Anyone know Dan Witkowski? (PNW maggots)

[rbtree]

Man oh man, that is mighty fantastic news. He has been through an experience that he will never forget. To survive out there that long, especially with temps as low as 4 degrees, is a miracle.

Hopefully we'll hear more details, such as if he went up from below, or skiied out the high traverse. There was no mention of him having back country gear. But if it took the ground crew 7 hours to reach him, he must have been way out there.

[char]

It will be interesting to see why they let the search team hike 7 hours instead of putting them on one of the 3 heli's circling the area.

[Lumpy]

Glad he was found alive...now someone read the kid the riot act, then sign him up for Common Sense 101 and Backcountry for Dummies, PRONTO!!!

[Dr. Crash]

Great news. Was with Squirrel when we learned it and that was nice relief.

drC

[The AD]

Originally posted by Lumpy
Glad he was found alive...now someone read the kid the riot act, then sign him up for Common Sense 101 and Backcountry for Dummies, PRONTO!!!

Yeah, I think he's just been through that the hard way.

[Lumpy]

Werd. Actually, get him on the A-list for guest speakers for local b/c courses. Sorry, an insensitive initial reaction to the situation...just glad he made it out OK.

[The AD]

Definitely great to see him make it out.

I'm sure he had plenty of time in those four days he was missing to ruminate on the poor decision he made by heading out alone. I'd say he's more than served his sentence for poor judgment.

[Schmear]

Incredible. Great news! But now comes the aftermath. What went wrong?

[rightcoast]

this is GREAT news!!
i had a dream about this thread last night, and was the first thing i checked this AM when i came into work!!

[rbtree]

Today's headline:

http://archives.seattletimes.nwsourc...=Dan+Witkowski

More light is shed on his ordeal. They still don't say how he got there. I suspect he went up over Pineapple pass, and then failed to make the circuitous route back to the Source Lake drainage.

[BanditXXX]

The only source of knowledge is experience-Albert Einstein

His experience will be a lesson learned. No words will need to be forced down his throat. His survival will be enough to remind him of future ways to be prepared. That experience will be etched in his mind. He will think twice about skiing a certain line, or climbing that certain couloir, or taking that big air. Age brings wisdom. Sometimes we have to suffer to find out.

[Pinner]

Good thing he was found alive. Now he'll be able to hear over and over again what a DIPSCHITT he is.

[rbtree]

Here's a topo of the area. He must have skiied off behind The Tooth, near Pineapple Pass. He was found somewhere near Tuscohatchee Lake. Very rugged terrain!


http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?z=10...83&layer=DRG25

[BanditXXX]

He's lucky they found him before this big storm. Otherwise it would have been spring time before they would have recovered his body. Always go with a partner, boyz. Shred that pow, but keep it safe. Know your limits, push those limits, but keep everything in control. First, control the mind to not let it do something you shouldn't.

[L7]

This is out of today's paper.

Mr. Witowski told Lt Fuda that while skiing out of bounds at Alpental ski area last Wednesday, he jumped off some ledges and knew he would not be able to climb back up. Instead, he kept heading down the mountain, paying little attention to what direction he was facing and moving farther and farther from civilization.

The article also says that after being spotted by helicoptor it took 7 hours for rescuers on skis and sleds to reach him. He was then heli evaced.

The story of survival is truly amazing but somehow it buries what appears to be the underlying fact that this guy is really too stupid to live. I just hope he doesn't have a chance to procreate and weaken the species before more success with his next effort at the idiot show.


I'm sure some will take offense to this but I'm sorry, the appallingly lack of common sense, concern for personal safety and concern for the safety of rescuers is totally unacceptable. Sadly the survival story will be the most remembered and I'm afraid the guy may have learned nothing from it and just think himself a hero.

[watersnowdirt]

Originally posted by L7
The story of survival is truly amazing but somehow it buries what appears to be the underlying fact that this guy is really too stupid to live. I just hope he doesn't have a chance to procreate and weaken the species before more success with his next effort at the idiot show.

There's a huge difference between acknowledging that someone made a mistake (which we ALL have), and saying that they are "too stupid to live." Uncalled for and extremely insensitive, in my opinion.

[Schmear]

Besides, one can hope that he has learned from this experience. If he has, he'll do the world a lot of good if he reproduces his new-found mountain-safety knowledge.

[L7]

If the guy has new found knowledge that keeps him alive good for him. I'm not holding my breath. This was not A mistake it was several insensitive to rescuers and himself alike of gargantuan proportions. My comment is born of the hero worship due to survival over riding how he got in the position and forgetting how he put rescuers in that position. If he does himself in on another stupid adventure of epic proportions then it is just darwinism at work. The basic principal here is the weak ( or stupid) will perish. It is dumb luck and others risking their lives that has him on this earth at this point. His brain power certainly is not what kept him here. Insenstive or not it would seem to be fact. More so than his survival makes him anything like a hero.