[randita]

I think it would be safe to say that if the rescuers had made 'radio' contact we would a) have heard about and b) have a more certain idea of where the climbers are and c) their condition.

Did you read or hear SPECIFIC factual mention of the lack of a two way radio?

There have been a lot of mistaken assumptions made about this from the start, including that the climbers didn't have adequate gear, when it was found later in a note they wrote that they WERE carrying the appropriate gear.

I am interested in facts, not conjecture.

[_Jim]

Here's what happen when you have a REAL radio, not this cell-phone consumer stuff:

An actual rescue involving victims with a radio! This is how things WORK when the victims can TALK directly with the SAR teams.

Now, I can tell you have zero experience involving deducing the known 'facts' of situation from thin, paltry, scattered news reports so you will just have to take someones elses's word, like mine, on this matter ...