Rescuers criticized the guy after an 11 hour "ordeal" in bad weather.

I'm not an experienced hiker, but this seems to have been a bad idea. What do you guys with cold weather hiking experience think?

"As temperatures plunged on New Hampshire's Mount Washington and ferocious winds made it near impossible to see, hiker Cole Matthes began to drift away from the trail. Then he hit a patch of snow-covered ice and slid hundreds of feet down a ravine."

https://www.newser.com/story/346669/hiker-who-was-rescued-after-11-hour-ordeal-admits-bad-decisions.html?utm_source=8at8&utm_medium=email&utm_content=1638441177533684012&utm_campaign=20240221

I bet his social media was somehow involved

Every year there are "dumbasses died/disappeared/needed rescue on Mt. Washington" stories.

You'd figure people would start prepping a bit better for that kind of hike.

I carry microspikes year round in my pack, they weigh nothing and are invaluable on ice, this guy is a fucking retard. I have meet people like him on trails and I always wonder if ill see them on the news.

I've been on Mt. Washington.
Snug as a bug in the cog railway train that takes you to the summit.

You'd better know what you're doing if you hike there - especially in the winter.

Today's winds:




And an interesting factoid:

Eighty-nine years ago, Mount Washington Observatory, in its second year of existence, recorded a world-record wind speed of 231 miles per hour – a record that would stand for over 60 years.

Mt. Hood Or. seems to be a magnet for the same type of people.

Lucky he's not scavanger food.  Unprepared and he goes anyway?

I noticed they have a cog RR there too.  There's one in Manitou Springs that takes you up to Pike's Peak.

Nothing will ever top the guy who got trapped in the desert southwest, and then cut his own arm off with a pocket knife to avoid death.

Aron Ralston

All I had to read was Mount Washington, VT.

That mountain is like Darwin to hikers.

People go hiking here when it’s 115 degrees and need to get rescued. It happens a ton every summer. They should get billed for the expenses it causes. Absolute waste of emergency resources to rescue idiots.

Never get off the boat trail.

I hike a couple times a week for fitness

In the first half mile from any popular trailhead you will see people ill equipped to go run errands in town,
much less go outdoors out of cell service in the mountains in winter

Honestly it is a miracle there arent more SAR / Body recoveries.

ETA, this dipshit was rescued twice in 24 hours on the same mountain
https://snowbrains.com/hiker-rescued-twice-arizonas-highest-peak/

"Vasto was “provided with preventative search and rescue education about the conditions on the trail and the approaching winter storm and encouraged not to attempt the hike again,” a Sheriff’s Office statement said."

I've ran into a lot of experienced hikers up there without the proper gear. Many have the idea that the climb will go like the rest, therefore, shed weight by leaving key items at home. Dangerous and stupid.

I’ve spent a lot of time on and around Mt. Washington in the winter- glad to see he was rescued and recognizes where he made a nearly fatal mistake, and hopefully future hikers pay attention.

For anyone who hasn’t been up above treeline above the Lake of the Clouds hut, the area it sounds like he fell is an enormous rock field, and if you wander off course it’s not hard to believe he lost footing and slid. Conditions can change shockingly quickly, and the cairns aren’t always easy to follow once everything is the exact same snow color- and that’s without a whiteout.

I’ve always hiked there with at least one other person- mostly because I’d prefer to share the experience with friends and family- but also for safety.

Extra layers, extra traction, extra food, and extra water isn’t extra weight the moment conditions change or you run across someone who needs help. My personal philosophy is that I would rather have some additional stuff in my pack for peace of mind. Getting back to the base of the mountain with an unused layer has never bothered me.


Edit- it looks like he only had snowshoes and microspikes, and didn’t mention carrying an ice axe. Microspikes are awesome- sometimes- but I’m far more comfortable using crampons on mountaineering boots, and keeping an ice axe in my hand to self arrest if necessary. It’s entirely possible without, but I’d rather have the tools available.

It's always amazing to me that people who hike or camp remotely will spend tons of money on gear but not $250 for a true lifesaver

McMurdo FastFind

That place is well known for being hell on earth in winter and pretty rough all the rest of the year.  I don't begrudge people getting rescued from bad choices, once for free. Many times that's why anyone ever needs a rescue, but to unprepared into that location is some extra spicy retarded.

I have been in the winter back country when things go wrong.  It things went wrong, and there was bad weather, it could have been really bad.

I have depended on a garmin watch to get out of a bad spot in a white out with no visible trail.  If that watch had died, I could have been in trouble.  It is a humbling experience.

One is none, two is one.

I stopped reading at Mount Washington. Dude is lucky to be alive.

Eta:

The closest I have ever came to needing to be rescued was when I paid a four figure towing bill to get a giant four-wheel-drive to come pull me up a mountain after a snow storm. I had enough fuel and food and shelter to sit there and wait for the snow to melt, but my wife and kids wanted to leave right then. But my point is, I had to pay for that myself. Should I have called the county rescue squad instead?

