: All these are good thoughts, I have seen similar problems in a variety of outdoor sports but particularly in those activities where the danger in not bleeding obvious....you dont see many people trying to rock climb with a bit of old clothes line cord and no experience or instruction.... Each year where I live (Tasmania, the southernmost part of Australia) 1 or more hikers die in the wilds usually in summer and usually of exposure. They are usually in the relatively inexperienced group of participants . They go out for a day or a few days usually in nice sunny weather forgetting (or not knowing) that it can turn to absolute crap (snow gales etc) within a few short hours. One died a couple of years back having gone for a 2 hr walk from the hut she was staying in, tragically all the gear that might have saved her she left in the hut. There is also a second group, the moderately experienced....often have plenty of miles under their belt in good conditions and have had a bit of luck in bad conditions so think it will always always work out okay. I used to think like that but after having hypothermia a couple of times (once canyoning and one mountaineering) I have no trouble in saying "not today thanks" when conditions look like they may turn bad. Training people to foresee danger is difficult without someone more experienced to work with, (one of the main values of any club etc is to provide that link).
In summary basic training is good to learn technique but you need experience with an old hand to learn to forsee danger, far better to avoid the situation than have to see just where the limits to your skills really are. I think this applies in any wilderness or outdoor pursuits.
cheers
David