Your letters for Dec. 8
Outdoor activity risk should be borne by participant Re: Gaping liability chasm opens up in backcountry, Opinion, Dec. 4 As someone who has always enjoyed the great outdoors and respected its inherent dangers, I find it strange that a mountaineer would expect his safety to be guaranteed by the mountain guide he hires. It is impossible in the mountains to guarantee that some movement on your part does not loosen a rock. Nobody can guarantee that an avalanche will not occur. We must also keep in mind that it is partly ego that drives mountaineers. “You see that mountain over there. I climbed it.” People whose egos require them to engage in hazardous activities should be held responsible for the consequences of their activities. This includes being required to help pay for the cost of any search and rescue operation. We should all be encouraged to enjoy outdoor activities because of their health benefits, but we should also be held personally accountable for the level of danger we choose. Peter Mannistu, Calgary Re: Where’s the need? Letters, Dec. 4 Gratitude for health care My wife recently experienced a medical emergency and is now at home recovering. We would like to thank the medical staff that made that recovery possible – the EMS who took her to the Foothills Hospital, the emergency room staff, the diagnostic technicians, the Stroke Prevention Clinic, the surgical team and recovery room staff, and the Unit 100 staff. Each of these caregivers could not have been more kind, caring, timely, and competent. We will both be forever grateful. Harry Dudley, Calgary