Stormed off Mount Bierstadt - The Sharp End Podcast

Threads related to Colorado mountaineering accidents but please keep it civil and respectful. Friends and relatives of fallen climbers will be reading these posts.
Forum rules
Please be respectful when posting - family and friends of fallen climbers might be reading this forum.
Post Reply
User avatar
justiner
Posts: 4389
Joined: 8/28/2010
14ers: 58  8 
13ers: 138
Trip Reports (39)
 
Contact:

Stormed off Mount Bierstadt - The Sharp End Podcast

Post by justiner »

Thought this was an interesting episode:

https://www.thesharpendpodcast.com/episode-65

Seemed to be a lot of unprepared people up there,
User avatar
cottonmountaineering
Posts: 849
Joined: 5/11/2018
14ers: 58  7  18 
13ers: 178 38 31
Trip Reports (1)
 

Re: Stormed off Mount Bierstadt - The Sharp End Podcast

Post by cottonmountaineering »

its going to take longer to listen to this podcast than summit mt bierstadt :-D
User avatar
Been_Jammin
Posts: 153
Joined: 2/5/2019
14ers: 58  1  1 
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Stormed off Mount Bierstadt - The Sharp End Podcast

Post by Been_Jammin »

https://www.14ers.com/php14ers/triprepo ... trip=21023

There was a trip report posted on this incident a few weeks back.
User avatar
cottonmountaineering
Posts: 849
Joined: 5/11/2018
14ers: 58  7  18 
13ers: 178 38 31
Trip Reports (1)
 

Re: Stormed off Mount Bierstadt - The Sharp End Podcast

Post by cottonmountaineering »

guy: summit at 1pm
mountains: regular afternoon thunderstorm
guy:
external-content.duckduckgo.com.png
external-content.duckduckgo.com.png (169.8 KiB) Viewed 6514 times
User avatar
Been_Jammin
Posts: 153
Joined: 2/5/2019
14ers: 58  1  1 
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Stormed off Mount Bierstadt - The Sharp End Podcast

Post by Been_Jammin »

LOL
User avatar
Jorts
Posts: 1111
Joined: 4/12/2013
14ers: 58  4  2 
13ers: 102 11 5
Trip Reports (10)
 

Re: Stormed off Mount Bierstadt - The Sharp End Podcast

Post by Jorts »

cottonmountaineering wrote: Wed Jun 02, 2021 4:05 pm its going to take longer to listen to this podcast than summit mt bierstadt :-D
:lol:

I listened to that episode yesterday. The incident seemed a little bit sensationalized. They made it sound like they were getting off of Denali in a freak unforeseeable hurricane with electricity and snow. After listening to it I thought maybe I should submit an episode about when I had to rappel 5 pitches of Mt Royal in a morning thunderstorm. But I didn't freak out or think I was going to die so it probably wouldn't make for a compelling episode even though it was probably a more dangerous situation than what they dealt with.
Traveling light is the only way to fly.
IG: @colorado_invasive
Strava: Brent Herring
User avatar
headsizeburrito
Posts: 176
Joined: 8/22/2020
14ers: 29  18 
13ers: 89 4
Trip Reports (8)
 

Re: Stormed off Mount Bierstadt - The Sharp End Podcast

Post by headsizeburrito »

I was listening to this while running on a minor peak when a thunderstorm started up. Figured I shouldn't tempt fate and finished my workout inside. :lol:

Maybe it's a little sensationalized, I'm a noob here so I'm not going to criticize them over it. I will give them credit for helping the other less prepared hikers, that was definitely a good move that should be acknowledged.
User avatar
climbingyogi
Posts: 40
Joined: 1/25/2020
14ers: 44  2 
13ers: 20
Trip Reports (0)
 
Contact:

Re: Stormed off Mount Bierstadt - The Sharp End Podcast

Post by climbingyogi »

I actually enjoyed this episode, as I have every episode on The Sharp End. The podcast provides valuable lessons for inexperienced and 'experienced' outdoor adventurers alike. Yes, it seems like a 'noob' mistake to summit that late, but if you actually listen to the episode, both men explained their thought process behind the day's events.

