Safety related issues for clients of “official” or “authorised” mountain guides

Sports Climbing New Olympic Sport? (16 Dec 2007)

June 2nd, 2008 Posted in Misc | No Comments »

For the exponents of ‘watching paint dry’ there apparently, is to be a new Olympic Sport - Sports Climbing - so-called. Yes, in 2020, Sports Climbing is to be introduced another International competition the British will never win - no Gold Medals there then. Sports climbers apparently, are latant tradional climbers with - no balls. Fixed, pre placed protection is a must for climbers without the neck for real climbing. No doubt, the BMC’s new ‘Leaders ladders’ will play a prominant part in this new, Olympic sport. It is to be hoped, that the Sports Climbing contestants can cope; survive the inevitable drug-testing. Sports Climbers contribution to British climbing thus far: http://www.safercliffs.org/code/photos.html

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Climber did not climb a Mountain (25 Nov 2007)

June 2nd, 2008 Posted in News | No Comments »
Apparently, there was shock and horror today (20 Nov 2007) when a mountaineer failed to climb a mountain. Griff Rhys Jones was being castigated for failing to climbed Ben Nevis. Enough media coverage and Mr Jones should turn into a famous mountaineer like another famous actor Mr B. Blessed did after failing to climb a mountain - Mount Everest. Both, were being guides by famous BMG / UIAGM / IFMGA mountain guides. Another climber became famous in 1959 when he failed to climb Cerro Torre a famous Patagonian peak.

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Bolts, Bolts Everywhere (24 Oct 2007 - May, 09)

June 2nd, 2008 Posted in Bolts | No Comments »
Regardless of the human rights of none BMC members; the vast majority of UK climbers who do not wish to see the environment damaged by drilling, the British Mountaineering Council is determined to continue to push for the deliberate damaging of British crags and mountain rock faces by its members - drilling and placing expansion bolts. The amount of money wasted on the above mentioned activity, could help to reduce by educating, the increasing deaths amongst climbers in the UK. In May, 2009, a further 1,300 BMC Bolts were made available for use in damaging Welsh cliffs and crags.
 
In February, 2007, the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) flooded British climbing with 10,000 expansion bolts. The drilling (deliberate damage to unquarried cliffs and crags) and the placing of bolts, being sponsored by the - BMC. On the 2 January, 2009, a climber in Australia was killed when the expansion bolt that he pulled on - came out. In the ensuing fall, his rope was severed. There has been much ‘nashing of teeth’ amongst so-called Sports Climbers since this latest fatal accident who, rather than avoiding the use of bolts as a very dubious form of climbing protection, will now call for a ‘bolting qualification’… Bolting represents a future time-bomb-ticking in British climbing sponsored by the - British Mountaineering Council. http://www.safercliffs.org/code/photos.html An extra 1,300 BMC bolts were provived, for the specific purpous, of damaging Welsh mountain, cliffs and crags. 

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BMC Name Change (17 Jul 2007)

June 2nd, 2008 Posted in BMC | No Comments »
Apparently, the so-called British Mountaineering Council (BMC) is to ‘change its name’. To what I wonder? Britain’s Mad Bolters? Or maybe - The Council of British Bolters? Regardless of what its name is changed to, it will not cover-up the damage that this organisation has done to British climbing…in the last fifty years.

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62 Year old climbs Eiger North Face (29 Mar 2007)

June 2nd, 2008 Posted in Mountain Clients | No Comments »
Climbers were throwing their ‘rattles out of their prams’ at the news that apparently, a mountainclients took two BMG guides up the North face of the Eiger in March, 2007, in 3 days.  It apparently mattered not, that the mountainclient had had a triple heart bypass, had lost several fingers and was over sixty years of age. The North face of the Eiger of course, was climbed by an older mountainclient in 1997 when a 72 year old Italian climber Benedetto Salaroli, made the ascent in - 18 hours. He also, took two guides along with him.
As awsome as this ascent has been for such a novice climber, sadly, the flood-gates will now open and many young climbers will be killed attempting this climb (it depends on the weather now that all the crux pitches are ‘fixed’). In 1962 when Ian Clough and Chris Bonington made the first British ascent of the North face of the Eiger, they came across two young climbers; two young men who had never climbed anything of significance before. They did not know how to abseil back to the correct line having gone astray high on the face (near the, above the Spider) That these two made a successful ascent was hidden from general climbing - the flood-gates would have opened. They had left a note for one of their mothers stating where they had gone - she contacted the police who were waiting for, and arrested the two young, would -be climbers - they had no equipment one carried a greatcoat along before throwing the cumbersome article down the face (where prbably it killed two mountain goats in a mini avalanche) the other lad, wore five shirts to ‘keep out the cold’.
But now; now that a novice, a 62 year old, disabled person has successfully chanced and climbed the North face, who knows what will now happen maybe a double-leg amputee will be taken up. On reflection, I take my hat off to Mr Fiennes - well done Sir… I hope that it will have been worth it. I failed twice (at the Swallow’s Nest) to lead the climb but the weather was too bad for too long - no Blue Plaque nailed to a wall in Manchester there then..
Christoph Profit, the famous French mountain guide, has successfully ‘guide’ the North Face - 10 times.

