https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-last-climb--7195581
This podcast meticulously reconstructs famous climbing disasters and lesser-known fatal expeditions, drawing on survivor accounts, expert analysis, and historical records. We examine the fine line between triumph and disaster, offering a profound look at the risks inherent in high-altitude mountaineering. Each episode is a testament to the raw power of nature and the indomitable, yet sometimes tragically flawed, human spirit.

New episodes arrive daily, Monday through Sunday, at 7:00 PM, ensuring a consistent deep dive into these compelling narratives. Expect detailed storytelling, atmospheric sound design, and a respectful exploration of each incident. This is for anyone fascinated by mountain survival stories, the psychology of extreme risk, and the somber beauty of the world's highest places.

Subscribe to The Last Climb for gripping tales of courage, ambition, and the harsh realities of the mountains.]]>enPersonal JournalsCopyright OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENThttps://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/782798426396a4931514ab4bf5214b05.jpghttps://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-last-climb--7195581Wed, 22 Jul 2026 00:12:44 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTOBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTcreators@obomedia.comBeyond the summit, some stories echo forever. The Last Climb invites you to explore the harrowing final moments of mountaineers who faced the ultimate challenge and paid the ultimate price. We delve into the human drama, the unforgiving landscapes,...
This podcast meticulously reconstructs famous climbing disasters and lesser-known fatal expeditions, drawing on survivor accounts, expert analysis, and historical records. We examine the fine line between triumph and disaster, offering a profound look at the risks inherent in high-altitude mountaineering. Each episode is a testament to the raw power of nature and the indomitable, yet sometimes tragically flawed, human spirit.

New episodes arrive daily, Monday through Sunday, at 7:00 PM, ensuring a consistent deep dive into these compelling narratives. Expect detailed storytelling, atmospheric sound design, and a respectful exploration of each incident. This is for anyone fascinated by mountain survival stories, the psychology of extreme risk, and the somber beauty of the world's highest places.

Subscribe to The Last Climb for gripping tales of courage, ambition, and the harsh realities of the mountains.]]>falseepisodichttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-wrong-col-how-one-misread-notch-nearly-killed-four--73087219
A misplaced crampon and a forty-foot rope left two hundred and thirty feet below a bergschrund turned a routine ridge into a near-fatal trap; four climbers spent a night jammed in a bergschrund with one broken leg and a dislocated shoulder. Which single navigational error and hidden cache of gear made a familiar mountain suddenly deadly?

In this episode, we follow the team’s climb on Whitecrown, the decisions at Camp One, and the one misread notch that put the party in the Right Notch instead of the Left Notch. How did a cache placed at 9,800 feet and a quarter-mile of broken ridge create a rescue scenario that none of them - or the maps - anticipated?

Person: Marilyn Bennett
Age: 26
Person: Wayne Farrell
Age: 41
Location: Camp One at 10,400 feet
Event: Cache of technical equipment at 9,800 feet
Injury: one broken leg and one dislocated shoulder

- Four climbers spent a night jammed inside a bergschrund after the navigation error.
- The missing reserve rope measured 40 feet and was cut and coiled by Marilyn before the ascent.
- The technical cache was cached under a rock overhang at 9,800 feet-on the Right Notch.
- The summit of Whitecrown is approximately 13,000 feet, with the East Ridge being the planned route.
- The two notches are separated by just under a third of a mile of broken ridge and look identical from below.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087219Tue, 21 Jul 2026 23:00:02 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTThe Wrong Col: How One Misread Notch Nearly Killed Four A misplaced crampon and a forty-foot rope left two hundred and thirty feet below a bergschrund turned a routine ridge into a near-fatal trap; four climbers spent a night jammed in a...
A misplaced crampon and a forty-foot rope left two hundred and thirty feet below a bergschrund turned a routine ridge into a near-fatal trap; four climbers spent a night jammed in a bergschrund with one broken leg and a dislocated shoulder. Which single navigational error and hidden cache of gear made a familiar mountain suddenly deadly?

In this episode, we follow the team’s climb on Whitecrown, the decisions at Camp One, and the one misread notch that put the party in the Right Notch instead of the Left Notch. How did a cache placed at 9,800 feet and a quarter-mile of broken ridge create a rescue scenario that none of them - or the maps - anticipated?

Person: Marilyn Bennett
Age: 26
Person: Wayne Farrell
Age: 41
Location: Camp One at 10,400 feet
Event: Cache of technical equipment at 9,800 feet
Injury: one broken leg and one dislocated shoulder

- Four climbers spent a night jammed inside a bergschrund after the navigation error.
- The missing reserve rope measured 40 feet and was cut and coiled by Marilyn before the ascent.
- The technical cache was cached under a rock overhang at 9,800 feet-on the Right Notch.
- The summit of Whitecrown is approximately 13,000 feet, with the East Ridge being the planned route.
- The two notches are separated by just under a third of a mile of broken ridge and look identical from below.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1108falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-stranger-at-the-cairn-unseen-figure-on-mount-vorel--73087216
A developed photograph found in a steel outbuilding shows an unknown figure at the summit cairn of Mount Vorel-one of five climbers who summited that day says nobody saw this person on the mountain. Who was the dark-gear figure standing with its face turned away, and how did an unmistakable, unmanipulated image arrive in Craig Holmes’s film envelope months later?

In this episode, we follow the discovery, the five-person Vorel expedition, Craig Holmes’s meticulous records, and the unexplained chain of events that unfolded after the descent. What does the clear but inexplicable photographic evidence mean for a case that resists resolution?

Person: Craig Holmes
Date: summit in August (two years before September discovery)
Location: Mount Vorel, Breckett Group
Case: Unidentified person in summit photograph
Event: Photograph discovered in September in a steel outbuilding

- Five people summited Mount Vorel on a cold August morning: Craig Holmes, Ross Schmidt, Beth Caruso, Owen Daly, and Walt Ingram.
- Mount Vorel rises to approximately 14,200 feet and is roughly 60 miles from the nearest paved road.
- The last frame of roll three, taken by Owen Daly at 5:40 a.m., contained the unknown figure at the cairn and was not seen until four months later.
- Craig Holmes photographed with an Olympus Stylus 35mm film camera and sent rolls to a mail-order lab; he kept detailed Rite in the Rain journal entries.
- Negatives examined by a photography expert showed no manipulation of any kind.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087216Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:49:35 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTThe Stranger at the Cairn: Unseen Figure on Mount Vorel A developed photograph found in a steel outbuilding shows an unknown figure at the summit cairn of Mount Vorel-one of five climbers who summited that day says nobody saw this person on the...
A developed photograph found in a steel outbuilding shows an unknown figure at the summit cairn of Mount Vorel-one of five climbers who summited that day says nobody saw this person on the mountain. Who was the dark-gear figure standing with its face turned away, and how did an unmistakable, unmanipulated image arrive in Craig Holmes’s film envelope months later?

In this episode, we follow the discovery, the five-person Vorel expedition, Craig Holmes’s meticulous records, and the unexplained chain of events that unfolded after the descent. What does the clear but inexplicable photographic evidence mean for a case that resists resolution?

Person: Craig Holmes
Date: summit in August (two years before September discovery)
Location: Mount Vorel, Breckett Group
Case: Unidentified person in summit photograph
Event: Photograph discovered in September in a steel outbuilding

- Five people summited Mount Vorel on a cold August morning: Craig Holmes, Ross Schmidt, Beth Caruso, Owen Daly, and Walt Ingram.
- Mount Vorel rises to approximately 14,200 feet and is roughly 60 miles from the nearest paved road.
- The last frame of roll three, taken by Owen Daly at 5:40 a.m., contained the unknown figure at the cairn and was not seen until four months later.
- Craig Holmes photographed with an Olympus Stylus 35mm film camera and sent rolls to a mail-order lab; he kept detailed Rite in the Rain journal entries.
- Negatives examined by a photography expert showed no manipulation of any kind.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1170falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-screw-that-fell-three-thousand-feet-and-didn-t-break--73087213
Fear and relief meet on a ridge: a titanium ice screw with yellow tape fell roughly three thousand vertical feet from where it was last seen-and whatever caught it kept three climbers alive. How did a hundred-millimeter screw, photographed on a granite shelf at 9,200 feet, become the single element that decided survival on Crevasse Peak?

In this episode, you’ll hear the sequence of decisions, timings, and placements over two days on a northwest couloir at seventy degrees that led to a fifteen-second window where one choice held. The narrative follows the three climbers, the route they chose, and the odd geometry of a screw found wedged in granite-what did that screw’s condition and placement really mean for the accident report’s conclusion?

Person: Amanda Anderson
Person: Amy Smith
Person: Sandra Fitzgerald
Person: Patrick Oakes
Location: Crevasse Peak, northwest couloir

- Date of initial climb departure: July 12, 2009, trailhead leave at 04:00.
- Elevation where object was found: 9,200 feet on western moraine.
- Peak elevation: 12,400 feet with a northwest couloir crux rated ice grade 4.
- Ice screw specifics: titanium, 100 millimeters long, loop of yellow electrical tape through its eye, no rust or deformation.
- Timing detail: the crux band reached at 11:15 on July 12 after leaving at 04:00, with a planned 48-hour weather window and six hours of schedule margin.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087213Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:49:32 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTThe Screw That Fell Three Thousand Feet and Didn't Break Fear and relief meet on a ridge: a titanium ice screw with yellow tape fell roughly three thousand vertical feet from where it was last seen-and whatever caught it kept three climbers alive....
Fear and relief meet on a ridge: a titanium ice screw with yellow tape fell roughly three thousand vertical feet from where it was last seen-and whatever caught it kept three climbers alive. How did a hundred-millimeter screw, photographed on a granite shelf at 9,200 feet, become the single element that decided survival on Crevasse Peak?

In this episode, you’ll hear the sequence of decisions, timings, and placements over two days on a northwest couloir at seventy degrees that led to a fifteen-second window where one choice held. The narrative follows the three climbers, the route they chose, and the odd geometry of a screw found wedged in granite-what did that screw’s condition and placement really mean for the accident report’s conclusion?

Person: Amanda Anderson
Person: Amy Smith
Person: Sandra Fitzgerald
Person: Patrick Oakes
Location: Crevasse Peak, northwest couloir

- Date of initial climb departure: July 12, 2009, trailhead leave at 04:00.
- Elevation where object was found: 9,200 feet on western moraine.
- Peak elevation: 12,400 feet with a northwest couloir crux rated ice grade 4.
- Ice screw specifics: titanium, 100 millimeters long, loop of yellow electrical tape through its eye, no rust or deformation.
- Timing detail: the crux band reached at 11:15 on July 12 after leaving at 04:00, with a planned 48-hour weather window and six hours of schedule margin.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1046falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-wrote-i-have-questions-then-never-came-down--73087210
The mountains keep secrets in thin air: a five-by-eight safety‑orange notebook traveled nine thousand feet alone and carried one line-"I have questions"-scribbled twelve hours before a fifty‑three‑year‑old climber refused to turn back and never returned. What did she see on the buttress that made a careful, methodical veteran defer to a guide and go on?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a June 7 notebook entry to a June 19 discovery at the Drever North trailhead, tracing the decisions, weather alerts, and conflicting accounts that led to a fatal summit push. Why did Vicki Edwards, with twenty‑seven years of alpine experience, write that she had questions and still accept Lori's read?

Person: Vicki Edwards
Date: June 7, 2011 (last notebook entry)
Location: Drever Northeast Buttress / Drever North trailhead
Age: 53
Team members: Lori O'Connor (permit holder, 41), Chris Denton (mid‑30s)

- The notebook was a five‑by‑eight spiral with a safety‑orange laminated cover, open to the last entry when found.
- Vicki wrote "I have questions" at 6:30 p.m. on June 7, twelve hours before being told she could not turn back.
- The expedition reached base camp on May 29 and high camp at 6,800 meters after three days, with a rest day at 5,900 meters.
- A cold front crossed the massif at 2:00 p.m. on June 7 and Lori received a weather alert at 4:20 p.m, on her satellite phone.
- The notebook was found on the asphalt at the Drever North trailhead on June 19 by a fourteen‑year‑old named Frances Stevens.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087210Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:49:29 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTShe Wrote 'I Have Questions'-Then Never Came Down The mountains keep secrets in thin air: a five-by-eight safety‑orange notebook traveled nine thousand feet alone and carried one line-"I have questions"-scribbled twelve hours before a...
The mountains keep secrets in thin air: a five-by-eight safety‑orange notebook traveled nine thousand feet alone and carried one line-"I have questions"-scribbled twelve hours before a fifty‑three‑year‑old climber refused to turn back and never returned. What did she see on the buttress that made a careful, methodical veteran defer to a guide and go on?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a June 7 notebook entry to a June 19 discovery at the Drever North trailhead, tracing the decisions, weather alerts, and conflicting accounts that led to a fatal summit push. Why did Vicki Edwards, with twenty‑seven years of alpine experience, write that she had questions and still accept Lori's read?

Person: Vicki Edwards
Date: June 7, 2011 (last notebook entry)
Location: Drever Northeast Buttress / Drever North trailhead
Age: 53
Team members: Lori O'Connor (permit holder, 41), Chris Denton (mid‑30s)

- The notebook was a five‑by‑eight spiral with a safety‑orange laminated cover, open to the last entry when found.
- Vicki wrote "I have questions" at 6:30 p.m. on June 7, twelve hours before being told she could not turn back.
- The expedition reached base camp on May 29 and high camp at 6,800 meters after three days, with a rest day at 5,900 meters.
- A cold front crossed the massif at 2:00 p.m. on June 7 and Lori received a weather alert at 4:20 p.m, on her satellite phone.
- The notebook was found on the asphalt at the Drever North trailhead on June 19 by a fourteen‑year‑old named Frances Stevens.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/the-woman-who-walked-down-the-glacier-alone-and-returned--73087207
Cold, isolated, and improbably alive: a single orange boot was found placed upright on a mountain road at 4,200 feet the morning a four-person team left for Glenmoray, and five days later a woman was discovered breathing in a snow hollow at about 6,000 feet with a fractured ankle - how did she travel thousands of vertical feet alone in a storm and survive? What breaks of evidence and decision-making explain the 128 hours between those two moments?

In this episode, we recount the timeline, the people involved, and the forensic mountain-rescue reconstruction that followed; we lay out what investigators could piece together and point to the three unexplained actions that remain - could one climber really make those choices under the conditions she faced?

Person: Alice Phillips
Date: May 19-24, 2011
Location: Glenmoray northwest glacier route and access road
Event: Fall into crevasse and subsequent solo descent/rescue discovery
Status: Survived; non-responsive but breathing when found

- Boot found at 6:42 AM on May 19 at 4,200 feet: right foot, orange shell, laces tucked, upright and not muddy.
- Summit photo timestamped 9:17 AM on May 21 showing all four climbers, Alice with goggles pushed up.
- Descent began at 9:40 AM on May 21; cloud building and visibility closing by 10:30 AM.
- Alice fell approximately 9 meters through a crevasse bridge at 10:47 AM but was caught on the rope and not initially fractured.
- Search team found Alice five days later in a snow depression at approximately 6,000 feet; she had a fractured left ankle and no memory after 4:40 PM on May 21.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087207Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:49:27 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTThe Woman Who Walked Down the Glacier Alone (and Returned) Cold, isolated, and improbably alive: a single orange boot was found placed upright on a mountain road at 4,200 feet the morning a four-person team left for Glenmoray, and five days later a...
Cold, isolated, and improbably alive: a single orange boot was found placed upright on a mountain road at 4,200 feet the morning a four-person team left for Glenmoray, and five days later a woman was discovered breathing in a snow hollow at about 6,000 feet with a fractured ankle - how did she travel thousands of vertical feet alone in a storm and survive? What breaks of evidence and decision-making explain the 128 hours between those two moments?

