I agree that there's no valid reason for them to be split up, or if they had to leave him they would've done better by him.
If James were more hypothermic than the others at first (a possibility), if the others were trying to get down for help they would have done better by him (assuming they could). Tried taking him with them (he looks small compared to the others, to me) or leaving him with as much as they could to protect him if it came to that.
As for his not having on a heavy coat and shedding it earlier, are we certain he was wearing a heavy coat? Wonder what was in the backpack. I only ask because now they're saying these men weren't outfitted to withstand such harsh conditions or a prolonged climb. For example...no sleeping bags?? Are there pictures of them that confirm heavy coats?
I haven't the time to keep abreast of all the details.
Thanks...
I doubt if he had a heavy coat with him. The sheriff said that after seeing the photos, he was even more worried about their ability to survive, because they were lightly equipped. I take that to mean he could see what kinds of jackets, etc., they were wearing. Plus, James was found with no insulating-type jacket, just a waterproof jacket. So my uneducated guess is they were dressing light, as they were planning on a quick ascent and decent. When you are physically active, you don't need many warm layers. That's my guess.
I saw the interview with James' wife on (gag)CBS News(gag) tonight. One thing his wife said was that James' body was found, he had his lefthand glove off, and he had all his fingers folded in except for his ring finger, leaving his ring finger showing. Isn't that interesting?
She also said that in his phone call, they both knew it was the kind of phone call that no one wants. So they were kind-of "acting" during the phone call, acting like everything was okay when they both knew it wasn't. I guess that helps me understand why he didn't come out and give details about what happened. (Although if it was me, I'm pretty sure I'd spout off as many details as possible.)