14ERS...
IS A HUGE TREND...
BUT IF YOU'RE NOT PREPARED IT
CAN BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS..
NEWS 5 INVESTIGATIVE
REPORTER MARK BOYLE EXPLAINS HOW
THIS DEADLY CLIMBING SEASON IS
PROMPING RESCUE CREWS STATE-WIDE
TO ISSUE BIG WARNINGS FOR
CLIMBERS.
MARK ON CAM
A MAIN FOCUS RIGHT NOW...
PEOPLE WHO ARE NEW TO
COLORADO AND MAY NOT KNOW HOW TO
PREPARE.
I'VE CLIMBED NINE MYSELF
...
AND I CAN ASSURE YOU THERE ARE
NO EASY 14'ERS.
BUT THERE ARE SOME THAT ARE
BETTER FOR THOSE WITH LITTLE TO
NO
EXPERIENCE.
SANDI YUKMAN- HAS CLIMBED ALL 58
14'ERS IN COLORADO
09:24:53- "SUMMITING IS
OPTIONAL, GETTING DOWN IS NOT,
SO WE WERE LUCKY." 09:24:58
AND COLORADO SPRINGS
RESIDENT SANDY YUKMAN KNOWS
FIRST HAND ...
JUST HOW DANGEROUS OUR
MOUNTAINS CAN BE.
SANDI YUKMAN- HAS CLIMBED ALL 58
14'ERS IN COLORADO 24:59- WE
NEVER HAD ANY INCIDENTS WHERE
ANY OF US GOT HURT ON THEM, BUT
WE WERE CERTAINLY AROUND WHEN
PEOPLE DID AND IT WAS ALWAYS A
VERY SAD DAY WHEN SOMEBODY DIED
ON THAT MOUNTAIN." 25:08
FIRST HE SAW AN ULTRA
RUNNER SLIP AND FALL AFTER THE
WEATHER TURNED SOUTH ...
SANDI YUKMAN- HAS CLIMBED ALL 58
14'ERS IN COLORADO 25:25- "THE
OTHER ONE WAS AN EXPERIENCED
CLIMBER ON A CLASS 4 RIDGE, JUST
SLIPPED, FULLY PREPARED, GREAT
EXPERIENCE, YOU KNOW IT CAN
HAPPEN TO ANYBODY I THINK,"
25:44 AND SO FAR THIS YEAR
...
THERE HAVE BEEN 11 DEATHS ON
COLORADO MOUNTAINS THAT STAND
TALLER THAN 14-THOUSAND-FEET.
FIVE ON CAPITOL PEAK
OUTSIDE OF ASPEN ...
WHICH IS RATED BY 14'ERS.COM AS
THE TOUGHEST IN THE STATE.
JOE DISALVO- PITKIN COUNTY
SHERIFF
02:48- THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY BACK
AND THAT'S ACROSS THAT KNIFE
EDGE AND WE'RE SEEING A LOT OF
PEOPLE GO ONE WAY AND THEY DON'T
WANT TO CROSS IT AGAIN, AND THE
ALTERNATIVE ROUTE DOWN IS NOT
SURVIVABLE AND I THINK THAT'S
THE KIND OF INFORMATION THAT WE
NEED TO GET OUT THERE." 03:02
911 AUDIO
CAD 1- 00:31- "THEY LEFT
SATURDAY
AFTERNOON TO HIKE IN AND CAMP
FOR THE NIGHT AND THEN DO THE
ACTUAL
CLIMB ON SUNDAY MORNING AND THEY
WERE SUPPOSED TO COME BACK
YESTERDAY, BUT I HAVEN'T HEARD
FROM THEM YET." 00:45 THAT
CALL FROM THE SISTER OF CARLIN
BRIGHTWELL AND RYAN MARCIL.
THE TWO REPORTEDLY TRIED TO
TAKE A SHORT CUT TO CAPITOL LAKE
BELOW ...CREWS BELIEVE THEY
WERE KILLED AFTER A FALL FROM
THIS CLIFF BAND.
