Winter safety

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Please take a minute to read over this as it applies to every member of the club.

We're lucky in the GUMC to have one of the best activities in the university; we don't spend 90 minutes running up and down a pitch getting wet and miserable, we can last all day enjoying the 'finest' of Scottish weather in some of it's truly most fantastic scenery. Unfortunately we also take part in something that (whilst it doesn't always seem it) can be one of the most dangerous pastimes and is potentially fatal.

Remember what you all signed when joining the club? That little disclaimer that looks like we're just trying to not get sued if anyone has an accident? Well it's more to let you know what you're letting yourself into, not a warning instead just a reminder (like this is). Copied straight from the BMC participation statement it's full of phrases about how mountaineering is one of those 'activities with a danger of personal injury or death'. It also states that 'Participants in these activities should be aware of and accept these risks and be responsible for their own actions'. 'Responsible for their own actions' means exactly that; you can't learn everything about mountaineering before you head onto the hill but when you find something new, look it up! Learn about it and be ready for next time you meet it.

This is the most important thing for us a club, for people to be able to look after themselves. If you're new to mountaineering and a bit inexperienced that's fine, self reliance should come as a result of experience and talking to others in the club. We've all this mass of experience between us, use it! If you feel you want to do something but you're uncertain then speak to someone who's done it before, or has done similar things and knows the level with which you're comfortable.

Anyway, at our committee meeting the other day some general points were raised which we want to make clear with you.

1) Winter mountaineering is dangerous, be it walking or climbing. Hopefully by now you get that one. It doesn't matter if you feel that your plan for the day is 'just a simple stroll', if it's going up an avalanche prone slope then you're in just as much risk as that guy next to you on the minibus who's got their heart set on the steep ice. It's not just an accident that puts you at risk though; if you're unprepared for the weather you can find all the warmth and energy stolen from you by the wind, putting you in a state that's more likely to make bad decisions or carry out the good ones at too slow a pace.

2) Route cards are important. When filling these things out we need a bit more detail from you than just what peak you're going for and attached is an example route card and guidelines. Basically though, we need details. Details of a rough path you're taking, details of who is going and details of expected timings. It makes those of us in the hall a lot less twitchy at the end of the day if we know a group aren't expected back for another hour. It also can be very useful if a situation does occur as mountain rescue generally quite like to know where they need to go to get someone.

3) When you head off out in groups, over 10 people is a bad idea. Days are short and you move much slower than the slowest person would on their own when you're in a group that size.

5) Start as you mean to go on. If you're on your walk and someone wants to turn back, don't let them head back by themselves. If someone wants to head back it's because they're tired, miserable or worried about the route. None of these mindsets are ones where you'd want to let them walk alone. As much as it may disappoint you, you may need to head back with them.

4) Walking on your own is not forbidden, it never has been. BUT, we do recommend walking in groups of two, preferably three as the smallest. Walking on your own is rewarding, but it's also far more challenging and risky, you've got no one around to point out the mistakes you make. As a result, we can't stop you going out by yourself but if we know you to be inexperienced we're going to try our hardest to make you go in a safer group (just so you can build up that experience which you can later rely on when out by yourself).

5) Common sense will be measured, if you're found to have less than an ounce of it we will need to have words with you. Common examples of being a bit of a tool generally involve being unequipped for the hill in terms of gear, as in no head torch, spare fleece (some people push the frontiers of light and stupid by forgoing things like map and coat) but there are all kinds of choices you make which aren't gear related that you'll look back on later and wish that you could have stopped yourself then.

6) Finally, courses are recommended. The reason is because they're really useful, you can learn from instructors rather than from your mistakes. There's no excuse for going out without having a clue about using crampons or how to self arrest with your axe. The same applies for navigation, you need to be able to read a map and apply it to your surroundings, not just to find someone in the hall who says they can (self reliance, remember?) 

This has gone a bit so well done for getting to the end; we prefer it when members have at least the commitment to read an email before going off into Scotland somewhere. I know I've pushed some points a lot but it's because they're vital. Most members of the club will never have an accident whilst out and some will solely due to bad luck, situations completely out of their control. Hopefully what we won't have are accidents that were preventable.