Colorado 14er Disasters: Victims of the Game »

Fourteener mania, the phenomena characterized by a seemingly obsessive drive to summit The List of all fifty-four of Colorado's 14,000-foot peaks, is an older tradition than many may realize. Along with intensely positive experiences in climbing is the possibility of the opposite extreme—to become stranded, severely injured, or even killed, in disturbingly easy ways. This book explores this dark side of climbing. When an accident happens on a 14er, the victim is far from help and in an environment where rescue is difficult at best. The book is full of hair-raising stories of these disasters and resue attempts and also aids in avoiding such disasters.

Foreword ix

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction 1

Part 1 Flirting with Disaster 13

Part 2 Course to Catastrophe 73

Part 3 Wrong Way 137

Lessons Learned Managing the Game 183

Appendices

A Preventing Disaster, by the Colorado Mountain Club 187

B Managing Disaster, by the Alpine Rescue Team 194

C Backcountry Communication and Navigation Equipment 198

Glossary 204