<One of them-the woman- lost a snowshoe. I'd never thought about it, but a leash on steep ground would be a good idea, like the old ski leashes people used before brakes became common. >
brakes? leashes on skis can make them hit you and kill you. Leashes on iceaxes can make them hit you and kill you. However no leash means byebye to you gear. I've never seen brakes on anything but downhill skis. I was hit by an errant downhill ski before the brake thing. It can kill you as it sails through your body like a spear - perhaps this is the real reason for the insurance companies requireing brakes at downhill resorts.
heck a friend of mine dropped his canteen somewhere below the Hillary step (Everest), then lost a glove and turned around.
Jim