The Mountaineering Council of Scotland

Issue 9. September 2001

Young Mountaineers News

British Regional Youth Competition Series 2001

A Good Year by Kevin Howett With the development of the new wall (Climb Caledonia) at the Inverness Aquadome and the fantastic success of the Kids Climbing Club there (the Boulder Brats), the MCofS felt it worth introducing the young climbers of the highlands into the wider world of the fun British competition of BRYCS. Scotland was summarily split into two – the Highlanders and the Sassenachs. At the North Region, two events were staged at Climb Caledonia and a third at Glenmore Lodge. Over 30 young people entered. A great start. Meanwhile, the standard of competition in the south region was noticeably better, with some awesome performances, which bodes well for the future of Scotland's' climbing. Thanks to all the staff at Glasgow Cliffhanger, Alien Rock, Hadrians Wall, Climb Caledonia and Glenmore Lodge, who did a sterling job with route setting and hosting each event. A special thanks to the Lodge for the drinks and cake; to Ruairidh Mackenzie and Tim Sweeney for all their hard work getting the Northern Region competitions organised, set and running smoothly and to Katie McQuade and Alan Laing and everyone else at Climbfest for ensuring the same for the South Region. A particular thank you goes to TISO, who gave generous support to BRYCS Scotland by supplying prizes for all the categories at each event, north and south. We look forward to next year now. South Scotland by Alan Laing On Saturday 9th of June the strongest team of young climbers from South of Scotland gathered at the Foundry for this years BRYCS Final. Over the last 3 years Scotland has not faired too well at the competition and has always finished in the last 2 places. Hopes were high this year that the team could do much better and as the competition progressed our hopes were coming true. In the 7-9 boys category, Deb, Mathew and John were hogging the top 3 positions in there group and time would tell how they would fair once the other groups scores were added in. Sadie as ever was climbing well in the 13-15 girls with Toby cruising some of the boulder problems that others were slapping about on. The rest of the team were climbing well and showing how much youth climbing had developed over the past year in Scotland. Lastly but not least a special mention of the quiet one on the team, who having started climbing only a few months ago showed true grit and determination and high placement in the 7-9 girls. And 4th overall in the Team placings, a result above our expectations. 7-9yr 10-12yr 13-15yr Deb Banerji  1st Martin Mckenna 14th Toby Philp 4th Mathew Beech 3rd Michael Kennedy 18th Stephen Kennedy 24th John McKenna 5th Sean Barrett 16th Stephen Green 19th Natalie Berry 7th Sarah Anderson 16th Sadie Renwick 2nd Rachel Osborne 26th Harriet Waugh 16th Vicky Mayes  13th   North Scotland by Ruairdh MacKenzie The first ever team from the North of Scotland set of from Inverness to compete at national level with some of the best young climbers in the UK. Many navigational detours later, we found the Foundry. Instantly we were hurled into a massive storm of exceptionally well organised chaos. Eight hours later we staggered out of the climbing wall. Ravenous youngsters were dispatched to various eateries. The best placed Highlanders were Robert Mackenzie, who was 6th in the 7-9 boys and Micheal Lee who placed 9th in the 10-12 boys, but a lack of competition experience meant we were no match for those from down south. Despite this, the emphasis was on fun and everyone had a great experience. Over 150 kids competed with ethics and etiquette. A truly inspiring day for young and old. On the Sunday, we took over Stanage, which was loads of fun. We claimed this famous little outcrop for Scotland with children running around the foot and top of the crag waving the Saltire violently. This was seen to have an effect at keeping the Englishmen at bay on the crag, if not the wall. The three day, one thousand mile journey saw tired, happy children and parents depart from the convoy. Many thanks to Ken (The Fire) Martin, and Bob Huston, our two minibus drivers.

