rodeoclimber2

FYI - Seattle Mounties gave up trying to jump through all the hoops placed by Anancortes Parks. We reorgainized our course to small groups of 10-12 and less than half the total class size of past years in part to appease Anacortes Parks. All to basically no avail. Every time we would figure out how to play their game, they would come up with a new set of rules - and they don't apply to everyone - mostly to high profile groups so far. So.....Leavenworth will be even more crowded than before. Even if you don't use Erie - this issue affects you.......

So how risky is climbing really? Climbers will be the last people to tell you that climbing isn’t a risky business. We spend a tremendous amount of time, money and thought in minimizing this risk, but ultimately we have accepted that there will always be a certain level of risk associated with our passion for climbing. Unfortunately in the minds of average Mary and Joe’s, the risk that we accept is monumental, and this perception is fostered in part by the media that focuses in on almost each and every rescue operation or death in the mountains. So how risky is climbing really? Statistics about climbing injuries and deaths as compared to other “risky” activities are hard to come by – in part it is difficult for researchers to get an accurate count of how many people are involved and the extent of that involvement. There are two primary ways of looking at the risks; 1) is to look at the likelihood that a participant will die or be injured in the activity and 2) what is the magnitude of deaths/ injuries as compared with other “risky” activities. One problem with many risk statistics is that it is easy and common to divide the total U.S. population by the number of incidences – easy but inaccurate. More difficult and less common are the studies that have used actual number of participants and incidents. I have used a few of each – but keep in mind the difference. Accidental Deaths by activity for 2002 Activity Deaths Climbing 34* A high year -18 in 2003 Motorcycle Rider 3215 Animal rider or occupant of animal-drawn vehicle 118 Drowning and submersion while in or falling into bath-tub 352 Fall involving bed, chair, other furniture, 785 Fall on and from stairs and steps 1598 Inhalation of gastric contents 369 Contact with hornets, wasps and bees 54 Lightning 66 Source: National Safety Council, Odds of Death Due to Injury, United States, 2002 American Alpine Club, Accidents in North American Mountaineering 2003 Voluntary Risks and likelihood of death (used number of actual participants in activity) Voluntary Risk Risk of death/person/year Smoking: 20 cigs/day 1 in 200 Drinking:1 bottle of wine per day 1 in 13,300 Auto Racing 1 in 5,900 Motorcycling 1 in 50 Rock Climbing 1 in 7,150 Taking contraceptive pills 1 in 5,000 Power boating 1 in 5,900 Skiing 1 in 430,000 Pregnancy 1 in 4,350 (UK) Source: Dinman, B.D., The reality and acceptance of risk. Journal of American Medical Association 1980; 244(1): 1226:1228. The above study is old and was done in the U.K. – would be great if someone knew of more current statistics. I know that life insurance companies have them down, but don’t know where to get them. Seems like if you ride your motorcycle to the crag while drinking a bottle of wine and sucking on your Marlboro after taking your birth control pills – you’re already DEAD. And if the above Mary and Joe really want to get their knickers in a knot --- An alcohol related motor vehicle crash kills someone every 31 minutes and non-fatally injures someone every 2 minutes (NHTSA 1993). Each year, alcohol related crashes in the United States cost about $51 BILLION – (CDC web site) Who do you think pays that bill? About 950,000 Americans die of cardiovascular disease each year, which amounts to one death every 33 seconds. In 2003, the cost of heart disease and stroke is projected to be $351 billion. (CDC web site) And one guess who pays this bill also. Between 1988-1994 and 1999-2002, the prevalence of obesity among adults increased from 23% to 30%. The percentage of young people who are overweight has more than doubled in the last 20 years. The annual cost of obesity in the United States is about $117 billion in 2000. (CDC web site) Hey --- you mean I have to pay for this also?? Private Pilots are twice as likely to die flying as climbers are likely to die climbing. (Personal life insurance underwriter) Occasionally there has been a suggestion that as a climber, I should be responsible for my own rescue costs if I ever need them. No problem, I’ll be glad to do it – right after every lost hiker, lost boater, smoker, drinker, and sedentary heart diseased person pays the FULL cost of their “risky” choices.