Ric Conrad

Ric Conrad thrives on taking deep dives into little-known stories in American history. He enjoys the research process: sifting through primary source documentation, interviewing witnesses, and assembling the narrative jigsaw pieces to provide his readers with a detailed exploration of the story "they thought they knew."Conrad's book, "Code 1244: The 1986 Mount Hood Tragedy," chronicles a high school field trip gone horribly wrong. The author spent over four years conducting research and...See more

Ric Conrad thrives on taking deep dives into little-known stories in American history. He enjoys the research process: sifting through primary source documentation, interviewing witnesses, and assembling the narrative jigsaw pieces to provide his readers with a detailed exploration of the story "they thought they knew."Conrad's book, "Code 1244: The 1986 Mount Hood Tragedy," chronicles a high school field trip gone horribly wrong. The author spent over four years conducting research and interviewing thirty-seven people who were intimately connected with the story. The book remains the definitive source on the second-worst mountaineering tragedy in the nation's history.In the summer of 2022, Conrad was the consultant for a podcast based on Code 1244. "Against the Odds: Trapped on Mount Hood," was a five-episode immersive series broadcast by Wondery (Season 15, Episodes 1-5). In July of that year, Wondery leaped to the No.2 spot for top podcast networks in America, boasting 23.8 million unique listeners.Code 1244 is currently being made into a three-part docuseries on a major streaming platform. The author is serving as the project's technical consultant.Conrad's book, "Six Days in Aspen: The 1977 Manhunt for Ted Bundy," tells the story of America's most notorious serial killer, escaping from custody in the resort community of Aspen, Colorado. Conrad noticed that books, documentaries, and feature films had always glossed over this manhunt. He set out to discover what happened during that memorable week in the Roaring Fork Valley. He interviewed or corresponded with, thirty-six individuals who had participated in the manhunt or had crucial details concerning the event. The oral history, gleaned from his interviews, "accurately captures the planned measures, as well as the chaos, that followed those two memorable words-Bundy escaped!" See less