It is fascinating looking back and realising how safe practice has evolved over the years. More often than not it is a case of parallel development. People dealing with similar problems in different parts of the world often came up with the same solutions.
A good example are the signals used by river runners. When I first started coaching and leading groups on rivers I would often point out a hazard as I was running the river. I would make a signal that meant rock/obstruction and then point at it. Of course more often than not the person following me only saw that last half of the signal, paddled in the direction I was pointing and ended up on the very obstruction I had meant them to avoid! Being somewhat dense at it took me a fair while to work out what was going on. Still … it gave me plenty of opportunities to develop my rescue skills!
So, like many others, I came to the conclusion that you should only ever point in the direction of safety. These days, the internet should help us swap experiences and disseminate solutions much more quickly. Hopefully, that is the the function that this blog will fulfill. I would like to see a positive approach. Postings should promote the contributors ideas … not belittle someone elses. If you see a flaw in a suggestion it can be pointed out tactfully, or even privately so that the contributor can update the post.
I look forward to reading about your experiences and experimenting with your ideas and developments.
Franco Ferrero
