Mountain Safety
The knowledge that keeps you coming back
The Reality
People die on Colorado's 14ers every year. Not just reckless thrill-seekers—experienced hikers, athletes, people who "knew what they were doing." The mountains don't care about your fitness level, your summit count, or your timeline.
This isn't meant to scare you away. It's meant to make you take preparation seriously. Understanding the risks is the first step to managing them.
Weather & Lightning
Summer in Colorado follows a predictable pattern: clear mornings, building clouds by late morning, afternoon thunderstorms. Lightning is the single biggest weather threat on 14ers.
The Noon Rule
Reading the Sky
- Cumulus clouds (puffy white): Normal fair weather. Watch if they start growing vertically.
- Towering cumulus: Storms are building. Time to descend.
- Cumulonimbus (anvil-shaped): Active thunderstorm. Get off exposed terrain immediately.
- Dark bases, distant rumbles: Lightning is already happening. Move now.
If You're Caught in a Storm
- Get off ridges, summits, and exposed terrain immediately
- Avoid tall isolated objects (trees, poles, rock towers)
- Spread out from your group (at least 50 feet apart)
- Crouch on the balls of your feet with your head down—minimize ground contact
- Don't lie flat—it increases your surface area for ground current
Altitude Sickness
Above 8,000 feet, your body starts struggling with less oxygen. By 14,000 feet, the air has about 60% of the oxygen available at sea level. Your body needs time to adjust.
Anyone Can Get Altitude Sick
Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS)
Common and usually manageable:
- • Headache (the classic sign)
- • Nausea, loss of appetite
- • Fatigue beyond normal tiredness
- • Dizziness, difficulty sleeping
Response: Stop ascending. Descend if symptoms worsen.
HAPE & HACE
Life-threatening. Require immediate descent:
- • Breathlessness at rest
- • Persistent cough (possibly pink/frothy)
- • Severe headache, confusion
- • Loss of coordination
Response: Descend immediately. These kill within hours.
Prevention
- Acclimatize: Spend a night or two at 8,000-10,000 feet before your climb
- Ascend gradually: Don't go from sea level to a 14er in one day
- Hydrate aggressively: Drink 3-4 liters per day at altitude
- Avoid alcohol and sleeping pills: They suppress your breathing response
- Listen to your body: Symptoms are messages. Pay attention.
Know When to Turn Back
The summit will be there next time. You might not be if you push through when you shouldn't.
A Turnaround Is Not a Failure
Turn Back When:
Set a Turnaround Time Before You Start
Pick a time—say, 11 AM or noon—and commit to it. When that time hits, you turn around no matter how close the summit looks. "Just 20 more minutes" is how people get caught in storms.
Emergency Preparedness
Tell Someone Your Plan
Before every hike: where you're starting, your route, expected return, and when to call for help.
Cell Service Reality
Don't count on it. Many trailheads and most backcountry have no coverage. A phone is not a rescue plan.
Consider a Satellite Communicator
If Something Goes Wrong
- Stay calm. Panic makes everything worse.
- Assess the situation: Is anyone hurt? What are your resources?
- If you can move, get to a safer location (off ridges, out of weather)
- If you can't move, make yourself visible and conserve energy
- Use your emergency whistle (3 blasts = distress)
- Stay with your group. Splitting up rarely helps.
Leave No Trace
These peaks get hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. The alpine environment is fragile. What you do matters.
- Pack out everything you pack in. Yes, including food scraps and toilet paper.
- Stay on trail where trails exist. Alpine plants take decades to recover from trampling.
- Human waste: Pack it out with WAG bags, or bury it 6-8 inches deep at least 200 feet from water. Pack out toilet paper.
- Don't build cairns or rock sculptures. The ones that exist mark routes. Extra ones just confuse people.
- Give wildlife space. You're in their home.