Many listeners of this podcast can relate to a sense of being pulled by the mountains,

a feeling that John Muir put memorably when he wrote,

the mountains are calling and I must go.

We answer the call for our own sense of adventure or to recharge our connection to nature,

but some of us are called to higher, harder pursuits.

These mountaineers head high with safety equipment, skill, and experience,

essential equipment on the glaciated peaks of crampont country, close call country.

But just as the mountains call us, they also let us know when not to go.

In our ability to hear and listen to that call, that can make all the difference.

I made a decision to survive.

You're in that survival mode.

The idea of dying wasn't in my head.

I knew immediately it was the worst case scenario.

I was in a fight for my life situation.

Whenever you walk out on these trails, you're in their house.

I'm Louisa Albinese and you're listening to Out-Alive by Backpacker.

In each episode of this podcast, we'll bring you real stories of real people who survived the unsurvivable.

I saw the ropes sift through the rappel ring and I couldn't do anything.

Learn what went wrong, what went right, and how you can escape if the worst case scenario happens to you.

There is no way we would find anybody alive.

My name is Taylor Gibbler.

I've been climbing mountains for a little over 10 years.

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