When to talk about the dark side of climbing
People get hurt. People die. Yet climbers will climb and I think this makes the world a better place. So how do we talk about this with our clients?
I am not going to provide any answers here, because it is something I wrestle with myself. But I will try to organize my thoughts, and hopefully, this will trigger some input from my readers.
The reason we are in this business - teaching climbers all the survival skills - is that climbing is dangerous. Very dangerous. Every year, lots of people die or get seriously injured in climbing. It seems only natural that we should be transparent about it. Why? Because studying accidents is how we can understand risk, and develop both safety culture and safety technology.
On the other hand, ambushing a nervous beginner with tales of death and suffering hardly seems inspirational, does it? What, then, could be the middle ground? I believe that facts and timing matter. Let me explain.
The reason we need to talk to students about accidents is that there is something to learn from them. In fact, there is a wealth of experience to be found in understanding what actually goes wrong in the mountains. And there is no point in guess-work, anecdotal evidence, or rumours, because many organizations, countries and regions collect and analyze incident reports. This means that we have facts.
Facts are less scary than gory epics. When talking about rappelling, we can present statistics from Accidents in North American Climbing. A lot of people die each year rappelling. But saying "rappelling is the most dangerous thing we do", while statistically somewhat correct, does not provide any useful information. We cannot not rappel and still be climbers. A more useful analysis would be:
"Fatigue, sloppy anchors, no prussik, and no knots at the end of the ropes while rappelling long routes can become fatal. If you can, avoid rappelling when tired or cold, and otherwise use the appropriate techniques to make it as safe as possible."
Present the facts, but always translate them into something useful!
The second issue is timing. We should provide information that the client can process, at a time when it can be absorbed. Somebody who is going to rappel for the first time must learn how to thread the rope and how to use an autobloc, and needs a calm environment to do so. What he does not need right then is a colourful story about the latest fatal accident.
In contrast, an aspiring assistant instructor, or a client at an advanced rescue course, is better equipped to handle such facts and may learn the importance of focusing on certain skills to minimize risk. She should be encouraged to look into sources of accident information and understand how they can be used.
I believe we should talk about accidents. But it needs to be based on facts, translated into something useful, and presented at the right time.
What´s your take? Do you talk about accidents when you teach climbing?
I believe you are right in saying facts and timing should guide what is presented and when. Though, I feel anecdotes are a powerful way to convey a message.
ReplyDeleteFor example, I make a big point out of conducting buddy check (sv. "kamratkontroll") and other double-check procedures all the time to build the habit into your unconsciousness. I do this because I've read the facts but I only briefly mention the facts. I then put emphasis on a tale from my wild days. The wild days was before I started training to become a climbing instructor, basically I did most mistakes available and it's a miracle that I'm still alive.
My experience is that anecdotes from my climbing career becomes more "real" for the student. It makes it easier to attach the abstract knowledge of facts to something more concrete.
Or this is just me making excuses to talk about myself to other people. What do you think?
Excellent point! Sharing your own stories of mistakes, incidents, or things you have witnessed, is the most fact-based teaching you can do. After all, YOU know what happened. You are also still alive, so even a pretty gory story is cushioned by the fact that you lived to tell. In addition, this type of openess teaches, by example, a culture of transparency. We should treasure a climbing culture where mistakes are regarded as lessons, rather than something to be ashamed of!
ReplyDeleteRecently, I have chosen to start using the words "reduce your risk", or something similar, rather than, "improve safety". Safety is an illusion, what we are doing is inherently unsafe. So, let's call it what it actually is, which is risk, and talk about reducing or mitigating the risk. Ultimately I think this is more honest and a better reflection of what we are really doing.
ReplyDeleteGood point! As a language guy (I am also a technical writer) I like to consider my choice of words. Will certainly think about this one. I would add that "minimize risk" would be equally poor choice, since that is certainly not what we are doing. "Managing" or "reducing" risk is probably best. Hmmm...
DeleteOn another note, do you know if there is a European version of "Accidents in North American climbing"? Reading a similar version of European accident reports would be very interesting.
ReplyDeleteNot that I know of. I really appreciate the work put into "Accidents...", and always recommend it to my students. The North American climbing environment is probably more relevant to the Scandinavian situation than, say the French would have been.
DeleteHaving said that, there are very likely Swiss, German, Italian or French publications, but unless they are translated they are beyond my language skills! I do know the Italian federation has performed some very interesting testing over the years.
The Swedish climbing federation has a small group dedicated to collecting and analysing information about incidents and accidents. They do a great job, but our accidents are mercifully few, and there is no attempt at writing more than the occasional article in Swedish, I´m afraid.
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