Climber dies on Pico Aislado

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Reg0928
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Climber dies on Pico Aislado

Post by Reg0928 »

Some of you know me, but for those who don't, I'm Ross. I was Bryan Ludwig's climbing partner on 6/19/2021. I witnessed and was part of the event I am about to describe to you, and this is my account. I waited until news articles began to surface before posting this. I know his family is aware because I gave his older brother this same account over the phone a few days ago. His family was worried and reached out to a mutual hiking partner through social media, and they were able to contact me through him. I have since spoken to his father as well. Bryan was a 14ers.com forum member, and his user name was bludwig.

This was very difficult to write, but in writing it I feel a weight lifted. I hope this account somehow helps someone in the future. It will definitely be a difficult read for some. Reader discretion strongly advised.

Bryan and I were on a loop of Milwaukee, Pico, and PT13020 from Music Pass. We went up and over Milwaukee, and made our way over to Pico. We scrambled up Pico's east face and gully system, and we were about 50 vertical feet from the summit when Bryan fell. Looking at our gpx file, I believe we may have gotten too high up on the face too early, and the terrain was very steep and exposed. That being said, neither of us felt overwhelmed at all by the terrain or the exposure. While not a rock climber, I consider myself a strong scrambler, and I am no stranger to class 4 - low class 5 terrain or heavy exposure. Bryan was a competent sport climber and was capable of climbing 5.9 - 5.10. I say this to give our decision making in the paragraph below some context.

We found ourselves in a steep gully on a small, exposed, grassy ledge, and there was an inch or so of slushy wet snow on the ledge. We decided to ascend a 15-20 foot stiff class 4 wall on our left to exit the gully. It was extremely exposed, but the line seemed bomber solid and we were both confident we could climb it no problem. It was grassy, wet, and slick on the ledges in the gully and we could see what looked like easy, level terrain at the top of the pitch.

I lead the pitch. I scrambled up the wall and reached a broad safe ledge at the top. We were right. The terrain from here to the summit was easy class 3 and had a very mellow grade to it. I was able to stand up and walk around no problem. I called down to Bryan that I was up and in a safe spot. I told him that he was clear to start up, and he responded that he was going to take the same line I had taken. The pitch was too steep for me to see Bryan at the bottom from my safety ledge. I don't know if he slipped on the snow on the grassy ledge at the base of the pitch, pulled a loose hold, or lost footing while climbing due to wet shoes. I didn't see the actual instant he fell.

Soon (seconds?) after Bryan said he was starting up the pitch, I heard him scream "OH F**K!" and I heard some rockfall-esque noise below. I still couldn't see him at this time. I assumed he had found a loose hold, and I looked down thinking I was going to see a few rocks tumbling down the steep gully and over the cliffs below. It wasn't rocks. It was Bryan.
He was bouncing, cartwheeling, and tomahawking end over end, and he was completely out of control. He quickly picked up speed and began bouncing at least 20 feet in the air every time he hit the mountain. He went over multiple large cliffs, and he fell for several hundred if not 1000 feet. He came to rest in a snow field way down Pico's east face near but above the valley floor. I noticed red stains begin to form in the snow. It was around 11:00am when he fell. 

I began screaming his name at the top of my lungs. I stared down at his motionless body for what seemed like forever, hoping for some sort of movement or response. I eventually snapped out of my trance, realized that there was no way anyone could survive what I had just witnessed, and hurriedly scrambled the remaining 20-30 feet to Pico's summit, gained cell reception, and called 911.
I spent around 30-45 mins on the summit of Pico talking to Custer and Saguache SAR teams and answering questions. After giving them all the info I could, I was advised to get myself off of the summit and to safety. After witnessing the fall, I was in no mindset to downclimb off of Pico or go back over Milwaukee. I wanted nothing to do with exposure. I decided the safest way out would be to continue on our intended route off of the back side of Pico since it goes at class 2. I went over PT13020 and dropped north into Cottonwood Creek basin, ascended Milwaukee Pass, and dropped into the upper Sand Creek Lake Basin. I hiked out over Music Pass to my truck from there, all of which took several hours.

