Mountain Clients

Guiding Blight:  Was the title of a ‘letter’ published in the Daily Mail the 29 September, 2003 a school teacher, Paul Ellis who apparently ignored bad weather warnings has been sent to prison for a year (Daily Mail 26/09/03) and has lost his teaching career because a pupil deliberately dived into a swollen river – he drowned – his mother, who was also present, did not try and stop her son.

On December 28, 1998, a guide from the Association of British Mountain Guides (BMG / UIAGM)  (unlike like teacher Paul Ellis) ignored avalanche warnings and took six Venture Scouts onto Anoch Mor near Ben Nevis. In the ensuing avalanche, four young scouts died. The guide was later found to be not at fault and some years later, became the Mountain Training Officer for Scotland. At least 13 clients of BMG members have been killed in avoidable accidents since 1990, but not one guide has been jailed. Why Mr Ellis?’ In 2003 also, 11 mountain clients were killed in a single accident in France and the UIAGM guide who of course survived - was given a two year suspended jail sentence… Apparently, it really pays to have friends in – high places…