As adventurous people who spend most of our days out in the mountains, on the water, or under the canopy, we spend a lot of time dealing with inherent risk.
Whether it’s the difficulty rating of a bike trail, the size of a fall while climbing, or the risk of bad weather in the mountains, we learn where the line is. Those of us who don’t often wind up injured or worse.
But, risk is immeasurably complex and is constantly shifting. It’s not as simple as saying “this is a 50% chance of death, and that’s a 70% chance of death.” Instead, risk is often contingent upon myriad factors like your hydration, the weather, the time of day, or your physical fitness.
Even seemingly inconsequential factors such as a pebble out of place, a fiber caught in a belay device, or a conversation struck up at the wrong time can turn a safe situation into a potentially deadly accident.
Although we often focus on the more obvious risk factors in the wilderness, it often turns out to be the little things that count in the end. Take sharks, for example. A lot of people think that sharks are pretty dangerous.
Some even avoid the ocean altogether in fear of these ferocious predators. But, what you might not have realized is that while you’re relaxing in the shade under a palm tree, you’re actually at greater risk than if you were in the water.
This is because, on average, sharks only kill about five people per year worldwide. It is widely stated on the web that falling coconuts kill 150 people per year.
Although that statistic is not at all accurate and could be based on a misquote, it is true that falling coconuts send hundreds, even thousands, of people to the hospital every year.
Some of these injuries do result in death, and it is likely (but not proven) that that number is more than five.
The point is: it is not always the risk you expect that makes the difference. So, how do you properly manage risks? And what do you do when the unexpected comes up?
As a rock climber, these are questions that I grapple with every day, and I still don’t have an answer. So, today we’ll explore risk. What makes an acceptable risk? How do you manage risks? And what do you do about the risks you really can’t control?
Let’s start with a story:
Lynn Hill is undoubtedly one of the most famous rock climbers of all time. She was the first person (male or female) to free climb El Capitan via The Nose route.
She was also the first person to do so in a day. Beyond that, she has also put up countless world-class ascents all over the world. Her mark on the sport is indelible and her credentials in the climbing world are as high as they come.
However, even Hill, one of the most experienced rock climbers on Earth, has to deal with risks – big and small. In 1989, a small risk almost took her life. As Hill tells it, she was tying into her rope to start a climb just like normal.
Then, a friend came over and started talking to her and her climbing partner. Distracted, she failed to finish tying her knot. She began climbing without her or her partner double checking and reached the top with the rope still looped through but not fixed to her harness.
Upon reaching the top of the climb, she leaned back, expecting her rope to hold tight for her to be lowered.
However, instead, she watched the rope slide right out of her harness and fell over sixty feet to the ground. She was knocked unconscious and suffered a few minor breaks but was altogether incredibly lucky and was climbing again within six months.
These days, and largely due to Lynn Hill’s accident, it is common practice to always double check your own and your partner’s knots before leaving the ground.
In that case, it wasn’t the obvious risks of a difficult climb, a falling rock, or bad gear that lead to a potentially deadly fall: it was a conversation with a friend.
The big risks:
Every time we head into the wilderness, no matter what our aspirations, we have to take risks into account. In the mountains, you consider the weather, your supplies, and your training.
If you are to be heading out on snow you consider the snowpack, and if you’ll be on your own you consider an emergency plan. Dehydration, hypothermia, and fatigue are all things we prepare for because they’re easy to predict.
If you’re into action sports, you’ll be no stranger to making split-second decisions about potential risks. Mountain bikers, skiers, skateboarders, paragliders … the list goes on and on.
We all learn to read the terrain we are riding and learn what risks are acceptable and when the danger is just too far out of control. Some of us push the line farther than others. “Go big or go home” seems to be the universal mentality of action sports.
Certainly, the athletes that take more daring lines, more dangerous ascents, and more remote adventures are certainly more prone to the big risks.
We’ve all heard stories of backcountry snowboarders being buried in avalanches and big wave surfers being swallowed by the sea. Certainly, the big risks are serious and they claim countless lives every year.
The small risks:
However, it’s often the small, unseen risks that pose a bigger threat to the average adventurer. It’s not the shark in the water that gets you but the proverbial coconut on the beach.
As a rock climber, I’m well aware that most days I’m taking a greater risk by just driving to the cliff than I am by climbing it. Driving is dangerous. It’s one of those big risks that we often forget about.
