Solo climber loses life in Yosemite N. P.

Me too!!!!!!!!!
Hiking to the top of the King after three beers in the Cambell Lodge I was worried about my abilty to focus on my descent of Silver Basin.
I was totally committed to doing it without having to stop to pee.
So rewarding when one suceeds.

Scotsman proving that it's all relative.

Scotsman made several good points. But I'll comment on this one:

I don't see it as a moral question at all.

When I dabbled in steep skiing 5-10 years ago, I was reluctant to tell my wife exactly what I was doing. I didn't want her to worry. I remember the first words out of her mouth when she heard that my brother Carl made the first ski descent of Mt Rainier's Mowich Face: "Was he extreme skiing?" I justified my lack of candor by reasoning that as long as I was cautious and made it home safely, it was okay.

After Carl died in a steep skiing accident, I watched how it affected my family--my mother, my siblings, my wife and my son. I realized that my rationalization--"as long as I come home safely"--was like a bank robber saying, "as long as I don't get caught." It became clear that there was a moral component to what I'd been doing, and it started the moment I left the house. I could no longer justify it.

Every person's moral calculation is different. I'm not going to judge individuals. But I'm convinced that a moral component is present in all high-risk sports. We shouldn't overlook this.

An interesting article that mentions both skiing and rock climbing and is relevant to Lowell's thoughts.
www.newwest.net/topic/article/bachars_de...questions/C564/L564/

I still don't agree with you that there is a moral element to it.
I think there is an element of consideration about those that may be affected by your decision ( it's an inherently selfish decision)but to me that's not a moral question as per the true meaning of morality.

Every person's moral calculation is different. I'm not going to judge individuals. But I'm convinced that a moral component is present in all high-risk sports. We shouldn't overlook this.

I'm trying to understand the moral question. For what you say I get this.
If you  decide to go a ski a "fall you die" slope you are making an immoral decision because you know your actions ,if you fail will badly affect others that love and care for you.
If however, you decide to go ski a slope that you decide is not " fall you die" but still end up inadvertently killing yourself ( by hitting a rock that was in the wrong place at the wrong time) , then that is not immoral because you had not pre-decided to risk your life.

Is that it??
See Wiki definfition on morality.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morality
For the concept of morals to exist one must have a definition of what is right or wrong in an absolute sense( religious beliefs) or relative sense (society norms). If one refutes the existance of absolute rules ( I do) then after that , as jwplotz says... it's all relative.
I quote.
Another related concept is the moral core which is assumed to be innate in each individual, to those who accept that differences between individuals are more important than posited Creators or their rules. This, in some religious systems and beliefs (e.g. Taoism, Moralism and Gnosticism), is assumed to be the basis of all aesthetics and thus moral choice. Moral codes as such are therefore seen as coercive—part of human sex politics.

Being an aethist, morality is a question that fascinates me as I was once told by a Christian that because I was an aethist I had no morals.

If however, you decide to go ski a slope that you decide is not "fall you die" but still end up inadvertently killing yourself (by hitting a rock that was in the wrong place at the wrong time), then that is not immoral because you had not pre-decided to risk your life.

Yes, that's how I think about it.

This line of thought resolves the red-herring that "you could die crossing the street, so why does it matter?" For me, intentions do matter.

My thoughts on this continue to evolve.

I'm not a religious person, but I believe morality is a valid concept.