Custer County SAR was waiting for me at my truck, and I followed them into Westcliffe to give an interview. I can't say enough about the kindness, compassion, and professionalism of Pat, Jeff, and the rest of their team. It's not often that you meet people that selfless. Truly amazing team. They worked in conjunction with David and his team at Saguache County SAR (David with Saguache County SAR is also a great guy - though I've only spoken to him on the phone) and a few other organizations, and I received word around 1:30am today, 6/22/2021, that the technical lowering had been completed safely and Bryan had been flown out.

Bryan was one of the most motivated hikers and climbers I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. His hard charging zeal for the mountains was something special. I didn't know him too long, but in the few short weeks we had been partnering up for hikes we climbed fourteen 13ers together. He had dreams of accomplishing amazing things in the mountains, and seeing him chase them was an inspiration. Nothing was going to stop that guy from finishing the 13ers, and you could see it in his eyes as soon as you looked at him. I hurt for his family, and I wish them closure and solace. The Colorado hiking and climbing community lost an exceptional athlete in Bryan Ludwig. There aren't many out there like him.

A report is now available on both Custer and Saguache County SAR FB pages.
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Re: Climber dies on Pico Aislado

Post by HikerGuy »

Wow, that must have been difficult to write, it was difficult to read. I cannot imagine what you went through. Sorry you had to witness that, I hope you are able to work through it and get back to enjoying the mountains again. There are some other members that have gone through what you have and maybe the can reach out to you (if needed). SAR are wonderful folk. My condolences to fallen climber and may his friends and family find peace and comfort.
Last edited by HikerGuy on Thu Jun 24, 2021 9:54 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Climber dies on Pico Aislado

Post by Jorts »

I'm so sorry for your loss. Thank you for sharing what happened.
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Re: Climber dies on Pico Aislado

Post by Sbenfield »

Bryan was one of the best ever friends I had. We will miss him so much. We will carry his spirit with us in mountains forever.
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Re: Climber dies on Pico Aislado

Post by daway8 »

Such a tragedy and a sobering reminder of the dangers inherent to climbing mountains, even for experienced people. So sorry for your loss.
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Re: Climber dies on Pico Aislado

Post by TomPierce »

Really sorry to read of this. Condolences to you and his family and friends, RIP.

-Tom
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Re: Climber dies on Pico Aislado

Post by Tornadoman »

Ross, thanks for sharing this terrifying firsthand account. Condolences to Bryan's family and friends, climbing partners, etc. Although I never met Bryan it was clear he was a talented and motivated climber taken to soon.
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Re: Climber dies on Pico Aislado

Post by E_A_Marcus_949 »

Very sorry to hear this. Thank you for providing and sharing your account. My condolences to all.
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Re: Climber dies on Pico Aislado

Post by climbingcue »

Sorry to hear this, thank you for sharing the account. It is terrible to hear stories like this.
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Re: Climber dies on Pico Aislado

Post by courtc43 »

Bryan was definitely a one of a kind hiker and friend. He was the only person I knew who could start a hike with one person, and end the day with a whole group of new friends that he met along the way that he genuinely cared about.
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Re: Climber dies on Pico Aislado

Post by lordhelmut »

Very sorry to hear. This could've happened, and probably has come close to happening, to every single member of this forum and anyone who has ever climbed mountains extensively. Very sobering reminder.
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Re: Climber dies on Pico Aislado

Post by two lunches »

my condolences to Bryan's friends, family, and climbing partners. and thank you so much for sharing your experience, Ross- this is a poignant reminder of the risk/reward decisions we make when enjoying the outdoors and i hope that your story helps anyone searching for some closure with this, or any other similar occurrences. rest in peace, bludwig
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