Earlier this week, two men collapsed and died on Denali. From all accounts, the men were healthy climbers who had been feeling well and climbing strong up until their collapse – and both were on guided climbs. My thoughts and prayers are with the climbers’ friends and family of course.

Interestingly, this episode has brought to a boil a previously simmering debate over the personal ethics and responsibilities of high-altitude climbing. Namely, is the pursuit of climbing an irresponsibly selfish act? Are we being unfair to family and loved ones by engaging in these dangerous adventures? Why are we motivated as climbers to put ourselves in places that have such inherent risks?

A great post in New York Times blog Outposts has erupted into nearly 200 comments as of this writing with commenters falling on all sides of the issues.   

Joe Simpson, of Touching the Void fame, touches on the subject in a subsequent book entitled This Game of Ghosts. And Maria Coffey deals directly with the subject in Where the Mountain Casts its Shadow: The Dark Side of Extreme Adventure.

Me? I have two main points to make. 1) Climbing doesn’t seem so dangerous when looked at in perspective with other daily activities – riding my bike to work, for example. 2) Climbers are statically less likely to be involved in accidents than are other outdoor enthusiasts engaged in seemingly less dangerous activities – hikers for example. 

I have more thoughts on this but will save them for a more substantial post.