Surviving the Dangers of Ego-Driven Behavior

The author recounts a near-death experience while climbing a route called Dumpster BBQ in Rifle Mountain Park, Colorado, in the early 1990s. At the time, the climbing community was plagued by anorexia and disordered eating, and the author's obsession with staying thin almost cost him his life. He suffered from food poisoning and severe dehydration due to self-starvation, leading to shock and a dramatic drop in blood pressure. Thanks to a friend's intervention and a timely call to 911, the author survived. The incident serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of ego-driven behavior and the long-term consequences of disordered eating in the climbing community.