I watched "Touching the Void" last night. I wasn't impressed with their decision to start the climb. Running out of fuel for their stove was an indication of their lack of preparation.

When enough people make the bad decision to go into a very dangerous situation, most will live, some will die. They don't get my applause or sympathy.

Very infrequently, people end up in an unforeseeable situation and end up in a survival situation. But I think most end up in these situations due to lack of preparation for the task they are attempting.

I'm all for intentional personal tests of toughness. But intentionally violating simple safety precautions in those tests is not something I'm into.