Hosts Kaycee McIntosh and Julie Henningsen recount Finnish corporal Aimo Koivunen’s March 18, 1944 ordeal during the Continuation War: leading a seven-man long-range ski reconnaissance patrol in Soviet-controlled Lapland at −20°C, he collapses under exhaustion during a Soviet encirclement and, unable to dose properly with mittens on, swallows the patrol’s full bottle of Pervitin—30 tablets (90 mg) of methamphetamine. After a brief surge, he develops psychosis, is disarmed by teammates, and skis on “autopilot,” later waking alone after covering about 100 km. He mistakenly skis through a Soviet camp, burns down a cabin by lighting a fire on the floor, survives on pine buds, steps on a landmine, and spends a week in a ditch before rescue in early April—two and a half weeks later—with a 200 bpm resting heart rate, 43 kg body weight, and frostbite requiring toe amputations. The episode adds WWII stimulant history and argues war repeatedly pushes armies toward chemical solutions.
00:00 Podcast Intro
00:28 Lapland Night Chase
02:28 Pervitin Decision
03:21 Finland Versus USSR
07:07 Aimo Early Life
11:43 Elite Ski Scouts
15:43 Ambush And Escape
21:00 What Is Pervitin
26:14 Pervitin Kicks In
27:24 Psychosis Takes Hold
30:17 Disarmed and Blackout Skiing
31:43 Autopilot Navigation West
34:48 Soviet Camp Close Call
36:16 Cabin Fire Hallucinations
37:10 Crash Hunger and Landmine
38:51 Week in the Ditch
40:31 Rescue and Aftermath
43:02 Life After the War
44:02 Story Published and Legacy
45:26 War and Drugs Through History
48:40 Limits of Human Will
50:29 Closing and Listener Support

Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreaon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcast

Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/

Get schooled by Julie in outdoor wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/

1. Koivunen, Aimo — Personal memoir account published in Kansa Taisteli (1978).
2. Wikipedia — "Aimo Koivunen."
3. Grokipedia — "Aimo Koivunen."
4. Commonplace Fun Facts — English translation of Koivunen's memoir excerpts.
5. Ohler, Norman — Blitzed: Drugs in the Third Reich (2016).
6. Wikipedia — "Otto Friedrich Ranke."
7. Wikipedia — "Pervitin" and "Drug Policy of Nazi Germany."
8. Yle (Finnish Broadcasting Company).
9. MyHeritage / Geni — Genealogical records.
10. Wikipedia — "Long-range reconnaissance patrol" and "Detached Battalion 4."
11. Finnish Army Jaeger Brigade / Bushcraft USA — rakovalkea and kaukopartio equipment.
12. PMC / Brieflands — stimulant psychosis research.
13. PNAS / Nature Neuroscience — spatial navigation neuroscience.
14. History.com / VA History — Vietnam and Civil War drug history.
15. Wikipedia — "Winter War."
16. WFYI / HyperWar — Finnish mobilization 1939.
17. History of Finland — Wikipedia.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When three-year-old Brittany Eichelberger slipped out of her family's trailer in Elkins, West Virginia on Christmas Eve 1990, no one knew she was gone. She was found hours later, clinically dead in the snow — frozen stiff, her heart stopped, her body nearly 25 degrees below normal temperature. A neighbor, a determined paramedic, and a rural hospital team that refused to quit launched one of the most extraordinary resuscitation efforts ever documented in emergency medicine. The cold that stopped her heart may also be the reason her brain survived. This is a story about what happens when everyone around you decides it isn't over yet.

Listen AD FREE: Support our podcast at patreaon: http://patreon.com/TheCruxTrueSurvivalPodcast

Email us! thecruxsurvival@gmail.com

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thecruxpodcast/

Get schooled by Julie in outdoor wilderness medicine! https://www.headwatersfieldmedicine.com/

00:00 Podcast Intro

00:29 Door Left Open

01:44 Meet Brittany

03:15 How She Wandered

04:34 Found In Snow

05:34 CPR In The Yard

08:32 Hospital Fight

10:16 Three Hour CPR

15:08 Flight To Pittsburgh

17:23 Waking Up Again

18:59 Why Cold Saved Her

20:00 Recovery After Discharge

22:03 Living With The Story

23:36 Honoring Rescuers

26:08 Lessons And Wrap Up

27:08 Outro And Reviews

Associated Press. "Girl, 3, Found Clinically Dead in Snow, Is Revived." Los Angeles Times, December 28, 1990.

