Buried Alive: The Avalanche on Mount Rainier
Andrew’s journey of resilience begins in the mountains of Washington. What started as a church-led climb up Mount Rainier quickly became a fight for survival when a sudden storm unleashed an avalanche.
Dragged down by tons of snow, roped to his teammates, Andrew clung desperately to his ice axe as the mountain swallowed him. “It was pitch white, pitch quiet,” he recalls. “All I could do was scream, until I realized no one could hear me.”
Minutes felt like hours, but his team eventually dug him out. The experience left him shaken, but it also planted a seed: survival depends on perseverance, teamwork, and the will to hold on when everything tells you to let go.
A Boat Accident That Changed Everything
If the avalanche wasn’t enough, Andrew later faced another near-death experience, this time on Lake Austin. A late-night boat ride ended in disaster when he was thrown overboard and struck by the propeller.
“The prop went through both femurs, both kneecaps, both tibias and fibulas, my heel, and most of my right foot,” Andrew says.
He nearly bled out on the dock, prepared for death, until a friend applied makeshift tourniquets and saved his life.
The scars remain, but so does the perspective: “I thought my life was ending at 29. Instead, it was just beginning again.”
From $1.5 Million in Debt to Government Contracts
Long before his physical scars, Andrew bore financial ones. In his twenties, he was $1.5 million in debt after scaling a short-sale negotiation business too quickly during the housing crisis.
Instead of declaring bankruptcy, Andrew fought his way back, working out of borrowed office space, surviving on grit, and refusing to quit. “Bankruptcy wasn’t an option,” he says. “I’d have to be forced into it. As long as there was time on the clock, I kept working.”
His perseverance paid off. In 2010, while still reeling from his avalanche ordeal, Andrew’s company won multiple HUD government contracts. Within a year, his team had sold over 14,000 homes nationwide
Reinvention Through Carstensz Capital
After selling his government-contracting business and recovering from his boat accident, Andrew found new purpose. In 2016, he partnered with longtime colleagues to launch Carstensz Capital, a private credit firm specializing in real estate lending.
Starting with one-off deals, the company soon grew into multi-million-dollar funds and eventually a $75 million evergreen fund. Today, Carstensz Capital balances its portfolio carefully—holding about 80% of its loans, selling off the rest, and focusing on markets in the Southeast where demand and fundamentals remain strong.
Purpose, Faith, and Perspective
Through it all, avalanches, accidents, financial collapse, addiction—Andrew has found clarity in the climb. Success isn’t measured by the moments at the summit, but by the resilience forged on the way up and down.
“On top of a mountain, you can only stay a few minutes,” he reflects. “Ninety percent of life is spent on the sharp edge—climbing, falling, and climbing again. The goal is to find meaning in the journey.”
The Unconventional Mindset
Andrew Reamer’s story is one of scars, but also of strength. His setbacks became the soil for his comebacks. His message is clear: perseverance, integrity, and faith can turn even the darkest valleys into stepping stones.
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