Mountain Clients

Quotations:

“No man or woman who tries to pursue an ideal in his or her own way is without enemies.” (Daisy Bates)

“It is common to tie them (2 ropes) together with an overhand knot as this is less likely to jam in cracks.” The British Mountaineering Council http://www.thebmc.co.uk/Feature.aspx?id=1736 The overhand knot (which has been known to unravel, or, the British Death Knot) rather than the 100% safe double-fishermans

‘It [the BMC] exists to further the interests of mountainering as a whole, and it will succeed in this only in so far as it receives the full support of each and every mountaineer… It should be needless to add that their will be no attempt to introduce anything so foolish as a qualification scheme for ‘mountain leaders’.‘ G. A. Dummett, Pembroke College, Cambridge. To date in 2008, the BMC still only represents just one percent (of climbers / mountaineers / hill walkers / ski mountaineers) its membership standing at just 50 - 70,000? 

‘The wastful and vitriolic Mountain Leadership wars of the mid-seventies, fought for control of mountain training in this country, were but an outward sign of the widening gap (between educationists and mountaineers; a widening gap that was inevitable because of decreasing mountaineering values - step forward - the British Mountaineering Council).’ Pete Livesey, climber & Hillwalker, May, 1998.

‘Is mountaineering today sick and polluted? Certainly. Is there hypocrisy in the world of the mountains? Undoubtedly.’ Walter Bonatti (2000).

‘Bolts don’t grow on trees’, according to a BMC advert for its Bolting Fund (apparently there is a finacial cost involved). And yet, Kelly College, Tavistoke, Devon, have in fact drilled and bolted some of its ancient trees as part of one of its Adventure Courses…