Climbing and the FUCKING MEDIA

[Science Abuse]

I swear to fucking god I wish no camera had ever been pointed at a fucking mountain. I wish no movies had been made and no news had ever covered the sport. I'm sick and tired of ignorant fucks comenting on something that they could never possibly understand from their heated high-rise studios.

The amount of bullshit that has been spouted about the 3 men and their ordeal on Mount hood is monumental. "There seems to be a Y made out of rope to signal yes, were' here" Is so stupid I think I lost fucking brain cells. It s arope anchor you fucks, don't comment on what you know nothing about. "we shouldn't have to pay so much to save people who risk their lives" These men were more prepared for this climb then you have ever been prepared for anything in your life, you nancyboy tit. They had over half a century of experience between them and planned it for months. Millions of people climb mountains every year without incedent, you're invinting a greater chance for tragedy by getting in your car and driving to work. When some one nails you, I say fuck off, the cops shouldn't waste gas responding to your accident, you knew the risk when you hit the roads. If you want hospita treatment, crawl your ass there yourself. Ambulances shouldn't be wasted on some one who knew that fatal accidents happen daily on the roads, and drove anyway.

"I don't understand why why risk all this to stand on top". Stop watching movies and get the fuck out side. You think because you watched Vertical Limit that you know jack shit about why people climb mountains? You think it's the veiw? Hubris? God Coplex? Penis envy? You need kicked in the face with a double boot. It's impossible for anyone who hasn't done it to possibly understand it. It's about the climb, not the top, and certainly not the shitty view. I'm sick of people who've never risked a god damn thing, or those who've only risked possions for possesions, commenting on the worth of climbing a mountain.

 

I want the news to go away and I want ignorant people to stop talking about it. Leave the fucking sport alone. Don't make any more movies or TV shows, producers and directors have never been able to convey anything close to the real emotion of a climb, and they never will. It's not about getting your fucking picture taken or bragging to your freinds.

[El Karacho1647545492]

and the winner for Rant of the Year goes to...

 

 

 

seriously, though, you make a good point. The media coverage about those Mt. Hood guys regoddamndiculous.

[Mojoe]

I had to look up what this ranting madman was talking about. Here's the link. I'm going back into my bubble now.

 

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,237101,00.html

[Hwilli1647545487]

http://www.volume.cz/include_images/c/cliffhanger/cliffhanger_2.jpg

 

 

Sweeeeet

[Orion]

that was an epic meltdown.

[Skinner]

Eric you have to ask yourself what would Bear Grills do?

[ImUrOBGYN]

I completely agree. I've never done much more than some rock scrambling, but what you say covers alot of areas of interest. If we let people like that dictate what we can or cannot do, pretty soon we'll all have to take baths and piss sitting down because standing will be too dangerous.

[coltboostin]

I completely agree. I've never done much more than some rock scrambling, but what you say covers alot of areas of interest. If we let people like that dictate what we can or cannot do, pretty soon we'll all have to take baths and piss sitting down because standing will be too dangerous.

 

 

No one said they could not go up the mountain-people are just saying why risk lives to save the lives of those who put themselves in a dangerous position-which is a good point.

 

The needs of the Many outweigh the needs of the Few.

 

 

I would agree a rescue attempt in adverse situations would be ridiculous, but it seems they had good weather for a rescue search-and the Mountain is not of that high of elevation either.

 

Benz Guy-we will write off you comparing climbing a mountain to the drive to work in terms of safety as a momentary laps of judgment from your angry state.

[Guest powers]

I have seen every episode of Everest, which means I am a climbing expert.

[Guest Removed]

Media coverage can make you look guilty of a crime, before you ever get arrested, or have a trial...

[Science Abuse]

Benz Guy-we will write off you comparing climbing a mountain to the drive to work in terms of safety as a momentary laps of judgment from your angry state.

Please dont, there was no lapse of judgement. Compare the number of people driving to the number of people who've gotten in accidents, and you'll find that the ratio of total climbers vs those who have needed rescued is vastly better.

Compare that to winter ascents and you'll find the numbers more greatly skewed. In the summer you get the punters, ametures and novices who have no buisness being in the hills. They don't know, so they pick nice weather and they get fucked. The punters leave the winter the hell alone. Call any SAR group and they'll tell you that they respond to many many fewer accidents-per-capita in the winter then in the summer. People dont try it unless they're prepared, and these 3 guys were very well prepared. Cooke is a member of a message board that I'm on, those guys had experience in much harsher environments then Hood.

