I really had to smile when skimming through the tread. It really raises a good debate. Do some people really want to learn before an accident happen? Or is it easier to rely on the SAR to bale them out?

I think that many people think that it is just a matter of minutes from the accident until they are lifted away in a helicopter. Too many tv shows have shown this. Well tough luck. Also some suppliers of equipment contribute by giving false promises. Last year we had a snow avalance tragedy where just one in a company of seven survived. They all had top gear, including airbags that was said to give 98% survival rate in an avalance. One of them was found under over seven meters of hard snow!

I do not arrange group tours, but I try to help people from middle of Europe with facts about hiking in Norway. And every spring there are a lot of hikers that insist on hiking as early as april. They seem to be unable to comprehend that we go skiing in the mountains until mid may! Even june is questionable most places, lots of snow and swollen rivers.

It is not new that young people think they are immortal and knowitall. What is new is their lack of understanding of the forces of the nature.