Associated Press. "Clinically Dead Tot Who Was Found Frozen Is Revived." Deseret News, December 27, 1990.

Gordon, Haley. "Woman Looks Back on 'Christmas Eve Miracle.'" The Intermountain, December 24, 2019.

"Longtime Randolph County Coroner Dailey Passes at 68." The Intermountain, February 13, 2026.

"Brenda Kay 'Bren' Dailey." Obituary. The Intermountain, February 14, 2026.

"Snowgirl Save." Rescue 911, Season 3, 1991. Rescue 911 Wiki, Fandom.

Dr. John Veach, Davis Memorial Hospital — quoted in AP wire reports, December 1990, and Rescue 911, 1991.

Dr. Shekhar Venkataraman, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh — quoted in AP wire reports, December 1990.

National Weather Service historical records for Elkins, WV, December 24, 1990 — referenced in The Intermountain, 2019.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this Disaster Strikes segment of the Crux podcast, host Kaycee McIntosh recounts the November 17, 2025 tragedy on Torres del Paine’s O Circuit at John Garner Pass, where a forecasted cyclone hit hurricane-force gusts up to 193 km/h and whiteout conditions. A group of nine independent hikers—many experienced and including multiple physicians—attempted the crossing after being told by Los Perros refugio staff conditions were “normal for Patagonia,” while no CONAF rangers staffed the mandatory checkpoint due to election-day staffing shortages. Survivors improvised rescue with satellite devices, makeshift stretchers, and CPR in the hut, but five people died of hypothermia: Victoria Bond, Christina Calvillo Tovar, Julian Garcia Pimentel, Nadine Lache, and Andreas Vine. The episode details delayed official response, survivor-led self-evacuation, an ongoing negligence investigation, and calls for ranger staffing, emergency planning, better communications, and hiker tracking.

00:47 Ominous Hut Warning

01:33 What Went Wrong Tease

02:28 O Circuit Overview

05:09 Patagonia Weather Reality

06:16 Safety Systems Gaps

07:57 John Garner Pass Danger

09:21 Nine Hikers Meet

11:51 Los Perros Forecast Failure

14:17 Dawn Departure Decision

15:01 Point of No Return

16:49 Whiteout Chaos Above Treeline

18:08 Warnings Turn Some Back

19:00 Hurricane Force Trap

20:01 Whiteout Hypothermia Spiral

21:16 Falls And Descent Decisions

22:23 Hut Turns Triage Center

23:18 Stretcher Rescue And CPR

26:12 Missing Hikers Go Public

28:54 Bodies Found And Airlifts

30:13 How Did This Happen

32:49 Ranger Checkpoint Failure

34:50 Survivors Demand Reforms

37:50 Human Spirit And Aftermath

39:14 Closing Reflections

1. Dapcevich, Madison & Zonshayn, David. "I Triaged Patients During the Deadly Patagonia Storm." Outside Magazine, Dec 24, 2025. (Dr. Zonshayn firsthand account)
2. Gillette, Sam. "Survivor of Deadly Blizzard Lost Sight of Friend." People Magazine, Nov 23, 2025. (Christian Aldridge testimony)
3. Thorpe, George. "Chile snowstorm deaths were 'avoidable tragedy.'" BBC News, Nov 24, 2025. (Survivor recommendations)
4. Annapurna, Kris. "The Torres del Paine Tragedy: What Really Happened." ExplorersWeb, Nov 23, 2025. (Timeline, Dr. Wingfield quotes)
5. Jackson, Katie. "Sudden Blizzard on Patagonia's 'O' Circuit Leaves Five Hikers Dead." The Trek, Nov 20, 2025.
6. Knight, Marlee. "Extreme Snowstorm Claims Five Lives on Torres del Paine's 'O' Circuit." Teton Gravity Research, Nov 21, 2025.
7. Johanson, Mark. "Deadly Storm Strikes Popular Trek in Patagonia's Torres del Paine." Outside Magazine, Nov 18, 2025.

• Date: November 17, 2025
• Location: John Garner Pass, Torres del Paine, Chile
• Deaths: 5 (Victoria Bond-UK, Cristina Calvillo Tovar-MX, Julian Garcia Pimentel-MX, Nadine Lichey-DE, Andreas von Pein-DE)
• Wind: 193 kph (120 mph)
• Forecast: Issued Nov 13, updated Nov 15
• Rangers: Zero on duty at John Garner Pass sector (CONAF confirmed)
• Medical response: 27 hikers required treatment

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.