Climbing / Paragliding Risk Part 1

This is the first installment on a series on risk.

The original was written for SA Mountain Sports and appeared in their December 2007 edition. I have edited it, slightly, to include paragliding which I am learning the trade-craft of. Incidentally, I speed-ride these days as well.

“A ship is safe in harbour, but that is not what ships are for” – William Shedd

A little while back some bloke flew a sky-diving rig off of the cliffs to the left of Platteklip Gorge on Table Mountain, something that had apparently done a few times before. For semantics sake, it’s important to note that he was not BASE jumping but rather speed-flying. I have jealously watched a speed rider in action taking a very direct (and vertical) route between ski runs at a resort called Grand Montets in Chamonix. I say jealous because it certainly looked like immense FUN this ability to cross all and ANY terrain…vertical drops included!

On this particular occasion, on Table Mountain, a semi-inflated canopy caused him to drop a little faster than intended, depositing him in a heap on a ledge some 30 metres down. Fortunately, there was someone filming the flight who was thus able to alert rescue services, who eventually carried the injured man out, under some trying conditions, as the weather continued deteriorating.

I’ve chosen this incident purely because it highlights a few important themes very well. Action, Consequence, Motivation and Reward. It is fair to assume that the majority of you reading this, climb [or paraglide] to some degree and as such share a passion for the vertical and all that goes with it challenge, camaraderie, exclusivity and the ever-present knowledge that danger lurks. For some, the danger is the lure, for others it is a by-product of the undertaking but for ALL of us, we must remember that for every action (in our field of play) there is an associated potential risk, a potential reward, a consequence and for all of these there needs to be motivation.

“Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties Erich Fromm

Added into the mix, and again diluting the cocktail that is ‘extreme’ sports [into which many include climbing/paragliding] are subtle nuances of style, variables specific to the undertaking and variables specific to the individual. Obviously free-soloing carries more risk than sport-climbing, and likewise climbing choss is more risky than solid granite. However, the greatest variable in the entire equation remains the individual:

• how they assess the variables relating to style, route, conditions, etc
• how they handle unexpected change, pressure and consequence
• are they capable of even visualizing the variables, and particularly are they competent at seeing ALL of the potential eventualities
• are they capable of objectively matching personal competence with the objective of the day, under the conditions of the day

Remember that what is risky for some, may not be risky to others. In fact, it is often quite the opposite Dean Potter linking The Nose (El Cap), with the North-West Face (Half Dome), alone and in less than 24hrs is, arguably, LESS risky than a pair of wanna-be sport climbers at a sport crag without any instruction or previous experience. Likewise, Chrigel Maurer taking off in the lee of strong mountain winds is, arguably, less risky than a new pilot at a new site, unsupervised, even in ideal conditions.

This is simply because experience is a factor as imperative as desire, and affords the individual to bear in mind that of all the variables, the human variable is the most adaptable and more often than not the area that offers the most user input to change – the ability to adapt, to lessen the risk.

To succeed.

“Good decisions come from experience, and experience comes from bad decisions.”

But how does one acquire the necessary experience without first being ignorant and naive?

If we accept that all of our [climbing/paragliding] exploits carry some form of risk, and ergo consequence we can safely assume, also, that the reward is directly linked to the challenge of the undertaking, and to a varying degree the associated risk then all that remains is motivation. Right? And as long as the motivation is pure, then the risk can be justified. Following on from that, and when judgment is passed, whether we succeed or fail should be immaterial. Likewise, the relationship between the nature of the undertaking (and its associated level of risk), and the individual’s capability should be equally irrelevant because if the undertaking is bigger than the experience, then it will be educational, alternatively, if the two are well matched then the experience will be a dual of tradecraft, an expression in creativity. Both have their place, as they are symbiotic, and both should be encouraged one cannot exist without the other.

You cannot walk before you can crawl. So why then, in the case of the pilot, was criticism so harshly passed? Surely we should all be afforded the benefit of being judged according to our intent and not on the results!!

Risk is all around. Occasionally we go looking for it (sometimes unwittingly). The next time, before you pass judgment on others using your own degree of acceptable risk, remember that what they are doing is an expression art if you will, and it is intrinsically part of who we are, and what we do. In fact individual expression should be encouraged. We have a right to risk – provided that the motivation for the undertaking is pure.

What is pure motivation to you? Are you always true to it?

If you wait until you’re sure it’s right, you’ll probably never do much of anything – Win Borden