Mountain Clients

2 May, 2010: UIAGM/IFMGA mountain guide Marco Da Pozzo was killed after falling from the church steeple in the chic ski resort of Cortina D’Ampezzo in the Dolomits of Northern Italy during a routine maintenance operation http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/7639306/Italian-mountaineer-dies-falling-off-church-steeple.html This fatality comes not long after the then, President of the UIAGM Claude Rey, fell off a hut ladder (some reports say into a crevasse – unroped) and was killed.

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.

http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=373428   BMG clients deaths to be taken with: ‘a pinch of salt’ (liz Sept, 2009)

http://www.chamonix.net/english/news/2009-08-13.htm At least, 11 UIAGM guides have died since Nov, 2008, there is no information regading the fate of their clients.

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’ to their deaths. 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, so-called climbers, attach themselves to the ‘belay loop’ on the front of 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 draped over head and shoulder then clipped into the harness  would have saved lives. In fact, 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 in fact, it will increase them.

28 February, 2005: Apparently, there is ‘shock and anger’ at the Ramblers Association over the descision of the Dartmoor Planing Inspectrate to keep an access ban at Vixtor Tor. Not the best-man-won no, shock and anger. Perhaps if the Association had not alighned itself with the British Mountaineering Council in this protest it might have done better; there might have been different outcome.

Talk about David and Goliath, a lone woman and her son against the machinations – freedom ro roam – regardless of who’s land we trample over. That these Association’s (with apparently nothing better to do) will continue (supported by tax-payers – wasting taxpayers money) to put pressure on this woman is a disgrace.