Dateline-NBC finally did a nationally televised story on the whole thing which aired in May 2001. Here are some comments and clarifications concerning that program. At the time of the accident we posted a detailed, accurate and objective report of what happened on the Oregon Mountaineering Association website. As one of the key organizations related to mountaineering throughout the Oregon Cascades we felt that offered the best exposure. Dateline visited this website and was asked on several occasions to include the URL in their show.
Mountain climbing involves inherent risks.
We were not unaware of this. We are both members of the American Alpine Club and are covered by their members rescue insurance . Iain is a very active member of Corvallis Mountain Rescue . We had made the best possible assessment of the risks and were prepared to accept them. Prior to Dateline there were others who went much further in their efforts to use our accident for their own gain.