Hiker Dies in New Hampshire White Mountains After Reporting Feeling "Very Cold"

An experienced hiker dies in New Hampshire's White Mountains, where he made a distress call conveying he felt “very cold” before succumbing while exposed to harsh winter conditions. The victim was 37-year-old Christopher Roma, an expert outdoorsman who had finished formidable long-distance trails and ran his own hiking guide outfit.

On Tuesday evening, Roma’s worried friends called 911 after speaking with him by phone and losing contact. Roma then managed to reach emergency services himself to report feeling very cold, with that call allowing authorities to pinpoint his location between Mount Bond and Mount Guyot.

Rescue attempts faced single-digit temperatures, fierce winds, freezing rain and heavy snow. Teams tried reaching Roma that night but failed due to the extreme weather, while Wednesday morning the National Guard extricated his body via helicopter when conditions relented enough to permit access.

Roma was on a solo excursion in the notoriously dangerous White Mountains terrain. His mother highlighted how such brutal conditions there require hikers to decide whether to continue or turn back when circumstances grow too threatening.

While his definitive cause of death awaits formal examination, the climate Roma described as already leaving him “very cold” early on suggests exposure was likely a critical factor after hours alone battling the elements.