bauer's GPS registered the summit at 10:41 AM and then showed her stationary at 8,600 feet between 11:15 and 11:55 AM for forty minutes.
- The expedition log recorded the team's return at 2:14 PM with three members and listed all four as having completed the trip, but Rebecca's signature was missing.
- Marcia Stroud, the expedition leader, was listed as carrying a Gerber fixed-blade knife in the group's manifest.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083712Mon, 10 Aug 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Red Ascender in the Tree: How a Cut Rope Exposed a Lie The sight of a red-handled ascender wedged in a Douglas fir at 4,200 feet, with four inches of blue rope cleanly severed, turned a routine dog walk into the first crack in a false official...
The sight of a red-handled ascender wedged in a Douglas fir at 4,200 feet, with four inches of blue rope cleanly severed, turned a routine dog walk into the first crack in a false official story. Who left that device on the wrong side of the Tarlowe Massif, and how did that rope end up where it couldn't have fallen by accident?

In this episode, we follow the discovery and the trail of evidence that forced investigators to question the expedition's official account. We trace the timeline from summit GPS confirmations to a forty-minute gap on a descent, and ask how one split-second decision on an 8,600-foot glacier left Rebecca Bauer missing despite logs that say she returned.

Person: Rebecca Bauer
Person: Paula Graham
Person: Marcia Stroud
Date: March 9, 2019
Location: Tarlowe Massif

- A red-handled ascender was found in a Douglas fir at 4,200 feet with four inches of blue rope cleanly severed.
- Paula Graham, a dog groomer from Aldervale, discovered the device on a Tuesday in late March 2019 and called the county non-emergency line.
- Rebecca Bauer's GPS registered the summit at 10:41 AM and then showed her stationary at 8,600 feet between 11:15 and 11:55 AM for forty minutes.
- The expedition log recorded the team's return at 2:14 PM with three members and listed all four as having completed the trip, but Rebecca's signature was missing.
- Marcia Stroud, the expedition leader, was listed as carrying a Gerber fixed-blade knife in the group's manifest.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>835falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-tied-his-gloves-and-walked-into-the-cold-the-cutter-creek-mystery--73083711
A pair of climbing gloves, perfectly nested and the wrist tabs tied in a bow, was found frozen at 4,100 feet on Cutter Creek-eleven miles and 6,700 vertical feet below the nearest high camp in the Halverson Range. How did gloves from a deliberate, experienced climber end up clean and left as if for discovery, when every reasonable route between those points in winter crosses terrain that can kill you?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the gloves’ discovery by retired postal worker Jeffrey Romano to the halted summit push on February sixth, and we map the decisions that preceded one climber’s unexplained descent. What does it mean that Eric Underwood, a meticulous civil engineer and careful climber, seemed to know every step he took?

Person: Jeffrey Romano
Person: Eric Underwood
Date: February sixth (summit push began)
Location: Cutter Creek, 4,100 feet; nearest high camp at 10,800 feet, eleven miles by trail
Status: search-and-rescue operation already three days old above the range

- Romano found the gloves at dawn on an unnamed February morning sitting in the mud at the water's edge.
- The gloves were nested (liner inside shell) and both wrist-tab laces tied in a bow.
- The nearest high camp in the Halverson Range sat at 10,800 feet, eleven miles away by trail from Cutter Creek.
- Eric Underwood was fifty-two and kept handwritten composition-book logs of every climb stored in a plastic bin.
- On the evening of February fifth, Underwood transferred his heavyweight summit gloves to climber Derek Moss, noted in guide Amanda Richardson’s radio log.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083711Sun, 09 Aug 2026 13:00:04 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Tied His Gloves and Walked Into The Cold: The Cutter Creek Mystery A pair of climbing gloves, perfectly nested and the wrist tabs tied in a bow, was found frozen at 4,100 feet on Cutter Creek-eleven miles and 6,700 vertical feet below the...
A pair of climbing gloves, perfectly nested and the wrist tabs tied in a bow, was found frozen at 4,100 feet on Cutter Creek-eleven miles and 6,700 vertical feet below the nearest high camp in the Halverson Range. How did gloves from a deliberate, experienced climber end up clean and left as if for discovery, when every reasonable route between those points in winter crosses terrain that can kill you?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the gloves’ discovery by retired postal worker Jeffrey Romano to the halted summit push on February sixth, and we map the decisions that preceded one climber’s unexplained descent. What does it mean that Eric Underwood, a meticulous civil engineer and careful climber, seemed to know every step he took?

Person: Jeffrey Romano
Person: Eric Underwood
Date: February sixth (summit push began)
Location: Cutter Creek, 4,100 feet; nearest high camp at 10,800 feet, eleven miles by trail
Status: search-and-rescue operation already three days old above the range

- Romano found the gloves at dawn on an unnamed February morning sitting in the mud at the water's edge.
- The gloves were nested (liner inside shell) and both wrist-tab laces tied in a bow.
- The nearest high camp in the Halverson Range sat at 10,800 feet, eleven miles away by trail from Cutter Creek.
- Eric Underwood was fifty-two and kept handwritten composition-book logs of every climb stored in a plastic bin.
- On the evening of February fifth, Underwood transferred his heavyweight summit gloves to climber Derek Moss, noted in guide Amanda Richardson’s radio log.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>740falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-harness-standing-upright-why-kimberly-walked-away-from-safety--73083710
Cold arithmetic in a whiteout: a fully buckled harness was found standing upright in the snow 3,260 feet below the nearest camp, threaded by a crampon and pressed into rock-how did its owner walk away? Climbers and rescuers found Kimberly Simpson alive without a sleeping bag, a dead headlamp, and decisions that read like survival math; what single choice changed everything?

In this episode, we follow the expedition timeline, the storm that closed visibility and blew winds over 60 mph, and the evidence that reframes Kimberly's survival as the result of deliberate calculations rather than luck. What did she choose to carry and what did she leave behind that kept her alive?

Person: Kimberly Simpson
Age: 44
Date: January 9, 2011
Location: Draven's Horn, southwest face at 9,300 feet
Team size: 11 people

- A volunteer rescue team found Kimberly in a rock hollow at 9,300 feet at 06:00 on January 9, 2011.
- A surveyor named Eugene Moore found Kimberly's harness 3,260 feet below the nearest expedition camp, fully buckled and held by a crampon spike.
- The expedition established Camp One at 11,200 feet on December 28, 2010, and Camp One at 13,600 feet on January 2, 2011.
- The summit of Draven's Horn is 16,840 feet; the team planned a high camp at 15,400 feet that was never established.
- A "high confidence delay" forecast was logged at 04:47 on January 8, but the team departed at 05:15, a 28-minute gap investigators scrutinized.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083710Sat, 08 Aug 2026 13:00:04 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Harness Standing Upright: Why Kimberly Walked Away From Safety Cold arithmetic in a whiteout: a fully buckled harness was found standing upright in the snow 3,260 feet below the nearest camp, threaded by a crampon and pressed into rock-how did...
Cold arithmetic in a whiteout: a fully buckled harness was found standing upright in the snow 3,260 feet below the nearest camp, threaded by a crampon and pressed into rock-how did its owner walk away? Climbers and rescuers found Kimberly Simpson alive without a sleeping bag, a dead headlamp, and decisions that read like survival math; what single choice changed everything?

In this episode, we follow the expedition timeline, the storm that closed visibility and blew winds over 60 mph, and the evidence that reframes Kimberly's survival as the result of deliberate calculations rather than luck. What did she choose to carry and what did she leave behind that kept her alive?

Person: Kimberly Simpson
Age: 44
Date: January 9, 2011
Location: Draven's Horn, southwest face at 9,300 feet
Team size: 11 people

- A volunteer rescue team found Kimberly in a rock hollow at 9,300 feet at 06:00 on January 9, 2011.
- A surveyor named Eugene Moore found Kimberly's harness 3,260 feet below the nearest expedition camp, fully buckled and held by a crampon spike.
- The expedition established Camp One at 11,200 feet on December 28, 2010, and Camp One at 13,600 feet on January 2, 2011.
- The summit of Draven's Horn is 16,840 feet; the team planned a high camp at 15,400 feet that was never established.
- A "high confidence delay" forecast was logged at 04:47 on January 8, but the team departed at 05:15, a 28-minute gap investigators scrutinized.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>907falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-axe-the-unused-warmer-and-six-hours-marilyn-can-t-remember--73083708
Cold evidence buried nine miles from the ridge: a climbing axe with Marilyn Can's handwriting, a right-hand glove tied to its handle, and a sealed chemical warmer that was never activated. How did an unused warmer and an axe labeled by the missing client end up two feet underground - and what do Marilyn's six lost hours conceal?

In this episode, we follow the factual trail from Carver Peak to a drainage ditch off Carver Ridge Road, reconstructing the timeline, the gear list gaps, and the discoveries that reopened a closed case. What really happened on the Notch Traverse during those missing six hours?

Person: Marilyn Can
Person: Troy Crawford
Location: Carver Peak (Notch Traverse) and drainage ditch off Carver Ridge Road
Date: December 8-10 (summit attempt December 9; Crawford located December 10)
Status: Crawford deceased; Marilyn with retrograde amnesia covering ~6 hours

- The axe was found two feet underground in a drainage ditch nine miles from Carver Peak.
- Marilyn's name was written on tape around the axe handle in her own handwriting.
- A single right-hand mountaineering glove was tied to the axe handle and contained a sealed, never-activated chemical hand warmer.
- Troy Crawford, 43, radioed base camp at 6:47 PM on December 8 and at 3:51 AM on December 9; the second transmission was his last.
- Marilyn arrived at base camp at approximately 2:15 PM on December 9 without an axe, emergency bivy, or spare fuel, and was diagnosed with about six hours of retrograde amnesia.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083708Fri, 07 Aug 2026 13:00:05 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Axe, the Unused Warmer, and Six Hours Marilyn Can't Remember Cold evidence buried nine miles from the ridge: a climbing axe with Marilyn Can's handwriting, a right-hand glove tied to its handle, and a sealed chemical warmer that was never...
Cold evidence buried nine miles from the ridge: a climbing axe with Marilyn Can's handwriting, a right-hand glove tied to its handle, and a sealed chemical warmer that was never activated. How did an unused warmer and an axe labeled by the missing client end up two feet underground - and what do Marilyn's six lost hours conceal?

In this episode, we follow the factual trail from Carver Peak to a drainage ditch off Carver Ridge Road, reconstructing the timeline, the gear list gaps, and the discoveries that reopened a closed case. What really happened on the Notch Traverse during those missing six hours?

Person: Marilyn Can
Person: Troy Crawford
Location: Carver Peak (Notch Traverse) and drainage ditch off Carver Ridge Road
Date: December 8-10 (summit attempt December 9; Crawford located December 10)
Status: Crawford deceased; Marilyn with retrograde amnesia covering ~6 hours

- The axe was found two feet underground in a drainage ditch nine miles from Carver Peak.
- Marilyn's name was written on tape around the axe handle in her own handwriting.
- A single right-hand mountaineering glove was tied to the axe handle and contained a sealed, never-activated chemical hand warmer.
- Troy Crawford, 43, radioed base camp at 6:47 PM on December 8 and at 3:51 AM on December 9; the second transmission was his last.
- Marilyn arrived at base camp at approximately 2:15 PM on December 9 without an axe, emergency bivy, or spare fuel, and was diagnosed with about six hours of retrograde amnesia.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>933falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-wrong-side-notebook-why-patricia-walked-down-alone--73083707
A crisp red notebook stood upright against a rock at 9,000 feet while its owner lay dead three days on the mountain - and the notebook was on the wrong side of Cerro Malgado. The episode centers on a deliberate reversed carabiner found 40 meters below the last anchor, a clinical log of headache and ataxia, and one unresolved question: why did Patricia leave the established descent and walk down alone?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence recorded in Patricia Simmons’s red Rite in the Rain notebook, the expedition choices that set the schedule, and the physical evidence on the fixed rope that points to a conscious act. Was her final movement driven by high-altitude cerebral edema, by route choice, or by something else?

Person: Patricia Simmons
Age: 54
Event: Summit and descent of Cerro Malgado north face
Date: November 10, 2009 (summit); body found November 14, 2009
Finding: Reversed carabiner gate clipped to a fixed rope 40 meters below last confirmed anchor

- Patricia weighed crickets for her leopard gecko Reeves at 6:15 AM every morning for eight years and recorded the weights in notebooks.
- The summit team of four reached the north summit at 11:40 AM on November 10, 2009; descent began at 11:55 AM.
- Patricia made a first notebook entry noting "Severe headache" at 3:15 PM, then recorded "ataxia" at 4:05 PM.
- A reversed carabiner gate was found 40 meters below the last confirmed anchor on the fixed rope; reversing a gate requires two deliberate hand movements.
- Patricia stopped under a bergschrund overhang at approximately 15,800 feet, a shelter not on any marked descent path.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083707Thu, 06 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Wrong-Side Notebook: Why Patricia Walked Down Alone A crisp red notebook stood upright against a rock at 9,000 feet while its owner lay dead three days on the mountain - and the notebook was on the wrong side of Cerro Malgado. The episode...
A crisp red notebook stood upright against a rock at 9,000 feet while its owner lay dead three days on the mountain - and the notebook was on the wrong side of Cerro Malgado. The episode centers on a deliberate reversed carabiner found 40 meters below the last anchor, a clinical log of headache and ataxia, and one unresolved question: why did Patricia leave the established descent and walk down alone?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence recorded in Patricia Simmons’s red Rite in the Rain notebook, the expedition choices that set the schedule, and the physical evidence on the fixed rope that points to a conscious act. Was her final movement driven by high-altitude cerebral edema, by route choice, or by something else?

Person: Patricia Simmons
Age: 54
Event: Summit and descent of Cerro Malgado north face
Date: November 10, 2009 (summit); body found November 14, 2009
Finding: Reversed carabiner gate clipped to a fixed rope 40 meters below last confirmed anchor

- Patricia weighed crickets for her leopard gecko Reeves at 6:15 AM every morning for eight years and recorded the weights in notebooks.
- The summit team of four reached the north summit at 11:40 AM on November 10, 2009; descent began at 11:55 AM.
- Patricia made a first notebook entry noting "Severe headache" at 3:15 PM, then recorded "ataxia" at 4:05 PM.
- A reversed carabiner gate was found 40 meters below the last confirmed anchor on the fixed rope; reversing a gate requires two deliberate hand movements.
- Patricia stopped under a bergschrund overhang at approximately 15,800 feet, a shelter not on any marked descent path.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>984falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-burned-ice-axe-and-the-woman-who-didn-t-call-home--73083706
Fear and fascination collide: a burned ice axe head appears on a stranger’s truck hood two hundred kilometers from any mountain, and a woman who never missed her weekly call vanishes near an eight-thousand-meter summit-what connects a charred tool to a missed phone call? Which detail will finally explain who survived, who didn't, and why the axe shows heat damage with no nearby fire?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a Ridgecomb Basin parking lot to the high slopes of Karum Peak, tracing the last known movements of Emily Johnson, the expedition's composition, the weather forecast changes, and the radio failures that left decisions uncommunicated-what choice made at 8,200 meters altered everything?

Person: Emily Johnson
Date: October 14
Location: Karum Peak summit slope (8,200 meters)
Event: Summit push interrupted by early storm forecast revision
Status: Ice axe head found on Rusted pickup in Ridgecomb Basin parking lot

- The ice axe head was found centered on the hood of a rusted pickup truck by a sixteen-year-old paperboy in the third week of October.
- The burn pattern on the axe collar shaded from steel-gray to amber-brown and ended in a clean char line where wood would have met metal.
- Emily Johnson called her grandmother every Wednesday at 10:45 a.m. for two years, a call that never ran over 17 minutes and that stopped during the expedition.
- The summit team of four reached 8,200 meters at 6:15 a.m. on October 14, with 200 vertical meters remaining to the summit.
- Holly Fisher received an 04:47 a.m. revised forecast that the storm would arrive 18 hours early and made four radio attempts with no replies before Marcus Ibarra’s radio later cracked with Holly’s voice.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083706Wed, 05 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Burned Ice Axe and the Woman Who Didn't Call Home Fear and fascination collide: a burned ice axe head appears on a stranger’s truck hood two hundred kilometers from any mountain, and a woman who never missed her weekly call vanishes near an...
Fear and fascination collide: a burned ice axe head appears on a stranger’s truck hood two hundred kilometers from any mountain, and a woman who never missed her weekly call vanishes near an eight-thousand-meter summit-what connects a charred tool to a missed phone call? Which detail will finally explain who survived, who didn't, and why the axe shows heat damage with no nearby fire?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a Ridgecomb Basin parking lot to the high slopes of Karum Peak, tracing the last known movements of Emily Johnson, the expedition's composition, the weather forecast changes, and the radio failures that left decisions uncommunicated-what choice made at 8,200 meters altered everything?

Person: Emily Johnson
Date: October 14
Location: Karum Peak summit slope (8,200 meters)
Event: Summit push interrupted by early storm forecast revision
Status: Ice axe head found on Rusted pickup in Ridgecomb Basin parking lot

- The ice axe head was found centered on the hood of a rusted pickup truck by a sixteen-year-old paperboy in the third week of October.
- The burn pattern on the axe collar shaded from steel-gray to amber-brown and ended in a clean char line where wood would have met metal.
- Emily Johnson called her grandmother every Wednesday at 10:45 a.m. for two years, a call that never ran over 17 minutes and that stopped during the expedition.
- The summit team of four reached 8,200 meters at 6:15 a.m. on October 14, with 200 vertical meters remaining to the summit.
- Holly Fisher received an 04:47 a.m. revised forecast that the storm would arrive 18 hours early and made four radio attempts with no replies before Marcus Ibarra’s radio later cracked with Holly’s voice.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>754falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-buried-our-lifeline-the-east-col-that-killed-donna--73083705
A discarded ice axe and a taped note reading "Cache is at the east col" were left beside a highway guardrail nine miles from the nearest trailhead - and the cache it pointed to sat untouched at the wrong saddle for ten days. Donna Watson, a 38-year-old geologist and mountaineering instructor, wrote that note with a lacerated hand before dying three hundred yards below the guardrail; why did a single navigational error made in the dark cost her life?

In this episode, we trace the expedition up Mount Solen, the decision to bury a descent cache at the east col, and the storm that trapped the team above high camp, closing with the moment Donna tried to leave a final signal; what did that note mean, and how did it fail to save her?

Person: Donna Watson
Age: 38
Event: Summit of Mount Solen on September 16
Location: East col (cache buried) and west col (descent line)
Team: John Owens (44), Marcus Devlin (31), Terri Foss (29), Donna Watson

- A mountaineering ice axe was found planted on a valley-side highway guardrail nine miles from the nearest trailhead with a taped note wedged against the shaft.
- The note, in Donna Watson's handwriting, read: "Cache is at the east col. Rope, stove, fuel, extra boots. East col. Please - east col."
- The cache containing ropes, stove, fuel, and spare boots was buried at the east col and remained at the wrong col for ten days.
- The summit party reached the summit at 11:17 AM on September 16 at 13,400 feet after starting the push at 2:45 AM.
- Winds reached 50 miles per hour and visibility fell under 30 feet as the barometer dropped 22 millibars in under two hours, pinning the team at Camp Three.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083705Tue, 04 Aug 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Buried Our Lifeline: The East Col That Killed Donna A discarded ice axe and a taped note reading "Cache is at the east col" were left beside a highway guardrail nine miles from the nearest trailhead - and the cache it pointed to sat untouched...
A discarded ice axe and a taped note reading "Cache is at the east col" were left beside a highway guardrail nine miles from the nearest trailhead - and the cache it pointed to sat untouched at the wrong saddle for ten days. Donna Watson, a 38-year-old geologist and mountaineering instructor, wrote that note with a lacerated hand before dying three hundred yards below the guardrail; why did a single navigational error made in the dark cost her life?

In this episode, we trace the expedition up Mount Solen, the decision to bury a descent cache at the east col, and the storm that trapped the team above high camp, closing with the moment Donna tried to leave a final signal; what did that note mean, and how did it fail to save her?

Person: Donna Watson
Age: 38
Event: Summit of Mount Solen on September 16
Location: East col (cache buried) and west col (descent line)
Team: John Owens (44), Marcus Devlin (31), Terri Foss (29), Donna Watson

- A mountaineering ice axe was found planted on a valley-side highway guardrail nine miles from the nearest trailhead with a taped note wedged against the shaft.
- The note, in Donna Watson's handwriting, read: "Cache is at the east col. Rope, stove, fuel, extra boots. East col. Please - east col."
- The cache containing ropes, stove, fuel, and spare boots was buried at the east col and remained at the wrong col for ten days.
- The summit party reached the summit at 11:17 AM on September 16 at 13,400 feet after starting the push at 2:45 AM.
- Winds reached 50 miles per hour and visibility fell under 30 feet as the barometer dropped 22 millibars in under two hours, pinning the team at Camp Three.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>904falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-summit-photo-that-shouldn-t-exist-a-mountaineer-s-last-frame--73083703
Cold evidence and a misplaced photo strip turn a precise death into a stubborn mystery: a June-style summit smile, a yellow suit cut from an eighties pattern, and a box labeled with a dead man’s name - how did a photograph showing Duane Jensen with someone at Harrower's Needle end up in a storage unit three months after his death, and who placed it there?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the August ninth fall that killed sixty-two-year-old Duane Jensen to the November fourteenth discovery of the boxed photographs, tracing Jensen’s decades of solo climbs, the recovered Kodachrome roll in his Nikon FM2, and the questions Shannon Vaughn and Brenda Moss were left to answer: was this an accident, a deliberate misdirection, or something else entirely?

Person: Duane Jensen
Date: August 9, 2009
Location: Harrower's Needle, Bitterroot Range, Montana
Finder: Charles Lawson
Object: Nikon FM2 with Kodachrome film (200 ASA)

- Jensen signed the trailhead register on August 7 at 5:43 AM and later signed the summit register with temperature recorded as 21°F.
- Jensen had attempted Harrower's Needle twice before (2004 turned back at 8,200 ft; 2006 turned back at 8,600 ft).
- The recovered Kodachrome roll was half-exposed and was inside his Nikon FM2 when his body was found.
- The storage unit containing the box of photos was opened by accident by Charles Lawson on November 14, 2009; the box was labeled with Jensen’s name.
- The photograph shows Jensen at the summit with a partially framed figure in a yellow suit whose cut and silhouette match designs not manufactured since the 1980s.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083703Mon, 03 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Summit Photo That Shouldn't Exist: A Mountaineer's Last Frame Cold evidence and a misplaced photo strip turn a precise death into a stubborn mystery: a June-style summit smile, a yellow suit cut from an eighties pattern, and a box labeled with...
Cold evidence and a misplaced photo strip turn a precise death into a stubborn mystery: a June-style summit smile, a yellow suit cut from an eighties pattern, and a box labeled with a dead man’s name - how did a photograph showing Duane Jensen with someone at Harrower's Needle end up in a storage unit three months after his death, and who placed it there?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the August ninth fall that killed sixty-two-year-old Duane Jensen to the November fourteenth discovery of the boxed photographs, tracing Jensen’s decades of solo climbs, the recovered Kodachrome roll in his Nikon FM2, and the questions Shannon Vaughn and Brenda Moss were left to answer: was this an accident, a deliberate misdirection, or something else entirely?

