As a climber myself, I can understand why they would go up the mountain. I didn't really hear too much about this story so I really can't comment too much on the climbers' skills and whether or not they should have gone up. There is a big difference though, between stupid people getting themselves way in over their heads and good climbers having legitimate accidents. I've seen quite a bit of both.

The costs/risks associated with rescues is actually a pretty big topic in the climbing community. Some have proposed, and I agree with, a rescue insurance policy. Don't have the policy, can't climb the mountian. Pretty simple. At least this would seperate the serious climbers from the idiots.
Fengzi Reviewed by Fengzi on . Climbers on MT Hood Stranded climbers and dog now off the mountain - CNN.com Everyone I've talked to has been more worried about the dog than the people Rating: 5