Episodi

  • Boot Prints to the Edge: Why Everyone Believed She'd Fallen

    Boot Prints to the Edge: Why Everyone Believed She'd Fallen
    Aug 25 2026
    Boot Prints to the Edge: Why Everyone Believed She'd Fallen

    A bent crampon pulled from a willow thicket and a radio transmission at 3:47 AM convinced rescuers they were searching for a fall from an eleven-thousand-foot ridge - but the woman was already home. What did four pairs of boots, a tent left like its owner had only stepped away, and a fresh piece of aluminum make nearly everyone believe - and why does the evidence point another way?

    In this episode, we lay out the timeline from the electrolyte purchase on August 6 through the transmission on August 11 and the discovery of the crampon on August 14, showing the scenes, people, and gear involved. How did a seasoned nine-year climber, meticulous and organized, produce clues that led rescue teams to one conclusion while the truth lay elsewhere?

    Person: Nancy Whitley
    Date: August 6-14, 2019
    Location: Warden's Ledge / Crestfall massif / Hardale
    Status: Found at home (not on ridge)
    Case: Crestfall ridge transmission and missing-person search

    - Nancy Whitley was 31 years old and had been climbing for nine years.
    - A dog named Patch retrieved a bent, fresh-looking crampon from a willow thicket four miles from technical terrain on August 14.
    - Nancy's storage unit contained 47 pieces of climbing equipment and four pairs of boots.
    - A partial radio transmission was received at approximately 3:47 AM on August 11 from a repeater at about 10,800 feet mentioning slipping at the third pitch.
    - On August 10-11 a convective cell dropped roughly 2 inches of rain on the upper massif in four hours.

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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.
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    20 min
  • The Tent That Should Have Kept Them Alive - Why It Failed

    The Tent That Should Have Kept Them Alive - Why It Failed
    Aug 24 2026
    The Tent That Should Have Kept Them Alive - Why It Failed

    Cold, high, and routine choices turned lethal: a soaked tent that should have sheltered four climbers, a dry red sack in a Montana creek containing GPS coordinates to a shredded campsite at 21,200 ft, and one overlooked decision made weeks before departure-what single choice set this chain of failures in motion?

    In this episode, we tell the sequence of events connecting a Gallatin Fork tributary find to the Crestwall Sentinel expedition of 2011 and describe the people, weather window, and technical route that framed their climb-could one mundane omission explain why a tent didn’t save them?

    Person: Cheryl Armstrong
    Location: Crestwall Sentinel, Mahalangur sub-range
    Date: July 3-14, 2011
    Event: Summit push and descent from 23,000 feet
    Status: Tent shredded at 21,200 feet

    - A red stuff sack containing a dry sheet of paper with GPS coordinates and the name "Cheryl Armstrong" was pulled from a Gallatin Fork tributary on July 14, 2011.
    - The shredded campsite was found at 21,200 feet twelve days earlier, linked by the coordinates to the sack.
    - The team left Camp One to push the summit on the night of July 2 with a forecasted 36-hour weather window that closed about 8 hours earlier than expected.
    - At 07:00 on July 3, all four climbers stood at 23,000 feet; 15 minutes later James Okafor diagnosed precise frostbite to his right foot and the team began descent.
    - The planned route included a 200-meter "chicken-head traverse" of fractured limestone on the southwest ridge; the peak had only four recorded successful ascents.

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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.
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    20 min
  • The Regulator on the Ridge: Why Ronald Climbed to 14,000ft Alone

    The Regulator on the Ridge: Why Ronald Climbed to 14,000ft Alone
    Aug 23 2026
    The Regulator on the Ridge: Why Ronald Climbed to 14,000ft Alone

    A discarded oxygen regulator was found at 14,212 feet - its serial number traced to Ronald Jenkins, last seen nearly 2,000 feet below. Something carried that regulator uphill, and six weeks of reconstruction revealed actions at roughly 14,000 feet that investigators could explain but could not fully name: why did Ronald climb alone with an unused oxygen set at his hip?

    In this episode, we follow the June 2021 Calden Expedition Trust trip up Harrow Spire's southwest face and the decisions that unfolded between 13,000 and 14,200 feet; we describe the equipment failure, the team choices, and the reconstruction that located Ronald and his regulator - but what pushed him to keep going?