Person: Duane Jensen
Date: August 9, 2009
Location: Harrower's Needle, Bitterroot Range, Montana
Finder: Charles Lawson
Object: Nikon FM2 with Kodachrome film (200 ASA)

- Jensen signed the trailhead register on August 7 at 5:43 AM and later signed the summit register with temperature recorded as 21°F.
- Jensen had attempted Harrower's Needle twice before (2004 turned back at 8,200 ft; 2006 turned back at 8,600 ft).
- The recovered Kodachrome roll was half-exposed and was inside his Nikon FM2 when his body was found.
- The storage unit containing the box of photos was opened by accident by Charles Lawson on November 14, 2009; the box was labeled with Jensen’s name.
- The photograph shows Jensen at the summit with a partially framed figure in a yellow suit whose cut and silhouette match designs not manufactured since the 1980s.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>868falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-ice-screw-at-scriven-how-one-decision-stopped-a-whole-mountain-tragedy--73083702
A red ice screw, seventeen centimeters long with a purple cord, was found zip-tied to a trailhead kiosk more than six thousand vertical feet below where it belonged - and that tiny object became the hinge in a story of survival on a storm-hit north face. Who made the split-second choice that turned a cascade of reasonable decisions into two survivors instead of none?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the team's approach and the unexpected storm through the rescue and investigation, centering on the actions that mattered most and the physical evidence that did not fit the simple narrative. How did one person’s decision on the face change the outcome?

Person: Jean Brooks
Person: Rob Feinberg
Person: Diane Callahan
Date: July 20-22, 2019
Location: North face of Mount Crale / Scriven Creek kiosk

- An ice screw 17 centimeters long with a purple cord was found attached to the Scriven Creek kiosk at 4,100 feet on July 22, 2019.
- Crystal Hunter photographed the ice screw at 5:43 AM and called the sheriff at 6:24 AM on July 22, 2019.
- The team established high camp at approximately 8,200 feet on July 18, 2019 and left camp at 3:45 AM on July 20, 2019.
- The storm hit at 9:40 AM while the team was at approximately 9,200 feet, with winds to 35 mph and gusts to 50 mph, followed by freezing rain then snow.
- Rob Feinberg, age 31, fell on the north face and his helmet did not save him; Jean Brooks was 26, 5'4" and 119 pounds and had studied the route for two seasons.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083702Sun, 02 Aug 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Ice Screw at Scriven: How One Decision Stopped a Whole Mountain Tragedy A red ice screw, seventeen centimeters long with a purple cord, was found zip-tied to a trailhead kiosk more than six thousand vertical feet below where it belonged - and...
A red ice screw, seventeen centimeters long with a purple cord, was found zip-tied to a trailhead kiosk more than six thousand vertical feet below where it belonged - and that tiny object became the hinge in a story of survival on a storm-hit north face. Who made the split-second choice that turned a cascade of reasonable decisions into two survivors instead of none?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the team's approach and the unexpected storm through the rescue and investigation, centering on the actions that mattered most and the physical evidence that did not fit the simple narrative. How did one person’s decision on the face change the outcome?

Person: Jean Brooks
Person: Rob Feinberg
Person: Diane Callahan
Date: July 20-22, 2019
Location: North face of Mount Crale / Scriven Creek kiosk

- An ice screw 17 centimeters long with a purple cord was found attached to the Scriven Creek kiosk at 4,100 feet on July 22, 2019.
- Crystal Hunter photographed the ice screw at 5:43 AM and called the sheriff at 6:24 AM on July 22, 2019.
- The team established high camp at approximately 8,200 feet on July 18, 2019 and left camp at 3:45 AM on July 20, 2019.
- The storm hit at 9:40 AM while the team was at approximately 9,200 feet, with winds to 35 mph and gusts to 50 mph, followed by freezing rain then snow.
- Rob Feinberg, age 31, fell on the north face and his helmet did not save him; Jean Brooks was 26, 5'4" and 119 pounds and had studied the route for two seasons.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1012falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-sat-and-waited-the-precise-choices-that-killed-james-rice--73083701
A man sat at 7,180 meters with his gloves on and equipment in order, and did not fall - he stopped. A green notebook, spine cracked to lie flat, records the last four hours of James Rice's life in near-clinical detail; what did those deliberate entries and seven anchors reveal about the decisions that led to his death?

In this episode, we follow the expedition to Drevak's Horn and unwrap the timeline James recorded before he sat and waited, tracing weather signs, equipment use, and the exact choices he documented - could those precise notes explain why he never returned to camp?

Person: James Rice
Age: 48
Location: Drevak's Horn northeast face at 7,180 meters
Event: Summit attempt and death across a 14-hour period
Notebook: green spiral, last page ends mid-clause with "if we move him now the."

- Five climbers left high camp at 02:47 on June 10 for a planned six-hour ascent and return before afternoon weather.
- Temperature at departure was -22°C and the summit target was 7,610 meters; James stopped at 7,180 meters.
- James logged elevation, temperature, caloric intake, and a one-to-ten physical condition scale across his notebooks; his sister has kept every notebook.
- At 06:15 above 7,300 meters James noted a lenticular cloud with a question mark, the first anomaly he recorded.
- Carl Betz began supplemental oxygen at 05:30 at 2 liters per minute, calculated by Heather to last about six hours.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083701Sat, 01 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Sat and Waited: The Precise Choices That Killed James Rice A man sat at 7,180 meters with his gloves on and equipment in order, and did not fall - he stopped. A green notebook, spine cracked to lie flat, records the last four hours of James...
A man sat at 7,180 meters with his gloves on and equipment in order, and did not fall - he stopped. A green notebook, spine cracked to lie flat, records the last four hours of James Rice's life in near-clinical detail; what did those deliberate entries and seven anchors reveal about the decisions that led to his death?

In this episode, we follow the expedition to Drevak's Horn and unwrap the timeline James recorded before he sat and waited, tracing weather signs, equipment use, and the exact choices he documented - could those precise notes explain why he never returned to camp?

Person: James Rice
Age: 48
Location: Drevak's Horn northeast face at 7,180 meters
Event: Summit attempt and death across a 14-hour period
Notebook: green spiral, last page ends mid-clause with "if we move him now the."

- Five climbers left high camp at 02:47 on June 10 for a planned six-hour ascent and return before afternoon weather.
- Temperature at departure was -22°C and the summit target was 7,610 meters; James stopped at 7,180 meters.
- James logged elevation, temperature, caloric intake, and a one-to-ten physical condition scale across his notebooks; his sister has kept every notebook.
- At 06:15 above 7,300 meters James noted a lenticular cloud with a question mark, the first anomaly he recorded.
- Carl Betz began supplemental oxygen at 05:30 at 2 liters per minute, calculated by Heather to last about six hours.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>866falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-upright-boot-how-a-glacial-ditch-kept-a-secret--73083700
A single mountaineering boot, laced and standing upright in a roadside drainage ditch, traveled roughly three miles down snowmelt channels from a glacier more than three thousand vertical meters above - yet its owner lay in a hospital sixty miles away with both feet intact. What does that impossible image reveal about the forty-seven hours on Selkirk Spire that produced it, and which decision among four climbers changed everything?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events on Selkirk Spire from camp to descent, the composition of the climbing team, and the quiet but crucial gaps in communication that followed; could the silence on the radio and one ordinary moment at the couloir explain how a boot arrived where no one expected it?

Person: Kathleen Cook
Age: 32
Event: Summit and descent of Selkirk Spire on May 9
Location: Roadside drainage ditch below a Forest Service road; origin glacier more than 3,000 vertical meters above
Duration: 47 hours

- Julie Harris found the boot the second week of May 2011 while collecting roadside litter for Aldine Valley Community Church.
- The boot was a single high-altitude mountaineering boot, laces tied with six hooks cinched, standing on its sole.
- The team left high camp at approximately 3:40 a.m. on May 9 and reached the summit at 7:12 a.m.
- The team of four established high camp at approximately 4,200 meters on May 7.
- After the 7:30 a.m. radio check, there was no radio contact for six hours and seventeen minutes because the radio was clipped to the leader’s pack and not immediately accessible.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083700Fri, 31 Jul 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Upright Boot: How a Glacial Ditch Kept a Secret A single mountaineering boot, laced and standing upright in a roadside drainage ditch, traveled roughly three miles down snowmelt channels from a glacier more than three thousand vertical meters...
A single mountaineering boot, laced and standing upright in a roadside drainage ditch, traveled roughly three miles down snowmelt channels from a glacier more than three thousand vertical meters above - yet its owner lay in a hospital sixty miles away with both feet intact. What does that impossible image reveal about the forty-seven hours on Selkirk Spire that produced it, and which decision among four climbers changed everything?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events on Selkirk Spire from camp to descent, the composition of the climbing team, and the quiet but crucial gaps in communication that followed; could the silence on the radio and one ordinary moment at the couloir explain how a boot arrived where no one expected it?

Person: Kathleen Cook
Age: 32
Event: Summit and descent of Selkirk Spire on May 9
Location: Roadside drainage ditch below a Forest Service road; origin glacier more than 3,000 vertical meters above
Duration: 47 hours

- Julie Harris found the boot the second week of May 2011 while collecting roadside litter for Aldine Valley Community Church.
- The boot was a single high-altitude mountaineering boot, laces tied with six hooks cinched, standing on its sole.
- The team left high camp at approximately 3:40 a.m. on May 9 and reached the summit at 7:12 a.m.
- The team of four established high camp at approximately 4,200 meters on May 7.
- After the 7:30 a.m. radio check, there was no radio contact for six hours and seventeen minutes because the radio was clipped to the leader’s pack and not immediately accessible.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>990falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-radio-that-listened-lost-on-the-wrong-side-of-selverton--73083699
A safety-orange radio eleven days old was found balanced upright between two roots on the east flank of Selverton - but every team known to be on the mountain had stayed on the west. The radio’s internal cable was severed so it could receive transmissions but not send them; how did a device that only listened end up on the wrong side of the massif, and what did it mean for four climbers caught by a sudden April storm?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events on Selverton Spire between April 4 and April 10, following a four-person team that summited on April 8 before an unexpected storm closed the weather window. How the radio’s location and condition intersect with the team’s movements and the missing weather update is the question that drives the story.

Person: Michael Murphy
Person: Heather York
Person: Dennis Crabbe
Person: Lisa Folger
Event: Summit and unexpected storm on April 8

- The orange radio found by Biscuit was eleven days old as lost property.
- Team reached high camp at 8,900 feet by April 6.
- Heather York called base contact Phil Garrett at 5:04 PM on April 7 and received a forecast predicting a 36-48 hour window.
- An updated forecast predicting winds over 50 mph and significant snowfall arrived at Garrett’s radio at 6:50 AM on April 8, twenty minutes after the team left camp.
- The team reached the summit at 11:17 AM and began descent at 11:40 AM; the storm arrived by 12:50 PM.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083699Thu, 30 Jul 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Radio That Listened: Lost on the Wrong Side of Selverton A safety-orange radio eleven days old was found balanced upright between two roots on the east flank of Selverton - but every team known to be on the mountain had stayed on the west. The...
A safety-orange radio eleven days old was found balanced upright between two roots on the east flank of Selverton - but every team known to be on the mountain had stayed on the west. The radio’s internal cable was severed so it could receive transmissions but not send them; how did a device that only listened end up on the wrong side of the massif, and what did it mean for four climbers caught by a sudden April storm?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events on Selverton Spire between April 4 and April 10, following a four-person team that summited on April 8 before an unexpected storm closed the weather window. How the radio’s location and condition intersect with the team’s movements and the missing weather update is the question that drives the story.

Person: Michael Murphy
Person: Heather York
Person: Dennis Crabbe
Person: Lisa Folger
Event: Summit and unexpected storm on April 8

- The orange radio found by Biscuit was eleven days old as lost property.
- Team reached high camp at 8,900 feet by April 6.
- Heather York called base contact Phil Garrett at 5:04 PM on April 7 and received a forecast predicting a 36-48 hour window.
- An updated forecast predicting winds over 50 mph and significant snowfall arrived at Garrett’s radio at 6:50 AM on April 8, twenty minutes after the team left camp.
- The team reached the summit at 11:17 AM and began descent at 11:40 AM; the storm arrived by 12:50 PM.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>892falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-boot-from-below-how-a-tagged-sock-tore-a-summit-apart--73083698
Cold, desperate and inexplicable: a frozen hiking boot with a handwritten sock tag washed up eleven miles from a mountain where six climbers were fighting to survive in a storm. The tag read "ew camp 2 spare," a phrase that pointed investigators toward missing fuel, soaked liners, and a chain of small decisions that nearly killed the team-whose boot was it, and did that tag seal their fate?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from town to high camp and trace how logistics, a missing fuel canister and one wet insulated liner combined on Tolliver North to create a life-or-death crisis. What precisely connected that boot in Kettrick Reservoir to the six climbers stranded above thirteen thousand feet?

Person: Erin Williams
Location: Kettrick Reservoir
Date: March 14, 2019
Event: Summit push from Camp Four began at 4:40 AM on March 13
Location: Tolliver North summit elevation 14,880 feet

- The boot with a sock tagged "ew camp 2 spare" was pulled from Kettrick Reservoir on March 14, 2019.
- Kettrick Reservoir sits at 4,200 feet; the nearest trailhead to Tolliver North starts at 6,100 feet.
- Tolliver North summit elevation is 14,880 feet and had only four successful ascents in the prior decade.
- The team cached twelve days of rations and a two-week fuel supply at Camp Four at 12,400 feet.
- The expedition left Camp Four (high camp at ~13,800 feet) at 4:40 AM on March 13 with six climbers.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083698Wed, 29 Jul 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Boot From Below: How a Tagged Sock Tore a Summit Apart Cold, desperate and inexplicable: a frozen hiking boot with a handwritten sock tag washed up eleven miles from a mountain where six climbers were fighting to survive in a storm. The tag...
Cold, desperate and inexplicable: a frozen hiking boot with a handwritten sock tag washed up eleven miles from a mountain where six climbers were fighting to survive in a storm. The tag read "ew camp 2 spare," a phrase that pointed investigators toward missing fuel, soaked liners, and a chain of small decisions that nearly killed the team-whose boot was it, and did that tag seal their fate?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from town to high camp and trace how logistics, a missing fuel canister and one wet insulated liner combined on Tolliver North to create a life-or-death crisis. What precisely connected that boot in Kettrick Reservoir to the six climbers stranded above thirteen thousand feet?

Person: Erin Williams
Location: Kettrick Reservoir
Date: March 14, 2019
Event: Summit push from Camp Four began at 4:40 AM on March 13
Location: Tolliver North summit elevation 14,880 feet

- The boot with a sock tagged "ew camp 2 spare" was pulled from Kettrick Reservoir on March 14, 2019.
- Kettrick Reservoir sits at 4,200 feet; the nearest trailhead to Tolliver North starts at 6,100 feet.
- Tolliver North summit elevation is 14,880 feet and had only four successful ascents in the prior decade.
- The team cached twelve days of rations and a two-week fuel supply at Camp Four at 12,400 feet.
- The expedition left Camp Four (high camp at ~13,800 feet) at 4:40 AM on March 13 with six climbers.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>885falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-boot-in-the-hemlock-how-pamela-vanished-from-cairn-peak--73083697
A single upright boot forty feet high in a dead tree, two voice memos, one glove, and no body - a climber disappeared on a clear February morning and the mountain returned only a baffling sequence of clues. What sequence of decisions left Pamela Snyder, 28, nowhere to be found and a boot standing where no route goes, and why did no search find a trace below the cliff band?

In this episode, we follow the timeline laid out in voice memos and logbooks and hear how routine preparation and sudden whiteout converged on Cairn Peak; we trace the last known movements of the three-person rope team and the odd physical evidence that stumped investigators - could the mountain’s own logic explain a vanishing?

Person: Pamela Snyder
Age: 28
Date: February 12, 2011
Location: Cairn Peak, Washington
Companions: Warren Patterson (44), Greg Ashford (31)

- Departure time from camp: 4:45 AM on February 12, 2011
- Whiteout onset: 7:15 AM with northwest wind gusts to 45 mph and visibility to about ten feet
- Camp elevation on Feb 11: roughly 10,000 feet with temperature -14°C and southwest wind ~20 mph
- Search duration: eleven days by three agencies with no body, no right boot recovered, nothing found below the cliff band
- Physical items recovered: two voice memos, one glove, and one left boot found standing upright in a dead tree ~40 feet above ground, discovered seven days later

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083697Tue, 28 Jul 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Boot in the Hemlock: How Pamela Vanished from Cairn Peak A single upright boot forty feet high in a dead tree, two voice memos, one glove, and no body - a climber disappeared on a clear February morning and the mountain returned only a baffling...
A single upright boot forty feet high in a dead tree, two voice memos, one glove, and no body - a climber disappeared on a clear February morning and the mountain returned only a baffling sequence of clues. What sequence of decisions left Pamela Snyder, 28, nowhere to be found and a boot standing where no route goes, and why did no search find a trace below the cliff band?

In this episode, we follow the timeline laid out in voice memos and logbooks and hear how routine preparation and sudden whiteout converged on Cairn Peak; we trace the last known movements of the three-person rope team and the odd physical evidence that stumped investigators - could the mountain’s own logic explain a vanishing?

Person: Pamela Snyder
Age: 28
Date: February 12, 2011
Location: Cairn Peak, Washington
Companions: Warren Patterson (44), Greg Ashford (31)

- Departure time from camp: 4:45 AM on February 12, 2011
- Whiteout onset: 7:15 AM with northwest wind gusts to 45 mph and visibility to about ten feet
- Camp elevation on Feb 11: roughly 10,000 feet with temperature -14°C and southwest wind ~20 mph
- Search duration: eleven days by three agencies with no body, no right boot recovered, nothing found below the cliff band
- Physical items recovered: two voice memos, one glove, and one left boot found standing upright in a dead tree ~40 feet above ground, discovered seven days later

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>967falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-six-full-cylinders-what-killed-bob-sutter-on-col-varren--73083696
Breathless danger: six seventy-year-old oxygen cylinders, each gauge pinned at maximum and completely full, sat in a freshly built wooden cradle at 9,000 feet-yet a climber with a cardiologist’s ceiling died above them days later. Who brought antique oxygen to Col Varren, why were the valves obsolete, and how did those cylinders change the fate of one man?

In this episode, we follow a small, methodical team on a January climb to Varren Northeast, the decisions they made about supplemental oxygen, and the hidden cache that only one member knew about; what did that secret cache mean for the summit push and for Bob Sutter’s last hours?

Date: January 9, 2019
Location: Col Varren, shelf at 9,000 feet
Person: Bob Sutter, age 44
Case: six olive-drab oxygen cylinders with discontinued valve standard
Event: expedition summit attempt beginning January 3, 2019

- Six olive-drab oxygen cylinders were discovered standing in a wooden cradle on January 9, 2019.
- A commercial gas supplier identified the valve standard as discontinued before 1952, making the cylinders roughly seventy years old.
- Every pressure gauge on the six cylinders was pinned at maximum and they were completely full.
- The cradle holding the cylinders was confirmed by a structural engineer to have been built within the previous few weeks with fresh manila rope.
- On January 8 the team radioed a partial message: "turned back, Bob can't, cylinder, we have to, the old ones might..." before static erased the transmission.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083696Mon, 27 Jul 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Six Full Cylinders: What Killed Bob Sutter on Col Varren Breathless danger: six seventy-year-old oxygen cylinders, each gauge pinned at maximum and completely full, sat in a freshly built wooden cradle at 9,000 feet-yet a climber with a...
Breathless danger: six seventy-year-old oxygen cylinders, each gauge pinned at maximum and completely full, sat in a freshly built wooden cradle at 9,000 feet-yet a climber with a cardiologist’s ceiling died above them days later. Who brought antique oxygen to Col Varren, why were the valves obsolete, and how did those cylinders change the fate of one man?

In this episode, we follow a small, methodical team on a January climb to Varren Northeast, the decisions they made about supplemental oxygen, and the hidden cache that only one member knew about; what did that secret cache mean for the summit push and for Bob Sutter’s last hours?

Date: January 9, 2019
Location: Col Varren, shelf at 9,000 feet
Person: Bob Sutter, age 44
Case: six olive-drab oxygen cylinders with discontinued valve standard
Event: expedition summit attempt beginning January 3, 2019

- Six olive-drab oxygen cylinders were discovered standing in a wooden cradle on January 9, 2019.
- A commercial gas supplier identified the valve standard as discontinued before 1952, making the cylinders roughly seventy years old.
- Every pressure gauge on the six cylinders was pinned at maximum and they were completely full.
- The cradle holding the cylinders was confirmed by a structural engineer to have been built within the previous few weeks with fresh manila rope.
- On January 8 the team radioed a partial message: "turned back, Bob can't, cylinder, we have to, the old ones might..." before static erased the transmission.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>962falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-map-beneath-three-rocks-how-fenwick-broke-a-team-and-saved-one--73083694
Danger and precision collide on a frozen ridge: a retired postal worker finds a hand-drawn topographic map tucked beneath three rocks at 7:18 AM on December 14, 2019 - a map drawn by a climber who could no longer close his fists. How did a single folded paper, found four minutes after a 911 call, become the hinge between life and death on Fenwick Peak?

In this episode, we follow the climb and its aftermath, tracing the lives, choices, and timing that shaped the rescue and the loss. What did the map preserve, who made it, and why did a thirty-three-minute delay on summit day become the difference between coming down and not?

Person: Raymond Erickson
Person: Curtis Dahl
Person: Faye Novak
Date: December 10-14, 2019
Location: Fenwick Peak, Fenwick Peak, western Montana

- Map found by Melissa Bauer at 7:18 AM on December 14, 2019, pinned under three rocks at the mouth of Cutter Creek.
- Melissa Bauer called 9-1-1 at 7:22 AM, four minutes after finding the map.
- Raymond Erickson was 23 years old and had been climbing consistently since age 15.
- The team reached the col at 12:47 PM on December 10, 2019 - 33 minutes later than the advised noon turnaround.
- Gregory Russo had summited Fenwick Peak 17 times and advised the southwest ridge with a noon col turnaround rule written in Raymond’s notebook.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083694Sun, 26 Jul 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Map beneath Three Rocks: How Fenwick Broke a Team and Saved One Danger and precision collide on a frozen ridge: a retired postal worker finds a hand-drawn topographic map tucked beneath three rocks at 7:18 AM on December 14, 2019 - a map drawn...
Danger and precision collide on a frozen ridge: a retired postal worker finds a hand-drawn topographic map tucked beneath three rocks at 7:18 AM on December 14, 2019 - a map drawn by a climber who could no longer close his fists. How did a single folded paper, found four minutes after a 911 call, become the hinge between life and death on Fenwick Peak?

In this episode, we follow the climb and its aftermath, tracing the lives, choices, and timing that shaped the rescue and the loss. What did the map preserve, who made it, and why did a thirty-three-minute delay on summit day become the difference between coming down and not?