FEATURES The quick way off the mountain! By Bob Sharp This resume of current accident research was delivered at the MCofS 2001 Annual Gathering Debate on 'Risk'. So, you walk or climb in Scotland, but the walk out is sometimes a bit tiring. Ever thought about taking a lift down in a helicopter or stretcher? Well, it's quite easy really. Trouble is that it doesn't come pain free. In the past 35 years, almost 6,500 people in Scotland have benefited from a trip in a chopper or mountain rescue stretcher. Downside is that almost 5,000 have suffered some kind of injury and almost 900 have not lived to tell the tale. So, out of choice you probably would refrain from a lift and simply leg it off the hill like the majority of good (safe?) hillgoers. Who's At Risk? Who are these lucky (unlucky) people? Well, it helps if you live south of the border, because almost half of all those rescued in the Scottish mountains do not live in Scotland. The majority live in England, but a very small number hail from foreign lands. Does that make these people, riskier than those of us who live in Scotland? Perhaps, but you really need to know how many people visit Scotland. We don't know the proportions and there is a real need to examine figures for participation in order to put the accident figures into perspective. Does Gender Matter? Three quarters of those who need help are males. Are males more risky or does this reflect the relative proportions of males/females who walk and climb? There is some evidence to show that about twice as many males are involved in Scottish mountaineering. This suggests that males are a higher risk group, and there is much evidence from psychological literature to show that males are greater risk takers (they 'value' risk higher?). But it may be that males and females take part in different mountain activities. Indeed, the evidence indicates that males take part in more hazardous activities. They are more likely to be involved in snow/ice or rock climbing accidents and more likely to suffer multiple or fatal injuries. In addition, they are more likely to be involved in an accident in the winter whilst females tend to succumb in the summer. And females tend to suffer from slips and stumbles rather than long falls. All this information leads to the broad conclusion that 'men climb and women walk'. But how true is this? The statistics point us in this direction. What are the other risk factors? Well, it helps if you are a student or pupil (20% of all casualties). It's even better if you belong to a profession - doctors, teachers, solicitors etc (21%). It also helps if you don't belong to an organised club, charity or youth groups or the military and are on the hill alone or with a friend. (Less than 20% of incidents happen to groups). And does it matter how experienced you are? Well, contrary to popular belief, over half of all casualties are classified as 'experienced', although this is a subjective judgement made at the time of the incident by the police/mountain rescue personnel. But also, an insignificant number of incidents are caused through poor footwear, clothing or equipment, so it is possible to kick into touch the myth that most accidents happen to inexperienced people without any proper gear. There is no doubt that such groups do take to the hills but it would seem they back off before trouble looms or they are extremely lucky. As far as age is concerned, the high risk category is 21 - 30 years (33% of all casualties). It is worth pointing out that the 'incident profile' changes with age. As age increases, females are relatively more likely to be involved in an accident, medical problems increase and the proportion of incidents caused through poor navigation, bad planning and poor timing decrease. Older hillgoers tend to slip and suffer limb injuries (especially females) or succumb to medical problems such as strokes and heart attacks (especially males). How do you maximise your chances of a lift in a helicopter? Firstly, slip or stumble and break an ankle (40% of all incidents). And you don't need to try, nor do you need to venture onto broken terrain. The evidence suggests the large majority of slips are genuine accidents (25% occur on footpaths!). Tiredness, lack of concentration, distraction and misjudgements all contribute to slips but these factors cannot be classified as faults. Secondly, don't learn to navigate. Let your pals do the navigating so that when they're not around you get lost easily when the clouds descend (30% of all incidents). And thirdly, make sure your planning is poor (males take special attention). Don't judge how long your walk will take, forget to check on the weather forecast, fail to leave word of your plans, and also forget to take a spare headtorch bulb. All of these and numerous other 'minor' checks will ensure you are overdue, follow the wrong glen back to the car, or wander onto difficult ground in the dark and become cragfast (30% of all incidents). And it's worth pointing out that if your incident results in injury, there is a 15% chance