For further reading on my "deranged vendatta" against guides and the need for commercial guides to post safety records, check out my thread on NWhikers from 2014.
http://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopi ... sc&start=0
It starts out with an excellent "lessons learned" article by Andrew Keefer who now works at NWAC. Used by permission.
Here is a sample
"Gary Brill wrote: (Gary is a former guide)
"There is a great deal of value in having guiding (as well as private) accidents and near misses reported.
Some of this information could have long term value for the purpose of the further education of both recreational and professional backcountry users.
But reporting near misses and accidents is also of timely value for avalanche forecasts.
For instance knowing a weak layer exists in say the northeast Cascades may also speak to conditions in particular locations near Stevens Pass.
These weaknesses can in certain circumstances have long duration in the period of four weeks or more.end quote
Fun CH wrote:
"well said. This is the ideal and the goal. It is a fact the both of our local mountain guide companies here in the NE cascades,NCH and NCMG and one of the akaskan heli-guide companies have recently been held accountable for special use permit violations.
They were all willing to participate in dishonest behavior for the sake of monetary gain. Their argument is that reporting near miss accidents would be 'bad for business'. I don't see much in the way of evidence that guide-outfitter companies will fully participate in the reporting of near miss accidents unless compelled to do so by the publc land managing agency.
I don't buy the argument that such disclosure would hurt the industry. I believe that only positive benefits result from honest behavior.
Conversely, dishonet behavior results in negitve benefits to the community as a whole. What sucks is that dishonest behavior often rewards those that participate, thereby making it difficult to combat hype.
The benefits to our community by the reporting of near miss accidents are huge.
Mr. Kiefer states that, 'decisions made and opinions expressed by professionals carry great significance, and they can and should have a disproportionate influence on the safety and well being of others'. Lead and others will follow.
Four seasons ago, we had a bad weak layer, a pwl, set up within our snowpack but the extent of the reactivity of that layer was not well reported. As that layer loaded up, i ran into one of the local waiters out in the BC, who told me that he was hearing reports from the heli- clients that many human triggered avalanches were occuring. 'Sure' i said, 'the guides are doing their avalanche control work'.
He said that these were near-miss accidents and involved the third or fourth person skiing the line and that clients were triggering avalanches.
Boy, what a way to find out that bit of information and even more accurate information would have been helpful. More information started leaking out and the heli stopped taking clients out for a while.
The layer persisted and many weeks later, nwac reported a partial burial in 30 degree terrain in our area, but did not give a location or mention that a NCMG client had been involved.
That information came out though word of mouth and that the terrain was in an area that i had warned several guides and posted on TAY, that we were finding extremely unstable snow in that exact location.
I went up to check it out and it was one serious avalanche that could have easily been fatal. The terrain measured 35 degrees and the avalanche had run over and piled debris on the groups skin track in at least five places.
Two guides had taken three clients out into, not only known dangerous terrain, but terrain that the forest service determined to be in an unauthorized terrain area and the fs took action.
This hype can not continue. Many of us go into the mountians to seek solice.
And now our snowpack has a serious surface rain and rain freezing on the suface in cold areas with fog and inversion clouds flooting about and growing surface hoar. I can't stress enough the importance of timely and accurate information."
Later, Part owner of our local NCMG Jeff Ward pushes back and attacks. (I'm freeski before I changed my handle to Fun CH, so some of the quotes are by freeski, ie, me)
He later tells me appreciates my honesty.
Things have gotten better as far as accurate reporting from NWAC.
However, good luck tring to find commercial guide safety records, although NCH and presumably NCMG are now required to report to the FS accidents that involve medical treatment.