MOUNTAINCRAFT INSTRUCTORS ATTEND COURSE

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30275, 30 October 1963, Page 13

MOUNTAINCRAFT INSTRUCTORS ATTEND COURSE

For more than 30 years cl.mbers have referred to • Mountaincraft." by Geoffrey Winthrop Young, as thenstandard book on climbing technique. Equipment, however. has changed greatly in recent years, and with the change new techniques have

evolved, but there has been no change in the wisdom of his words. He wrote:

Some men are born climbers They will learn little about climbing from precept. At the same time, many of the finest climbers fall short of our ideal of safe methods because they have never con-

cerned themselves with the possible existence of any fundamental principle governing the various unrelated movements in which they de--1 ght; and so it comes that, though they may do nine things. by instinct right, they do the tenth, by habit, wrong.”

On the same subject, the late Peter Graham, an experienced mountaineer and Mount Cook guide wrote: •To become a first-class cumber, one needs years of experience, high regard for one's responsibilities, and a deep respect for the mountains themselves.”

With these precepts in mind, and with the object cf standardising and promulgating good climbing methods the Federated Mountain Clubs of New Zealand last ’ week-end held a three-day ■ refresher course for moun- i taincraft instructors at Mount Cook. 37 Take Part The seven course instruc- ‘ tors were drawn from the i New Zealand Alpine Club < and the Canterbury Moun- ‘ taineering Club. All had climbed extensively in New Zealand and overseas—some in Europe, the Andes, the i Himalayas. the Rockies, and Antarctica. Among the 30 instructortrainees were climbers also! with wide experience, includ- ‘ ing ascents of Mount Cook. T ley came from throughout j tie Sou h Island, represent-j ing the alpine and mountain- ' eering clubs, the Canterbury I University and Christchurch , tramping clubs, the police, and the Mount Cook, Westland, and Fiordland national pa’ k boards. Based at the Ball hut the party spent-the first two days below the Caroline glacier. W it h the lower peaks of Mount Cock towering above, end avalanches- rumbling on to the head of the glacier.

i the course instructors expained. demon-t.ra.ed, then supervised practice in the •ateat safe climbing methods. The emphas-s throughout . was on making the ; trainees confident and competent to pass on what they learned to the members of ; their own clubs. They practised step-cutting, rope prt>i cedure, belays, arre: .ing I falls, glacier travel, crevasse • rescue and rescue on steep • slopes, and the use at pitons and crampons. S.mllar tiamtng tn safe ; rock climbing methods was | given above the Ball but on ! the final day of the course. Tills included practice in arresting falls on rock fee-.s, holds, use of rock pitons, balance, and the rhythm of movement while climbing. Evening lectures were given by a Chrietcbureh doctor taking part m the traini ing. He described and disi cussed the symptoms and • treatment of injuries most frequently encountered m the I mountajis, and the use of medical equipment, including pain-relieving drugs, available to climbers and now stored in b.gh mountain huts. O iher aspects of mountain rescue were covered in films taken during actual rescue operations. Fewer Accidents

In his introduction to the ccur-se the organiser (Mr J. E. Ede) said that since instruoti'xi in mountaincraft had started, the number of aedden s had decreased, even thoufh the number of climbers bad increased. What was once considered highly technical equipment and technique was now considered standard practice. Mr Ede said the course was If -s.jjoed to prevent accidents. If it was the means of saving even one life then it had been worth while.

The most dangerous stage in a climber's life was reached in his second or third sea. on's experience when he tended to become over-conf’dent. The rugged indsvidiualist who wandered eff into ths mountains on his own should be diccouraged at all costs. He said the attributes of a good cl.mbar were physical fitness, technical knowledge, and judgment. Of these, judgment was probably the most important. Tire trainees were told that novice climbers should constantly be reminded that the essential requirement for competence was experience—-

gained from trips to high and low hills under all conditions of snow, ice. rock, and weather. Experience was necessary in camps, valley travel, in rivers, and by association with others who frequent the bills. Good instruction could provide a sound foundation and point the way The rest was over to the climber himself. Tested Methods

Instruction and information given during the course were based on many years of experience in running mountaincraft clssses. The first refresher course for club instructors was organised by the Federated Mountain Clubs at Mount Ruapehu in November, 1961, when climbers from throughout New Zealand attended. The main endeavour then was to discover the soundest possible techniques being demonstrated in the country. Much was achieved, but many instructors were still doubtful on some aspects, and they decided to have further discussions, testing, and comparisons. Two fur-her meetings were held, and in February last year some of New’ Zealand’s best available instructors came closer to unanimity. The meetings were supplemented by the circulation of instruction notes, and these were finally expanded into the “Federated Mountain Clubs’ Basic Mountaincraft Manual for Instructors.” Copies of this were distributed to trainee-iinstruotors attending last week-end’s course.

The manual emphasises the importance of practice, particularly of belays which should be tested under increasingly severe loads so that the correct reactions become automatic, and crevasse rescue. It points out that although the techniques described are at present the most acceptable for the instruction of novice climbers, better methods would undoubtedly evolve in time. Instructors should be aware of the danger of teaching out-of-date methods.