No Brainer
A comic running today in The Oregonian.
Every winter, climbers get lost or stranded on Mt. Hood and freeze to death and the topic of locator beacons is discussed. It happened again this week. But many in the climbing community oppose locators for various reasons that seem absurd. Steve Duin wrote a column earlier in the week talking more about their arguments, if you are interested.
A PMR volunteer tweeted me today: "The Oregonian's on a crusade against Portland Mountain Rescue. Yet if Matt Bors ever needs rescuing, we'll go."
Just follow the signal from my locator beacon.
Every winter, climbers get lost or stranded on Mt. Hood and freeze to death and the topic of locator beacons is discussed. It happened again this week. But many in the climbing community oppose locators for various reasons that seem absurd. Steve Duin wrote a column earlier in the week talking more about their arguments, if you are interested.
A PMR volunteer tweeted me today: "The Oregonian's on a crusade against Portland Mountain Rescue. Yet if Matt Bors ever needs rescuing, we'll go."
Just follow the signal from my locator beacon.
posted by Matt Bors at
8:23 PM
3 Comments:
This is one of the funniest things I've seen from you in a long time
I think I heard about this on NPR. A rescuer that was interviewed said there are some cases where people go climbing and use the emergency beacons for stupid things like if they're going to be late by a day or if they get a little lost.
During the mid-90's, there were some departments that charged a rescuing fee to curtail people form taking really stupid risks.
I can kinda see the argument for saying that requiring the beacons may make people take unnecessary risks, except that climbing the mountain to being with is sorta an unnecessary risk. Although some people may use the beacons as a "Taxi Service," in cases like the one you mentioned, requiring them could save peoples' lives.
I do a lot of solo hiking and wouldn't even think about going into the wilderness without my beacon -- absolute no-brainer.
As for shitheads who use them in non-lifethreatening situations, just charge them for the cost of the rescue operation, plus a hefty punitive fine (or shithead tax) on top. I guarantee that would put an end to it.
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