Quotations:
Friday, June 20th, 2008
“No man or woman who tries to pursue an ideal in his or her own way is without enemies.” (Daisy Bates)
Enemies who think: ‘Now he is completely barking – a HUGE chip on his shoulder’ - for merely trying to stop the clients of UIAGM guides from being killed in avoidable climbing accidents.
“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) is finding favour rather than, the long established 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 financial cost involved). And yet, Kelly College, Tavistock, Devon, have in fact drilled and bolted some of its ancient trees as part of one of its Adventure Courses…
Climbers who become involved with avalanches are either gung ho, myopic, English or a combination of these… (top avalanche expert)
Mr Davis, in a letter to me dated the 12th December, 2000: “Your description of your sport as having become ‘somewhat callous and shabby’ is apt in my tragic experience from prodigious readings, out of which I have collected a number of extractions – this one from Peter D. Boardman won’t surprise you in the least: ‘Outward Bound and other outdoor education philosophies would have one believe that mountain climbing develop es character, courage, resourcefulness and teamwork.’ That may be so, but it is also true that mountaineering expeditions can develop selfishness, fanaticism, glory-seeking and cunning.” Mr Davis’s only son Phillip, died in an avoidable BMG accident (along with two other clients) on the West Flank of the Eiger in July, 1992.
“Alun Richardson UIAGM / IFMGA: ‘The President of the UIAGM / IFMGA (we are the only professional mountain guides) did not fall into a crevasse unroped and was killed – he fell off a hut ladder’, – and was killed… http://pistehors.com/news/ski/comments/0746-president-of-the-uiagm-killed-by-crevasse-fall
Category : Mountain Clients
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