In this episode, we recount the timeline, the people involved, and the forensic mountain-rescue reconstruction that followed; we lay out what investigators could piece together and point to the three unexplained actions that remain - could one climber really make those choices under the conditions she faced?

Person: Alice Phillips
Date: May 19-24, 2011
Location: Glenmoray northwest glacier route and access road
Event: Fall into crevasse and subsequent solo descent/rescue discovery
Status: Survived; non-responsive but breathing when found

- Boot found at 6:42 AM on May 19 at 4,200 feet: right foot, orange shell, laces tucked, upright and not muddy.
- Summit photo timestamped 9:17 AM on May 21 showing all four climbers, Alice with goggles pushed up.
- Descent began at 9:40 AM on May 21; cloud building and visibility closing by 10:30 AM.
- Alice fell approximately 9 meters through a crevasse bridge at 10:47 AM but was caught on the rope and not initially fractured.
- Search team found Alice five days later in a snow depression at approximately 6,000 feet; she had a fractured left ankle and no memory after 4:40 PM on May 21.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1155falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/six-hours-of-wind-the-radio-that-forgot-to-speak--73087205
A scorched backcountry radio sat wedged at 7,200 feet with its antenna bound in orange paracord, yet it had not transmitted a single word in four days - leaving four climbers above 13,000 feet unknowingly on their own. What broke the only lifeline between base camp and the northeast face of Keltner Peak, and how did a ninety-second decision and a stranger's hand-drawn map change everything?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from April 10th's last confirmed two-way contact to the morning Randy Perry found the radio on April 14th, tracing base operations, transmissions, and the mechanical failure that silenced the signal; can a fingernail-sized fracture explain six hours of wind and a mountain that "decided" to stop speaking?

Person: Chad Romano
Person: Jess Farrow
Person: Date of last two-way contact: April 10 (18:49)
Location: Northeast face of Keltner Peak (Camp Two at 13,400 ft)
Elevation where radio was found: 7,200 ft

- The base radio log shows exactly two entries on April 10 at 18:17 and 18:49, then stops.
- Jess Farrow recorded dozens of transmission entries across four days while the radio's internal log registered none.
- The radio casing was scorched and its antenna bound with orange paracord when found in the snow.
- The nearest trailhead to where the radio was found was eleven miles to the northwest.
- The fracture was a hairline crack in the solder joint of the RF amplifier, size of a fingernail.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087205Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:49:24 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTSix Hours of Wind: The Radio That Forgot to Speak A scorched backcountry radio sat wedged at 7,200 feet with its antenna bound in orange paracord, yet it had not transmitted a single word in four days - leaving four climbers above 13,000 feet...
A scorched backcountry radio sat wedged at 7,200 feet with its antenna bound in orange paracord, yet it had not transmitted a single word in four days - leaving four climbers above 13,000 feet unknowingly on their own. What broke the only lifeline between base camp and the northeast face of Keltner Peak, and how did a ninety-second decision and a stranger's hand-drawn map change everything?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from April 10th's last confirmed two-way contact to the morning Randy Perry found the radio on April 14th, tracing base operations, transmissions, and the mechanical failure that silenced the signal; can a fingernail-sized fracture explain six hours of wind and a mountain that "decided" to stop speaking?

Person: Chad Romano
Person: Jess Farrow
Person: Date of last two-way contact: April 10 (18:49)
Location: Northeast face of Keltner Peak (Camp Two at 13,400 ft)
Elevation where radio was found: 7,200 ft

- The base radio log shows exactly two entries on April 10 at 18:17 and 18:49, then stops.
- Jess Farrow recorded dozens of transmission entries across four days while the radio's internal log registered none.
- The radio casing was scorched and its antenna bound with orange paracord when found in the snow.
- The nearest trailhead to where the radio was found was eleven miles to the northwest.
- The fracture was a hairline crack in the solder joint of the RF amplifier, size of a fingernail.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1203falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/a-crampon-at-dawn-the-missing-climber-and-the-reservoir-s-warning--73087204
A single women's large crampon with red webbing and a climber's bowline was found centered on a concrete intake housing forty-one road miles from the nearest mountain - deliberately placed, toe-bail pointing outward as if a warning. Who left an expedition-marked piece of emergency gear at a reservoir forty-one miles from Kellner Peak while its owner, Cynthia Barnes, had not been heard from in thirteen days?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a six-fifteen a.m. trail run that produced a photograph and a sheriff's call, through investigators tracing the crampon to a March 2011 Kellner Peak cache, to the rescue and logbook entries that reframed the entire case. How did a cached spare crampon from Camp Two end up at Cattail Reservoir, and what did that mean for Cynthia Barnes' fate?

Person: Cynthia Barnes
Age: 54
Date: March 27 (crampon found); March 14 (last satellite message); March 20 (summit & radio silence)
Location: Cattail Reservoir loop trail; Kellner Peak Camp Two/cache
Event: Crampon traced to "Kellner Peak, March 2011"

- The crampon was described as women's large, aluminum frame, with red webbing tied in a climber's bowline.
- The crampon was found centered on the concrete intake housing forty-one road miles from the nearest mountain.
- Cynthia Barnes had not been heard from for thirteen days after her last satellite message on March 14.
- Stroud's logbook entry on March 16 noted: "C. Barnes spare crampons - C2 cache, red webline, bowline."
- The team summited at 2:00 a.m. on March 20; forty-five minutes later a critical event occurred.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087204Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:49:21 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA Crampon at Dawn: The Missing Climber and the Reservoir's Warning A single women's large crampon with red webbing and a climber's bowline was found centered on a concrete intake housing forty-one road miles from the nearest mountain - deliberately...
A single women's large crampon with red webbing and a climber's bowline was found centered on a concrete intake housing forty-one road miles from the nearest mountain - deliberately placed, toe-bail pointing outward as if a warning. Who left an expedition-marked piece of emergency gear at a reservoir forty-one miles from Kellner Peak while its owner, Cynthia Barnes, had not been heard from in thirteen days?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a six-fifteen a.m. trail run that produced a photograph and a sheriff's call, through investigators tracing the crampon to a March 2011 Kellner Peak cache, to the rescue and logbook entries that reframed the entire case. How did a cached spare crampon from Camp Two end up at Cattail Reservoir, and what did that mean for Cynthia Barnes' fate?

Person: Cynthia Barnes
Age: 54
Date: March 27 (crampon found); March 14 (last satellite message); March 20 (summit & radio silence)
Location: Cattail Reservoir loop trail; Kellner Peak Camp Two/cache
Event: Crampon traced to "Kellner Peak, March 2011"

- The crampon was described as women's large, aluminum frame, with red webbing tied in a climber's bowline.
- The crampon was found centered on the concrete intake housing forty-one road miles from the nearest mountain.
- Cynthia Barnes had not been heard from for thirteen days after her last satellite message on March 14.
- Stroud's logbook entry on March 16 noted: "C. Barnes spare crampons - C2 cache, red webline, bowline."
- The team summited at 2:00 a.m. on March 20; forty-five minutes later a critical event occurred.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1102falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-turned-back-he-left-her-above-the-whiteout--73087201
Cold, methodical evidence at a sealed trailhead: a single crampon thirty yards from the kiosk on a road gated for twelve days, a packed tent with two sleeping-bag compressions and two cook sets, and one climber who continued alone into a documented whiteout - did Donna reach the summit before she died, or did the snow keep the answer? This episode follows the disappearance that left a county file and a question the mountain refused to answer.

In this episode, we present the sequence of events from the February seventh trailhead entry through the February nineteenth recovery at Ledge Shelf, laying out the recorded times, equipment failures, and the footprints that split into one track up the upper mountain - what do those facts suggest about the choices made that night?

Person: Donna Erickson
Age: 23
Person: Kevin Albright
Age: 31
Date: February 7-19

- Trailhead logbook entry recorded for both climbers at 6:10 AM on February 7.
- Gate at the access lot sealed and unmoved for twelve days after February 7.
- One crampon found dead center of the road thirty yards from the kiosk, layered with ice.
- Kevin’s left crampon failed at approximately 9,500 feet due to a bent heel bail.
- Tent at Ledge Shelf showed two sleeping bag compressions and two cook sets; one set of prints continued upward as a single-track.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087201Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:49:18 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTShe Turned Back - He Left Her Above the Whiteout? Cold, methodical evidence at a sealed trailhead: a single crampon thirty yards from the kiosk on a road gated for twelve days, a packed tent with two sleeping-bag compressions and two cook sets, and...
Cold, methodical evidence at a sealed trailhead: a single crampon thirty yards from the kiosk on a road gated for twelve days, a packed tent with two sleeping-bag compressions and two cook sets, and one climber who continued alone into a documented whiteout - did Donna reach the summit before she died, or did the snow keep the answer? This episode follows the disappearance that left a county file and a question the mountain refused to answer.

In this episode, we present the sequence of events from the February seventh trailhead entry through the February nineteenth recovery at Ledge Shelf, laying out the recorded times, equipment failures, and the footprints that split into one track up the upper mountain - what do those facts suggest about the choices made that night?

Person: Donna Erickson
Age: 23
Person: Kevin Albright
Age: 31
Date: February 7-19

- Trailhead logbook entry recorded for both climbers at 6:10 AM on February 7.
- Gate at the access lot sealed and unmoved for twelve days after February 7.
- One crampon found dead center of the road thirty yards from the kiosk, layered with ice.
- Kevin’s left crampon failed at approximately 9,500 feet due to a bent heel bail.
- Tent at Ledge Shelf showed two sleeping bag compressions and two cook sets; one set of prints continued upward as a single-track.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1069falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-came-down-carrying-nine-cylinders-why--73087198
Fear and bafflement collide: nine olive-green military oxygen cylinders manufactured in 1941 were found under a tarp buried eighteen inches of fresh snow in a high-altitude refuge, and the woman who carried them off the mountain spent eleven days unable to say why-what compelled her to lug sixty-four pounds up and down in a storm with a fractured wrist and failing toes? What link connects those cylinders to a pre-positioned modern cache and a single notebook line that reads, "They were there"?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events on Dunmore's Tooth in January as recorded in climbers' logs, SAR documents, and a spiral notebook, following the four-person party from base camp to the col and the aftermath of the descent. We trace the decisions made at eleven thousand feet, the known equipment caches, and the unanswered question that binds them.

Person: Beverly Sharp
Location: Dunmore's Tooth, Calvert Range
Date: January (climb began January 3; reached col January 7)
Event: Nine olive-green cylinders manufactured in 1941 found under a tarp buried under eighteen inches of snow
Status: Beverly Sharp hospitalized forty miles away with both lungs filling with fluid, four toes past saving, and a fractured wrist

- Four climbers assembled at base camp on January 3 at 8,200 feet to attempt Dunmore's Tooth (summit 12,400 feet).
- Gallagher pre-positioned a cache at the col the previous September that included two modern oxygen cylinders.
- The party reached the col on January 7 in visibility near zero and temperatures down to -22°F.
- Beverly Sharp wrote in her discharge notebook under "Field for reason of action": "They were there."
- The nine military oxygen cylinders had been manufactured in 1941 and were reported as untouched for roughly four decades.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087198Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:49:16 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTShe Came Down Carrying Nine Cylinders - Why? Fear and bafflement collide: nine olive-green military oxygen cylinders manufactured in 1941 were found under a tarp buried eighteen inches of fresh snow in a high-altitude refuge, and the woman who...
Fear and bafflement collide: nine olive-green military oxygen cylinders manufactured in 1941 were found under a tarp buried eighteen inches of fresh snow in a high-altitude refuge, and the woman who carried them off the mountain spent eleven days unable to say why-what compelled her to lug sixty-four pounds up and down in a storm with a fractured wrist and failing toes? What link connects those cylinders to a pre-positioned modern cache and a single notebook line that reads, "They were there"?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events on Dunmore's Tooth in January as recorded in climbers' logs, SAR documents, and a spiral notebook, following the four-person party from base camp to the col and the aftermath of the descent. We trace the decisions made at eleven thousand feet, the known equipment caches, and the unanswered question that binds them.

Person: Beverly Sharp
Location: Dunmore's Tooth, Calvert Range
Date: January (climb began January 3; reached col January 7)
Event: Nine olive-green cylinders manufactured in 1941 found under a tarp buried under eighteen inches of snow
Status: Beverly Sharp hospitalized forty miles away with both lungs filling with fluid, four toes past saving, and a fractured wrist

- Four climbers assembled at base camp on January 3 at 8,200 feet to attempt Dunmore's Tooth (summit 12,400 feet).
- Gallagher pre-positioned a cache at the col the previous September that included two modern oxygen cylinders.
- The party reached the col on January 7 in visibility near zero and temperatures down to -22°F.
- Beverly Sharp wrote in her discharge notebook under "Field for reason of action": "They were there."
- The nine military oxygen cylinders had been manufactured in 1941 and were reported as untouched for roughly four decades.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1156falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-map-that-stopped-short-how-tracy-outlived-the-storm--73087196
A dry, laminated topographic map was found lying in open snow at 11,200 feet with no boot prints and a hand-drawn pen line that stops three inches short of the edge - and the woman who made that line, 62-year-old surveyor Tracy Gray, vanished into a storm that arrived at 8:40 AM; how did she survive when the map suggests she turned away from home?

In this episode, we tell the precise timeline from high camp departure through the storm, the roles and decisions of the three-person team, and the odd physical evidence that landed at Karro County Search and Rescue; what does the map’s three-inch gap actually reveal about Tracy’s last navigation choices?

Case: 44/2011
Person: Tracy Gray
Date: December 17-19, 2011
Location: Durmont, Karro County, Colorado
Age: 62

- The map was found completely dry in open snow at 11,200 feet with no boot prints or drag marks around it.
- The pen line on the map stops exactly three inches from the bottom edge.
- Tracy retired after 31 years as a licensed surveyor and had logged decades of map-reading experience.
- The team left high camp at 1:38 AM on December 17 and reached the summit by 7:12 AM the same morning.
- The storm arrived at approximately 8:40 AM with winds jumping from about 12 mph to 50 mph within thirty minutes.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087196Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:49:13 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTThe Map That Stopped Short: How Tracy Outlived the Storm A dry, laminated topographic map was found lying in open snow at 11,200 feet with no boot prints and a hand-drawn pen line that stops three inches short of the edge - and the woman who made...
A dry, laminated topographic map was found lying in open snow at 11,200 feet with no boot prints and a hand-drawn pen line that stops three inches short of the edge - and the woman who made that line, 62-year-old surveyor Tracy Gray, vanished into a storm that arrived at 8:40 AM; how did she survive when the map suggests she turned away from home?

In this episode, we tell the precise timeline from high camp departure through the storm, the roles and decisions of the three-person team, and the odd physical evidence that landed at Karro County Search and Rescue; what does the map’s three-inch gap actually reveal about Tracy’s last navigation choices?

Case: 44/2011
Person: Tracy Gray
Date: December 17-19, 2011
Location: Durmont, Karro County, Colorado
Age: 62

- The map was found completely dry in open snow at 11,200 feet with no boot prints or drag marks around it.
- The pen line on the map stops exactly three inches from the bottom edge.
- Tracy retired after 31 years as a licensed surveyor and had logged decades of map-reading experience.
- The team left high camp at 1:38 AM on December 17 and reached the summit by 7:12 AM the same morning.
- The storm arrived at approximately 8:40 AM with winds jumping from about 12 mph to 50 mph within thirty 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.]]>1121falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-locked-harness-how-a-mountain-kept-its-secret--73087194
A locked carabiner and a buckled harness drift nine miles downstream, sized for a man who disappeared five days earlier - and four climbers lay dead on the face that same morning. What looks like ordinary gear in ordinary places becomes eerily wrong: a taut rope wrapping a submerged log, a harness emptied as if its owner stepped free. How did a series of defensible choices funnel a rope team into three thousand tons of falling ice?

