Definitely a sad thing and my condolences go out to their families. There is a lot we don’t know about the accident, but mountain flying can be a unforgiving animal, expecially in the summer. Density altitude at Aspen can easily be in the low teens on a warm summer day. I don’t know if a G36 is turbocharged, but even if it is, down drafts around the clouds can make climbing nearly impossible. The IFR departure toward lower terrain is done for a reason. It automatically gives a safer and more stable environment to gain the altitude needed to clear the peaks. You get a better rate of climb flying straight than in a circle, and it provides a better approach to the mountains. Even if you have taken a mountain flying course, you don’t really experience the real thing until you have flown through it.