More proof Global Warming is fake.

How bad can it be at only 6200 feet ?

And, the only other cog railroad in the country is in MI:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quincy_and_Torch_Lake_Cog_Railway

New Hampshire.

Every single time I go into the woods, I prepare as if I will be there in the worst conditions possible for the area.
Sure I may carry a few more lbs of gear/clothes but it's paid off more times than I care to admit.
Mountain weather can change too fast to not be prepared.

I would call myself an advanced hiker....haven't done mt Washington personally but know several who have. If you don't know what you are doing, that isn't a place to fuck around...you will find out quickly how ill prepared you are.

It amazes me that people jump into the deep end knowing that they don't have experience. I suppose they read a book, or watch a movie, and think....wow, that looks cool. Yes, it is cool...when you know what you are doing. Not so much if you dont.

I got into alpine hiking and camping just after high school, and spent as much time in the mountains as i could. Tried to learn from others...hiked thousands of miles since...and even now with a lifetime of experience in pretty extreme situations, i take the path of least resistance and try to never test my luck in the back country. Nature doesn't give a shit about your cool gear or your ego....mother nature will murder you without pause.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_who_died_on_the_Presidential_Range

173 deaths on mt washington and surrounding peaks.

Maybe they should have to put down a deposit on their rescue before they go & get it back if not needed?  Maybe that would make them act a little less carelessly?

Saw that one. Every fucking weekend. Always bring extra gear, always heed the weather. Elevations are relatively low and we have easy trail access but cold and wet will still kill you.

Another girl on up here this weekend had to get rescued after trying to sled down Mt. Avalon and injuring herself. Our woods and mountains are steep, dense and rocky, not exactly sled hills.

What could go wrong

The article seems like it has a lot of information, but it really doesn't.

He had shoes, but maybe he didn't have micros.  I can't tell from the article.  I would have to dive into a lot more.

Thanks, for a minute I thought they might have moved the mountain.

I've completed  Mt Washington in the winter a few times, and turned around twice due to changing weather. Heck, I've been up there in the summer and hauled ass out of there because of the weather. I always feel overpacked, but at least I have a chance of surviving a night out should it come to that.

Worst weather on the planet?  Not even close.

It's cool to see that signposted, but it's simply not true.  

It's fair warning, but only in a hand-waving sense.

I don't carry them year round, no need to down here, but during the winter months when I go to the mountains I toss my old small instep crampons in my bag (and avoid certain areas).  I very rarely need them but with the amount of creeks and seeps it's not uncommon for there to be ice on the trails even down this far.  I've actually used them more out west.  I also hike in weather over 100 degrees in the summer including out west, but again, I'm experienced, I do my pre-trip planning and I carry enough gear- every single time- so that I could spend the night if needed; that includes extra water and a way to purify more.  Even my small fast-packing mountain bike pack stays loaded with certain basic gear for a simple fast hike in the local state park, if for no other reason than I know I have the gear and it adds some weight which helps me prepare for harder hikes.  I love seeing people talk about how they have a get home bag in the vehicle that they haven't actually spent any time with and they're not used to carrying weight on their back.  If you aren't used to carrying a pack, even a ten pound daypack is going to cramp your shoulders after a while, especially if the pack isn't the proper size for you, you haven't loaded it correctly, etc.  

Fun tip- For short, easy hikes, toss extra water bottles in your bag, you can always dump water out when you're sure that you won't need them, or make sandbag "pills"; a 50# bag of play sand is like $5 at Home Depot/Lowe's and you can make a couple different weights to put in your pack.  If you have to dump it, it's just sand and it's been cooked to kill anything in it so you're not introducing invasive species.  Not saying I haven't made some dumb mistakes over the years, but I have been prepared enough to adapt and I'm still here with all of my fingers and toes and never had a heat injury.  

A more detailed article states he had shoes and micros.  No mention of poles or an axe, but no mention of the absence.

Winds were slightly above average.  Gusts above average.  (would be more helpful to see the time-series plot, though)  Temperatures slightly below average.  They are reporting 3" of snow for that day, so visibility would have been very poor - and you'd really need a plan to deal with that.

Nothing really stands out about the conditions being manifestly unsafe, but regardless of conditions, if you have a misstep, a long slide, and get yourself hurt, unless you've got some past mental reference point for your mind to fall back upon, that's a bad situation if you are by yourself.

The hike ascends what is usually the windward side of the mountain, and he'd have known that with the wind at his back on his ascent.  I haven't been on that trail, but there's nothing that seems unusually steep about it.  That said, the wind can really shut you down.  It's hard to describe, but even at a "mere" 50mph, you are being battered enough that it can be really hard to even think.  Take a fall, stuck in the wind, by yourself, somewhat incapacitating injury ... that's a bad position to be in, especially so if you don't have some past reference experience to call upon.

People here, mostly out-of-staters, regularly need rescue.    In some cases (but not often enough), they will get billed by the state for the rescue costs.

