Hiking Accidents（在线收听）

Outdoor activities, such as mountain climbing, outdoor camping and rafting have become more and more popular in recent times, however, accidents during outdoor activities have been on the rise. Why are these accidents occurring so frequently? And how can we avoid them?

Liu Min has the story.

 
A team of 14 travelers, who went hiking in the Siguniang Mountains during the National Day holiday and were lost for 10 days have been found safe and sound.

In recent years, Siguniang Mountain in Sichuan province has attracted more and more amateur rock-climbers, but some haven't been as lucky as these 14 travelers. In 2005, a mountaineer together with his guide died while exploring the slopes and in 2009, two Russian travelers died in an avalanche. In 2011, two hikers got lost when climbing the mountain and have not yet been found.

After the Sichuan Earthquake in 2008, the road conditions on the mountain have completely changed, therefore many local guides can't find their way out, let alone the mountaineers. Worse still, in the eyes of rescuers, is the mystery which surrounds the hikers which are still missing. The fact that some of them have yet to be found has proven to be even more frustrating than the bad weather conditions, fractured roads and difficult conditions endured on the mountain.

According to international common practice, travelers who plan to hike through a mountain should report and register the number of members, route, time and other basic information with local government departments, as it is a high-risk outdoor activity. But remote hiking activities are still only in their early stages in China. And according to Gao Min, an expert in mountain rescue and also the vice president of the Sichuan Mountaineering Association, Chinese hikers don't have this kind of awareness.

"The travelers think their hiking has nothing to do with the association as well as the government. But if an accident occurs, isn't it the government that rescues you?"

At the moment, China only has regulations about hiking activities on mountains above 3500 meters. As an NGO, the mountaineering association has no right to make reporting and registration compulsory. But the problem is that when accidents occur, the rescuers lack the information about the specific hiking route, time, and information about the hikers, resulting in the rescues being inefficient or in some cases, failing altogether.

Why have accidents occurred so frequently in recent years? Experts say the biggest problem is the travelers' lack of awareness when it comes to danger. This may not only put them into a hazardous situations, but can also waste government resources. According to Gao Min, it costs 200 to 300 thousand Yuan to rescue one person in the mountain area.

"Basically, 99% of hiking activities violate the rules, because they didn't report and register their information beforehand. It is very difficult to conduct the rescue, because we have to do a lot of research about the place where they are trapped, and all this work costs a huge amount of money, a big portion of which is paid by the government."

According to international practices, this money should be paid by travelers themselves, because they buy insurance before they go traveling and the insurance company covers the expense of the rescue operation.

Experts suggest that travelers have full knowledge about the destination and its climate. Get everything prepared including food as well as hiking and camping gear, and find an experienced local guide to serve as their companion. And the most important thing is to report and register the activity with local departments; making it easier to be rescued if accidents occur.

For CRI, I'm Liu Min.