Colorado climber attempts Mount Everest twice

EVERGREEN, Colo. (KDVR) — Scott Cutlan, 48, has adventure rooted deep in his soul.

“Just look where we are at, you know. It’s the beauty, the calmness, getting away from the hustle and just to connect with who we are,” Cutlan said.

A world traveler, adventurer and entrepreneur, Cutlan started mountain climbing just a few years ago.

“2018 was my first climb,” Cutlan said. Before that, he would be mountain biking, trail running or taking an occasional hike.

Cutlan’s first ascent? It sure wasn’t Lookout Mountain in Golden.

“The first one, I went to Africa in Tanzania: Kilimanjaro. It seemed like a logical place to start. I didn’t know what I was getting into,” Cutlan said.

It was just a matter of time before Cutlan set his sights high — really high. Mount Everest.

“Everyone knows Everest. It’s the top of the world,” Cutlan said.

In 2021, Cutlan attempted to go where very few have gone before. Destiny, however, had other plans.

“There was a significant sickness floating around, right? We should just call it that. A lot of poor decisions were being made. I was with a team that was very cognizant of doing what was best for the locals and for us, and we chose not to do our summit rotation,” Cutlan said.

A bitter disappointment, but not a bitter ending for Cutlan. He was going to try again, but this time on the extremely dangerous and less attempted North Face.

The ultimate cliffhanger.

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