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.

"Colorado 14er Disasters, Second Edition explores the disturbingly easy ways that hikers become stranded, severely injured, or killed on the state's high alpine peaks. When those accidents happen, the victim is far from help and in an environment where rescue is difficult at best."--Back of book

Fat, forty-four, father of three sons, and facing a vasectomy, Mark Obmascik would never have guessed that his next move would be up a 14,000-foot mountain. But when his twelve-year-old son gets bitten by the climbing bug at summer camp, Obmascik can't resist the opportunity for some high-altitude father-son bonding by hiking a peak together. After their first joint climb, addled by the thin air, Obmascik decides to keep his head in the clouds and try scaling all 54 of Colorado's 14,000-foot mountains, known as the Fourteeners -- and to do them in less than one year. The result is Halfway to Heaven, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Obmascik's rollicking, witty, sometimes harrowing, often poignant chronicle of an outrageous midlife adventure that is no walk in the park, although sometimes it's A Walk in the Woods -- but with more sweat and less oxygen. Half a million people try climbing a Colorado Fourteener every year, but only twelve hundred have reported summiting them all. Can an overweight, stay-at-home dad become No. 1,201? With his ebullient personality and sparkling prose, Obmascik brings us inside the quirky, colorful subculture of mountaineering obsessives who summit these mountains year after year. Honoring his concerned wife's orders not to climb alone, Obmascik drags old friends up the slopes, some of them lifelong flatlanders tasting thin air for the first time, and lures seasoned Rockies junkies into taking on a huffing, puffing newbie by bribing them with free beer, lunches, and car washes. Among the new friends he makes are an ex-drag racer trying to perform a headstand on every summit, the lead oboe player in a Hebrew salsa band, and a climber with the counterproductive pre-climb ritual of gulping down four beers and a burrito. Along the way, Obmascik experiences the raw, rowdy, and rarely seen intimacy of male friendship, braced by the double intoxicants of adrenaline and altitude. Though danger is always present -- the Colorado Fourteeners have killed more climbers than Mount Everest -- Mark knows his aging scalp can't afford the hair-raising adventures of Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air, and his quest becomes a story of family, friendship, and fraternity. In Obmascik's summer of climbing, he loses fifteen pounds, finds a few dozen man-dates, and gains respect for the history of these storied mountains (home to cannibalism, gold rushes, shoot-outs, and one of the nation's most famed religious shrines). As much about midlife and male bonding as it is about mountains, Halfway to Heaven tells how weekend warriors can survive them all as they reach for those most distant things -- the summits of mountains and a teenage son. And as one man exceeds the physical achievements of his youth, he discovers that age -- like summit height -- is just a number.

"The Army's 10th Mountain Division, developed during World War II for combat missions in the mountains of northern Italy, evolved into ski patrols as we know them today. Far-reaching and nuanced, the job of a ski patroller combines long days, physically demanding work in high alpine environments, and the ability to respond to complex medical emergencies. In Colorado, ski patrol has grown from a volunteer operation to a professional workforce--incorporating advancements in lifesaving techniques, avalanche forecasting, and specialized guest services. Relying heavily on their fellow patrollers, life-long friendships are forged on the mountain and often embellished in legendary tales--many of which are shared within."--Back cover.

Known for its accuracy and comprehensiveness, this is theupdated bestselling guidebook to Colorado's 14ers by well-respected climber and author Gerry Roach."

An exciting collection of stories by Kevin Wright, detailing Search & Rescue in the Sangre de Cristos, one of the most extreme mountain groups in the state.

In 2007 a caf owner in a small Colorado mountain town disappeared. The charismatic philosopher and expert outdoorsman walked away from the ideal life he had built in search of a greater cause. One year later Winston B. Churchill 's emaciated body was found by hikers in a remote mountain valley lying neatly outside the door of a well-stocked cabin. What he left behind was the mystery of a man compelled to undertake a fantastic journey of mental and physical extremes. He emerged as a lone voice crying in the wilderness, warning of the impending demise of civilization. Editorial Reviews Riveting! Forty Demons springs from the same "man missing in the wilderness" genre as Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild and Erik Blehm's The Last Season, but with its utterly unique and haunting story, it breaks free of all past narratives and expectations. In this exhaustively researched look into the death of Winston Branko Churchill in the Colorado wilderness, Mark Scott-Nash pulls back layer after layer of Churchill's complex personhood and the enigmatic circumstances surrounding his demise--extreme meditation, Kundalini awakenings, a controversial mining claim, the list goes on. But like Matryoshka dolls, each question Scott-Nash answers exposes a deeper mystery. I found my thoughts returning to ponder Churchill's life long after I'd finished the book. I, for one, was left believing that Churchill had found and slayed his 40 Demons. -Kristin Bjorensen, Former Editor at Backpacker Magazine and Climbing Magazine ...I read every frickin word and loved it! This is a great story that covers some tricky psychological ground in a fascinating manner. It was written like John McPhee was trying to get inside a crazy person's head. Bravo! -Alan Stark, Outdoor Publications Executive

Presents historical background on ski mountaineering, which is climbing a mountain on skis and then skiing down the slopes, and offers tips on climbing and skiing specific mountains.

"At the ages of 25 and 21, Lucy and Susan Letcher set out to thru-hike the entire 2,175 miles of the Appalachian Trail--barefoot. Quickly earning themselves the moniker of the Barefoot Sisters, the two begin their journey at Mount Katahdin and spend eight months making their way to Springer Mountain in Georgia. As they hike, they write about their adventures through the 100-mile Wilderness, the rocky terrain of Pennsylvania, and snowfall in the great Smoky Mountains. It's as close as one can get to hiking the Appalachian Trail without strapping on a pack"--Back cover.

* Descriptions of the routes that 90 percent of climbers use * Stunning color photos of the 14ers by noted mountain photographer Todd Caudle * Color route maps and sidebars of interest to 14ers climbers There are fifty-four peaks in Colorado that rise above 14,000 feet. Climbing 14ers has become a favorite activity of locals as well as climbers from all over North America. In fact, more than half a million climbers attempt at least one Colorado 14er per year. Organized by mountain range, The Colorado 14ers is a basic guidebook written in clear, concise, non-technical language with a certain amount of wit. This new edition includes notes by historian Walt Borneman on how each peak was named and who made the first ascent. The photos for this edition are by Todd Caudle, whose work has been featured in the Colorado Fourteeners calendar for the last ten years. Each route description includes precise directions for driving to the trailhead and tips on where to park, in addition to the route description itself.