One way to look at the issue is who has died and been severely injured. Immediately coming to mind are Ali Aminian, former President of California Mountaineering Club. died on Baldy
on a winter climb.
My friend, RJ Secor, famous guidebook author, one of only 4 people to have completed the entire Sierra Peaks Section list, TWICE. Severe head and brain injury on a winter glissade, on Baldy.
My good friend Gary Embrey, mountaineering instructor for decades, who died on a winter climb of Baden-Powell.
I think it is not good to trivialize any mountain that is not a simple clear trail walk-up in low altitude. After all, it is all a matter of perspective.
If you go by skills and accomplishments, my acquaintences Ed Viesturs and David Breashears would consider every thing we amateurs on this board climb to be absurdly trivial.
If they were to post about climbing, say, the east face of Whitney, they'd say, that for themselves, no training, no preparation is needed. No acclimatization, no scouting, no special gear. But of course, they are two of the great mountaineers of history. They are acclimatized at all times, and in marathon shape at all times. They are professionals, and climb for a living. Same for Peter Croft. They are guys that NO AMATEUR on this board could come remotely close to keeping up with. Not anyone.
However, they would not do so. That is because that what is appropriate for them is not right for lesser mortals, particularly the oft-beginning amateurs that may frequent this site, trying to get an idea of difficulty of things. It is HIGHLY MISLEADING to give the impression that a rank amateur should tackle a mountain and route that much more advanced climbers consider relatively simple, perhaps alone, perhaps undergeared.
And that is because such climbers do not have the JUDGEMENT that more experienced people have. Note that, in your post, you talk about people doing something that they shouldn't have. That is a judgement issue, almost always. The three climber accidents I mentioned had done their mountains many dozens of times, each, in at least one case, over a hundred. They did not use poor judgement, they had BAD LUCK, in an environment that is UNFORGIVING.
I also think about the Russian experienced climber, who it's thought went off the north side of Baldy in winter, and whose body has never been found. Experienced on much tougher mountains. It wasn't trivial for him.
So I guess, to me, it is an issue of not misleading people who don't have the experience to draw upon to give themselves the margin of safety they need, and who would not know, by your post, that there are "no fall zones", and places of objective danger that could be fatal encounters...if one is unlucky.
Remember, that for Barefoot Ted, running up Baldy in summer barefoot is a trivial trip. Would it be so for you??
Let me state this succinctly. The original poster was looking for challenging winter trips. I stated I did not find the Bowl particularly challenging...period.
I was taken to task by a KevinR as blase and irresponsible ostensibly for not agreeing with his assessment.
I stated I don't do stupid irresponsible things on this mountain and you decide it time to pile on with a litany of irrelevant facts. The fact is I did not trivialize a trip up the bowl...unless you consider an opinion that is not challenging as trivializing. I don't go up the bowl that much because too many people go up and down it who are ill-prepared.
BTW, what does your last question have to do with the price of eggs?