There are many more subtleties that can become big problems. When climbing, I am always attentive to the next place a small risk may arise.
They often come from fatigue, hunger, emotional stress, or fear. As you wear thin you become less thorough, less careful, and less attentive. It only takes one time not double-checking your gear to make a fatal mistake on a wall.
Even if I’m just hiking, I’m attentive to my partner’s and my own energy levels. Fatigue can cause all sorts of small risks to crop up where they wouldn’t have existed otherwise.
This is especially true when hiking, which we often consider as a reasonably safe activity. An alpine wilderness that took just a couple hours to access could take days to escape if you fall and break your leg.
A trail that is otherwise safe could become dangerous under fatigued footing. One wrong step with a big pack on could send you tumbling into potentially deadly terrain.
How do you manage small risks?
So, how do you stay on top of all these little things that come up seemingly all the time wherever you’re not looking? Well, you can’t. That’s the simple answer.
There will always be risks beyond your control and beyond your ability to even detect. That’s just life. That’s how it is three thousand feet up a vertical wall of granite and also on a city sidewalk. Sometimes life just happens.
However, you can learn to look out for the little risks. It all comes down to attention. The best way to keep you and your partners safe in the backcountry, the front country, or any country at all, is to pay attention.
If you’re using gear, make sure it’s working properly and service it regularly. If you’re using your bodies, do regular check-ins and keep your eyes on your partners for signs of fatigue, injury, or just anything out of the ordinary.
You may be on your guard when attempting something dangerous for the first time. However, you’re likely to be considerably more relaxed by the hundredth time. The hundred-and-first time may be the one when you carelessly make a mistake.
Always remember that experience does not reduce the inherent risk in an activity, it only increases your ability to deal with it. Complacency can kill. So, always double-check yourself when you start to get comfortable with what once felt dangerous and risky.
Take a step back and remind yourself of the consequences of a mistake – even a stupid one. It’s often the little mistakes on familiar ground that can prove fatal.
Acceptable risk is a hot word in the climbing world, and it is one that I really like because it conveys the core truth that risk is inherent to adventure and to life itself. It also conveys that some risks are more acceptable than others. This is where your judgment comes in.
Learning to determine what is an acceptable risk for you in your given sport or pastime is the most important step towards safety you can take. Let’s define acceptable risk as any risk you feel comfortable avoiding given your skill, experience, and the current conditions.
I want to note that it’s not only your skill and experience that affect risk but also conditions beyond your control. Learning to accurately judge the conditions and not just your own ability is critical to successful risk management.
Acceptable risk also leaves room for your own penchant for danger. After all, everyone who likes to get out into nature and go on adventures must like some amount of risk; even if it’s just the risk of getting out of the city and away from all the people.
Or, hey, maybe you’re one of those folks who like to see just how far you can take it.
However you identify your style of adventure and wherever you like to draw the line, it’s important to be conscious of your choice and why you make it.
Don’t go into the wilderness wildly, and don’t take unnecessary risks. Life is long and you never know what you have yet to learn, see, do, and become. So, the next time you’re out in the backcountry, keep your eyes peeled for coconuts as well as sharks.
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We live in a beautiful world – get out there and enjoy it. Outdoor Revival – reconnecting us all with the outdoors.
