Number in series 59; Year of publication 1966 - Fell and Rock ...

250 LAKE DISTRICT MOUNTAIN ACCIDENTS, 1965
in my opinion, justifiable provided the risk is confined chiefly
to the participants. It is sad however that the calculation of
the risk level is sometimes placed so high that the ultimate
end becomes inevitable. An extract from an obituary notice
in a recent climbing journal, paraphrased here to secure
anonymity, points its own moral. 'Since he joined the club a
year ago he had risen from a complete novice to a V.S. climber.
He was killed while climbing this summer.'
There seem to be two periods in a climber's development
when he is most likely to be involved in an accident: during
his novitiate, before he has mastered elementary rope management
and protection techniques, gained some degree of 'rocksense'
and fully realised the objective dangers; and during a
period of over-confidence that may arise after he has ascended
some of the harder climbs. Very few experienced climbers
who habitually do the harder routes seem to hurt themselves.
At the other extreme, an almost criminal state of negligence
is reached far too frequently when parties of children are taken
onto the fells, inadequately led, inadequately trained and inadequately
equipped. The rapidly increasing use of the
National Parks for the open-air training of the young is to be
commended. Valuable training is being carried out by
Outward Bound Schools, the more enlightened Education
Committees, and other similar organisations. It is too
frequent an occurrence however to see other 'leaders' expose
parties to incredibly stupid dangers. The passage of Striding
Edge by 90 young children in the care of only three teachers
is well authenticated. I have myself seen 30 twelve-year-old
girls above the cloud line with only two inexperienced teachers
to guide them. Any Youth Hostel warden will be able to
report even more hair-raising escapades. Luckily authorities
are pressing ahead with leadership training and the issue of
certificates. The standards for qualification must be kept at
the highest reasonable level. The greatest danger exists in an
imperfectedly trained leader who is not aware of his own
imperfections. The question of the ratio of the number of
leaders to children is probably a matter that does not lend
itself to legislation. The answer here lies with the individual
Education Committees. It is to be hoped that they all reach
enlightenment before public opinion has to be stimulated by
the castigations of some coroner.
One of the greatest tragedies of the year was the fatality
on Dove Crag. The fact that two undergraduates, both