Podcasts by the Sharp End Podcast
A podcast produced/hosted by Ashley Saupe, and supported by the American Alpine Club aimed at minimizing future outdoor accidents by way of story telling. Real people sharing real stories.
"Play Hard and Be Smart"
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Further podcasts by Accidents in North American Climbing
Podcast on the topic Sport
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An Unplanned Bivy At 13,000 Feet (Ep. 73) from 2022-02-01T16:00:25
Mount Emerson is located in the Sierra Nevada in eastern California. It’s the 116th highest mountain in California. Christian and a friend set out to climb it and ended up spending an extremely col...
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Pulling Pieces In California - (Ep. 72) from 2022-01-01T21:12:15
Kyle Broxterman was consistently climbing strong. He was stoked on pushing himself physically and to continue to push the grades. Kyle and a couple of friends went out to a new crag on Donner Summi...
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Caught In A Storm On The Second Pitch (Ep 68) from 2021-12-23T02:42:54
In late July 2016, Ed and three other climbers in his group were caught in a sudden storm on top of 180 foot, two pitch climb called ”Waves" in the Black Hills behind Rushmore. With estimated 50 mp...
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Getting Rescued in Zion National Park (Ep. 71) from 2021-12-01T16:00:14
Aaron and Ian are a father / son climbing team. Aaron is a teacher and Ian is a student and they both had summer break off. In June of 2021, they decided to take advantage of their summer break and...
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Learning How to Multi-Pitch, Gone Wrong (Ep. 70) from 2021-11-01T15:00:04
Nick, owner of Beta, wanted to learn how to multi pitch climb. He’d been climbing in a local indoor gym on a pretty regular basis for about three years. He went out with his climbing partner and so...
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Cut Ropes In El Potrero Mexico (Ep. 69) from 2021-10-01T15:00:02
Foster and his two best friends were in the sport multi pitch climbing paradise that is El Potrero Chico in north eastern Mexico. It was their fourth visit to that climbing area and they had their ...
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Caught In A Storm On The Second Pitch (Episode 68) from 2021-09-01T15:00:45
In late July 2016, Ed and three other climbers in his group were caught in a sudden storm on top of 180 foot, two pitch climb called ”Waves" in the Black Hills behind Rushmore. With estimated 50 mp...
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Finding Her Edge On Ellingwood Ridge (Ep. 67) from 2021-08-01T14:00:04
On June 26th, 2021, Tori and a few of her friends were feeling strong and decided to climb Ellingwood Ridge on La Plata in the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness in Colorado. The weather was forecasting c...
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Broken Neck On Mt Rae (Ep. 66) from 2021-07-01T15:00:30
Four friends set off to climb Mount Rae. A 4.9 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Kananaskis Improvement in Alberta, Canada that features a beautiful forest setting and is o...
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Stormed off Mount Bierstadt, a Colorado Fourteener (Ep. 65) from 2021-06-01T15:00:23
Matt and Trevor had plenty of experience hiking 14ers in Colorado, so when Matt's Dad was in Colorado visiting they decided to take him up Mt. Bierstadt so he could check off his first 14er to cele...
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Strathcona Park Heli Rescue (Episode 64) from 2021-05-01T14:00:22
Jes Scott and Erica Ellefsen set out to travel 80km from Mt. Washington to Flower Ridge over eight days. Their goal was to climb eight of Strathcona Park’s tallest and most remote mountains. Strath...
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Epic On Mt Whitney (Ep 63) from 2021-04-01T14:30
Jean and Ken summited Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the continental US, on what they thought would be their last day of the trip. On the summit they were caught in a severe snow and lightning ...
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Institutional Near Misses (Ep. 62) from 2021-03-01T16:00:22
Near-misses are greatly under-reported in general, yet they are plentiful. What leads them to be under-reported? Joel Reid, the Washington Program Director at the Northwest Outward Bound School and...
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A CONVERSATION: February Survey Results from 2021-02-26T19:38:07
We put together a survey in early February so we could get to know our listeners better. We want to know who you are and what you think of the show. Over 400 people filled out this survey and we ga...