In this episode, we follow the Whitmore Veil climb from the first sighting of a tension crack through the silent fifty-three minutes that preceded a fatal decision, tracing the people, the timeline, and the evidence that remained. We recount who was there, what the team recorded in the notebook and radio logs, and why the investigation pointed to decisions rather than crime - but what part did that locked carabiner play in the story?

Person: Derek Norris
Date: November 9, 2019
Location: Northwest face of the Whitmore Veil
Event: Serac collapse with four fatalities
Person: Nicole Adams

- Harness found on November 14, 2019, black and red, buckled, carabiner locked, rope still attached and wrapped twice around a submerged log.
- Derek Norris vanished five days before the harness was found, last known on the Whitmore Veil nine miles upriver and four thousand feet above where harness was discovered.
- The Whitmore Veil summit elevation is 11,200 feet with the face rising from roughly 6,000 feet; the final 2,000 feet pass through a serac band.
- Three entries in a spiral notebook at high camp; the last, timestamped 11:23 on November 9, read: "NDA alone. Descending. Others gone."
- Radio log at 4:51 AM November 9 recorded: "NDA says left serac shows tension crack new since yesterday PM. Discussing." Fifty-three minutes later a second radio entry at 5:44 AM read: "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/73087194Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:49:10 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTThe Locked Harness: How a Mountain Kept Its Secret A locked carabiner and a buckled harness drift nine miles downstream, sized for a man who disappeared five days earlier - and four climbers lay dead on the face that same morning. What looks like...
A locked carabiner and a buckled harness drift nine miles downstream, sized for a man who disappeared five days earlier - and four climbers lay dead on the face that same morning. What looks like ordinary gear in ordinary places becomes eerily wrong: a taut rope wrapping a submerged log, a harness emptied as if its owner stepped free. How did a series of defensible choices funnel a rope team into three thousand tons of falling ice?

In this episode, we follow the Whitmore Veil climb from the first sighting of a tension crack through the silent fifty-three minutes that preceded a fatal decision, tracing the people, the timeline, and the evidence that remained. We recount who was there, what the team recorded in the notebook and radio logs, and why the investigation pointed to decisions rather than crime - but what part did that locked carabiner play in the story?

Person: Derek Norris
Date: November 9, 2019
Location: Northwest face of the Whitmore Veil
Event: Serac collapse with four fatalities
Person: Nicole Adams

- Harness found on November 14, 2019, black and red, buckled, carabiner locked, rope still attached and wrapped twice around a submerged log.
- Derek Norris vanished five days before the harness was found, last known on the Whitmore Veil nine miles upriver and four thousand feet above where harness was discovered.
- The Whitmore Veil summit elevation is 11,200 feet with the face rising from roughly 6,000 feet; the final 2,000 feet pass through a serac band.
- Three entries in a spiral notebook at high camp; the last, timestamped 11:23 on November 9, read: "NDA alone. Descending. Others gone."
- Radio log at 4:51 AM November 9 recorded: "NDA says left serac shows tension crack new since yesterday PM. Discussing." Fifty-three minutes later a second radio entry at 5:44 AM read: "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.]]>1159falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/wrong-ridge-cook-found-dead-with-someone-else-s-compass--73087193
The morning she died, a forty-seven-year-old high-camp cook was found seated upright in snow with a compass that belonged to a wildlife biologist, pointing in a direction that made no sense; what went wrong on the northwest face of Arabel and why was she holding someone else’s instrument? Which detail-the compass bearing or its origin-holds the key to how Julie Mills ended up alone and dead on the wrong ridge?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the ten-fifteen cancellation to Julie’s solo departure at ten forty-five, the discovery at 6:47 a.m., and the inquest that returned a finding of accidental death; we trace the missing fuel, the found compass, and the unanswered question of Julie’s final choices.

Person: Julie Mills
Age: 47
Location: northwest face of Arabel
Date: October 14, 2019 (discovered at 6:47 a.m.)
Occupation: high-camp expedition cook

- Julie left the cook tent at 10:45 p.m, on October 13 with a headlamp and microspikes.
- Expedition leader Sandra Ford called off the summit at 10:15 p.m. due to forecasted winds of 40-50 mph and a 30°F drop.
- Julie had found the compass in late August, forty miles from Arabel, and it belonged to Terry Voss who reported it missing on September 2.
- Julie’s last written log entry recorded fuel at 9:00 p.m, on October 13: two canisters used, one full remaining.
- Rescue discovered Julie seated upright in snow at 6:47 a.m. on October 14 holding a compass that was not hers.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087193Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:49:07 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTWrong Ridge: Cook Found Dead With Someone Else's Compass The morning she died, a forty-seven-year-old high-camp cook was found seated upright in snow with a compass that belonged to a wildlife biologist, pointing in a direction that made no sense;...
The morning she died, a forty-seven-year-old high-camp cook was found seated upright in snow with a compass that belonged to a wildlife biologist, pointing in a direction that made no sense; what went wrong on the northwest face of Arabel and why was she holding someone else’s instrument? Which detail-the compass bearing or its origin-holds the key to how Julie Mills ended up alone and dead on the wrong ridge?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the ten-fifteen cancellation to Julie’s solo departure at ten forty-five, the discovery at 6:47 a.m., and the inquest that returned a finding of accidental death; we trace the missing fuel, the found compass, and the unanswered question of Julie’s final choices.

Person: Julie Mills
Age: 47
Location: northwest face of Arabel
Date: October 14, 2019 (discovered at 6:47 a.m.)
Occupation: high-camp expedition cook

- Julie left the cook tent at 10:45 p.m, on October 13 with a headlamp and microspikes.
- Expedition leader Sandra Ford called off the summit at 10:15 p.m. due to forecasted winds of 40-50 mph and a 30°F drop.
- Julie had found the compass in late August, forty miles from Arabel, and it belonged to Terry Voss who reported it missing on September 2.
- Julie’s last written log entry recorded fuel at 9:00 p.m, on October 13: two canisters used, one full remaining.
- Rescue discovered Julie seated upright in snow at 6:47 a.m. on October 14 holding a compass that was not hers.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1183falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-crampon-on-the-slab-how-diane-survived-verath-s-cut-rope--73087191
A neon-orange crampon sat face-up on a granite slab below the bergschrund, on the wrong side of the crevasse, three hundred feet above where anything falling from Verath Spire should have landed-yet Diane Price was already in a hospital bed twenty-two hours earlier. How did a thirty-two-year-old chemistry teacher survive a ninety-foot fall after a fixed rope sliced sixty percent through by a previous party’s crampon?

In this episode, we tell what happened on the northwest headwall of Verath Spire from the first sighting at six forty on September 14 to Diane’s fall eleven days earlier, and we follow the timeline that connects a weathered fixed-rope, an unnoticed lateral cut, and the choices Diane had recorded in her climbing notebooks. Which single habit kept her alive when the rope failed on the ninth clip?

Date: September 14 (crampon found at 6:40 a.m.)
Person: Diane Price, age 32
Location: Northwest headwall, Verath Spire; Advanced Camp at 11,200 ft
Event: Fixed-rope cut approximately 60% through by a crampon front-point
Status: Diane survived a 90-foot fall; crampon found on approach side of bergschrund

- A septic contractor named Ross Simpson found the neon-orange crampon on a granite slab below the bergschrund at 6:40 a.m, on September 14.
- Diane Price had kept composition notebooks and had filled parts of six notebooks across eight summits above 12,000 feet by September.
- Monica Hoffman, the guide for Diane’s party, had guided over 200 clients on Verath Spire and rated the anchor system serviceable after a visual inspection on September 6.
- Approximately September 10, a crampon front-point struck the third-section fixed rope seven feet below the upper anchor, cutting about 60% of the rope’s diameter.
- The rope held for eight successive climbers but failed on the ninth clip when Diane weighted it, resulting in a ninety-foot fall with lateral gouge marks found about sixty feet above the second fixed-rope anchor.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087191Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:49:04 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTThe Crampon on the Slab: How Diane Survived Verath's Cut Rope A neon-orange crampon sat face-up on a granite slab below the bergschrund, on the wrong side of the crevasse, three hundred feet above where anything falling from Verath Spire should...
A neon-orange crampon sat face-up on a granite slab below the bergschrund, on the wrong side of the crevasse, three hundred feet above where anything falling from Verath Spire should have landed-yet Diane Price was already in a hospital bed twenty-two hours earlier. How did a thirty-two-year-old chemistry teacher survive a ninety-foot fall after a fixed rope sliced sixty percent through by a previous party’s crampon?

In this episode, we tell what happened on the northwest headwall of Verath Spire from the first sighting at six forty on September 14 to Diane’s fall eleven days earlier, and we follow the timeline that connects a weathered fixed-rope, an unnoticed lateral cut, and the choices Diane had recorded in her climbing notebooks. Which single habit kept her alive when the rope failed on the ninth clip?

Date: September 14 (crampon found at 6:40 a.m.)
Person: Diane Price, age 32
Location: Northwest headwall, Verath Spire; Advanced Camp at 11,200 ft
Event: Fixed-rope cut approximately 60% through by a crampon front-point
Status: Diane survived a 90-foot fall; crampon found on approach side of bergschrund

- A septic contractor named Ross Simpson found the neon-orange crampon on a granite slab below the bergschrund at 6:40 a.m, on September 14.
- Diane Price had kept composition notebooks and had filled parts of six notebooks across eight summits above 12,000 feet by September.
- Monica Hoffman, the guide for Diane’s party, had guided over 200 clients on Verath Spire and rated the anchor system serviceable after a visual inspection on September 6.
- Approximately September 10, a crampon front-point struck the third-section fixed rope seven feet below the upper anchor, cutting about 60% of the rope’s diameter.
- The rope held for eight successive climbers but failed on the ninth clip when Diane weighted it, resulting in a ninety-foot fall with lateral gouge marks found about sixty feet above the second fixed-rope anchor.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>974falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-boot-on-the-ledge-why-a-solo-climb-ended-in-silence--73087189
A single boot, upright and double-knotted, was found on an eighteen-inch ledge beneath an eighty-foot drop-eleven days after Shannon Reynolds signed the trailhead register and vanished. How did a seasoned fifty-one-year-old climber with a fully annotated map disappear without pack, rope, or a second boot, leaving only two prints that led to the edge and none back?

In this episode, we present the known timeline and on-site discoveries from the Holt's Tooth west ridge route and the subsequent search efforts, tracing the details that remain unexplained: did something on the Notch or the Throat cause her to go over the edge, or does the boot suggest something else happened?

Person: Shannon Reynolds
Date: August 3, 2019 (signed trailhead at 5:47 AM)
Location: Holt's Tooth, west ridge, Saber Ridge wilderness
Age: 51
Finder: Douglas Novak (photographed boot on August 14)

- Shannon Reynolds signed the trailhead register at 5:47 AM on August 3, 2019, noting destination "W. Ridge, summit" and expected return August 4 by 6 PM.
- Douglas Novak photographed a single right-foot mountaineering boot on an eighteen-inch ledge on August 14, 2019, eleven days after she signed the register.
- The ledge where the boot was found had an eighty-foot drop to talus below and required technical climbing to reach.
- When the search team reached the ledge five days after Novak's report, the boot remained upright and double-knotted with no surrounding debris, pack, or second boot.
- Behind the boot, pressed into dried mud, were two boot prints matching the boot's tread that led toward the outer edge of the ledge with no prints leading back.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087189Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:49:01 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTThe Boot on the Ledge: Why a Solo Climb Ended in Silence A single boot, upright and double-knotted, was found on an eighteen-inch ledge beneath an eighty-foot drop-eleven days after Shannon Reynolds signed the trailhead register and vanished. How...
A single boot, upright and double-knotted, was found on an eighteen-inch ledge beneath an eighty-foot drop-eleven days after Shannon Reynolds signed the trailhead register and vanished. How did a seasoned fifty-one-year-old climber with a fully annotated map disappear without pack, rope, or a second boot, leaving only two prints that led to the edge and none back?

In this episode, we present the known timeline and on-site discoveries from the Holt's Tooth west ridge route and the subsequent search efforts, tracing the details that remain unexplained: did something on the Notch or the Throat cause her to go over the edge, or does the boot suggest something else happened?

Person: Shannon Reynolds
Date: August 3, 2019 (signed trailhead at 5:47 AM)
Location: Holt's Tooth, west ridge, Saber Ridge wilderness
Age: 51
Finder: Douglas Novak (photographed boot on August 14)

- Shannon Reynolds signed the trailhead register at 5:47 AM on August 3, 2019, noting destination "W. Ridge, summit" and expected return August 4 by 6 PM.
- Douglas Novak photographed a single right-foot mountaineering boot on an eighteen-inch ledge on August 14, 2019, eleven days after she signed the register.
- The ledge where the boot was found had an eighty-foot drop to talus below and required technical climbing to reach.
- When the search team reached the ledge five days after Novak's report, the boot remained upright and double-knotted with no surrounding debris, pack, or second boot.
- Behind the boot, pressed into dried mud, were two boot prints matching the boot's tread that led toward the outer edge of the ledge with no prints leading back.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1099falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-tent-that-came-down-cold-denise-weber-s-last-calculation--73087187
Cold, calculated choices meet sudden danger: Denise Weber sent a text at 4:51 AM from 600 feet below the Meridian Shelf on Wren's Tooth, then vanished after choosing a line she had not planned to climb - why did she defer and go anyway? The story ties a sealed tent found in Ridgecroft to a descent on a true-north face above 13,000 feet that was not on the expedition plan.

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a pre-dawn text about hay to a frozen tent at Halverson Outfitters and a decision made at Camp Three that sent four climbers onto the northwest face; what did Denise calculate that night, and how did that calculation end? Listen to learn how the group's vote, the weather, and one fall shifted everything.

Person: Denise Weber
Date: July 18, 2011, 04:51 AM (last confirmed signal)
Location: Meridian Shelf / north face of Wren's Tooth, approx. 600 feet below Meridian Shelf
Event: Sealed orange tent found at Halverson Outfitters loading bay with frozen provisions
Team: Pete Voss, Sandra Cho, Ray Ingold, Denise Weber

- Denise's last text at 04:51 referenced rabbits' timothy hay and a cabinet location, not the storm.
- The tent at Halverson was orange with frost on guy-lines and contained a stove with igniter cocked and 1.5 servings of frozen lentil soup plus two portions of rice.
- The mountain objective reaches approximately 13,000 feet with permanent snow on its upper third; Meridian Shelf is at about 11,400 feet.
- Denise had summited Wren's Tooth twice before and worked 15 years as a structural engineer doing load-path analysis.
- Camp Three held a summit meeting where the vote to go was 3-1; Pete Voss logged: "DW defers to group, will go."

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087187Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:48:59 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTThe Tent That Came Down Cold: Denise Weber's Last Calculation Cold, calculated choices meet sudden danger: Denise Weber sent a text at 4:51 AM from 600 feet below the Meridian Shelf on Wren's Tooth, then vanished after choosing a line she had not...
Cold, calculated choices meet sudden danger: Denise Weber sent a text at 4:51 AM from 600 feet below the Meridian Shelf on Wren's Tooth, then vanished after choosing a line she had not planned to climb - why did she defer and go anyway? The story ties a sealed tent found in Ridgecroft to a descent on a true-north face above 13,000 feet that was not on the expedition plan.

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a pre-dawn text about hay to a frozen tent at Halverson Outfitters and a decision made at Camp Three that sent four climbers onto the northwest face; what did Denise calculate that night, and how did that calculation end? Listen to learn how the group's vote, the weather, and one fall shifted everything.

