Glencoe avalanche

[ViperPict]

Apologies if this is posted elsewhere but I couldn't find anything.

Just, RIP.

[matchmaker]

Indeed

[skyrover]

As a keen walker of those hills myself, it pretty hard hitting.

RIP guys

be careful out there folks

[motco]

Very sad.

[Ozzie Osmond]

I don't see any point in these "sobbing" threads with no content.

Can't people just do it quietly at home?

[ViperPict]

It's just a mark of respect.

I've a lot of experience in the hills and in that area specifically. Just seems to make it more real and realising how many close escapes I've had over the years in the hills.

[Muntu]

Ozzie Osmond said:

I don't see any point in these "sobbing" threads with no content.

Can't people just do it quietly at home?

Alternatively, you could just object quietly to yourself at home, rather than posting to a thread whose content you see as pointless?

[Rollcage]

Doesn't look like huge amount of snow up there either, judging from the pics on TV.

Very unfortunate, by the look of it.

[motco]

Ozzie Osmond said:

I don't see any point in these "sobbing" threads with no content.

Can't people just do it quietly at home?

For God's sake it's hardly tasteless piles of teddy bears and heaps of flowers! It's just mutual empathy among those who tread the hills, and sympathy with those who lose loved ones.

[matchmaker]

The 24 year old woman has now been transferred to the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow. That normally (to me)suggests brain injuries as the SG has a specialist neuro-surgery unit.

[sjabrown]

It's one of the hazards of going out in the hills in winter. There is quite a lot of snow up here but it's mainly collected in the gulleys. Temperature has been fluctuating around zero in recent days which is one of the many risk factors for avalanche.

[richtea78]

Why do people go up the hills when its that sort of weather though? It seems to me to be pretty selfish as now lots of people have to put their lives at risk to deal with it.

It may sound insensitive but I struggle to see any sort of reason why people have to die like this

[iphonedyou]

richtea78 said:

Why do people go up the hills when its that sort of weather though? It seems to me to be pretty selfish as now lots of people have to put their lives at risk to deal with it.

It may sound insensitive but I struggle to see any sort of reason why people have to die like this

Nobody has to die like this. Accidents happen. Generally speaking, the precautions taken are enough to ensure that nothing untoward occurs. No different to, say, going for a spirited drive - you take all the precautions you can, but occasionally somebody gets caught out.

Relative to the number of winter sports enthusiasts, avalanche accidents are probably no more statistically likely than a lethal accident in many other sports.

[MiniMan64]

Bloody hell. You see something like this on the news and it's very sad and you feel bad about it for a while and move on.

Then you see a name pop up and you realise you were at the same school and she was one of your brothers best friends.

RIP Una

[eccles]

iphonedyou said:

richtea78 said:

Why do people go up the hills when its that sort of weather though? It seems to me to be pretty selfish as now lots of people have to put their lives at risk to deal with it.

It may sound insensitive but I struggle to see any sort of reason why people have to die like this

Nobody has to die like this. Accidents happen. Generally speaking, the precautions taken are enough to ensure that nothing untoward occurs. No different to, say, going for a spirited drive - you take all the precautions you can, but occasionally somebody gets caught out.

Relative to the number of winter sports enthusiasts, avalanche accidents are probably no more statistically likely than a lethal accident in many other sports.

But time and again we see stories of people being rescued when the forecast/conditions have been awful, and yet they don't seem to have the common sense to think, 'I know lets come back in a couple of weeks when conditions are are better'.
Just the fact that you are experienced and go well equipped isn't enough for some of the conditions we have here.
I'm not saying you should be restricted to bright sunny days, but a bit of common sense would go a long way.

[skyrover]

why do people jump out of planes?

why do people run marathons?

why do people race cars?

There are risks involved with everything

These people were experienced hill walkers and I very much doubt negligence was to play here. Mountains can have a habit of catching people out.

[eccles]

skyrover said:

why do people jump out of planes?

why do people run marathons?

why do people race cars?

There are risks involved with everything

Would you jump out a plane when there was a gale blowing? Race a car in pouring rain? No would be a normal persons answer. There are limits most people stick for just about anything, why should hill walking or mountain climbing be any different?

[thinfourth2]

iphonedyou said:

richtea78 said:

Why do people go up the hills when its that sort of weather though? It seems to me to be pretty selfish as now lots of people have to put their lives at risk to deal with it.

It may sound insensitive but I struggle to see any sort of reason why people have to die like this

Nobody has to die like this. Accidents happen. Generally speaking, the precautions taken are enough to ensure that nothing untoward occurs. No different to, say, going for a spirited drive - you take all the precautions you can, but occasionally somebody gets caught out.

Relative to the number of winter sports enthusiasts, avalanche accidents are probably no more statistically likely than a lethal accident in many other sports.

It should be banned

if it saves one live

[sjabrown]

richtea78 said:

Why do people go up the hills when its that sort of weather though? It seems to me to be pretty selfish as now lots of people have to put their lives at risk to deal with it.

It may sound insensitive but I struggle to see any sort of reason why people have to die like this

People do this because they want to, it gives enjoyment, and it is reasonably safe. Most of the MRT members are still active climbers themselves and would be out in similar conditions of their own accord. Some of this keeps them fresh for rescues.

It is very rare for teams to criticise the folk they rescue, but when they do it is for good reason. The majority that venture out are well prepared and know their limits. This was just a terrible accident.

How do you determine if an activity is safe? There is a comporable risk in driving to the hills, and road accidents put emergency services at risk when attending. Interestingly by far and away the most dangerous outdoor activity is base-jumping. Everything else carries similar risk (skiing, sky diving, mountain biking...)

[sjabrown]

eccles said:

Would you jump out a plane when there was a gale blowing? Race a car in pouring rain? No would be a normal persons answer. There are limits most people stick for just about anything, why should hill walking or mountain climbing be any different?

The activity here is hill walking and climbing in winter conditions. Winter is planned for and expected. Just in the same way as people sometimes go cycling in the rain, rally driving on the snow and ice or indeed race a car in the pouring rain.