Damn, cottonmountaineering can summit Mt. Bierstadt in less than 53 minutes?! That's pretty damn impressive!
User avatar
Wildernessjane
Posts: 556
Joined: 7/15/2012
14ers: 58  13  46 
13ers: 256 23 19
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Stormed off Mount Bierstadt - The Sharp End Podcast

Post by Wildernessjane »

Jorts wrote: Wed Jun 02, 2021 5:33 pm
cottonmountaineering wrote: Wed Jun 02, 2021 4:05 pm its going to take longer to listen to this podcast than summit mt bierstadt :-D
:lol:

I listened to that episode yesterday. The incident seemed a little bit sensationalized. They made it sound like they were getting off of Denali in a freak unforeseeable hurricane with electricity and snow. After listening to it I thought maybe I should submit an episode about when I had to rappel 5 pitches of Mt Royal in a morning thunderstorm. But I didn't freak out or think I was going to die so it probably wouldn't make for a compelling episode even though it was probably a more dangerous situation than what they dealt with.
I think that the biggest lesson here is how much trouble people can get into on a benign peak. Let’s not forget this event: https://www.outsideonline.com/1995006/1 ... ing-strike. With this in mind, I wouldn’t call the podcast sensationalized at all. A lot of novice hikers go into this sort of thing with the mindset that rescue is at the push of a button, regardless of conditions, and don’t understand how quickly weather and conditions can turn. I’ve had people ask me on a summit what time the weather is scheduled to come in. Also, I don’t think these guys “freaked out” but rather were instrumental in helping these novice, unprepared out-of-state hikers out of a bad situation. With the audience this podcast reaches, hopefully out-of-state would-be 14er enthusiasts will be a bit more cautious.
“Climb mountains not so the world can see you, but so you can see the world.” -David McCullough?
User avatar
polar
Posts: 1256
Joined: 8/12/2013
14ers: 2 
Trip Reports (1)
 

Re: Stormed off Mount Bierstadt - The Sharp End Podcast

Post by polar »

I like the Sharp End, but I had a lot of trouble listening to this episode. I eventually hit "mark as played" about 2/3 through, after they justified hitting the SOS on their InReach.
"Getting to the bottom, OPTIONAL. Getting to the top, MANDATORY!" - The Wisest Trail Sign
User avatar
Jorts
Posts: 1111
Joined: 4/12/2013
14ers: 58  4  2 
13ers: 102 11 5
Trip Reports (10)
 

Re: Stormed off Mount Bierstadt - The Sharp End Podcast

Post by Jorts »

It's true that inexperience and lack of preparedness can lead to dangerous situations. During the podcast, one of the guys notes that another party said they'd be fine and to just go on, but the rear gunner held his ground and said no, WE ALL GO. That sounded to me like someone playing the hero when maybe a hero wasn't completely necessary.

I've been in situations where one party thinks conditions are deadly, they are mortally wounded and they need a FFL heli NOW or they'll die... and where another party that previously encountered the party says, something to the effect of, "I'm pretty sure they bloodied their hands and knees in a trip on scree and decided they were too tired and the terrain too challenging to walk out as a result." Not implying that this is always the case. The opposite happens too, where someone thinks they're fine but they have severe injuries with the pain masked by adrenaline.

So I guess the part that seemed sensationalized to me was how they recounted it as a scenario where without their intervention lives would have been lost. Possible. Possibly not. How many licks does it take to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop? The world may never know.
Traveling light is the only way to fly.
IG: @colorado_invasive
Strava: Brent Herring
User avatar
Wildernessjane
Posts: 556
Joined: 7/15/2012
14ers: 58  13  46 
13ers: 256 23 19
Trip Reports (0)
 

Re: Stormed off Mount Bierstadt - The Sharp End Podcast

Post by Wildernessjane »

Jorts wrote: Thu Jun 03, 2021 10:14 am It's true that inexperience and lack of preparedness can lead to dangerous situations. During the podcast, one of the guys notes that another party said they'd be fine and to just go on, but the rear gunner held his ground and said no, WE ALL GO. That sounded to me like someone playing the hero when maybe a hero wasn't completely necessary.

I've been in situations where one party thinks conditions are deadly, they are mortally wounded and they need a FFL heli NOW or they'll die... and where another party that previously encountered the party says, something to the effect of, "I'm pretty sure they bloodied their hands and knees in a trip on scree and decided they were too tired and the terrain too challenging to walk out as a result." Not implying that this is always the case. The opposite happens too, where someone thinks they're fine but they have severe injuries with the pain masked by adrenaline.

So I guess the part that seemed sensationalized to me was how they recounted it as a scenario where without their intervention lives would have been lost. Possible. Possibly not. How many licks does it take to get to the tootsie roll center of a tootsie pop? The world may never know.
That’s fair. We weren’t there so we’ll never know and you could be right. For what it’s worth though, someone posted on the comments section of the trip report to thank him for taking them under their wings. Regardless, I think it takes guts to open yourself up to the inevitable criticism that will come from this forum. Truthfully, I’m not sure I would be willing to do it. I don’t often hit standard routes on 14ers during the summer months but when I have it’s been shocking to see the lack of preparedness and/or awareness of changing weather conditions in some. If this podcast helps to get a few people to take things a bit more seriously then at least it’s done some good.
“Climb mountains not so the world can see you, but so you can see the world.” -David McCullough?
Post Reply