 

The reason that climbers have less trouble than drivers is simple, they don't take it lightly. Just read the list that the 3 guys left with the rangers before they went up. They were prepared and they notified the proper people before hand, they did everything right, they just hit bad weather.

Your average driver thinks nothing of hitting the roads. They get in their car and they go, talking on their phones and eating their burgers, changing lanes without looking, signaling, or caring. Idiot drivers who have no buisness behind the wheel and no respect for the road are everywhere, idiot climbers are scarce because they end up dead or are scared straight.

Let's hit a bit closer to home, the non average driver, the ones who drive old dodges way to fast and total the shit out of them. They know the risk, AND they risk the lives of those around them. By your reasoning they are not entitled to costly emergency care.

 

Skiers are inthe same environment and subject to the same freak storms, do they not deserve rescue?

Eric you have to ask yourself what would Bear Grills do?

He'd die from the blood parasites he's bound to get from allt he raw fish and meat he's eaten. The guy is fun to wath, but for gods sake don't do anything he does. His glacial arrest rope is garaunteed to fail.

[Science Abuse]

I have seen every episode of Everest, which means I am a climbing expert.

Their "guide" is only a logistics tit, he stays in his tent and makes millions while his sherpas and hired guides do the work.

Advertised "20 years experience on everest, countless summits, and he's never lost a client"

Truth: He's been there since 98 and lost 2 clients and some sherpas. He's no longer allowed to guid in his own country because he suscks so bad. He's summited everest once with his guides/sherpas. He has a monopoly on the north col supply loop and makes millions of dollars a year. He is not respected. I wonder if they'll show the guys passing David Sharp and leaving him to die alone.

[Guest powers]

Their "guide" is only a logistics tit, he stays in his tent and makes millions while his sherpas and hired guides do the work.

Advertised "20 years experience on everest, countless summits, and he's never lost a client"

Truth: He's been there since 98 and lost 2 clients and some sherpas. He's no longer allowed to guid in his own country because he suscks so bad. He's summited everest once with his guides/sherpas. He has a monopoly on the north col supply loop and makes millions of dollars a year. He is not respected. I wonder if they'll show the guys passing David Sharp and leaving him to die alone.

That might be this week.

[copperhead]

The problem is that it's not a mainstream sport. The media doesn't know much about it, and so they have to make shit up as they go. It's the same thing that hurts many other sports, like racing and shooting. They are put into a negative light because they are seen as being possibly dangerous, and the media can't come up with anything beyond that. I feel that education is the key, but the next best option would be for them to just not speak of it.

[Devils Advocate]

I Am Soooo Teh Angree!

[coltboostin]

Please don’t, there was no lapse of judgment. Compare the number of people driving to the number of people who've gotten in accidents, and you'll find that the ratio of total climbers vs those who have needed rescued is vastly better..

 

Feel free to do so. If you can provide such factual information from a credible source, I will paypal you one dollar. I simple don’t care enough to dig up the info-but I also in no way believe it.

 

MAYBE-if the consider every Tom, Dick, and Harry hiker who waked to a 1000ft elevation once in 78' a climber, you may have a Powers' chance in a street race minute chance of being correct here.

 

We'll see.

[Science Abuse]

Feel free to do so. If you can provide such factual information from a credible source, I will paypal you one dollar. I simple don’t care enough to dig up the info-but I also in no way believe it.

 

MAYBE-if the consider every Tom, Dick, and Harry hiker who waked to a 1000ft elevation once in 78' a climber, you may have a Powers' chance in a street race minute chance of being correct here.

 

We'll see.

 

I'm talking about everyone who puts themselves in harms way; above the treeline. By your own logic, that's EVERYBODY who goes that high. Climbers, hikers, skiers, 11,000ft is nothing. I've driven to 12,500, while there I was subject to all manner of danger, most common of which was lightning strike. The same storm could happen in Breckenridge and a few dozen people could be scattered about. A guy and his kid once spent 9 days huddled in a cave before they were found. He knew there could have been a storm and white-out conditions, but went skiing anyway everyone else found the lifts, he got lost. Did they not deserve rescue?

You're saying that no one who knowingly puts themselves in harms way deserves rescue services, that's pretty much everybody.

 

I'm working on the numbers

[Science Abuse]

stats:

The roads are easy, the BTS logs it all for us:

 

2005

Registered vehicles: 243,023,486

crashes: 4,746,307

 

That's 1 in 51 vehicles being involved in an accident in 2005. Keep in mind, this is vehicles registered. Many of us own multiple vehicles, so that would further skew the numbers in my favor.