Person: Raymond Erickson
Person: Curtis Dahl
Person: Faye Novak
Date: December 10-14, 2019
Location: Fenwick Peak, Fenwick Peak, western Montana

- Map found by Melissa Bauer at 7:18 AM on December 14, 2019, pinned under three rocks at the mouth of Cutter Creek.
- Melissa Bauer called 9-1-1 at 7:22 AM, four minutes after finding the map.
- Raymond Erickson was 23 years old and had been climbing consistently since age 15.
- The team reached the col at 12:47 PM on December 10, 2019 - 33 minutes later than the advised noon turnaround.
- Gregory Russo had summited Fenwick Peak 17 times and advised the southwest ridge with a noon col turnaround rule written in Raymond’s notebook.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>922falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/crampon-in-the-parking-lot-four-dead-one-returns-alive--73083693
A steel twelve-point crampon stamped "19200" was found leaning against a mud-caked Subaru in a trailhead parking lot at 4:53 a.m. on November 19, 2011 - four miles and roughly 200 feet down from where it last belonged on Kael's Tooth. How did one piece of equipment travel through ice, stone and gravity to land in a car cupholder while four climbers lay dead above?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events on Kael's Tooth between November 12 and November 19, 2011, following a five-person summit team, the fixed-line system on the Northeast Col traverse, and the one decision that set the course for the descent. What moment on the rope line - recorded in radios and a field notebook - turned a high-altitude summit into a tragedy?

Date: November 17-19, 2011
Location: Kael's Tooth, Caldwell Range
Elevation: approximately 19,400 feet
Person: Heather Padgett (age 38)
Event: Summit and fatal descent of five-person team

- A fourteen-year-old, Tracy O'Connor, found the crampon at 4:53 a.m. on November 19, 2011, and waited about forty minutes before flagging down a deputy.
- The crampon was a twelve-point steel mountaineering device stamped "19200" in silver paint.
- The summit team reached Kael's Tooth summit at 2:46 p.m, on November 17, 2011, already past their turnaround window.
- Pete Hadley noted "spongy" midpoint anchor pickets in his orange notebook on November 12 and reported it by radio to guide John Hansen; the pickets were not reset before the summit push.
- Heather Padgett, age 38, ran four miles every morning and was considered the strongest technical climber on the team.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083693Sat, 25 Jul 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaCrampon in the Parking Lot: Four Dead, One Returns Alive A steel twelve-point crampon stamped "19200" was found leaning against a mud-caked Subaru in a trailhead parking lot at 4:53 a.m. on November 19, 2011 - four miles and roughly 200 feet down...
A steel twelve-point crampon stamped "19200" was found leaning against a mud-caked Subaru in a trailhead parking lot at 4:53 a.m. on November 19, 2011 - four miles and roughly 200 feet down from where it last belonged on Kael's Tooth. How did one piece of equipment travel through ice, stone and gravity to land in a car cupholder while four climbers lay dead above?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events on Kael's Tooth between November 12 and November 19, 2011, following a five-person summit team, the fixed-line system on the Northeast Col traverse, and the one decision that set the course for the descent. What moment on the rope line - recorded in radios and a field notebook - turned a high-altitude summit into a tragedy?

Date: November 17-19, 2011
Location: Kael's Tooth, Caldwell Range
Elevation: approximately 19,400 feet
Person: Heather Padgett (age 38)
Event: Summit and fatal descent of five-person team

- A fourteen-year-old, Tracy O'Connor, found the crampon at 4:53 a.m. on November 19, 2011, and waited about forty minutes before flagging down a deputy.
- The crampon was a twelve-point steel mountaineering device stamped "19200" in silver paint.
- The summit team reached Kael's Tooth summit at 2:46 p.m, on November 17, 2011, already past their turnaround window.
- Pete Hadley noted "spongy" midpoint anchor pickets in his orange notebook on November 12 and reported it by radio to guide John Hansen; the pickets were not reset before the summit push.
- Heather Padgett, age 38, ran four miles every morning and was considered the strongest technical climber on the team.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>991falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-sat-facing-away-why-a-mountaineer-died-looking-the-wrong-way--73083692
A man in a red mountaineering suit was found seated and upright on a snowfield, facing southwest toward a valley fifteen miles away-yet he had just completed one of the most technically demanding routes few had finished. Why would a sixty-two-year-old wilderness cook leave high camp alone at night, summit a route recorded only three times before, and then sit down facing the wrong direction with a compass in his left hand?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from the Talvern Trailhead call to the discovery on Forest Service Road 14 and follow the small, concrete decisions that shaped the outcome. How did Thomas O'Brien’s background, the late-night solo ascent, and a single unexpected object in his hand converge to produce a death that resisted easy explanations?

Person: Thomas O'Brien
Date: October 9, 2017
Location: Snowfield beside Forest Service Road 14, facing Elsten Valley
Event: Solo summit ascent from Notch Shelf at ~12,400 ft
Occupation: Seasonal wilderness guide cook

- At 4:30 a.m. on October 9, 2017, Alan Porter found O'Brien sitting cross-legged, spine straight, holding a compass in his left hand.
- O'Brien was sixty-two years old and had worked as a seasonal wilderness guide cook for nearly four decades.
- The Notch Shelf high camp was established at roughly 12,400 feet on October 6, 2017.
- At 11:51 p.m. on October 7, 2017, O'Brien radioed base saying, "We're going up," though no other team members left camp.
- The northeast buttress route O'Brien climbed had only three prior recorded completions.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083692Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Sat Facing Away: Why a Mountaineer Died Looking the Wrong Way A man in a red mountaineering suit was found seated and upright on a snowfield, facing southwest toward a valley fifteen miles away-yet he had just completed one of the most...
A man in a red mountaineering suit was found seated and upright on a snowfield, facing southwest toward a valley fifteen miles away-yet he had just completed one of the most technically demanding routes few had finished. Why would a sixty-two-year-old wilderness cook leave high camp alone at night, summit a route recorded only three times before, and then sit down facing the wrong direction with a compass in his left hand?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from the Talvern Trailhead call to the discovery on Forest Service Road 14 and follow the small, concrete decisions that shaped the outcome. How did Thomas O'Brien’s background, the late-night solo ascent, and a single unexpected object in his hand converge to produce a death that resisted easy explanations?

Person: Thomas O'Brien
Date: October 9, 2017
Location: Snowfield beside Forest Service Road 14, facing Elsten Valley
Event: Solo summit ascent from Notch Shelf at ~12,400 ft
Occupation: Seasonal wilderness guide cook

- At 4:30 a.m. on October 9, 2017, Alan Porter found O'Brien sitting cross-legged, spine straight, holding a compass in his left hand.
- O'Brien was sixty-two years old and had worked as a seasonal wilderness guide cook for nearly four decades.
- The Notch Shelf high camp was established at roughly 12,400 feet on October 6, 2017.
- At 11:51 p.m. on October 7, 2017, O'Brien radioed base saying, "We're going up," though no other team members left camp.
- The northeast buttress route O'Brien climbed had only three prior recorded completions.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>878falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/left-boot-on-a-transformer-how-a-perfect-climb-nearly-became-murder--73083690
A single left mountaineering boot, crampon locked and a silver "R.F." on the heel, was found upright on a transformer housing at 11,200 feet - four thousand vertical feet and a mile lateral from the nearest route. Forty percent of a fixed rope's internal load-bearing strands were later found severed after a glancing crampon strike; who noticed the damage only after nine passages, and why was no one looking when everything still "looked like a rope"?

In this episode, we follow the Dunmore Massif expedition and the reconstruction that followed the boot discovery. You will hear how team roles, a seemingly minor scuff, and a single descent moment combined into a meticulously documented near-disaster that forced investigators to ask: how do you fix what you never saw was broken?

Person: Ruth Ford
Person: Jeffrey Jones
Location: Dunmore Massif
Date: September 14-21
Event: Fixed rope damage and reconstruction

- On September 21, utility worker Melvin Riley found a left mountaineering boot at 11,200 feet on the Kessler Pass relay station transformer.
- The boot had a gaiter buckled, crampon locked to the sole, and "R.F." written on the heel with a silver paint pen.
- The nearest established climbing route ended 4,000 feet higher and one lateral mile away from where the boot was found.
- On September 14, Paul Strick's left crampon made a glancing strike against an orange 11-mm static fixed rope, producing a pale scuff on the sheath.
- That glancing contact severed 40% of the rope's internal load-bearing strands, even though the sheath remained intact and the rope continued to hold through nine subsequent passages.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083690Thu, 23 Jul 2026 13:00:12 +0000Creator at ObomediaLeft Boot on a Transformer: How a Perfect Climb Nearly Became Murder A single left mountaineering boot, crampon locked and a silver "R.F." on the heel, was found upright on a transformer housing at 11,200 feet - four thousand vertical feet and a...
A single left mountaineering boot, crampon locked and a silver "R.F." on the heel, was found upright on a transformer housing at 11,200 feet - four thousand vertical feet and a mile lateral from the nearest route. Forty percent of a fixed rope's internal load-bearing strands were later found severed after a glancing crampon strike; who noticed the damage only after nine passages, and why was no one looking when everything still "looked like a rope"?

In this episode, we follow the Dunmore Massif expedition and the reconstruction that followed the boot discovery. You will hear how team roles, a seemingly minor scuff, and a single descent moment combined into a meticulously documented near-disaster that forced investigators to ask: how do you fix what you never saw was broken?

Person: Ruth Ford
Person: Jeffrey Jones
Location: Dunmore Massif
Date: September 14-21
Event: Fixed rope damage and reconstruction

- On September 21, utility worker Melvin Riley found a left mountaineering boot at 11,200 feet on the Kessler Pass relay station transformer.
- The boot had a gaiter buckled, crampon locked to the sole, and "R.F." written on the heel with a silver paint pen.
- The nearest established climbing route ended 4,000 feet higher and one lateral mile away from where the boot was found.
- On September 14, Paul Strick's left crampon made a glancing strike against an orange 11-mm static fixed rope, producing a pale scuff on the sheath.
- That glancing contact severed 40% of the rope's internal load-bearing strands, even though the sheath remained intact and the rope continued to hold through nine subsequent passages.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>953falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-boot-on-cutter-creek-how-marilyn-walked-away-from-13-400ft--73083689
Cold wind, a single burnt-orange women's boot at 4,900 ft, and no sign of a body - a meticulous climber filed her itinerary and left a penciled note at 2:15 AM before a storm that arrived 36 hours early changed everything; how did Marilyn survive a decision on a ledge at 13,400 ft while her team staggered below?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the campsite at 12,800 ft through the summit at 1:58 PM to the desperate descent onto the Morrow Shelf, reconstructing weather logs, radio timestamps, and the small details that shaped survival on the mountain - could one methodical choice in the dark be the difference between life and death?

Person: Marilyn Perry
Date: August 12, 2011
Location: Morrow Spire / Morrow Shelf / Cutter Creek drainage
Person: Charles Hall
Status: Boot found at 4,900 ft by Sherry Norris on August 14, 2011

- The summit was reached at approximately 1:58 PM on August 12, 2011.
- Charles Hall wrote “dropped 0.18 overnight - monitor” at 2:15 AM and still started the summit push at 2:45 AM.
- Wind speeds increased to 50 miles per hour within two hours after the summit.
- Frank Oster fell at approximately 4:00 PM, breaking two ribs but arresting his fall.
- The lone burnt-orange size 8 women’s mountaineering boot was found upright with frozen mud on the sole at 6:00 AM on August 14, 2011.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083689Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Boot on Cutter Creek: How Marilyn Walked Away from 13,400ft Cold wind, a single burnt-orange women's boot at 4,900 ft, and no sign of a body - a meticulous climber filed her itinerary and left a penciled note at 2:15 AM before a storm that...
Cold wind, a single burnt-orange women's boot at 4,900 ft, and no sign of a body - a meticulous climber filed her itinerary and left a penciled note at 2:15 AM before a storm that arrived 36 hours early changed everything; how did Marilyn survive a decision on a ledge at 13,400 ft while her team staggered below?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the campsite at 12,800 ft through the summit at 1:58 PM to the desperate descent onto the Morrow Shelf, reconstructing weather logs, radio timestamps, and the small details that shaped survival on the mountain - could one methodical choice in the dark be the difference between life and death?

Person: Marilyn Perry
Date: August 12, 2011
Location: Morrow Spire / Morrow Shelf / Cutter Creek drainage
Person: Charles Hall
Status: Boot found at 4,900 ft by Sherry Norris on August 14, 2011

- The summit was reached at approximately 1:58 PM on August 12, 2011.
- Charles Hall wrote “dropped 0.18 overnight - monitor” at 2:15 AM and still started the summit push at 2:45 AM.
- Wind speeds increased to 50 miles per hour within two hours after the summit.
- Frank Oster fell at approximately 4:00 PM, breaking two ribs but arresting his fall.
- The lone burnt-orange size 8 women’s mountaineering boot was found upright with frozen mud on the sole at 6:00 AM on August 14, 2011.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>843falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/a-tent-arrives-alone-the-verada-peak-disaster--73083688
A fully erected orange expedition tent was found at 8,400 ft with its door zipped, two sleeping bags, a stove, and a pot of partially hydrated beef stew frozen solid - and there were no footprints, tire tracks, or people nearby. How did a tent traced back to a 12,600 ft high camp arrive intact at a lower drainage with a meal left mid-preparation, and where were its owners?

In this episode, we narrate the sequence of events from the tent discovery through the prior four days on Verada Peak, following the crew, their gear movements, and decisions that created the central mystery: why a sealed, organized tent and unfinished meal would be found alone at 8,400 ft?

Person: Grant Collins
Person: Wendy Walker
Person: Vernon Ramsey
Date: July 14
Location: 8,400 ft in the lower Sutter Creek drainage

- At 08:30 on July 14, Grant Collins found an orange expedition tent with guy lines taut and the door zipper pulled shut from the outside at 8,400 ft.
- Inside the tent were two neatly rolled sleeping bags, a camp stove, a fuel canister, two folded trekking poles, and an aluminum pot with partially hydrated freeze-dried beef stew frozen solid.
- The nearest trailhead for Verada Peak was twelve miles up the drainage from where the tent was found.
- A high camp at 12,600 ft on the southwest face of Verada Peak held a storage tent left two weeks earlier by Stan Morrow that contained extra supplies and a pot of stew he began hydrating before being called away.
- Guide Vernon Ramsey set a 09:00 turnaround for summit day, transferred the satellite communicator and emergency rations from the damaged storage tent into the main tent, but did not transfer an interior provisions bag containing additional rations.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083688Tue, 21 Jul 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaA Tent Arrives Alone: The Verada Peak Disaster A fully erected orange expedition tent was found at 8,400 ft with its door zipped, two sleeping bags, a stove, and a pot of partially hydrated beef stew frozen solid - and there were no footprints,...
A fully erected orange expedition tent was found at 8,400 ft with its door zipped, two sleeping bags, a stove, and a pot of partially hydrated beef stew frozen solid - and there were no footprints, tire tracks, or people nearby. How did a tent traced back to a 12,600 ft high camp arrive intact at a lower drainage with a meal left mid-preparation, and where were its owners?

In this episode, we narrate the sequence of events from the tent discovery through the prior four days on Verada Peak, following the crew, their gear movements, and decisions that created the central mystery: why a sealed, organized tent and unfinished meal would be found alone at 8,400 ft?

Person: Grant Collins
Person: Wendy Walker
Person: Vernon Ramsey
Date: July 14
Location: 8,400 ft in the lower Sutter Creek drainage

- At 08:30 on July 14, Grant Collins found an orange expedition tent with guy lines taut and the door zipper pulled shut from the outside at 8,400 ft.
- Inside the tent were two neatly rolled sleeping bags, a camp stove, a fuel canister, two folded trekking poles, and an aluminum pot with partially hydrated freeze-dried beef stew frozen solid.
- The nearest trailhead for Verada Peak was twelve miles up the drainage from where the tent was found.
- A high camp at 12,600 ft on the southwest face of Verada Peak held a storage tent left two weeks earlier by Stan Morrow that contained extra supplies and a pot of stew he began hydrating before being called away.
- Guide Vernon Ramsey set a 09:00 turnaround for summit day, transferred the satellite communicator and emergency rations from the damaged storage tent into the main tent, but did not transfer an interior provisions bag containing additional rations.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>915falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/regulator-at-zero-how-four-climbers-vanished-on-morrow-s-throne--73083687
Fear that something small can erase you - an oxygen regulator was found in a ditch eleven miles from the nearest trailhead, its gauge frozen at zero, and no missing-person report matched it. What happened on the southwest face of Morrow's Throne that left a full cylinder gone and three climbers stranded at 13,400 feet?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the June 2019 discovery back to the climb itself, laying out the gear, the decisions, and the single mistake that sent a cylinder over a ledge; can the pieces of a ruined summit day explain how one regulator ended up behind a church?

Date: June 2019
Location: Morrow's Throne, Sutter Range, Montana
Person: Wade Stein; Melvin Clark; Sharon Eck; Tom Burris
Elevation: 13,400 feet summit; push camp at 12,200 feet
Event: Oxygen regulator found in drainage ditch with gauge at zero

- A truck driver found the regulator on the third Tuesday of June 2019 in a drainage ditch behind Harmon Falls Evangelical Church, eleven miles from the nearest trailhead.
- Morrow's Throne summit elevation is 13,400 feet and its southwest face is sustained mixed ice-and-rock climbing with no direct descent line.
- The team hauled two oxygen cylinders to a push camp at 12,200 feet on June 7; a photo on June 8 showed the left cylinder at 2,000 PSI and the right between 800-1,200 PSI.
- Three climbers left the push camp at 4:40 a.m. on June 9 and reached the base of the summit wall around 11:00 a.m.; one climber (Tom Burris) stayed at camp due to illness.
- Melvin’s oxygen system bag dropped about 60 feet after a carabiner gate’s locking collar struck stone and opened, producing a single flat knock as it fell off the southwest face.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083687Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:51:29 +0000Creator at ObomediaRegulator at Zero: How Four Climbers Vanished on Morrow's Throne Fear that something small can erase you - an oxygen regulator was found in a ditch eleven miles from the nearest trailhead, its gauge frozen at zero, and no missing-person report...
Fear that something small can erase you - an oxygen regulator was found in a ditch eleven miles from the nearest trailhead, its gauge frozen at zero, and no missing-person report matched it. What happened on the southwest face of Morrow's Throne that left a full cylinder gone and three climbers stranded at 13,400 feet?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the June 2019 discovery back to the climb itself, laying out the gear, the decisions, and the single mistake that sent a cylinder over a ledge; can the pieces of a ruined summit day explain how one regulator ended up behind a church?

Date: June 2019
Location: Morrow's Throne, Sutter Range, Montana
Person: Wade Stein; Melvin Clark; Sharon Eck; Tom Burris
Elevation: 13,400 feet summit; push camp at 12,200 feet
Event: Oxygen regulator found in drainage ditch with gauge at zero

- A truck driver found the regulator on the third Tuesday of June 2019 in a drainage ditch behind Harmon Falls Evangelical Church, eleven miles from the nearest trailhead.
- Morrow's Throne summit elevation is 13,400 feet and its southwest face is sustained mixed ice-and-rock climbing with no direct descent line.
- The team hauled two oxygen cylinders to a push camp at 12,200 feet on June 7; a photo on June 8 showed the left cylinder at 2,000 PSI and the right between 800-1,200 PSI.
- Three climbers left the push camp at 4:40 a.m. on June 9 and reached the base of the summit wall around 11:00 a.m.; one climber (Tom Burris) stayed at camp due to illness.
- Melvin’s oxygen system bag dropped about 60 feet after a carabiner gate’s locking collar struck stone and opened, producing a single flat knock as it fell off the southwest face.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>989falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-upright-boot-how-small-errors-turned-varden-s-needle-dangerous--73083686
A single climbing boot, upright in three inches of snowmelt with a twelve-point crampon buckled and no blood, no tracks, no foot - and a label with a name, employer and phone number. The calmness of the scene at 6,200 feet on May 19, 2017 contradicts the messy sequence of small miscalculations that preceded it; what tiny choices added up to something deadly?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Connie Weber’s meticulous routine and planting schedule to the May 15 summit push on Varden’s Needle, tracing the decisions, delayed minutes, and conditions that turned a local peak into a hazard. How did thirty-eight minutes on the summit, loose straps, and an eleven-minute slow pace combine to create the unexplained presence of that boot?

Person: Connie Weber
Date: May 19, 2017
Location: Marie Bell trail drainage channel at 6,200 feet
Event: Summit push began at 4:47 AM on May 15, 2017
Guide: Ross Phillips, 49, owner of Ridgeline North

- The boot was upright in three inches of snowmelt with a twelve-point crampon buckled to the sole.
- Petra Gaines found the boot while walking a dog named Clover on the morning of May 19, 2017.
- Connie Weber kept a paper logbook, no social media or GPS-tracked routes, and worked twice weekly at a community garden.
- The summit team reached Ledge camp at 8,700 feet the evening of May 14 and began the summit push at 4:47 AM on May 15.
- The summit stop lasted thirty-eight minutes versus the planned fifteen, with Aaron Finch eleven minutes slower on the upper ridge and a seven-minute stop to resecure Craig Welty’s crampon strap.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083686Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:51:26 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Upright Boot: How Small Errors Turned Varden's Needle Dangerous A single climbing boot, upright in three inches of snowmelt with a twelve-point crampon buckled and no blood, no tracks, no foot - and a label with a name, employer and phone...
A single climbing boot, upright in three inches of snowmelt with a twelve-point crampon buckled and no blood, no tracks, no foot - and a label with a name, employer and phone number. The calmness of the scene at 6,200 feet on May 19, 2017 contradicts the messy sequence of small miscalculations that preceded it; what tiny choices added up to something deadly?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Connie Weber’s meticulous routine and planting schedule to the May 15 summit push on Varden’s Needle, tracing the decisions, delayed minutes, and conditions that turned a local peak into a hazard. How did thirty-eight minutes on the summit, loose straps, and an eleven-minute slow pace combine to create the unexplained presence of that boot?

Person: Connie Weber
Date: May 19, 2017
Location: Marie Bell trail drainage channel at 6,200 feet
Event: Summit push began at 4:47 AM on May 15, 2017
Guide: Ross Phillips, 49, owner of Ridgeline North

- The boot was upright in three inches of snowmelt with a twelve-point crampon buckled to the sole.
- Petra Gaines found the boot while walking a dog named Clover on the morning of May 19, 2017.
- Connie Weber kept a paper logbook, no social media or GPS-tracked routes, and worked twice weekly at a community garden.
- The summit team reached Ledge camp at 8,700 feet the evening of May 14 and began the summit push at 4:47 AM on May 15.
- The summit stop lasted thirty-eight minutes versus the planned fifteen, with Aaron Finch eleven minutes slower on the upper ridge and a seven-minute stop to resecure Craig Welty’s crampon strap.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>892falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-crampon-in-the-river-when-a-climber-vanished-from-the-col--73083685
Cold, ordinary water in a river nine miles from the nearest mountain delivered a crampon-buckled and strap threaded-removed deliberately from a climber who never returned. A methodical twenty-eight-year-old vanished after a controlled descent from a 9,000-foot summit; why was her gear found downstream and not on the mountain?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from base camp to the col: the morning radio noise, the summit push, a fall that injured two climbers, and the last confirmed contact reporting mild altitude sickness-then silence. What happened to Valerie Pruitt between the col and the river where her crampon appeared?

