That story is from 2008.

Some contradictions:



So an experienced mountaineer is prepared for a hike but not for the wheather to turn nasty? Hmmm...

Don´t know how others think but myself have always thought that mountains and quick wheather change go hand in hand.

As a mountaineer I know it's not that simple. I'm not familiar with mount Rainier, but weather in mountains can change pretty unexpectedly.

For mountaineers there is a trade of between gear and speed. Speed get you out of trouble. Gear is needed if you are in trouble, but the weight of that gear slows you down and you are more likely to get in to trouble.

I would have preferred a strategy that would not have sacrificed one to save the rest of the party. Let the packs serve as insulation beneath, huddle everyone up, and cover over in the hole with something, anything at all. Almost any kind of a stove, even something weighing less than half a pound (500 grams) would have made a big difference. A small light stove made all the difference for me when I was overnight in a snow hole (a long time ago on a mountain far, far away).

I don't want to speak ill of someone that sacrificed himself to save another; he obviously was brave and compassionate. However, it does seem like a little better gear and strategy would have allowed all three to survive with just an interesting story to tell.