Safety In Mountains

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31366, 11 May 1967, Page 14

Safety In Mountains

It was pleasing to see so many members of mountain clubs taking part in instruction courses and the growing awareness of the need for mountaincraft training, the chairman of the Arthur’s Pass National Park Board (Mr M. J. Fitzgerald) said in his annual report to the board yesterday.

He said that climbing was again one of the major activities in the park. A number of climbing courses were arranged either by clubs themselves or by clubs under the auspices of the recently formed Mountain Safety Council administered by the Department of Internal Affairs.

The Christchurch Tramping Club held a snow instruction and river crossing course, the

University Tramping Club held a snow instruction course, the New Zealand Alpine Club and the Canterbury Mountaineering Club held climbing schools and instruction courses, and the Westland section of the Search and Rescue Organisation held a practice on Kelly range.

Climbing tragedies and other Search and Rescue calls shadowed Arthur’s Pass National Park for seven months of the year, Mr Fitzgerald said.

There were seven search and rescue operations during the year, the longest and biggest being the Mount Rolleston search for four climbers who lost their lives, with the subsequent death of one of the searchers. In a letter before the board, the principal of the Christchurch Teachers’ College (Mr G- Guy) said he was very concerned about the prevalence of accidents in mountain areas, particularly in national parks. “I am most appreciative of what park boards do and know that their rangers must have great difficulties in handling parties of foolhardy trampers and climbers,” Mr Guy said. “I suggest that the widest publicity should be given to the reasons for such accidents and believe this could best be done at the time of the

announcement of the result of the coroner’s inquiry.” Mr Guy asked the board if there was any way in which the college could help in the prevention of accidents.

The board decided to refer the letter to the National Mountain Safety Council for consideration, suggesting that it obtain copies of the Federated Mountain Clubs bulletin reporting on mountain accidents for distribution to schools and youth organisations sending groups into the mountains.

In a letter to Mr Guy, the chief ranger (Mr P. Croft) said the college could help minimise accidents by encouraging its students to get their pupils into the mountains at every opportunity, show them by example how to tackle the problems and assess their danger, and what techniques they should use. Mr Croft said pupils should be shown when and why a risk was not justified, how a change in weather could change a pleasant jaunt into a battle for survival, and to impress on them at all times that the risk remained.

“Park rangers can give valuable information on conditions to be expected and their advice should be heeded. But the moment of truth remains in the field when a wrong decision may prove fatal. Only education can change that decision,” Mr Croft said.