Person: Valerie Pruitt
Date: April 11-14, 2017
Location: Brennan Spire col, ~9,000 feet; Solace Fork river nine miles from nearest mountain
Status: Missing; crampon recovered in river
Event: Fall on West Rib, summit reached April 11; storm and two-night survival of teammates

- Valerie Pruitt was 28 years old and worked as a lab technician in Boise.
- The team reached the true summit at 9,000 feet at approximately 8:51 AM and left the summit within an hour.
- A four-second radio transmission was recorded at 11:47 PM the night before the summit push and later forensically described as possibly containing the name "Wendy."
- After a fall between the false shoulder and the col, two climbers slid about 30 feet before being stopped by Wendy's ice axe arrest.
- A crampon, buckled and with its neoprene strap threaded through the keeper, was recovered from Solace Fork on April 14, 2017, about nine miles from the nearest mountain.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083685Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:51:23 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Crampon in the River: When a Climber Vanished from the Col Cold, ordinary water in a river nine miles from the nearest mountain delivered a crampon-buckled and strap threaded-removed deliberately from a climber who never returned. A methodical...
Cold, ordinary water in a river nine miles from the nearest mountain delivered a crampon-buckled and strap threaded-removed deliberately from a climber who never returned. A methodical twenty-eight-year-old vanished after a controlled descent from a 9,000-foot summit; why was her gear found downstream and not on the mountain?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from base camp to the col: the morning radio noise, the summit push, a fall that injured two climbers, and the last confirmed contact reporting mild altitude sickness-then silence. What happened to Valerie Pruitt between the col and the river where her crampon appeared?

Person: Valerie Pruitt
Date: April 11-14, 2017
Location: Brennan Spire col, ~9,000 feet; Solace Fork river nine miles from nearest mountain
Status: Missing; crampon recovered in river
Event: Fall on West Rib, summit reached April 11; storm and two-night survival of teammates

- Valerie Pruitt was 28 years old and worked as a lab technician in Boise.
- The team reached the true summit at 9,000 feet at approximately 8:51 AM and left the summit within an hour.
- A four-second radio transmission was recorded at 11:47 PM the night before the summit push and later forensically described as possibly containing the name "Wendy."
- After a fall between the false shoulder and the col, two climbers slid about 30 feet before being stopped by Wendy's ice axe arrest.
- A crampon, buckled and with its neoprene strap threaded through the keeper, was recovered from Solace Fork on April 14, 2017, about nine miles from the nearest mountain.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>845falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-boot-that-walked-out-of-a-glacier-the-rope-decision--73083684
A single orange-and-black double boot emerged upright from a glacier terminus on March 14, 2019, with a human foot inside - six years after Kent Dixon vanished into a crevasse on Arrowbone Ridge. The boot fits Kent’s gear exactly and raises one impossible question: how did a methodical climber who checked his equipment three times end up missing from a rope team that consolidated into one line? What happened in the 1 hour and 47 minutes between the planned 4:00 a.m. departure and the actual start at 5:47 a.m.?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of the Brecken Horn expedition and the facts that led investigators to a single, unsettling decision on the descent. We cover the team composition, the timing of movements, and the rope configuration that created a pendulum risk - and ask whether that rope choice can explain Kent Dixon’s disappearance and the boot’s reappearance.

Person: Kent Dixon
Date: March 11, 2013
Location: Brecken Horn, Brecken Horn talus apron and Arrowbone Ridge
Event: Boot with foot surfaced from glacier terminus on March 14, 2019
Status: Disappeared into a crevasse; body not recovered

- Kent Dixon was 54 years old and had 22 years of climbing experience.
- The expedition reached Camp Two at 11,300 feet and planned a 4:00 a.m. summit push on March 11, 2013.
- The team summited Brecken Horn (12,400 feet) at 11:22 a.m. and began descent into a crevasse field.
- Guide Jean Owens consolidated the party onto a single rope for descent; Kent was last on the line with roughly 30 feet between him and Paul Reiter.
- Paul Reiter’s GPS recorded every position change and provided the primary precise record of the descent and the first unexplained anomaly.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083684Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:51:21 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Boot That Walked Out of a Glacier: The Rope Decision A single orange-and-black double boot emerged upright from a glacier terminus on March 14, 2019, with a human foot inside - six years after Kent Dixon vanished into a crevasse on Arrowbone...
A single orange-and-black double boot emerged upright from a glacier terminus on March 14, 2019, with a human foot inside - six years after Kent Dixon vanished into a crevasse on Arrowbone Ridge. The boot fits Kent’s gear exactly and raises one impossible question: how did a methodical climber who checked his equipment three times end up missing from a rope team that consolidated into one line? What happened in the 1 hour and 47 minutes between the planned 4:00 a.m. departure and the actual start at 5:47 a.m.?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of the Brecken Horn expedition and the facts that led investigators to a single, unsettling decision on the descent. We cover the team composition, the timing of movements, and the rope configuration that created a pendulum risk - and ask whether that rope choice can explain Kent Dixon’s disappearance and the boot’s reappearance.

Person: Kent Dixon
Date: March 11, 2013
Location: Brecken Horn, Brecken Horn talus apron and Arrowbone Ridge
Event: Boot with foot surfaced from glacier terminus on March 14, 2019
Status: Disappeared into a crevasse; body not recovered

- Kent Dixon was 54 years old and had 22 years of climbing experience.
- The expedition reached Camp Two at 11,300 feet and planned a 4:00 a.m. summit push on March 11, 2013.
- The team summited Brecken Horn (12,400 feet) at 11:22 a.m. and began descent into a crevasse field.
- Guide Jean Owens consolidated the party onto a single rope for descent; Kent was last on the line with roughly 30 feet between him and Paul Reiter.
- Paul Reiter’s GPS recorded every position change and provided the primary precise record of the descent and the first unexplained anomaly.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1019falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-gloves-left-on-alderman-peak-why-he-walked-away--73083682
Cold, precise, and inexplicable: two orange liner gloves sat upright in the snow on a mining access road with no tracks, no vehicle, and a temperature of eleven degrees Fahrenheit - who left them and why did the person walk away? The gloves tied a small sheriff's office, a regional mountaineering safety board, and a hospital trauma team to a chain of decisions made eleven days earlier on Alderman Peak; what did those gloves really mean?

In this episode, you will hear the sequence of events from February 10-21, 2011, that connects a summit push, a missed weather update, and the discovery of those gloves - and why a twenty-three-year-old from Coeur d'Alene walked away from them. What unfolded on the mountain, and how did a dying satellite communicator and a thirty-five-minute, nine-hundred-vertical-foot ascent factor into the outcome?

Person: Donald Smith, 23, Coeur d'Alene
Person: George Vaughn, 44, guide from Millhaven
Person: Brian Kell, 31, electrician from Missoula
Date: February 10, 2011 (summit attempt); February 21, 2011 (gloves found)
Location: Alderman Peak; mining access road in the Clearwater Highlands

- Two orange liner gloves were found upright and side by side in the snow with no boot tracks nearby on February 21, 2011.
- Temperature at the glove discovery was eleven degrees Fahrenheit when Gregory Christensen photographed them.
- The climbing team established high camp at 9,040 feet on February 8, 2011.
- Radio log entries placed the team at 9,700 feet at 9:47 AM and at the summit ridge (10,600 feet) at 10:22 AM on February 10, 2011 - a 35-minute, 900-vertical-foot push.
- George Vaughn’s satellite communicator failed to receive an updated forecast that moved the front’s arrival earlier the morning of February 10.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083682Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:51:18 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Gloves Left on Alderman Peak: Why He Walked Away Cold, precise, and inexplicable: two orange liner gloves sat upright in the snow on a mining access road with no tracks, no vehicle, and a temperature of eleven degrees Fahrenheit - who left them...
Cold, precise, and inexplicable: two orange liner gloves sat upright in the snow on a mining access road with no tracks, no vehicle, and a temperature of eleven degrees Fahrenheit - who left them and why did the person walk away? The gloves tied a small sheriff's office, a regional mountaineering safety board, and a hospital trauma team to a chain of decisions made eleven days earlier on Alderman Peak; what did those gloves really mean?

In this episode, you will hear the sequence of events from February 10-21, 2011, that connects a summit push, a missed weather update, and the discovery of those gloves - and why a twenty-three-year-old from Coeur d'Alene walked away from them. What unfolded on the mountain, and how did a dying satellite communicator and a thirty-five-minute, nine-hundred-vertical-foot ascent factor into the outcome?

Person: Donald Smith, 23, Coeur d'Alene
Person: George Vaughn, 44, guide from Millhaven
Person: Brian Kell, 31, electrician from Missoula
Date: February 10, 2011 (summit attempt); February 21, 2011 (gloves found)
Location: Alderman Peak; mining access road in the Clearwater Highlands

- Two orange liner gloves were found upright and side by side in the snow with no boot tracks nearby on February 21, 2011.
- Temperature at the glove discovery was eleven degrees Fahrenheit when Gregory Christensen photographed them.
- The climbing team established high camp at 9,040 feet on February 8, 2011.
- Radio log entries placed the team at 9,700 feet at 9:47 AM and at the summit ridge (10,600 feet) at 10:22 AM on February 10, 2011 - a 35-minute, 900-vertical-foot push.
- George Vaughn’s satellite communicator failed to receive an updated forecast that moved the front’s arrival earlier the morning of February 10.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>900falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-turnaround-that-cost-toes-the-tindall-override-at-11-400ft--73083681
An orange sleeping bag, fully zipped, wedged into a vertical crack at 11,400 feet-photographed from 9,200 feet with a 400mm lens on January 9-and the mystery took eleven days to decode. A single override of a strict turnaround time left eleven climbers alive but paying with toes and fingertips; what did that one decision actually change?

In this episode, we trace the sequence of January 7 that led to a catastrophic failure inside a professionally assembled expedition, following contemporaneous notes, log entries, and the recovered summit book to ask whether one enforced rule was deliberately broken or quietly undone. How did a guide known for strict turnaround enforcement end up radioing that they were "pushing on," and what consequence did that choice leave behind?

Date: January 7
Location: Tindall massif north face
Person: Jeffrey Campbell
Person: Megan Hensley
Event: Turnaround override

- Douglas Morgan photographed an orange sleeping bag at 11,400 feet on January 9 with a 400mm lens from 9,200 feet.
- Eleven climbers summited Tindall on January 7 at 11:22 a.m., recorded in the summit log.
- Jeffrey Campbell's set turnaround time was exceeded by two hours and twenty-two minutes when the summit occurred.
- Steven Pierce wrote a marginal radio log entry at 9:47 a.m.: "TT already passed. JC says conditions good, pushing on."
- Megan Hensley's logbook entry for December 28 listed route and team size and one word: "Ready."

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083681Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:51:15 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Turnaround That Cost Toes: The Tindall Override at 11,400ft An orange sleeping bag, fully zipped, wedged into a vertical crack at 11,400 feet-photographed from 9,200 feet with a 400mm lens on January 9-and the mystery took eleven days to...
An orange sleeping bag, fully zipped, wedged into a vertical crack at 11,400 feet-photographed from 9,200 feet with a 400mm lens on January 9-and the mystery took eleven days to decode. A single override of a strict turnaround time left eleven climbers alive but paying with toes and fingertips; what did that one decision actually change?

In this episode, we trace the sequence of January 7 that led to a catastrophic failure inside a professionally assembled expedition, following contemporaneous notes, log entries, and the recovered summit book to ask whether one enforced rule was deliberately broken or quietly undone. How did a guide known for strict turnaround enforcement end up radioing that they were "pushing on," and what consequence did that choice leave behind?

Date: January 7
Location: Tindall massif north face
Person: Jeffrey Campbell
Person: Megan Hensley
Event: Turnaround override

- Douglas Morgan photographed an orange sleeping bag at 11,400 feet on January 9 with a 400mm lens from 9,200 feet.
- Eleven climbers summited Tindall on January 7 at 11:22 a.m., recorded in the summit log.
- Jeffrey Campbell's set turnaround time was exceeded by two hours and twenty-two minutes when the summit occurred.
- Steven Pierce wrote a marginal radio log entry at 9:47 a.m.: "TT already passed. JC says conditions good, pushing on."
- Megan Hensley's logbook entry for December 28 listed route and team size and one word: "Ready."

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>945falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/boot-left-on-the-bench-the-warm-sole-from-15-100-feet--73083680
A size-eight La Sportiva mountaineering boot, its sole packed with wind-compressed granular ice that only forms above 14,000 feet, was found warm on a bench at 6:40 a.m. - seven hours after it had apparently been left there in 11°F air and stained with blood. How could a boot carry the signature of 15,100 feet and still feel warm at the base of Mount Calden?

In this episode, we follow the morning Curtis Mills discovered the boot and trace the known movements of two climbers on Mount Calden from December 11-14, 2003, to ask whether calculated caution can fail without warning. What exactly happened on the southwest face after a localized wind event at 16,800 feet, and why did April Holmes’s taped heel remain unexplained?

Person: April Holmes
Person: Nicole Tate
Date: December 11-14, 2003
Location: Mount Calden, southwest face and base camp
Event: Boot found at 6:40 a.m. on December 14 with granular ice and bloodstain

- The boot found was a La Sportiva mountaineering boot, size eight women’s, left foot, still laced.
- The boot’s sole contained wind-compressed granular ice that forms only above 14,000 feet.
- Curtis Mills discovered the boot at 6:40 a.m. on December 14, after it had been sitting for roughly seven hours.
- April Holmes was 62 years old and had summited three peaks above 14,000 feet prior to this climb.
- Nicole Tate radioed from the summit at 12:51 p.m. and made a final transmission at 2:14 p.m.; by around 6:14 p.m. she had not returned to high camp as expected.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083680Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:51:13 +0000Creator at ObomediaBoot Left on the Bench: The Warm Sole from 15,100 Feet A size-eight La Sportiva mountaineering boot, its sole packed with wind-compressed granular ice that only forms above 14,000 feet, was found warm on a bench at 6:40 a.m. - seven hours after it...
A size-eight La Sportiva mountaineering boot, its sole packed with wind-compressed granular ice that only forms above 14,000 feet, was found warm on a bench at 6:40 a.m. - seven hours after it had apparently been left there in 11°F air and stained with blood. How could a boot carry the signature of 15,100 feet and still feel warm at the base of Mount Calden?

In this episode, we follow the morning Curtis Mills discovered the boot and trace the known movements of two climbers on Mount Calden from December 11-14, 2003, to ask whether calculated caution can fail without warning. What exactly happened on the southwest face after a localized wind event at 16,800 feet, and why did April Holmes’s taped heel remain unexplained?

Person: April Holmes
Person: Nicole Tate
Date: December 11-14, 2003
Location: Mount Calden, southwest face and base camp
Event: Boot found at 6:40 a.m. on December 14 with granular ice and bloodstain

- The boot found was a La Sportiva mountaineering boot, size eight women’s, left foot, still laced.
- The boot’s sole contained wind-compressed granular ice that forms only above 14,000 feet.
- Curtis Mills discovered the boot at 6:40 a.m. on December 14, after it had been sitting for roughly seven hours.
- April Holmes was 62 years old and had summited three peaks above 14,000 feet prior to this climb.
- Nicole Tate radioed from the summit at 12:51 p.m. and made a final transmission at 2:14 p.m.; by around 6:14 p.m. she had not returned to high camp as expected.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>925falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-logged-every-breath-last-entries-of-a-falling-doctor--73083679
A clinical log found in a road grader's path recorded forty-seven timed entries and a descent that ended without explanation - a doctor kept pulse-ox readings as low as 71% and ordered immediate descent, but her notebook stopped at 5:09 p.m. What do forty-seven consecutive vitals and the distance from high camp reveal about the last hours of this expedition?

In this episode, we follow the notebook's entries and the expedition roster to trace what the episode covers and to ask whether measured data written in real time can tell us why a trained physician vanished from a high-altitude route.

Person: Connie Donnelly
Event: Creston North Face Expedition
Date: November 2, 2009 (entries), notebook found November 14, 2009
Location: Forest Service Road Seven, 13 miles from nearest trailhead; high camp at 19,400 feet
Status: Notebook contained 47 entries; last entry time 5:09 p.m.

- Connie recorded a first entry at 6:17 a.m. and a final written time of 5:09 p.m, on November 2, 2009.
- Her pulse-ox readings dropped from 91% at 6:17 a.m, to 71% at summit at 11:17 a.m.
- At 9:43 a.m. she noted “ataxia?” after a 78% pulse-ox reading.
- She summited at 11:17 a.m., noting head pain 7/10 and “Coordination compromised. Descent immediately.”
- The notebook was found at elevation 6,200 feet, nearly 3,000 vertical feet below a 19,400-foot high camp and 13 miles from the nearest trailhead.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083679Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:51:10 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Logged Every Breath - Last Entries of a Falling Doctor A clinical log found in a road grader's path recorded forty-seven timed entries and a descent that ended without explanation - a doctor kept pulse-ox readings as low as 71% and ordered...
A clinical log found in a road grader's path recorded forty-seven timed entries and a descent that ended without explanation - a doctor kept pulse-ox readings as low as 71% and ordered immediate descent, but her notebook stopped at 5:09 p.m. What do forty-seven consecutive vitals and the distance from high camp reveal about the last hours of this expedition?

In this episode, we follow the notebook's entries and the expedition roster to trace what the episode covers and to ask whether measured data written in real time can tell us why a trained physician vanished from a high-altitude route.

Person: Connie Donnelly
Event: Creston North Face Expedition
Date: November 2, 2009 (entries), notebook found November 14, 2009
Location: Forest Service Road Seven, 13 miles from nearest trailhead; high camp at 19,400 feet
Status: Notebook contained 47 entries; last entry time 5:09 p.m.

- Connie recorded a first entry at 6:17 a.m. and a final written time of 5:09 p.m, on November 2, 2009.
- Her pulse-ox readings dropped from 91% at 6:17 a.m, to 71% at summit at 11:17 a.m.
- At 9:43 a.m. she noted “ataxia?” after a 78% pulse-ox reading.
- She summited at 11:17 a.m., noting head pain 7/10 and “Coordination compromised. Descent immediately.”
- The notebook was found at elevation 6,200 feet, nearly 3,000 vertical feet below a 19,400-foot high camp and 13 miles from the nearest trailhead.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>840falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-sawed-her-axe-handle-why-the-head-was-left-in-mud--73083678
A single axe head pulled from a culvert led to a scorched ferrule, a missing hickory handle, and a woman airlifted from a mountain with frostbitten fingers - yet no accident was reported and the handle was deliberately sawn away in total darkness at -38°F. How did an eleven-year-old handle, carried on six 7000m summits, end up reduced to ash while the head stayed buried in mud, and why did Sherry Richardson leave it there?

In this episode, we follow the Crenner Valley expedition of 2009 from the trailhead photograph to the drainage where the axe head was found, and trace the decisions, instruments, and storm that shaped the outcome. What did a falling barometer at 10:00 p.m. and a scorched ferrule reveal about the choice Sherry made on that ledge?

Date: October 22, 2009
Person: Sherry Richardson, 48, physical therapist
Location: Crenner Valley; Camp Three; culvert at base of valley
Event: Axe head found in mud; axe handle intentionally sawed and burned
Condition: Sherry airlifted with frostbite on four fingers of left hand

- The axe handle was 58 centimeters of seasoned hickory and had accompanied Sherry on six summits above 7000 meters.
- The ferrule socket was scorched black from the inside out, indicating something burned inside the metal collar.
- Jean Simpson’s wrist altimeter and logger recorded a continuous barometric fall beginning about 10:00 p.m., two hours before others noticed.
- Sherry was airlifted off the mountain eight days before the axe head was found and was recovering in a Billings hospital.
- The last phone call from Sherry to her daughter Paige was on October 7; the expedition left the trailhead on October 9.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083678Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:51:08 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Sawed Her Axe Handle. Why the Head Was Left in Mud A single axe head pulled from a culvert led to a scorched ferrule, a missing hickory handle, and a woman airlifted from a mountain with frostbitten fingers - yet no accident was reported and...
A single axe head pulled from a culvert led to a scorched ferrule, a missing hickory handle, and a woman airlifted from a mountain with frostbitten fingers - yet no accident was reported and the handle was deliberately sawn away in total darkness at -38°F. How did an eleven-year-old handle, carried on six 7000m summits, end up reduced to ash while the head stayed buried in mud, and why did Sherry Richardson leave it there?

In this episode, we follow the Crenner Valley expedition of 2009 from the trailhead photograph to the drainage where the axe head was found, and trace the decisions, instruments, and storm that shaped the outcome. What did a falling barometer at 10:00 p.m. and a scorched ferrule reveal about the choice Sherry made on that ledge?

Date: October 22, 2009
Person: Sherry Richardson, 48, physical therapist
Location: Crenner Valley; Camp Three; culvert at base of valley
Event: Axe head found in mud; axe handle intentionally sawed and burned
Condition: Sherry airlifted with frostbite on four fingers of left hand

- The axe handle was 58 centimeters of seasoned hickory and had accompanied Sherry on six summits above 7000 meters.
- The ferrule socket was scorched black from the inside out, indicating something burned inside the metal collar.
- Jean Simpson’s wrist altimeter and logger recorded a continuous barometric fall beginning about 10:00 p.m., two hours before others noticed.
- Sherry was airlifted off the mountain eight days before the axe head was found and was recovering in a Billings hospital.
- The last phone call from Sherry to her daughter Paige was on October 7; the expedition left the trailhead on October 9.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>909falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-lost-boot-on-cutler-creek-how-five-climbers-survived-nightfall--73083676
A solitary women's mountaineering boot, size seven, was found upright on a gravel fire road seven miles below Greylock Tooth-dry, laces tucked, as if set down intentionally. Five climbers survived two nights in a hand-dug snow trench after a cascade of failures began with a confident navigational error; what happened between summit photos at 09:51 and the storm that closed visibility at 13:10?

In this episode, we follow the team's timeline from a 23:40 high-camp departure through a summit at 09:51 and the rapid onset of a storm at 13:10, reconstructing the sequence of mistakes, missing gear, and decisions that left a boot on Cutler Creek and five climbers fighting to survive. How did a guide who had led the West Shoulder route four times misidentify a landmark she had passed before?

Date: September 14-15, 2014
Location: Greylock Tooth, Drennan massif
Person: Connie Turner
Person: Carol Bishop
Event: Found boot on September 23, 2014 on Cutler Creek fire road

- The boot found by Jean Parker on September 23, 2014 was a women's mountaineering boot, size seven, sitting upright on the Cutler Creek fire road.
- The team left high camp at 21,200 feet at approximately 23:40 on September 14, 2014.
- All five climbers stood on the summit of Greylock Tooth at 09:51 on September 15, 2014 and were photographed together.
- Visibility closed and the storm was first noted by wind increase at 13:10 on September 15, 2014.
- The spare double-plastic boots packed for Connie were clipped to an anchor 600 vertical feet above the team's descent and were unreachable during the storm.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083676Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:51:05 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Lost Boot on Cutler Creek: How Five Climbers Survived Nightfall A solitary women's mountaineering boot, size seven, was found upright on a gravel fire road seven miles below Greylock Tooth-dry, laces tucked, as if set down intentionally. Five...
A solitary women's mountaineering boot, size seven, was found upright on a gravel fire road seven miles below Greylock Tooth-dry, laces tucked, as if set down intentionally. Five climbers survived two nights in a hand-dug snow trench after a cascade of failures began with a confident navigational error; what happened between summit photos at 09:51 and the storm that closed visibility at 13:10?

