An initiative has been started by the Alpine Club and “legless” climber, Norman Croucher (who climbed with us in the Alps way back in 1985-87). The initiative is born out of the growing erosion of the traditional values of mountaineering by amongst others, “cheque-book” mountaineering, competitive, ego fueled and commercial expeditions. Indeed, climbers in difficulty on Everest have been ignored by those pushing for their own summit glory!
As American climber Ed Viesturs, who has climbed all fourteen 8,000 metre summits without oxygen, pointed out: œIf you ™re strong enough to mount a summit attempt, you ™re strong enough to attempt a rescue, or at least sit there with him and try to provide a little comfort
The initiative is in the form of 3 parts:
An Alpine Club Spirit of Mountaineering Commendation given to an individual who has displayed unselfish devotion in rendering assistance to a fellow human being imperilled in the mountains.
A Code of Practice. Extracts from the Initiative below:
The Alpine Club, working with the British Mountaineering Council, leading clubs and commercial organisations, should be seen to be encouraging good practice both on and among the mountains. The Tyrol Declaration on Best Practices in Mountain Sports, drafted by leading international mountaineers at the 2002 UIAA Future of Mountain Sports Conference in Innsbruck, includes the following paragraphs: In an emergency if outside assistance is not available and we are in a position to help, we should be prepared to give all the support we can to persons in trouble as far as is feasible without unduly endangering ourselves. Helping someone in trouble has absolute priority over reaching goals we set for ourselves in the mountains. Saving a life or reducing damage to an injured person ™s health is far more valuable than the hardest of first ascents. Of course, organisers and leaders have to look after their own, but this should not preclude the possibility of helping others. The idea that you can neglect someone in need because he or she is not a member of your team, or not of your nationality, is reprehensible. Progress will have been made if we can persuade the public to ask, not only œDid you reach the summit? but also, œDid you behave as you should? There is an opportunity here for a beacon of selfless spirit to light up mountaineering and shine through the ethos of œwin at all costs, which is infecting sport in general. While the Alpine Club cannot control or dictate, it can influence through good leadership, example and education. Particularly on commercial expeditions, client ™s aspirations need to be tempered long before they set out for the top. Expedition leaders need to discuss with their clients the possibility that a summit attempt might be aborted in order to assist a fellow climber from within or without the team, that there are other considerations than mere summit glory.
A forthcoming book, ˜Companionship of the Rope “ the Mountain Spirit ™
We fully support this initiative, which can be viewed in full at:
http://www.normancroucher.co.uk/alpine_pdf_text/alpine_text.pdf
Other sources:
The Alpine Club
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[...] suggest you take a read of the “Spirit of Mountaineering Initiative“, if you can in fact read. This post will be placed in spanish on some spanish forums in the [...]
Certainly a very timely initiative by the Alpine Club, but the BMC and the ‘encouraging of good practice’ mentioned in the same statement, given the BMC’s sturation of UK climbing with – bolts, beggars belief…