I carry a satellite messenger. I would use it. Anywhere I've gone, they would come looking for me regardless. Being able to provide a location and condition report helps both me and rescuers. Do you think I should use it in an emergency? Why or why not?
I think that by carrying that beacon, you are extending your risky behavior to the rest of humanity. You are obligating those members of search and rescue who may wish to do something different with their evenings to help you. I further think that with the type of climbing you do, in the conditions you attempt them, and with the equipment you carry, those emergency personnel engaged to help you would not begrudge you in the slightest. Additionally, I believe that any advocate of the outdoors - including myself - would encourage you to carry that beacon and use it in an emergency. The odds of you getting yourself into dire trouble that is likely to endanger the health and welfare of a rescue party is minimal and while risk can be minimized, it cannot be eliminated. I have no problems whatsoever with that rescue link you posted. That was a bad situation gone right. It's a long fuckin' walk, however, between "three miles from freeway to peak" and "crowdfunding a month on the side of a Pakistani peak in Winter" and the amount of risk incurred by the climbers is positively dwarfed by the risks assumed by any party necessary to mount a rescue.
The party doing the rescue were on their own crazy higher risk adventure ride. Think about it all the high mountains have already been claimed and climbed the only thing more extreme than that is these crazy rescue missions. Every big shot climber can claim an Everest summit but how many can claim a rescue like this in -50 weather and pitch black against a ticking clock to save a life, it doesn’t get more extreme adventure than that. Yeah someone has to provide the heli ride and the funds but everyone here is a willing participant. Now family and friends of the extreme risk takers... that sucks to get dragged on a roller coaster every time the risk taker engages in the behavior, no argument there, very similar to having a suicidal friend/family. Ihave no problems whatsoever with that rescue link you posted. That was a bad situation gone right. It's a long fuckin' walk, however, between "three miles from freeway to peak" and "crowdfunding a month on the side of a Pakistani peak in Winter" and the amount of risk incurred by the climbers is positively dwarfed by the risks assumed by any party necessary to mount a rescue.