In this episode, we follow the team's timeline from a 23:40 high-camp departure through a summit at 09:51 and the rapid onset of a storm at 13:10, reconstructing the sequence of mistakes, missing gear, and decisions that left a boot on Cutler Creek and five climbers fighting to survive. How did a guide who had led the West Shoulder route four times misidentify a landmark she had passed before?

Date: September 14-15, 2014
Location: Greylock Tooth, Drennan massif
Person: Connie Turner
Person: Carol Bishop
Event: Found boot on September 23, 2014 on Cutler Creek fire road

- The boot found by Jean Parker on September 23, 2014 was a women's mountaineering boot, size seven, sitting upright on the Cutler Creek fire road.
- The team left high camp at 21,200 feet at approximately 23:40 on September 14, 2014.
- All five climbers stood on the summit of Greylock Tooth at 09:51 on September 15, 2014 and were photographed together.
- Visibility closed and the storm was first noted by wind increase at 13:10 on September 15, 2014.
- The spare double-plastic boots packed for Connie were clipped to an anchor 600 vertical feet above the team's descent and were unreachable during the storm.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>915falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-shadow-on-alder-tooth-why-dale-woke-up-not-alone--73083675
A single photograph from 10:29 AM on August 10, 2003 shows Dale Johnson on Alder Tooth - and a second dark-jacketed figure with no pack, helmet, or rope just at the edge of the frame. Eighteen minutes later the guide radioed from a calm summit, and within two hours Dale lay eighty feet below the rappel line with a broken leg and two cracked ribs - so who was captured in that picture and where was that image actually taken?

In this episode, we walk through the timeline, the equipment, and the actions of a four-person expedition on a clear August morning; we present the inconsistencies in time, location, and gear that linger in the record and ask whether the mountain, human error, or something else explains how Dale woke up not alone.

Person: Dale Johnson
Date: August 10, 2003
Location: Alder Tooth, Crestone subrange, southern Colorado
Age: 52
Guide: Ralph Draper, 46

- Photograph timestamped 10:29 AM showing Dale and an unidentified person in a dark softshell jacket with no pack, helmet, or rope.
- Guide radioed the summit at 10:47 AM, creating an 18-minute gap after the photo was taken.
- Dale was found 80 feet below the rappel line with one broken leg and two cracked ribs.
- No other climbing party signed the trailhead register within forty miles on the day of the ascent.
- A piece of equipment was found in the snow at 13,800 feet that did not belong to anyone in the party.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083675Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:51:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Shadow on Alder Tooth: Why Dale Woke Up Not Alone A single photograph from 10:29 AM on August 10, 2003 shows Dale Johnson on Alder Tooth - and a second dark-jacketed figure with no pack, helmet, or rope just at the edge of the frame. Eighteen...
A single photograph from 10:29 AM on August 10, 2003 shows Dale Johnson on Alder Tooth - and a second dark-jacketed figure with no pack, helmet, or rope just at the edge of the frame. Eighteen minutes later the guide radioed from a calm summit, and within two hours Dale lay eighty feet below the rappel line with a broken leg and two cracked ribs - so who was captured in that picture and where was that image actually taken?

In this episode, we walk through the timeline, the equipment, and the actions of a four-person expedition on a clear August morning; we present the inconsistencies in time, location, and gear that linger in the record and ask whether the mountain, human error, or something else explains how Dale woke up not alone.

Person: Dale Johnson
Date: August 10, 2003
Location: Alder Tooth, Crestone subrange, southern Colorado
Age: 52
Guide: Ralph Draper, 46

- Photograph timestamped 10:29 AM showing Dale and an unidentified person in a dark softshell jacket with no pack, helmet, or rope.
- Guide radioed the summit at 10:47 AM, creating an 18-minute gap after the photo was taken.
- Dale was found 80 feet below the rappel line with one broken leg and two cracked ribs.
- No other climbing party signed the trailhead register within forty miles on the day of the ascent.
- A piece of equipment was found in the snow at 13,800 feet that did not belong to anyone in the party.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>990falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-screw-that-saved-one-nearly-killed-another-at-harrow-spire--73083674
A soaked climbing harness with unmelted ice was found at 8,000 feet on July 22, 2017 - yet that same screw had spent nearly two days traveling over 3,000 vertical feet from a frozen narrow ribbon of rock above. How did one piece of protection decide which life it would save and which it would almost take?

In this episode, we tell the events on the Northeast Couloir of Harrow Spire from July 17-18, 2017, following three climbers from camp to summit and the descent that followed; what role did a single ice screw and a tightening weather window play in the outcome?

Person: Kenneth Meyer
Person: Brenda Hansen
Person: Patrick Osei
Date: July 17-18, 2017
Location: Northeast Couloir, Harrow Spire

- A harness with unmelted ice was found by Jason Gardner at 8,000 feet on July 22, 2017.
- The ice-bearing screw had traveled more than 3,000 vertical feet through a drainage channel before being found.
- Meyer had reached Harrow Spire summit four times prior and led the team on July 18, 2017.
- The climbers established camp at 9,200 feet on July 17, 2017 and began the couloir at 3:58 AM on July 18.
- The team reached the summit at 11:49 AM at approximately 11,400 feet, with descent called 12 minutes later.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083674Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:51:00 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Screw That Saved One, Nearly Killed Another at Harrow Spire A soaked climbing harness with unmelted ice was found at 8,000 feet on July 22, 2017 - yet that same screw had spent nearly two days traveling over 3,000 vertical feet from a frozen...
A soaked climbing harness with unmelted ice was found at 8,000 feet on July 22, 2017 - yet that same screw had spent nearly two days traveling over 3,000 vertical feet from a frozen narrow ribbon of rock above. How did one piece of protection decide which life it would save and which it would almost take?

In this episode, we tell the events on the Northeast Couloir of Harrow Spire from July 17-18, 2017, following three climbers from camp to summit and the descent that followed; what role did a single ice screw and a tightening weather window play in the outcome?

Person: Kenneth Meyer
Person: Brenda Hansen
Person: Patrick Osei
Date: July 17-18, 2017
Location: Northeast Couloir, Harrow Spire

- A harness with unmelted ice was found by Jason Gardner at 8,000 feet on July 22, 2017.
- The ice-bearing screw had traveled more than 3,000 vertical feet through a drainage channel before being found.
- Meyer had reached Harrow Spire summit four times prior and led the team on July 18, 2017.
- The climbers established camp at 9,200 feet on July 17, 2017 and began the couloir at 3:58 AM on July 18.
- The team reached the summit at 11:49 AM at approximately 11,400 feet, with descent called 12 minutes later.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>962falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-notebook-at-900m-what-vessel-peak-could-not-keep--73083673
She stopped mid-sentence at 3:40 a.m. on June 9, 2017, sitting at 7,400 meters, and five days later a dog found her notebook at 900 meters-three and a half kilometers from Vessel Peak’s east base. A backup altimeter had recorded a pressure drop 18-22 hours before the storm struck; how did a closed, intact notebook travel downhill against logic and leave an unfinished thought behind?

In this episode, you will hear the sequence of events recorded in Julie Adams’s own pages, the team's timings, and the equipment notes that refuse to add up, asking whether human choice, the mountain, or something else explains the gaps in the record.

Person: Julie Adams
Date: June 9, 2017
Location: Vessel Peak; notebook found at 900 meters in an outbound drainage
Status: Notebook recovered intact five days after disappearance
Team Leader: Rhonda Carlson

- Julie made a logged observation at 2:00 a.m. and another at 3:40 a.m., where her sentence abruptly ends; her scheduled 4:00 a.m. entry is blank.
- High Camp Camp was at 7,400 meters; her last written position corresponds to that camp.
- A backup barometric altimeter left in the tent began recording a pressure drop at 1:00 a.m., 18-22 hours ahead of forecasted deterioration.
- The summit was reached around 9:15 a.m.; descent began at 9:40 a.m.; the storm hit the couloir at 11:15 a.m. with winds above 90 km/h and near-zero visibility.
- The notebook was found three and a half kilometers from the east base of Vessel Peak, in a drainage that runs the opposite direction from the couloir where she was descending.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083673Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:50:57 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Notebook at 900m: What Vessel Peak Could Not Keep She stopped mid-sentence at 3:40 a.m. on June 9, 2017, sitting at 7,400 meters, and five days later a dog found her notebook at 900 meters-three and a half kilometers from Vessel Peak’s east...
She stopped mid-sentence at 3:40 a.m. on June 9, 2017, sitting at 7,400 meters, and five days later a dog found her notebook at 900 meters-three and a half kilometers from Vessel Peak’s east base. A backup altimeter had recorded a pressure drop 18-22 hours before the storm struck; how did a closed, intact notebook travel downhill against logic and leave an unfinished thought behind?

In this episode, you will hear the sequence of events recorded in Julie Adams’s own pages, the team's timings, and the equipment notes that refuse to add up, asking whether human choice, the mountain, or something else explains the gaps in the record.

Person: Julie Adams
Date: June 9, 2017
Location: Vessel Peak; notebook found at 900 meters in an outbound drainage
Status: Notebook recovered intact five days after disappearance
Team Leader: Rhonda Carlson

- Julie made a logged observation at 2:00 a.m. and another at 3:40 a.m., where her sentence abruptly ends; her scheduled 4:00 a.m. entry is blank.
- High Camp Camp was at 7,400 meters; her last written position corresponds to that camp.
- A backup barometric altimeter left in the tent began recording a pressure drop at 1:00 a.m., 18-22 hours ahead of forecasted deterioration.
- The summit was reached around 9:15 a.m.; descent began at 9:40 a.m.; the storm hit the couloir at 11:15 a.m. with winds above 90 km/h and near-zero visibility.
- The notebook was found three and a half kilometers from the east base of Vessel Peak, in a drainage that runs the opposite direction from the couloir where she was descending.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>910falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-clean-ice-axe-how-sandra-vanished-from-velasco-peak--73083672
The river called to her long before the storm pinned the rescue team: an ice axe with a dry handle and a clean pick turned up on a sandbar in the Sulphur Fork three days after Sandra Brown vanished from Velasco Peak. How did the most methodical climber on a well-documented rope team end up disconnected from the mountain’s mapped drainages - and what does that lone, deliberately taped tool really prove?

In this episode, we trace the timeline from Sandra’s life in the Sulphur Fork corridor to the Velasco Peak summit at 12:47 PM on May 10, 2011, through the discovery of the axe by Howard Hensley on May 14, 2011. We follow witness testimony, team roles, and the documented route details to ask whether geography, human error, or something else bridges the two impossible facts.

Person: Sandra Brown
Date: May 10-14, 2011
Location: Velasco Peak summit; Sulphur Fork sandbar
Team members: Peggy O'Connor, Al Kovacs, Carl Vollmer, Nate Vollmer, Doug Ferris
Finder: Howard Hensley

- The axe was found on a sandbar in the Sulphur Fork at 7:30 AM on May 14, 2011, with orange tape wrapped twice around the spike.
- The handle of the axe was dry and the pick was clean, despite three days of high, silty river flow.
- Sandra Brown reached the Velasco Peak summit at 12:47 PM on May 10, 2011, and pointed south, saying she saw the upper Sulphur Fork.
- Five of the six climbers who went up had already descended; Sandra was the one who had not returned.
- Peggy O'Connor led the six-person team and had produced a 47-page planning document accounting for three storm scenarios.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083672Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:50:54 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Clean Ice Axe: How Sandra Vanished from Velasco Peak The river called to her long before the storm pinned the rescue team: an ice axe with a dry handle and a clean pick turned up on a sandbar in the Sulphur Fork three days after Sandra Brown...
The river called to her long before the storm pinned the rescue team: an ice axe with a dry handle and a clean pick turned up on a sandbar in the Sulphur Fork three days after Sandra Brown vanished from Velasco Peak. How did the most methodical climber on a well-documented rope team end up disconnected from the mountain’s mapped drainages - and what does that lone, deliberately taped tool really prove?

In this episode, we trace the timeline from Sandra’s life in the Sulphur Fork corridor to the Velasco Peak summit at 12:47 PM on May 10, 2011, through the discovery of the axe by Howard Hensley on May 14, 2011. We follow witness testimony, team roles, and the documented route details to ask whether geography, human error, or something else bridges the two impossible facts.

Person: Sandra Brown
Date: May 10-14, 2011
Location: Velasco Peak summit; Sulphur Fork sandbar
Team members: Peggy O'Connor, Al Kovacs, Carl Vollmer, Nate Vollmer, Doug Ferris
Finder: Howard Hensley

- The axe was found on a sandbar in the Sulphur Fork at 7:30 AM on May 14, 2011, with orange tape wrapped twice around the spike.
- The handle of the axe was dry and the pick was clean, despite three days of high, silty river flow.
- Sandra Brown reached the Velasco Peak summit at 12:47 PM on May 10, 2011, and pointed south, saying she saw the upper Sulphur Fork.
- Five of the six climbers who went up had already descended; Sandra was the one who had not returned.
- Peggy O'Connor led the six-person team and had produced a 47-page planning document accounting for three storm scenarios.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>933falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-heard-her-voice-the-radio-that-couldn-t-be-heard--73083669
Cold and precise: a nine-pound Motorola transceiver had its transmit circuit fried by a generator surge, yet a trained radio operator spent six hours sending weather updates that a stranded climber could hear but not reply to-why did a radio that seemed to work become a one-way lifeline?

In this episode, we tell what happened on Mount Ashveil between April 17 and April 19, 2011, following a university climbing team, the base-camp radio operator, and the sequence of decisions that left a 22-year-old geology student alone for fifty hours-could a single damaged transmit circuit explain everything that went wrong?

Person: Alan Fleming
Date: April 17-19, 2011
Location: Mount Ashveil, headwall above 13,800 feet; Sorrow Basin base camp
Person: Beth Corso
Equipment: Motorola base-station transceiver

- Alan Fleming was 22 years old and lay in the boulder field for fifty hours before being found.
- The radio operator, Beth Corso, logged forty-one pages of transmission logs over six hours of weather broadcasts.
- The transceiver weighed roughly nine pounds and had its transmit circuit destroyed by a power surge before 2 a.m, on April 17.
- Alan suffered a fractured left fibula, three frostbitten toes on his right foot, and severe dehydration when found.
- The team began the summit push at 4:45 a.m, on April 17, seventeen minutes ahead of schedule.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083669Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:50:51 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Heard Her Voice-The Radio That Couldn't Be Heard Cold and precise: a nine-pound Motorola transceiver had its transmit circuit fried by a generator surge, yet a trained radio operator spent six hours sending weather updates that a stranded...
Cold and precise: a nine-pound Motorola transceiver had its transmit circuit fried by a generator surge, yet a trained radio operator spent six hours sending weather updates that a stranded climber could hear but not reply to-why did a radio that seemed to work become a one-way lifeline?

In this episode, we tell what happened on Mount Ashveil between April 17 and April 19, 2011, following a university climbing team, the base-camp radio operator, and the sequence of decisions that left a 22-year-old geology student alone for fifty hours-could a single damaged transmit circuit explain everything that went wrong?

Person: Alan Fleming
Date: April 17-19, 2011
Location: Mount Ashveil, headwall above 13,800 feet; Sorrow Basin base camp
Person: Beth Corso
Equipment: Motorola base-station transceiver

- Alan Fleming was 22 years old and lay in the boulder field for fifty hours before being found.
- The radio operator, Beth Corso, logged forty-one pages of transmission logs over six hours of weather broadcasts.
- The transceiver weighed roughly nine pounds and had its transmit circuit destroyed by a power surge before 2 a.m, on April 17.
- Alan suffered a fractured left fibula, three frostbitten toes on his right foot, and severe dehydration when found.
- The team began the summit push at 4:45 a.m, on April 17, seventeen minutes ahead of schedule.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>952falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-upright-boot-how-small-failures-almost-killed-marcia-henderson--73083668
A single climbing boot photographed standing upright in the snow at 7:22 AM led rescuers to a nearly fatal chain of tiny oversights at 13,400 feet that left a 39-year-old climber fighting sixty-mile-per-hour wind with dwindling supplies. How did one uncarried duffel, a missed message, and three days of food become a survival story instead of a disaster?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from Boise to Camp Three in the northern Rockies, tracing Marcia Henderson’s preparation, the expedition decisions, and the specific logistical gaps that compounded into a crisis; what choices and omissions turned routine steps into a near-fatal emergency?

Person: Marcia Henderson
Location: Mount Keldrum North, northern Rockies
Date: March 11-12 (expedition movement and discovery)
Age: 39
Role: Supply chain auditor and expedition member

- At 7:22 AM a septic contractor photographed one climbing boot standing upright in the snow outside a remote outfitter facility.
- Marcia renewed a wilderness first aid certification every two years and kept a laminated checklist with three columns: gear, food, medical.
- The north aspect route had been completed only four times before this expedition.
- Camp Three was at 13,400 feet and the team believed they had eight days of food until they discovered they had three.
- Wind reached sixty miles per hour during the event and the team faced thirty-mile-per-hour winds the night they debated proceeding.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083668Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:50:49 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Upright Boot: How Small Failures Almost Killed Marcia Henderson A single climbing boot photographed standing upright in the snow at 7:22 AM led rescuers to a nearly fatal chain of tiny oversights at 13,400 feet that left a 39-year-old climber...
A single climbing boot photographed standing upright in the snow at 7:22 AM led rescuers to a nearly fatal chain of tiny oversights at 13,400 feet that left a 39-year-old climber fighting sixty-mile-per-hour wind with dwindling supplies. How did one uncarried duffel, a missed message, and three days of food become a survival story instead of a disaster?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from Boise to Camp Three in the northern Rockies, tracing Marcia Henderson’s preparation, the expedition decisions, and the specific logistical gaps that compounded into a crisis; what choices and omissions turned routine steps into a near-fatal emergency?

Person: Marcia Henderson
Location: Mount Keldrum North, northern Rockies
Date: March 11-12 (expedition movement and discovery)
Age: 39
Role: Supply chain auditor and expedition member

- At 7:22 AM a septic contractor photographed one climbing boot standing upright in the snow outside a remote outfitter facility.
- Marcia renewed a wilderness first aid certification every two years and kept a laminated checklist with three columns: gear, food, medical.
- The north aspect route had been completed only four times before this expedition.
- Camp Three was at 13,400 feet and the team believed they had eight days of food until they discovered they had three.
- Wind reached sixty miles per hour during the event and the team faced thirty-mile-per-hour winds the night they debated proceeding.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>734falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/glove-clean-two-miles-from-route--73083667
A pristine Black Diamond glove, insulated to -40°F and free of scratches, sat alone in a granite hollow two miles east of any marked route and nine miles from the nearest road - five days after a climber died below. How did one intact glove travel that far in a whiteout, and what three baffling decisions surround the final hours on Mount Callow?

In this episode, we follow the timeline and people tied to the February events on Mount Callow, laying out the movements, equipment notes, and radio calls that form the mystery. Can the sequence of radio reports, a returned climber’s supposedly failed crampon, and a swapped equipment detail explain what happened?

Person: Frank Stewart
Date: February 18-23 (summit attempt Feb 18; glove found Feb 23)
Location: eastern face of Mount Callow, cinder shelf at 9,300 ft, two miles east of marked routes
Status: Frank Stewart deceased (found dead five days before Feb 23)
Person: Tom Griggs

- Frank radioed from the summit shoulder at 9:53 AM on February 18 reporting full whiteout and acceptable pulse oximetry.
- Tom called in at 8:47 AM from 13,000 ft, stating he was turning back due to a failed left crampon.
- Tom arrived back at Camp One at 11:22 AM on February 18 and was met by Bob Crewe.
- Bob inspected Tom’s crampon and found the front point intact with a loose bail wire - fixable in under three minutes.
- The Black Diamond glove was found clean, undamaged, and not frozen in a granite depression at 9,300 ft on the morning of February 23.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083667Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:50:46 +0000Creator at Obomediaglove, clean, two miles from route A pristine Black Diamond glove, insulated to -40°F and free of scratches, sat alone in a granite hollow two miles east of any marked route and nine miles from the nearest road - five days after a climber died...
A pristine Black Diamond glove, insulated to -40°F and free of scratches, sat alone in a granite hollow two miles east of any marked route and nine miles from the nearest road - five days after a climber died below. How did one intact glove travel that far in a whiteout, and what three baffling decisions surround the final hours on Mount Callow?

In this episode, we follow the timeline and people tied to the February events on Mount Callow, laying out the movements, equipment notes, and radio calls that form the mystery. Can the sequence of radio reports, a returned climber’s supposedly failed crampon, and a swapped equipment detail explain what happened?

Person: Frank Stewart
Date: February 18-23 (summit attempt Feb 18; glove found Feb 23)
Location: eastern face of Mount Callow, cinder shelf at 9,300 ft, two miles east of marked routes
Status: Frank Stewart deceased (found dead five days before Feb 23)
Person: Tom Griggs

- Frank radioed from the summit shoulder at 9:53 AM on February 18 reporting full whiteout and acceptable pulse oximetry.
- Tom called in at 8:47 AM from 13,000 ft, stating he was turning back due to a failed left crampon.
- Tom arrived back at Camp One at 11:22 AM on February 18 and was met by Bob Crewe.
- Bob inspected Tom’s crampon and found the front point intact with a loose bail wire - fixable in under three minutes.
- The Black Diamond glove was found clean, undamaged, and not frozen in a granite depression at 9,300 ft on the morning of February 23.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>934falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/wax-sealed-oxygen-and-a-night-the-mountain-refused-to-let-go--73083666
Cold, pre-dawn silence hid six oxygen cylinders with intact red wax seals that hadn't been touched since 1941, and those same cylinders rolled two miles down a hidden drainage chute to a parking lot before the rescue helicopter even launched - what happened on Coldfire Peak that night that links a sixty-two-year-old cache to a modern climb?

In this episode, we follow a guided ascent up Coldfire Peak where a recalibrated barometer, a map that missed a narrow drainage chute, and an alcove stacked with both modern and antique oxygen cylinders converge into two disasters unfolding at once; how did a supposed weather window, six climbers, and sealed 1941 cylinders end up colliding in the predawn dark?