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Falling In A Fumarole (Ep. 61) from 2021-02-01T15:00:17
A fumarole is an opening in the earth which emits steam and gases such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen chloride, and hydrogen sulfide. The steam forms when superheated water boils as it...
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Turning The Tables (Ep. 60) from 2021-01-01T13:00:14
After five consecutive years of producing the Sharp End Podcast, Steve Smith at Experiential Consulting turns the tables on podcast creator Ashley Saupe and interviews her! Listen as Ashley and Ste...
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A 200-Foot Tumble on Longs Peak from 2020-12-01T19:42:45
On the morning of September 5, Annie Weinmann and her climbing partner started up the North Chimney, a broad 500-foot slot that leads climbers to the Diamond, Colorado's premier alpine wall. Annie ...
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Crevasse Fall in the Tetons! from 2020-11-01T16:07:17
Tyler Willis and a friend were descending from a successful ascent of Mt. Owen in Grand Teton National Park. It was late in the day when they reached the Teton Glacier, which they had crossed witho...
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The Flawed Knot from 2020-10-01T13:42:20
Brian Vines was a high school senior and a budding climber in the 1990s when he and some friends went to Sand Rock, Alabama, for a day of top-roping. On their last climb, a simple mistake led to a ...
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A Long, Long Fall in the Colorado Mountains from 2020-09-01T12:00:37
Scott Reed and a friend trekked more than five miles into the mountains west of Denver to attempt a long, moderate ice climb during the short days of late December. At an elevation around 12,000 fe...
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Buried Alive in a Crevasse from 2020-08-01T15:44
Summit day on Mt. Rainier had just begun. Less than an hour out of high camp, carefully leading her team up a well-trodden boot track, Rita Hansen suddenly plunged into a crevasse. After falling mo...
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A Tribute To Fiona from 2020-07-01T12:00:31
Four friends from all over the United States met in eastern Utah in February 2020 to go canyoneering. They were all experienced canyoneers and had done trips together before. As they exited Angel C...
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The Sleeper Wave from 2020-06-01T13:00:34
Three friends set out for a popular waterfall hike on the north shore of Kauai in late December. A high-surf warning had been issued, but the hikers didn't expect their route to take them close to ...
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COVID, Climbing and Rescue: Advice from Ranger Dave Weber from 2020-05-01T18:59:06
Denali mountaineering ranger and flight nurse Dave Weber returns to the Sharp End to talk COVID-19 and the issues related to outdoor recreation, first response to accidents, and staying sane during...
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Blown Away in California's White Mountains from 2020-04-01T12:37:18
Hari Mix, a very experienced mountaineer, had planned a rare and difficult winter-season traverse of the White Mountains, the high, remote range separating California from Nevada. He had studied th...
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Trouble in the Belaytionship from 2020-03-01T14:57:36
Climbing is a big part of Meg Atteberry and John Luebbers' life together. John even proposed to Meg partway up a climb. So, what happened when the Colorado couple experienced a climbing accident to...
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Life and Death with Charlie Sassara and Jack Tackle (Ep. 49: LIVE!) from 2020-02-01T12:00:10
In this special live-audience recording of the Sharp End, Alaska climbing legend Charlie Sassara recalls an epic survival story and rescue from 2002. Sassara's climbing partner, Jack Tackle, was cl...
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Disaster in Lytle Creek Canyon from 2020-01-01T15:50:28
On May 27, 2019, three experienced canyoneers—Becca, Eileen, and Justin—were descending the Middle Fork of Lytle Creek in California's San Bernadino Mountains. As the group completed the third rapp...
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Deadly Gas: Close Calls with Carbon Monoxide from 2019-12-01T16:08:44
Carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless, and poisonous gas, can build up to dangerous levels inside a tent during or after cooking with a stove. Sharp End hostess Ashley Saupe had a personal scare ...
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Pitching In: Group Rescue on Hallett Peak from 2019-11-01T15:05:30
Margie Root and her husband were attempting the classic Culp-Bossier Route up the steep north face of Colorado's Hallett Peak. When Margie broke a hold on the run-out fifth pitch, she fell at least...
