Kate Matrosova, 32, found dead in New Hampshire mountains last Monday. In the long run, that will be good. Fitzgerald advises clients to be prepared, and that includes not reaching a summit if the forecast is bad. He thought perhaps she might turn around right away. Her selfie at Madison Hut was taken at the time her schedule called for her to be near the summit of Jefferson (~11 am). This is a love story. In addition, the days cold forecast made it unlikely that shed meet others on these north- or cold-weather-facing slopes. She was brave. 4.44. She was 32. Description Kate Matrosova was a highly experienced hiker from Southern Siberia, Russia. Failure strengthens us, it humbles us, it allows us to feel humility compelling us to revisit analytically the sequence of events that led us to fail and how to strengthen ourselves and learn in the process so as to make judicious judgment calls in the future. Whether this is true or not, the thought of it has caused me serious reflection on my role as a guide. Her PLB reported far more incorrect locations than it did correct, although we ultimately found her very near the first signal location. Comment *document.getElementById("comment").setAttribute("id","a745c454efb54995f13797052fb0d347");document.getElementById("je705695a8").setAttribute("id","comment"); BACKCOUNTRY.COM: Shop the Winter Clearance! She never went halfway at anything. Prior to her ascent of Mt. Who is she? Its been so successful that Kneeland reports his calls at the Falling Waters Trail has dropped significantly. February 18, 2015. Make no mistake, the rescue teams are there by choice. She also opted to hike it in a fast and light alpine style without any survival gear, like a sleeping bag or bivy sack, instead planning to race through the route and get down below treeline before any adverse weather could arise. Adds some new details. It was a wonderful thing to be pulled along in her wake, Farhoodi says. On the worst, it was something still difficult to fathom: another heartbreaking entry in the ledger of a range whose cordial slopes and modest elevations belie its savage weather. We seem to have lost the ability to delay gratification as a culture/country. Still, Im guessing Matrosova did not feel lonely as she climbed. At 3:30 his cell phone rang. Yury. An assumption that I jumped too quickly was that she had been guided up these mountains. Hypothermia sneaks up on you, and you start making poor choices.. Had she lingered, weighing the risks heralded on the yellow U.S. Forest Service sign where the Valley Way Trail breaks out of the trees and onto the upper unsheltered reaches of the range? Do you believe that her GPS track could be shared? Im still confused why not descend to TStorm le-ward wind to Crag? Late the following day, rescuers carried her frozen body out of the mountains amid some of the worst weather ever recorded on these deceptively rugged slopes. Your email address will not be published. You go up, where divinity once lived, where your hoped-for new self can emerge. On Feb. 15, 2015, Kate Matrosova, an avid mountaineer, set off before sunrise for a traverse of the Northern Presidential Range in New Hampshire's White Mountains. 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At first I admired Kates perseverance as a general character trait, but I became unimpressed as she chose not to bail out when she was so far behind schedule within the first couple of hours. His thoughts kept circling back to that last glimpse of her when he was in the car at the trailhead and she was stepping up a snowbank and into the defile of the Valley Way. Adams or already lost her speed up there? And she always knew what she wanted, she always had a goal in mind.. Helen Kellar. I provide this with a caveat. Technology was faulty in low temperatures - sending . Adams once (she was so close and that was the one time she should have soloed to Adams). GARAGE-GROWN-GEAR: Take 30% Off the Gossamer Gear Silverback 65 backpack at Garage Grown Gear. In the dojo now we say, Lets train like Kate. She would never surrender in a match. Even if your plan is to stay well below treeline today, bring plenty of warm clothes and extra food and water. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. All photos were taken by Mike Cherim of Androscogin Valley Search and Rescuehttp://mikecherim.com/portfolio/, The publicity generated from this incident has led many to seek ways to support those who are involved in Search and Rescue. He checked the Mt. Shifting winds from the north starting at 45to 60 mph and rising midmorning to 80to 100 mph, with gusts up to 125 mph. The spirit of adventure and zest for life that sent Ekaterina Matrosova up the Valley Way Trail into what would become in a matter of hours some of the most hellish weather seen in many winters on Mt. She came to America on a student visa and successfully graduated with a masters . I would of ended like Kate. Going on professionally guided trips with the clear goal of notching achievements on your belt doesnt make you experienced. The mountains always going to be there. In 2012 shed climbed Mt. Again, this is just my opinion, and neither wouldve been the cause of her death. Maybe something happened. I traveled the above tree line portion with out any source of traction