Person: Kelly Marshall
Date: January 14, 2003
Location: Granite Ridge Outfitters parking lot
Event: Summit attempt and storm on Coldfire Peak
Person: Jean Snyder

- At 5:40 AM on January 14, 2003, 16-year-old Kelly Marshall found three upright oxygen cylinders in the Granite Ridge Outfitters parking lot.
- The three cylinders had intact red wax seals and were full, and had been last touched in 1941, sixty-two years earlier.
- The team left the trailhead at 4:00 AM on January 9, 2003, beginning the ascent that would reach the col alcove at 13,100 feet.
- Simpson's hand-recalibrated barometer read 29.4 inches of mercury while the National Weather Service data showed 28.1 inches, a difference indicating a storm arriving about 14 hours earlier.
- The narrow drainage chute from the col ran two miles down to the parking lot and was not visible on standard 1:24,000 scale maps.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083666Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:50:43 +0000Creator at ObomediaWax-Sealed Oxygen and a Night the Mountain Refused to Let Go Cold, pre-dawn silence hid six oxygen cylinders with intact red wax seals that hadn't been touched since 1941, and those same cylinders rolled two miles down a hidden drainage chute to a...
Cold, pre-dawn silence hid six oxygen cylinders with intact red wax seals that hadn't been touched since 1941, and those same cylinders rolled two miles down a hidden drainage chute to a parking lot before the rescue helicopter even launched - what happened on Coldfire Peak that night that links a sixty-two-year-old cache to a modern climb?

In this episode, we follow a guided ascent up Coldfire Peak where a recalibrated barometer, a map that missed a narrow drainage chute, and an alcove stacked with both modern and antique oxygen cylinders converge into two disasters unfolding at once; how did a supposed weather window, six climbers, and sealed 1941 cylinders end up colliding in the predawn dark?

Person: Kelly Marshall
Date: January 14, 2003
Location: Granite Ridge Outfitters parking lot
Event: Summit attempt and storm on Coldfire Peak
Person: Jean Snyder

- At 5:40 AM on January 14, 2003, 16-year-old Kelly Marshall found three upright oxygen cylinders in the Granite Ridge Outfitters parking lot.
- The three cylinders had intact red wax seals and were full, and had been last touched in 1941, sixty-two years earlier.
- The team left the trailhead at 4:00 AM on January 9, 2003, beginning the ascent that would reach the col alcove at 13,100 feet.
- Simpson's hand-recalibrated barometer read 29.4 inches of mercury while the National Weather Service data showed 28.1 inches, a difference indicating a storm arriving about 14 hours earlier.
- The narrow drainage chute from the col ran two miles down to the parking lot and was not visible on standard 1:24,000 scale maps.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>878falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/snow-a-hand-and-a-map-what-mount-orren-took-and-gave-back--73083665
Cold, disorienting facts: a topographic map with shaky, numb handwriting and the name "Orren" scrawled across it was found four miles above a closed road at 4:00 a.m. after an unexpected storm; one of four climbers had come at least this far down. What did that map cost its owner, and how did the same map later save a life?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the team's permit and preparations through the surprise storm, the summit timestamps, and the discovery of the map - asking whether a single annotated sheet can explain the choices that followed and the gap in the timeline.

Person: Megan Erickson
Age: 48
Location: Garnet Pass Road / Mount Orren, Pintler Range, southwestern Montana
Date: December 19, 2011 (map found); storm arrived December 17, 2011
Event: Unexpected storm and whiteout during descent after summit

- Map discovered by Leon Zeller at 4:00 a.m, on December 19, 2011, four miles above Crestwood junction.
- Mount Orren elevation recorded as 11,000 feet above the Pintler Range.
- Team established base camp December 14 and high camp at 9,400 feet on December 15.
- Summit photograph timestamped at 11:59 a.m. on December 16; radio report of descent at 12:47 p.m., leaving a 48-minute gap.
- Night of December 17 reached -22°F at high camp and the storm arrived at approximately 3:00 a.m., eighteen hours earlier than forecasts predicted.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083665Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:50:41 +0000Creator at ObomediaSnow, a Hand, and a Map: What Mount Orren Took and Gave Back Cold, disorienting facts: a topographic map with shaky, numb handwriting and the name "Orren" scrawled across it was found four miles above a closed road at 4:00 a.m. after an unexpected...
Cold, disorienting facts: a topographic map with shaky, numb handwriting and the name "Orren" scrawled across it was found four miles above a closed road at 4:00 a.m. after an unexpected storm; one of four climbers had come at least this far down. What did that map cost its owner, and how did the same map later save a life?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the team's permit and preparations through the surprise storm, the summit timestamps, and the discovery of the map - asking whether a single annotated sheet can explain the choices that followed and the gap in the timeline.

Person: Megan Erickson
Age: 48
Location: Garnet Pass Road / Mount Orren, Pintler Range, southwestern Montana
Date: December 19, 2011 (map found); storm arrived December 17, 2011
Event: Unexpected storm and whiteout during descent after summit

- Map discovered by Leon Zeller at 4:00 a.m, on December 19, 2011, four miles above Crestwood junction.
- Mount Orren elevation recorded as 11,000 feet above the Pintler Range.
- Team established base camp December 14 and high camp at 9,400 feet on December 15.
- Summit photograph timestamped at 11:59 a.m. on December 16; radio report of descent at 12:47 p.m., leaving a 48-minute gap.
- Night of December 17 reached -22°F at high camp and the storm arrived at approximately 3:00 a.m., eighteen hours earlier than forecasts predicted.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>887falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-harness-on-keller-ridge-why-sandra-walked-away-from-four-bodies--73083664
A discarded harness with Sandra Young's name, thirty feet of cleanly cut 11-mm dynamic rope, and a coiled, deliberately knotted loose end were found on an eastern service road twelve miles from the nearest climbing access-yet Sandra was alive. How did a veteran guide who had led five climbers up a technical face at 4:52 AM on November 10th end up walking away from four bodies and leaving gear in gravel on the opposite flank?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the team's departure and the radio silence that followed, through the fragmented transmission placing Sandra on the northwest shoulder, to the discovery of the harness by a lineman on November 14th; what happened between the radio cutoff at roughly 6:44 AM and the harness find at 7,200 feet is the unresolved question we trace.

Person: Sandra Young
Date: November 10, 2019
Location: Northwest shoulder of Keller Ridge
Event: Five climbers ascended, one returned
Discovery Date: November 14, 2019

- Harness found on eastern service road at 7,200 feet with name "Sandra Young" written on inner webbing.
- Attached to harness: 30 feet of 11-mm dynamic rope, cut cleanly and coiled with a deliberately packed knot.
- Team departed at 4:52 AM; radio check at 6:44 AM confirmed serac field passed and all five climbers present.
- Four hours and 33 minutes of radio silence followed the 6:44 AM transmission before a fragmented call at 11:17 AM placing Sandra at approximately 13,800 feet on the northwest shoulder.
- November Face of Keller Ridge had only four successful ascents since 1988 and the team reached a high shelter at 13,200 feet on November 8th.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083664Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:50:38 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Harness on Keller Ridge: Why Sandra Walked Away from Four Bodies A discarded harness with Sandra Young's name, thirty feet of cleanly cut 11-mm dynamic rope, and a coiled, deliberately knotted loose end were found on an eastern service road...
A discarded harness with Sandra Young's name, thirty feet of cleanly cut 11-mm dynamic rope, and a coiled, deliberately knotted loose end were found on an eastern service road twelve miles from the nearest climbing access-yet Sandra was alive. How did a veteran guide who had led five climbers up a technical face at 4:52 AM on November 10th end up walking away from four bodies and leaving gear in gravel on the opposite flank?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the team's departure and the radio silence that followed, through the fragmented transmission placing Sandra on the northwest shoulder, to the discovery of the harness by a lineman on November 14th; what happened between the radio cutoff at roughly 6:44 AM and the harness find at 7,200 feet is the unresolved question we trace.

Person: Sandra Young
Date: November 10, 2019
Location: Northwest shoulder of Keller Ridge
Event: Five climbers ascended, one returned
Discovery Date: November 14, 2019

- Harness found on eastern service road at 7,200 feet with name "Sandra Young" written on inner webbing.
- Attached to harness: 30 feet of 11-mm dynamic rope, cut cleanly and coiled with a deliberately packed knot.
- Team departed at 4:52 AM; radio check at 6:44 AM confirmed serac field passed and all five climbers present.
- Four hours and 33 minutes of radio silence followed the 6:44 AM transmission before a fragmented call at 11:17 AM placing Sandra at approximately 13,800 feet on the northwest shoulder.
- November Face of Keller Ridge had only four successful ascents since 1988 and the team reached a high shelter at 13,200 feet on November 8th.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>905falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-walked-south-the-engineer-who-vanished-into-the-wrong-valley--73083663
A methodical civil engineer found sitting upright in the snow clutching a thirty-year-old baseplate compass whose needle pointed due south - toward the wrong valley - was already dead when a runner spotted her at 6:08 AM on October 14, 2019. How did a cautious, five-summit climber with functional instruments and a near-perfect attendance record walk nearly forty degrees off course in a whiteout and never return?

In this episode, we follow the documented trail of GPS data, a field log, a medical examiner's report, and eyewitness testimony to reconstruct Judith Osborne’s final hours and ask what the human body at altitude might have done to someone who planned for every contingency but one. What do these pieces, taken together, reveal about how she ended up sitting at the tree line facing the wrong valley?

Person: Judith Osborne
Date: October 13-14, 2019
Location: Aldren Massif; Harker Valley overlook
Occupation: Civil engineer with 23 years' experience
Partner on summit: Lori Shand

- Judith was 52 years old with five summits in six years and a reputation for methodical, conservative climbing.
- At 12:50 PM on October 13, 2019, she slipped on windboard snow on the final pitch but self-arrested and continued.
- At 1:17 PM Judith and Lori stood on the summit; at 1:22 PM Judith radioed Susan Cook and both instruments on her body were fully functional.
- During descent Judith’s GPS track drifted nearly 40 degrees off course in a whiteout, a gradual drift she almost certainly never noticed.
- At 6:08 AM on October 14, Cheryl Whitaker found Judith sitting upright at the tree line holding a thirty-year-old baseplate compass pointing due south; she was already dead.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083663Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:50:36 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Walked South: The Engineer Who Vanished Into the Wrong Valley A methodical civil engineer found sitting upright in the snow clutching a thirty-year-old baseplate compass whose needle pointed due south - toward the wrong valley - was already...
A methodical civil engineer found sitting upright in the snow clutching a thirty-year-old baseplate compass whose needle pointed due south - toward the wrong valley - was already dead when a runner spotted her at 6:08 AM on October 14, 2019. How did a cautious, five-summit climber with functional instruments and a near-perfect attendance record walk nearly forty degrees off course in a whiteout and never return?

In this episode, we follow the documented trail of GPS data, a field log, a medical examiner's report, and eyewitness testimony to reconstruct Judith Osborne’s final hours and ask what the human body at altitude might have done to someone who planned for every contingency but one. What do these pieces, taken together, reveal about how she ended up sitting at the tree line facing the wrong valley?

Person: Judith Osborne
Date: October 13-14, 2019
Location: Aldren Massif; Harker Valley overlook
Occupation: Civil engineer with 23 years' experience
Partner on summit: Lori Shand

- Judith was 52 years old with five summits in six years and a reputation for methodical, conservative climbing.
- At 12:50 PM on October 13, 2019, she slipped on windboard snow on the final pitch but self-arrested and continued.
- At 1:17 PM Judith and Lori stood on the summit; at 1:22 PM Judith radioed Susan Cook and both instruments on her body were fully functional.
- During descent Judith’s GPS track drifted nearly 40 degrees off course in a whiteout, a gradual drift she almost certainly never noticed.
- At 6:08 AM on October 14, Cheryl Whitaker found Judith sitting upright at the tree line holding a thirty-year-old baseplate compass pointing due south; she was already dead.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>838falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-rope-left-on-a-roof-how-a-single-filament-held-her-life--73083662
Fear and fascination meet on a rooftop and a mountain ridge: a rope left coiled on a mobile-home roof for weeks, a yellow carabiner with a wasp nest, and a fall that should have ended differently-so why did three thin filaments of nylon alone keep her alive? What sequence of small, ordinary decisions turned a routine anchor into the only thing standing between life and worse?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a September fall on Sable Horn to the quiet weeks before and after at Sullen Creek Mobile Home Park, laying out the actions, equipment checks, and moments of trust that shaped the outcome. By the end you will know how a wasp nest inside a carabiner became the central clue and why a rope left untested mattered more than anyone expected.

Date: September 14, 2019
Person: Crystal Hayes
Location: Sullen Creek Mobile Home Park
Event: Fall on Sable Horn
Occupation: Structural inspector

- Crystal Hayes was forty-four years old and had worked twelve years as a structural inspector.
- The rope on unit 47’s roof remained coiled there from August through mid-September and had eleven months left in its recommended service life.
- Crystal fell eight feet down a rock face during a worsening storm and sustained three cracked ribs.
- The rope held her by three surviving filaments of nylon after the fall.
- On September 1, Jeff Soto’s crampon struck a coil of Crystal’s rope during the approach, compressing a section folded inside the coil.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083662Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:50:33 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Rope Left on a Roof: How a Single Filament Held Her Life Fear and fascination meet on a rooftop and a mountain ridge: a rope left coiled on a mobile-home roof for weeks, a yellow carabiner with a wasp nest, and a fall that should have ended...
Fear and fascination meet on a rooftop and a mountain ridge: a rope left coiled on a mobile-home roof for weeks, a yellow carabiner with a wasp nest, and a fall that should have ended differently-so why did three thin filaments of nylon alone keep her alive? What sequence of small, ordinary decisions turned a routine anchor into the only thing standing between life and worse?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a September fall on Sable Horn to the quiet weeks before and after at Sullen Creek Mobile Home Park, laying out the actions, equipment checks, and moments of trust that shaped the outcome. By the end you will know how a wasp nest inside a carabiner became the central clue and why a rope left untested mattered more than anyone expected.

Date: September 14, 2019
Person: Crystal Hayes
Location: Sullen Creek Mobile Home Park
Event: Fall on Sable Horn
Occupation: Structural inspector

- Crystal Hayes was forty-four years old and had worked twelve years as a structural inspector.
- The rope on unit 47’s roof remained coiled there from August through mid-September and had eleven months left in its recommended service life.
- Crystal fell eight feet down a rock face during a worsening storm and sustained three cracked ribs.
- The rope held her by three surviving filaments of nylon after the fall.
- On September 1, Jeff Soto’s crampon struck a coil of Crystal’s rope during the approach, compressing a section folded inside the coil.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>953falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-footprints-stopped-he-chose-the-ledge-not-the-fall--73083661
A volunteer found two boot-print lines that ended at a frozen eastern ledge and nothing returned - no second set, no pack, just a silver crampon and a folded, half-eaten chocolate energy bar. The missing climber, James Harris, left his rope in his tent and was later found with a fractured ankle and frostbite after summiting West Tooth; did he choose the ledge or was there no time to choose?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of movements from the trailhead register to the scene at Weller Basin, follow the gear evidence left behind, and track the timeline from Harris signing the register to the volunteer’s discovery - asking whether intention or accident best explains the stopped footprints.

Person: James Harris
Date: August 14, 2019 (discovery); August 10, 2019 (summit and injury)
Location: Eastern ledge of Weller Basin, West Tooth area
Status: Missing man found after summit with fractured right ankle and frostbite
Gear: Forty-meter dynamic rope left in tent; rented black crampons with anti-balling plates; found silver crampon without anti-balling plate

- Harris signed the trailhead register at 6:41 AM five days before the discovery.
- The found crampon was silver, at least five years old, and lacked an anti-balling plate.
- Harris had rented black crampons fitted with anti-balling plates from Roger Fitch on August 9.
- He summited West Tooth (9,400 ft) on August 10 and by descent fractured his right ankle at about 8,600 ft.
- A volunteer on a routine cleanup walk discovered the crampon and the half-eaten energy bar on the morning of August 14.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083661Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:50:30 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Footprints Stopped-He Chose the Ledge, Not the Fall A volunteer found two boot-print lines that ended at a frozen eastern ledge and nothing returned - no second set, no pack, just a silver crampon and a folded, half-eaten chocolate energy bar....
A volunteer found two boot-print lines that ended at a frozen eastern ledge and nothing returned - no second set, no pack, just a silver crampon and a folded, half-eaten chocolate energy bar. The missing climber, James Harris, left his rope in his tent and was later found with a fractured ankle and frostbite after summiting West Tooth; did he choose the ledge or was there no time to choose?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of movements from the trailhead register to the scene at Weller Basin, follow the gear evidence left behind, and track the timeline from Harris signing the register to the volunteer’s discovery - asking whether intention or accident best explains the stopped footprints.

Person: James Harris
Date: August 14, 2019 (discovery); August 10, 2019 (summit and injury)
Location: Eastern ledge of Weller Basin, West Tooth area
Status: Missing man found after summit with fractured right ankle and frostbite
Gear: Forty-meter dynamic rope left in tent; rented black crampons with anti-balling plates; found silver crampon without anti-balling plate

- Harris signed the trailhead register at 6:41 AM five days before the discovery.
- The found crampon was silver, at least five years old, and lacked an anti-balling plate.
- Harris had rented black crampons fitted with anti-balling plates from Roger Fitch on August 9.
- He summited West Tooth (9,400 ft) on August 10 and by descent fractured his right ankle at about 8,600 ft.
- A volunteer on a routine cleanup walk discovered the crampon and the half-eaten energy bar on the morning of August 14.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>805falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-frozen-spoon-why-a-tent-was-found-where-no-one-should-be--73083660
The sight of a spoon frozen at a tilt inside solidified soup at 24,200 feet tells of an abrupt stop high on Varos Sar - a tent rated for 22,600 feet found 1,600+ feet higher, and ten days of silence from the team below. What decisions at altitude, with no radios and no rescue, led to three lives being cost?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events as recorded in radio logs, photographs, and expedition notes, tracing how a tent, a telephoto photograph, and a single neighborly cat routine changed the response timeline - and ask what could force climbers to hold a high camp where no one planned to be.

Person: Nancy Barrett
Person: Diane Coffey
Person: Person: Kevin Marsh
Date: July 8-18, 2019
Location: Varos Sar, Karakoram

- A spoon was found tilted inside frozen soup in a pot at approximately 24,200 feet.
- The tent discovered was a four-season shelter weighing 3.5 kilograms, rated for high camp at 22,600 feet.
- The Barrett team’s last radio transmission was logged on July 8 from the shoulder at 22,600 feet.
- Crystal Walker took 17 photographs on July 14; one showed an orange tent at roughly 24,200 feet.
- Rescue leader Eugene Holt arrived at the district airfield and organized a foot rescue after recognizing no helicopter could operate above 23,600 feet.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083660Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:50:28 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Frozen Spoon: Why a Tent Was Found Where No One Should Be The sight of a spoon frozen at a tilt inside solidified soup at 24,200 feet tells of an abrupt stop high on Varos Sar - a tent rated for 22,600 feet found 1,600+ feet higher, and ten...
The sight of a spoon frozen at a tilt inside solidified soup at 24,200 feet tells of an abrupt stop high on Varos Sar - a tent rated for 22,600 feet found 1,600+ feet higher, and ten days of silence from the team below. What decisions at altitude, with no radios and no rescue, led to three lives being cost?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events as recorded in radio logs, photographs, and expedition notes, tracing how a tent, a telephoto photograph, and a single neighborly cat routine changed the response timeline - and ask what could force climbers to hold a high camp where no one planned to be.

Person: Nancy Barrett
Person: Diane Coffey
Person: Person: Kevin Marsh
Date: July 8-18, 2019
Location: Varos Sar, Karakoram

- A spoon was found tilted inside frozen soup in a pot at approximately 24,200 feet.
- The tent discovered was a four-season shelter weighing 3.5 kilograms, rated for high camp at 22,600 feet.
- The Barrett team’s last radio transmission was logged on July 8 from the shoulder at 22,600 feet.
- Crystal Walker took 17 photographs on July 14; one showed an orange tent at roughly 24,200 feet.
- Rescue leader Eugene Holt arrived at the district airfield and organized a foot rescue after recognizing no helicopter could operate above 23,600 feet.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>824falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-mask-on-the-moraine-why-shannon-stayed-at-14-000-feet--73083659
A single oxygen mask with a serial number washed up in a 6,200-foot reservoir miles from the nearest road - an item meant for use above 15,000 feet that no climber had reported losing. How did a mask tied to a summit at 17,400 feet end up tangled in the reeds, and what did that serial number force searchers to accept about what did not happen on Varrish North?

In this episode, we tell the confirmed timeline and the documented outcomes surrounding Shannon Boyd’s June 2011 climb and the four-person team’s summit and descent. Listen to how weather forecasts, permits, equipment logs, and one unexpected artifact reshape the central question: what choices were made alone at 14,000 feet?

Person: Shannon Boyd
Date: June 13-14, 2011
Location: Varrish North, summit 17,400 feet; Colder Flats Reservoir 6,200 feet
Team: Heather Thorpe, Carla Minn, Steven Hale, Shannon Boyd
Weather: sudden secondary system with 50 mph winds

- The mask was found by Thomas Bailey on June 14, 2011 in Colder Flats Reservoir at 6,200 feet.
- Varrish North summit elevation recorded at 17,400 feet; the Narrows at 16,800 feet.
- The summit was reached by all four climbers at 9:41 AM on June 13, 2011 with a 25-minute summit time.
- The secondary weather system reduced visibility to under 20 meters and produced sustained winds above 50 mph, dropping temperature 14°C in 40 minutes.
- Two supplemental oxygen systems were logged on the May 27, 2011 permit as emergency descent only.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083659Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:50:25 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Mask on the Moraine: Why Shannon Stayed at 14,000 Feet A single oxygen mask with a serial number washed up in a 6,200-foot reservoir miles from the nearest road - an item meant for use above 15,000 feet that no climber had reported losing. How...
A single oxygen mask with a serial number washed up in a 6,200-foot reservoir miles from the nearest road - an item meant for use above 15,000 feet that no climber had reported losing. How did a mask tied to a summit at 17,400 feet end up tangled in the reeds, and what did that serial number force searchers to accept about what did not happen on Varrish North?

In this episode, we tell the confirmed timeline and the documented outcomes surrounding Shannon Boyd’s June 2011 climb and the four-person team’s summit and descent. Listen to how weather forecasts, permits, equipment logs, and one unexpected artifact reshape the central question: what choices were made alone at 14,000 feet?

Person: Shannon Boyd
Date: June 13-14, 2011
Location: Varrish North, summit 17,400 feet; Colder Flats Reservoir 6,200 feet
Team: Heather Thorpe, Carla Minn, Steven Hale, Shannon Boyd
Weather: sudden secondary system with 50 mph winds

- The mask was found by Thomas Bailey on June 14, 2011 in Colder Flats Reservoir at 6,200 feet.
- Varrish North summit elevation recorded at 17,400 feet; the Narrows at 16,800 feet.
- The summit was reached by all four climbers at 9:41 AM on June 13, 2011 with a 25-minute summit time.
- The secondary weather system reduced visibility to under 20 meters and produced sustained winds above 50 mph, dropping temperature 14°C in 40 minutes.
- Two supplemental oxygen systems were logged on the May 27, 2011 permit as emergency descent only.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>929falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-oxygen-cylinder-nobody-was-supposed-to-find-on-dorell-peak--73083658
A silver two-liter oxygen cylinder was found at 6,200 feet-nine thousand feet below where supplemental oxygen is used-forty percent full and in perfect working condition; how did it get there, and what did it cost before it was set down? This discovery sits at the center of a chain of decisions, a misread gauge, an eleven-minute binocular pause, and a storm that arrived six hours early-could those linked choices explain an eighteen-hour survival fight on Dorell Peak?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events surrounding the May 14, 2011 discovery and the prior ascent and descent by five climbers plus base support, laying out the factual timeline, the equipment readings, and the roles of each person involved to ask whether the near-disaster was a series of reasonable mistakes or something avoidable.