Person: Denise Weber
Date: July 18, 2011, 04:51 AM (last confirmed signal)
Location: Meridian Shelf / north face of Wren's Tooth, approx. 600 feet below Meridian Shelf
Event: Sealed orange tent found at Halverson Outfitters loading bay with frozen provisions
Team: Pete Voss, Sandra Cho, Ray Ingold, Denise Weber

- Denise's last text at 04:51 referenced rabbits' timothy hay and a cabinet location, not the storm.
- The tent at Halverson was orange with frost on guy-lines and contained a stove with igniter cocked and 1.5 servings of frozen lentil soup plus two portions of rice.
- The mountain objective reaches approximately 13,000 feet with permanent snow on its upper third; Meridian Shelf is at about 11,400 feet.
- Denise had summited Wren's Tooth twice before and worked 15 years as a structural engineer doing load-path analysis.
- Camp Three held a summit meeting where the vote to go was 3-1; Pete Voss logged: "DW defers to group, will go."

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1103falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/when-the-regulator-failed-the-boot-on-halverson-spine--73087185
A single high-altitude climbing boot, an inner liner intact and six feet of eight-millimeter rope knotted to its lacing, was found dragged forty feet across gravel by a road-grader at 7:42 a.m. on June 14, 2011-traced by serial number to a rental in Braden, Idaho, eleven days earlier. How did a hairline fracture in an oxygen regulator turn a meticulous climber’s careful plan into a fatal cascade?

In this episode, we follow the Halverson Spine expedition and the decisions made on summit day, from the 2:45 a.m. start to the discovery of a regulator fracture under alpine sun; we reconstruct the timeline of oxygen use, the turn-around called by the guide, and the clues left behind that answer whether failure was mechanical, human, or both.

Date: June 14, 2011
Person: Grant Williams
Location: Halverson Spine high camp (14,200 ft) and summit headwall (~15,400 ft)
Event: Hairline fracture at threaded collar of oxygen regulator causing a 60-70% loss
Case: Boot traced to rental transaction in Braden, Idaho eleven days prior

- The boot was found at 7:42 a.m. on June 14, 2011, dragged 40 feet across gravel by a road-grader.
- Six feet of eight-millimeter rope, factory-finished clean end, was knotted to the boot’s lacing hardware.
- The rental transaction in Braden, Idaho listed the name Grant Williams and occurred 11 days before the boot was found.
- High camp was established at 14,200 feet on June 12; the summit push began at 2:45 a.m.
- Reed estimated a 60-70% loss of Grant’s oxygen at 11:20 a.m., leaving approximately 2.5 hours of oxygen in the set.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087185Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:48:56 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTWhen the Regulator Failed: The Boot on Halverson Spine A single high-altitude climbing boot, an inner liner intact and six feet of eight-millimeter rope knotted to its lacing, was found dragged forty feet across gravel by a road-grader at 7:42 a.m....
A single high-altitude climbing boot, an inner liner intact and six feet of eight-millimeter rope knotted to its lacing, was found dragged forty feet across gravel by a road-grader at 7:42 a.m. on June 14, 2011-traced by serial number to a rental in Braden, Idaho, eleven days earlier. How did a hairline fracture in an oxygen regulator turn a meticulous climber’s careful plan into a fatal cascade?

In this episode, we follow the Halverson Spine expedition and the decisions made on summit day, from the 2:45 a.m. start to the discovery of a regulator fracture under alpine sun; we reconstruct the timeline of oxygen use, the turn-around called by the guide, and the clues left behind that answer whether failure was mechanical, human, or both.

Date: June 14, 2011
Person: Grant Williams
Location: Halverson Spine high camp (14,200 ft) and summit headwall (~15,400 ft)
Event: Hairline fracture at threaded collar of oxygen regulator causing a 60-70% loss
Case: Boot traced to rental transaction in Braden, Idaho eleven days prior

- The boot was found at 7:42 a.m. on June 14, 2011, dragged 40 feet across gravel by a road-grader.
- Six feet of eight-millimeter rope, factory-finished clean end, was knotted to the boot’s lacing hardware.
- The rental transaction in Braden, Idaho listed the name Grant Williams and occurred 11 days before the boot was found.
- High camp was established at 14,200 feet on June 12; the summit push began at 2:45 a.m.
- Reed estimated a 60-70% loss of Grant’s oxygen at 11:20 a.m., leaving approximately 2.5 hours of oxygen in the set.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1055falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/why-did-carol-stay-silent-at-13-000-feet--73087183
A carefully packed expedition backpack was found standing upright at 9,200 feet with no footprints nearby and a laminated card reading "Carol Stay, 56"-yet a fully charged satellite communicator sat unused at her 13,000-foot tent. How could an organized, methodical climber with a non-negotiable habit of checking her communicator choose silence when rescue was hours away?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline from the May 14 trailhead sign-in through the May 19 discovery of the pack, the weather and route conditions, and the backgrounds of Carol Stay and guide Jean Jenkins to frame the central mystery: why did Carol not use the satellite communicator or otherwise signal for help?

Person: Carol Stay, 56
Date: May 14-19, 2011
Location: Vanner's Horn, Southeast Approach
Guide: Jean Jenkins, 44
Event: Pack found at 9,200 ft; satellite communicator unused at 13,000 ft

- May 14: Carol Stay signed the trailhead register with guide Jean Jenkins, listing Summit May 16 and return May 17.
- May 16, 4:40 AM: Carol and Jean departed high camp at roughly 13,000 feet for the summit.
- May 16, 9:15 AM: They reached the summit of Vanner's Horn.
- May 16, ~11:00 AM: A wet-slab avalanche buried the primary descent route under 4-6 feet of debris.
- May 19, 9:20 AM: Philip Chambers photographed a red expedition pack standing upright at 9,200 feet with no nearby footprints; pack contained a laminated equipment card naming Carol Stay.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087183Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:48:53 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTWhy Did Carol Stay Silent at 13,000 Feet? A carefully packed expedition backpack was found standing upright at 9,200 feet with no footprints nearby and a laminated card reading "Carol Stay, 56"-yet a fully charged satellite communicator sat unused...
A carefully packed expedition backpack was found standing upright at 9,200 feet with no footprints nearby and a laminated card reading "Carol Stay, 56"-yet a fully charged satellite communicator sat unused at her 13,000-foot tent. How could an organized, methodical climber with a non-negotiable habit of checking her communicator choose silence when rescue was hours away?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline from the May 14 trailhead sign-in through the May 19 discovery of the pack, the weather and route conditions, and the backgrounds of Carol Stay and guide Jean Jenkins to frame the central mystery: why did Carol not use the satellite communicator or otherwise signal for help?

Person: Carol Stay, 56
Date: May 14-19, 2011
Location: Vanner's Horn, Southeast Approach
Guide: Jean Jenkins, 44
Event: Pack found at 9,200 ft; satellite communicator unused at 13,000 ft

- May 14: Carol Stay signed the trailhead register with guide Jean Jenkins, listing Summit May 16 and return May 17.
- May 16, 4:40 AM: Carol and Jean departed high camp at roughly 13,000 feet for the summit.
- May 16, 9:15 AM: They reached the summit of Vanner's Horn.
- May 16, ~11:00 AM: A wet-slab avalanche buried the primary descent route under 4-6 feet of debris.
- May 19, 9:20 AM: Philip Chambers photographed a red expedition pack standing upright at 9,200 feet with no nearby footprints; pack contained a laminated equipment card naming Carol Stay.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1008falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/last-knot-at-midnight-the-regulator-found-at-4-200-feet--73087182
A metal oxygen regulator, valve locked at two liters per minute, was found in a boulder field at 4,200 feet-nearly 14,000 vertical feet below the last known location of the climber tied to its serial number. Who left a meticulous knot from outside a tent at 16,800 feet in midnight winds, then vanished, and how did a piece of his gear end up so far below?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the climber’s last nine-second radio message to the morning a runner found the regulator, tracing permits, expedition roles, and the secret route George McCarthy had been planning. What does the regulator’s serial trace reveal about the gap between Camp Two and the boulder field?

Person: George McCarthy
Date: April 16-19 (last contact April 15 at 23:17; regulator found April 19 at 06:51)
Location: Camp Two at 16,800 feet; regulator found at 4,200 feet on Route Nine boulder field
Case: Missing person with linked equipment serial number
Guide: Diane Donnelly

- Regulator valve was locked at two liters per minute when found.
- Russell Clark found the regulator at 06:51 on April 19 while running Route Nine.
- The regulator serial number traced to a reserve oxygen bottle used at about 16,800 feet.
- George left camp at 00:11 on April 16 after retying a guy-line knot from the outside.
- The last radio contact from George lasted nine seconds at 23:17 on April 15.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087182Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:48:51 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTLast Knot at Midnight: The Regulator Found at 4,200 Feet A metal oxygen regulator, valve locked at two liters per minute, was found in a boulder field at 4,200 feet-nearly 14,000 vertical feet below the last known location of the climber tied to...
A metal oxygen regulator, valve locked at two liters per minute, was found in a boulder field at 4,200 feet-nearly 14,000 vertical feet below the last known location of the climber tied to its serial number. Who left a meticulous knot from outside a tent at 16,800 feet in midnight winds, then vanished, and how did a piece of his gear end up so far below?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the climber’s last nine-second radio message to the morning a runner found the regulator, tracing permits, expedition roles, and the secret route George McCarthy had been planning. What does the regulator’s serial trace reveal about the gap between Camp Two and the boulder field?

Person: George McCarthy
Date: April 16-19 (last contact April 15 at 23:17; regulator found April 19 at 06:51)
Location: Camp Two at 16,800 feet; regulator found at 4,200 feet on Route Nine boulder field
Case: Missing person with linked equipment serial number
Guide: Diane Donnelly

- Regulator valve was locked at two liters per minute when found.
- Russell Clark found the regulator at 06:51 on April 19 while running Route Nine.
- The regulator serial number traced to a reserve oxygen bottle used at about 16,800 feet.
- George left camp at 00:11 on April 16 after retying a guy-line knot from the outside.
- The last radio contact from George lasted nine seconds at 23:17 on April 15.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1102falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-four-seconds-how-a-new-harness-almost-killed-her--73087180
Beneath a dry harness found beside a storage yard lay a hidden degradation that had started three days earlier and cut the harness's strength by 30-50%. How did a factory-sealed, eight-millimeter rope threaded through a medium women's harness end up disconnected from a fourteen-thousand-foot fall, and who survived the four seconds that mattered?

In this episode, we tell the story of four climbers on Danner's Tooth in March 2009, reconstructing the timeline from Camp One to the summit push and the moment the harness failed. What choices, inspections, and small damages turned into a catastrophic failure on the southeast face?

Person: Judith Jones
Person: Renata Fuoss
Person: Angela Jensen
Person: Craig Novak
Date: March 15, 2009

- Harness found March 19, 2009: black with orange stitching, size medium women's, belay loop open.
- Rope fragment in loop: 14 inches of 8 mm kernmantle rope with factory heat-sealed ends.
- Nearest trailhead to Danner's Tooth from storage location: 63 road miles.
- Jones noticed initial snag on March 12 during a traverse after Carries to Camp One at 12,800 feet.
- Rescue consultant estimated harness strength reduction: between 30% and 50% due to hairline abrasion.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087180Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:48:48 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTThe Four Seconds: How a New Harness Almost Killed Her Beneath a dry harness found beside a storage yard lay a hidden degradation that had started three days earlier and cut the harness's strength by 30-50%. How did a factory-sealed,...
Beneath a dry harness found beside a storage yard lay a hidden degradation that had started three days earlier and cut the harness's strength by 30-50%. How did a factory-sealed, eight-millimeter rope threaded through a medium women's harness end up disconnected from a fourteen-thousand-foot fall, and who survived the four seconds that mattered?

In this episode, we tell the story of four climbers on Danner's Tooth in March 2009, reconstructing the timeline from Camp One to the summit push and the moment the harness failed. What choices, inspections, and small damages turned into a catastrophic failure on the southeast face?

Person: Judith Jones
Person: Renata Fuoss
Person: Angela Jensen
Person: Craig Novak
Date: March 15, 2009

- Harness found March 19, 2009: black with orange stitching, size medium women's, belay loop open.
- Rope fragment in loop: 14 inches of 8 mm kernmantle rope with factory heat-sealed ends.
- Nearest trailhead to Danner's Tooth from storage location: 63 road miles.
- Jones noticed initial snag on March 12 during a traverse after Carries to Camp One at 12,800 feet.
- Rescue consultant estimated harness strength reduction: between 30% and 50% due to hairline abrasion.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1189falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/gloves-upright-at-roadside-why-karen-stayed-on-the-ridge--73087177
Cold and precise details nag at the edges: gloves found upright in snow at 6,200 feet, a woman dead 4,000 feet above, and a notebook left open the night before a fatal storm-what single sequence of choices produced that impossible image? Which choice did Karen Riley make on the ridge that explains why the gloves ended up upright at the roadside?

In this episode, we follow the expedition log, radio recordings from expedition leader Harvey Hicks, sheriff's statements, and four days of search evidence to trace Karen's actions from summit to storm. The episode covers her preparation, the timing of the storm, team symptoms and splits, and the physical trail that connects a ridge at thirteen thousand feet to a pair of gloves at a valley road-what did she intend, and why did she stay on the ridge?

Person: Karen Riley
Age: 62
Summit: Draken Peak, 13,800 feet
Found gloves location: road edge at 6,200 feet
Notebook detail: open on sleeping bag listing nine veterans with case numbers

- Gloves were found upright in the snow at 6,200 feet by Tammy Porter.
- Karen summited Draken Peak on February 17, 2011 at 11:17 AM.
- The thermometer at high camp read -22°F when Karen stepped out at 4:45 AM on February 17.
- The storm arrived forty minutes after Karen's summit, earlier than the forecasted window.
- Karen carried a laminated acute mountain sickness symptom card in her chest pocket and left a summit notebook open the night before listing nine veterans.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087177Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:48:45 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTGloves Upright at Roadside: Why Karen Stayed on the Ridge Cold and precise details nag at the edges: gloves found upright in snow at 6,200 feet, a woman dead 4,000 feet above, and a notebook left open the night before a fatal storm-what single...
Cold and precise details nag at the edges: gloves found upright in snow at 6,200 feet, a woman dead 4,000 feet above, and a notebook left open the night before a fatal storm-what single sequence of choices produced that impossible image? Which choice did Karen Riley make on the ridge that explains why the gloves ended up upright at the roadside?

In this episode, we follow the expedition log, radio recordings from expedition leader Harvey Hicks, sheriff's statements, and four days of search evidence to trace Karen's actions from summit to storm. The episode covers her preparation, the timing of the storm, team symptoms and splits, and the physical trail that connects a ridge at thirteen thousand feet to a pair of gloves at a valley road-what did she intend, and why did she stay on the ridge?

Person: Karen Riley
Age: 62
Summit: Draken Peak, 13,800 feet
Found gloves location: road edge at 6,200 feet
Notebook detail: open on sleeping bag listing nine veterans with case numbers

- Gloves were found upright in the snow at 6,200 feet by Tammy Porter.
- Karen summited Draken Peak on February 17, 2011 at 11:17 AM.
- The thermometer at high camp read -22°F when Karen stepped out at 4:45 AM on February 17.
- The storm arrived forty minutes after Karen's summit, earlier than the forecasted window.
- Karen carried a laminated acute mountain sickness symptom card in her chest pocket and left a summit notebook open the night before listing nine veterans.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1109falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/left-boot-at-twelve-below-the-choice-that-left-one-behind--73087175
Cold arrived like a slammed door: within forty minutes wind hit 61 mph and temperature plunged to -22°F as a secondary low that no forecast had shown struck a fourteen-thousand-foot face. A single size-ten double-plastic-shell climbing boot, laced and with its liner inside, was later found at the base of a spruce tree-how did one climber end up walking eleven miles in one boot after an eleven-person summit push split in that storm?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events on the north face of Wetherton Spire from base camp to the moment the team divided, following radio logs, survivor testimony, and the lone physical evidence that began and ended the mystery: the boot. How did an unexpected storm, a fall at 14,500 feet, and one final spiral-notebook entry produce the choice that left someone behind?

