Federated Mountain Clubs attack Mountain Safety Council over tramping report

Sunday, 24 June 2018

The Federated Mountain Clubs has criticised the Mountain Safety Council's (MSC) approach to a new tramping report.

A new tramping report has created a chasm in the relationship between the Mountain Safety Council (MSC) and one of its member groups.

Federated Mountain Clubs (FMC), which helped set-up MSC and is one of 27 member groups, is questioning the relevance of the organisation after the release of A Walk in the Park? – MSC's third major piece of research since a 2015 restructure.

The council says FMC disengaged from the process of producing the report, an in-depth look at tramping incidents intended as a reference point for targeted safety messages and initiatives, which took 15 month to compile.

A copy was provided exclusively to Stuff ahead of its release in early July, but its data-driven approach has not been embraced by everyone in the outdoor community.

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FMC president Peter Wilson felt it would do little to change tramper behaviour.

'You can't tell the story of mountain safety with data. Each accident tells a story – you have a unique set of circumstances relevant to its participants.

'The level the MSC is on is high level and abstract and increasingly disconnected from the reality of the outdoor community. It's a Wellington organisation producing reports for Wellington bureaucrats and policy analysts – that won't help anyone in the hills.'

The report, produced using data from various official sources, found more than 1.5 million people tramped in New Zealand in 2017, about 900,000 of which were New Zealanders.

It looked at injury rates and drilled down to specific areas and tracks, pinpointing where search and rescue operations had occurred, who was being injured, and what common factors were.

MSC chief executive Mike Daisley acknowledged the report relied on high-level data, but said it was always intended as a starting point to improve the safety of outdoor enthusiasts.

Advisory groups set up to look at the issues raised in the research would be able to use the data to come up with ways to improve tramper safety in their area.

'MSC will be working with various organisations in the sector to say 'this is the problem, what can we do about it?'

'The high level insights were never designed to directly change people's behaviour. It's what comes after that.'

FMC helped set up the council in the 1960s, but the relationship in recent years has been strained.

Daisely suggested the FMC's criticism was a 'fairly isolated voice' as there had already been widespread engagement with the report during roadshow presentations.

'They have disengaged from the process and perhaps have a lack of understanding of why this document is important, and how it can actually improve people's recreational enjoyment of the outdoors.'

Wilson said the report would have benefited from the kind of detailed accident reports published by FMC in its Backcountry magazine.

He called it a missed opportunity and said many in the outdoor community were dissatisfied with MSC – something he said had been exacerbated by the 2015 restructure, which saw the organisation do away with its network of volunteer instructors across the country.

MSC said at the time it needed to change tack and re-direct its resources toward channels that would influence the most people. It now focuses on 'insights, messaging and partnerships'.

Wilson remained skeptical: 'I think it's searching for a role in the 21st century, and I'm not sure it's got one'.

The research found there were 5504 tramping injuries reported in 2016/2017, meaning that for every 279 trampers, one needed medical care. It also found injuries had increased by 83 per cent over the last decade, however the increase was alongside a surge in the number of people tramping.