Kama watu wa adventurous ambao kutumia siku zetu nyingi nje katika milima, juu ya maji, au chini ya canopy, sisi kutumia muda mwingi kushughulika na hatari asili. Iwe ni kiwango cha ugumu wa njia ya baiskeli, ukubwa wa kuanguka wakati wa kupanda, au hatari ya hali mbaya ya hewa milimani, tunajifunza ambapo mstari ni. Wale kati yetu ambao hawafanyi hivyo mara nyingi huishia kujeruhiwa au mabaya zaidi. Lakini, hatari ni ngumu sana na inabadilika daima. "Hii si rahisi kama kusema ""Hii ni nafasi ya 50% ya kifo, na hiyo ni nafasi ya 70% ya kifo."" Badala yake, hatari mara nyingi inategemea mambo mengi kama vile hydration yako, hali ya hewa, wakati wa siku, au fitness yako ya kimwili." Hata mambo yanayoonekana kuwa madogo kama vile jiwe lisilofaa, nyuzi zilizokamatwa kwenye kifaa cha kuhifadhi, au mazungumzo yaliyoanzishwa wakati usiofaa yanaweza kugeuza hali salama kuwa aksidenti yenye uwezekano wa kuua. Ingawa mara nyingi tunazingatia sababu za hatari za wazi zaidi katika jangwa, mara nyingi inageuka kuwa mambo madogo ambayo yana hesabu mwishowe. Kwa mfano, fikiria papa. Watu wengi huona kuwa papa ni hatari sana. Wengine hata huepuka kabisa bahari kwa sababu ya kuogopa wanyama hao wakali. Lakini, kile ambacho huenda usikutambua ni kwamba unapopumzika katika kivuli chini ya mtende, kwa kweli uko katika hatari kubwa kuliko ikiwa uko majini. Hii ni kwa sababu, kwa wastani, papa huua watu watano tu kwa mwaka ulimwenguni pote. Kwa mujibu wa ripoti ya mtandao wa internet, kokosi huua watu 150 kila mwaka. Ingawa takwimu hizo hazifai kabisa na huenda zikategemea nukuu zisizo sahihi, ni kweli kwamba kokosi zinazoshuka husababisha mamia, hata maelfu, ya watu kwenda hospitalini kila mwaka. Baadhi ya majeraha hayo husababisha kifo, na yaelekea (lakini haijathibitishwa) kwamba idadi hiyo ni zaidi ya tano. Jambo ni kwamba: si hatari unayotarajia ambayo hufanya tofauti. Kwa hiyo, unawezaje kusimamia hatari kwa njia inayofaa? Na unafanya nini wakati jambo lisilotazamiwa linapotokea? Kama mpanda miamba, hizi ni maswali ambayo mimi grappling na kila siku, na mimi bado hawana jibu. Kwa hiyo, leo tutajifunza kuhusu hatari. Ni nini hufanya hatari iwe yenye kukubalika? Unashughulikiaje hatari? Na unafanya nini kuhusu hatari ambazo kwa kweli huwezi kudhibiti? Hebu tuanze na hadithi: Lynn Hill bila shaka ni mmoja wa wapanda miamba maarufu zaidi wa wakati wote. Alikuwa mtu wa kwanza (mwanamume au mwanamke) kupanda El Capitan kwa njia ya Pua. Pia alikuwa mtu wa kwanza kufanya hivyo kwa siku moja. Zaidi ya hayo, pia amefanya mapandaji mengi ya kiwango cha ulimwengu kote ulimwenguni. Alama yake katika mchezo huo haiondolewa na sifa zake katika ulimwengu wa kupanda ni za juu sana. Hata hivyo, hata Hill, mmoja wa wapanda-miamba wenye uzoefu zaidi duniani, anapaswa kukabiliana na hatari - kubwa na ndogo. Mwaka 1989 alishindwa na hatari kubwa na karibu auawe. Kama Hill anavyosema, alikuwa akifunga kamba yake ili kuanza kupanda kama kawaida. Kisha, rafiki mmoja akaja na kuanza kuzungumza naye na mwenzake wa kupanda. Kwa sababu ya kukengeushwa fikira, alishindwa kumaliza kufunga kamba yake. Alianza kupanda bila yeye au mwenzake kuangalia mara mbili na akafika juu na kamba bado looped kupitia lakini si fasta kwa harness yake. Alipofika juu ya mlima huo, alijinyenyekeza nyuma, akitarajia kwamba kamba yake ingeendelea kushikamana kwa nguvu ili aweze kushushwa. Hata hivyo, badala yake, aliona kamba