Stupid Mountain Climbers

[Boroda]

Originally posted by Shuckins
You have the right to climb if you want to do so.  But if you are injured or stranded on a rugged mountainside then some other mother's child must risk life and limb trying to rescue you.  I don't care if it IS their job, no one should have to place their own life in danger to rescue thrill seekers.

Having to pay part of the costs of rescue might curb some of the riskier behavior that some engage in.

You should have the right to climb if you have nessesary training.

That's the way it was here in Soviet times:

First stage was education/training in "Alpinist camp". People were trained, made several trips with instructors and got the "basic training" alpinist degree.

Then they had to qualify for their desired routes. For example: you couldn't participate in third category route if you don't have second category already. To lead the group on third category route you had to participate in fourth category and have a leadership experience in second category twice. This psrticipation/leadership expired after a few years, so - if you didn't go to the mountains for 3 years you lose your qualification.

But there always were some idiots that went to the mountains without basic training, with laundry ropes and so on...

[gofaster]

Originally posted by Sixpence
You wanna do it fine, but hire your own rescue crew, why should tax dollars and resources be used to to rescue people who decide to play chicken with nature? To quote lazs, "why should I be extorted?"

I'm sure the families that throng to the beach to swim will be more than happy to pay for their own rescue services.  Oh wait.  They already do.  Its called paying taxes.  If anything, more people should climb mountains since they're already paying for their rescue.

[Sixpence]

Originally posted by gofaster
I'm sure the families that throng to the beach to swim will be more than happy to pay for their own rescue services.  Oh wait.  They already do.  Its called paying taxes.  If anything, more people should climb mountains since they're already paying for their rescue.

Oh, yeah, compare it to swimming, that's good. You should compare it to where it says "no swimming, dangerous riptides", and they should be charged too.

[guttboy]

I think we should outlaw computer useage!!!  Too many folks sitting getting fat, eating jelly donuts, carpal tunnel syndrome, migranes, chipped nails, bad backs, poor circulation, high blood pressure from the constant coffee intake.....

Yeah...lets put that in the category of "risk taking"....I mean lets call a spade a spade now.....It is vastly more risky health wise using the computer!:rolleyes:

[Sixpence]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/1999/08/27/48hours/main53458.shtml

[gofaster]

Originally posted by Sixpence
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/1999/08/27/48hours/main53458.shtml

The location is secret because what Hartfield is doing is usually illegal. His sport is called "BASE jumping," taking a dive off of anything high with just a parachute.

(BASE is an acronym for building, antennae, span, earth, and stands for the fixed-objects from which BASE jumps start from, according to the Skydive! Web archive.)

There's a reason why its illegal.

Now about swimming, can anybody find any figures that compares deaths by mountain climbing to deaths by drowning at a public beach, river, and/or lake?

I would wager more people die by drowning than by mountain climbing.

Maybe you'd like to see national park services taken off the tax rolls and turned into private parks with admission charges?

[LWACE]

lmao Sixpence, so your saying the taxes we pay, arent as good as your taxes or something? Everyone else pays taxes if anything we're "contributing" as much as you are to rescure teams.

Btw how many people do you see needing to be rescued off mountains each year, compared to people killed in other sports?

I agree with early posts, with alittle training, climbing is very safe.

[ET]

Require rescue insurance for everything.Climbers.swimmers,divers. hunters, fisherman and whatever other recreation people do to enjoy themselves.

We need that money to take of illegal aliens and welfare drones.

[Horn]

Our S&R here is all volunteer w/ the exception of the initial purchase of gear which was a grant. We are in National Forest, not National Park. Big difference. They get billed (a bunch) if air support is used, but nothing more.

I have no problem w/ alpinists. They generally have a grip on the dangers they face and the gear with which to face them.

I have a problem w/ folks underestimating the hazard of the situations they get into and being ill-prepared when things go to hell and scream for help expecting immediate extraction.

h

[Raubvogel]

I was a helicopter crewchief in an Army medevac unit at Ft Lewis WA in the 90s and had the displeasure of having to rescue quite a few folks off of Mt Ranier. Half those idiots had no business playing Joe Mountainclimber. Nothing like spending thousands of dollars and risking lives to rescue someone due to stupidity. There ought to be some type of certification process or something to limit it.

[vorticon]

try to think of it this way...every cent you spend to rescue a climber is a cent not spent on listening to lobbie groups...

[MrLars]

Mt. McKinley requires the purchase of an insurance policy to cover any rescue operations. They started this some 10 years ago IIRC.

I remember, when I was a child, the rescues on Half Dome. You could hear the crys for help from miles away in the valley in the '50's and '60's, too much noise for that now.

I think there should be some sort of stupidity law where obvious acts of stupidity are seperated from true accidents and fees charged accordingly.

I met Vern Tejas during the Valdez spill. He had climbed McKenley some 22 times, 5 times solo, at the time. He had to get pluked off the mountian once when a short fall broke a few ribs. Charging him for his rescue would have beed kind of redundant since he's often a part of the rescue team for the mountian.

[LWACE]

I will agree that people should have to take a mandatory course for some of the harder climbs and be issued a certafication card or something, but for the majority of mountain climbs they are faily easy.