Ashley Kramer
With the "Safety Concern" now added to our trip reports, we are getting great feedback from participants about ways we can improve our leadership.
This summer we had two injury/medical incident reports filed and multiple safety concerns reported.
1. Fall During Descent
A participant on a Scrambling Trip at Lone Cone Peak suffered facial abrasions and a minor head injury after a short tumble while descending the northwest ridge of Lone Cone Peak. The participant thought they might have reached out a hand to brace against a rock and missed with their hand in a moment of distraction. The result was a slow-motion tumble/ barrel roll down 2-3 feet. Despite his helmet, they scraped their brow, cheek, and perhaps poked their eyelid. The participant was wearing a helmet, which the leader noted likely prevented a more serious injury. The report emphasized the role of momentary distraction and reinforced the value of helmet use even on Class 2 terrain.
2. Heat-related medical incident
3. Leader Communication and Group Managment
Several reports raised concerns about leaders allowing participants to become separated from the group and/or concerns about planned routes or activity difficulty:
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A participant felt repeatedly left behind, was often out of sight of the group, and reported not having adequate opportunities to eat, hydrate, or rest while attempting to keep pace. The participant characterized this as a significant safety concern.
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A participant reported that a hike was initially set up as an easy hike and then changed the night before by email. This led to the leader splitting up the group with minimal communication, directed members off-trail, and did not clearly discuss navigation, group cohesion, or emergency communication devices before separating participants.
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A participant expressed that as a newcomer they did not feel welcome on a trip or that the trip leader took the time to get to know them or introduce other participants. They expressed concern that they might be left behind and would struggle to find their vehicle if unable to maintain the group pace.
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A safety report cited concerns that the advertised difficulty and actual plan differed from expectations, creating confusion and contributing to safety concerns.
- An incident report cited that a leader and the coleader's pace varied too significantly. The group ended waiting at the parking lot for the coleader, who went too far ahead and did not turn around in time.
Risk Management Takeaways & Tips:
These reports highlight the importance of clear communication on Activity pages to ensure participants understand conditions, difficultly level, and pace objectives.
Consider getting a co-leader for more difficult hikes where pace and ability might differ. Having an additional leader allows for better group cohesion, additional support to participants who need a slower pace, and ensure no one feels pressured, isolated, or left behind.
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