More Welsh Water (not the kind that comes out of the tap)

Had another great day on the river yesterday paddling the Sennybridge to Aberbran section of the Usk, my first time that far up the river. Although the river was pretty low, the three signature drops on the section were still loads of fun, and made up for one or two sections being a bit of a boulder-filled 'adventure'. Will did a fine job of catching much of the trip on his Go-Pro, with a write up and footage on his blog here.

The Wild Wild West (of Wales)

Deep in the little-known depths of Wales, far from the nearest cappuccino, there is a river. A very special river. The river Tywi or Towy - not to be confused with the rivers Tawe and Taw - winds its way through the rolling hills and steep gorges around Llandovery, with enough rapids and drops to make the 90 minute drive more than worth it.

We got on the river a little downstream of Junction Pool, where an initial "You can't get on here" from the local farmer turned out to mean 

"Paddlers don't bother me in the least, but the bugger who owns the opposite bank can't stand anyone enjoying themselves for free so he's put up a bloody big fence. Two in fact. Topped with barbed wire. Oh, and he's going to plant a load of spiky hawthorn bushes to stop people getting down to the river".

The farmer was pleasant enough, and it was easy to see why he didn't want paddlers using his bank to get on; living in the middle of nowhere, you have to keep the neighbours happy, even the passive aggressive (or just plain aggressive) ones who have too much time and money on their hands. £1.50 each lighter in the pocket though and he kindly let us use his bank access.

The run itself had a few small drops, some decent sized wave trains and a couple of nice little rapids, great grade 2 fun all in all.

With the air temperature hovering around 4 degrees though, and the water cooler still, I couldn't feel my hands for much of the trip, and at one point my toes were so cold that I was convinced my right foot had somehow become detached from my leg. A couple of months ago I light-heartedly mocked one of our club members for wearing pogies (not least because it rhymes with... I'm sure you get the idea). After yesterday I'm beginning to think it might be a good idea to invest in some, either that or some kind of kayak mounted system for heating the water immediately around my boat (maybe I could recharge it with hot air from fishermen? Hmm, I see a plan forming)

The final rapid just before the get out at Dolauhirion bridge was the only grade 3 drop on the run, a fairly steep drop with a decent sized stopper at the bottom. We'd scouted it from the bridge and from river level before we got on the river, and it looked as though there was a pretty distinct slot on the left to drop easily through. From above though, the line was nowhere to be seen. I went hard left and managed to miss the top of the slot, dropping in from the side and nearly capsizing on the edge of the stopper. Three others in the group hit the line spot on. And swam. It seems a little bit of mild directional error can be a good thing sometimes, and it was nice not to be the one capsizing for a change.

So the winter of paddling continues...

Snaps courtesy of Graeme from Monmouth Canoe Club. Cheers Graeme!

Thoughts on a mountain tragedy

The professional outdoor world has been ablaze with debate and discussion over the past few days, thanks to the findings of a fatal accident report by a Scottish Sheriff.

The full judgement can be found here, but in summary, the inquiry concerned the death in 2012 of Graham Paterson, an experienced hillwalker and climber who was self employed, taking clients out in the hills of Skye. Although Mr Paterson had been taking clients out since 1995-96 and has been referred to as a mountain guide, he did not hold any formal qualifications in this area. This forms the background to some of the Sheriff's recommendations.

Mr Paterson fell on a grade 4 winter climb, in the company of a client who had asked for, and thought that she was going on a winter walk. When the accident occurred, the client did not know which mountain she was on, let alone the exact location, and Mr. Paterson was badly injured and unable to tell her. With considerable difficulty and at considerable personal risk, the client was able to descend the mountain and summon help.

Evidence was given by a local MIC holder and by the deputy head of the Scottish Adventurous Activity Licensing Service (AALS). Both were unequivocal that the client should not have been on the route she was, given her own stated level of experience, and that furthermore she should have been more involved in the route planning, as well as being provided with emergency procedures.

The Sheriff states in his report that 'the underlying cause of the risks to which (the client) was exposed was the unregulated nature of mountain guiding in Scotland' and that 'it is incumbent upon policy makers to discover a means by which mountain guides in Scotland are properly qualified and equipped to provide the service which they promote and which they operate for commercial gain'

This is no knee jerk reaction, the likes of which can be seen in the uninformed comment of the Daily Mail every time there is a death in the mountains. The Sheriff did not call for a minimum level of qualifications, nor did he call for the banning of non-professionals from the mountains and uplands of the UK. Instead, at a time when the UK government has been considering removing the requirement for licensing of outdoor activities for children, the Sheriff seems to call for the expansion of the AALS approach to the adult sector.

The current situation in law is that an outdoor professional can demonstrate their competence in a number of ways, including the use of formal qualifications. It is also possible to demonstrate competence through long experience. Where the competence-based route can fall down is in the area of continual professional development, in particular keeping up with developments in best practice and new technology. The licensing approach, with its emphasis on technical advisors, attempts to address this concern.

The distinction between children and adults that forms the basis of the AALS regime is based on the premise that adults are (or should be) more able to understand and assess the risks involved in an activity. When commercial services are engaged however, this process of risk assessment becomes blurred, and in practice, paying clients expect that risks will be managed for them.

So, licensing, a no-brainer right? Well, at a cost of £700+ for a 1-3 year license under AALS, many small providers are discouraged from taking on licensable activities. If this approach were extended into the adult market, how many small businesses would decide to pack it all in? Would we be left with a few big players taking people out on the same routes and offering a less than personal service, or would prices simply rise to absorb the licensing and technical advice fees?

There are no easy answers, and this case appears to be unusual rather than indicative of a wider problem amongst outdoor professionals, but I believe there is some wisdom in the cautious steer given towards licensing by the Sheriff. Regardless of the next steps though, there will always be risk in the mountains. The focus must remain on sound judgement and decision making, with external controls a secondary concern.