Very interesting article posted over on The Straight Dope:
http://www.straightdope.com/columns…p-the-tab-when-some-daredevil-gets-in-trouble
Trip Report
Very interesting article posted over on The Straight Dope:
http://www.straightdope.com/columns…p-the-tab-when-some-daredevil-gets-in-trouble
hank moon
Hoping the canyoneering community (and possibly CAC) gets behind programs similar to CORSAR in the relatively near future.
2065toyota
I wouldn’t classify you as a little less risky
That being said, risk and abilities are on a sliding scale
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Tom Collins
I wasn’t always like this. When I first started canyoneering, I wouldn’t even dc a short easy 10′ elevator. I looked up and read 3 sources of beta for each canyon, and programmed and followed every single gps point on bluugnome’s beta for the canyon. Now that I have some experience though, I like going into canyons with little more than the drop in point and whether I need any special gear i.e. sandtrap, potshots, etc. Figuring out the canyon is half the fun, even if most canyons everything is already “solved” for you.
Cameron
I like reading stuff like this because this is exactly what I do. I took a ZAC class and when I go in….I take 3 sources of beta, look at photos and study them…..maybe watch a youtube video if I am not sure…I post on here what I might have questions about etc etc. The first time I go thru a canyon I find I follow my beta instructions to a T as long as it makes sense and I feel good about it…but now that I am going back thru canyons I have done….I am more confident and don’t read the beta and try new down climbs etc.
Thanks for posting though as it gives me as a baby canyoneer hope to keep growing! I was proud of myself for leading my aunt and uncle thru keyhole and Pine Creek this past week…Pine Creek…. a canyon I haven’t done and was a step to keep growing. With Mystery and Pine Creek under my belt I am just ready to keep growing and growing. I love it so much!
High five!
Cam
Tom Collins
In a perfect world, we could determine whether the rescue was due to accident/unforeseeable problems, or simple stupidity and charge the idiots and not charge those suffering from accidents. Unfortunately we don’t live in a perfect world. Also sometimes those “daredevil” idiots pave the way for those of us who are a little less risky. I’m sure some of those pioneers of this great sport were considered daredevils back in their time going into the unknown.
JTMiller
One thing that should be considered is the article only considers the cost for SAR performed by the federal government, and distributes it over a large population. If you’re SAR in a small county such as Wayne County, I’m sure it’s a whole ‘nother ball game for them.
2065toyota
I like this paragraph
“In the grand scheme, rescuing people just isn’t that big a deal financially. All those rescues between 1992 and 2007 cost $3.5 million a year on average — a paltry 1.2 cents per American. It’s fair to say most of that was spent not on daredevils but on reasonable, risk-averse people like yourself. Only about 5 percent of SAR efforts deal with rock climbing and mountaineering — i.e., more obviously risky behavior — whereas day hiking, boating, and swimming account for 72 percent. A review of 18 years of SARs on McKinley classified just 9 of 261 rescues as due to inexperience, and only 4 were false alarms.”