    Person: Ronald Jenkins
    Age: 23
    Location: Harrow Spire, Calden Expedition
    Date: June 10, 2021
    Event: Regulator found at 14,212 feet

    - Regulator discovered by Gloria Wilson during a property-line correction at 14,212 feet.
    - Ronald Jenkins last seen nearly 2,000 feet below where the regulator was found.
    - Upper Camp established at 13,000 feet on June 8; failure occurred at ~2:00 a.m, on June 10.
    - Philip Grady's regulator developed a hairline crack causing total valve seal failure in the cold.
    - At ~14,000 feet the oxygen unit delivered approximately 55% of its rated flow when opened.

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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.
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    18 min
  • The Crampon in the Ditch: How Kalder Peak Broke a Body and a Trust

    The Crampon in the Ditch: How Kalder Peak Broke a Body and a Trust
    Aug 22 2026
    The Crampon in the Ditch: How Kalder Peak Broke a Body and a Trust

    A single crampon-twelve steel points, aluminum frame, nylon straps still fastened-was found in a roadside ditch forty-one miles from Kalder Peak with a fragment of blue glacial ice sealed to its plate; two days earlier the woman wearing it lay alone on a snowfield with a shattered femur, fractured wrist, two broken ribs and a severe concussion. What happened between the summit at 14,882 feet and that highway shoulder that made such an impossible detail make perfect, terrible sense?

    In this episode, we follow the timeline from a 4:30 a.m. wake-up on May 7 to a lone crampon found at 6:40 a.m. on May 9, tracing decisions, the weather, and the rope log that falls silent for five and a half hours; how did a methodical guide with 23 prior summits and a prepared climber end up with one of them unable to walk the same way again?

    Person: Lori Vaughn
    Person: Laura Perry
    Person: Person: Rex Dunbar
    Person: Person: Tessa Wold
    Date: May 7-9

    - Crampon found at 6:40 a.m. on May 9 by truck driver Wade Stewart on Highway Nine near the Pelton Creek bridge.
    - Kalder Peak summit recorded at 1:14 p.m. with “Summit, all four, 14,882 feet, winds calm.”
    - Distance from roadside ditch to nearest trailhead for Kalder Peak: 41 miles.
    - Lori Vaughn’s injuries after ~40 hours alone: shattered femur, fractured wrist, two broken ribs, and a severe concussion.
    - Guide Laura Perry’s experience: founder of Salloway Summit Services with 23 prior summits on Kalder via the North Couloir.

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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.
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    19 min
  • Boot on the Ledge: Why a Guide Never Came Down from Crillon

    Boot on the Ledge: Why a Guide Never Came Down from Crillon
    Aug 21 2026
    Boot on the Ledge: Why a Guide Never Came Down from Crillon

    The sight of a single orange-and-black mountaineering boot, crampon still locked and bail wires intact, upright on an 8,200-foot ledge turned a routine kestrel watch into a chilling clue - and the mountain’s own record would make the rest plain. How did a thirty-four-year-old guide disappear while his boot stayed perfectly planted on bare granite, and why did a sixty-two-year-old climber climb back into a storm knowing he would not return?

    In this episode, we tell the sequence of events recorded in route plans, check-ins, and logbook entries that led up to the accident on Crillon Peak and the eight-day wait before recovery teams reached the site. We trace the pair’s preparations, the exact timeline of calls and summit times, and the moment the boot was found to ask: what did the mountain enforce that human plans could not?

    Person: Kevin Spaar
    Person: Mark Fisher
    Person: Amy York
    Date: April 8-14, 2019
    Location: Crillon Peak northwest route, Kettrel Range

    - A retired postal worker, Troy Fleming, spotted the boot through a spotting scope at 7:20 AM on April 14, 2019.
    - The boot was upright on a narrow granite ledge at 8,200 feet with crampon points pressed into bare rock.
    - Kevin Spaar was a 34-year-old professional guide who had summited Crillon twice via the eastern approach.
    - Mark Fisher was 62, kept a laminated logbook and had never missed a SAR check-in on four prior expeditions.
    - Amy York’s protocol triggered a rescue after two consecutive missed check-ins; the pair’s route plan was filed on April 6 and they left the trailhead at 5:15 AM on April 8.

