http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/1 ... _ref=green

So sorry.

Sorry for the loss and condolences to his family and friends.

That's four so far this year, two climbers. Really sucks to lose someone who's been into climbing for so long with this much experience.

I kinda noticed that experience does not always improve one's safety. Experienced climbers tend to take more dangerous climbs.

Very sad. Just shows anything to happen to anyone.

Tragic indeed. Also irritating to read, yet again, the useless comments about him having been solo. Have we not been through this many times before...how many deaths from "clothesline" falls involving roped parties have taken place on Mt. Hood? The real question here is why was he not able to self-arrest after falling - was the terrain too steep, were conditions too icy, or did he not have an ice axe (either didn't use one or it was somehow wrenched off his hand during the fall)? Unfortunately (and here it DOES matter that he was solo) we will probably never know. Either way, a very sad story and yet another reminder of just how quickly everything can go wrong in the mountains...

As is now typical of internet media, we can no less than expect that which was once a relatively silent critique become evermore loud and intrusive, more and more offerings of ignorant opinion from the cheap seats.

No greater example than that which was initially reported, and in some ways followed up upon, that which was released from the sister website of my hometown newspaper. Perhaps, and this is My Not So Humble Opinion, even greater was the initial release of info (early morning) and the very words from the Clackamas County Sherrif's Office Deputy on scene. QUOTE: "Initial reports indicated that the man was not well equipped for the conditions."

There is no doubt that media and journalistic sensationalism greatly contribute to the misgivings of others, however, the direct quote from Officer Phillips was given long before SAR reached the scene, the impression taken from other climbers somewhat NEAR the scene (perhaps one who actually rapped down to the deceased) reporting "a large debris field." Of course on scene media being the unrestrained entity it is took the LEOs ball and ran with it. Though the gear issue was never clarified, by day's end we knew that Mr. Cartier was indeed an experienced climber of global experience along with well over 100 ascents of Hood ( his wife states hundreds), that Officer Phillips was later seen removing several pairs of boots from his own mouth.

There is a time to talk and a time to keep it zipped. I hope that Officer Phillips has learned his lesson.