ikiteleza kutoka kwenye mkanda wake na kuanguka chini kwa meta zaidi ya sitini. Alipigwa na kupoteza fahamu na alipata mapumziko madogo, lakini alikuwa na bahati kubwa na alikuwa akipanda tena ndani ya miezi sita. Siku hizi, na hasa kutokana na ajali ya Lynn Hill, ni mazoea ya kawaida daima mara mbili kuangalia knots yako mwenyewe na mpenzi wako kabla ya kuondoka ardhi. Katika kesi hiyo, haikuwa hatari dhahiri ya kupanda ngumu, mwamba unaanguka, au vifaa vibaya ambavyo vilisababisha kuanguka kwa uwezekano wa kifo: ilikuwa mazungumzo na rafiki. Hatari kubwa: Kila wakati tunapoenda jangwani, haijalishi matarajio yetu ni nini, lazima tufikirie hatari. Katika milima, unafikiria hali ya hewa, vifaa vyako, na mazoezi yako. Kama wewe ni kwenda nje juu ya theluji wewe kuzingatia snowpack, na kama wewe utakuwa peke yake wewe kuzingatia mpango wa dharura. Kutoweza kunywa maji mwilini, kupungua kwa joto, na uchovu ni mambo ambayo sisi hujitayarisha kwa sababu ni rahisi kutabiri. Kama wewe ni katika michezo ya vitendo, wewe utakuwa si mgeni kwa kufanya maamuzi sehemu ya pili kuhusu hatari ya uwezekano. Wapanda baiskeli za mlimani, wapiga-ski, wapiga-skateboard, wapiga-paraglider... orodha inaendelea na kuendelea. Sisi sote tunajifunza kusoma eneo tunaloendesha na kujifunza ni hatari gani zinazokubalika na wakati hatari ni mbali sana nje ya udhibiti. Wengine wetu hufikisha mipaka zaidi kuliko wengine. "Nenda kubwa au nenda nyumbani" inaonekana kuwa mawazo ya ulimwengu wa michezo ya vitendo. Kwa kweli, wanariadha ambao huchukua njia zenye ujasiri zaidi, kupanda hatari zaidi, na vituko vya mbali zaidi hakika huwa na mwelekeo zaidi wa kuhatarisha sana. Sote tumesikia hadithi za watu wanaopanda theluji katika maeneo ya mashambani wakiuawa na maporomoko ya theluji na watu wanaopanda mawimbi makubwa wakiangamizwa na bahari. Bila shaka, hatari kubwa ni kubwa na huua watu wengi kila mwaka. Hatari ndogo: Hata hivyo, mara nyingi ni hatari ndogo, zisizoonekana ambazo huwakilisha tishio kubwa kwa mvumbuzi wa kawaida. Si papa aliye majini anayekupata bali ni mtunguu wa kokosi ulioko ufuoni. Kama mpanda-miamba, najua vizuri kwamba siku nyingi mimi ni kuchukua hatari kubwa kwa tu kuendesha gari kwa mwamba kuliko mimi ni kwa kupanda. Kuendesha gari ni hatari. Ni moja ya hatari hizo kubwa ambazo mara nyingi tunasahau. Kuna mambo mengi madogo-madogo yanayoweza kuwa matatizo makubwa. Ninapopanda, sikuzote mimi huwa makini na mahali pengine ambapo hatari ndogo yaweza kutokea. Mara nyingi hutokana na uchovu, njaa, mfadhaiko wa kihisia-moyo, au hofu. Unapokuwa mwembamba unakuwa asiye makini sana, asiye mwangalifu sana, na asiye makini sana. Inachukua wakati mmoja tu si mara mbili kuangalia gear yako kufanya kosa mbaya juu ya ukuta. Hata kama mimi ni tu hiking, mimi ni makini na mpenzi wangu na ngazi yangu mwenyewe ya nishati. Uchovu unaweza kusababisha aina zote za hatari ndogo kutokea ambapo hazingekuwa zipo vinginevyo. Hilo ni kweli hasa tunapokuwa tukitembea kwa miguu, jambo ambalo mara nyingi huonwa kuwa jambo salama. Katika eneo la alpine, unaweza kuchukua masaa kadhaa kuingia na siku kadhaa kutoroka ikiwa utaanguka na kuvunja mguu wako. Njia ambayo ingekuwa salama ingekuwa hatari ikiwa ingekuwa na miguu iliyochoka. Hatua moja isiyofaa ukiwa na mfuko mkubwa juu ya mwili inaweza kukupeleka katika eneo lenye uwezekano wa kuua. Jinsi ya kusimamia hatari ndogo? Kwa hiyo, unaendeleaje kuwa juu ya