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The CRUX: True Survival Stories

80 Feet: A Via Ferrata Tragedy in Colorado | Disaster Strikes E 230

The CRUX: True Survival Stories

Bleav + Kaycee McIntosh + Julie Henningsen

Society & Culture, Halloween, Wilderness, True Crime, Nature, National, Crime, Documentary

4.0 β€’ 606 Ratings

πŸ—“οΈ 23 April 2026

⏱️ 31 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On September 20th, 2025, 26-year-old Colorado guide Olivia Copeland fell 80 feet to her death while demonstrating a rappel β€” killed by a single threading error in her belay device. What investigators found at Arkansas Valley Adventures was damning: no written training, no competency testing, no backup safety systems. Guides learned by watching. Some didn't know backups existed. Olivia's death pulls back the curtain on Colorado's via ferrata industry, where companies write their own safety rules with little outside oversight. This is a story about what happens when routine becomes autopilot β€” and there's nothing left to catch the mistake.

Transcript

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0:00.0

Did you hear about that guy that tried to suck the venom out of his own snake bite?

0:05.0

Oh no, no, no.

0:07.0

This is why I teach Knowles Wilderness First Aid courses.

0:10.0

That's right.

0:11.0

National Outdoor Leadership School Wilderness Medicine Training for people who do not want to die in the woods.

0:17.0

Well, that's one way to put it.

0:19.0

Wilderness first aid courses are two days of hands-on training here in Montana.

0:23.6

You'll learn what to actually do when bad things happen and you're miles from the nearest cell signal.

0:28.6

What to do instead of just hoping we don't cover your story on our podcast.

0:32.6

Exactly. And I've got a few courses coming up.

0:36.6

Crux listeners get 10% off tuition with the code

0:40.0

crux at checkout. Enroll at headwatersfieldmedicin.com.

0:45.4

With the code crux, CRUX, so you can be the rescuer instead of the rescuee.

0:52.1

Now, Casey, what happened to that snake bite guy?

0:55.0

Oh, he's fine.

0:56.6

His buddy had actual training.

0:58.8

Now that's what I like to hear.

1:02.6

Welcome to the segment of the Crux podcast called Disaster Strikes.

1:06.7

While our regular episodes focus on survival stories where people overcome incredible odds,

1:11.5

this bi-weekly segment examines outdoor adventures that ended in tragedy.

1:16.0

These stories paint a clear picture of how quickly things can go wrong in the wilderness,

1:20.2

the cascade of decisions often small and seemingly reasonable in the moment that can lead to devastating

...

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