Devon O'Neil's "The Way Out"

About This Event

Boulder Bookstore welcomes outdoor journalist Devon O’Neil for a gripping evening celebrating The Way Out: A True Story of Survival in the Heart of the Rockies on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, at 6:30 PM. This harrowing true story recounts a January 2017 backcountry skiing tragedy outside Salida, Colorado, when what should have been a quick ski lap between 15-year-old Cole Walters-Schaler and Forest Service ranger Brett Beasley became a thirty-hour fight for survival in an unforgiving blizzard. What began as a bonding alpine getaway for three fathers and four teenage children transformed into a community-shaking tragedy that raised profound questions about wilderness risk, guilt, redemption, and our irresistible pull toward adventure. O’Neil’s meticulously reported narrative explores not just those terrifying hours, but their aftermath—how a tight-knit mountain community grapples with loss, how survivors carry the weight of tragedy, and why we return to wild places despite knowing their dangers. This Boulder author event offers a compelling examination of backcountry safety, the allure of the mountains, and the complex emotional landscape of survival and forgiveness. Essential reading for Colorado’s outdoor community.

Event Details:

• Date: Wednesday, February 4, 2026
• Time: 6:30 PM MST
• Location: Boulder Bookstore, 1107 Pearl Street, Boulder, CO 80302
• Format: Author talk and book signing
• Tickets: $5 (includes $5 coupon for book or event-day purchase)
• Venue: Second floor (contact [email protected] for accessibility accommodations)
• Refund Policy: Refunds available up to 1 day before event

About the Book: The Way Out: A True Story of Survival in the Heart of the Rockies chronicles:

• January 2017 backcountry skiing tragedy near Salida, Colorado
• 15-year-old Cole Walters-Schaler and Forest Service ranger Brett Beasley
• 30-hour survival ordeal in blizzard conditions
• Community search and rescue efforts
• Aftermath of wilderness tragedy
• Questions of guilt, redemption, and forgiveness
• The pull of wilderness adventure
• Colorado mountain community dynamics
• Backcountry safety and risk assessment
• Survivor’s burden and healing

The Story: Three fathers and four teenage children gathered for a backcountry alpine getaway outside Salida in January 2017. When Cole Walters-Schaler asked Brett Beasley, an experienced Forest Service ranger, “You wanna ski a lap?”, neither imagined their quick jaunt would become a thirty-hour fight for survival. An unforgiving blizzard transformed their half-hour ski into a life-or-death ordeal that ended in tragedy and forever changed a mountain community.

Author Background: Devon O’Neil is an outdoor journalist who brings meticulous reporting and deep empathy to this true story of survival, loss, and the complex questions that emerge when wilderness adventure turns deadly.

Central Questions:

• Why do we pursue adventure despite knowing wilderness dangers?
• How does a community forgive survivors of tragedy?
• How do survivors forgive themselves?
• What draws us back to mountains that can kill?
• Where is the line between acceptable risk and recklessness?
• How do we balance adventure with responsibility?

Key Themes:

• Backcountry skiing safety
• Wilderness survival
• Mountain rescue operations
• Survivor’s guilt and trauma
• Community grief and healing
• Forgiveness and redemption
• The allure of wilderness
• Risk assessment and judgment
• Parent-child outdoor adventures
• Colorado mountain culture
• Expert outdoorsmen and humility
• The unforgiving nature of winter mountains

The Real Events:

• Location: Outside Salida, Colorado
• Date: January 2017
• Participants: 3 fathers, 4 teenage children
• Incident: Backcountry ski lap turned 30-hour survival ordeal
• Conditions: Unforgiving blizzard
• Community response: Intensive search and rescue
• Outcome: Tragedy that shook tight-knit mountain town

Perfect For:

• Colorado backcountry skiers and outdoor enthusiasts
• Readers of survival narratives
• Mountain rescue and SAR professionals
• Parents of teenage outdoor adventurers
• Wilderness safety educators
• True crime and survival story fans
• Boulder outdoor community
• Those interested in mountain culture
• Adventure memoir readers
• Colorado history enthusiasts
• Backcountry safety advocates

Why This Story Matters: Colorado’s outdoor community knows the allure of backcountry powder and alpine beauty, but also the razor-thin line between adventure and catastrophe. This true story examines what happens when experience, good intentions, and community bonds collide with wilderness indifference. It’s essential reading for anyone who ventures beyond the resort boundaries.

For Discussion:

• Backcountry risk assessment
• The responsibility of experienced leaders
• Community response to tragedy
• Forgiveness and survivor’s guilt
• Why we take wilderness risks
• Lessons for outdoor education
• The psychology of adventure
• Mountain community resilience

Related Colorado Stories: Fans of outdoor survival narratives like Into Thin Air, The Last Season, and Colorado mountain literature will find this local tragedy both haunting and essential.

Why Attend:

• Hear firsthand from author Devon O’Neil
• Understand this Colorado tragedy
• Discuss backcountry safety
• Process questions of risk and responsibility
• Connect with Boulder’s outdoor community
• Get books signed
• Support thoughtful outdoor journalism

Ticketing Information:

• $5 admission (plus small processing fee)
• Includes $5 coupon toward The Way Out or event-day purchase
• Coupon distributed at event

Book Purchase: Buy The Way Out here

Accessibility:

• Events held on second floor
• Contact [email protected] for reasonable accommodations

Organizer: Boulder Bookstore