I supposed that the CHP chopper dropped them off at Mahogany Flat so they could drive themselves out? Seven years ago I hiked Telescope Peak in December without special boots, rope, or ice ax so I"m baffled at how these two needed rescue. Granted, there's more snow now than was for me. Probably much more, and very icy on the north facing slope.
I would have just scrambled sideways or even down and sideway back towards the trail head? Oh well, easy for me to judge sitting in my armchair recliner. LOL
DAW, those links were most useful. Thanks.
Im saying this from my sofa but if they slipped on ice down a drainage and dint have at least an ice axe I can see how they would had gotten stuck
They were more prepared than most. I would be interesting to know the number of visitors who might try this trail at this time of year wearing shorts and tennis shoes with a granola bar in their pocket and not much more than an attitude of “Hey, it’s Death Valley after all” …
I'd be guessing that anyone with crampons and a long rope would have some idea of what they were doing. An ice axe is really essential for arresting a fall, though. I learned a few years on a steep snow field in Colorado that once you are over the center of gravity (on the downhill side) of even a pair of poles, they are useless. I could not stop though managed to keep by speed down by digging heels into the soft snow, but if it were hard / crusty this would be tough. I don't know if an axe or an ice hand tool would be better for clawing one's way out of such a predicament. But I'm not sure I get the rope part actually - the main obstacle I'd be worried about on Telescope would be the big cornice at the end but a rope isn't going to be worth much for that.
Anyway, they were fortunate that they were in one of the few places that has decent cell service, unless they also had something like an InReach but tried the phone first.