Jim Whittaker: Relying on Rescue Technology

Jim Whittaker, the first American to climb Mount Everest and former president of REI, sounds off on dependence on rescue technology.

Commenting on recent rescues and efforts to legislate emergency beacons, Whittaker writes that reliance on technology often creates new dangers for both climbers and rescuers. He emphasizes the need for expedition planning and personal responsibility:

“The technology has made it easier to rely more on search-and-rescue personnel, and less on skill and knowledge.”

“A climber should begin every expedition assuming that that he could be trapped in a blizzard”

Read the full op-ed piece:

A Summit Technology Can’t Reach
By Jim Whittaker
New York Times
March 9, 2007, Friday