it will be fatal! Conclusion Let's put all of this into context. We all know the hills are to be enjoyed. Enjoyment is partly a function of safety, and safe travel is all about learning a few key skills, gaining experience and displaying a good dose of common sense. It is very unlikely you will ever need the rescue services. If a comparison is made between the number of people who need to be rescued and the projected people who walk and climb in Scotland every year, then an average hill-goer would need to walk/climb every day for 35 years before they had an accident. For this to be fatal they would need to continue for 300 years! So, mountaineering is not so risky after all! The report "Strategies for Improving Mountain Safety, & Analysis of Scottish Mountain Accidents 1996/1999" is available from the MCofS website (downloadable as a pdf file) or direct from Bob at 01360 770431.   Ever Been in a Gamow Bag? By Irvine Butterfield I had been advised to descend as I showed all the symptoms of mountain sickness - sickness being quite literally the involuntary coughing up of my lunch. Lethargically I followed the sherpa on downward path from Dughla to the tiny hospital at Pheriche. This I discovered was manned by a good Scots doctor, Mark Fenney who hails from Glasgow and will now be working in accident and emergency at the Belford in Fort William. Diagnosis revealed that I was suffering a lack of blood oxygen. It seemed the count was too low for comfort, and with two plastic tubes inserted in the nostrils was immediately connected to the oxygen machine. This was operated on electricity supplied from the solar panels on the roof, and although some storage in cells was available this was insufficient to keep running overnight. Mark hoped I wasn't claustrophobic as he explained the purpose of the Gamow Bag. The patient is sealed into a bag with oxygen taken from the air by means of a simple bellows-type foot pump. The bag is constructed of plasticised fabric with plastic bands attached lengthwise to give rigidity in use. At the head are two portholes which allow the internee to communicate with the operators. Feet in first and then a contorted move to get the head into position before lying flat on a sleeping bag provided for your comfort. The limp tube fell about my head and the greatest fear was the restricted breathing space. The zips were slid home and immediately the pumping began and the tube inflated. With the sides taut there was space to breathe and I settled down as comfortably as I could. It would be a long night. It was a strange feeling being confined in what to all intents and purposes is a huge sausage with just enough room to move one arm to support the head. The muscular constraints do not make it an easy bed. Psst, psst .... I counted up to twelve. Psst, psst ... "240", then a response "240". I count to twelve again. By my reckoning there were about five inflations per minute and the call of "240" seemed to be a means of checking the constancy of pressure in the bag. Now I know what it is like to be inside an inner tube. A change of shift marks the end of the first two hours and another two climbers take up duty on the pump. Welsh voices this time. I doze but do not sleep. Psst, psst and on the pump pushes air into the bag once more. Thus the minutes tick away. Relief comes when I step out to answer nature's call. My oxygen count is stabilising and it appears that my urine is clear which is a good sign. I am offered a refreshing fruit drink and commit myself to the bag once more. Three hours later the process has to be repeated. By now the condensation inside the bag makes the return most unpleasant but it has to be done and is the best chance for recovery. I have established a kind of routine and in my mind work out what to put in the diary I am keeping of my first experiences of Nepal. It is much clammier and cooler now and it is with some relief that I hear Mark's voice. I am into the last hour of confinement and strangely because I am now conscious of time, and the final release, it seems to be the longest of all. A peep of light through the curtain of the bag porthole heralds a new dawn. A slow deflation of the slimy bag, and I raise my arm to mask my face. It is almost routine by now but there is still the urge to be rid of the clinging damp, suffocating fabric. My relief as I emerge is not palpable as I am still to be monitored, and am not clear as yet. The omens are good - the blood count is nearer normal and the teams manning the pump have done the business. Hot sweet tea is produced and I have the almost regulartory pee .. clear and copious. I am not quite fully on song and it will be some time before the lethargy is gone. Mark produces a T-shirt and a small badge of the Himalayan Rescue Association Nepal which he proffers as a souvenir. So whenever I hear mention of the Gamow Bag I can say "Yes, remember that ... been there... seen the inside .. got the T-shirt AND the badge.   Back to Newsletter index     next article

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