Lucky he lived. Mt Washington is no joke.

In her defense, Avalon is a pretty awesome sledding hill.

But people do seem to forget that just because you can drive right up to the trailhead and the summit elevations are low, it doesn’t make the cold any less cold.



The Ammonoosuc Ravine trail (which goes essentially from the Cog Railway base station to Lake of the Clouds hut) is probably the easiest way up the mountain- from the hut I’ve always taken the Crawford Path to the summit and I’m sure that’s what the lost hiker was trying to do. That section of trail doesn’t feel steep at all until the final ascent but wandering off trail downhill- or falling downhill- wouldn’t be fun for long.


Most of the Ammonoosuc trail is in the trees and well protected from wind so getting to the hut and really getting the full force of the day’s weather for the first time should have been a good indicator that it wasn’t an ideal day to head to the summit, especially if someone was missing winter gear.

6,288 feet, whoa.

The day after his second rescue, Vasto took to Instagram to post about his experience. He uploaded several pictures of himself smiling and appearing triumphant on the snow-capped mountain and included a caption that noted he failed to reach the summit and “had to turn around near the top.”

He claims he didn’t include his rescues in the IG post because:  “We make posts on social media about how we want others to see us,” he said, and added that he feared the full story would incur judgement over Instagram.

At least he did warn others not to attempt the trail in winter.

Who the hell wants to hike up Mt Washington?
Generally only drive up it in a rental car, no way would I ever consider hiking up there.

If you’re out that far in those condition… you better have the gear and knowledge to survive for a couple nights. Just wrecking your ankle can kill you.

Your question answers itself.  Should nobody be able to call for rescue in life threatening circumstances because you paid to avoid inconvenience?

I’m the same way. I’m sure folks look at me odd, carrying a 30liter Osprey on a few mile hike. But I feel like I’d rather train with a heavier load and have what I need if something goes sideways. I don’t get folks we pass with no water or food a few miles in the woods in the summer.

He was an experienced hiker though.  His arm getting pinned a a completely freak accident.  Not many people would have the presence of mind and will to survive that he did.

Ammo in winter generally has a shit load of ice. Many winter hikers change their descent to the Cog because they aren't properly prepared to descend the icy areas.

GPS Narcan

They have a run and a bike race up that mountain in summer brutal.

Unless it gets cancelled, due to snow, in the summer.

Jay

Route finding above treeline in winter in very shitty weather, ie zero zero visibility, is difficult at best and requires patience and personal discipline and the willingness to double back to where you knew you were last BEFORE you can't find your last known point again.  I did a lot of solo travel in winter above treeline  before I ever thought of doing Mt Washington in winter solo and also took specific solo ice climbing lessons. I attempted once in a group and turned back. On the solo trip I was blown off my feet 3 times, nothing touching the ice as my body was lifted up into the air as the wind gust came up from Tuckerman's ravine.

I climbed Mt Washing in the winter ( Feb ) solo. it was forecast 15 F and wind 80 gust to 100 MPH , but must have been higher winds, forecast for clear skies. It started with clear skies, I started out in the dark and submitted by noon saw 4 foot horizontal icicles at the weather station and then was engulfed in a white out of clouds a hundred yards away from the summit on my way down and could not see the hand in front of my face. The route back was along the fall off cliff into Tuckerman's Revine and it took a very long time and a lot of planning and patience and discipline to stay on route and double backing to stay on route. This was before GPS was affordable and I used a map, a compass and a baro altimter. It took all of the nav land training I had had in SERE school AND all of the skills I had learned on my own over many decades of group and solo travel in the winter. It was the most intense outdoor adventure I have had except for waking up on a glacier with HAPE and HACE on a climb in the Sierra Mountains in CA and having to do a self rescue with my climbing partner. That was dicey but straight forward and I had someone else to rescue with.

Getting down off Mt Washington was not straight forward and took constant evaluation to find and stay on the route. Things like counting steps, following a compass heading without being able to see any landmarks, having an idea of where the next Cairn of rocks should be and being able to turn around and back track to find the last Cairn I had been at when I didn't find the next one all in wind that was 80 gust to 100 or higher and very significant wind chills while placing my crampon'd boots on ice and not being able to have map in hand while doing it.

I enjoyed every minute of it.

At 4500 feet of elevation gain, that is comparable to most things out west.  And the trees tell an objective story; they give up around 5000 feet for a convincing reason.

As accessible as the mountain is, I've lost count of how many times I've said "not today."  I've been up there in bad weather, sometimes deliberately so.  Even with mittens, goggles, and a serious parka, the weather can shut you down and kill you.  The weather can and has killed people with 6000m and 7000m experience.

It's not the worst weather on Earth, not even the worst in the lower 48, but an average winter day up there is serious enough.

I have several 6000 to 8000 foot peaks on my to-do list.  Whether it's red tape, objective inaccessibility, or just plain difficulty, they might never move to the have-done list.