Longs Peak rescue

[lodidodi]

They spent $41k to rescue him
http://www.9news.com/story/news/local/2 ... /10301271/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[MountainHiker]

When I see this I wonder how many states and other jurisdictions have an equivalent of a CORSAR card. The fee for Aconcagua provides funding for the rangers and the helicopter. We often travel to other states & countries to hike / climb. When there is a rescue, are the locals saying "I hope they bought a ---- card? My nephew and his friend came out here last year and we did a couple fourteeners. I took them to REI first and they bought CORSAR cards.

[mountaingoat-G]

They spent $41k to rescue him
http://www.9news.com/story/news/local/2 ... /10301271/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And some are making him out to be a hero?

I'll take good judgement any day over dumb luck.

[TallGrass]

"It took nearly three days, 46 people and two helicopters to get 19-year-old Samuel Frappier, of Quebec, Canada, off a narrow rocky ledge on the east side of the 14,000 foot Longs Peak."

Well, if Sam made a mistake, at least the press gives him company. According to their math, he spent at least two nights on the ledge.

[iholdthepain]

They spent $41k to rescue him
http://www.9news.com/story/news/local/2 ... /10301271/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And some are making him out to be a hero?

I'll take good judgement any day over dumb luck.

No, no one has made him out to be a hero. He did accomplish a great feat, though, no matter how you try to spin it. Now that a dollar amount has been established, it seems as if it's time for the Monday morning QB's to pounce once again. Frappier DID use good judgement, and called for help when he got in a precarious situation. Mistakes are made in the mountains all the time, and he was classy enough to come on this website and show humility in telling his story. Hurling insults at him is a terrible way to represent 14ers.com and the CO climbing community. None of us are perfect little mountain goats out there in the wilderness.

[tlongpine]

They spent $41k to rescue him
http://www.9news.com/story/news/local/2 ... /10301271/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And some are making him out to be a hero?

I'll take good judgement any day over dumb luck.

No, no one has made him out to be a hero. He did accomplish a great feat, though, no matter how you try to spin it. Now that a dollar amount has been established, it seems as if it's time for the Monday morning QB's to pounce once again. Frappier DID use good judgement, and called for help when he got in a precarious situation. Mistakes are made in the mountains all the time, and he was classy enough to come on this website and show humility in telling his story. Hurling insults at him is a terrible way to represent 14ers.com and the CO climbing community. None of us are perfect little mountain goats out there in the wilderness.

"Humility" is the wrong word to describe someone who really wants us to know that even though he called SAR he was able to make it down without their support.

"Great" is the wrong word to describe something that has been done by others, without fanfare or spectacle.

I won't go into the long list of evidence demonstrating poor judgement, but "good" is certainly wrong word to describe Sam's judgement in it's totality. (Thank god that cell signal gave him a shot at redemption, right?)

When this thread began I though too many posters were quick to offer snap judgement. Now, with the facts out, and having heard firsthand from Mr. Frappier, I think too many offer praise for his antics. Neither represents a community well.

[mountaingoat-G]

They spent $41k to rescue him
http://www.9news.com/story/news/local/2 ... /10301271/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And some are making him out to be a hero?

I'll take good judgement any day over dumb luck.

No, no one has made him out to be a hero. He did accomplish a great feat, though, no matter how you try to spin it. Now that a dollar amount has been established, it seems as if it's time for the Monday morning QB's to pounce once again. Frappier DID use good judgement, and called for help when he got in a precarious situation. Mistakes are made in the mountains all the time, and he was classy enough to come on this website and show humility in telling his story. Hurling insults at him is a terrible way to represent 14ers.com and the CO climbing community. None of us are perfect little mountain goats out there in the wilderness.

This isn't "Monday morning QB-ing", as a lot of time has passed and info has come out and the price tag is now realized and we have heard from the person himself and got some insight into his thought process and justification scheme.
I'm exaggerating to make a point. But you say he used good judgment? Maybe after a string of really bad calls, he made one phone call- So what.
Good judgment does not lead to a $41K price tag. That's more than a lot of people earn, pre-tax, in an entire year.

[Brian C]

...Frappier DID use good judgement...

Not only did his blatant disregard for the mountain almost cost him his life, but he put many others at risk and racked up a large bill in the process. He then came onto a public forum to nonchalantly jest about his adventure while adding an air of triviality about it. Whole thing seems pretty absurd to me.

[12ersRule]

I'm okay with the price tag on it, and I hope others don't hesitate to call SAR if they run into issues in the mountains.

His hubris on this forum definitely turned me to a hater though. Glad his 14 minutes are up.

[crossfitter]

As usual, there's a healthy middle ground to be had.

Was he woefully under-prepared, both in terms of knowledge and equipment? Yes. Did he exhibit exceptionally poor judgement, even for a 19 year old man? Definitely. After a series of near-fatal blunders, did he finally make one good decision? Absolutely.

But in spite of all the textbook examples of what not to do in the mountains, it's undeniably impressive that he was able to pull this off without getting himself killed. That's not to say he is an elite climber, certainly not one worthy of admiration, but simply that he accomplished something that many here are likely incapable of doing (largely because most have far too much common sense to be willing to try). Sam is alive today for many reasons; the mental security of having SAR looking out for him, luck, his own foolhardy mental fortitude, and making just few enough bad decisions. I'll leave it up to the peanut gallery to quantify each portion.

Whenever there is a fatal accident in the mountains, there's a prevalent sentiment on this forum of wanting to learn from others' mistakes. This is one of those rare circumstances where we get a detailed first-personal account of a near-miss. To throw away half of the story, regardless of which perspective you take, is a narrow-minded and wasteful way to analyze the situation. It's all too easy to take a cursory glance at Sam's story, come to the pithy conclusion that he was just a dumb kid and you'll never make bad decisions like that. Instead, everyone should be putting themselves in his shoes to understand his thought-process. That way you can recognize how easy it is to make a series of increasingly bad decisions, none of which are catastrophic on their own, but can culminate in a dire situation.

[mtree]

I basically agree with crossfitter.

No point in bashing the guy. When I was 19 I was a foolish, dumbass. I could easily see myself in his shoes. He was naïve. And he was lucky. Pure and simple. An impressive accomplishment? I'd say so. Think about this, climbers take these routes all the time and survive. Sure, they're prepared with all sorts of equipment that Frappier did not have. However, if their lives depended on it, these climbers could likely make the same climb without equipment under Frappier's perfect conditions. But not all would have such good fortune. I'll just throw out this number, 1 out of 10 wouldn't get out alive. Maybe more. Frappier was on the plus side of this statistic. Good for him.

That's not a statistic I'd be willing to climb with. And I doubt Frappier would risk it again either.

[Hungry Jack]

As an amateur student of cognitive science (I am sure you are all happy for me), I understand the human need to attribute life's successes and failures to discrete and deliberate actions taken by individuals. It's ingrained in our species, and frankly a big part of our evolutionary success. We have an innate need to feel in control of our fate.

But I think the truth is that the very fine line between success and failure, and living and dying, is often delineated by simple twists of fate.