Well, I have to say i am mainly unaware of the incident mainly because I had just opened the second can of beer. However I doubt I would have responded to this rescue for several reason, one I was work the next day and two I personally felt it was unneccessary.
Two climbers cragfast on Great Slab, how two climbers can become cragfast is somewhat of a mystery. Assuming they have a rope, more than likely two for Cloggy routes, plus a rack. So if they could no longer go up then surely a self rescue in the form of a multipitched abseil would have been more than possible. I should add that there were two to three hours of daylight left.
Instead the rescue team was tasked with rescuing them. So I can assume, and as we know it can make an ass of U and Me, but for the purpose of this rant, it is better to assume though. Those assumptions are that either the climbers were a. Totally incapable of rigging a multipitch abseil, or b. to tight to want to leave behind their own rack or of course c. both.
If a. is assumed then WTF are they doing on Cloggy, if it was b. and I had turned up to rescue them I think I would have d. given them a fucking bill or e. abseiled off leaving there entire rack behind to show them how easy it was.
I had this conversation with some other local climbers and one told how he had topped out on a Lakes Crag, and had to crawl down in the dark rather than call for a rescue.
It just made me wonder just how many people out could have got themselves off the crag or would have called a rescue rather than leave a few runners and slings behind? I would like to think that I could have managed it!