Safety on the Hill
Dr. Bob Sharp (Lomond Mountain Rescue Team)
Over the years I have had the good fortune to play a part in each of the organisations responsible for mountain leader training, safety promotion and mountain rescue in Scotland. Perhaps I’m a glutton for punishment, but one thing I have learned is that there is an inextricable connection between training, safety and rescue work. Some might disagree with this and I do know that here in Scotland, some people in mountain rescue have no time for promoting safety or educating walkers and climbers about good practice. But I think they are a very small minority. Several years ago (2001) I had an opportunity to put all my knowledge and interests together and undertake a full time study on mountain safety. I was keen to determine what people think about safety promotion - what techniques should be used, what are the key messages, what are the priorities, etc. A wide variety of individuals and agencies were consulted including instructors, mountain leaders, equipment/clothing retailers and manufacturers, as well as representatives from the press/media and mountaineering agencies. My report (in PDF form) can be obtained from the following website – www.mountaineering-scotland.org.uk/safety/bobsharp.html.
A key part of this study was an examination of the incident reports collected by the Mountain Rescue Teams. I felt this would provide a steer on the kinds of things that go wrong in the mountains and, consequently, point to the kinds of issues that should provide a focus for safety promotion. At the time of the study I was Secretary of the MRC of S, which made it relatively easy for me to gain access to the relevant reports. Prior to my study two earlier studies had been carried out. The first survey (Macgregor, 1988) focused on the injuries sustained by people involved in climbing accidents. It reported on 190 incidents, which took place between January 1985 and January 1986. The second study (Anderson, 1994) was more comprehensive and examined the work of the Scottish mountain rescue service, participation levels in Scotland and casualty profiles. It reported on 1348 incidents, which took place from 1989 to 1993, focusing particularly on people who were injured in mountaineering incidents. My study in 2001 examined over 1000 mountain incidents for the period 1996 to 1999.
Following a little bit of pressure from Scotland’s Mountain Safety Advisor (Roger Wild) I extended this study to cover the ten-year period from 1996 to 2005. Roger’s view on mountain safety is to use evidence wherever possible to guide him in his work. Whilst he was aware of and had used the data from my 2001 study, he was keen for an update and also to examine any relevant trends. We considered that a ten-year period would give him the required answers. That study is now complete and was published by sportscotland in mid August. A digest of the findings as well as a copy of the complete report can be obtained from the website of The Mountaineering Council of Scotland (http://www.mcofs.org.uk/research.asp).
The report is based on an analysis of 2446 incidents involving 3315 casualties. It is the most comprehensive survey of Scottish mountain incidents undertaken and the most exhaustive carried out in the UK. It should be noted that only mountaineering incidents are included (rock climbing, hillwalking, snow and ice climbing, scrambling). All incidents classified as non-mountaineering (e.g., water based activities, aircraft crashes, suicides, animal rescues, etc) were excluded from the study. Incidentally, this is a rapidly growing area of work for some Scottish MRTs. Without going into any detail, I can report that many findings mirror those of the 2001 study. For example, more men than women are involved in incidents, there are more people from outside Scotland and more experienced people, and there are high points in February and August. The ten-year trend analysis revealed some interesting findings, one especially. It turns out that whilst there is an overall fall in annual incidents (since 1990) there is a corresponding increase in hillwalking incidents. This is at the expense of climbing incidents, which are falling. When the magnitude of these trends is examined it can be predicted that in about ten years time there will be no climbing incidents at all! Clearly, this will not be the case, but it does lend support for the widely held view that fewer and fewer people are going to the mountains to climb. I think this is all bound up with the so-called ‘nanny state’, lack of adventure amongst young people and the culture of fear which pervades society. I won’t go on about this, but leave the topic for a more in-depth feature at a later time.
There are a number of ‘clues’ contained in the data, which suggest that men are involved in mountain activities, which are more hazardous and/or they undertake activities in a riskier way. Furthermore, the study provides some evidence to suggest that mountaineering in Scotland may be undergoing a change in the relative importance of the various activities that constitute mountaineering. One conclusion is that more people are walking and less people climbing.
In highlighting some of the key things that go wrong in the mountains, the study provides a number of pointers for those with responsibility for promoting safe practice and training mountain leaders. This really is the essence of the study and the reason why it was undertaken. There are a number of messages, which I hope will be taken on board by the relevant agencies and individuals. They are:
Experience does not guarantee safety. Over half of those involved in mountain incidents are experienced hillgoers. There is a need to reinforce the message that experience does not make people infallible and that caution should prevail even when the risks are apparently low.
Hill walking is not without risks. Most incidents happen to hill walkers and many hill walkers die in the mountains. There is a need to underline the importance especially of good navigation and thorough planning as key ingredients of safe practice.
Slips are central to many incidents. They account for almost one third of all incidents. This common problem should be reinforced and the point should also be made that slips often have dire consequences, particularly in winter when a slip can result in a very long fall.
Ensure all appropriate items of equipment are taken. By and large, few incidents result from equipment failure or misuse. However, a substantial (and increasing) number can be traced to a simple item such as a forgotten compass or low headlight battery. A few tragic accidents have resulted from people not wearing crampons or using an ice axe, or using walking poles instead of an axe. It is important to make the point that the majority of incidents where equipment is a contributory cause are avoidable ones.
More than half of everyone involved in incidents live outside Scotland. It is a difficult task to convey safety messages to those who do not reside in Scotland. There is a need to target safety messages to visitors ‘at source’. This may be an area where information could be usefully distributed through the outdoor magazines, course providers, hostels, tourist boards, places of accommodation, car parks, etc.
Poor navigation. The most commonly cited contributory cause of mountain incidents is poor navigation and the percentage of people becoming lost in increasing. Poor navigation leads to people becoming overdue, exhausted, lost, benighted and cragfast, sometimes with fatal consequences. There is a need to convey this message to all mountaineers including both climbers and walkers.
Preparation is fundamental. There is scope for improvement in terms of planning, preparing and timing. Over a third of all incidents result from poor planning and underestimation of time. Inadequate planning is a problem not only for hill walkers but also those who scramble and climb in winter and summer. On a positive note, the evidence suggests this is becoming less of a problem.
Should any reader wish to chat over some of these topics or have any questions not answered in the report then please do not hesitate to contact me on – lomondbob@talk21.com.