Just what are these rigorous and robust rules, and where do they emanate from?
It was Plas-y-Brenin (PyB) that hosted the 'Protect and Survive' seminar, the details of which were published in the January 1989 issue of High (the official magazine of the BMC) along with a full page colour photograph. The seminar, which was heavily attended by 'official' mountain guides and instructors, discussed the most up to date use of ice axes and crampons and other pieces of modern ice climbing/winter mountaineering protection.
The full-page colour picture shows two ice climbers high on a mountain face belayed to a single, poorly placed, ice screw. Also in the picture, but not being employed in the belay, are two ice axes.
Ironically, 18 months later, a member of the Association of British Mountain Guides (BMG) who may well have attended the "Protect and Survive" seminar at PyB, climbed away from his client high on a North face in the French Alps, belayed by a single ice screw. When the guide fell, the dangerous belay failed and he dragged his client to his death. The guide survived. This incident resulted in the case of Hedley v Cuthbertson (q.v.)
Some rigorous and robust rules are highlighted below:
Robust Rule No 1: the guide always descends behind the client so that he can control any slip or fall.
Mike Rheinbereger (client) was left at the top of the Second Step on Everest's North Ridge by his guide, who had descended the Step ahead of him, and thus descended before him. Mike was unable to descend; he was snow-blind, weak and confused. As a result he was left and abandoned by his guide. Had the guide sent Rheinbereger down the Step first, lowering him if necessary, then it is possible that Mike would not have been left to die alone in such a terrible condition; a diabolical, and in my view, avoidable situation.
On 13th May 1999, a client of a commercial expedition company - OTT (which is a BMG and IGO 8000 member), was left on the summit slopes of Everest by his guide. Had the guide been descending behind the client, he would not have lost contact with the client. In my opinion, the guide should have been roped to the client but he was not.
In both cases, the expeditions that had brought these clients to the upper slopes of Everest did not have the means to effect a rescue. In Rheinberger's case, the expedition leader, over the radio, told the guide to descend and leave the client behind. That disgraceful episode was in my view totally avoidable.
Three clients of an Association of British Mountain Guides member were killed in a fall down the West Flank of the Eiger in 1992. Their guide was descending first, not last, and in the ensuing fall by the last client the guide was not able to stop the falling clients.
Your guide must always descend last. This is Rule No 1.
Robust Rule No 2: always wear a helmet and use ice axe and crampons on any glacier.
Jane Bussman wrote an article in the Daily Mail after her failed attempt on Mont Blanc. She was on a BMG Jagged Globe alpine course. Several of her comments in the article were alarming, bearing in mind that she was a client, but it was the photograph that accompanied the article that really caught my attention. Jane is pictured, ice axe strapped safely onto her rucksack, approaching a huge crevasse with trekking poles as she walks on a wet glacier. Her safety helmet is not on her head. I guess it was tucked safely away inside her rucksack!
For several years now, I have been collecting pictorial evidence of 'qualified' guides leading their clients across wet glaciers. The guide and client both supporting themselves with ski-sticks
On a dry glacier most of the crevasses are evident, but there are still huge 'chambers' hidden under thin sheets of ice. On a wet glacier, the vast majority of crevasses are hidden with or by a layer of snow. The ice-axe for self-arrest is therefore vital when travelling across any glacier.
Fall into a crevasse whilst not wearing a helmet and you can be severely injured. Who looks after the 'qualified' guide's client when the guide (many of whom disdain the wearing of helmets when walking on glaciers) is injured or killed? It has happened!
In 1992, I was called to a dangerous situation on the Mer du Glace above Chamonix whilst practising crevasse rescue with some clients. We were hailed from a distance by a lone woman standing on the flat ice. Walking across to her, she pointed into a crevasse in front of her. In the bottom of it was the crumpled figure of a man. He had tripped over his own crampons and fallen headfirst into the twenty-foot crevasse. He was jammed, where the crevasse narrowed, his neck almost twisted back-to-front and he was very badly lacerated. I effected his rescue and took him back to Montenvers. His injuries would have been much less if only he had been wearing a helmet but he was not. His ice axe? This was not fixed to his wrist by a loop and so disappeared into the narrow almost bottomless crevasse. He was a very lucky man.
Robust Rule No 3... I could fill a web site with robust rules that have been broken time and time again by qualified guides who are qualified to strict safety criteria………………….
