Joe Simpson On OUTDOORSmagic

Accidents happen and, when appropriate, the negligent should be held to account, says Joe Simpson in his first piece for OUTDOORSmagic, but take away our right to embrace risk and you diminish life itself.

High Risk or Hot Air?

Last year an unfortunate accident in a Swiss canyon claimed 21 lives. Sad but these things happen. It may have been avoidable and doubtless an enquiry will reveal whether this was the case. Appropriate measures will be taken to ensure that, if at all possible, that it doesn't happen again and that's how it should be.

That's it, I'm afraid. No more to be said. Life is inherently dangerous. People die in all manner of ways and for their close family it is a sad and emotional time. Yet that's not the way the media view it.

I wonder how many pointless hours have been wasted in TV and radio debates, how many tens of thousands of witless words written, every time a boxer has been killed or brain damaged, a skier buried in an avalanche, a racing driver killed in flames or a climber has so irresponsibly indulged in a grisly two thousand-foot death plummet. Does it matter? Really? We all die. When, why and how are of little consequence.

The fact that in this canyon accident the victims were taking part in what is perceived to be a 'high risk' activity is irrelevant. It was something that they chose willingly to do. Just because a great many other people wouldn't dream of taking such risks is no reason to condemn them for their adventurous spirit. They didn't want to die or suffer injury. They wanted that extra thrill, that surge of excitement that comes with exploring new territories.

They sought to challenge themselves; to see something different, maybe just to be a little different. For them life was enhanced by a touch of danger. It added a certain frisson. And that is their undeniable right. Their choice.

I have spent my entire adult life indulging in what others would call high risk sports. I have climbed at extreme levels on high mountains all over the world. I have also suffered near fatal accidents and great pain but, hey, it comes with the territory. I'm not complaining. I have qualified as a diver, gone bungee jumping, and qualified as a paragliding pilot. I am careful to train hard, to learn the skills and dangers of my chosen sports, and to take responsibility for myself.

I assiduously take out expensive insurance covering me for third-party liability claims, rescue, and medical expenses. I am not a burden on the state when unlucky enough to suffer an accident. Moreover, if I break my leg rock climbing I am just as entitled to NHS treatment as the Sunday morning footballer, the incompetent gardener, or the DIY expert who has just nailed his hand to the wall.

The real irony is that until three years ago I smoked more than twenty a day. I drink more than the recommended weekly limit as does everyone I know. These are the true high risk activities that will probably kill me. These, or driving to work in the morning.

Friends of mine have died in the mountains and I mourn their passing for the loss of their friendship and company; their laughter and their zest for living life to the full. I never once thought their lives wasted; never once questioned their right to challenge themselves. They saw a world that many of us never see and are poorer for not having seen it.

If fine wines, delicious food, the theatre, and a bit of gardening is your idea of a good life, well, bully for you. Sounds pretty good to me as well – some of the time. It is your right to live your life as you wish, but not to try and make others conform to you. You do not acquire the pompous and conceited privilege of condemning others just because they choose to live differently. That is simply ignorance and intolerance.

Rock climbing isn't dangerous per se. Just like crossing the road or driving a car it only becomes dangerous when you make a mistake. Yet climbing is perceived to be 'high risk' by those who have never tried their hand at it. These 'armchair' critics respond to an archetypal fear of heights innate to us all. Since they choose never to challenge this fear (and consequently have no idea what they are talking about) they assume the right to condemn those that climb as being irresponsible risk takers. They never look at the statistics and find out that angling, riding, and hill walking account for far more fatalities than climbing. God forbid! What would they think of the fatalities caused by accidents in the home?

Those thousands of people killed in household accidents every day are never treated thus. The hordes who die in DIY or gardening-related accidents are never roundly criticised for taking risks. There are no demands to close down the burgeoning chains of DIY stores and garden centres. For every gardener who has driven a fork through his foot or electrocuted himself on his hedge trimmer you will find an equivalent in a so-called 'high risk sport'. We are fallible, so accidents happen.

That people have died is very sad. That an ill-informed public will then, encouraged by press and media alike, contemptuously deride this 'irresponsible waste of life', this wanton foolishness, is all the sadder. What is it about so called 'high risk sports' that every now and then gets journalists and TV pundits so agitated?

Why can't we just acknowledge that what happened in Switzerland was just dreadfully sad. A bunch of people went out to have fun, to live life as they thought best, and they died. Why can't we celebrate their adventurous spirit and their desire to explore themselves and their world. Isn't that the essence of being human? Our curiosity, our sense of adventure and our delight in what life can offer has led to more ground-breaking advances in this century than any amount of studious conformity ever will.

© Joe Simpson