zl27

OMG, that is hysterical! Much-need comic relief.

Dude, you obviously know nothing about the crash. It was no search, all rescue. Help was summoned for the original nine victims by a witness who called 911 on his cell phone. A PLB would not have allowed that witness to communicate the level of rescue needed, likely delaying the required depth of response. Plus, when the chopper crashed, the PLB would have been useless for summoning additional help.

I have a question for those of you with SAR experience. What gear/supplies do you take on a SAR mission (beyond your norm)? Is there anything you normally take that you leave behind? Edit: Serious question, truly curious.

An MLB is only a beacon. Someone still has to alert the authorities. I doubt Brian and Nikko would have just waited in the snow cave when they obviously believed they could make a run for help. By the way, do you have an PLB on your boat? (Edited for typo.)

I'm sure the airmen and pilots who operate the C130s year round at Eielson AFB just outside Fairbanks, Alaska would be shocked, SHOCKED I say! to know that someone is operating one of these craft in cold and dark conditions. BTW, low temps in that neighborhood typically run -20 to -40F this time of year with just under 4hrs of possible daylight. My thoughts exactly, Will. I'm sure the Hurricane Hunters would gladly trade duties with either. My guess is FFOC is the sales manager at PLB Rentals.

Phil, your argument is that they should have taken one shared MLU or PLB with them to minimize the risk to SAR, right? Instead they brought a cell phone. For argument's sake, let's pretend they did bring an MLU/PLB instead of a cell phone. What do you think Brian and Nikko would have done with the MLU/PLB when they left Kelly in the snow cave to get help? Of course they would have left it with him. Duh. Which would leave SAR in EXACTLY the same position as they are now. They know Kelly's location but cannot reach him due to the conditions near the summit while they have no idea where Brian and Nikko are hunkered down. And actually, now that I think this through further, the phone was more useful than an MLB/PLU. If they had brought one, they likely would have left the cell to minimize weight. When the beacon was turned on, SAR might have assumed they were together and only focused on reaching Kelly's snow cave. The cell allowed Kelly to report that they had separated AND provided SAR with his position. When SAR finds Brian and Kelly, that cell phone will be the reason. On a side note, what kind of tool wears a life jacket while boating?

The guy planning on climbing today posted on another thread yesterday that he and his buddy had rethought their plans and changed their minds.

Despite the lack of details and accuracy in their reporting, I have to give the media credit for not jumping on the blame wagon. And I have to say that watching Rick Sanchez's failed attempts to learn survival skills has been a welcome and amusing distraction. What a buffoon!

I remember reading about that specific note several days ago. This is a total guess, but maybe the note was "re-released" to the media to help quiet all the negative chatter out there about these guys being ill-prepared. I cannot imagine how hurtful those comments are to their families and friends. On a somewhat related note, here's a great video of the weather on Mount Hood last Friday. Send the holier-than-thou dimwits here when they rip the guys (incorrectly) for not checking the weather:

This is a pretty good article on the technology (and companies) involved in the search. http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2006/12/13/20506.aspx Just ignore the holier-than-thou couch potatoes spewing bile at the bottom of the page.