Who: Norwegian climber, Jarle TraaWhere: Mt. EverestHis mistake: None here. He just pushed his body a little too far.What happened: A Norwegian climber who successfully climbed to the summit of Mt. Everest without supplemental oxygen suffered from serious frostbite and low body temperature on the way down. The man was kept at base camp for [...]

Who: Sergey Samoilov, of KazakhWhere: Mt. Qomolangma (aka Everest)His mistake: They were climbing in extreme snow conditionsWhat happened: A mountaineer died while descending from Camp 4 to Camp 2. The man turned around because of severe snow conditions. The massive snowfall helped trigger an avalanche that swept the trail the man was hiking on. He [...]

Who: 58-year-old David Lee Weitzel and 50-year-old Mary Ann McBurnieWhere: Mt. Hood, OregonTheir mistake: It looks like they just got lost.What happened: A couple hiking on Mt. Hood became lost and disoriented for two days on the mountain. They were without food, but it seems like they were drinking out of rivers or streams.

Another couple [...]

Who: 42-year-old Thomas DenhamWhere: Mt. Rainier, WashingtonHis mistake: None here. Just bad luck. He seemed well-prepared and was with a good group of mountaineers.What happened: Thomas Denham was climbing Mt. Rainier with a guided group to ascend Mt. Rainier, the most glaciated mountain in the lower 48. The man was on one of the main [...]

Who: A 25-year-old Austrian manWhere: Silver Peaks, New ZealandHis mistake: He was poorly prepared for an alpine hike in freezing conditions.What happened: A man went out for an alpine hike in freezing conditions wearing jeans, a polar fleece, a poncho and carrying a can of baked beans.

The man was reported missing when night fell and [...]

Who: A 25-year-old male and a 23-year-old femaleWhere: Arctic Valley, AlaskaTheir mistake: They went to a mountain top to watch a lightning stormWhat happened: Two hikers who wanted to join a lightning storm show on top of a hill were struck by lightning themselves around 6:30 p.m. The bolt of lightning knocked out the male. [...]

Who: 29-year-old Frank Ziebarth of CalgaryWhere: North side of Mt. EverestHis mistake: None here. He tried to tackle a monumental challenge and his body wasn’t ready for it.What happened: A man who has been planning to climb the Tibetan side of the mountain without supplemental oxygen died on his descent after making the summit. The [...]

Who: Four AT hikersWhere: Worthington State Forest, New JerseyTheir mistake: Seems like bad luck. Not sure if anyone was pointing routes with their trekking poles.What happened: A group of nine hikers were passing through the Kittatinny Ridge when a late-afternoon thunderstorm swept over them. Four of the men were injured when a bolt struck nearby.

One [...]

Who: 20-year-old Sean Smith, of Bozeman, MontanaWhere: Cannon Cliffs, Franconia Notch, New HampshireHis mistake: It’s possible he didn’t set his gear right, but it could be bad luck.What happened: A climber who was out with his friend was ascending a cliff when one of his stoppers blew. The man fell and smashed into the cliff, [...]

Who: 20-year-old Neublan Zaki N’orhdi, a Malaysian student visiting Penn StateWhere: Great Smoky Mountain National Park, TennesseeHis mistake: It’s unknown if he slipped or got crushed by the fallsWhat happened: W hiker who was with a group of 30 people visiting Penn State went on a hike at a nearby trail. They started hiking at [...]