The IDIOT Rant

Why are some people such stupid-risk takers? Yes, I typed that right. There are risk takers, calculated-risk takers, and then there are stupid-risk takers. Case in point: two men buried in avalanches at Whistler/Blackcomb , and a third snowboarder found alive after three days in the cold on Mt. Seymour in North Vancouver THEY ARE IDIOTS!!! Not only that, Mr. Outdoorsman-Snowboarder-Dude didn't even follow the basic rules of being rescued which include: stay where you are and make yourself noticeable. He SAW the damn helicopters and waved? Among all the hemlock and fir trees? In blowing snow? IDIOT!!! He kept thinking each day that he'd wander out and find his way back???? IDIOT!!!! I used to work on Mt. Seymour as a snowshoe guide and even I got lost a few times. Not seriously, because it was always in areas where the trail looped and I would cross it eventually, plus I had a very good sense of direction and orientation, but still... He told no one where he was headed and when to expect him back???? IDIOT!!!!!!!!!! The only reason people knew he was missing was that some alert resort staff members noticed his abandoned truck in the main parking lot for more than one night. He can thank his sorry ass they were on the ball.

Having worked among people who skied and snowboarded every day, and occasionally went off-trail, I know the allure of biting into fresh powder, of going where there is no one else, of tackling truly challenging terrain. But, for god's sake, with all the warnings, the absolutely perfect avalanche conditions in those areas, and the knowledge that you might not know what to do if you got lost, WHY would you take such a stupid risk???? Not only would you be risking your own life, but those of the Search and Rescue crews that are sent out to find you. Then there are the friends and family waiting for you, not knowing your fate and fearing the worst, or hearing the worst and facing life without you. How pointlessly stupid and selfish. Want thrills? Look elsewhere IDIOTS!!!!