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One False Step and a Year of Recovery from 2019-10-01T16:00:04
Sherrie Trecker and a friend had just finished climbing a classic route on Cutthroat Peak in the North Cascades. It was a gorgeous day, and the descent started smoothly. But when they reached the s...
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40 Hours Alone from 2019-09-01T20:36:40
Dr. Leslie Drapiza had carefully planned a winter hike of Oregon's Mt. Defiance on Superbowl Sunday, expecting the 12-mile round trip to go as smoothly as her previous training climbs. But when she...
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A Rough Intro to Aid Climbing from 2019-08-01T15:17:20
Andrew Smith from Texas dreamed of climbing big walls in Yosemite Valley. He had learned to climb traditional routes with an experienced mentor and had practiced aid climbing in a specially equippe...
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Painful Lessons on the Nose of El Capitan from 2019-07-01T12:03:04
In 2012, Mike Drake was still a young climber, but he and his partner were well prepared for the Nose of El Cap and felt ready to take the next step in their climbing. They made it more than 20 pit...
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A Montana Mishap (Why More Leaders Should Wear Helmets) from 2019-06-01T13:45:12
Casey Brown and a friend were trying a seldom-climbed route at a limestone crag in western Montana. A huge block pulled loose. He tumbled toward the ground. Somewhere along the way, his helmet shat...
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Malcolm Daly's Legendary Alaska Epic from 2019-05-01T12:59:35
Twenty years ago this month, Malcolm Daly and Jim Donini attempted a new route on Thunder Mountain in the Alaska Range. After Daly fell near the top of the climb, the ensuing rescue was one of the ...
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Whipper in the Red (Ep. 39) from 2019-04-01T18:11:33
Stephen Leimgruber and his wife were wrapping up a day at Fortress Wall in Kentucky's Red River Gorge. He wanted to do just one more climb. Some warning lights were flashing: They were tired, it wa...
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Avalanche in Colorado (Ep 38) from 2019-03-01T15:00:43
Mike Zawaski and a friend were ski touring in the popular Jones Creek area of Colorado in mid-December. Mike started their descent first and stopped in what he thought would be a safe point, but a ...
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When and How to Call for Help! (Ep. 37) from 2019-02-01T20:54:09
Denali mountaineering ranger and flight medic Dave Weber returns to the Sharp End to discuss the ins and outs of calling for a rescue: when to do it (and when not to), how to make the call and what...
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Hypothermia! (Ep. 36) from 2019-01-01T14:10:47
Ice climbing in Michigan's Upper Peninsula can be seriously cold. In this episode, Ashley speaks with Jason Eicholtx about a midwinter adventure in the UP that went dangerously wrong as an ice clim...
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The Aftermath (Ep. 35) from 2018-12-01T13:00:34
Starr Jamison suffered the agony of watching a good friend die in an avalanche in Colorado. He was one of three friends she lost to avalanches in a single year. In this episode, Starr describes the...
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Psychological First Aid (Ep. 34) from 2018-11-01T14:01:02
When climbers, skiers, and other backcountry adventurers have an accident, they often aren't the only ones to suffer an injury. Partners, rescuers, and witnesses at the crag can feel the affects of...
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Two Broken Bolts (Ep. 33) from 2018-10-01T14:51:09
Brad Carter had started up a very difficult climb at Index Town Wall in Washington state. In the first 50 or 60 feet, this route has three widely spaced bolts for protection. When Carter decided to...
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Splashdown in Clear Creek (Ep. 32) from 2018-09-01T11:36:37
Patrick Stefanik and a friend headed to Clear Creek Canyon, Colorado, on a beautiful Saturday in April. Crowds at the busy Creekside area forced them to change their plans, and Patrick started up a...
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Falling Off Liberty Ridge (Ep. 31) from 2018-08-01T13:57:11
Kris Nova and a friend were attempting Mt. Rainier's remote and difficult Liberty Ridge when a boulder pulled loose and sent her on a tumbling fall, badly injuring one hand. In this episode, Kris d...
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Hans Florine's Accident on the Nose (Ep. 30) from 2018-07-01T13:00:33
Hans Florine was attempting his 110th ascent of the Nose of El Capitan in Yosemite Valley. He and a partner were doing the Nose in a Day (an elite climb), but were not attempting any speed records....
