"I'm going to die," she thought. "There's nothing I can do." These were the thoughts going through Leah Brown's head as she was sliding down the icy slope of Mount Hood. We invited Leah and one of the rescuers, Erik Broms to talk about the November 25th 2023 accident and challenging rescue on Mount Hood, Oregonwww.pmru.org

Mt. Ellinor in the Olympic National Forest is a very popular peak. This strenuous hike offers spectacular views of he Olympics as the reward.In this episode Ania is joined by her fellow rescuers Amy and Milo to talk about the accident that took place on Mt. Ellinor in May of 2021. What went wrong? What went well? Could this be you? www.pmru.org

Eldorado Peak, with its knife edge summit, is one of the most iconic peaks in the Pacific Northwest. Our very own PMR member, Marc "Milo" Milobinski is joining Amy Graham and Ania Wiktorowicz to talk about his climb of Eldorado Peak, the accident, rescue and emergency signaling. Sometimes accidents happen in the least expected places that are still far away from cell service. How do you call for help? What options do you have? Is it worth paying for extra gear? www.pmru.org

Chris Erickson was a veteran mountain ranger in Denali when he was faced with a crevasse rescue that was deemed impossible: extricate a fallen climber from a 60 foot depth of a crevasse what was only 12 inches wide on the bottom. His story is a true example or heroism and perseverance that you may only find in rare rescue stories told by seasoned experts. This episode will make you believe in magical outcomes which in fact is the result of human persistence and the belief that ever...

Hosted by Ania Wiktorowicz, Created by Mari FeherAndrew Holman is a Portland, Or transplant living and climbing around Anchorage, Alaska. In the process of climbing all the peaks of the Chugach Mountain range near Anchorage, one night he found himself tumbling 500 ft on the South side of Avalanche Mountain (5,050 feet) . What do you do with one microspike on a side of a 45 degree icey slope? As a BCEP grad from the Mazamas (an established climbing and mountaineering club in Porlan...

Hosted by Ania Wiktorowicz, Created by Mari FeherEric Gagnon has been in Search and Rescue for 25 years. He has been in helicopter rescues for 10 years with King County Sheriff's office in the state of Washington after a start at the Coast Guard. Not only is he a rescue specialist, a hoist operator but currently he is training incoming new members on how to conduct rescues. Having numerous back country helicopter rescues under his belt, he is here to tell us what it takes to be a helico...

Created by Mari Feher, Hosted by Ania WiktoroviczIn July of 2022 Jaden Stewart of Gallatin County Sheriff SAR in Montana, Karel Kaiser and their partner set out to summit Mt Rainier in the state of Washington via the Ptarmigan Ridge route. As they started out from their high camp in 30+ miles /hour wind, they noticed a lone headlamp from the party ahead of them giving off SOS signals. At this point, the team knew there would be no summit bid in their day as the terrain became increasing...

Hosted by Ania Wiktorowitz, Created by Mari FeherWe all have a connection to nature and the mountains. It is unavoidable to experience some stress, trauma or even loss and grief while you are on your favourite pitch or route. How do you cope when you are under stressors? Do you have the necessary tools to overcome this experience or the need to reach out to your community for help? If you ever felt you are alone feeling anxious on a climb and you must be the only one that experiences fe...

K9 Rook is a human remains detection K9, a Belgian Malinois that works for the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office along with his handler, Terri Hines. What does Rook do exactly? What is the certification process for your dog to become a SAR dog? How many different kinds of search dogs are out there and how are they trained? If you ever pondered any of these questions or simply love and appreciate working dogs, come and listen to Terri, who will walk you through the process of a K9 t...

Hosted by Ania Wiktorowicz, Created by Mari FeherIn June of 2022 Sam Kang was leading a 5.6 trad route on Unicorn Peak in the Tatoosh Range in Washington, when a microwave-size rock came loose, sending them to a 25 foot fall, landing face up on the ground. Freak accidents like this can happen to anyone and on routes that you have done a thousand times before. Petra Lebaron-Botts who is a trainee with Portland Mountain Rescue and Roberta Zouain an instructor with the Mazamas were t...

