The British Mountaineering Council (BMG) has never supported a BMG client, before, during, or after a court case.
This was certainly true of the way in which Lynda Woodroffe has been treated. Not only was she not supported by the BMC her attempts at claiming compensation were hindered. Her husband Gerry Hedley an international art expert was killed in 1990 when his BMG guide fell. Hedley's attempts at aresting the fall which took place high on the North face of the Tour Ronde in the French Alps, failed when the single ice screw to which he was attached; that he tried to protect, pulled out and both climbers fell down the face. Providentially for the guide, their climbing rope caught on a projecting rock arresting both falls. Whilst the guide was seriously injured, Mr Hedley fell onto rocks and was killed. Seven years later, Ms Woodroffe was compensated for the lose of her husband.
Eleven years later, on Wednesday the 9th January, 2008, johncoxmysteriously wrote: '...although the lady came over as something of a vengeful harpy as I recall'. http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?n=279121&v=1 'A vengeful harpy', Mr Cox's (he is a solicitor) ill chosen words are dated: 01:26 Wed in the above quoted rockfax forums thread.This kind of comment will only serve to confirm Ms Woodroffe's suspicions regarding the attitude towards her - 11 years on. One might ask where such a bizzare statement came from in such a thread?
Her attempts at compensation from the as advertised: 'BMGuides have a comprehensive insurance system', were hindered from the start: 'We were insured by the - BMC as was the guide.' She knew that something had happened to cause the fall and wanted a copy of the French Police report She, her friends and her solicitor wrote and telephoned the police in Chamonix but the important report did not arrive until 3 years and 3... weeks after the incident. Certainly, putting her 'out of time'.
Ms Woodroffe had three years in which to make a case against the guides insurance company acording to the insurance and legal rules. Her young son was born eight months after her husband was killed. Some political friends suggested to her that she press on with the case and she was advised to get her Member for Parlaiment to get the French police accident report. The MP called the UK Foreign Office and they, after three attempts, finally received the report - 3 years and 3... weeks after the fatal accident. I can certainly see her point (after waiting 7 years) about how the climbing fraternity 'closed in' and her suspicions of a 'conspiracy' against her and her son. Unlike the guide in question Mr 'Smiler' Cuthbertson, Ms Woodroffe received no support from the BMG and certainly, not from the BMC. This merely serves to confirm the attitude within climbing circles towards her. Callous and shabby - or what?
To the contrary, Sir Chris Bonington, Patron of the British Mountaineering Council, was invited, and accepted, to sit on the Professional Standards Committee of the British Mountain Guides meeting in 1997. The Committee found the BMG guide David 'Smiler' Cuthberton - not at fault, even though a High Court judgement found Cuthbertson negligent after his client Mr Hedley, was killed in an avoidable climbing accident - seven years previously (Ms Woodroffe and her young son were made to wait, bringing up her son alone for seven years before finally being compensated for their lose). Er, no, she was not invited to the BMG's Professional Standards Committee's 1997 meeting. Neither were Mr Davis or Mr & Mrs...or Mr...
Roger Payne, the then General Secretary of the British Mountaineeering Council on the 1st of December, 1995: "We know that certification is wholly inpracticle and would not succeed in reducing accidents..." And yet, certification was the very reason that the Vitriolic Wars were fought in the 1970's for control of / the issuing of, certification in climbing and mountaineering so that members of the British Mountaineering Council could con-trol a multi million pound market. A con-tradiction in terms - or what? 'It [The BMC] exists o further the interests of mountaineering as a whole (not just commercial guides and instructors) , and it will succeed in this only in so far as it receives the full support 'of each and every' mountaineer...It should be needless to add that there will be not attempt to introduce anything 'so foolish' as a qualification scheme for 'mountian Leaders'.' Which have ironically, proved to be the most lucrative outcome of those - vitriolic wars...
From where does this callous attitude in climbing / mountaineering stem?
For anyone interested in to how the sport of climbing / mountaineering became somewhat - callous and shabby they could do no better than to read Walter Bonatti's latest book: The Mountains of My Life. (Random House Inc.) Series Editor, Jon Krakauer. Copyright 1998 by Baldini & Castoldi International. First English Edition 2001. For fifty years the finest alpinist who ever lived, had been treated in a callous and shabby manner.
A Strange Attitude To Safety Also...
Whilst these two climbers are belayed to just - one ice screw, there are two ice axes in the picture - doing nothing. These ice axes could / should have been places and tied into the belay.
This full page picture accompanied an article entitled: 'Live with your equipment - Protect and Survive' Perhaps a better title would have been - 'Die with your equipment.' The article was about a safety seminar that had been held at Plas-y-Brenin... Just twelve months later, a BMG client was killed on the North Face of the Tour Ronde above Chamonix, because an identical belay - failed.
Climber Magazine, July, 2007...
'Go For It! - Staying Safe Part 1: Abseil Smart'.
by Libby Pater's (BMGuide)
The article purports to show the readers just how to be safe when abseiling... 'Joining Two Ropes'. 'The favourite method - is a tightly pulled 'overhand knot' (British Death Knot) with 60 cm tails. This jams in cracks less readily than the traditional reef knot and double fisherman's system.' Really! In reality, the 'double-fishermans' knot is by far the safest knot to use when tying two ropes together prior to an abseil.
Whilst not a single person, has been killed by a double fisherman knot parting, several climbers have been killed because the favourite overhand knot had unravelled.
All knots used to tie two ropes together can - jam in a crack when the ropes are being retrieved after an abseil. The bulkier double fisheman knot will not jam; cannot jam in quite small cracks it being to big whilst conversly, physically smaller knots will / can jam in quite narrow cracks. In 56 years of climbing / abseiling, a double fisherman's knot has never jammed in a crack whilst my ropes were bring retrieved. Stay safe, abseil smart - when you fall, you fall alone (especially abseiling) and nobody else is to blame... Really? There is a duty of care when enticing young climber away from - tried and tested - proceedure.
Likewise words of safety wisedom emminate from http://climbing.about.com/od/topropeclimbing/a/TopRopeAnch1.htm where potential climbers are shown how to construct: 'Your Top-Rope Chain of Safety', where we see a picture, well the left hand of a 'safe belayer' holding - 2 ropes? Infact the right-hand rope should be out of sight pulling the inactive rope backwards ready to apply resistance to the (out of sight) belay plate; device. The climber in the picture is not wearing a helmet. Stewart Green who offers this safety information is, of course, a - Senior climbing Guide in Colorado Spings... So much for - climbing Safety Information.