Person: Michelle Carlson
Date: January 11, 2014
Location: North face of Wetherton Spire
Event: Summit push and unexpected storm
Status: Boot found; Michelle hospitalized seven days

- Eleven climbers began the summit push at approximately 2:00 AM on January 11.
- Wind speed rose to 61 miles per hour within forty minutes of the storm's arrival at 5:22 AM.
- Temperature fell to -22 degrees Fahrenheit at fourteen thousand nine hundred feet during the storm.
- The team reached Camp Two at 13,400 feet and logged a nominal transmission at 6:00 PM on January 9.
- A single size ten double-plastic-shell climbing boot, laced tight with liner inside, was found by a dog on January 19.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087175Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:48:43 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTLeft Boot at Twelve Below: The Choice That Left One Behind Cold arrived like a slammed door: within forty minutes wind hit 61 mph and temperature plunged to -22°F as a secondary low that no forecast had shown struck a fourteen-thousand-foot face. A...
Cold arrived like a slammed door: within forty minutes wind hit 61 mph and temperature plunged to -22°F as a secondary low that no forecast had shown struck a fourteen-thousand-foot face. A single size-ten double-plastic-shell climbing boot, laced and with its liner inside, was later found at the base of a spruce tree-how did one climber end up walking eleven miles in one boot after an eleven-person summit push split in that storm?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events on the north face of Wetherton Spire from base camp to the moment the team divided, following radio logs, survivor testimony, and the lone physical evidence that began and ended the mystery: the boot. How did an unexpected storm, a fall at 14,500 feet, and one final spiral-notebook entry produce the choice that left someone behind?

Person: Michelle Carlson
Date: January 11, 2014
Location: North face of Wetherton Spire
Event: Summit push and unexpected storm
Status: Boot found; Michelle hospitalized seven days

- Eleven climbers began the summit push at approximately 2:00 AM on January 11.
- Wind speed rose to 61 miles per hour within forty minutes of the storm's arrival at 5:22 AM.
- Temperature fell to -22 degrees Fahrenheit at fourteen thousand nine hundred feet during the storm.
- The team reached Camp Two at 13,400 feet and logged a nominal transmission at 6:00 PM on January 9.
- A single size ten double-plastic-shell climbing boot, laced tight with liner inside, was found by a dog on January 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.]]>1183falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-crampon-at-two-thousand-eight-hundred-feet-what-happened-on-auren--73087172
A single crampon stamped "C4 - 19,200 feet" turned up in a river at 2,800 feet-on a descent route that never crosses that watershed-and nobody who was there can explain how it got there. What connects a barefoot, hypothermic survivor with no memory, two climbers who died, a third found months later still climbing, and an unclaimed piece of equipment in an evidence box?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline, the physical evidence, and the gaps investigators could not fill, following the expedition from base camp through the summit push and the chaotic hours that followed. How did an item from Camp Four travel more than sixteen thousand feet and across a watershed where the team never went?

Person: Roy Fleming
Date: December 13, 2019
Location: Camp Four at 19,200 feet; crampon found at ~2,800 feet on the Sable Fork River
Status: One survivor (hypothermic, arriving base camp barefoot), two fatalities, one found five months later
Event: Summit push and subsequent unexplained descent

- Crampon marked "C4 - 19,200 feet" recovered in a river at approximately 2,800 feet.
- Survivor Roy Fleming arrived at base camp 11 hours after events, barefoot on his right side and hypothermic.
- Final radio log entry from base camp timestamped 21:47 on December 12 noting "K says summit window opens 03:00" and concerns about Roy and Phil.
- Expedition reached Camp Four at 19,200 feet on December 11 after establishing camps on Dec 3, 7, and 9.
- One climber was found five months later in a couloir high on the North Buttress in a position consistent with still climbing toward the summit.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087172Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:48:40 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTThe Crampon at Two Thousand Eight Hundred Feet: What Happened on Auren A single crampon stamped "C4 - 19,200 feet" turned up in a river at 2,800 feet-on a descent route that never crosses that watershed-and nobody who was there can explain how it...
A single crampon stamped "C4 - 19,200 feet" turned up in a river at 2,800 feet-on a descent route that never crosses that watershed-and nobody who was there can explain how it got there. What connects a barefoot, hypothermic survivor with no memory, two climbers who died, a third found months later still climbing, and an unclaimed piece of equipment in an evidence box?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline, the physical evidence, and the gaps investigators could not fill, following the expedition from base camp through the summit push and the chaotic hours that followed. How did an item from Camp Four travel more than sixteen thousand feet and across a watershed where the team never went?

Person: Roy Fleming
Date: December 13, 2019
Location: Camp Four at 19,200 feet; crampon found at ~2,800 feet on the Sable Fork River
Status: One survivor (hypothermic, arriving base camp barefoot), two fatalities, one found five months later
Event: Summit push and subsequent unexplained descent

- Crampon marked "C4 - 19,200 feet" recovered in a river at approximately 2,800 feet.
- Survivor Roy Fleming arrived at base camp 11 hours after events, barefoot on his right side and hypothermic.
- Final radio log entry from base camp timestamped 21:47 on December 12 noting "K says summit window opens 03:00" and concerns about Roy and Phil.
- Expedition reached Camp Four at 19,200 feet on December 11 after establishing camps on Dec 3, 7, and 9.
- One climber was found five months later in a couloir high on the North Buttress in a position consistent with still climbing toward 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.]]>1165falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-wrote-still-here-worse-moving-found-four-days-later--73087171
Fear ripples when a trained physician writes "Still here. Worse. Moving." at 6:43 AM and then disappears for four days - a logbook left at 4,200 feet under a rock overhang and a final entry that might be the last conscious sentence she ever wrote. How does a doctor who recognized high-altitude cerebral edema end up vanishing after documenting the very decline she feared?

In this episode, we follow the expedition on Calvert Peak and the sequence of events recorded in a spiral-bound logbook that was found and photographed by county surveyor Robert Green; we trace the team roles, the clinical details Sandra Hensley recorded, and the decision moments that followed - could the condition she diagnosed explain her disappearance?

Person: Sandra Hensley
Date: October 31 - final log entries; final entry timestamped November 1, 6:43 AM
Location: Calvert Peak, Montana; logbook found at 4,200 feet under a rock overhang
Event: Logbook with eleven hourly entries and missing physician found by Robert Green on November 4, 2019
Team: Ross Roberts (leader, 41), Tom Waverly (structural engineer, kept journal), Dana Chu (high school athletics coach)

- Logbook contained eleven consecutive hourly entries dated October 31 with handwriting that loosened then tightened across the pages.
- Sandra recorded an oxygen saturation of 91% at high camp (8,600 feet), below her personal threshold of 93%, and did not report it to the team.
- Final logbook entry read four words: "Still here. Worse. Moving." timestamped November 1 at 6:43 AM.
- Sandra was found seated at about 8,700 feet, unclipped from the fixed line, headache severity recorded as 7/10, and she wrote "suspected high-altitude cerebral edema."
- The logbook was photographed by county surveyor Robert Green on November 4, 2019, with no tent, pack, or person nearby and nearest trailhead six miles away.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087171Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:48:37 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTShe Wrote "Still Here. Worse. Moving." - Found Four Days Later Fear ripples when a trained physician writes "Still here. Worse. Moving." at 6:43 AM and then disappears for four days - a logbook left at 4,200 feet under a rock overhang and a final...
Fear ripples when a trained physician writes "Still here. Worse. Moving." at 6:43 AM and then disappears for four days - a logbook left at 4,200 feet under a rock overhang and a final entry that might be the last conscious sentence she ever wrote. How does a doctor who recognized high-altitude cerebral edema end up vanishing after documenting the very decline she feared?

In this episode, we follow the expedition on Calvert Peak and the sequence of events recorded in a spiral-bound logbook that was found and photographed by county surveyor Robert Green; we trace the team roles, the clinical details Sandra Hensley recorded, and the decision moments that followed - could the condition she diagnosed explain her disappearance?

Person: Sandra Hensley
Date: October 31 - final log entries; final entry timestamped November 1, 6:43 AM
Location: Calvert Peak, Montana; logbook found at 4,200 feet under a rock overhang
Event: Logbook with eleven hourly entries and missing physician found by Robert Green on November 4, 2019
Team: Ross Roberts (leader, 41), Tom Waverly (structural engineer, kept journal), Dana Chu (high school athletics coach)

- Logbook contained eleven consecutive hourly entries dated October 31 with handwriting that loosened then tightened across the pages.
- Sandra recorded an oxygen saturation of 91% at high camp (8,600 feet), below her personal threshold of 93%, and did not report it to the team.
- Final logbook entry read four words: "Still here. Worse. Moving." timestamped November 1 at 6:43 AM.
- Sandra was found seated at about 8,700 feet, unclipped from the fixed line, headache severity recorded as 7/10, and she wrote "suspected high-altitude cerebral edema."
- The logbook was photographed by county surveyor Robert Green on November 4, 2019, with no tent, pack, or person nearby and nearest trailhead six miles away.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1150falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-axe-that-kept-four-alive-burned-handle-on-calloway-s-face--73087168
Fear tightens in the gut: an ice axe head with twenty-two centimeters of black anodized aluminum and a scorched socket was found beside a propane locker five days after four climbers came off Calloway's north face alive-whose decision in the dark kept them breathing, and why was the handle burned at 8,100 meters? What did that single burned tool reveal about the descent and the people who made it?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events on Calloway Mountain from the summit log entries to the object found at Ridgeback Base Camp, following the climbers, the base camp staff, and the one call that changed how the story would be read. How did timing, weather, and a burned ice axe shaft shape what happened next?

Person: Grant Brown, age 52
Person: Tom Briggs, age 30
Person: Diane Foster, age 48
Person: Marcus Webb, age 36
Location: Ridgeback Base Camp propane locker

- The ice axe head measured twenty-two centimeters of black anodized aluminum with a scorched socket and no handle.
- The ice axe head was found in the dirt beside the propane locker five days after the four climbers came off the north face.
- Grant Brown and Diane Foster signed the High Camp summit log at 15:49 on October 9; Tom Briggs signed at 14:17 the same day, a 92-minute gap.
- High Camp at 8,100 meters experienced moving air at 63 km/h with gusts to 81 km/h by 17:30 as the storm arrived earlier than forecast.
- The fuel manifest for the expedition listed four liters.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087168Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:48:34 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTThe Axe That Kept Four Alive: Burned Handle on Calloway's Face Fear tightens in the gut: an ice axe head with twenty-two centimeters of black anodized aluminum and a scorched socket was found beside a propane locker five days after four climbers...
Fear tightens in the gut: an ice axe head with twenty-two centimeters of black anodized aluminum and a scorched socket was found beside a propane locker five days after four climbers came off Calloway's north face alive-whose decision in the dark kept them breathing, and why was the handle burned at 8,100 meters? What did that single burned tool reveal about the descent and the people who made it?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events on Calloway Mountain from the summit log entries to the object found at Ridgeback Base Camp, following the climbers, the base camp staff, and the one call that changed how the story would be read. How did timing, weather, and a burned ice axe shaft shape what happened next?

Person: Grant Brown, age 52
Person: Tom Briggs, age 30
Person: Diane Foster, age 48
Person: Marcus Webb, age 36
Location: Ridgeback Base Camp propane locker

- The ice axe head measured twenty-two centimeters of black anodized aluminum with a scorched socket and no handle.
- The ice axe head was found in the dirt beside the propane locker five days after the four climbers came off the north face.
- Grant Brown and Diane Foster signed the High Camp summit log at 15:49 on October 9; Tom Briggs signed at 14:17 the same day, a 92-minute gap.
- High Camp at 8,100 meters experienced moving air at 63 km/h with gusts to 81 km/h by 17:30 as the storm arrived earlier than forecast.
- The fuel manifest for the expedition listed four liters.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1005falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-wrong-orange-fin-how-one-crampon-unraveled-a-perfect-climb--73087166
A single orange crampon, found at 11,200 feet coated in dark garden mud, contradicts the logged rescue routes and a meticulous team's plans - and that small, wrong thing refuses to let go. How did one piece of gear, placed 800 feet above the last established high camp and 412 meters from the buried cache, become the hinge of a sixty-two hour ordeal?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a backyard garden and a precise notebook entry to a cleft saddle and a missing cache, tracing the decisions made by a four-person team on Halverton Peak and the question they only answer by replaying every step: what happened between the cairn they built and the crampon found on open scree?

Person: George Lawson
Person: Valerie Zeller
Person: Patricia Howe
Person: Dennis Albrecht
Date: September 14-15, 2014

- The crampon was found at 11,200 feet, on open scree, 800 feet above the last established high camp.
- George recorded the cache location as bearing 240 degrees magnetic, orange fin, four-rock cairn in his notebook.
- Two orange-stained granite fins stood on the ridgeline, nearly identical and separated by 412 meters with the false fin tilted three degrees west.
- The team reached Halverton's summit at 12:40 on September 15 and arrived back at the col at 16:15 when the container was missing.
- Four climbers were pulled off the mountain alive; the crampon coated in dark garden mud ended up where no recorded descent route was supposed to cross.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087166Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:48:31 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTThe Wrong Orange Fin: How One Crampon Unraveled a Perfect Climb A single orange crampon, found at 11,200 feet coated in dark garden mud, contradicts the logged rescue routes and a meticulous team's plans - and that small, wrong thing refuses to let...
A single orange crampon, found at 11,200 feet coated in dark garden mud, contradicts the logged rescue routes and a meticulous team's plans - and that small, wrong thing refuses to let go. How did one piece of gear, placed 800 feet above the last established high camp and 412 meters from the buried cache, become the hinge of a sixty-two hour ordeal?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a backyard garden and a precise notebook entry to a cleft saddle and a missing cache, tracing the decisions made by a four-person team on Halverton Peak and the question they only answer by replaying every step: what happened between the cairn they built and the crampon found on open scree?

Person: George Lawson
Person: Valerie Zeller
Person: Patricia Howe
Person: Dennis Albrecht
Date: September 14-15, 2014

- The crampon was found at 11,200 feet, on open scree, 800 feet above the last established high camp.
- George recorded the cache location as bearing 240 degrees magnetic, orange fin, four-rock cairn in his notebook.
- Two orange-stained granite fins stood on the ridgeline, nearly identical and separated by 412 meters with the false fin tilted three degrees west.
- The team reached Halverton's summit at 12:40 on September 15 and arrived back at the col at 16:15 when the container was missing.
- Four climbers were pulled off the mountain alive; the crampon coated in dark garden mud ended up where no recorded descent route was supposed to cross.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1078falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-man-in-the-summit-photo-no-one-could-explain--73087164
A single unaltered negative shows a figure on Halverson Peak’s summit at 10:22 AM on August 7 - someone no member of the four-person party remembers, and the photographer was dead before anyone questioned it. Who was standing at the edge of the plateau, and why did the photo disappear into a Creston Falls dead-letter bin for months?

In this episode, we tell the full account of the photograph, the eight-month trail that followed it, and the unexpected evidence that finally provided an explanation. How did a paper delivery boy, a forensic imaging consultant, and a forgotten GPS unit at 14,000 feet change everything?

Person: Dennis Craul
Date: August 7 (photograph taken at 10:22 AM)
Location: Halverson Peak summit plateau
Status: Dennis Craul deceased; Lisa Hensley survived with injuries
Equipment: thirty-five millimeter camera with eleven exposed frames

- The photograph was frame 9 of 11 on Dennis Craul’s film roll.
- Dennis Craul was 44 years old and a high school chemistry teacher who always used the same thirty-five millimeter camera.
- Lisa Hensley was 28, had a fractured left tibia, a core temperature of 31°C, and lost portions of three right-hand fingers.
- A solo climber signed the summit register at 7:40 PM on August 6 as "D. Farrow" and descended that night.
- Pete Odum logged a solo climber passing the trailhead at 6:52 AM on August 7 in the radio log.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087164Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:48:29 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTThe Man in the Summit Photo No One Could Explain A single unaltered negative shows a figure on Halverson Peak’s summit at 10:22 AM on August 7 - someone no member of the four-person party remembers, and the photographer was dead before anyone...
A single unaltered negative shows a figure on Halverson Peak’s summit at 10:22 AM on August 7 - someone no member of the four-person party remembers, and the photographer was dead before anyone questioned it. Who was standing at the edge of the plateau, and why did the photo disappear into a Creston Falls dead-letter bin for months?

