What Will You Learn In Avalanche School? Lessons In Human Stupidity - Proud American Traveler

I just retired from teaching Swiftwater Rescue for the last decade, mainly to whitewater kayaker's, but also to raft guides, instructors and rescue professionals. In the whitewater world, the accidents tend to cluster at both ends, beginners and experts. The beginners just don't recognize easily avoided hazards, aren't prepared to be in the water, or just do something stupid because they don't know better. That group gets better with education and were the largest part of these classes. The other group is the experts, mostly younger men that often have fantastic boating skills and a lot of experience, but are paddling out there on the edge were a misjudgment, or a mistake, or not being quite on the top of the game, kills you. Often that is because they mistake athletic ability with judgement and skill.
A friend died on Great Falls of the Potomac. He was young, very athletic, had an almost bomb proof kayak roll. The problem was that he had to roll a lot, which meant that he didn't have the knowledge to read the river and that he was pushing boundaries beyond his ability. A number of us tried to get him to slow down and gain some experience and better river running skills, never listened. It killed him.

Thank you

I've never wanted to ski, but have spent a lot of time in the back-country. Snowshoeing was my winter sport of choice. I can sure identify with the general thesis of the article. We men are stupid about such things. I've had multiple encounters with bears, and it never bothered me. I even named one bear that lived on my property when I was farming, but she and I never hung out. I called her Mama Bear. She was a sweetheart. My biggest problem is that I am, and have always been, a risk-taker -- as Mrs. Jones pointed out on my very first progress report in Kindergarten with the snotty comment "Runs with scissors" and the Army pointed out 15 years later when I was awarded the DSC. But my biggest problem is I'm still 20 years old in my mind. I just have fifty years experience as a 20 year-old.