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PLB's for rock climbing 4-Jan-2011 At 12:22:53 PM Climboholic

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I was surprised to see the opening line of the SMH article on the climbers that nearly got struck by lightning at Pierces pass say: "Police have slammed a teenage rock climber for not carrying an emergency beacon...". I did not think it was common practice to carry a PLB on rock climbs. I don't think it is reasonable to expect climbers to always carry a PLB. A remote multi-pitch with poor phone reception is one thing, but being able to name the crag on the phone to emergency services (assuming good reception) should be enough.

It is something that I might think about doing next time I do a long adventure climb in the Bluies or Warrumbungles. Especially because I have heard you can hire PLBs from the Katoomba Police for free.

So my question is: Do you carry a PLB when rock climbing?