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Broken Back on Half Dome (Ep. 29) from 2018-06-01T14:55:40
It was October 2017, and Alex Doria and Jonathan Wachtel were starting up a dream climb: the Regular Northwest Face of Half Dome, high over Yosemite Valley. Alex was in the lead on the third pitch,...
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Ground Fall at Calico Basin (Ep. 28) from 2018-05-01T15:13:01
Greg Smith was 10 feet above his last piece of protection on a moderate climb in Calico Basin, outside Las Vegas, when he fell unexpectedly. His only piece pulled out and he hit the ground. At leas...
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The Rushed Rappel (Ep. 27) from 2018-04-01T15:41:39
Ryan Bowie, 34, was ice climbing with a friend in the remote backcountry near their home in Tumbler Ridge, British Columbia. When Ryan set up a rappel from the top of a vertical ice wall, the highl...
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Live with Quinn Brett (Ep. 26) from 2018-03-01T15:31:36
In October 2017, well-known climber Quinn Brett fell over 100 feet while attempting a speed ascent of the Nose of El Capitan. She now lives with paralysis. For this very special episode of the Shar...
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The Deadly Hole On Aasgard Pass (Ep. 25) from 2018-02-01T15:45:47
Steve Smith was glissading down from Aasgard Pass, gateway to the Enchantments in Washington State, when he plunged into a deep hole caused by a waterfall of melting snow. This was a dangerous mist...
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Ground Fall in Eldorado Canyon (Ep. 24) from 2018-01-01T15:59:11
Japhy Dhungana, a Nepal-born, Colorado-based climbing guide, aspired to lead Evictor, a notorious 5.12 climb at the Rincon Wall in Eldorado Canyon. After rehearsing the route on top-rope and practi...
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Avalanche! (Ep. 23) from 2017-12-01T15:01:47
Tyler Smoker and friends were out for an early season tour near Hatcher Pass, Alaska, in November. He let down his guard for a moment and took a terrifying ride. Ashley and Tyler use their deep kno...
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The Three Essentials: Lessons from a Mountain Ranger (Ep. 22) from 2017-11-01T16:33:03
Flight medic and Denali mountaineering ranger Dave Weber returns to the Sharp End to discuss the common themes he's heard in the first 20 episodes of this podcast. As he tells Ashley, there are thr...
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Upside Down on Hummingbird Spire (Ep. 21) from 2017-10-01T13:22:23
Craig Gorder, 28, and Kelsey Brasseur were attempting to climb all seven towers of the Bridger Jack formation in Utah in a single day. In midafternoon, as Craig started up the second pitch of Hummi...
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140-foot Fall in Eldorado Canyon (Ep. 20) from 2017-09-01T00:00
Bill Wright and Tom Karpeichik were attempting a bold challenge in Colorado's Eldorado Canyon: Climb 100 guidebook pitches in a single day. To cover all that ground, they planned to simul-climb mos...
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Grand Traverse Gone Bad (Ep. 19) from 2017-08-01T15:47:50
Ashley speaks with fellow Outward Bound instructors Matt Olsen and Ty Guarino, who survived a serious rappelling and rockfall accident during an attempt on the famous Grand Traverse of the Tetons. ...
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Epic in Yosemite National Park (Ep. 18) from 2017-07-01T12:41:44
By late April, Marcus Mazzaferri had already hiked nearly 1,000 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail. He was just about to stop for the day near Tuolumne Meadows, high in Yosemite National Park, when h...
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The Survivor (Ep. 17) from 2017-06-01T18:36:16
In this special episode of the Sharp End, Ashley speaks with Ryan Montoya, a 23-year-old student who had the strength, skill, and fortitude to survive a terrible mountaineering accident on March 15...
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The Red Gully (Ep. 16) from 2017-05-01T13:49:45
Experienced mountaineers Jennifer Staufer and Adam Vonnahme were descending 14,294-foot Crestone Peak in Colorado when Jen slipped on an unexpected patch of ice and careened about 150 feet down the...
