I wouldn't normally care about this sort of thing, but I've become interested in this story due to an annoying and threatening series of PMs I've received from one of the dumbshits from NWhikers.net who chose to publicly jump on this kid.
Supposedly what they did wrong:
1)The road was closed, so they had to walk a long way.
2)They got thirsty at one point, and didn't turn around.
3)They used snowshoes, not skis.
4)They got tired, but kept going.
5)It started to get dark, but they kept going.
6)They had some marginal weather, but kept going.
7)They only took one pack from high camp to summit (so presumably didn't each have avy rescue gear)
8)They did the climb despite a grim avalanche forecast.
The avy forecast looks like it was a legitimate concern, but they didn't mention any slides (natural/otherwise) just some ice fall off an ice cliff. They also may/may not have had reasonable level of skill or gear to deal with avy danger and crevasse rescue. It wasn't discussed in the TR that I remember.
The soapboxers at NWhikers then proceeded to publicly rip this kid up (for his own good!) because he was "reckless", "stupid", and is now "lucky to be alive". Also, "Layback" would "hate to have to get a call to go haul (Ryan's) body off the mountain" or something along those lines. It all sounded like ego-puffery to me.
Crabbed age and youth cannot live together:
Youth is full of pleasance, age is full of care;
Youth like summer morn, age like winter weather;
Youth like summer brave, age like winter bare.
- William Shakespeare