Here's an article about the new fees that hikers to Pikes Peak will be charged if they call 911 for a ride down and aren't injured. Up to $500. Not sure if that's per person or per party. I'm sure the rangers around there have seen a lot of dumb and ill-prepared people huffing it up the world famous mountain.

And this is just for a ride down. I wonder if they were already charging for full-blown SAR operations before this fee?

Seems reasonable (it's only $100 if the road is open!) and it's clear that this is just for people who aren't injured.

The alternative is that people will call 911 and claim they are injured and so trigger a bigger rescue operation /medical evac.
I suspect it will serve as better a warning to people than the usual notices.

About friggin' time!

I wouldn't claim injury unless you are ready to break your leg before the responders show up. If they check you out and clear you, the fine could go up, along with some time in the pokey.

Someone should start a service offering rides down, in season. DW and I took a van down from Mount Washington for about $25, maybe a couple less.

Or rent these:
http://www.landroller.com/index.html

...and band-aids...

you took the words right out of my mouth.....

Could just rig the fakers to drag behind the train, so they bounce along the cogged rail, all the way down the mountain...

That Cog train is something else! If only they had decent seats in it. Darned near broke my back last time, but what a view!!!

I wonder if setting a "price" on calling 911 just for a ride doesn't end up legitimizing the very action that they'd like to discourage? I mean, if the fee can be as little as $100, and you're on vacation and spending a lot of money anyway, what's another $100, some might think. Or they might not think it's a big deal to the authorities if it only "costs" $100 to go get them down.

Actually, if these hikers received something that looks more like an itemized hospital bill (what? $100 for two aspirin???), then I think they'd think twice about whether they can get up and down without help.

Well, since the cost of a round-trip ride on the Cog train is only $31 to $35, I'd say charging rescuees $100 for a ride down the hill would be more profitable. 911 would get the call, let the rescuee know when the next train is coming by, and let the Railroad folks know they will have some pickups and to get the money up front before letting them on the train, at least that's the way I'd do it. The railroad can do VISA, and who doesn't travel up Pike's Peak these days without their plastic?