Thanks for sharing and your openness about your emotions when you're scared to death. Sounds like you both had way more than your share of luck to survive the uncontrolled slides you had.
I am thankful you 2 are alive. Moving forward some good advice would be if something could go wrong it might? If you are in the mountains long enough snow and ice and bad weather will fall upon you.
Take ice axe and crampons and the appropriate gear always (of course no substitute for making good decisions). Work on being better prepared. Maybe a follow up report on how this epic has made you better prepared and what steps you took could help young men just like yourself.
I have a 17 yr old of course he knows everything. It is tough when the grey matter between your ears is preventing your ear canals from hearing the wisdom that I am sure has been given.
I apprecaitte the advice. We were both thinking about bringing crampons and an ice axe. But we thought we would not need them since it's just about August. We learned you need to bring them no matter what. Especially when your challenging the "hardest" 14'er in CO.
By the way Noah, well written TR and people will learn from it. Good job and we are all pulling for you when you get older to complete that lofty goal of yours, isnt 14- 8000 meters peaks without Oxy?
Thank you. I did not right all of it. Kevin did help quite a bit. But it really depends on the way I climb them. My goal is the 14 8,000m peaks. Whether I winter ascent them all or do them all by new routes I just want to climb them. If I go in winter I will use Oxy but in summer I would not plan too. I should start my preperation climbs in the next coming year! I just will have to figuere out the sponsors and who would have such lofty goals as me. We'll see. Thanks for the encouragement though.
If you both were "good at weather descision making in the high country," why did you leave the trail head in the rain? I know it's easy to see in retrospect but I appreciate the TR. I'm sure it was difficult to write knowing people would question many of your descisions. Hopefully everyone that reads it will learn from the poor descisions that were made and the two of you will be safer on future climbs.
Merrill
I left the trailhead knowing there was going to be better weather the next day as it was just 2 in the morning. Weather in Colorado comes and goes very quickly. We were both prepared to stop the climb if the rain did not stop. It did though by 4 in the morning. It was very good weather the rest of the day until the middle of the traverse. All I want everyone to do, is to learn from what happened. That's what really counts.
Your reply nailed it. I think everyone that is reading this TR has been reminded of the vigilance required just to be high in the mountains and the potential dangers lurking every second. I think many climbers have some close calls but it helps to be reminded again and again by experiences just like yours. I think we listen better hearing your story of living through a nightmare than simply feeling sorry about a climber that died on the mountain and never hearing the "whole" story. Good luck and be safe.
Merrill
you made the best decisions you could given the circumstances. you were in a situation no one can appreciate without being there, and I am happy to be reading your trip report and not another story about a fatality. Its interesting because I had a similar discussion about crampons and ice axe with the guys I was climbing El Diente with on the second, they didnt want to bring either because of the time of year. We ended up bringing both, and still stayed off the snow due to horrible snow/ice conditions that I think characterize snow in the rockies this time of year. Aside from all else, it this was a very well written report with lots of great insight. Thank you for sharing.
Augie Medina - Aug 3, 2009 3:17 pm - Voted 10/10
Captivating StoryThanks for sharing and your openness about your emotions when you're scared to death. Sounds like you both had way more than your share of luck to survive the uncontrolled slides you had.
noahs213 - Oct 28, 2010 12:04 am - Hasn't voted
Re: Captivating Storyhttp://www.summitpost.org/view_object.php?object_id=674905&confirm_post=12
Deltaoperator17 - Aug 3, 2009 7:54 pm - Voted 10/10
Version 2So, this is how the press sees it...LOL
http://hikerhell.blogspot.com/2009/08/teen-climber-rescued-from-ledge.html
Kevin8020 - Aug 4, 2009 3:43 am - Hasn't voted
Re: Version 2I suppose if you shortened it, that would fairly accurately describe my half of the story...
Deltaoperator17 - Aug 4, 2009 12:24 pm - Voted 10/10
Re: Version 2I am thankful you 2 are alive. Moving forward some good advice would be if something could go wrong it might? If you are in the mountains long enough snow and ice and bad weather will fall upon you.
Take ice axe and crampons and the appropriate gear always (of course no substitute for making good decisions). Work on being better prepared. Maybe a follow up report on how this epic has made you better prepared and what steps you took could help young men just like yourself.
I have a 17 yr old of course he knows everything. It is tough when the grey matter between your ears is preventing your ear canals from hearing the wisdom that I am sure has been given.
