best of cc.com Mt. Hood events speculation

[foraker]

Molly1, what you are probably reading are actual accident reports, not statistics about the number of accidents that acutally occur. I'd hazard a guess that the number of accidents per climber or climbing trip is a fair bit lower than the total number of accidents per driver or driving trip. Maybe not, but my point is that can't sit there in your nice comfy sofa doing nothing but read accident reports and watching Faux News and then come to the conclusion that we are all a bunch of reckless safety-averse yahoos running around in the mountains. Most people who take climbing seriously try to develop the skills and experience necessary to minimize risk (I dare say, most drivers don't seem to develop any safety skills at all). Sometimes things just happen, even to very experienced climbers. Should we ban driving because most accidents are caused by people being poorly trained and inattentive to risk? Should we make them post a bond in case they need to be 'rescued'? Perhaps charge them extra for driving on roads known to be 'unsafe' or if they attempt to drive when bad weather is imminent? How about flying? Hurtling through the air at 650 mph in a metal tube over which you have no control, that doesn't strike you as 'risky' behavior?

[tvashtarkatena]

Every morning when I awaken, I thank the Lord my wife hasn't killed me in my sleep.

[DirtyHarry]

I've been reading some more and I've discovered that these 'accidents' on top of mountains are not all that uncommon. People can just slip and fall, and if they cannot break their fall with an ice axe, they can fall hundreds of feet to their death. Sometimes if they are roped they can pull others down with them. Looking at these reports, it seems that a great deal of skill is really required to mess around on the steep inclines at the tops of these mountains, including knowing how to discern between different types of snow (which can change in a heart beat when the sun comes up), knowing what gear to use, knowing how to stop a free fall with an ice axe before too much speed builds up, not to mention all the technical knowledge required to climb rockface and ice.

 

Needless to say, I've vowed never to venture to a place where trees refuse to grow. I'm sure you will all be happy to hear that.

 

I am awed by how dangerous this sport really is, even though people don't seem to generally acknowledge that.

 

And, I have come to appreciate the onerous sign taken by the sheriff that two ice axes were left behind on a steep slope.

 

If I were ever going to take on such an endeavor on an unknown mountain, I would hire someone who grew up climbing it and who had a lot of skill and local knowledge to accompany me.

 

Wow. This is some classic shit.

[Cobra_Commander]

this last post took it over the top. my unmanned drones smell avatar. "rockface"??? what is this, avatar amateur hour?

[DirtyHarry]

Apparently steep inclines are only located at the tops of mountains now.

[olyclimber]

well, i've done some looking, and apparently these accidents can also happen on mountain bottoms too. if the mountain bottom is steep enough, then ice picks can cut the rope, but the falls are usually less because mountain bottoms are closer to the base of the mountain.

[Seahawks]

After ready this thread I had to get an account and say what a bunch of arrogant asses in here. Its obvious what led to the climbers deaths. There own arrogance. At any point they could have called for help but didn't. When it was to late they called. Its that same arrogance that is in this room. A bunch of people full of themselves.

 

It too bad, I was pulling for them. 99% of people in here could learn from them but I doubt they will. Stuck on themselves. Flame that Idiots.

[tazz]

oh boy! Get out the popcorn.

[olyclimber]

how about them seahawks?

[tvashtarkatena]

I say, could one of you good chaps help me up from this overstuffed chair so that I may refresh my cognac?

[DirtyHarry]

After ready this thread I had to get an account and say what a bunch of arrogant asses in here.

 

I've seen Oly's ass and I wouldn't say it's arrogant. Nice. Definitly nice. But not arrogant.

[strumpett]

what is this, avatar amateur hour?

 

This entire thread is amateur hour. Started by the biggest amateur of them all!

Edited December 26, 2006 by strumpett

[Cobra_Commander]

mike holmgren would have survived. Actually they all would have survived if they had cut open holmgren's belly and crawled inside. go hawks.

[olyclimber]

After ready this thread I had to get an account and say what a bunch of arrogant asses in here. Its obvious what led to the climbers deaths. There own arrogance. At any point they could have called for help but didn't. When it was to late they called. Its that same arrogance that is in this room. A bunch of people full of themselves.

 

It too bad, I was pulling for them. 99% of people in here could learn from them but I doubt they will. Stuck on themselves. Flame that Idiots.

 

there are so many misspelling in this post that i'm not sure i can trust the sage advice being laid out so trollingly

who can i trust if i can't trust a troll?

[olyclimber]

mike holmgren would have survived. Actually they all would have survived if they had cut open holmgren's belly and crawled inside. go hawks.

 

but they still would have lost the game.

[tvashtarkatena]

He has elevated the sentence fragment to the ethereal relm of poety.

[strumpett]

Hate to tell you boy's. Seahawk's suck this year. Never really got it going. Too bad!

[DirtyHarry]

As it were, I'm off to learn to discern between different types of snow. Toodles. Oh, someone get off their lazy ass and get Tva... some more cognac.

[olyclimber]

Don't forget your arrogance. Its useful for getting you into tight spots.

[kevbone]

some more cognac.

 

I want more Cognac. Good stuff.

[Couloir]

After ready this thread I had to get an account and say what a bunch of arrogant asses in here. Its obvious what led to the climbers deaths. There own arrogance. At any point they could have called for help but didn't. When it was to late they called. Its that same arrogance that is in this room. A bunch of people full of themselves.

 

It too bad, I was pulling for them. 99% of people in here could learn from them but I doubt they will. Stuck on themselves. Flame that Idiots.

Buh-bye.

[Seahawks]

Arrogance is thinking you smarter than everyone else on here because you've been to top of a mountain. Hopefully everyone on here learns a lesson and gets the phone out when in a similar situation and not being so cocky to think there skills can get them out.

I've been on Rainer and been in a chute when a rock the size of a VW bus came rolling on down. Sometimes there nothing you can do but the 3 up there could have called way before they did. That is being Arrogant and cocky.

Sometimes in life you have to ask for help, think your too much of a man and you'll be dead too.

 

All I can hope is someone learned.

 

And all the people cutting on people speculating on what happened shut up. Hell go on Yahoo and do a look up on the hikers names, Read every newspaper, They all speculated and got it wrong. Hell flame them. They get paid for there crap. Better educated guess here and it doesn't disrespect anyone. Me personally I could care less how things unfolded, them having the phone was the stupid thing and not using it. They were too proud to use it and it cost them there lives.

[tvashtarkatena]

Have a swimmingly grand time, Soiled Harold.

[lI1|1!]

i've been reading this thread for god knows how many pages and i'd just like to say how sad it is that three wonderful human beings have to die on a mountain to get outsiders to come in here and make us climber types laugh so much.

[Seahawks]

Climber types - lol idiot.