Track Talk – March 2013

For the past couple of months, Richard, Sharron and I, along with some expert helpers, have been formulating a PLB policy for the club. After the first activation of a club PLB over Christmas (see Jenny’s account), we realised that it would be useful to set out assumptions and guidelines around PLBs, particularly as committee positions turn over and institutional knowledge is lost.

During our recent 13-day trip in the Tasman Wilderness Area, Richard and I had an all-too-close encounter with the practice behind PLB activation theory. An unwise diversion saw us down climbing a rocky bluff; my legs slipped out, my arms were too high and my face hit the rock. To me, it felt like my top lip up to my nose was split in two; I’d felt my teeth go right through the skin. Richard (below me) was saying “you’re alright”, thinking I was freaked out by the short fall; I kept repeating “I’m not alright!” In that instant of injury, lots of things flash through your mind. “What a stupid thing to do” being uppermost. This was day five – we were an hour away from Lake Aorere, the heart of the wilderness area. And a long way from medical attention.

Sitting down and assessing the situation, the injury looked much less serious than it felt. Having a mirror in your first aid kit is handy in this kind of situation, as it’s hard to believe someone else’s mild assessment of an injury that feels severe. And having a PLB makes a big subconscious difference. In that first instant, I thought “is this trip over?” “Are all these months of planning going to end up in an embarrassing evacuation for an idiotic injury?”. But having that option, no matter how little you want to exercise it, is priceless.

It made me think about how severe an injury needs to be to warrant evacuation, and how your “distance to civilisation” suddenly becomes a hugely relevant factor. One day of walking for help is very different from five. It meant that, safely back in civilisation, we introduced the concept of “incapacity” into the PLB policy rather than just mandating “immobilisation”.

We were also carrying a mountain radio, which still needs to be seen as the primary safety device on long trips. It meant that on reaching our planned campsite an hour after the accident, we were able to dial into the operator and get some medical advice. It’s the first time I’ve ever used that “operator call” function on a mountain radio and it works surprisingly well. All we really needed was some reassurance, and that’s what we got. After some careful first aid and a day of rest to help the healing, we continued as planned.

We’ve thought long and hard about how to put guidelines around PLB activation. I’m sure you’ve seen the recent media coverage around people activating PLBs because they are tired, have blisters, or are going to be late for a meeting! PLB activation is ultimately about judgement, and every situation will have its unique variables. Our policy isn’t intended to be prescriptive but to ensure a common understanding across the club of factors that should be taken into account. It also clarifies that the responsibility for PLB activation on club trips should sit with the leader, unless this isn’t realistically possible.

The policy is intended to clarify potential areas of confusion, including the use of personal PLBs on club trips. It’s important that leaders know if a personal PLB is present, and that if one is used in place of a club PLB that the emergency contact system is complied with.

The policy also sets out expectations when club members borrow a club PLB for a personal trip. This may include taking a mountain radio on longer trips, because of the need for up to date weather information. As we all know, looking at the mountain forecast on Monday is unlikely to predict the weather you will experience on your trip next weekend. Accurate weather information is a crucial tool in the decision-making process on multi-day epics.

At the moment we are compiling the Winter schedule – please see the detailed notice on the website forum for info on how to participate.

Upcoming trips:

15-17 March Tararuas – Kiriwhakapapa