J_Pointer

Sounds like the acorn didn't fall far from the tree here. JLP

Numerous parties in Yosemite have been charged for their rescue - mostly for either no rainfly, no bivy sack and/or down bags on the wall. I've never seen punitive damages, but I think it's a good idea. Video clips of these guys laughing off their incident and claiming to be "experts" makes me think punitive damages, in addition to rescue costs, in certain cases, such as this one, would be a very good idea. JLP

It's not a rangers job to evaluate people. I generally find the process annoying, as a climber. Posting a list of waypoints at the ranger station - sounds like a great idea. But - they ought to start fining these idiots. Worked wonders in Yosemite. Slap them with the full cost of their rescue plus maybe a $5000 minimum punitive, publish a few incidents in the papers, then see how many go up there without their wands and a clue. JLP

I was just digging for a link I saw here once, and came across this old thread. I felt compelled to comment. Sorry if it's too old of a discussion. I was up in the park waiting for a break in the weather while this ascent took place. The weather was very, very poor. The forecast was poor and had been all week. The mountain was not visible. There was almost constant rain all week at the trailheads. There should have been no surprises here. Thinking there was any reasonable chance of having favorable, safe weather during this 2-4 day ascent should be nonsense to anyone who has spent some time above 12k and saw the forecast and prevailing conditions with their own eyes. There was no "weather window" as I saw it until the following Monday. IMHO, you guys were just rolling the dice and getting lucky in the gaps between clouds. I happened to also read your story elsewhere on the net titled "Reality Check on Liberty Ridge". Although you never clearly explain what reality you're checking, mentioning recent deaths in the story might suggest to a reader that your level of skills and judgment are greater than the deceased. I have to disagree to the level of registering as a new user here just to post this. Seems to me you are just very lucky. Much luckier than those who died this year.