Bushwalk Australia

I’ve been doing “serious” mountain sports for more than 35 years. I’ve bled a lot, but probably more from mosquito bites than from traumatic injuries. My worst accidents mostly involve toboggans in elementary school and volleyball and basketball in high school. But I’ve seen many accidents in the mountains over the last four decades, and lately I’ve started to wonder what separates those of us who injure ourselves (or die) from those of us who don’t. And there are some patterns. I’ve been discussing these patterns with friends who are guides, paddlers, mountain bikers and skiers, and I’m interested in the common themes and experiences.

My own margin is on a slider. I have taken huge risks knowing I was taking them, and I fully committed to that risk. In doing so, I placed very high value on a successful outcome, and devalued everything else in my life—occasionally including life itself. This is inexcusable to some people, and I respect that view, but I accepted a bad outcome knowingly, and knew the margins intimately.

Pay attention when it matters.

I have a superstition and distrust of ever claiming to be “safe.” I believe that mild paranoia is appropriate most of the time, and I don’t want to lose that margin, or rationalize real hazards..... As with anything in life, looking at the problems directly and figuring out how to solve them will lead to more margin.