Tag: Fourteeners
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Cries for help heard after man falls 30 feet and tumbles 200 more on Quandary Peak
A second emergency situation unfolded on Colorado’s 14,272-foot Quandary Peak in a matter of days. According to the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, search and rescue crews recently responded to the report of a hiker who took a 30-foot fall on the mountain’s more technical Class 3 West Ridge route, then tumbling 200 feet down a…
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Hikers could face $5,000 fine and 6-months in jail for accessing closed 14er trailhead
The road to one of the state’s most popular fourteener trailheads remains closed as summer rolls on, with the penalty for breaking the prohibition classified as a Class B misdemeanor and punishable with a fine of up to $5,000 for individuals and imprisonment for up to six months. The road involved is National Forest Service…
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Hiker saved from rugged 14er terrain thanks to 13-hour rescue mission
Multiple search and rescue teams responded to the report of a hiker who needed help in precarious terrain on Sunday, July 12, with the mission ultimately ending more than 13 hours after the initial call for activation was received. According to a report from Custer County Search and Rescue, the hiker was located just below…
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Rescue takes place on ‘beginner’ 14er’s more technical and dangerous ‘west ridge’ route
According to Summit Daily, a rescue recently took place on the west ridge of 14,272-foot Quandary Peak near Breckenridge. The incident goes to show that while Quandary Peak is often billed as a ‘beginner’ fourteener, all routes to the summit don’t come with the same level of route-finding ease. The rescue took place on June…
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Man dead after fall amid extreme exposure on 14,041-foot Colorado peak
A second reported death of the fourteener climbing season has occurred in Colorado, this one taking place on a non-standard section of one of the state’s most technical peaks. According to Alamosa Volunteer Search and Rescue, their team was called to the West Ridge Indirect approach of Little Bear Peak on June 27 in response…
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Two creepy encounters reportedly occurred at same 14,000-foot peak in recent days
In recent days, two ‘creepy encounters’ have been reported in the area of the same 14,007-foot peak in Colorado. While local law enforcement looked into the situation and didn’t find anything, it felt worth covering the topic in the event that a potential safety concern exists. At the least, the encounters can serve as a…
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“Zero margin for error” in life-saving 14,380-foot helicopter rescue on Colorado peak
An aerial rescue took place on one of Colorado’s 14,000-foot peaks in recent days in what was described as a “zero margin for error” scenario. According to the Colorado Army National Guard, an Army Aviation Support Facility crew successfully conducted a life-saving operation in the area of the Crestones of the Sangre de Cristos on…
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Person falls 200 feet down ice field near summit of Colorado’s tallest peak
Summer hiking season might be right around the corner, but don’t head to Colorado’s tallest peaks expecting a lack of ice and snow quite yet. A recent rescue that took place on the state’s highest peak shows that wintery conditions continue to linger. According to Lake County Search and Rescue, their team was called into…
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Sometimes fatal and often-overlooked risk behind rescue of three hikers on 14,272-foot Colorado peak
Summer hiking season is almost here and Coloradans and visitors, alike, will undoubtedly set sights on reaching some of the state’s 14,000-foot summits en masse. A recent rescue that took place on what’s often considered to be one of the ‘easiest’ fourteeners to scale in the Centennial State highlights a key risk that should never…
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It’s still illegal to reach 14er summit despite Forest Service’s recent land acquisition on peak
Most Coloradans who are out there hiking the state’s 14,000-foot peaks are probably well-aware of the DeCaLiBron loop, which travelers along peaks Mount Democrat, Mount Cameron, Mount Lincoln, and Mount Bross. In recent years, this 7.5-mile hike has attracted between 15,000 to 20,000 annual climbers, with a key draw being that despite its relatively short…