In this episode, we tell the full account of the photograph, the eight-month trail that followed it, and the unexpected evidence that finally provided an explanation. How did a paper delivery boy, a forensic imaging consultant, and a forgotten GPS unit at 14,000 feet change everything?

Person: Dennis Craul
Date: August 7 (photograph taken at 10:22 AM)
Location: Halverson Peak summit plateau
Status: Dennis Craul deceased; Lisa Hensley survived with injuries
Equipment: thirty-five millimeter camera with eleven exposed frames

- The photograph was frame 9 of 11 on Dennis Craul’s film roll.
- Dennis Craul was 44 years old and a high school chemistry teacher who always used the same thirty-five millimeter camera.
- Lisa Hensley was 28, had a fractured left tibia, a core temperature of 31°C, and lost portions of three right-hand fingers.
- A solo climber signed the summit register at 7:40 PM on August 6 as "D. Farrow" and descended that night.
- Pete Odum logged a solo climber passing the trailhead at 6:52 AM on August 7 in the 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.]]>1109falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-ice-screw-that-traveled-thousands-of-feet-down-calthorpe-norte--73087162
A battered ice screw meant to hold a falling climber turned up in road gravel at 4,200 ft - seven miles and thousands of feet below the nearest ice - with its nylon sling fresh and its carabiner bent as if loaded by something enormous. Who or what carried that piece of high-altitude hardware down the mountain, and why did it arrive eleven days after four climbers came off the northeast face alive but injured?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events on July 10-21, 2019 that link a delayed summit push to a damaged ice screw found by a gravel blade operator named Earl Webb. The episode covers the team composition, the decision to shift departure time by one hour at high camp, and the subsequent investigative findings that raise the central question: how did an apparently recently used ice screw end up in roadside gravel thousands of feet below the climb?

Person: Earl Webb
Date: July 21, 2019
Location: Forest Service Road Seven-Delta, elevation 4,200 ft
Case: Fremont County investigation by Frank Alcott
Event: Summit push and incident on Calthorpe Norte, July 10, 2019

- The ice screw had a nylon loop with a grilleta bent at a hard angle and showed abrasion consistent with high-speed rock travel.
- The screw was found seven miles by road from the nearest mountain trailhead and thousands of vertical feet below the northeast face where such hardware would be placed.
- The sling on the screw was not bleached or rotted and the knot remained tight, indicating it had arrived recently.
- Four climbers came off the northeast face injured and alive eleven days before Earl Webb found the ice screw.
- The team’s planned 4:00 a.m. departure was shifted to 5:00 a.m. after an 11-minute satellite phone call between guide Larry Armstrong and another guide the night before the summit push.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087162Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:48:26 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTThe Ice Screw That Traveled Thousands of Feet Down Calthorpe Norte A battered ice screw meant to hold a falling climber turned up in road gravel at 4,200 ft - seven miles and thousands of feet below the nearest ice - with its nylon sling fresh and...
A battered ice screw meant to hold a falling climber turned up in road gravel at 4,200 ft - seven miles and thousands of feet below the nearest ice - with its nylon sling fresh and its carabiner bent as if loaded by something enormous. Who or what carried that piece of high-altitude hardware down the mountain, and why did it arrive eleven days after four climbers came off the northeast face alive but injured?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events on July 10-21, 2019 that link a delayed summit push to a damaged ice screw found by a gravel blade operator named Earl Webb. The episode covers the team composition, the decision to shift departure time by one hour at high camp, and the subsequent investigative findings that raise the central question: how did an apparently recently used ice screw end up in roadside gravel thousands of feet below the climb?

Person: Earl Webb
Date: July 21, 2019
Location: Forest Service Road Seven-Delta, elevation 4,200 ft
Case: Fremont County investigation by Frank Alcott
Event: Summit push and incident on Calthorpe Norte, July 10, 2019

- The ice screw had a nylon loop with a grilleta bent at a hard angle and showed abrasion consistent with high-speed rock travel.
- The screw was found seven miles by road from the nearest mountain trailhead and thousands of vertical feet below the northeast face where such hardware would be placed.
- The sling on the screw was not bleached or rotted and the knot remained tight, indicating it had arrived recently.
- Four climbers came off the northeast face injured and alive eleven days before Earl Webb found the ice screw.
- The team’s planned 4:00 a.m. departure was shifted to 5:00 a.m. after an 11-minute satellite phone call between guide Larry Armstrong and another guide the night before the summit push.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1089falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-last-thirty-minutes-gina-vaughn-s-notebook-and-the-rope-that-vanished--73087161
A warped spiral-bound notebook survived nine days of freeze and melt to travel 4,200 vertical meters before a lineman found it - its last entry cuts off mid-sentence, and a rope was later found buried under 80 cm of snow. What happened in the thirty minutes between 11:08 and 11:38 on June 5 that turned a successful summit into a mystery?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of the Renner Peak expedition, the people involved, the physical evidence recovered, and the positional gap that defines the case - can the notebook and two GPS traces explain the decisions that followed the summit?

Date: June 5, 2019
Location: Renner Peak
Person: Gina Vaughn
Age: 23
Vertical travel of notebook: 4,200 meters

- Notebook was found on June 14, 2019 wedged between a transformer pad and rock face after nine days of freeze and melt.
- Gina Vaughn was part of a six-person team that summited at approximately 9:45 AM on June 5, 2019.
- Fixed ropes in the crux were red nine-millimeter rope with ice screws every four meters, placed in late May.
- High camp "the Shoulder" was at 7,100 meters established on June 3, 2019; Paul Garrett shared a tent with Gina there.
- GPS records show Phil Mercer at 7,510 meters at 11:08 AM and Gina at 7,390 meters at 11:08 AM, with an unresolved positional gap by 11:38 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/73087161Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:48:23 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTThe Last Thirty Minutes: Gina Vaughn's Notebook and the Rope That Vanished A warped spiral-bound notebook survived nine days of freeze and melt to travel 4,200 vertical meters before a lineman found it - its last entry cuts off mid-sentence, and a...
A warped spiral-bound notebook survived nine days of freeze and melt to travel 4,200 vertical meters before a lineman found it - its last entry cuts off mid-sentence, and a rope was later found buried under 80 cm of snow. What happened in the thirty minutes between 11:08 and 11:38 on June 5 that turned a successful summit into a mystery?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of the Renner Peak expedition, the people involved, the physical evidence recovered, and the positional gap that defines the case - can the notebook and two GPS traces explain the decisions that followed the summit?

Date: June 5, 2019
Location: Renner Peak
Person: Gina Vaughn
Age: 23
Vertical travel of notebook: 4,200 meters

- Notebook was found on June 14, 2019 wedged between a transformer pad and rock face after nine days of freeze and melt.
- Gina Vaughn was part of a six-person team that summited at approximately 9:45 AM on June 5, 2019.
- Fixed ropes in the crux were red nine-millimeter rope with ice screws every four meters, placed in late May.
- High camp "the Shoulder" was at 7,100 meters established on June 3, 2019; Paul Garrett shared a tent with Gina there.
- GPS records show Phil Mercer at 7,510 meters at 11:08 AM and Gina at 7,390 meters at 11:08 AM, with an unresolved positional gap by 11:38 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.]]>961falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/red-crampon-at-dawn-the-vanishing-of-kathleen-meyer--73087159
A red crampon the size of a right nine found buckled and immaculate in an empty parking lot four miles from the nearest trailhead-no mud, no scratches, no sign it had ever touched a mountain. Who left a crampon with the buckle still closed and why was the last GPS ping from Kathleen Meyer at 2:17 AM at 10,900 feet?

In this episode, we lay out the official record: the crampon, a pencil note on the back of a laminated checklist, the SAR archive closed June 3, and the last GPS location tied to Kathleen. What does the Fenn County SAR file show, and what essential question remains unanswered?

Person: Kathleen Meyer
Date: May 23 (crampon found at 6:14 AM)
Location: Empty parking lot four miles from nearest trailhead
Event: Last GPS signal at 2:17 AM at 10,900 feet
Status: Fenn County SAR archive closed June 3

- A runner named Vicki Reynolds found the red crampon at 6:14 AM on May 23.
- The crampon was a right foot, size nine, with the strap still buckled and no visible damage.
- Kathleen Meyer was a 39-year-old structural engineer with seven summits and four voluntary turnarounds.
- The summit permit was submitted March 14 for a team of four with a summit window May 18-22 and May 20 circled as target day.
- The last GPS signal from Kathleen was recorded at 2:17 AM at 10,900 feet.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087159Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:48:20 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTRed Crampon at Dawn: The Vanishing of Kathleen Meyer A red crampon the size of a right nine found buckled and immaculate in an empty parking lot four miles from the nearest trailhead-no mud, no scratches, no sign it had ever touched a mountain. Who...
A red crampon the size of a right nine found buckled and immaculate in an empty parking lot four miles from the nearest trailhead-no mud, no scratches, no sign it had ever touched a mountain. Who left a crampon with the buckle still closed and why was the last GPS ping from Kathleen Meyer at 2:17 AM at 10,900 feet?

In this episode, we lay out the official record: the crampon, a pencil note on the back of a laminated checklist, the SAR archive closed June 3, and the last GPS location tied to Kathleen. What does the Fenn County SAR file show, and what essential question remains unanswered?

Person: Kathleen Meyer
Date: May 23 (crampon found at 6:14 AM)
Location: Empty parking lot four miles from nearest trailhead
Event: Last GPS signal at 2:17 AM at 10,900 feet
Status: Fenn County SAR archive closed June 3

- A runner named Vicki Reynolds found the red crampon at 6:14 AM on May 23.
- The crampon was a right foot, size nine, with the strap still buckled and no visible damage.
- Kathleen Meyer was a 39-year-old structural engineer with seven summits and four voluntary turnarounds.
- The summit permit was submitted March 14 for a team of four with a summit window May 18-22 and May 20 circled as target day.
- The last GPS signal from Kathleen was recorded at 2:17 AM at 10,900 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.]]>1242falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-brought-a-broken-radio-down-from-19-000-feet-what-it-heard--73087156
Fear and awe collide: a salt-crusted, receive-only Motorola last documented near 19,000 feet turned up in a Dellburn storage unit with a note to "LEAVE FOR WADE"-but Marcia Smith carried it on the Arrowtine Needle anyway. How did a radio that could only listen end up off the mountain, and what did it record that no one could answer?

In this episode, we follow the expedition to the Arrowtine Needle and the people involved, the broken radio Marcia refused to leave behind, and the sequence of decisions and weather that led to a fall four hundred feet below the summit. What did that yellow transceiver hear during the storm and the fall?

Person: Marcia Smith
Date: April 15, 2011
Location: Arrowtine Needle, Arrowtine Needle, northwestern Montana
Device: Yellow Motorola transceiver (receive-only, fresh batteries)
Event: Fall of 60 feet at approximately 18,900 feet during a storm with gusts up to 73 mph

- Unit 47 at Dellburn Municipal Storage Complex was found open on the morning of April 19 with the yellow transceiver on the floor.
- The transceiver had a handwritten note taped reading "RECEIVE ONLY. DO NOT TRANSMIT. LEAVE FOR WADE."
- Marcia was 61 years old and had retired after 32 years teaching chemistry; she had attempted the Arrowtine Needle twice before 2011.
- The team began a summit push at 3:00 a.m. on April 15 and reached roughly 400 vertical feet below the summit by 9:00 a.m.
- At approximately 11:20 a.m. on April 15, gusts reached 73 miles per hour when Marcia fell 60 feet on a 40-degree slope, fracturing her left radius.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087156Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:48:16 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTShe Brought a Broken Radio Down From 19,000 Feet-What It Heard Fear and awe collide: a salt-crusted, receive-only Motorola last documented near 19,000 feet turned up in a Dellburn storage unit with a note to "LEAVE FOR WADE"-but Marcia Smith...
Fear and awe collide: a salt-crusted, receive-only Motorola last documented near 19,000 feet turned up in a Dellburn storage unit with a note to "LEAVE FOR WADE"-but Marcia Smith carried it on the Arrowtine Needle anyway. How did a radio that could only listen end up off the mountain, and what did it record that no one could answer?

In this episode, we follow the expedition to the Arrowtine Needle and the people involved, the broken radio Marcia refused to leave behind, and the sequence of decisions and weather that led to a fall four hundred feet below the summit. What did that yellow transceiver hear during the storm and the fall?

Person: Marcia Smith
Date: April 15, 2011
Location: Arrowtine Needle, Arrowtine Needle, northwestern Montana
Device: Yellow Motorola transceiver (receive-only, fresh batteries)
Event: Fall of 60 feet at approximately 18,900 feet during a storm with gusts up to 73 mph

- Unit 47 at Dellburn Municipal Storage Complex was found open on the morning of April 19 with the yellow transceiver on the floor.
- The transceiver had a handwritten note taped reading "RECEIVE ONLY. DO NOT TRANSMIT. LEAVE FOR WADE."
- Marcia was 61 years old and had retired after 32 years teaching chemistry; she had attempted the Arrowtine Needle twice before 2011.
- The team began a summit push at 3:00 a.m. on April 15 and reached roughly 400 vertical feet below the summit by 9:00 a.m.
- At approximately 11:20 a.m. on April 15, gusts reached 73 miles per hour when Marcia fell 60 feet on a 40-degree slope, fracturing her left radius.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1075falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-stove-was-still-burning-how-four-choices-almost-killed-her--73087155
A lit camp stove boiled dry and was left burning in a concrete lot at 19°F while four climbers still clung to a mountain - a small blue flame that signals a chain of ordinary decisions stacking toward disaster. Sandra Myers, a 26-year-old geology student, fell on a fixed rope near 14,000 feet; the radio log goes silent for nearly eight hours - who decided what before and after that fall, and why was Sandra never told about one critical safety choice?

In this episode, you will hear the sequence of events from summit to hospital that the record preserves, the people on the mountain and at the Mid-Depot, and the information gaps investigators later flagged. What choices unfolded in the hours between the summit and Sandra’s arrival at a Missoula hospital?

Person: Sandra Myers
Age: 26
Location: Wetheral Peak, Wetheral Peak, western Montana
Route: Danner Ridge / West Couloir
Depot elevation: 11,400 ft

- Stove was still burning in the Pinon Creek trailhead parking lot at 19°F with the pot boiled dry.
- Sandra reached the summit at 2:10 PM on March 9; descent began thirty minutes later.
- Radio log shows no entries between 2:10 PM and 7:50 PM the same day - a silence of 7 hours 40 minutes.
- Mid-Depot resupply was at roughly 11,400 feet and was meant to be stocked by Steve Berard and Kim Ostrander before dawn on March 9.
- Four porters left the Mid-Depot and walked down on March 8 after being denied a verbally promised cold-weather bonus.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087155Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:48:14 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTThe Stove Was Still Burning: How Four Choices Almost Killed Her A lit camp stove boiled dry and was left burning in a concrete lot at 19°F while four climbers still clung to a mountain - a small blue flame that signals a chain of ordinary decisions...
A lit camp stove boiled dry and was left burning in a concrete lot at 19°F while four climbers still clung to a mountain - a small blue flame that signals a chain of ordinary decisions stacking toward disaster. Sandra Myers, a 26-year-old geology student, fell on a fixed rope near 14,000 feet; the radio log goes silent for nearly eight hours - who decided what before and after that fall, and why was Sandra never told about one critical safety choice?

