Overview:
After recent climbing accidents, experienced mountaineers explain the risks of scrambling and how to stay safe.
The slabs of rock are angled at about 55 degrees. One mistake or lapse in judgement can be fatal. For 120 years, adventurous climbers have flocked to Boulder to scramble the Flatirons. Yet its popularity often masks its dangers.
“If you lean into the rock, your feet are more likely to slip. People take [climbing the Flatirons] lightly; maybe their ego is a little bit too much in play,” said Thomas Cristiano, Longmont resident and experienced mountaineer.
Most recently, on May 14, 2026, 33-year-old Ryan Kelly’s body was found halfway up the Second Flatiron. No one witnessed his fall, but authorities found him via an Apple Crash Detection alert that appeared in the area. In December 2024, two free-soloers died within a day of each other. One was Keith Hayes, a 42-year-old experienced scrambler.
“There’s really not a lot of information out there on scrambling, so people just go out there and hope for the best,” said Ali Tutunik, a wilderness safety expert who lives in Denver.
Tutunik said that scrambling’s growing popularity on social media causes people to overestimate themselves and underprepare. The tragic loss of a close friend in a scrambling accident inspired her to take wilderness courses and share safety tips online.
“It took me a while to get over [her death] because I felt like I could have helped her,” she said.
Tutunik created her personal “Ten Commandments of Scrambling,” which include not separating from the group, having all necessary gear, and knowing how to navigate the route without taking shortcuts. If her friend had followed these, Tutunik said, she would be alive today.
Tutunik said that when she started mountaineering 12 years ago, she was less selective with her company. Now, she makes sure to ask questions about potential partners’ judgment and risk tolerance.
“I’ve been in situations where you just don’t agree with a partner on what to do. There’s a lot of men specifically who chase ‘summit fever,’ and when you’re in the mountains, those small decisions can cost people lives,” Tutunik said.
Summit fever is a psychological phenomenon that prioritizes reaching the peak of a mountain over any consideration of changing conditions or common sense.
Cristiano began mountaineering in 1995. He had a near-death experience on Dream Canyon at the beginning of his journey while climbing with someone more experienced.
A miscommunication made Cristiano think he was going to be lowered off the climb, while his partner thought he was going to rappel and instead, he fell and hit the ground “like a rag doll.”
Cristiano said he has done a lot of unroped climbing in the Flatirons, where he has seen firsthand how small mistakes can have serious consequences.
The City of Boulder urges people, “Don’t take unnecessary risks,” noting that search-and-rescue is often deployed when people overestimate their abilities.
Tutunik agreed that logical and realistic decision-making keeps mountaineers alive. “Ego does not belong on the mountain,” she said.
