Interesting story and interesting comments below it. Those folks ignored a few rules....like "check weather" and "file a fight plan". That shovel did come in handy, though.
Registered: 10/30/03
Posts: 4963
Loc: Marina del Rey,CA
Just "armchairing" their preparedness, I'd say they were about 75% there-a bag would really have helped-even if it was just one between them-they were a couple, so they wouldn't have been shy about climbing in one together. That and a stove. On VFTT, the NE site, most of them carry a full pack in winter even on day hikes since the area gets really nasty from what I read.
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.
Edited by TomD (01/31/1204:29 PM)
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<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
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These are my own opinions based on wisdom earned through many wrong decisions. Your mileage may vary.