Climber
“In these days of terrorism, insurrection and F-16
diplomacy, perhaps the first place to check out if you’re
thinking of venturing off the beaten track is the Foreign
Office website, Advice to Travellers. If the chances of
being robbed or taken hostage on the walk-in to the
mountains are slim, how much more boning up for a trip do
you need to do? And where’s the best place to start looking
to even answer that preliminary question?
“There cannot be many better sources for the first-timer
thinking of a mountain holiday than this excellent handbook
from Paul Deegan and our own BMC. Though it has not set out
to be a substitute for particular country or area guides
the handbook comes in at the beginning of the planning
process, even so it looks a deal more useful in preparing
for the rigours of trekking or climbing than any of those
ubiquitous guides for the rough or lonely.
“There is, for example, an early chapter taking the
would-be traveller through a typical day in the mountains.
It might, as Deegan says, serve to relieve some of the
‘natural anxieties felt by many people before their first
camping or lodge-based trek’. Food, health hazards, the
right clothing, how to deal with ill-fitting boots and
aggressive dogs; how much to tip porters and the importance
of compatible team-mates. It‘s all here and much more.
“An ethical awareness runs through the handbook, with an
emphasis on porter welfare and a respect for local people
and their land. Deegan is avowedly of the ‘leave nothing
but footprints’ school, even suggesting you set an example
by collecting and carrying out other people’s litter. He
plants the idea but does not preach.
“I wish there had been a publication like this when I
turned to the mountains of Asia. But even veterans should
find it instructive with up-to-date lists of contacts,
details of satellite communications, medical kits, pros and
cons of different stove fuels, and the gear you are likely
to need for ranges away from your usual patch.
“Throughout, this is advice cleanly presented, treating the
reader as a thinking adult, not a naïve child. The colour
photographs are an inspiration and the text is enlivened
with tips and cautionary tales from experienced
mountaineers. ‘Have fun. That’s what it‘s all about,’ Chris
Bonington reminds us with customary cheeriness. That much I
knew, but not Jerry Gore’s hot tip of vinegar carried in a
dropper bottle, to remove leeches. That snippet alone is
worth a few quid to those of us freaked by the jungle
bloodsuckers.”
Stephen Goodwin
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