After some discussion, we decided to see if anyone else in the club was keen to jump on the bandwagon. Unfortunately, we were not able to open the trip to anyone in the club. Here are a few important considerations and reasons why:
Trust – this is at the heart of mountaineering and is built over time. We were not willing to trust a person we had met that one time at Boree Log. Being a trip leader for the club requires a level of trust between the exec, the trip leader and the trip participants so that’s a good start. Hence the reason we posted in the trip leaders page – all the more reason to become a trip leader!!
Commitment – as individuals, there was going to be heaps for us to learn meaning we were not willing to be joined by anyone who was not fully committed.
Skill – Given the time frame and lack of experience we had/have in mountaineering it was not feasible to talk onboard people who had minimal outdoor skills. For most people, developing mountain skills does not happen overnight! Furthermore, the course has the following prerequisites:
Fitness – less of a concern, most people in the outdoors club are reasonably fit! Course guidelines = ability to carry and 12kg pack up 1000m in 2 hours. In general, the fitter the better, under the condition that you retain some sense of perception and don’t unnecessarily bush bash for hours just because you can!
Considering the points above, Maria advertised the trip in the UNSWOC trip leaders page:
Every individual who expressed interest was then considered in the context of availability, trust, commitment, enthusiasm, skill and fitness.
Outdoor skills are often transferable:
For those reading this blog looking to get into mountaineering or get more out of the UNSW outdoors club, the same framework can be followed:
Trust – if you build trust with people in an outdoor setting, they will be more likely to take you on more adventurous trips! To gain this trust, display competency and good decision making.
Commitment – someone is going to be much more willing to invest their time in you if you show that you are committed to giving that time back one day. Regularly showing up to weekly events such as the Coogee death stairs, kayaking roll session, climbing at the ledge or weekend trips demonstrates commitment.
Skill – this might take time, but will come with commitment, dedication and perseverance. Learning a new skill in the outdoors can be broken down into three stages[1]:
- Cognitive or Understanding : Learning performances are inconsistent, and success is not guaranteed i.e. may perform the skill but through trial and error. This requires a lot of attention and in some cases cues from another person.
- Associative or Verbal Motor : Some parts of the task are fluent and well learned but the more complex elements require spare attention. Mistakes are recognised and corrected by the individual without cues.
- Autonomous or Motor : Tasks are completed consistently and fluently i.e unconsciously competent. The knowledge and skills are well learned and stored in the long term memory. As such there is spare attention that can be focussed on group members and appropriate leadership. To retain this level, the skill must be regularly practiced.
Ideally in the outdoors we are able to perform a task with little attention so that more attention can be paid to the surrounding environment and potential hazards.
Fitness – improved fitness means you have more energy reserves that can that can be used elsewhere. Instead of worrying about slowing a team down, you can enjoy the day and focus on learning new skills.
Based upon these criteria, a group of 8 was formed (Ash, Brendon, Henry, Jeffery, Jenny, Maria, Matt and Stephen). In the next post find out more about all the participants, why they want to raise the profile of mountaineering in UNSWOC and what they hope to get out of the trip!
References: [1] https://www.mountain-training.org/Content/Uploaded/Downloads/MLT/42bbca0e-f15c-479c-9b4a-f836d37881d8.doc