I'm glad to see the evenhanded comments on this thread. We don't have solid info on the deceased's outdoor background but she certainly didn't seem like the stereotypical tourist who, for example, hikes out in Death Valley in flipflops with 0.5 liters of water.

I suspect it's like Tjin and AKSAR say: she was basically qualified for the adventure but rolled the dice and lost with the weather. She may not have had enough experience in gale force winds to appreciate how debilitating they can be. It's what you "don't know that you don't know" that gets you.

Many of us here at ETS have surely danced a little close to the edge regarding uncontrollable factors like weather and came out OK. I know that there were plenty of times over the years where I could have gotten the short straw, and I'm by no means reckless.