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Post by dougsanders on May 19, 2013 15:54:53 GMT -8
Who is the audience for FOTH?
Knowing who the audience is will influence the perspective, focus and breadth of the discussion group participants.
While some climbing best practices are worldwide others are local. For local audiences we can be specific; however, this may come at the expense of NW, US, or broader, application.
For example, NW weather is different than for, say, CA or CO. Understanding NW weather is an important safety consideration for NW outdoor recreationalists, including climbers. Bad weather is probably the biggest reason climbs are canceled or become turnrounds. It figures prominently in SAR. (Four deaths and several unplanned bivys at Mt. Rainier on MLK weekend, 2012, as an example.) Resources and strategies specific for NW climbers are all but missing in F8. However, their inclusion would come at the chapter's usefulness in other regions.
Another example, within the continental US, crevasse rescue is taught in the basic climbing course curriculum only within Washington state where it rates a chapter.
Many other examples exist.
1. Is FOTH primarily a text to accompany The Mountaineer's climbing courses, focused on climbing in the Cascades/Olympics?
2. Is it intended as text for climbers nationwide or worldwide?
3. Is it a reference book that describes many practices (options, tools) rather than just those best for the NW?
4. Other?
Can a specific answer be provided? If not, can the audience, or approach, be be prioritized?
Thank you.
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Post by jeffrose on Nov 16, 2013 16:03:54 GMT -8
I agree that some of the information offered in FOTH is northwest specific, but I can assure you that this text is read and absorbed well beyond the NW. To answer the above questions specifically, 1: No. It has (and should have) a much wider audience that just Mountaineers climbing courses 2: Worldwide. It has specific material for North America, but it is clearly beyond the scope of national boundaries. 3: The former. The skills described in this book are surely reasonable for Alaska, Patagonia, the Andes, the Alps, and many other ranges outside of the Cascades and Olympics
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