Person: Pamela Griffin
Person: Scott Green
Person: Person: Mike Vance
Date: May 14, 2011
Location: Dorell Peak, lower Dorell Peak

- The cylinder was found at 6,200 feet elevation between two spruce trunks, forty percent full and in perfect working condition.
- Supplemental oxygen is stated to have no practical use below 14,000 feet; the cylinder was 9,000 feet below where it should have been.
- Pamela Griffin checked a pressure gauge at Camp Two (13,400 feet) the evening of May 8 and recorded the needle between quarter and half, noting a probable slow valve leak and planning overnight monitoring.
- The team’s planned Camp Two elevation was 13,400 feet with a summit push scheduled after a four-day up-and-down itinerary on the standard route via the Cornice Route.
- A reconnaissance flight on May 16 photographed the north couloir, showing it buried under 14 inches of fresh snow, erasing the exact line the team had descended in the dark.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083658Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:50:23 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Oxygen Cylinder Nobody Was Supposed to Find on Dorell Peak A silver two-liter oxygen cylinder was found at 6,200 feet-nine thousand feet below where supplemental oxygen is used-forty percent full and in perfect working condition; how did it get...
A silver two-liter oxygen cylinder was found at 6,200 feet-nine thousand feet below where supplemental oxygen is used-forty percent full and in perfect working condition; how did it get there, and what did it cost before it was set down? This discovery sits at the center of a chain of decisions, a misread gauge, an eleven-minute binocular pause, and a storm that arrived six hours early-could those linked choices explain an eighteen-hour survival fight on Dorell Peak?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events surrounding the May 14, 2011 discovery and the prior ascent and descent by five climbers plus base support, laying out the factual timeline, the equipment readings, and the roles of each person involved to ask whether the near-disaster was a series of reasonable mistakes or something avoidable.

Person: Pamela Griffin
Person: Scott Green
Person: Person: Mike Vance
Date: May 14, 2011
Location: Dorell Peak, lower Dorell Peak

- The cylinder was found at 6,200 feet elevation between two spruce trunks, forty percent full and in perfect working condition.
- Supplemental oxygen is stated to have no practical use below 14,000 feet; the cylinder was 9,000 feet below where it should have been.
- Pamela Griffin checked a pressure gauge at Camp Two (13,400 feet) the evening of May 8 and recorded the needle between quarter and half, noting a probable slow valve leak and planning overnight monitoring.
- The team’s planned Camp Two elevation was 13,400 feet with a summit push scheduled after a four-day up-and-down itinerary on the standard route via the Cornice Route.
- A reconnaissance flight on May 16 photographed the north couloir, showing it buried under 14 inches of fresh snow, erasing the exact line the team had descended in the dark.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>828falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-last-call-bottle-note-broken-rules-one-dead-line--73083657
A bright orange-wide mouth mountaineering water bottle with a parachute cord was found in a snowmelt runnel eleven miles from the nearest pavement and seven thousand feet below the summit of Corden North - inside was a zip-lock bag with a five-word note: "Don't wait past fourteen hundred" and the initials C.W. Who left that message, and why was the man who kept a ritual call to his brother missing it before this climb?

In this episode, we follow the timeline and the people involved: a five-person expedition on Corden North, the discovery of the bottle on April 19, 2011, and the last clear radio contact from the high bivouac on April 16. We piece together the facts around the lower camp in a bowl, the high bivouac at 12,400 feet, and Carl Whitley's unexplained missed call to his brother - what do these details point to?

Person: Carl Whitley
Date: April 19, 2011
Location: Corden North northeast aspect
Event: Bottle containing note found in melt-water runnel
Status: Last radio contact from high bivouac on April 16, 2011

- A wide-mouth aluminum mountaineering water bottle with a parachute cord was found in a melt-water runnel beside a Forest Service road.
- The bottle was located eleven miles from the nearest pavement and seven thousand feet below the summit of Corden North.
- Inside the bottle, sealed in a zip-lock bag on the back of a topographic map section, was a handwritten note: "Don't wait past fourteen hundred." and the initials C.W.
- Carl Whitley, age sixty-three, had a thirty-seven-year climbing history and a habit of calling his brother Walt before leaving cell range but did not make that call before Corden North.
- The high bivouac was at twelve thousand four hundred feet; the lower camp was in a bowl eleven hundred feet below the bivouac where Ben Okafor maintained communications.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083657Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:50:20 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Last Call: Bottle Note, Broken Rules, One Dead Line A bright orange-wide mouth mountaineering water bottle with a parachute cord was found in a snowmelt runnel eleven miles from the nearest pavement and seven thousand feet below the summit of...
A bright orange-wide mouth mountaineering water bottle with a parachute cord was found in a snowmelt runnel eleven miles from the nearest pavement and seven thousand feet below the summit of Corden North - inside was a zip-lock bag with a five-word note: "Don't wait past fourteen hundred" and the initials C.W. Who left that message, and why was the man who kept a ritual call to his brother missing it before this climb?

In this episode, we follow the timeline and the people involved: a five-person expedition on Corden North, the discovery of the bottle on April 19, 2011, and the last clear radio contact from the high bivouac on April 16. We piece together the facts around the lower camp in a bowl, the high bivouac at 12,400 feet, and Carl Whitley's unexplained missed call to his brother - what do these details point to?

Person: Carl Whitley
Date: April 19, 2011
Location: Corden North northeast aspect
Event: Bottle containing note found in melt-water runnel
Status: Last radio contact from high bivouac on April 16, 2011

- A wide-mouth aluminum mountaineering water bottle with a parachute cord was found in a melt-water runnel beside a Forest Service road.
- The bottle was located eleven miles from the nearest pavement and seven thousand feet below the summit of Corden North.
- Inside the bottle, sealed in a zip-lock bag on the back of a topographic map section, was a handwritten note: "Don't wait past fourteen hundred." and the initials C.W.
- Carl Whitley, age sixty-three, had a thirty-seven-year climbing history and a habit of calling his brother Walt before leaving cell range but did not make that call before Corden North.
- The high bivouac was at twelve thousand four hundred feet; the lower camp was in a bowl eleven hundred feet below the bivouac where Ben Okafor maintained communications.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>822falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/tied-laces-at-seven-thousand-feet-the-greyhorn-boot-mystery--73083655
A single double-shell climbing boot was found upright on a bare moraine at 7,200 feet, laces tied in a perfect bow and no matching boot, pack, rope, or person in sight; how did it travel nearly five miles inside a retreating glacier and who did it belong to? The boot was photographed from eleven angles by a 62-year-old bird photographer who then called 911 - but the real question remains: is someone still up there?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events that connect one compromised piece of gear to a near-catastrophe on Greyhorn Peak and the choices that followed, including a thirty-seven-minute gap in the record and a decisive four-second decision that defined the incident. What happened between the boot’s discovery and the team’s return that explains its presence and the outcome for the climbers?

Person: Lori Stroud
Date: March 13, 2019
Location: Greyhorn Peak, Hatchett Glacier, Montana
Case Status: Resolved - all five climbers survived; boot identified via manufacturer serial number
Finder: Erin Romano, age 62

- The boot was located at 7,200 feet on a bare glacial moraine and faced directly uphill with laces tied in a standard bow.
- The boot traveled 4.9 miles in 21 months inside a retreating glacier without human assistance.
- Lori Stroud discovered a stress fracture in her boot’s rubber rand approximately two weeks before departure (around Feb 26).
- There was a 37-minute discrepancy between the guide’s written account and GPS data placing the team at the crux at a critical wind-load threshold.
- Stroud’s four-second choice was between cutting the rope and solo-downclimbing with an estimated 40% fall probability or holding and exposing four teammates.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083655Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:50:18 +0000Creator at ObomediaTied Laces at Seven Thousand Feet: The Greyhorn Boot Mystery A single double-shell climbing boot was found upright on a bare moraine at 7,200 feet, laces tied in a perfect bow and no matching boot, pack, rope, or person in sight; how did it travel...
A single double-shell climbing boot was found upright on a bare moraine at 7,200 feet, laces tied in a perfect bow and no matching boot, pack, rope, or person in sight; how did it travel nearly five miles inside a retreating glacier and who did it belong to? The boot was photographed from eleven angles by a 62-year-old bird photographer who then called 911 - but the real question remains: is someone still up there?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events that connect one compromised piece of gear to a near-catastrophe on Greyhorn Peak and the choices that followed, including a thirty-seven-minute gap in the record and a decisive four-second decision that defined the incident. What happened between the boot’s discovery and the team’s return that explains its presence and the outcome for the climbers?

Person: Lori Stroud
Date: March 13, 2019
Location: Greyhorn Peak, Hatchett Glacier, Montana
Case Status: Resolved - all five climbers survived; boot identified via manufacturer serial number
Finder: Erin Romano, age 62

- The boot was located at 7,200 feet on a bare glacial moraine and faced directly uphill with laces tied in a standard bow.
- The boot traveled 4.9 miles in 21 months inside a retreating glacier without human assistance.
- Lori Stroud discovered a stress fracture in her boot’s rubber rand approximately two weeks before departure (around Feb 26).
- There was a 37-minute discrepancy between the guide’s written account and GPS data placing the team at the crux at a critical wind-load threshold.
- Stroud’s four-second choice was between cutting the rope and solo-downclimbing with an estimated 40% fall probability or holding and exposing four teammates.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>930falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/dry-gloves-at-eleven-degrees-why-rhonda-walked-barehanded-down-ardell--73083654
Cold and irrevocable: at 4:30 a.m. on February 19, 2009, a paperboy found a pair of dry women’s insulated gloves looped on a post at the Ardell Notch trailhead while the temperature read eleven degrees Fahrenheit - yet their owner walked down the mountain barehanded and lost three fingers. How did gloves left dry in subfreezing weather end up abandoned while the wearer descended through a winter storm with fatal exposure?

In this episode, we follow the documented timeline from pre-climb preparations through the summit and descent, tracing decisions, equipment checks, and the minute-by-minute record that led to a permanent, irreversible injury. What single choice before first light set the threshold that fixed Rhonda Christensen’s fate?

Person: Rhonda Christensen
Date: February 19, 2009
Location: Ardell Massif, Advance Station and Ardell Notch trailhead
Status: Lost three fingers; tissue death irreversible when descending past 8,000 feet without gloves
Occupation: Licensed surveying technician

- Gloves found dry and looped on a wooden post at 4:30 a.m, by a paper route teen.
- Ambient temperature at discovery: 11 degrees Fahrenheit with no snow on the glove fabric.
- Rhonda was 47 years old and had volunteered every Thursday at the Missoula Cold Weather Shelter for six years with zero missed shifts.
- One oxygen regulator was found cracked during the February 16 audit, and the defective unit’s slot was assigned to Rhonda.
- The team left the Advance Station before first light on February 17 and reached 12,800 feet by 11:22 a.m.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083654Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:50:15 +0000Creator at ObomediaDry Gloves at Eleven Degrees: Why Rhonda Walked Barehanded Down Ardell Cold and irrevocable: at 4:30 a.m. on February 19, 2009, a paperboy found a pair of dry women’s insulated gloves looped on a post at the Ardell Notch trailhead while the...
Cold and irrevocable: at 4:30 a.m. on February 19, 2009, a paperboy found a pair of dry women’s insulated gloves looped on a post at the Ardell Notch trailhead while the temperature read eleven degrees Fahrenheit - yet their owner walked down the mountain barehanded and lost three fingers. How did gloves left dry in subfreezing weather end up abandoned while the wearer descended through a winter storm with fatal exposure?

In this episode, we follow the documented timeline from pre-climb preparations through the summit and descent, tracing decisions, equipment checks, and the minute-by-minute record that led to a permanent, irreversible injury. What single choice before first light set the threshold that fixed Rhonda Christensen’s fate?

Person: Rhonda Christensen
Date: February 19, 2009
Location: Ardell Massif, Advance Station and Ardell Notch trailhead
Status: Lost three fingers; tissue death irreversible when descending past 8,000 feet without gloves
Occupation: Licensed surveying technician

- Gloves found dry and looped on a wooden post at 4:30 a.m, by a paper route teen.
- Ambient temperature at discovery: 11 degrees Fahrenheit with no snow on the glove fabric.
- Rhonda was 47 years old and had volunteered every Thursday at the Missoula Cold Weather Shelter for six years with zero missed shifts.
- One oxygen regulator was found cracked during the February 16 audit, and the defective unit’s slot was assigned to Rhonda.
- The team left the Advance Station before first light on February 17 and reached 12,800 feet by 11:22 a.m.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>837falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/climber-designs-his-own-rescue-from-inside-a-blizzard-the-drevner-peak-disaster--73083653
A single crampon found in a road furrow nine point four miles from the nearest trailhead pointed to a missing climber after eleven days of search - and a deliberately planted ice axe was later found at ten thousand four hundred feet in a blizzard with its wrist loop cleanly cut. How did a methodical science teacher who wrote compass bearings on his skin end up abandoning his primary self-arrest tool in negative twenty-three degrees and fifty-one mph winds - and could that action have been part of a rescue he designed for himself?

In this episode, we chronicle the Drevner Peak expedition from high camp through the sudden storm that struck on January eighth, describe the climbers involved and the sequence of sites found afterward, and follow the mystery raised by Todd McCarthy’s inexplicable choices - was he lost, or was he acting with intent to survive?

Person: Todd McCarthy
Date: January 8 (storm), January 7 (high camp established), January 19 (crampon found)
Location: Drevner Peak high camp at 11,800 feet; crampon found on Hatcher Creek access road 9.4 miles from nearest trailhead
Event: Summit bid, unexpected storm with sustained winds reaching 51 mph in 22 minutes
Status: One climber unaccounted for after eleven days of search

- A county road-grader operator found a twelve-point steel crampon at 6:40 AM on January 19 in -11°F with straps intact and the buckle closed at a precise tension.
- Todd McCarthy was a 32-year-old science teacher who kept a six-year Thursday morning routine at Hartley's diner and wrote his compass bearing on his left wrist in permanent marker before summit attempts.
- High camp was at 11,800 feet; the summit elevation is 14,040 feet and the full team reached 13,200 feet by 9:40 AM on January 8 with winds at 12 mph and temperature -23°F.
- At 11:07 AM on January 8, an unforecast storm arrived from the southwest; within 22 minutes sustained winds reached 51 mph.
- Todd cut the wrist loop off his ice axe in a single deliberate stroke, drove the axe spike-first into the snow at 10,400 feet, planted it upright, and walked away in a blizzard.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083653Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:50:13 +0000Creator at ObomediaClimber Designs His Own Rescue from Inside a Blizzard: The Drevner Peak Disaster A single crampon found in a road furrow nine point four miles from the nearest trailhead pointed to a missing climber after eleven days of search - and a deliberately...
A single crampon found in a road furrow nine point four miles from the nearest trailhead pointed to a missing climber after eleven days of search - and a deliberately planted ice axe was later found at ten thousand four hundred feet in a blizzard with its wrist loop cleanly cut. How did a methodical science teacher who wrote compass bearings on his skin end up abandoning his primary self-arrest tool in negative twenty-three degrees and fifty-one mph winds - and could that action have been part of a rescue he designed for himself?

In this episode, we chronicle the Drevner Peak expedition from high camp through the sudden storm that struck on January eighth, describe the climbers involved and the sequence of sites found afterward, and follow the mystery raised by Todd McCarthy’s inexplicable choices - was he lost, or was he acting with intent to survive?

Person: Todd McCarthy
Date: January 8 (storm), January 7 (high camp established), January 19 (crampon found)
Location: Drevner Peak high camp at 11,800 feet; crampon found on Hatcher Creek access road 9.4 miles from nearest trailhead
Event: Summit bid, unexpected storm with sustained winds reaching 51 mph in 22 minutes
Status: One climber unaccounted for after eleven days of search

- A county road-grader operator found a twelve-point steel crampon at 6:40 AM on January 19 in -11°F with straps intact and the buckle closed at a precise tension.
- Todd McCarthy was a 32-year-old science teacher who kept a six-year Thursday morning routine at Hartley's diner and wrote his compass bearing on his left wrist in permanent marker before summit attempts.
- High camp was at 11,800 feet; the summit elevation is 14,040 feet and the full team reached 13,200 feet by 9:40 AM on January 8 with winds at 12 mph and temperature -23°F.
- At 11:07 AM on January 8, an unforecast storm arrived from the southwest; within 22 minutes sustained winds reached 51 mph.
- Todd cut the wrist loop off his ice axe in a single deliberate stroke, drove the axe spike-first into the snow at 10,400 feet, planted it upright, and walked away in a blizzard.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>928falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-glove-on-the-wrong-slope-what-jerry-couldn-t-remember--73083652
Cold, precise details - a right-hand high-altitude glove rated for 15,000+ feet found at 6,400 feet in timber country with no footprints - promise a near-impossible error on Ardlow Peak. How did a glove from a summit descent end up on the wrong slope, and what could "almost surgical" mean when the climber remembers nothing of his final six hours?

In this episode, we trace the December 2011 Ardlow Peak climb, the decisions that pushed a guide past his own safety deadline, and the mysterious evidence found months later, asking whether a single fourteen-minute delay can explain a baffling scene on the mountain.

Person: Jerry Sheridan
Date: December 17, 2011
Location: Ardlow massif eastern slope at 6,400 feet
Guide: Paul Padgett, age 36
Discovery: Glove found by lineman Bruce Henderson

- The glove was a right-hand, high-altitude mountaineering glove rated for elevations above 15,000 feet.
- The glove was found at 6,400 feet on the eastern slope, a side the standard descent route never touches.
- There were no footprints leading to or away from the glove; two days of wind had erased tracks.
- Jerry Sheridan was 52 years old and had been climbing for 11 years with 17 summits listed on a laminated card.
- Padgett had written a hard turn-back rule: "if we're not at the fixed anchor by eleven, we turn regardless," yet they summited at 11:14.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083652Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:50:10 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Glove on the Wrong Slope: What Jerry Couldn't Remember Cold, precise details - a right-hand high-altitude glove rated for 15,000+ feet found at 6,400 feet in timber country with no footprints - promise a near-impossible error on Ardlow Peak....
Cold, precise details - a right-hand high-altitude glove rated for 15,000+ feet found at 6,400 feet in timber country with no footprints - promise a near-impossible error on Ardlow Peak. How did a glove from a summit descent end up on the wrong slope, and what could "almost surgical" mean when the climber remembers nothing of his final six hours?

In this episode, we trace the December 2011 Ardlow Peak climb, the decisions that pushed a guide past his own safety deadline, and the mysterious evidence found months later, asking whether a single fourteen-minute delay can explain a baffling scene on the mountain.

Person: Jerry Sheridan
Date: December 17, 2011
Location: Ardlow massif eastern slope at 6,400 feet
Guide: Paul Padgett, age 36
Discovery: Glove found by lineman Bruce Henderson

- The glove was a right-hand, high-altitude mountaineering glove rated for elevations above 15,000 feet.
- The glove was found at 6,400 feet on the eastern slope, a side the standard descent route never touches.
- There were no footprints leading to or away from the glove; two days of wind had erased tracks.
- Jerry Sheridan was 52 years old and had been climbing for 11 years with 17 summits listed on a laminated card.
- Padgett had written a hard turn-back rule: "if we're not at the fixed anchor by eleven, we turn regardless," yet they summited at 11:14.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>943falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-wrote-her-last-notes-while-her-brain-melted-on-keldrath--73083651
The orange avalanche airbag sat alone on a trailhead bench at 4,100 feet while a physician was dying at 13,800 feet - and she recorded each failing hour as her mind unraveled. How did a woman who published papers on altitude illness end up descending alone, writing "Ataxia" and other clinical notes as her brain failed?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a November 14, 2011 trailhead discovery back up the north face of Keldrath Peak to the climbers on the summit push, the missing radio checks, and the small green notebook that preserved Dr. Tammy West’s last recorded hours. What do the radio logs, medical details, and that notebook tell us about the decision she never explicitly wrote down?

Person: Dr. Tammy West
Date: November 14, 2011 (discovery at 5:58 AM)
Location: Keldrath Peak north face / trailhead at 4,100 feet
Event: Summit push and subsequent descent with four-hour radio silence
Status: Notebook donated to Sutter Range Historical Society

- The airbag was fully inflated, bright orange, found on a wooden bench at 4,100 feet with no pack attached.
- Radio log first noted a check-in at 2:15 AM and another at 4:20 AM on November 12; next expected check-in at 8:47 AM did not occur.
- Phil Navarro wrote at 6:47 AM in the radio log: "TW voice sounds off."
- West’s last known camp was Camp Three at 13,800 feet, where she had been since at least November 10.
- West’s eleven-hour self-recorded timeline ended with a final entry beginning with the clinical term "Ataxia."

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083651Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:50:07 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Wrote Her Last Notes While Her Brain Melted on Keldrath The orange avalanche airbag sat alone on a trailhead bench at 4,100 feet while a physician was dying at 13,800 feet - and she recorded each failing hour as her mind unraveled. How did a...
The orange avalanche airbag sat alone on a trailhead bench at 4,100 feet while a physician was dying at 13,800 feet - and she recorded each failing hour as her mind unraveled. How did a woman who published papers on altitude illness end up descending alone, writing "Ataxia" and other clinical notes as her brain failed?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a November 14, 2011 trailhead discovery back up the north face of Keldrath Peak to the climbers on the summit push, the missing radio checks, and the small green notebook that preserved Dr. Tammy West’s last recorded hours. What do the radio logs, medical details, and that notebook tell us about the decision she never explicitly wrote down?

Person: Dr. Tammy West
Date: November 14, 2011 (discovery at 5:58 AM)
Location: Keldrath Peak north face / trailhead at 4,100 feet
Event: Summit push and subsequent descent with four-hour radio silence
Status: Notebook donated to Sutter Range Historical Society

- The airbag was fully inflated, bright orange, found on a wooden bench at 4,100 feet with no pack attached.
- Radio log first noted a check-in at 2:15 AM and another at 4:20 AM on November 12; next expected check-in at 8:47 AM did not occur.
- Phil Navarro wrote at 6:47 AM in the radio log: "TW voice sounds off."
- West’s last known camp was Camp Three at 13,800 feet, where she had been since at least November 10.
- West’s eleven-hour self-recorded timeline ended with a final entry beginning with the clinical term "Ataxia."

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>987falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-charred-axe-why-someone-burned-phil-rucker-s-shaft-at-40-c--73083649
Cold and close enough to touch: an ice axe shaft was deliberately burned at -40°C and the blade kept climbing - then the charred head reappeared eleven days later propped against a remote cabin eleven miles from the trailhead. What choice in a storm of 70 km/h winds and temperatures below -30°C leads someone to burn an axe and leave no note?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of people, gear and weather that produced that single inexplicable act. You’ll hear who was on the mountain, the exact weather collapse that surprised forecasts, and the unanswered question about a decision made in the dark.

