I just heard this on CNN Radio last night, when I found some interest in this story of missing climbers in China. After some climbers had gone missing trying to scale Mount Hood, it made me wonder why anyone in their right mind would want to scale a mountain in winter.

Just on the eastern side of me lie the Sierra Nevada mountains and I haven't heard of very many people attempting to scale those mountains in winter. Is it because people around here would rather ski than scale the mountain? Are we in California a little smarter because we know the hazards in winter (for the most part)?

It just makes me wonder why anyone would go mountain climbing in the dead of winter.

Here we go again. Three climbers were just found on Mt. Hood. Again, I have to ask. Why does anyone want to risk suicide by exposure from climbing a damn mountain?

I was just thinking about WTH has been going on with Mt. Hood this year?

Into Thin Air, Touching the Void and The Last Season are helpful in understanding the mentality that drives mountaineerers.

I'm not sure which is more dangerous. Mountain climbing in winter or having Howard K. Stern as your lawyer.

Yeah,there has got to be a much safer way to expose yourself!

Maddog, I was thinking something along those lines. The qualifier needs to be having Howard K. Stern in your will.

And eddie, now why would you want to have mountaineers exposing themselves? That would bring back "Brokeback" all over again.

Okay that's it. Enough's enough! No more Mt. Hood stories please CNN!

It's obvious now that dopey climbers are just going there just to get publicity in the news.

I have no sympathy for these climbers and the stories they create for themselves.

The worst part of all this is the fact those poor rescuers have to take time out from being with their families and put their lives on the line to go looking for a new set of dopey attention-seekers each time.