Well, I'm not a climber by anyone's definition, so this is purely an outsider's point of view, but I am not comfortable with the increasingly "holier than thou" tone that seems to be becoming the norm on this site.

The fact that he last climbed in Yosemite three decades ago doesn't mean he hasn't climbed in three decades. Heck, there are 70-year olds climbing Mount Everest; what's your evidence that this guy wasn't up to the climb? (For all you know, that climb 30 years ago may have been with *his* dad. In fact, where in his story does he indicate that that was the last time he climbed in Yosemite?) He sounds to me like an experienced climber with 30 years experience, not some yahoo trying to relive his glory days.

Granted, he made mistakes. He also had the courage to post publicly about those mistakes, and he had no problem admitting to them.

BillyM just scares me. If I did climb, I sure wouldn't climb with him after reading his post. The idea that he would put his son's life in danger to avoid the "embarrassment" of calling SAR is just - well, it scares me. In fact, it seems to be precisely that "can-do" attitude which got Vic and Sascha in so deep in the first place.