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Water in the Hole! (Ep. 15) from 2017-03-31T15:30:29
Skander Spies, a volunteer with Denali National Park's climbing rangers, had just headed out on patrol on the Kahiltna Glacier. Although they didn't know it yet, the rangers would record eleven sep...
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A Rescuer Needs a Rescue (Ep. 14) from 2017-02-28T14:27:39
In this story from the mountains near Steamboat Springs, Colorado, a nighttime search for two lost skiers takes a dramatic turn when one of the rescuers is caught in an avalanche. Amazingly, the te...
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Two Screws, Two Ankles (Ep. 13) from 2017-02-02T15:06:31
Raf Andronowski is a highly skilled ice climber, photographer, and gear reviewer (http://thealpinestart.com) who lives in the Canadian Rockies. But even the most experienced climbers may have a lap...
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Shock in Joshua Tree (Ep. 12) from 2017-01-01T15:38:19
On November 12, David had just finished a two-pitch climb outside of Joshua Tree National Park in California. From the top, he lowered his partner to a big ledge so she could walk off. He then deci...
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A Snake Dike Tragedy (Ep. 11) from 2016-12-01T15:24:59
Around sunset on November 7, 2015, Angela Uys (26) was at an anchor partway up Snake Dike on Half Dome, preparing to rappel. Her tether system was not effectively clipped to the anchor, and when sh...
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The 69th Summit (Ep. 10) from 2016-11-01T14:11:40
Climber and backcountry skier Steven Lozano summited Mount St. Helens with a friend on a beautiful April day. When two climbers joined them on top, one of them, who was making his 69th ascent of th...
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Ego Dangers (Ep. 9) from 2016-10-01T13:46:39
Felipe Proaño, a North Face sponsored climber and native of Ecuador, took a long fall off Black Elk, a classic 5.11 climb in Wyoming's Wind River Range, and nearly left a finger behind. Felipe tell...
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Falling Way Too Far (Ep. 8) from 2016-09-01T18:01:37
Alina and Ben were climbing the Braille Book in Yosemite Valley. When Alina slipped while leading the third pitch, she fell much, much further than expected and suffered a serious spinal injury. In...
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Hanging By A Thread (Ep. 7) from 2016-08-01T15:48:43
Three experienced climbers were enjoying a warm winter outing in Utah's Little Cottonwood Canyon when rockfall destroyed their belay anchor. Ashley talks with climbing guide Carl Dec about what hap...
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Caught In a Bad Place (Ep. 6) from 2016-07-04T20:51:15
Nick Thurston and his climbing partner were surprised by a severe thunderstorm high on California's Bear Creek Spire. In this episode, Nick describes the lightning bolt that struck his partner and ...
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Bomber Anchors or Ticking Time Bombs? (Ep. 5) from 2016-06-05T22:23:34
We think of bolts as offering bomproof anchors and protection. But many of the bolts used by climbers today were placed at least 20 to 30 years ago, and they were never designed to be used by climb...
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Denali Ranger Dave Weber: A Day in the Life (Ep. 4) from 2016-05-11T14:23:01
Mountaineering ranger Dave Weber describes a sobering incident in the Ruth Gorge of Alaska. Plus, Dave and Ashley discuss the realities of rescue missions and his thoughts on avoiding accidents in ...
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Rescue in the Palisades (Ep. 3) from 2016-04-06T18:38:06
Eric Hengesbaugh had planned an expedition into the Palisades section of the High Sierra, with support from an AAC Live Your Dream grant. But a fall during his very first climb left him with a brok...
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A Rope Too Short (Ep. 2) from 2016-03-03T13:18:56
Blake Bowling aimed to redpoint 1,500 routes in Kentucky's Red River Gorge. The Madness, a 5.13 route at the Motherlode, would be number 1,499. When a friend came by his camper van and asked if Bla...
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The View from a Crevasse (Ep. 1) from 2016-01-28T21:08:26
Ashley interviews Seth Adams, who fell into a crevasse in Alaska's Hayes Range last spring. Hear Seth describe this scary incident and what he learned about traveling Alaskan glaciers.
Her...