Great point, Illusion. Nothing beats refreshing the material before each test. I've long been a proponent of studying the mistakes committed by others and the accidents that befall them, and credit publications like the American Alpine Club's annual report Accidents in North American Mountaineering and Charlie Walbridge's excellent River Safety Reports (American Canoe Association) with providing the climbing and paddling communities with information that, when heeded, has saved countless lives over the years.

Deep Survival, in my opinion, takes this process to a higher level by incorporating insights gleaned from research into subjects such as cognition, emotion, decision making, and the dynamics of human behavior in stressful or crisis situations. It's fascinating stuff. To a large degree, risk management and margin-for-error planning are dependent on knowledge of known hazards coupled with the ability to imagine both possible and probable adverse outcomes and subsequently make contingency plans to address them in the event that they occur - a process that is fundamental to safety.

By showing us how emotion can supersede, compromise, or even override cognition, the research and examples cited in Deep Survival argue for greater respect for the power and complexity of natural systems and, more importantly, the subtle fallibility of the human mind in such an unforgiving environment.

I've read Deep Survival cover to cover many times and have found no shortage of lessons to be learned. Ditto many of the excellent sources cited in the Selected Bibliography. Although I was aware of the trap and took specific steps to avoid it on expeditions that I led, Gonzalez was the first person I encountered who specifically pointed out the fact that mountaineering was one of the few - if not the only - sport in which participants celebrated victory at halftime (when they reached the summit) when, in fact, the most difficult and hazardous portion of the journey remained ahead of them (getting down the mountain and living to tell about it).

That's the sort of pithy insight that permeates the book, and it's a major reason that I recommend it so strongly to anyone who is interested in surviving - whether it's in an urban, rural, or wilderness environment.
Moulton Avery