Elite Guides' Approach to Risk Mitigation and Climbing Safety
Keeping everyone safe
Elite Guides takes risk mitigation seriously; your safety and enjoyment of the mountains, along with the safety of our guides, are our priority.
The following information is our way of making it clear to our customers how we manage risk and to encourage clear and open communication. The safety of you and our guides whilst in the mountains is everyones resposibility.
As much as we put systems in place and make informed and balanced decisions in the mountains, risks can never be removed. For many, the balance of risk is what makes mountaineering and climbing so enjoyable and the reason many of us come back time and time again.
Please read the below, and we encourage you to get in touch with any questions you may have in the pre-bookings stage and whilst out in the mountains.
The process of risk mitigation starts at the first point of contact. Our website should give you some idea of what to expect from the range of activities that we offer, but it can only be a snapshot, and of course, we are trying to sell positive experiences. If you have any doubt, please do get in touch.
"The right person, on the right route, on the right day"
Starting the conversation and how we mitigate risk:
- Getting a better understanding of your previous experience:
For some of our activities, like a guided walk on Ben Nevis in summer, there is less need for any previous experience of the hills, and your fitness levels and current medical conditions are probably far more important in helping
us mitigate risk.
For larger and more serious undertakings, like a Cuillin Ridge Traverse, we must understand more about your previous experience and how up to date it is, as well as your current fitness level. This is to not only make sure we are selling you something appropriate, but it is our first line of defence in managing risk. Is this the right route/objective/course for you? There is a wide range of activities or routes in between that will require us to have varying levels of information about your experience. For some, it will be their first step into scrambling, and it wouldn't be reasonable to expect you to have experience with scrambling if this is your first taste of it.
- Getting a clear understanding of what it is you hope to achieve with your time with us. What routes or activities are you looking to do and why?
- Being clear and honest with you about what is possible. As mountain goers, we have to be flexible in our approach to the mountains and the routes we can do. If a specific objective is discussed or sold, then we will also be open and honest about what may influence the likelihood of that happening. Weather on the day, avalanche forecast, your fitness and skill level when we actually meet you.
- Providing you with a full kit list so you can be properly prepared for your day. Kit lists for our activities can be found in a number of places on our website, and one will be sent to you, allowing you to ask questions.
- We ask you to acknowledge our participation statement. You should have an understanding of the risks, but if not, you can again ask questions.
- We ask you for any medical conditions or medicines you may be on. This is not so we can say no to activities, this is so we have a full picture from the outset and how it may play into your time with us and how best to manage any existing issues. Honesty on our customers' part is very important.
- Ratios. For the majority of our technical climbing and mountaineering days out, we work at a maximum ratio of 1:2. The simple reason is that the more people on the rope, the harder it is to safeguard everyone and the slower the whole process becomes. It is also about enjoyment, and sharing a rope with several different people is not a particularly enjoyable experience. A lower ratio also allows us to be flexible with our objectives. There are some exceptions to this ratio, but they are route and customer-dependent.
- Experienced, current and qualified guides/leaders. Elite Guides believes in using qualified professionals as guides and leaders. Not only do we expect them to be members of professional associations and up to date and current for the work that we engage them to do. We also believe in using locally experienced guides where we can. Although all are trained and assessed to work anywhere in the UK, local knowledge helps with planning and risk mitigation, along with improving your experience. There is one small deviation from this: from time to time, we may deploy a trainee WMCI as they gain experience and work towards assessment. This is done in a structured and progressive manner for the benefit of everyone.
Managing risk on the day
Once you have met your guide, this is our opportunity to do a final check on the equipment and clothing you have for the day and your preparedness. Along with sharing the current weather/avalanche forecasts with you, and the possible implications they may have on your day, before finally committing to a plan.
This is also an opportunity for your guide/leader to get some verbal and visual confirmation about what you have stated on your booking form with regard to your experience, fitness and any medical conditions that may have been missed or occurred since the time of booking. Again, this is an opportunity to gather information and help us to manage risk and give you the best experience we can.
This is an ongoing process throughout the day, but more so at the beginning as we try to build a picture in our head about what the day will entail and how we may manage risk further along at potentially more technical sections.
Soloing, short roping or pitched climbing
Techniques used by our guides/leaders to safeguard you and themselves during the course of a day will vary from day to day and activity to activity.
As an example, a guided walk on Ben Nevis would be just that, a walk, with some briefing and instructions from the guide to manage safety. There are no big hazards, and anything there is can easily be avoided with simple instructions or a briefing.
Guided Ice climbing, on the other hand, could involve a mix of soloing, short roping and pitched climbing all in one day and differ from person to person from day to day.
Below is not an exhaustive list, but hopefully just a brief explanation of some of the ways professional guides/instructors safeguard people in their care.
Soloing on scrambling/mountaineering terrain
Soloing is a great way to move through the mountains, as you have the greatest freedom to adjust your pace or even select your own route if possible. This is often a leading or guiding technique used on easier scrambling terrain or less exposed terrain, with probably lower consequences in the event of a fall.
That said, you are on your own, and it is very difficult to recover from a slip or a trip in the wrong place. A guide or leader may be able to 'spot' short sections or talk you through the moves, but can offer nothing more in terms of safety. This should be a joint decision between you and your guide/leader.
Pitched climbing
At the opposite end of the spectrum is pitched climbing. This is where your guide or leader will leave you in a location, sometimes attached to the mountain by a belay, if it is serious, and they will then run out the rope to the next belay. It is likely on terrain where both hands are needed to make progress. It may be that the guide/leader chooses not to be belayed or place any intermediate runners if they feel it is well within their abilities, or good conditions are in their favour. Alternatively, they may be belayed by a participant and place runners as they go to minimise risk.
In this scenario, you and the guide are moving between fixed points, and the safety margins are much greater. This is probably the safest way to move through the mountains. If someone were to fall, it is likely that the number of elements of the safety chain would do their job. Though again, risks can not be completely removed, and there is still a chance that something like rock or ice could be a hazard.
Short Roping
This is where things get a bit more grey. Short roping is a mix of techniques, ranging from walking together still roped up across easier and less exposed terrain, whilst moving between more complex sections. Or maybe the only way to safeguard is if there are no other options.
Short roping does not gaurantee 100% safety, and anyone who is going to be guided in this manner should be aware of that.
Belay options include hand over hand belaying, body belaying, shoulder belaying, direct belaying using the mountain in short pitches, moving together with a longer section of the rope using natural 'running anchors' to running out longer pitches, just like pitched climbing.
Which techniques the guide chooses will depend on several factors, such as the difficulty of the step or terrain, the consequences of a slip, the likelihood of a slip, the current weather and conditions, the number of people on the rope, the weights of the people on the rope, the weight/size of the guide, the length of the route being tackled, the amount of rope out in the system and even sometime is dictated by the fact that there isn't a suitable anchor to use for a belay.
This is a series of complex decisions that happen in a very short period of time to aid progress along or up and down a route. Trying to give a full breakdown of the hows is not something I believe we can do via this article. It is highly nuanced and often misunderstood by many.
For many scrambling/mountaineering routes in Scotland and across the world, this is a technique used by mountain professionals.
It is a way to increase safety whilst travelling over greater distances of climbing or exposed terrain. There are lots of things that can be done, and in many cases, the idea of short roping is to prevent a small slip, trip or fall from becoming anything more.
The images below are an attempt to try and get the more complex point about short roping. Give you a better image of what it might look like and to highlight that it is not risk-free
