There has been controversy regarding the Outside article, “Tourist Trap,” which can be found here at:
http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/outdoor-skills/survival/Tourist-Trap.html?page=all <http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/outdoor-skills/survival/Tourist-Trap.html?page=all>
This is my reply that I sent to the editors of Outside:
Today, January 16, 2012, I became aware of an article, “Tourist Trap,” by Peter Vigneron that was published November 30, 2011 at Outsideonline.com <http://outsideonline.com/> .
In his article, Mr. Vigneron refers to the death of my brother, Louis Cicotello, from a fall in No Mans Canyon, Utah, in March 2011. My brother’s fall subsequently left me stranded for 145 hours until rescued by the Wayne County SAR team.
I know that Mr. Vigneron contacted Dr. Robert “Rex” Welshon to check facts about my brother prior to publishing the article. Rex also provided the author with my email address but I was never contacted. In a recent email exchange with him, Rex shared with me the following note he sent the editors of Outside:
`I was surprised to see Louis Cicotello’s name mentioned in your article “Tourist Trap.” Louis and I canyoneered together from 1999 until his death this spring in No Man’s (I was not on that trip). Together we went through more than sixty canyons over the years (including Blue John twice, in 2001 and 2004), and he went through another thirty canyons with others. Suggesting that he was either a tourist canyoneer or a copy-cat canyoneer is about as wrong-headed as can be. At his death, he had probably done more than 800 rappels in a forty year climbing and twelve year canyoneering career; moreover, he was utterly expert and meticulous when setting anchor. No one knows what happened in No Man’s, but I do know that he was not an incompetent noob, much less an incompetent copy-cat noob.’
I concur with Rex. To insert my brother’s death and my story of survival within the context of the article focusing on “copy-cat accident phenomenon” is disgraceful. Without the facts of our collective climbing and canyoneering experience, the details of that tragic day in March, and the narrative of my survival, Mr. Vigneron unwittingly misleads his readers to believe that my brother and I were two neophytes on an adventure to “out-Ralston Ralston.” Nothing could be further from the truth.
There may come a day when I decide to share with the public the story of those 145 hours in No Mans Canyon. But until then, it is enough for me to let you and the readers of Outside know that the only trap here is the one Mr. Vigneron stepped into when he unwisely chose an example that doesn’t fit the premise of his article.”
I’m not aware if my reply has been published by Outside.
David Cicotello
David
Thank you for your support.
— In Yahoo Canyons Group, “RAM” wrote:
Thanks for sharing. Lazy reporting is unforgivable. I hope your family is doing as well as posible. > R
— In Yahoo Canyons Group, “David” wrote:
There has been controversy regarding the Outside article, “Tourist
Trap,” which can be found here at:
http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/outdoor-skills/survival/T
ourist-Trap.html?page=all
This is my reply that I sent to the editors of Outside:
Today, January 16, 2012, I became aware of an article, “Tourist Trap,”
by Peter Vigneron that was published November 30, 2011 at
Outsideonline.com .
In his article, Mr. Vigneron refers to the death of my brother, Louis
Cicotello, from a fall in No Mans Canyon, Utah, in March 2011. My
brother’s fall subsequently left me stranded for 145 hours until rescued
by the Wayne County SAR team.
I know that Mr. Vigneron contacted Dr. Robert “Rex” Welshon to check
facts about my brother prior to publishing the article. Rex also
provided the author with my email address but I was never contacted. In
a recent email exchange with him, Rex shared with me the following note
he sent the editors of Outside:
`I was surprised to see Louis Cicotello’s name mentioned in your
article “Tourist Trap.” Louis and I canyoneered together from
1999 until his death this spring in No Man’s (I was not on that
trip). Together we went through more than sixty canyons over the years
(including Blue John twice, in 2001 and 2004), and he went through
another thirty canyons with others. Suggesting that he was either a
tourist canyoneer or a copy-cat canyoneer is about as wrong-headed as
can be. At his death, he had probably done more than 800 rappels in a
forty year climbing and twelve year canyoneering career; moreover, he
was utterly expert and meticulous when setting anchor. No one knows
what happened in No Man’s, but I do know that he was not an
incompetent noob, much less an incompetent copy-cat noob.’
I concur with Rex. To insert my brother’s death and my story of
survival within the context of the article focusing on “copy-cat
accident phenomenon” is disgraceful. Without the facts of our
collective climbing and canyoneering experience, the details of that
tragic day in March, and the narrative of my survival, Mr. Vigneron
unwittingly misleads his readers to believe that my brother and I were
two neophytes on an adventure to “out-Ralston Ralston.” Nothing could be
further from the truth.
There may come a day when I decide to share with the public the story of
those 145 hours in No Mans Canyon. But until then, it is enough for me
to let you and the readers of Outside know that the only trap here is
the one Mr. Vigneron stepped into when he unwisely chose an example that
doesn’t fit the premise of his article.”
I’m not aware if my reply has been published by Outside.
David Cicotello
>
RAM
Thanks for sharing. Lazy reporting is unforgivable. I hope your family is doing as well as posible. R
— In Yahoo Canyons Group, “David” wrote:
> There has been controversy regarding the Outside article, “Tourist > Trap,” which can be found here at:
http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/outdoor-skills/survival/T> ourist-Trap.html?page=all > Tourist-Trap.html?page=all
> This is my reply that I sent to the editors of Outside:
Today, January 16, 2012, I became aware of an article, “Tourist Trap,” > by Peter Vigneron that was published November 30, 2011 at > Outsideonline.com .
In his article, Mr. Vigneron refers to the death of my brother, Louis > Cicotello, from a fall in No Mans Canyon, Utah, in March 2011. My > brother’s fall subsequently left me stranded for 145 hours until rescued > by the Wayne County SAR team.
I know that Mr. Vigneron contacted Dr. Robert “Rex” Welshon to check > facts about my brother prior to publishing the article. Rex also > provided the author with my email address but I was never contacted. In > a recent email exchange with him, Rex shared with me the following note > he sent the editors of Outside:
`I was surprised to see Louis Cicotello’s name mentioned in your > article “Tourist Trap.” Louis and I canyoneered together from > 1999 until his death this spring in No Man’s (I was not on that > trip). Together we went through more than sixty canyons over the years > (including Blue John twice, in 2001 and 2004), and he went through > another thirty canyons with others. Suggesting that he was either a > tourist canyoneer or a copy-cat canyoneer is about as wrong-headed as > can be. At his death, he had probably done more than 800 rappels in a > forty year climbing and twelve year canyoneering career; moreover, he > was utterly expert and meticulous when setting anchor. No one knows > what happened in No Man’s, but I do know that he was not an > incompetent noob, much less an incompetent copy-cat noob.’
I concur with Rex. To insert my brother’s death and my story of > survival within the context of the article focusing on “copy-cat > accident phenomenon” is disgraceful. Without the facts of our > collective climbing and canyoneering experience, the details of that > tragic day in March, and the narrative of my survival, Mr. Vigneron > unwittingly misleads his readers to believe that my brother and I were > two neophytes on an adventure to “out-Ralston Ralston.” Nothing could be > further from the truth.
There may come a day when I decide to share with the public the story of > those 145 hours in No Mans Canyon. But until then, it is enough for me > to let you and the readers of Outside know that the only trap here is > the one Mr. Vigneron stepped into when he unwisely chose an example that > doesn’t fit the premise of his article.”
I’m not aware if my reply has been published by Outside.
David Cicotello
>