You are correct only in theory here. We are not talking about a beacon. This potential law is for a MLU which is a device tht only works on Mt Hood and only works after the SAR folks have been led to start a search. It is sort of nice that most of us wont have to buy one (they are rented at certain locations before the climb) but they in no way can be compared to a beacon or a PLB.

Definatley a knee jerk reaction to recent events.

In Utah, two snowmobilers died in separate avalanches on Saturday.

Zachary Holmes, 16, of Farr West, was buried by an avalanche estimated to be 300 feet wide near Tower Mountain in the Uinta Mountains, about 14 miles southeast of Heber City, the Wasatch County sheriff’s office said.

Holmes was wearing a helmet and an avalanche beacon, deputy Michael Graves said. Following the beacon’s signal, his cousins found him and dug him out of the snow. He later died at the University of Utah Hospital, authorities said.

Wasn't the real cause of death on Hood last year the gigantic storm that rendered rescue and retreat impossible?

Somewhat, yes.

Was reading an article today in Rotor and Wing (that, or Vertical, can't remember which.... we have both at work) that discussed the heli response from Oregon Nat'l Guard, how well their equipment worked (a hover at 11,000 feet using 51% capacity? Holy fuck, those Chinooks and Blackhawks are bad mo-fo aircraft...) and so forth.

Weather was an issue at times, not so much at others, according to this article. Of course, this is focused on the operational aspects of helicopters only, and not the logistics of FINDING the people. Still, given enough ability to hover and sweep, one would think that having a better directional signal could only help.

Everything I read seemed pretty clear about how the conditions were either bad for the helicopters, or bad for rescue personnel on foot, or both.

Reno
Three weeks, two of my friends out of party of 4 were killed on winter expedition. When the other two called for help, SAR hilo with 10 went to rescue, but then the hilo also crashed over the 13000 feet peak due to sudden bad weather but luckily it landed on 10 feet of snow and no one got killed. Three days later another army hilo took of to rescue every one. The SAR hilo is still up there with the other two bodies. They said, they will go back near the beginning of spring to bring down the bodies.

So from pilot's view , we are not going to kill ourself to rescue one.

A beacon is so light to carry that I don't get out in the snow (off piste) without it anymore. Of course, it's expensive and I could understand that people resist to buy one.

We need to be careful as a society to legislate what you "need' to carry with you on leisure time activities.
It's no differant than "bear proof food containers"

I'm not for such laws even though they can help out the ignorant.

So, okay, then how about we charge the people who get lost up there the full fee for the rescue, this will be more costly in terms of insurance than the actual beacon.
That said, I think smokers should carry their own health cost too.

You should probably check into the cost of these things first. By better than eight to one it costs far more to rescue lost dayhikers and mushroom pickers. Next to day hikers is overnight hiikers etc. the cost on a comparisson of rescueing climbers is very close to the bottom of the list. What is differant is that climbers get lots of media attention and lost picnicers don't. That is not a viable reson to charge climbers an extraordinary fee.

Man, I can't even tell when Dingus is being sarcastic anymore.

I gotta get away from this place.