In this episode, you will hear the sequence of events from summit to hospital that the record preserves, the people on the mountain and at the Mid-Depot, and the information gaps investigators later flagged. What choices unfolded in the hours between the summit and Sandra’s arrival at a Missoula hospital?

Person: Sandra Myers
Age: 26
Location: Wetheral Peak, Wetheral Peak, western Montana
Route: Danner Ridge / West Couloir
Depot elevation: 11,400 ft

- Stove was still burning in the Pinon Creek trailhead parking lot at 19°F with the pot boiled dry.
- Sandra reached the summit at 2:10 PM on March 9; descent began thirty minutes later.
- Radio log shows no entries between 2:10 PM and 7:50 PM the same day - a silence of 7 hours 40 minutes.
- Mid-Depot resupply was at roughly 11,400 feet and was meant to be stocked by Steve Berard and Kim Ostrander before dawn on March 9.
- Four porters left the Mid-Depot and walked down on March 8 after being denied a verbally promised cold-weather bonus.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1046falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-clean-crampon-how-two-climbers-vanished-and-one-returned--73087152
A spotless twelve-point steel crampon with a closed lever and intact anti-balling plate sat on exposed rock after eighty-one inches of winter snow - and two climbers were missing above in whiteout and minus twenty Celsius winds. How did a piece of winter gear appear immaculate forty meters off a trail while one man returned and one never radioed again?

In this episode, you’ll hear the recorded transmissions, the timeline of decisions, and the exact scene where the crampon was found, as we follow the events from the trailhead to the upper ridge and ask what that clean crampon reveals about the day on the mountain.

Person: Mark Russo
Person: Tom Wicker
Date: February 4-19, 2011
Location: Ardell Range, northwest ridge and a boulder field at 4,300 feet
Event: Radio transmissions including "conditions acceptable, Wicker's call" and "Off the summit. Separated in whiteout. Descending independently."

- A three-year-old Australian shepherd named Compass pulled owner Kevin Nelson forty meters off the trail to find the crampon on February 19.
- The boulder field where the crampon was found had received 81 inches of snow in the previous 11 weeks.
- The crampon found was a twelve-point steel crampon with no rust, no ice, the lever closed, and the anti-balling plate intact.
- Mark Russo and Tom Wicker left the trailhead on February 4 and planned a five-day expedition with a summit push on day three.
- Radio transmissions: night of Feb 5 both at camp; morning Feb 16 "conditions acceptable, Wicker's call"; evening Feb 16 Russo: "Off the summit. Separated in whiteout. Descending independently."

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087152Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:48:11 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTThe Clean Crampon: How Two Climbers Vanished and One Returned A spotless twelve-point steel crampon with a closed lever and intact anti-balling plate sat on exposed rock after eighty-one inches of winter snow - and two climbers were missing above...
A spotless twelve-point steel crampon with a closed lever and intact anti-balling plate sat on exposed rock after eighty-one inches of winter snow - and two climbers were missing above in whiteout and minus twenty Celsius winds. How did a piece of winter gear appear immaculate forty meters off a trail while one man returned and one never radioed again?

In this episode, you’ll hear the recorded transmissions, the timeline of decisions, and the exact scene where the crampon was found, as we follow the events from the trailhead to the upper ridge and ask what that clean crampon reveals about the day on the mountain.

Person: Mark Russo
Person: Tom Wicker
Date: February 4-19, 2011
Location: Ardell Range, northwest ridge and a boulder field at 4,300 feet
Event: Radio transmissions including "conditions acceptable, Wicker's call" and "Off the summit. Separated in whiteout. Descending independently."

- A three-year-old Australian shepherd named Compass pulled owner Kevin Nelson forty meters off the trail to find the crampon on February 19.
- The boulder field where the crampon was found had received 81 inches of snow in the previous 11 weeks.
- The crampon found was a twelve-point steel crampon with no rust, no ice, the lever closed, and the anti-balling plate intact.
- Mark Russo and Tom Wicker left the trailhead on February 4 and planned a five-day expedition with a summit push on day three.
- Radio transmissions: night of Feb 5 both at camp; morning Feb 16 "conditions acceptable, Wicker's call"; evening Feb 16 Russo: "Off the summit. Separated in whiteout. Descending independently."

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1099falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-left-her-tent-intact-why-did-frances-descend-alone--73087150
A seventy-year-old cache of oxygen cylinders turned up in a river the day after a climber vanished, and Frances Descend left her high camp zipped, staked, and stocked - not abandoned but intentionally stored. What did she take with her, and how does an archive from 1946 suddenly rewrite the meaning of gear left at 4,000 meters?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Frances filing a solo permit through the last satellite ping at the col and the discovery that set investigators toward a decades-old expedition file - and toward a decision Frances made alone at altitude. What did the 1946 addendum reveal that reframes every piece of evidence?

Person: Frances Descend
Date: January 5-14, 2011
Location: Corvath Peak, col at 4,200 meters
Event: Last satellite ping placed Frances at the col on January 9; search initiated January 11
Document: "Corvath Peak Expedition, 1941" addendum dated 1946

- Frances filed a solo permit in late December 2010 and left the trailhead on January 5, 2011.
- Her satellite communicator sent scheduled pings every 12 hours with the final ping on the evening of January 9.
- Ground teams found her treeline tent on January 13 with poles up, zipper closed from the outside, three days of food, a full fuel canister, and dry socks.
- Helicopter rescue was grounded for 36 hours due to weather before ground teams mobilized.
- On January 14 a fisherman pulled six olive-drab cylinders from the Salleck River, stamped and riveted in a pre-World War II style.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087150Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:48:09 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTShe Left Her Tent Intact - Why Did Frances Descend Alone? A seventy-year-old cache of oxygen cylinders turned up in a river the day after a climber vanished, and Frances Descend left her high camp zipped, staked, and stocked - not abandoned but...
A seventy-year-old cache of oxygen cylinders turned up in a river the day after a climber vanished, and Frances Descend left her high camp zipped, staked, and stocked - not abandoned but intentionally stored. What did she take with her, and how does an archive from 1946 suddenly rewrite the meaning of gear left at 4,000 meters?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Frances filing a solo permit through the last satellite ping at the col and the discovery that set investigators toward a decades-old expedition file - and toward a decision Frances made alone at altitude. What did the 1946 addendum reveal that reframes every piece of evidence?

Person: Frances Descend
Date: January 5-14, 2011
Location: Corvath Peak, col at 4,200 meters
Event: Last satellite ping placed Frances at the col on January 9; search initiated January 11
Document: "Corvath Peak Expedition, 1941" addendum dated 1946

- Frances filed a solo permit in late December 2010 and left the trailhead on January 5, 2011.
- Her satellite communicator sent scheduled pings every 12 hours with the final ping on the evening of January 9.
- Ground teams found her treeline tent on January 13 with poles up, zipper closed from the outside, three days of food, a full fuel canister, and dry socks.
- Helicopter rescue was grounded for 36 hours due to weather before ground teams mobilized.
- On January 14 a fisherman pulled six olive-drab cylinders from the Salleck River, stamped and riveted in a pre-World War II style.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>986falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-drew-a-descent-map-missing-fingers-impossible-timestamp--73087148
A folded down jacket with no owner, no tracks, and a hand-drawn map dated five days earlier than where it was found - the timestamp alone breaks every expected timeline. Why was a private route down Calder Spire sketched in plastic and sealed inside a chest pocket, and who paid a hidden price to draw it?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that led from a planned expedition to a silent decision on the mountain, following the people, the equipment, and the single map that changed how the descent was understood. How did a navigator’s failing fingers, four unused USGS maps, and a private hand-drawn route intersect to reshape four lives?

Person: Connie Sanders
Age: 53
Location: Billings, Montana
Condition: Raynaud's phenomenon, symptoms starting December 4-6
Event: Hand-drawn map dated December 9 found in jacket on December 14

- The jacket containing the map was found by timber surveyor Wayne Clark on December 14 at 11,000 feet in the Solace Range.
- The map inside the jacket was dated December 9, five days earlier than Clark's discovery.
- Connie Sanders had climbed Calder Spire previously in July 2014 and had been climbing technically for 22 years.
- The party’s four printed USGS topographic maps were found pristine and unused at high camp on December 11.
- Connie’s right-hand fine motor loss began December 5 and the left hand showed symptoms by December 6 while the team moved toward high camp at approximately 13,500 feet.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087148Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:48:06 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTShe Drew a Descent: Map, Missing Fingers, Impossible Timestamp A folded down jacket with no owner, no tracks, and a hand-drawn map dated five days earlier than where it was found - the timestamp alone breaks every expected timeline. Why was a...
A folded down jacket with no owner, no tracks, and a hand-drawn map dated five days earlier than where it was found - the timestamp alone breaks every expected timeline. Why was a private route down Calder Spire sketched in plastic and sealed inside a chest pocket, and who paid a hidden price to draw it?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that led from a planned expedition to a silent decision on the mountain, following the people, the equipment, and the single map that changed how the descent was understood. How did a navigator’s failing fingers, four unused USGS maps, and a private hand-drawn route intersect to reshape four lives?

Person: Connie Sanders
Age: 53
Location: Billings, Montana
Condition: Raynaud's phenomenon, symptoms starting December 4-6
Event: Hand-drawn map dated December 9 found in jacket on December 14

- The jacket containing the map was found by timber surveyor Wayne Clark on December 14 at 11,000 feet in the Solace Range.
- The map inside the jacket was dated December 9, five days earlier than Clark's discovery.
- Connie Sanders had climbed Calder Spire previously in July 2014 and had been climbing technically for 22 years.
- The party’s four printed USGS topographic maps were found pristine and unused at high camp on December 11.
- Connie’s right-hand fine motor loss began December 5 and the left hand showed symptoms by December 6 while the team moved toward high camp at approximately 13,500 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.]]>1127falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-boot-in-the-ranch-grass-rope-cut-serac-collapsed-three-dead--73087145
A bright orange, double-shelled high-altitude mountaineering boot, size eight with its gaiter still buckled, was found alone in ranch grass eleven miles from the nearest trailhead - four days after it was last worn. Three climbers would die on the Korvan Face two days earlier after a serac collapsed and a rope was found cut; how did that intact boot end up at four thousand three hundred feet, and whose missing foot did it once cover?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the November seventeenth serac collapse on the Korvan Face through the discovery on November nineteenth, tracing the people, gear, and a photograph taken forty-three minutes before the collapse that later reached a Denver lab nine days after the event. What does the surviving camera, the severed rope, and the lone boot reveal about those final hours?

Person: Rebecca Marshall
Date: November 17, 2011
Location: Korvan Face
Event: Serac collapse at dawn
Item found: Size eight double-shelled mountaineering boot with bright orange gaiter

- Boot discovered by Judith Boyd on November 19 at 8:14 AM at 4,300 feet elevation, eleven miles from the nearest trailhead
- Expedition high camp established November 14, 2011 at 11,800 feet on a rock band
- Summit push began at 2:47 AM on November 17 with five climbers in single file; Rebecca Marshall was third
- Photograph taken by Andrew Fisk at 6:41 AM on November 17, forty-three minutes before the mountain gave way
- Andrew Fisk's point-and-shoot camera survived; Fisk did not survive the incident

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087145Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:48:03 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTThe Boot in the Ranch Grass: Rope Cut, Serac Collapsed, Three Dead A bright orange, double-shelled high-altitude mountaineering boot, size eight with its gaiter still buckled, was found alone in ranch grass eleven miles from the nearest trailhead -...
A bright orange, double-shelled high-altitude mountaineering boot, size eight with its gaiter still buckled, was found alone in ranch grass eleven miles from the nearest trailhead - four days after it was last worn. Three climbers would die on the Korvan Face two days earlier after a serac collapsed and a rope was found cut; how did that intact boot end up at four thousand three hundred feet, and whose missing foot did it once cover?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the November seventeenth serac collapse on the Korvan Face through the discovery on November nineteenth, tracing the people, gear, and a photograph taken forty-three minutes before the collapse that later reached a Denver lab nine days after the event. What does the surviving camera, the severed rope, and the lone boot reveal about those final hours?

Person: Rebecca Marshall
Date: November 17, 2011
Location: Korvan Face
Event: Serac collapse at dawn
Item found: Size eight double-shelled mountaineering boot with bright orange gaiter

- Boot discovered by Judith Boyd on November 19 at 8:14 AM at 4,300 feet elevation, eleven miles from the nearest trailhead
- Expedition high camp established November 14, 2011 at 11,800 feet on a rock band
- Summit push began at 2:47 AM on November 17 with five climbers in single file; Rebecca Marshall was third
- Photograph taken by Andrew Fisk at 6:41 AM on November 17, forty-three minutes before the mountain gave way
- Andrew Fisk's point-and-shoot camera survived; Fisk did not survive the incident

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1041falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-walked-down-holding-a-reversed-compass-callum-peak-mystery--73087144
Cold and precise: a high-camp cook was found at 10,300 feet, seated and dead, holding a functional compass whose orienting arrow had been rotated 180 degrees - and at least one other compass on the mountain showed the same deliberate reversal. Who would alter compasses on an expedition, and why did Leon Stevens descend 3,500 feet below camp in the dark to a ledge facing away from the climbing route?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline from Leon’s arrival at the Hester Creek trailhead on October 9, 2009, through the four-second radio transmission recorded at 11:58 PM on October 13, to the discovery at first light on October 14, 2009. We follow his background as a 28-year-old high-camp cook, the recovery by expedition leader Keith Cooper, and the unanswered question about the reversed compass and Leon’s handwritten note on the mountain.

Person: Leon Stevens
Date: October 14, 2009 (discovery); October 13, 2009 (radio transmission)
Location: Callum Peak, ledge at 10,300 feet; Camp Two at 13,800 feet; trailhead at Hester Creek
Event: Recovery by team led by Keith Cooper at approximately 8:15 AM
Status: Found deceased, seated upright, red high-altitude suit, compass with orienting arrow rotated 180 degrees

- Leon descended roughly 3,500 feet below Camp Two (13,800 ft to 10,300 ft).
- Three photographs were taken by Teresa Ward before she realized he was not moving.
- The baseplate compass in his right hand had a functioning needle but the orienting arrow was rotated 180 degrees.
- A four-second transmission from Camp Two was recorded at 11:58 PM on October 13 and logged as static by operator Jeff Albright.
- Teresa Ward called emergency services at 6:41 AM from the Hester Creek trailhead; the recovery team reached Leon at approximately 8:15 AM.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087144Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:48:00 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTHe Walked Down Holding a Reversed Compass: Callum Peak Mystery Cold and precise: a high-camp cook was found at 10,300 feet, seated and dead, holding a functional compass whose orienting arrow had been rotated 180 degrees - and at least one other...
Cold and precise: a high-camp cook was found at 10,300 feet, seated and dead, holding a functional compass whose orienting arrow had been rotated 180 degrees - and at least one other compass on the mountain showed the same deliberate reversal. Who would alter compasses on an expedition, and why did Leon Stevens descend 3,500 feet below camp in the dark to a ledge facing away from the climbing route?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline from Leon’s arrival at the Hester Creek trailhead on October 9, 2009, through the four-second radio transmission recorded at 11:58 PM on October 13, to the discovery at first light on October 14, 2009. We follow his background as a 28-year-old high-camp cook, the recovery by expedition leader Keith Cooper, and the unanswered question about the reversed compass and Leon’s handwritten note on the mountain.