Person: Valerie Fleming
Person: Phil Rucker
Date: October 8-10, 2011
Location: Fenwick Spire southeast couloir, Flathead Range, northwest Montana
Event: deliberate burning of an ice axe shaft; charred axe head found eleven days later

- Valerie Fleming was twenty-eight in October 2011 and had five years guiding experience, including two prior Fenwick Spire attempts (2009 and 2010).
- Phil Rucker was thirty-one, had been Fleming’s climbing partner for four years, and used a Raven Pro ice axe with a re-wrapped socket in black friction tape.
- High camp was established at 7,800 m on October 8; Emily Morgan logged conditions as “acceptable” before the storm.
- The storm arrived six hours ahead of models on the night of October 9, with gusts over 70 km/h recorded at 01:47 and temperatures dropping below -30°C.
- A charred axe head (socket) with no shaft and no note appeared eleven days later propped against a remote cabin foundation eleven miles from the nearest trailhead.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083649Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:50:05 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Charred Axe: Why Someone Burned Phil Rucker's Shaft at -40°C Cold and close enough to touch: an ice axe shaft was deliberately burned at -40°C and the blade kept climbing - then the charred head reappeared eleven days later propped against a...
Cold and close enough to touch: an ice axe shaft was deliberately burned at -40°C and the blade kept climbing - then the charred head reappeared eleven days later propped against a remote cabin eleven miles from the trailhead. What choice in a storm of 70 km/h winds and temperatures below -30°C leads someone to burn an axe and leave no note?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of people, gear and weather that produced that single inexplicable act. You’ll hear who was on the mountain, the exact weather collapse that surprised forecasts, and the unanswered question about a decision made in the dark.

Person: Valerie Fleming
Person: Phil Rucker
Date: October 8-10, 2011
Location: Fenwick Spire southeast couloir, Flathead Range, northwest Montana
Event: deliberate burning of an ice axe shaft; charred axe head found eleven days later

- Valerie Fleming was twenty-eight in October 2011 and had five years guiding experience, including two prior Fenwick Spire attempts (2009 and 2010).
- Phil Rucker was thirty-one, had been Fleming’s climbing partner for four years, and used a Raven Pro ice axe with a re-wrapped socket in black friction tape.
- High camp was established at 7,800 m on October 8; Emily Morgan logged conditions as “acceptable” before the storm.
- The storm arrived six hours ahead of models on the night of October 9, with gusts over 70 km/h recorded at 01:47 and temperatures dropping below -30°C.
- A charred axe head (socket) with no shaft and no note appeared eleven days later propped against a remote cabin foundation eleven miles from the nearest trailhead.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>913falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-crampon-on-the-fence-how-four-climbers-survived-a-wrong-col--73083646
A single twelve-point crampon sat alone on a fence post at 4,200 feet, photographed on September 19 with no vehicle, no note, and no second crampon - the first visible sign that something had gone very wrong on Crestfall Peak. How did that crampon end up at the trailhead when its owner was last seen near the 16,000-foot summit, alive after a sixty-foot fall in the dark?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of decisions, written warnings, and a misidentified col that linked a twenty-minute timing discrepancy, a notebook entry, and a late-afternoon descent into a forty-seven-hour ordeal. What combination of small errors and documented doubts led four experienced climbers to the wrong col, and how did they survive?

Person: Connie Johnson
Person: Raymond Hicks
Person: Kevin Ostroff
Person: Phil Arnett
Date: September 8-19

- A twelve-point crampon was photographed on a fence post at 4,200 feet on September 19.
- The summit of Crestfall Peak is roughly 16,000 feet with a North Col at approximately 14,400 feet and South Col about 80 meters lower and 400 meters away horizontally.
- Raymond Hicks recorded a carry taking about twenty minutes less than expected and later added the marginal note "check" in different ink.
- Connie Johnson wrote at 5:40 AM on September 11: "bearing feels slightly left of where I'd expect for NCol approach - asked R. he said it's fine."
- The team was found by search-and-rescue on a trail access road 47 hours after the decision, at 4:47 AM.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083646Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:50:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Crampon on the Fence: How Four Climbers Survived a Wrong Col A single twelve-point crampon sat alone on a fence post at 4,200 feet, photographed on September 19 with no vehicle, no note, and no second crampon - the first visible sign that...
A single twelve-point crampon sat alone on a fence post at 4,200 feet, photographed on September 19 with no vehicle, no note, and no second crampon - the first visible sign that something had gone very wrong on Crestfall Peak. How did that crampon end up at the trailhead when its owner was last seen near the 16,000-foot summit, alive after a sixty-foot fall in the dark?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of decisions, written warnings, and a misidentified col that linked a twenty-minute timing discrepancy, a notebook entry, and a late-afternoon descent into a forty-seven-hour ordeal. What combination of small errors and documented doubts led four experienced climbers to the wrong col, and how did they survive?

Person: Connie Johnson
Person: Raymond Hicks
Person: Kevin Ostroff
Person: Phil Arnett
Date: September 8-19

- A twelve-point crampon was photographed on a fence post at 4,200 feet on September 19.
- The summit of Crestfall Peak is roughly 16,000 feet with a North Col at approximately 14,400 feet and South Col about 80 meters lower and 400 meters away horizontally.
- Raymond Hicks recorded a carry taking about twenty minutes less than expected and later added the marginal note "check" in different ink.
- Connie Johnson wrote at 5:40 AM on September 11: "bearing feels slightly left of where I'd expect for NCol approach - asked R. he said it's fine."
- The team was found by search-and-rescue on a trail access road 47 hours after the decision, at 4:47 AM.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>844falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-summit-photo-no-one-reported-what-it-hid-on-bellard--73083645
Cold film canisters sat rubber-banded in roadside mud for months with no missing persons report and no search - a roll from a high-altitude climb gone unremarked until a groomer found it. The last frame shows a standing, dark shape at the summit edge; who - or what - was left in that photograph, and why did no one report the missing film?

In this episode, we follow the journey of a twenty-two-year-old environmental science student who joined a 2017 Bellard Traverse expedition, the decisions and omissions logged by the team, and the discovery that reopened a quiet, unresolved route of events. What links a disturbed anchor, a surprise navigational move by the least experienced climber, and the unexplained figure captured on film?

Person: Frances Bishop
Date: August 12, 2017 (summit reached at 11:17 a.m.)
Location: High Col / Bellard Traverse
Person: Glen Attley (technical lead, age 41)
Person: Deb Fontaine (logistics and communications specialist, age 35)

- Two rubber-banded film canisters found in drainage mud on a spur off Kettrick Forest access road, discovered by Denise Sawyer on a Tuesday morning in late November.
- Frances Bishop was 22 and a junior at Ellendale State University, studying environmental science, and joined the expedition as the least experienced climber.
- On August 9, Glen Attley noted a fixed anchor below High Col rotated roughly 45 degrees, re-drove and tested it, and did not report the issue to basecamp.
- The summit push began at 3:45 a.m.; the team reached the summit at 11:17 a.m., and the final frame of the canister captured Frances with arms raised and a dark upright shape at the left edge.
- Lisa Owens, field director who stayed at basecamp, later wrote a fourteen-page incident report and relied on radio logs and Glen's personal notes for information.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083645Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:49:59 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Summit Photo No One Reported - What It Hid on Bellard Cold film canisters sat rubber-banded in roadside mud for months with no missing persons report and no search - a roll from a high-altitude climb gone unremarked until a groomer found it....
Cold film canisters sat rubber-banded in roadside mud for months with no missing persons report and no search - a roll from a high-altitude climb gone unremarked until a groomer found it. The last frame shows a standing, dark shape at the summit edge; who - or what - was left in that photograph, and why did no one report the missing film?

In this episode, we follow the journey of a twenty-two-year-old environmental science student who joined a 2017 Bellard Traverse expedition, the decisions and omissions logged by the team, and the discovery that reopened a quiet, unresolved route of events. What links a disturbed anchor, a surprise navigational move by the least experienced climber, and the unexplained figure captured on film?

Person: Frances Bishop
Date: August 12, 2017 (summit reached at 11:17 a.m.)
Location: High Col / Bellard Traverse
Person: Glen Attley (technical lead, age 41)
Person: Deb Fontaine (logistics and communications specialist, age 35)

- Two rubber-banded film canisters found in drainage mud on a spur off Kettrick Forest access road, discovered by Denise Sawyer on a Tuesday morning in late November.
- Frances Bishop was 22 and a junior at Ellendale State University, studying environmental science, and joined the expedition as the least experienced climber.
- On August 9, Glen Attley noted a fixed anchor below High Col rotated roughly 45 degrees, re-drove and tested it, and did not report the issue to basecamp.
- The summit push began at 3:45 a.m.; the team reached the summit at 11:17 a.m., and the final frame of the canister captured Frances with arms raised and a dark upright shape at the left edge.
- Lisa Owens, field director who stayed at basecamp, later wrote a fourteen-page incident report and relied on radio logs and Glen's personal notes for information.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>614falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/intact-ice-screw-4-100ft-below-how-did-it-escape-kalder-peak--73083644
A single intact ice screw, eight inches long with a blue-and-white sling, was found point-down in gravel 4,100 feet below Kalder Peak - an object built to stop a falling climber, alone and undamaged while three people remained unaccounted for. How could a life-saving device end up in the Callan River with no sign of catastrophic failure, and what does that placement mean for the missing party?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a July 19 morning discovery back through the climb and decisions on July 17-18 to ask whether speed, route choice, or a single split-second action on the descent explains what happened to the team. Could the Porter Route’s “faster” logic and one ninety-second choice on a rope be the key to the mystery?

Person: Sarah Porter
Person: Kimberly Burke
Person: Chris Alderman
Date: July 19, 2011
Location: Callan River gravel bar

- Ice screw found at 6:00 AM on July 19, 2011, measured roughly eight inches long with intact threading and a blue-and-white nylon sling.
- Three climbers (Sarah Porter, Kimberly Burke, Chris Alderman) were overdue after summiting Kalder Peak on July 18; final radio check logged at 7:03 AM July 18.
- Summit photograph timestamped 11:52 AM July 18 shows Porter and Alderman on the summit block unroped and with a gray-green sky to the east.
- Porter had established the Porter Route, a direct sixty-degree ice gully, and had led parties up Kalder West Ridge six times prior.
- Burke’s camera recorded the summit time; she held a Wilderness First Responder certification earned in February 2011 and had been climbing for eleven years.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083644Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:49:57 +0000Creator at ObomediaIntact Ice Screw 4,100ft Below: How Did It Escape Kalder Peak? A single intact ice screw, eight inches long with a blue-and-white sling, was found point-down in gravel 4,100 feet below Kalder Peak - an object built to stop a falling climber, alone...
A single intact ice screw, eight inches long with a blue-and-white sling, was found point-down in gravel 4,100 feet below Kalder Peak - an object built to stop a falling climber, alone and undamaged while three people remained unaccounted for. How could a life-saving device end up in the Callan River with no sign of catastrophic failure, and what does that placement mean for the missing party?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a July 19 morning discovery back through the climb and decisions on July 17-18 to ask whether speed, route choice, or a single split-second action on the descent explains what happened to the team. Could the Porter Route’s “faster” logic and one ninety-second choice on a rope be the key to the mystery?

Person: Sarah Porter
Person: Kimberly Burke
Person: Chris Alderman
Date: July 19, 2011
Location: Callan River gravel bar

- Ice screw found at 6:00 AM on July 19, 2011, measured roughly eight inches long with intact threading and a blue-and-white nylon sling.
- Three climbers (Sarah Porter, Kimberly Burke, Chris Alderman) were overdue after summiting Kalder Peak on July 18; final radio check logged at 7:03 AM July 18.
- Summit photograph timestamped 11:52 AM July 18 shows Porter and Alderman on the summit block unroped and with a gray-green sky to the east.
- Porter had established the Porter Route, a direct sixty-degree ice gully, and had led parties up Kalder West Ridge six times prior.
- Burke’s camera recorded the summit time; she held a Wilderness First Responder certification earned in February 2011 and had been climbing for eleven years.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>935falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-notebook-on-the-boulder-summit-decisions-that-killed-one-man--73083642
A frost-fused notebook sat open on a boulder at 4,200 meters after being missing for eleven months, its last entry ending mid-sentence three thousand one hundred meters below. How did a twelve-meter anchor deviation and a chain of defensible decisions turn a planned ascent into a fatal timeline that no one saw until it was too late?

In this episode, we follow the Ashcroft Pinnacle expedition through its preparation, the notebook protocol, and the summit push that began at 11:00 PM on June 16; we trace the small, precise choices - anchor placement, oxygen math, and timing - that cascaded into catastrophe and ask whether one altered anchor could change everything.

Person: Heather Novak
Date: June 16-18, 2021
Location: Ashcroft Pinnacle eastern glacier approach
Event: Summit push starting at 11:00 PM on June 16
Duration missing: Notebook absent for eleven months

- Base Camp established at 4,900 meters on June 3, 2021.
- Novak carried a wire-bound 5x7 composition notebook with name and blood type written inside the front cover.
- Craig Sutton fixed the anchor twelve meters higher than the planned position on June 14.
- Twelve meters of extra vertical gain cost approximately forty minutes at altitude with a loaded pack.
- Meteorologist Ed Burwell forecasted a sixty-hour stable window opening June 15, 2021.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083642Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:49:54 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Notebook on the Boulder: Summit Decisions That Killed One Man A frost-fused notebook sat open on a boulder at 4,200 meters after being missing for eleven months, its last entry ending mid-sentence three thousand one hundred meters below. How...
A frost-fused notebook sat open on a boulder at 4,200 meters after being missing for eleven months, its last entry ending mid-sentence three thousand one hundred meters below. How did a twelve-meter anchor deviation and a chain of defensible decisions turn a planned ascent into a fatal timeline that no one saw until it was too late?

In this episode, we follow the Ashcroft Pinnacle expedition through its preparation, the notebook protocol, and the summit push that began at 11:00 PM on June 16; we trace the small, precise choices - anchor placement, oxygen math, and timing - that cascaded into catastrophe and ask whether one altered anchor could change everything.

Person: Heather Novak
Date: June 16-18, 2021
Location: Ashcroft Pinnacle eastern glacier approach
Event: Summit push starting at 11:00 PM on June 16
Duration missing: Notebook absent for eleven months

- Base Camp established at 4,900 meters on June 3, 2021.
- Novak carried a wire-bound 5x7 composition notebook with name and blood type written inside the front cover.
- Craig Sutton fixed the anchor twelve meters higher than the planned position on June 14.
- Twelve meters of extra vertical gain cost approximately forty minutes at altitude with a loaded pack.
- Meteorologist Ed Burwell forecasted a sixty-hour stable window opening June 15, 2021.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1040falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-crampon-at-11-200-feet-why-one-clue-broke-the-search--73083641
A single crampon, photographed bail-down in fresh snow at 11,200 feet, stopped a rescue already eleven days into a search - and its orientation contradicted wind and chance. How could one piece of gear, positioned where guides would never cross after morning, change everything about where the missing climbers must have gone?

In this episode, we follow the team that left high camp on May 9, 2009, the mountain they trusted, and the precise decisions that set their day’s timeline - then consider what that photograph revealed about the descent and the collapse of the route’s safety margins. What did a crampon placed on Harrower’s glacier slopes tell rescuers that eleven days of searching had missed?

Person: Brenda Long
Person: Carol Zimmerman
Person: Phil Acosta
Person: Derek Holst
Date: May 9, 2009

- The party left high camp at 3:45 AM, forty-five minutes behind the filed plan.
- Mount Harrower summit was reached at 9:52 AM, fifty-two minutes past the planned turnaround time of 9:00 AM.
- The crampon was found at approximately 11,200 feet on the slope above Harrower Valley.
- The rescue team had been searching for eleven days before Raymond Casey photographed the crampon.
- Guides' iron rule for May glacier crossings: cross before 8:00 AM and never after 2:00 PM.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083641Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:49:51 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Crampon at 11,200 Feet: Why One Clue Broke the Search A single crampon, photographed bail-down in fresh snow at 11,200 feet, stopped a rescue already eleven days into a search - and its orientation contradicted wind and chance. How could one...
A single crampon, photographed bail-down in fresh snow at 11,200 feet, stopped a rescue already eleven days into a search - and its orientation contradicted wind and chance. How could one piece of gear, positioned where guides would never cross after morning, change everything about where the missing climbers must have gone?

In this episode, we follow the team that left high camp on May 9, 2009, the mountain they trusted, and the precise decisions that set their day’s timeline - then consider what that photograph revealed about the descent and the collapse of the route’s safety margins. What did a crampon placed on Harrower’s glacier slopes tell rescuers that eleven days of searching had missed?

Person: Brenda Long
Person: Carol Zimmerman
Person: Phil Acosta
Person: Derek Holst
Date: May 9, 2009

- The party left high camp at 3:45 AM, forty-five minutes behind the filed plan.
- Mount Harrower summit was reached at 9:52 AM, fifty-two minutes past the planned turnaround time of 9:00 AM.
- The crampon was found at approximately 11,200 feet on the slope above Harrower Valley.
- The rescue team had been searching for eleven days before Raymond Casey photographed the crampon.
- Guides' iron rule for May glacier crossings: cross before 8:00 AM and never after 2:00 PM.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>827falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-day-the-radio-lied-how-one-failure-sent-roy-down--73083640
The worst moments on a mountain are often quiet and small: a cracked component, a crossed signal, a mistaken click. Roy Clark’s radio could receive but not transmit after a fall on April 9, 2019, and a two-click response logged at base camp made it look like four functioning radios - so how did that single hidden failure help strand him fifty-five miles per hour on a rope sixty feet from safety?

In this episode, you’ll hear the sequence of events from the stumble in a forested valley to the final GPS stop on Mount Serrath’s west face, and how routine checks, coincidental timing, and one fractured circuit mapped into catastrophe. How did four minor failures combine to leave one man with no way to call for help?

Date: April 13, 2019
Location: Mount Serrath west face
Person: Roy Clark
Event: GPS beacon stopped moving on fixed rope
Finder: Carol Norris

- Roy Clark’s GPS beacon stopped at 5:40 PM on April 13, 2019, while he was sixty feet from a lifesaving rock ledge.
- Clark’s Baofeng UV-5R radio was struck on April 9 when he tripped, fracturing an internal transmit component that left the receive circuit intact.
- Linda Cho logged a radio check on April 10 recording two squelch clicks as Clark’s response, which reconstruction later attributed to a coincidental transmission from Doug Farris’s radio.
- Carol Norris found Clark’s radio three days after the GPS stopped, two thousand feet below the snow line in a boulder field, appearing intact.
- Wind speeds at the time left Clark exposed on a rope in fifty-five-mile-per-hour winds with no way to call for help.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083640Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:49:49 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Day the Radio Lied: How One Failure Sent Roy Down The worst moments on a mountain are often quiet and small: a cracked component, a crossed signal, a mistaken click. Roy Clark’s radio could receive but not transmit after a fall on April 9,...
The worst moments on a mountain are often quiet and small: a cracked component, a crossed signal, a mistaken click. Roy Clark’s radio could receive but not transmit after a fall on April 9, 2019, and a two-click response logged at base camp made it look like four functioning radios - so how did that single hidden failure help strand him fifty-five miles per hour on a rope sixty feet from safety?

In this episode, you’ll hear the sequence of events from the stumble in a forested valley to the final GPS stop on Mount Serrath’s west face, and how routine checks, coincidental timing, and one fractured circuit mapped into catastrophe. How did four minor failures combine to leave one man with no way to call for help?

Date: April 13, 2019
Location: Mount Serrath west face
Person: Roy Clark
Event: GPS beacon stopped moving on fixed rope
Finder: Carol Norris

- Roy Clark’s GPS beacon stopped at 5:40 PM on April 13, 2019, while he was sixty feet from a lifesaving rock ledge.
- Clark’s Baofeng UV-5R radio was struck on April 9 when he tripped, fracturing an internal transmit component that left the receive circuit intact.
- Linda Cho logged a radio check on April 10 recording two squelch clicks as Clark’s response, which reconstruction later attributed to a coincidental transmission from Doug Farris’s radio.
- Carol Norris found Clark’s radio three days after the GPS stopped, two thousand feet below the snow line in a boulder field, appearing intact.
- Wind speeds at the time left Clark exposed on a rope in fifty-five-mile-per-hour winds with no way to call for help.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>886falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-regulator-on-the-bridge-how-mount-carris-almost-killed-them--73083637
Cold metal on a footbridge, a gauge reading zero, and a paper carrier who kept walking - a small regulator labeled TC-7 linked a valley morning to a near-fatal alpine retreat from Mount Carris. Five climbers, a sixty-meter fall, a leader’s late-afternoon decision at 3,600 meters, and one climber alone on a ledge all thread together into a rescue that took weeks to explain - what did that regulator actually mean for what happened on the mountain?

In this episode, we lay out the chronological events recorded in audio logs, porter reports, and gear codes to show how timing, logistics, and a single equipment tag shaped the expedition’s outcome. Listen to follow the decision at 14:30 on March 2 and the overnight action on a ledge that kept an injured climber alive - could either have been avoided?

Person: Teresa Cole
Date: March 1-5
Location: Mount Carris northeast couloir
Event: Summit push and descent with supply cache disruption
Item: Regulator labeled TC-7

- Expedition departed February 22 and established high camp before the summit push.
- Summit push began at 03:00 on March 1 with five climbers moving single-file.
- Porter payment dispute on February 28 halted crew for several hours, thinning the expedition’s schedule buffer.
- At 15:30 on March 2, at 3,600 meters, the expedition leader chose to continue climbing.
- A climber fell 60 meters down a frozen couloir two days before March 5 and survived.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73083637Tue, 21 Jul 2026 09:49:46 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Regulator on the Bridge: How Mount Carris Almost Killed Them Cold metal on a footbridge, a gauge reading zero, and a paper carrier who kept walking - a small regulator labeled TC-7 linked a valley morning to a near-fatal alpine retreat from...
Cold metal on a footbridge, a gauge reading zero, and a paper carrier who kept walking - a small regulator labeled TC-7 linked a valley morning to a near-fatal alpine retreat from Mount Carris. Five climbers, a sixty-meter fall, a leader’s late-afternoon decision at 3,600 meters, and one climber alone on a ledge all thread together into a rescue that took weeks to explain - what did that regulator actually mean for what happened on the mountain?

In this episode, we lay out the chronological events recorded in audio logs, porter reports, and gear codes to show how timing, logistics, and a single equipment tag shaped the expedition’s outcome. Listen to follow the decision at 14:30 on March 2 and the overnight action on a ledge that kept an injured climber alive - could either have been avoided?

Person: Teresa Cole
Date: March 1-5
Location: Mount Carris northeast couloir
Event: Summit push and descent with supply cache disruption
Item: Regulator labeled TC-7

- Expedition departed February 22 and established high camp before the summit push.
- Summit push began at 03:00 on March 1 with five climbers moving single-file.
- Porter payment dispute on February 28 halted crew for several hours, thinning the expedition’s schedule buffer.
- At 15:30 on March 2, at 3,600 meters, the expedition leader chose to continue climbing.
- A climber fell 60 meters down a frozen couloir two days before March 5 and survived.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>934falsefull