Learn from this Kevin and Noah!
Kind Regards,
Steve
noahs213 - Aug 4, 2009 4:36 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Version 2I apprecaitte the advice. We were both thinking about bringing crampons and an ice axe. But we thought we would not need them since it's just about August. We learned you need to bring them no matter what. Especially when your challenging the "hardest" 14'er in CO.
Deltaoperator17 - Aug 4, 2009 6:01 pm - Voted 10/10
Re: Version 2By the way Noah, well written TR and people will learn from it. Good job and we are all pulling for you when you get older to complete that lofty goal of yours, isnt 14- 8000 meters peaks without Oxy?
noahs213 - Aug 5, 2009 2:26 am - Hasn't voted
Re: Version 2Thank you. I did not right all of it. Kevin did help quite a bit. But it really depends on the way I climb them. My goal is the 14 8,000m peaks. Whether I winter ascent them all or do them all by new routes I just want to climb them. If I go in winter I will use Oxy but in summer I would not plan too. I should start my preperation climbs in the next coming year! I just will have to figuere out the sponsors and who would have such lofty goals as me. We'll see. Thanks for the encouragement though.
noahs213 - Oct 27, 2010 11:50 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Version 2http://www.summitpost.org/view_object.php?object_id=674905&confirm_post=12
noahs213 - Oct 28, 2010 12:04 am - Hasn't voted
Re: Yikeshttp://www.summitpost.org/view_object.php?object_id=674905&confirm_post=12
TJ311 - Aug 5, 2009 10:29 am - Voted 10/10
Great TRSounds like a very scary ordeal. Thanks for sharing with us.
noahs213 - Oct 28, 2010 12:04 am - Hasn't voted
Re: Great TRhttp://www.summitpost.org/view_object.php?object_id=674905&confirm_post=12
merrill - Aug 9, 2009 12:10 pm - Voted 10/10
Learning experienceIf you both were "good at weather descision making in the high country," why did you leave the trail head in the rain? I know it's easy to see in retrospect but I appreciate the TR. I'm sure it was difficult to write knowing people would question many of your descisions. Hopefully everyone that reads it will learn from the poor descisions that were made and the two of you will be safer on future climbs.
Merrill
noahs213 - Aug 9, 2009 7:37 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Learning experienceI left the trailhead knowing there was going to be better weather the next day as it was just 2 in the morning. Weather in Colorado comes and goes very quickly. We were both prepared to stop the climb if the rain did not stop. It did though by 4 in the morning. It was very good weather the rest of the day until the middle of the traverse. All I want everyone to do, is to learn from what happened. That's what really counts.
merrill - Aug 9, 2009 11:23 pm - Voted 10/10
Re: Learning experienceYour reply nailed it. I think everyone that is reading this TR has been reminded of the vigilance required just to be high in the mountains and the potential dangers lurking every second. I think many climbers have some close calls but it helps to be reminded again and again by experiences just like yours. I think we listen better hearing your story of living through a nightmare than simply feeling sorry about a climber that died on the mountain and never hearing the "whole" story. Good luck and be safe.
Merrill
noahs213 - Aug 9, 2009 11:50 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Learning experienceThanks Merril I appreciate the help. And everyone else for there kind words and contructive critisizm.
noahs213 - Oct 27, 2010 11:51 pm - Hasn't voted
Re: Learning experiencehttp://www.summitpost.org/view_object.php?object_id=674905&confirm_post=12
centrifuge - Aug 9, 2009 12:45 pm - Voted 10/10
it sounds likeyou made the best decisions you could given the circumstances. you were in a situation no one can appreciate without being there, and I am happy to be reading your trip report and not another story about a fatality. Its interesting because I had a similar discussion about crampons and ice axe with the guys I was climbing El Diente with on the second, they didnt want to bring either because of the time of year. We ended up bringing both, and still stayed off the snow due to horrible snow/ice conditions that I think characterize snow in the rockies this time of year. Aside from all else, it this was a very well written report with lots of great insight. Thank you for sharing.
noahs213 - Oct 28, 2010 12:03 am - Hasn't voted
Re: it sounds likehttp://www.summitpost.org/view_object.php?object_id=674905&confirm_post=12
MoapaPk - Aug 9, 2009 2:29 pm - Voted 10/10
whewHard snow takes a LOT of people. I'm sorry you had to be reminded this way, but I'm very glad that you lived.