These idiot Mountain Climbers

Vargas

Molon Labe!
Oct 16, 2008
3,426
153
63
Western, PA
Here we go-another case of people deciding to climb a mountain in OREGON, in DECEMBER and they turn up either dead or lost and the local sherrifs department has to spend endless money, man hours and resources to try to search for them.

I have no problem with people wanting to climb mountains, explore the wilderness, try to hike through the desert but at what point do we have to spend zillions of dollars looking for these idiot's that get lost?

Isn't it sort of just assumed that activities like that are a "do at your own risk and nobody is coming to bail you out?"

Like those morons that read too much Jules Verne and try to circumnavigate the globe in a hot air ballon and then have to get rescued by the Coat Guard or Air Force because they get 1/4 of the way and realize they didn't plan enough.

I hate stories like this and think that these sort of activities should just be done at your own risk with no chance of help. Suck it up, kid. Be a man. You want to be a billy badass and climb mountains in the winter, do it like a real pro knowing that nobody is going to come bail your ass out.
 

kc1ih

Active Member
Oct 16, 2008
220
26
28
Hudson, Florida
Jeez, man, you are just such a sweet, compassionate person. Why did you feel the need to post this? Yes, people climbing in the mountains need to be prepared for conditions which can change rapidly, but still unexpected shit happens. Do you really have such a need to feel superior?
 

xan_user

Banned
Dec 16, 2008
3,234
74
48
Nor-Cal
RIP Luke. I hope both Anthony and Katti are found safe. ++++Vibes++++
attachment.php

About 30 volunteers were searching for the climbers Saturday. Other volunteers are manning communications equipment to keep the search coordinated. Strovink said in a press release that family members of the climbers are arriving at Timberline Lodge.
I have been a volunteer in a few searches that sadly ended in recovery.
I augment my normal insurance with Welcome to CALSTAR.org to cover any heli rescues i may need in California. just cause your not playing proball doesn't mean you cant get the proper insurance to cover your ass.

When I lived in Tahoe local residents were covered for back country search and rescues by a combination local taxes and volunteer rescues, but outsiders got a fat bill.

We let folks repeatably build houses on sandbars and pay to build them back after hurricanes...
 
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HecticArt

Administrator
Oct 19, 2008
51,139
18,141
168
Toledo, Ohio
We had some idiots here last year (actually, they are here around year round, but that's another story) that went ice fishing on Lake Erie and had to be rescued. The morons had laid planks across gaps in the ice that had broken free to get back out to their shanties. It cost crazy money to rescue them with helicopters and air boats.

A bunch of them did it again the next day.

It's an annual event.

There's a point where reckless people should be responsible for the cost of the rescue.
 

Vargas

Molon Labe!
Oct 16, 2008
3,426
153
63
Western, PA
We had some idiots here last year (actually, they are here around year round, but that's another story) that went ice fishing on Lake Erie and had to be rescued. The morons had laid planks across gaps in the ice that had broken free to get back out to their shanties. It cost crazy money to rescue them with helicopters and air boats.

A bunch of them did it again the next day.

It's an annual event.

There's a point where reckless people should be responsible for the cost of the rescue.

I remember this and I thought the same thing.

I have no problem with stupid people doing stupid things, that can actually be amusing but when we have to spend tons of money that local governments, towns and cities DON'T have, it should be a "DO AT YOUR OWN RISK."
 

limegrass69

Confused
Oct 12, 2008
6,079
245
63
New York
I wrestle with these thoughts every time a story like this comes out.

On one hand, these guys have to be "big boys" and accept consequences of the risks they take. Why are taxpayer dollars being wasted and rescuers' lives risked to bail these chaps out?

On the other hand, a first responder can't be in a position to decide who is worthy of being saved and who isn't.
 

xan_user

Banned
Dec 16, 2008
3,234
74
48
Nor-Cal
:popcorn:

March 2, 2009 - 9:46am
A Coast Guard search got underway on Sunday looking for four football players whose fishing boat disappeared off the coast of Florida on Saturday. The boating group included two professional NFL football players - Detroit Lions free agent Corey Smith, 29, and Oakland Raiders linebacker Victor ("Marquis") Cooper, 26. Nick Schuyler and William Bleakley, former University of South Florida football players, were also on board Cooper's boat.
A friend of the players notified the Coast Guard around 1:30am Sunday to report that the boat had not returned to harbor at dusk, as had been expected. The men set out on the boating excursion at 6:30am Saturday from Clearwater Pass in an 21-foot Everglades boat.
At the time, the skies were fair. However forecasters were warning of bad weather heading into the Gulf of Mexico. The Coast Guard said that they had not received a distress call.
The search began at 2:00am. The Coast Guard deployed a 47-foot lifeboat, a C-130 Hercules fixed-wing aircraft, an HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter, and the Coast Guard Cutter Crocodile. The search covered about 750 square miles of choppy ocean water.
A Coast Guard spokesperson said:
"The whitecaps make it hard to spot the vessel, which is only 21 feet. sWe are continuing our search efforts with all the air and water assets we have. We can't speculate on when we will end the search."
 

DAB

Mod Emeritus
Oct 9, 2008
9,434
149
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Louisiana
I don't think anyone sets out with the intent to get lost or hurt! Things just happen! Do these folks need to assume the cost of their high risk, likely so. But being we live in a society were we value human life and understand that as crazy as some of the decision are that people make. We are talking about the son, daughter, father, mother of someone out there. I think if it were one of your own family members or even yourself you'd feel differently!
 

Casual Fan

Surprisingly nice
Oct 14, 2008
19,024
3,053
163
Roanoke, VA
I have no problem with doing the following:

1) Setting limits, e.g., if you venture up the mountain from December to February, we ain't coming after you.

2) Sending them a bill. We're happy to rescue you, but you're picking up the tab.

I mean, we send the paramedics when drunks drive their cars into trees. Are we not going to rescue sincere hikers who happen to misjudge the weather?
 

Vargas

Molon Labe!
Oct 16, 2008
3,426
153
63
Western, PA
I don't think anyone sets out with the intent to get lost or hurt! Things just happen! Do these folks need to assume the cost of their high risk, likely so. But being we live in a society were we value human life and understand that as crazy as some of the decision are that people make. We are talking about the son, daughter, father, mother of someone out there. I think if it were one of your own family members or even yourself you'd feel differently!

Look, I get the fact that these peoples' families are distraught right now and rightly so. Do I wish anybody to get hurt? Of course not. But to completely throw caution AND common sense into the wind and go to climb an 11,000 ft mountain in the middle of December when you live in the Pacific Northwest is just idiotic.

I feel bad for the families of the climbers but I also feel bad for the rescue worker that can't be at home because he/she is out combing the mountain looking for people that apparently didn't get enough attention as children and now have to risk their lives at the expense of others.

OH, and if my child or brother came to me and said they were going for an intense mountain climb in mid december in the PAC-North, I'd tell them they there were idiots and forbid them from doing it!!!!
 

xan_user

Banned
Dec 16, 2008
3,234
74
48
Nor-Cal
If the 24/7 news media monster covered the 99.98 % of these trips that happen without incident, it wouldn't sell any advertising.

Sad to see some of you guys are just eating up the BS media frenzy they're feeding you.

Now this thread needs some back country stoke!

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEW64Z2gV6M[/ame]
 
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