My concern with plb's has to do with increasing the tendency among some adventureers to not taking personal responsibility for one's own safety, causing worry and suffering for family during rescues, forcing s and r people to take risks when it is unnecessary, and substitution of plb's for skills, judgment and resources.

It is unfortunate but true that a significant number of outdoor folks, including major outdoor club leaders and members do not take adequate over night and trip equipment feeling instead that the low frequency of negative outcomes justifies the decision to not take precautions.

There are a number of ultra light weight solutions that would help weight conscious and non-safety inclined folks to take better care of themselves. One such example is the Extreme Pro-tech Bag by the space blanket people. At 11 oz. it functions as a waterprook shelter, three season bag, and injury hypothermia preventer.

I live in this area and am perfectly aware of the possibility of encountering those conditions. Clearly proper gear, snowshoes and or the knowledge to make them in the field, adequate emergency food, and the ability to navigate in such conditions would like prevent the need for a rescue. That said, we do not know for certain the details of this person's situation, so the above remarks address only the set of events as characterized in the summary.