Person: Leon Stevens
Date: October 14, 2009 (discovery); October 13, 2009 (radio transmission)
Location: Callum Peak, ledge at 10,300 feet; Camp Two at 13,800 feet; trailhead at Hester Creek
Event: Recovery by team led by Keith Cooper at approximately 8:15 AM
Status: Found deceased, seated upright, red high-altitude suit, compass with orienting arrow rotated 180 degrees

- Leon descended roughly 3,500 feet below Camp Two (13,800 ft to 10,300 ft).
- Three photographs were taken by Teresa Ward before she realized he was not moving.
- The baseplate compass in his right hand had a functioning needle but the orienting arrow was rotated 180 degrees.
- A four-second transmission from Camp Two was recorded at 11:58 PM on October 13 and logged as static by operator Jeff Albright.
- Teresa Ward called emergency services at 6:41 AM from the Hester Creek trailhead; the recovery team reached Leon at approximately 8:15 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.]]>1237falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-glove-on-the-cinder-block-how-a-hidden-fault-nearly-killed-her--73087140
A single orange Gore-Tex climbing glove was found on a cinder block 41 miles from the nearest trailhead and 5,000 feet below the nearest high-altitude route - and it belonged to a woman who had been hanging from a failing rope 24 hours earlier. What chain of tiny, ordinary errors sent a crampon spike onto a fixed line and turned routine checks into a near-fatal collapse?

In this episode, we tell how a methodical, experienced team on Halverson Peak moved through acclimatization rotations and fixed-rope work, and how a small notation and an overlooked spike set a deadly sequence in motion. How did a nine-centimeter crampon spike end up under a loaded rope and what did that mean for the climbers who crossed it?

Person: Janet Hall
Person: Keith Clark
Person: Nora Finch
Date: September 14-19, 2011
Location: Halverson Peak, Tamarack Range

- The glove was found on September 19, 2011 by a 14-year-old boy on a cinder block at the base of a flagpole.
- The glove was located 41 miles from the closest trailhead and 5,000 feet below the nearest high-altitude route.
- Halverson Peak's summit is approximately 14,200 feet and had claimed 11 lives in the 25 years since its first ascent.
- Seven rope sections connected Camp Two at 11,000 feet to the summit ridge at 13,400 feet; the fifth section was a single 40-meter run of 11-mm static line.
- A 9-centimeter steel crampon spike fell onto the fifth rope section during the windstorm on the night of September 14, partially shearing the sheath and core strands.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087140Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:47:57 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTThe Glove on the Cinder Block: How a Hidden Fault Nearly Killed Her A single orange Gore-Tex climbing glove was found on a cinder block 41 miles from the nearest trailhead and 5,000 feet below the nearest high-altitude route - and it belonged to a...
A single orange Gore-Tex climbing glove was found on a cinder block 41 miles from the nearest trailhead and 5,000 feet below the nearest high-altitude route - and it belonged to a woman who had been hanging from a failing rope 24 hours earlier. What chain of tiny, ordinary errors sent a crampon spike onto a fixed line and turned routine checks into a near-fatal collapse?

In this episode, we tell how a methodical, experienced team on Halverson Peak moved through acclimatization rotations and fixed-rope work, and how a small notation and an overlooked spike set a deadly sequence in motion. How did a nine-centimeter crampon spike end up under a loaded rope and what did that mean for the climbers who crossed it?

Person: Janet Hall
Person: Keith Clark
Person: Nora Finch
Date: September 14-19, 2011
Location: Halverson Peak, Tamarack Range

- The glove was found on September 19, 2011 by a 14-year-old boy on a cinder block at the base of a flagpole.
- The glove was located 41 miles from the closest trailhead and 5,000 feet below the nearest high-altitude route.
- Halverson Peak's summit is approximately 14,200 feet and had claimed 11 lives in the 25 years since its first ascent.
- Seven rope sections connected Camp Two at 11,000 feet to the summit ridge at 13,400 feet; the fifth section was a single 40-meter run of 11-mm static line.
- A 9-centimeter steel crampon spike fell onto the fifth rope section during the windstorm on the night of September 14, partially shearing the sheath and core strands.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1076falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-single-boot-at-four-thousand-two-hundred-how-leon-walked-home--73087139
A lone mountaineering boot, laced with its crampon bail intact, was found upright in a drainage ditch at 4,200 feet - more than a vertical mile below where Leon Bailey had last been seen at an 11,200-foot ledge. If a man’s right fibula was already fractured days earlier, how did he end up walking (or wandering) down that far with one boot gone and no vehicle in the Kalder Trailhead parking lot?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a calm pre-dawn summit push to a sudden storm and the last clear radio transmission, reconstructing what the team did and what evidence they left behind to ask: did Leon descend on one foot, or did something else happen that night?

Person: Leon Bailey
Date: August 19, 2011 (boot found at 5:47 a.m.)
Location: Sullen Creek access road, drainage ditch at 4,200 feet
Event: Summit push and shelter on August 13, 2011; storm arrival ~4:00 p.m.
Status: Right fibula fractured several days before death

- The boot was discovered by Sarah Hoffman at 5:47 a.m, on August 19, 2011.
- The boot was laced, tongue folded, and had the crampon bail still intact; no second boot was found.
- Leon and three others signed in at Kalder Trailhead on August 9, 2011 and established high camp at 11,200 feet.
- The summit push began at 2:00 a.m. on August 13; the team turned around at 13,800 feet around 9:00 a.m.
- Wind gusts at the base station hit 51 mph and temperature dropped 22 degrees in under an hour when the storm arrived around 4:00 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/73087139Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:47:54 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTThe Single Boot at Four Thousand Two Hundred: How Leon Walked Home A lone mountaineering boot, laced with its crampon bail intact, was found upright in a drainage ditch at 4,200 feet - more than a vertical mile below where Leon Bailey had last been...
A lone mountaineering boot, laced with its crampon bail intact, was found upright in a drainage ditch at 4,200 feet - more than a vertical mile below where Leon Bailey had last been seen at an 11,200-foot ledge. If a man’s right fibula was already fractured days earlier, how did he end up walking (or wandering) down that far with one boot gone and no vehicle in the Kalder Trailhead parking lot?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a calm pre-dawn summit push to a sudden storm and the last clear radio transmission, reconstructing what the team did and what evidence they left behind to ask: did Leon descend on one foot, or did something else happen that night?

Person: Leon Bailey
Date: August 19, 2011 (boot found at 5:47 a.m.)
Location: Sullen Creek access road, drainage ditch at 4,200 feet
Event: Summit push and shelter on August 13, 2011; storm arrival ~4:00 p.m.
Status: Right fibula fractured several days before death

- The boot was discovered by Sarah Hoffman at 5:47 a.m, on August 19, 2011.
- The boot was laced, tongue folded, and had the crampon bail still intact; no second boot was found.
- Leon and three others signed in at Kalder Trailhead on August 9, 2011 and established high camp at 11,200 feet.
- The summit push began at 2:00 a.m. on August 13; the team turned around at 13,800 feet around 9:00 a.m.
- Wind gusts at the base station hit 51 mph and temperature dropped 22 degrees in under an hour when the storm arrived around 4:00 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.]]>1136falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-cooked-soup-at-26-040ft-found-frozen-inside-an-orange-tent--73087137
Cold precision and a frozen pot of lentil soup: at 26,040 feet a woman sat fully clothed in her sleeping bag inside an orange tent left by another team six weeks earlier, with no permit or map listing that tent - how did Diane Thorpe, a methodical climber with four 8,000-meter summits, end up there alone and still prepared enough to be cooking? What decision led her to that impossible vestibule and why was she found as if she had settled in for the night?

In this episode, we trace Diane Thorpe’s training, the Kelvaran Peak expedition timeline, and the exact sequence of calls and movements in the last days and hours before the summit push, asking whether meticulous planning can coexist with fatal altitude variables and a tent that should not have been there.

Person: Diane Thorpe
Age: 38
Date: July 22, 2019
Location: Inside an orange tent at 26,040 feet on Kelvaran Peak
Prior summits: Four 8,000-meter peaks without supplemental oxygen

- Diane’s last phone call to neighbor Wes Ingle was at 6:42 p.m. on July 17, 2019, fourteen hours before the summit push began.
- The summit push departed Camp Four at midnight on July 18, 2019; Camp Four elevation was 24,000 feet.
- The Shoulder on the northwest buttress is at approximately 24,800 feet; the summit ridge rises above 26,000 feet.
- Kevin Peterson, age 44, called a turnaround at about 10:00 a.m, after monitoring barometric pressure trends for two hours.
- The abandoned orange tent belonged to a South Korean expedition and had been left in place for six weeks before Diane was 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/73087137Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:47:51 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTShe Cooked Soup at 26,040ft - Found Frozen Inside an Orange Tent Cold precision and a frozen pot of lentil soup: at 26,040 feet a woman sat fully clothed in her sleeping bag inside an orange tent left by another team six weeks earlier, with no...
Cold precision and a frozen pot of lentil soup: at 26,040 feet a woman sat fully clothed in her sleeping bag inside an orange tent left by another team six weeks earlier, with no permit or map listing that tent - how did Diane Thorpe, a methodical climber with four 8,000-meter summits, end up there alone and still prepared enough to be cooking? What decision led her to that impossible vestibule and why was she found as if she had settled in for the night?

In this episode, we trace Diane Thorpe’s training, the Kelvaran Peak expedition timeline, and the exact sequence of calls and movements in the last days and hours before the summit push, asking whether meticulous planning can coexist with fatal altitude variables and a tent that should not have been there.

Person: Diane Thorpe
Age: 38
Date: July 22, 2019
Location: Inside an orange tent at 26,040 feet on Kelvaran Peak
Prior summits: Four 8,000-meter peaks without supplemental oxygen

- Diane’s last phone call to neighbor Wes Ingle was at 6:42 p.m. on July 17, 2019, fourteen hours before the summit push began.
- The summit push departed Camp Four at midnight on July 18, 2019; Camp Four elevation was 24,000 feet.
- The Shoulder on the northwest buttress is at approximately 24,800 feet; the summit ridge rises above 26,000 feet.
- Kevin Peterson, age 44, called a turnaround at about 10:00 a.m, after monitoring barometric pressure trends for two hours.
- The abandoned orange tent belonged to a South Korean expedition and had been left in place for six weeks before Diane was 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.]]>1141falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-regulator-on-the-fence-post-how-six-climbers-nearly-died--73087136
A brass high-altitude oxygen regulator was found sitting on a fence post in Harwick County with an intact seal and no footprints nearby - and that same regulator had failed at 21,600 feet on a 22,400-foot mountain, forcing a split-second decision that turned a summit attempt into an arithmetic problem of survival. How did a piece of equipment travel from a dissolved company and a $43 auction lot to nearly costing six people their lives?

In this episode, you will hear the sequence of events from basecamp to summit push: who was on the team, how the regulator failed at altitude, the operational decision that followed, and the later discovery of the regulator on a stranger’s fence post - what happened between auction and post that answers the question of how this object moved through wreckage and near-disaster?

Person: Brenda Mason
Person: Chris Darrow
Person: Tim Holt
Location: Alder's Crown (22,400 ft mountain in Central Asia)
Date: June 14

- The regulator valve seized at 21,600 feet during the summit push on June 14.
- The mountain’s summit was 22,400 feet, approximately 800 feet above the failure point.
- Ridgeline Ascents had dissolved legally while the team was still on the mountain between June 4 and June 13.
- Brenda Mason was 61 years old and had carried an 11th replacement laminated card with three decision questions.
- A regulator later sold as a $43 auction lot spent three years moving through a dissolved company’s wreckage before appearing on a fence post.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087136Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:47:48 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTThe Regulator on the Fence Post: How Six Climbers Nearly Died A brass high-altitude oxygen regulator was found sitting on a fence post in Harwick County with an intact seal and no footprints nearby - and that same regulator had failed at 21,600...
A brass high-altitude oxygen regulator was found sitting on a fence post in Harwick County with an intact seal and no footprints nearby - and that same regulator had failed at 21,600 feet on a 22,400-foot mountain, forcing a split-second decision that turned a summit attempt into an arithmetic problem of survival. How did a piece of equipment travel from a dissolved company and a $43 auction lot to nearly costing six people their lives?

In this episode, you will hear the sequence of events from basecamp to summit push: who was on the team, how the regulator failed at altitude, the operational decision that followed, and the later discovery of the regulator on a stranger’s fence post - what happened between auction and post that answers the question of how this object moved through wreckage and near-disaster?

Person: Brenda Mason
Person: Chris Darrow
Person: Tim Holt
Location: Alder's Crown (22,400 ft mountain in Central Asia)
Date: June 14

- The regulator valve seized at 21,600 feet during the summit push on June 14.
- The mountain’s summit was 22,400 feet, approximately 800 feet above the failure point.
- Ridgeline Ascents had dissolved legally while the team was still on the mountain between June 4 and June 13.
- Brenda Mason was 61 years old and had carried an 11th replacement laminated card with three decision questions.
- A regulator later sold as a $43 auction lot spent three years moving through a dissolved company’s wreckage before appearing on a fence post.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1120falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-survived-he-returned-whose-axe-was-that-on-drevassen--73087134
The morning a young climber radioed up from 8,200 feet that she had "found Marcus's axe," it stopped the rescue coordinator silent for nearly three hours - and that axe later turned up in an equipment shed two weeks after the climb. A man declared dead four months earlier had his name on a laminated label clipped to a bent shaft and an orange-taped handle; someone had also replaced twenty meters of rope between fixed anchors and restocked a cache with a note sealed in a dry bag. Who went back up Drevassen alone to leave those things, and why did no one see him?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events on Drevassen Peak from the January disappearance through the May expedition and the discoveries that followed, describing the physical evidence and the people involved to ask whether the returned gear answers the central mystery.

Person: Shannon Doyle
Date: May 9, 2017
Location: Drevassen Peak northeast headwall
Person: Marcus Held
Status: Body declared missing/dead in January; gear labeled MARCUS HELD found in May

- Shannon Doyle transmitted one sentence at 9:06 AM on May 9, 2017: "I found Marcus's axe."
- The axe had orange tape on the handle, a bent shaft shaped by sustained load, a cleanly cut pick, and a carabiner with a laminated label reading MARCUS HELD.
- Someone replaced twenty meters of rope between fixed anchors three and four with a different manufacturer and color traceable to a Boise hardware supplier.
- A dry bag at the base of the headwall contained a note of three short sentences, tucked beneath a coiled fifty-meter rope in factory packaging and two ice screws.
- Beverly Jones found the axe in an equipment shed on Barrett's property on the third Tuesday of May and called the sheriff without touching it.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or 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/73087134Tue, 21 Jul 2026 14:47:45 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTShe Survived; He Returned-Whose Axe Was That on Drevassen? The morning a young climber radioed up from 8,200 feet that she had "found Marcus's axe," it stopped the rescue coordinator silent for nearly three hours - and that axe later turned up in...
The morning a young climber radioed up from 8,200 feet that she had "found Marcus's axe," it stopped the rescue coordinator silent for nearly three hours - and that axe later turned up in an equipment shed two weeks after the climb. A man declared dead four months earlier had his name on a laminated label clipped to a bent shaft and an orange-taped handle; someone had also replaced twenty meters of rope between fixed anchors and restocked a cache with a note sealed in a dry bag. Who went back up Drevassen alone to leave those things, and why did no one see him?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events on Drevassen Peak from the January disappearance through the May expedition and the discoveries that followed, describing the physical evidence and the people involved to ask whether the returned gear answers the central mystery.

Person: Shannon Doyle
Date: May 9, 2017
Location: Drevassen Peak northeast headwall
Person: Marcus Held
Status: Body declared missing/dead in January; gear labeled MARCUS HELD found in May

- Shannon Doyle transmitted one sentence at 9:06 AM on May 9, 2017: "I found Marcus's axe."
- The axe had orange tape on the handle, a bent shaft shaped by sustained load, a cleanly cut pick, and a carabiner with a laminated label reading MARCUS HELD.
- Someone replaced twenty meters of rope between fixed anchors three and four with a different manufacturer and color traceable to a Boise hardware supplier.
- A dry bag at the base of the headwall contained a note of three short sentences, tucked beneath a coiled fifty-meter rope in factory packaging and two ice screws.
- Beverly Jones found the axe in an equipment shed on Barrett's property on the third Tuesday of May and called the sheriff without touching it.

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

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1123falsefull