Hosted by Ania Wiktorowicz, Created by Mari FeherIn today's episode Ania is talking to Gabe Kitter. He was featured on Garmin.com when his inReach Mini and his trusty friend Steven Jensen saved his life after his 800+ pound snowmobile rolled over him a few times in Cantwell, Alaska. Alaska can be desolate just like many outdoor locations all through the Pacific Northwest. Are you prepared to act if an accident happens when you are cut off from civilization? Are you planning a backco...

Cheri Higman is the first female chair person of Seattle Mountain Rescue, unravelling her first mission that turned into three separate call outs within 24 hours. www.pmru.org

Hosted by Ania Wiktorowicz, Created by Mari FeherDid you know that after an avalanche you, as a back country recreationist are the strongest link in the chain of survival? Heiko Stopsack is a paramedic with the King County Medic 1 and King County Sheriff's Department's Air Support, also a member of Hood River's Crag Rats rescue team. He is here to give you advice on how you, as an observer can be the most valuable asset and strongest aid in the rescue of your team member or friend...

Created by Mari Feher, Hosted by Ania WiktorowiczDale Remsberg is an IFMGA and AMGA mountain guide based in Lafayette, CO. He currently serves as a technical director of the American Mountain Guides Association, which includes instructing and examining young guides. Dale prides himself in high-end skills in all the disciplines and can still be found out cruising on difficult terrains of the Canadian Rockies or Switzerland. Despite his 30 year experience, accidents still happen. Take a li...

Should Airbags Be Standard Avalanche Safety Equipment? Avalanche Airbags , invented in the 1980s prevent mortality better than avalanche transceivers, but have yet to be widely adopted. Is the price and weight difference worth it to save your life? Absolutely. Come and learn how to use them and where you can get one. PMR's presenter Christopher Van Tilburg, MD talks through the reasons why.Christopher is an accomplished outdoors person and is widely involved with the outdoor and medical...

Created by Mari Feher, Hosted by Ania WictorowiczSo you like backcountry skiing and mountaineering? If you are a beginner you may stick to known routes but if you do like getting off the heavily traveled areas and find your way through new pow in the backcountry, are you sure you can find your way out? What can you do to ensure you make it out safe without spending a cold and wet night huddled under the shelter of some branches? Do you rely on a compass, an app on your cell phone or try to re...

Hosted by: Ania Wiktorowicz Created by: Mari FeherIn 2020 Jake Palazzi had one of those classic rappel accidents. Upon topping out on a five pitch route, Wherever I may roam at Smith Rock in Oregon, he came to a crashing halt after falling a full pitch and rag dolling another 150 ft to the hiker's trail. How did he survive rappelling off the end of his rope? He is here to tell you his miracle of a story and to remind you to always check your knots or use an autoblock b...

Created by Mari Feher, Hosted by Ania WiktorowiczOn May 31, 2019 four climbers -- Yevgeniy Krasnitskiy, Ruslan Khasbulatov, Vasily Aushev and Kostya "Constantine" Toporov -- started climbing the hardest, most technical route on Mount Rainier in Washington . High winds that tore up their tent and blew away their gear forced them to stop on the Liberty Ridge route. After spending 5 days on the mountain, the group was rescued on June 6th, suffering from hypothermia and severe frost bite.&n...

Created by: Mari Feher, Hosted by: Ania WiktorowiczA fire erupted on Sept. 8, 2012, and burned about 26,000 acres, or about 40 square miles at the Pole Creek trailhead. The fire that was caused by lightning cost about $18 million to fight. The surging blaze destroyed four cars at the trailhead in the Three Sisters Wilderness, endangering 30 hikers and campers who had to be rescued out of the forest. One of those climbers was our very own Ania, who just completed a climb...

Created by: Mari Feher, Hosted by: Ania WiktorowiczAre ice caves the same as glacier caves? Should you be taking your selfie with them or explore them on your own? Did you know that the PNW has one of the few remaining ice caves inside glaciers on our back yard volcanos in the entire country? Eddy Cartaya, the Indiana Jones of Glacier Caving , TED Talk speaker and will give you the scoop of the intimate details of these majestic formations. Cartaya and his climbing...