As I write this I read about yet another climbing rescue, most recently a rappel accident on Index Town Wall. Before that was Hood and Rainier. Mountaineering rescues and accidents have been playing out on television, newspapers, radio and the Internet. Among climbers and the public, these accidents have been frequently discussed and sometimes second-guessed. Talk show hosts ask who should pay. The accidents seem to overwhelm the thousands of routine successes. The public scrutiny magnifies the danger of climbing, and the public again asks us questions. Time to take stock, and reflect on this.

The annual ñAccidents in North American Mountaineeringî is, for me, a riveting read, usually consumed in one sitting when first received, and reread in bits later. More than once I found myself reading about some accident and reflecting on experiences of my own that did not result in an accident. But might have.

Some accidents have clear causes: a knot failure, an improperly secured harness, or failure of a dubious anchor. After reading about those we can and should reaffirm the need to check and recheck knots, harnesses, and anchors before committing our lives to them. Other accidents seem to result from a series of events that act together. Judgment comes into play, with perhaps a long series of small decisions finally leading to a catastrophe.

At what point do weather conditions indicate the party should turn around? At what point does snow steepness and conditions dictate it is time to belay? At what point does the nature of the rock say scrambling should give way to belays? At what point does the time of day and party pace indicate that the party should turn around short of the summit?

Those are questions that have no single answer. Every member of the climbing party affects those answers. As an individual, you can and should speak up when you feel the need for a belay. Speak up if you have any doubts about an anchor to which you are going to commit. Speak up if you feel a knot does not look right. Question the stability of the cornice over the route if you have doubts. Temper enthusiasm for the climb and desire for the summit with caution in considering party decisions. As an individual party member, take seriously your responsibility for your own safety and to be competent and fit for the climb at hand.

The questions resurface: Why do we climb? Why do we take what we must all admit, are certain risks to attain a summit? On the surface climbing seems like such a ridiculous sport, with little or no benefit to society. For me, I find the need to challenge myself with the demands and rewards of climbing while sharing it with partners who understand, is personally very enriching and also seductive. While we cannot eliminate risk, we can evaluate it and do our best to avoid taking it needlessly. Life itself is full of risks and we do not always know what they are. The line between acceptable risk taking and recklessness is easily crossed. We can cross it unaware.

Climb on, and climb as safely as you can.