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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.
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    18 min
  • Glove in Frost: The Mountain That Almost Kept Her

    Glove in Frost: The Mountain That Almost Kept Her
    Aug 20 2026
    Glove in Frost: The Mountain That Almost Kept Her

    A single right-hand glove, upright on a kiosk and sealed in an unbroken sheet of frost, was the first visible sign that something went terribly wrong on Dunmore's Tooth - a peak at 11,400 feet where a climber fell 32 feet into a glacial crevasse. How did a glove get placed before the freeze, and what did the mountain almost keep from being found?

    In this episode, we follow the five-person rope team on March 13, 2019, and trace the hours before and after the fall, the protocols they used, and the minutes Heather Cox spent inside the crevasse counting her breaths - could their systems and experience be enough against a changing mountain?

    Person: Heather Cox
    Date: March 13, 2019
    Location: Dunmore's Tooth, approach from Dunmore Road trailhead
    Elevation: 11,400 feet above sea level
    Fall distance: 32 feet

    - The glove found at 4:00 AM on March 14, 2019, had "H. COX" written on the wrist in black marker.
    - The kiosk glove was dry and surrounded by a single unbroken sheet of frost, indicating it was placed before freezing began.
    - The team left high camp at 5:40 AM on March 13, 2019, ninety minutes ahead of schedule.
    - The final headwall includes 340 feet requiring fixed rope anchored directly into the face.
    - Heather Cox was 26 years old with six years of climbing experience and was listed on a notebook of intended climbs including Dunmore's Tooth.

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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.
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    20 min
  • Two Gloves, No Tracks: The Choice on Mount Eska's Notch

    Two Gloves, No Tracks: The Choice on Mount Eska's Notch
    Aug 19 2026
    Two Gloves, No Tracks: The Choice on Mount Eska's Notch

    A single black glove stood upright in the middle of Forest Service Road 7-Echo, then a second appeared forty minutes later on a kiosk roof-two gloves, no tracks, a locked gate, and a radio that went silent at 11:58 AM four hundred feet below Mount Eska’s summit. What did those gloves signal about the decision made on the northeast ridge where winter ascents had succeeded only once?

    In this episode, we follow the timeline from the locked gate and unbroken scraped snow to the radio silence and a slab release on the Eska Notch, tracing the nine hours after contact was lost and the choice one climber made with a partner who could not walk. How did training, equipment, and a laminated turnaround card shape what happened next?

    Person: Kimberly Hughes
    Person: Scott Waverly
    Person: Dennis Coleman
    Location: Mount Eska northeast ridge, Dunmore Range, Nevada
    Event: slab release at 11:58 AM

    - One black glove was found standing upright in the center of Forest Service Road 7-Echo on the morning of February 19.
    - A second glove was found 40 minutes later on the roof of the trailhead kiosk, placed on the ridge line as if to dry.
    - The gate at the bottom of Forest Service Road 7-Echo had been locked for days before the gloves were found.
    - The radio went silent at 11:58 AM while the team was approximately 400 feet below Mount Eska’s summit.
    - Mount Eska’s northeast ridge had been completed in winter exactly once in recorded history (February 1993).

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

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    18 min
  • The Anchor That Walked: How Eleven Survived Grenden Peak's Betrayal

    The Anchor That Walked: How Eleven Survived Grenden Peak's Betrayal
    Aug 18 2026
    The Anchor That Walked: How Eleven Survived Grenden Peak's Betrayal

    A pristine aluminum mountaineering anchor turned up nine miles from the nearest cliff, at 4,100 feet elevation - carried from a 14,112-foot peak after a January storm split an eleven-person team in eight minutes. Who carried that anchor down, why it was re-used and re-struck, and what that one decision saved - or nearly cost - the party?

    In this episode, we follow the timeline from departure on January 4 to the summit push and sudden storm on January 11, tracking the people, gear, and split-second choices that scattered the team and began a three-month reconstruction. How did a non-guide climber become the pivot between disaster and survival?

    Date: January 11, 2011
    Location: Grenden Peak, Brennan Range, Montana
    Elevation found: 4,100 feet
    Peak elevation: 14,112 feet
    Team size: 11 people

    - Departure date for the expedition: January 4
    - Reached High Advance Camp at 11,800 feet on January 9 (five days in)
    - Summit push started at 2:00 AM on January 11; descent called at 5:28 AM
    - Storm fragmented the team across the ridge within eight minutes after the first gust
    - Anchor found on January 19: two aluminum snow pickets in Y-formation bound by 7-mm cord with a red locking gate carabiner

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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.
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    19 min