and was fine, but I agree with your point about ending up off trail and need the snow shoes regardless. Well below treeline, Mount Madisons Valley Way eases into the woods over gentle contours for its early mile, and Matrosova must have made rapid headway from her 5 a.m. departure. What specifically was missing in Kates kit? The troubled action hero: Tom Sizemore boasted of affairs with Liz Hurley and Paris Hilton (which he had to Will Vladimir Putin's empress pay the ultimate price for his war on the West? One thing people often dont understand is that every 10mile-per-hour gain in wind speed increases the force much more than 10 percent. Matrosova had hoped to finish her hike before a vicious storm descended on the Northern Presidentials. These five mountains lie on a common ridge and encircle a deep glacial cirque called The Great Gulf. Farhoodi gave away the tickets to the performance of Carmen they were supposed to see a week after her body was recovered. Theyd been unable to find a place to buy a selfie-stick, but Farhoodi had rigged one with some tape and a coat hanger. Death in the Presidential Range: The Kate Matrosova Incident. The front came in really quickly, sooner than forecast. Farhoodi returned to New York with all of Matrosovas mountain gear stashed in a garbage bag. Those days are over. But in doing so we take on the whole load of safety precautions and decision making. All of these add up to the greatest amount of protection, but on any given day we may weigh the risks and go up with out a partner or without bivy gear based on our own risk assessment. Climbing these peaks is Not Without Peril, however, and there have been numerous injuries and fatalities in the Presidentials that have required the activation of professional and volunteer search and rescue teams to assist missing hikers and climbers. And, why did she not drink ANY of her water? A will to live greater than fear of death, for starters. $19.95 . Mount Madison is part of a series of summits named after presidents and other prominent Americans, which is collectively called the Presidential Range. Gagnes book also provides a behind-the-scenes account of how search and rescue is organized in the White Mountain National Forest, which is largely volunteer-based and works hand-in-hand with New Hampshires state agencies. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Many times hed watched his wife head out on some adventure. Twinned with this drive is our need for recognitionfrom others, yes, but often most centrally from ourselves. Matrosova's first job was with JP Morgan as a financial analyst, before moving to Beach Capital Management where she reached the role of Investment Adviser. Still, that forecast continues to give many pause. And I know she is not a person who would ever say, Let me defy death., A visit with the Maasai in Tanzania, August 2011. Sometime on February 15 or 16, 2015, New York City resident and Banque Nationale de Paris Paribas trader Kate Matrosova froze to death near Star Lake between New Hampshires Mounts Madison and Adams. It makes you an adrenaline junkie. A lot of hype for mountain trips is to summit, or bust! This despite the fact that summits are often allusive, and when gained, are only done so at the will of the mountain. Certainly hitting the summit would be more success than hitting tree line, but if you orient your frame of reference so that hitting tree line is still some level of success, than you leave yourself more room to make the decision to turn back if conditions or your personal condition are not optimal for the summit. How Much Should a Backpacking Tent Weigh? State of the art gadgets are no substitute for experience and sound judgement. In the absence of personal failures, Kate Matrosova took on a mindset that she could accomplish anything which she set her my mind to achieve. She was extremely fit and a highly intelligent mountaineer. Her father had been in the Red Army and had won medals for service at Chernobyl. My interpretation of impact of missing mittens is that by 3:30 PM she almost lost dexterity in her fingers, barely was able to activate her beacon and was not able to hold trekking poles. Her endurance was incredible. On the second, about 150 yards below the small frozen plain of Star Lake and some 150 feet off the Star Lake Trail, they found her. Kilimanjaro. According to WMUR-TV, Matrosova was going to venture through Mount Adams, Mount Jefferson and Mount Washington after reaching the top of Mount Madison. Where You'll Find Me: Risk, Decisions, and the Last Climb of Kate Matrosova eBook : Gagne, Ty, Walsh, T.B.R. She even took the short-cut up the steep slope to shorten the time. Mostly, it makes me angry because of how selfish decisions like this are. Can one be equipped for winds near 80 mph and temperatures of 30 degrees Fahrenheit? A lot of hikers just need to be better prepared. She had pushed her goggles up and was smiling. You have to work so hard. 1,104 ratings165 reviews. Surely the nearby Mount Washington observatory was explicit in its predictions for uninhabitable cold and wind, as were other forecasters: the coming weather would be the toughest of an already notable winter. She had a satellite phone and a GPS device that would record her movements. She was fearless; he loved her for thatfrom the beginning, hed loved her for all the ways she wasnt like him. NHPR is nonprofit and independent. They were negligent if they did not avail themselves of these and more so if they ignored them. The Last Traverse . We all push as adventurers, but some acquire less experience or planning to close gap for error. Lt. James Kneeland, head of New Hampshire Fish and Games Search and Rescue Team, and Corey Fitzgerald, co-owner of Northeast Mountaineering, shared their insights about safe hiking, more available technology, and the increasing popularity of the Whites as a destination. He provides a deeply personal account of the rescue attempt and how it affected all of the people involved. 