Hello, survivalists. This is the Crux True Survival Story podcast. I'm Casey McIntosh. And I'm Julie

Hennyson. And we are medical professionals with a passion for wilderness survival.

Join us as we explore real lifelife survival stories and the critical moments

that determine their outcomes. Buckle up. Adventure awaits. Let's dive into this week's story.

Casey, I'm going to tell you about an incredible rescue story. In fact, it's one of the most

incredible in American mountaineering history. It's July 26, 2003,

and 13 people are climbing the famous Exum Ridge on Grand Teton in Wyoming. It's a beautiful

summer day. This is a really popular route. These are experienced climbers. And in the span of a single

second, everything goes catastrophically wrong. Hmm, chills. Grand Teton is right in our backyard here in

Montana. I think I remember hearing about this story at some point. Yes, it's been told and retold,

and there's even been a book written about it. The details

of the story are pretty remarkable. Picture this. It's 335 in the afternoon and these 13

climbers are kind of spread out along this granite ridge at about 13,000 feet. So they're up there.

They're working their way up what's called the friction pitch, which is basically the smooth rock slab, where you're relying entirely on the

grip of your climbing shoes. It's the technical crux of the route, and it requires total focus.

Now, these 13 climbers weren't random strangers.

Most of them work together at a health products company in Idaho.

You know how that goes.

Someone suggests a climbing trip at the office, and suddenly half of the company wants to join.

And what started as a small group kind of snowballed into these 13 people, which any

experienced climber will tell you is probably way too many for a technical route like this.

But they're feeling good. The weather looked pretty decent when they started. Their spirits are high.

...