AFTER RECEIVING GPWS WARNINGS ON VOR-B APCHS TO HDN; B757-200 FLT CREW DIVERTS TO DEN. ADVISED BY DISPATCH AND FLT MANAGER THAT THEY SHOULD RETURN AND FLY 'HIGH ON THE APCH' TO AVOID THE WARNINGS. REPORTERS REFUSED TO DO SO.

Narrative

THE FIRST TIME WE GOT THE WX FOR HAYDEN; THE WINDS FAVORED THE ILS FOR RWY 10. WHEN WE GOT WITHIN 15 MINS OF THE ARPT WE GOT NEW WX AND THE WINDS AND WX HAD CHANGED AND RWY 28 WAS THE BETTER OPTION. WE BRIEFED THE VOR APCH BECAUSE IT WAS IMC FOR THAT APCH. THE APCH WAS GOING VERY WELL AND WE WERE RIGHT ON THE VOR RADIAL AT OUR PROPER ALT. JUST AS WE GOT TO APPROX 9200 FT MSL (ABOUT 100 FT ABOVE AN INTERMEDIATE ALT JUST PRIOR TO THE FINAL APCH FIX) THE GPWS WENT OFF SAYING 'TERRAIN; TERRAIN; PULL-UP; PULL-UP!' CAPT DID THE PROPER GPWS PROC AND WENT MISSED APCH. WE WENT INTO HOLDING OVER THE HAYDEN VOR. WE CALMED DOWN AND DISCUSSED WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I NOTED THAT THE SCREEN NEVER TURNED RED; AS IT DID DURING SIMULATOR TRAINING. WE THOUGHT THAT GPWS SYS WAS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. WE DISCUSSED ANOTHER APCH AND DECIDED THAT IF THE GPWS WENT OFF AGAIN THAT WE AGREED THAT THE GPWS WAS NOT WORKING CORRECTLY AND WE WOULD DIVERT TO DENVER. EVEN THOUGH SALT LAKE CITY WAS OUR ALTERNATE; NEITHER ONE OF US HAD EVER BEEN TO SLC AND THAT WE BOTH KNEW DEN VERY WELL AND THE WX WAS GOOD. WE INFORMED ZDV OF OUR INTENTIONS AND DID ANOTHER VOR APCH. THE GPWS WENT OFF AGAIN AT APPROX THE SAME AREA; SO WE WENT MISSED AND GOT A CLRNC TO DEN. UPON ARR CAPT TALKED TO DISPATCH AND THE CHIEF PLT ON DUTY. THE CHIEF ON DUTY TOLD CAPT THAT THE COMPANY ARPT PAGES STATED THAT GPWS MIGHT GO OFF DURING THAT APCH. THE PAGES STATED THAT IT IS 'RECOMMENDED' THAT WE FLY HIGH ON THE APCH. WE COULD NOT BELIEVE WHAT WE WERE SEEING. IT WAS RECOMMENDING THAT WE FLY HIGH IN IMC AND DIVE DOWN TO THE MDA. THIS IS COMPLETELY AGAINST OUR TRAINING AND THE SAFETY OF FLT! DISPATCH WANTED US TO GO BACK AND WE ELECTED NOT TO DO SO. THE GREATEST REASON WAS THAT CAPT HAD NEVER BEEN TO HDN AND I HAD ONLY BEEN THERE TWICE IN EXTREME VMC CONDITIONS. WE WERE NOT COMFORTABLE STAYING HIGH ON A VOR APCH; DIVING DOWN TO THE MDA; NOT KNOWING WHAT TERRAIN WAS DOWN THERE AND ALL OF THIS IN IMC. WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?