BMC Participation Statement:
"Climbing, hill walking and mountaineering can provide life-long physical, social and mental health benefits through exercise and adventure in amazing environments. The BMC recognises that these activities involve a risk of personal injury or death. Participants should be aware of and accept these risks and be responsible for their own actions and impacts on others."
All members should be aware of and have understood this statement and accept the risks involved. Despite accepting that accidents can happen, we all have a legal duty not to act in a way that might reasonably be expected to put others at risk. This duty of care applies proportionally according to a person’s knowledge, thus more experienced members of a mixed-ability group would be expected to make more informed choices based on their experience.
A simple rule of thumb when mentoring a novice climber/walker is to make sure the objective is well within your own ability and experience, as well as being reasonably expected to be within the ability of the group. Making these sensible choices and sustaining the principle of personal responsibility, by making sure you and we are aware of and accept the risks that take place in activities, goes a long way to fulfilling your duty of care.