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Thread: It Depends What You Mean By "Fairly

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    It Depends What You Mean By "Fairly

    In this era of GPS whilst perusing the 1970 FRA Calendar I was interested to see the following navigational advice:

    Ennerdale Horseshoe: Fairly obvious route - some navigation necessary, definitely in bad weather.

    Three Peaks: Fairly obvious course but navigation required in bad conditions.

    Fairfield : Fairly obvious course, "defined in parts".

    Well everything is relative and so the 50 mile Fellsman Hike is categorised as Navigational Skills Necessary.
    "...as dry as the Atacama desert".

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    Reasonably of course my dear Graham.

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    Considering there was a fatality when Bob English got off route on one of the latter cliffs at Ennerdale because of clag it is "fairly obvious " that statement was innacurate, discovered the hard way a decade later!


    Quote Originally Posted by Graham Breeze View Post
    In this era of GPS whilst perusing the 1970 FRA Calendar I was interested to see the following navigational advice:

    Ennerdale Horseshoe: Fairly obvious route - some navigation necessary, definitely in bad weather.

    Three Peaks: Fairly obvious course but navigation required in bad conditions.

    Fairfield : Fairly obvious course, "defined in parts".

    Well everything is relative and so the 50 mile Fellsman Hike is categorised as Navigational Skills Necessary.
    Last edited by Oracle; 31-12-2019 at 12:00 PM.

  4. #4
    In the 1970s it was for example 'fairly obvious' how to service your car - a relatively simple procedure involving some spark plugs, points, oil filter, a can of oil and dirty hands.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Oracle View Post
    Considering there was a fatality when Bob English got off route on one of the latter cliffs at Ennerdale because of clag it is "fairly obvious " that statement was innacurate, discovered the hard way a decade later!
    The full description for Ennerdale is actually correct: it says "some navigation necessary, definitely in bad weather". Bob English was an experienced mountaineer with all the requisite skills, who made a mistake (presumably due to extreme tiredness towards the end of a race), ultimately with tragic consequences.
    In his lifetime he suffered from unreality, as do so many Englishmen.
    Jorge Luis Borges

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    Quote Originally Posted by anthonykay View Post
    The full description for Ennerdale is actually correct: it says "some navigation necessary, definitely in bad weather". Bob English was an experienced mountaineer with all the requisite skills, who made a mistake (presumably due to extreme tiredness towards the end of a race), ultimately with tragic consequences.
    It’s true.

    I was mocking the use of the words “ fairly obvious” , agreeing that with the wrong coincidences all mountains are dangerous even for the most experienced.

    I can’t see why anyone would seek to minimise the exposure , remoteness and potential nav problems of the ennerdale route. With the time it takes , weather is always a potential issue. The hot days just as bad because of limited water.

    So I don’t get the use of the word ”fairly” which I think was Graham’s point.

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    To be fair it was written in 1970...? No doubt it wouldn’t pass for a description now, but I suspect it was par for the course, as far as health&safety info went at that time?

    It’s all relative though isn’t it... I'd (like to think) that I could run the Borrowdale or Peris route in poor weather without so much as the smallest reference to a map... this would absolutely horrify your average Parkrunner.... but then again, I managed to get lost while on my home town Parkrun not so long ago...! Neither of which mean anyone should be allowed to run a Borrowdale mapless, nor need foolproof marking of a town parkrun...

    Ennerdale though... what a route! The best of the classics...?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Travs View Post
    To be fair it was written in 1970...? No doubt it wouldn’t pass for a description now, but I suspect it was par for the course, as far as health&safety info went at that time?

    It’s all relative though isn’t it... I'd (like to think) that I could run the Borrowdale or Peris route in poor weather without so much as the smallest reference to a map... this would absolutely horrify your average Parkrunner.... but then again, I managed to get lost while on my home town Parkrun not so long ago...! Neither of which mean anyone should be allowed to run a Borrowdale mapless, nor need foolproof marking of a town parkrun...

    Ennerdale though... what a route! The best of the classics...?
    Ennerdale true!
    But Best of the classics? ... maybe I prefer Duddon.

    Being mischievous, what about black routes! See below.
    ( methinks they are nuts!, but 20 deaths a year isn’t good.
    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/d...ke-ski-pistes/

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    Indeed 20 deaths per annum isn't great but that's out of how many individual days out? When I last looked at the figures numbers heading out had increased massively over the previous thirty years or so but the number of deaths in the hills hadn't changed so the relative risk is much less.

    The linked article doesn't analyse those deaths: did they die from a fall; hypothermia; cardiac arrest? It may just be that "their time had come" - my best man's dad dropped dead from a massive cardiac arrest whilst descending the path by Rossett Gill for example. An generally fit bloke and he wouldn't have looked out of place in a line up of fell runners.

    I think society's attitude to risk has changed massively, partly driven by items in the news having to be "exciting", "extreme", etc. in their attempts to sell copies or get subscribers, there's no nuance in anything. The perception of risk is seen as being equated to the risk itself.

    Back to the subject in hand - the categorisation of races in the calendar has always been , shall we say, idiosyncratic. The Ilkley Fell Race had "Navigation experience required" yet was taped for much of its length whereas the Jack Bloor race had no such requirement and no tape!
    Bob

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    Without me you'd be one place nearer the back

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    Good points well made Bob.
    In terms of racing routes, I've always been of the hard core view that an integral part of fell racing is finding your way to predetermined points....and if you get lost, your bad. Now, of course, in this modern era, someone new to the sport is going to say 'OK then, I'll use my GPS watch'
    Simon Blease
    Monmouth

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