JOE DISALVO- PITKIN COUNTY
SHERIFF
00:02- WE ARE USED TO DEATHS ON
THOSE MOUNTAINS, ON BOTH CAPITOL
AND MAROON, WE ARE USED TO THAT,
BUT IN THE LAST THREE TO FOUR
YEARS, WE'VE HAD 18 DEATHS ON
THAT MOUNTAIN OR THOSE TWO PEAKS
AND IF
THAT WAS ANY OTHER PUBLIC SAFETY
ISSUE WHETHER IT BE A SKI
AREA, A RIVER OR A HIGHWAY, I
THINK WE WOULD TAKE DRASTIC
ACTION TO MAKE SOME CHANGES."
00:26
CHANGES ARE IN THE WORKS
RIGHT NOW...
A PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN
DRIVEN BY LOCAL AND FEDERAL
LEADERS.
JOE DISALVO- PITKIN COUNTY
SHERIFF
02:05- I'M TALKING ABOUT A
NATIONAL AD CAMPAIGN OR NATIONAL
INFORMATION THAT SAYS 'THIS IS
DANGEROUS, LAST YEAR WE LOST
FIVE PEOPLE ON THIS MOUNTAIN,
THEY WERE NOT PREPARED, IF YOU
DON'T HAVE THE FOLLOWING ITEMS,
STAY HERE, IF YOU HAVEN'T
CLIMBED A
14'ER BEFORE, STAY HERE, I THINK
IT'S UP TO US TO BOMBARD PEOPLE
WITH INFORMATION."
JEFF EDELSON- MOUNTAIN RESCUE
ASPEN
02:59- "IT'S A MATTER OF TRYING
TO PREVENT WHAT WE CAN RIGHT? WE
CAN'T PREVENT THE 'SOMETHING
HAPPENED, A ROCK MOVED, BUT WHAT
WE CAN PREVENT IS TRYING TO HELP
PEOPLE BE PREPARED, REALLY
TRYING TO PUSH THAT IT'S
IMPORTANT TO STAY ON ROUTE,"
03:10 DANIEL STENHAL WAS ON
THE MOUNTAIN THE DAY 35-YEAR-OLD
JEREMY SHULL REPORTIDLY WENT OFF
ROUTE AND DIED ON CAPITOL PEAK.
IT'S BELIEVED HE FELL AND
DIED ON THE EXACT SAME CLIFF
BAND THAT TOOK THE LIVES OF
BRIGHTWELL AND MARCIL.
DANIEL STENHAL- AVID CLIMBER
36:52- "THEY WERE THE ONLY
PEOPLE I SAW ALL DAY THAT DIDN'T
HAVE A HELMET ON, THEY DIDN'T
HAVE PACKS OR ANYTHING, ANY KIND
OF JACKETS, JUST SHORTS AND
T-SHIRTS AND SHOES THAT WERE
FALLING OFF THEIR FEET." 37:04
JOE DISALVO- PITKIN COUNTY
SHERIFF
01:47- CLOSING THE AREA IS NOT
AN OPTION WE WANT TO SEE, IT'S
NOT SOMETHING I SUPPORT AND IT'S
JUST NOT SOMETHING I'D LIKE TO
SEE, HOWEVER, CAN WE GET AS MUCH
INFORMATION OUT THERE ON THE
FRONT END FOR PEOPLE BEFORE THEY
GO ON THIS ASCENT." 02:05
WHILE EXPERIENCED CLIMBERS
SHARE SAFETY INFORMATION FOR
THOSE WANTING TO CLIMB IN
COLORADO.
DANIEL STENHAL- AVID CLIMBER
39:36- I CARRY BACKUP GPS,
JACKET, SPACE BLANKET, WATER,
FOOD, IF I NEEDED TO CAMP RIGHT
THEN AND THERE I'D BE ABLE TO."
39:41 SANDI YUKMAN- HAS CLIMBED
ALL 58 14'ERS IN COLORADO 34:48-
DO YOUR HOMEWORK AND BE PREPARED
AND MAKE SURE YOU'RE PREPARED TO
SPEND A NIGHT ON THE MOUNTAIN,
BECAUSE YOU MIGHT." 34:53 MARK
BACK ON CAM
SHERIFF DESALVO HOPES TO
HAVE SOMETHING READY BEFORE THE
NEXT CLIMBING SEASON IN THE