O Circuit Tragedy: 120 MPH | Disaster Strikes E236

The CRUX: True Survival Stories

Bleav + Kaycee McIntosh + Julie Henningsen

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

4.0 • 606 Ratings

🗓️ 21 May 2026

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On November 17, 2025, five hikers died of hypothermia on Chile's John Garner Pass after being told a forecasted cyclone was "normal for Patagonia" by refugio staff, while no park rangers were present due to election-day staffing shortages. Survivors organized their own rescue with makeshift stretchers and satellite devices, then had to self-evacuate while injured. The episode examines the system failures that led to the deaths of Victoria Bond, Cristina Calvillo Tovar, Julian Garcia Pimentel, Nadine Lichey, and Andreas von Pein, and survivors' calls for improved ranger presence, emergency planning, and communication systems.

Transcript

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0:00.0	You know what's worse than being stranded on a mountain with no food?
0:03.9	Uh, listening to ads when you're trying to escape reality? Exactly. That's why we've got
0:09.8	you covered on Patreon. For just a few bucks, ditch the ads completely. And for a few bucks more,
0:16.3	get ad-free listening plus early access to our disaster strikes episodes. Because when disaster hits in the
0:23.2	middle of nowhere, you'll want the story first. Head to patreon.com and search Crux True Survival
0:30.5	Stories. Your future survival depends on it. Okay, maybe not literally, but your listening
0:36.9	experience definitely will.
0:40.1	Welcome to the segment of the Crux podcast called Disaster Strikes. While our regular episodes
0:45.5	focus on survival stories where people overcome incredible odds, this biweekly segment
0:50.6	examines outdoor adventures that ended in tragedy. These stories are meant to paint a clear picture of how quickly things can go wrong in the wilderness.
0:59.0	The cascade of decisions, often small and seemingly reasonable in the moment, that can lead to devastating outcomes.
1:06.0	By studying these incidents respectfully and thoroughly, we can learn valuable lessons that might save lives.
1:12.6	The stories are difficult, but the education they provide is invaluable.
1:16.6	I'm your host, Casey McIntosh.
1:23.8	November 16, 2025, evening.
1:27.6	Los Peros Refugio.
1:29.6	Chilean Patagonia.
1:31.6	Dr. David Zon Shane sits in the mountain hut going over his gear for tomorrow's crossing of the John Garner Pass.
1:37.8	He's 32 years old, an emergency room physician from New York City.
1:42.1	He's trekked the Himalayas, the Atlas Mountains, the Andes.
1:46.2	He knows how to handle himself in extreme environments. A woman approaches his table, Swiss accent.
1:52.7	She tells him she has a bad feeling about tomorrow. She's going to wait for better weather.
	...

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