AAC RELEASES MAJOR STUDY OF CLIMBING RESCUES The AAC has just published a comprehensive analysis of climbing rescues and the move to hold climbers responsible for rescue costs. The report, “Climbing Rescues in America: Reality Does Not Support ‘High-Risk, High-Cost’ Perception,” was prepared by Deputy Director Lloyd Athearn, who showed that the fatality rate at major climbing destinations has declined dramatically over the last several decades, and that climbing rescues occur far less frequently than with seemingly safer activities such as hiking, boating, and hunting. The report proves that climbers are not a significant drain on the public-safety system, and it debunks many of the arguments used to support discriminatory charge-for-rescue policies specifically targeting climbers.
The Associated Press prepared a feature story on Athearn’s study that was picked up by newspapers throughout the West and in New England. The report also received television coverage in Colorado. The full report is posted online at www.americanalpineclub.org/docs/AAC%20Rescue%20Report%20med.pdf .
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Thank you, Petzl America