 

Climbing accidents aren't logged nationally, just by state (or by park in some cases). Even worse, we have no idea how many people have signed climbers logs in 2005, it's not possible to tabulate. So, we'll focus on one high profile, very demanding, and saught after peak. Longs Peak.

I pick longs because it's the crown jewel of one of the oldest national parks in the country. It adorns Colorados quarter, and there's even a portrait of it in OSUs Geology library. This mountain is not a walk-up, it requires climbing. It's VERY popular, and see's experienced mountaineers and total morons alike (I was once stopped on descent by a n old guy sitting on a rock who asked "excuse me, are you a doctor? My pulse won't go down" I advised him to rest then descend.) At 14,225ft, it is highly underestimated.

Estimated climbers per year: 15,000-16,000 (some tools don't sign in).

Accidents in 2005: 2 (Neither fatal, one requiring extraction)

So that's 1 in 7500

 

Since you're not savvy, I'm sure you doubt my mountain choice, but trust me, with this peak I'm SERIOUSLY giving you the benefit of the doubt. You won't find a greater concentration of people who have no buisness mountaineering on a mountain. A national statistic damn sure wouldn't be one in fifty.

[coltboostin]

stats:

The roads are easy, the BTS logs it all for us:

 

2005

Registered vehicles: 243,023,486

crashes: 4,746,307

 

That's 1 in 51 vehicles being involved in an accident in 2005. Keep in mind, this is vehicles registered. Many of us own multiple vehicles, so that would further skew the numbers in my favor.

 

Climbing accidents aren't logged nationally, just by state (or by park in some cases). Even worse, we have no idea how many people have signed climbers logs in 2005, it's not possible to tabulate. So, we'll focus on one high profile, very demanding, and saught after peak. Longs Peak.

I pick longs because it's the crown jewel of one of the oldest national parks in the country. It adorns Colorados quarter, and there's even a portrait of it in OSUs Geology library. This mountain is not a walk-up, it requires climbing. It's VERY popular, and see's experienced mountaineers and total morons alike (I was once stopped on descent by a n old guy sitting on a rock who asked "excuse me, are you a doctor? My pulse won't go down" I advised him to rest then descend.) At 14,225ft, it is highly underestimated.

Estimated climbers per year: 15,000-16,000 (some tools don't sign in).

Accidents in 2005: 2 (Neither fatal, one requiring extraction)

So that's 1 in 7500

 

Since you're not savvy, I'm sure you doubt my mountain choice, but trust me, with this peak I'm SERIOUSLY giving you the benefit of the doubt. You won't find a greater concentration of people who have no buisness mountaineering on a mountain. A national statistic damn sure wouldn't be one in fifty.

 

 

You said “greater chance of tragedy” which I interpreted to be a fatal accident. And since we are comparing it to people dying on a Mountain-I thinks its only fair to compare fatal accidents to their fatal deaths.

 

Besides, comparing a fender bender to an Icy death on the side of a mountain is kind of retarded don’t you think?

[Science Abuse]

I responded moreso to your ascertion of risk. The above data shows that drivers are at greater risk driving than mountaineers are when mountaineering.

But, I'll play ball. Since were talking re$cue $ituations, injuries will be counted. Body recovery is cheaper anyways.

 

Liscensed drivers :196,000,000

Fatal+Injury accidents: 39,189+1,816,000 = 1,855,189

So, that's a ratio of 1:106

So, your 70x more likely to get jacked up in a wreck. I'd call lost limbs and mauled hotties tragic.

But hell, lets do fatalities. 1:5000 Is closer, but 1:7500 still beats it.

 

It's official, Mountaineers are safer when mountaineering then drivers are driving.

 

Also, bad drivers do $203 billion in damage every year. The search for the 3 guys on Mt Hood would have to go on every day, non stop, full on for 5500 YEARS before it was in danger of costing that much.

[coltboostin]

Too much to read-

 

So, I agree!

[coltboostin]

Woop-suck at the internet.

[Tractor]

I agree with Eric here. BTW nice research on the stats. I also agree with Mike. All sports are subjected to this type of bad media coverage. Hell even the play grounds at schools suffer from carebear worry-wart types complaining of the dangerous conditions without really thinking things through.

 

Evan

[Science Abuse]

Wond be long and we'll have a Health and Safety lot like the British do.

 

http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/4999/driftkingfw7dx0.png

[Billy]

On another note, I was snowmobileing at 12,500ft two days ago.