Safety on the Mountain

  Climbing, besides being great exercise in the open air, is a sport which requires much physical, psychological adnd mental effort, as well as temperance, decision and maximum responsibility to be in charge of our acts, and learning to recognize and respect our own limits.

 The mountain is a very demanding environment where the punishment applied by nature is inevitable. Nature can be dangerous if not respected. These are basic aspects that must be taken into account not to suffer symptoms or illnesses climbers are prone to in the mountain and to safeguard the physical and psychological wellbeing of each climber.

 To achieve good results when climbing, it is necessary to bear in mind the degree of experience as well as common sense and mainly intelligence to know the limits of each climber so as not to expose to unnecessarily dangerous situations. There are unpredictable moments and situations, which are the condiment of climbing.

 To overcome them, it is necessary to have an adequate equipment, experience, and of course a complete prior training as well as perfect technical knowledge. Thus the risks of physical or psychological breakdown are reduced and the probability of a successful expedition increases (even though the summit may not be reached).

 There are situations in key moments of the ascent where the main tools to go on are experience and adequate decision-making, which are fundamental when what is at stake may be life itself. Therefore we can say that being in the correct place at the correct time with the adequate team and the appropriate partner indicates that things have been done well using intelligence and experience.

Emanuel Rocha