'I guess if you are gonna hike in this type of weather you need to be in a more sheltered area, not up on an open exposed ridgeline,' Goss said. If only we could, like Kate, look at insurmountable obstacles in our life like she looked at the forecast as backround noise to her march forward?! View All Available Formats & Editions. Although she identified bailout points, the prevailing conditions in advance of her start should have deterred her husband from assisting her. Her interests are listed on LinkedIn as mountain climbing, judo and scuba diving.. Friends and relatives paid tribute to Matrosova online, posting pictures of the 32-year-old. Kate Matrosova, a New York-based credit trader for France's BNP Paribas SA, has died after she was stranded in a blizzard while hiking alone in New Hampshire's White Mountains. Its really important to understand what she stood for and who she was. He comes to NHPR from the New Hampshire Union Leader, where he reported on state, local, and national politics. It seemed fitting to Matrosova that on Presidents Day weekend she should not only be training for Everest but celebrating her impending American citizenship with the so-called Presidential Traverse across the summits of Mt. Follow Up Story on Kate Matrosova. Kate, who was studying for her security industry Series 7 exam, asked Charlie if he wanted to study with her. Honestly, its frustrating reading accounts like this because its so obvious within the first few pages to anyone who has spent any significant time in the mountains how batshit crazy this plan was, and misguided she was. First book Ive ever read in one sitting. In New York she had been training every day by running up 42 flights of stairs with a pack containing a 20-pound barbell and two 20-pound sacks of kitty litter. How did he do that? it begins early in the home or on the playground and rarely goes away. So easy in retrospect to say, God yes. As someone who frequently hikes and camps alone in the neighboring state of Vermont, I was struck by two sets of information: 1) The unwavering willingness (and skill) of so many rescuers to go out in those horrible conditions to look for someone who essentially broke almost every rule related to solo hiking, alpine traverse, and common sense. But none were interested, so she decided to hike to the route solo. (LogOut/ Has she moved OK up and down Mt. Sergeant Mark Ober got a description from Farhoodi of Matrosovas clothes, height, weight, level of fitness, and itinerary. And carry a set of OR Alti Mitts for hanging out on the summit. (See Hike Safe, which includes gear checklist.). As veteran mountaineer and rescuer Rick Wilcox pointed out in an interview after the tragedy, there are two ways to approach the mountains: heavy and slow or light and fast. I cant imagine she didnt check the weather. She was inexperienced and full of self confidence without accountability. Solo..ANYTHING.requires a special attitude. Very tankful that the details of her story were shared with us. This way there are many levels of success. Volunteers at five locations in the WMNF offer advice to hikers at the trailhead. I think in similar situations many of us wouldve gone for it, even if deep down we knew that we would most likely be turning back. It was about achievement.. A saying that frequently comes to mind is expectations lead to disappointment. Of course this comes with a caveat about reasonable expectations. The loss of Kate Matrosova is a human tragedy, but it also teaches us how valuable a lesson failure can be to succeeding later. ". Train fares will rise by 5.9% TOMORROW - but travellers can still get cheaper tickets if they buy them What happens when classic cars sell for too much? Her death was all over the news; its starkness drew the eye, engaged the heart. Focusing on one tragedy can have its pitfalls, but Where You'll Find Me: Risk, Decisions, and the Last Climb of Kate Matrosova by Ty Gagne (TMC Books, 2017) is respectful of that tragedy, avoids sensationalism, and expands in scope to use the narrative as a guideline for the analysis of risk. As guides we often have to do this to hell adjust our clients crampons, goggles, work a gps etc And then rely on the safety of our mitts to recover that warmth, which they do. She found between Mount Madison and Mount Adams. Driver, 34, who hit a horse in motorway crash was left so disfigured in hospital that his family only JAN MOIR: Goodbye Ken, the world always seemed safer with you on the airwaves, Abstaining from masturbating RAISES risk of anxiety, depression and erectile dysfunction, study warns.