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Internet References (24 Jan 2007)

June 2nd, 2008 Posted in Misc | No Comments »
Wholesale advertising by the British Mountaineering Council along with the Sports Council’s able assistance - Sport for All - enticing young people into climbing - the quick way, is one of the main reasons for the increase in climbing participation and therefore, the increase in fatal climbing accidents - 2007 appears to be one of the worst Scottish winter mountaineering tragedies - in the making: ‘The question has just been asked on rockfax (23 January 2007) - do older climbers believe that there are more climbing accidents now?’ Yes there certainly are - due to the above mentioned points - too much enticement. 

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Broken Climbing Harness (9 Nov 2006)

June 2nd, 2008 Posted in Misc | No Comments »
Apparently, there is shock and horror (November 2006) over the fact that a climbing harness broke, plunging one of America’s finest climbers to his death. Climbing harnesses have broken before and climbers have ‘fallen-out-of’ their climbing ’sit harnesses’. But it mattered not and climbers have continued to refuse to follow the harness manufacturer’s guidelines. After this latest fatality, climbers will continue to climb in a potentially dangerous manner. It matters not, that the sport has its own inherent dangers, as if that was not enough, dangerous practices still continue. Each evening thousands of young British climbers attach themselves to the ‘belay loop’ on their harness via a single karabiner (the loop that broke recently) whilst top-rope climbing and not, as per the manufacturers instructions (threaded through the harness properly). What has the representative but would be governing body of British climbing, the BMC, done about this suicidal practice over the years? Nothing…
An additional, a simple sling, tied around the waist and into the abseil devise would have saved lives. Infact, less strain would have come onto the faulty, nylon loop, and it would not have broken. An additional safety rope tied through the harness (as per the manufacturers instructions) would also have saved lives. It is not rocket science. And yet, Sport England still throw money at the BMC. The reception for the BMC, apparently at the Peak of its Profession, at No. 10 Downing Street on the 8 October, 2008, where the ‘great and good’ will be able to show-off their prowess, is set to coincide with the governing body bid for more cash even though, in 2007, the BMC squandered 10,s of 1,00’s of pounds when it bought and introduced 10,000 expansion bolts into the UK climbing scene. Not a single bolts will reduce the number of harness related deaths, or abseiling fatalities.   

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The Adventure Activities Licensing Authority (24 Oct 2006)

June 2nd, 2008 Posted in AALA | No Comments »
According to the Daily Mail dated the 19th October, 2006 (page 29) the government ‘Better Regulations Commission’ has ridiculed the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority (set-up in 1996). Set up as a knee-jerk reaction to the Lyme Bay canoeing disaster in 1993, the AALA (receives in excess of 1 million pounds sterling of taxpayers money per annum) since its conception it has apparently put some 600 outdoor pursuits organisations - out of business - one way or another. The AALA advertises that it is an ‘independent’ authority and yet, passes out licenses to fellow British Mountaineering Council (BMC) & Association of British Mountain Guides (BMG) - members…

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Adventure Activities Licensing Authority (18 Nov 2005)

June 2nd, 2008 Posted in AALA | No Comments »
Joseph Lister, a 14 year old school boy died in an avoidable caving accident (he was left behind by his instructor and teacher) on the 15th November, 2005, whilst under the assured guidance of Bewerly Park Centre for Outdoor Education in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, licensed as it is, by the Adventure Activities Licensing Authority (AALA). The AALA (another quango that receives £millions in government subsidies)  is supposed to: ‘Provide assurances to the public about the safety of activity providers…’ Bewerly Park is such a providor. Those assurances have been heard before and in fact, the existance of the AALA (which first saw the light of day in Cardiff, South Wales) assures - nothing. Interestingly, the AALA has links on its website with the Mountain Leadership Board and the British Mountaineering Council. Both organisations have advertised similar - ‘assurances’ in the past and still people, clients, have been misslead by those ‘ensurities’.
As an ‘unqualified’ cave leader I would not have taken those school children into that cave system at that time considering the recent heavy rain fall that has beset the whole of the UK recently… But then, I am not ‘qualified’ to comment. Like many other parents and reletives of adventure clients who have been killed in spite of - assurances, Joseph’s parents will have a lifetime in which to ponder just what, might have been had those £millions been more meaningfuly spend on education in outdoor safety rather than wasted on ’safety quango,s’ such as the AALA..
Amy Ryder, one of Joseph’s class mates stated that the youngsters had to negotiate a ’sump’ traversed by the only means possible - by submerging and going forward to emerge the other side of the water barrier. If so, it would have a highly dangerous manouver for such young children. Apparently, Joseph dissapeared; became seperated from the rest the during this manouver, traversing a sump full, filling with water. North Yorkshire Police and officials from the Health & Safety Executive have refused to comment, but will be examining the conduct of the ‘qualified’ instructor.

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The Mountaineering Council for Scotland (15 Sep 2005)

June 2nd, 2008 Posted in News | No Comments »

Apparently (Sept 2005), the so-called Mountaineering Council for Scotland wants all mountain-top ‘memorials’ removed (Their head office will be burnt down if they touch the Commando’s statue at Aracnacarry). This, from an organisation some of who’s members, have drilled and placed expansion bolts (thus causing deliberate damage) in Scottish crags, cliffs and high mountain rock faces against the wishes of the vast majority of British climbers

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