mambo haya madogo-madogo ambayo huonekana kutokea wakati wote popote usipoangalia? Kwa kweli, huwezi. Hiyo ni jibu rahisi. Kuna hatari ambazo ziko nje ya udhibiti wako na hata uwezo wako wa kugundua. Hiyo ni maisha tu. Hivyo ndivyo ilivyo meta elfu tatu juu ya ukuta wa wima wa mawe ya mawe na pia kwenye barabara ya jiji. Nyakati nyingine maisha hutukia tu. Hata hivyo, unaweza kujifunza kuwa mwangalifu kuhusu hatari ndogo-ndogo. Yote hayo yanategemea uangalifu. Njia bora ya kukuweka wewe na washirika wako salama katika nchi ya nyuma, nchi ya mbele, au nchi yoyote, ni kuzingatia. Kama wewe ni kutumia gear, kuhakikisha ni kazi vizuri na huduma yake mara kwa mara. Ikiwa unatumia miili yako, fanya ukaguzi wa kawaida na uangalie washirika wako kwa ishara za uchovu, jeraha, au kitu chochote kisicho cha kawaida. Unaweza kuwa mwangalifu unapojaribu kufanya jambo fulani hatari kwa mara ya kwanza. Hata hivyo, huenda ukawa mtulivu zaidi wakati wa mia moja. Huenda mara ya mia moja na moja ikawa wakati unapofanya kosa bila kujali. Kumbuka kwamba uzoefu haupunguzi hatari ya shughuli, lakini huongeza uwezo wako wa kukabiliana nayo. Kujiridhisha kunaweza kuua. Kwa hiyo, daima chunguza mara mbili wakati unaanza kupata starehe na kile ambacho wakati mmoja ulihisi ni hatari na hatari. Rudi nyuma na ukumbuke matokeo ya kosa - hata la upumbavu. Mara nyingi makosa madogo-madogo katika mazingira ya kawaida yanaweza kuwa yenye kuangamiza. "Uwezekano wa kukubalika ni neno la moto katika ulimwengu wa kupanda, na ni moja ambayo mimi kweli kama kwa sababu inatoa ukweli wa msingi kwamba hatari ni asili ya adventure na maisha yenyewe. """ Pia inaonyesha kwamba hatari fulani zinakubaliwa zaidi kuliko nyingine. Hapa ndipo uamuzi wako unapoingia. Kujifunza kuamua nini ni hatari ya kukubalika kwa ajili yenu katika mchezo wako au burudani ni hatua muhimu zaidi kuelekea usalama unaweza kuchukua. Hebu kufafanua hatari ya kukubalika kama hatari yoyote wewe kuhisi vizuri kuepuka kutokana na ujuzi wako, uzoefu, na hali ya sasa. Nataka kumbuka kwamba si tu ujuzi wako na uzoefu kwamba kuathiri hatari lakini pia hali nje ya udhibiti wako. Kujifunza kuhukumu kwa usahihi hali na si tu uwezo wako mwenyewe ni muhimu kwa ajili ya mafanikio ya usimamizi wa hatari. Hatari inayokubalika pia huacha nafasi kwa ajili ya mwelekeo wako mwenyewe wa hatari. Baada ya yote, kila mtu ambaye anapenda kupata nje katika asili na kwenda juu ya adventures lazima kama kiasi fulani cha hatari; hata kama ni tu hatari ya kupata nje ya mji na mbali na watu wote. Au, hey, labda wewe ni mmoja wa watu hao ambao kama kuona tu jinsi mbali unaweza kuchukua ni. Hata hivyo wewe kutambua mtindo wako wa adventure na popote unapenda kuchora mstari, ni muhimu kuwa na ufahamu wa uchaguzi wako na kwa nini kufanya hivyo. Usiende jangwani bila kufikiri, na usichukue hatari zisizohitajika. Maisha ni marefu na huwezi kamwe kujua kile ambacho bado unajifunza, kuona, kufanya, na kuwa. Kwa hiyo, wakati mwingine unapokuwa nje ya nchi, angalia kwa makini kokosi na pia papa. Ikiwa una maoni yoyote, tafadhali tupeleke ujumbe kwenye ukurasa wetu wa Facebook wa Uamsho wa nje. Ikiwa una hadithi nzuri ya kuelezea au blogi, tujulishe juu ya ukurasa wetu wa FB. Sisi pia ni furaha kwa ajili ya makala au mapitio kuwasilisha; tungependa kusikia kutoka kwenu. Tunaishi katika ulimwengu mzuri <unk> kupata nje na kufurahia. Uamsho wa nje <unk> kuunganisha sisi sote na nje.