Just from the recent accidents involving travellers, we should all reflect on this question: Who ensures the safety of travellers on outdoor trips? Last October, 14 travellers went missing in Mount Siguniang, Sichuan. The government spent huge sums on search and rescue efforts, and the media hotly debated who should foot the bill. On the morning of the 12th of this month at 8 a.m., 13 travellers (5 men and 8 women) from the “Hongfei Outdoor” club in Jinan entered Mount Tai’s Tianzhu Peak scenic area through an unofficial traveller route. Two travellers got separated from their group and became lost while descending when the path was buried under snow. One female traveller fell off a cliff to her death on Mount Tai. On the 25th of this month, a tour bus with a Henan license plate carrying a group of travellers flipped into a 50-meter-deep ravine in Jincheng, Shanxi, resulting in 15 deaths and 19 injuries.
The national mountaineering and outdoor sports market is booming, yet fraught with hidden dangers and risks. After conducting a recent survey of the Shanghai outdoor sports market, I found that after more than ten years of development, Shanghai’s mountaineering and outdoor sports industry has begun to take shape. Since mountaineering and outdoor sports were introduced to Shanghai, their forms have expanded from simple camping, cookouts, hiking, and various mountaineering activities to include rock climbing, rappelling, canyoning, cave exploration, team-building training, and mountaineering expeditions. With their natural and healthy appeal, these activities have gained widespread recognition among Shanghai residents and have gradually grown in scale. According to incomplete statistics, Shanghai now has dozens of outdoor clubs, over thirty team-building training bases, more than ten operational rock climbing venues, nearly 300 well-known domestic and international outdoor sports brands, and an annual outdoor sports participation of nearly one million people. The outlook is promising, with great potential.
While Shanghai’s outdoor sports industry has developed rapidly, it is also riddled with hidden dangers, as evidenced by major outdoor accidents in recent years: In November 2006, the head of the Shanghai Bailang Club died in a fall while climbing Mount Habaxue; in August 2009, the Shanghai Gaoyuan Club organized a traveller group to cross the Lüxixia Gorge, resulting in the drowning deaths of three participants; in December 2010, a student outdoor team from Fudan University went missing in Huangshan, leading to the death of a police rescuer; in October 2011, 14 travellers (including 3 from Shanghai) went missing in Mount Siguniang, Sichuan, prompting massive government search and rescue efforts; since 2007, there have been more than ten cases of injuries such as falls and fractures at climbing venues and team-building bases in the Shanghai area.
Lack of safety awareness
Upon analyzing the reasons behind the frequent accidents, I found that the main issues are: the rapid expansion of the outdoor sports participant base, weak safety awareness among participants, lack of outdoor knowledge, and blind following; low entry barriers for organizing groups, with organizers having limited professional skills and varying competence, forming teams arbitrarily; and a lack of relevant laws, regulations, and travel safeguards within the industry, resulting in weak oversight.
So, how can we steer mountaineering and outdoor sports out of their current state of disorder? How can we minimize outdoor risks, especially those caused by human error? These questions can no longer be avoided in the face of repeated heavy costs.
A deeper look into this industry in Shanghai reveals that the Shanghai Mountaineering Sports Association — a municipal-level professional organization approved by the Shanghai Municipal Sports Bureau and registered with the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau and the Social Organizations Administration Bureau, specifically tasked with managing activities related to mountaineering, rock climbing, high-altitude sports, and team-building — has been committed to standardizing outdoor sports activities since its establishment. In August 2008, the association led the creation of the “Shanghai Outdoor Sports Club and Related Industry Self-Discipline Convention.” Starting in the second half of 2009, the association, in conjunction with the China Mountaineering Association, organized 11 certified professional training sessions covering basic outdoor skills, outdoor guides, and rock climbing instructors, training a total of 251 professionals. Since 2008, the association has hosted 8 large-scale outdoor sports events, with approximately 5,000 participants. Through scientific project management and professional technical support, all the training sessions and major events organized by the association have been successful, with zero safety incidents, earning praise from the outdoor enthusiast community.
It can be said that the Shanghai Mountaineering Sports Association has carried out many positive and beneficial explorations and adopted effective measures, and has developed a certain level of management capability and experience in mountaineering and outdoor sports.
I believe the various problems reflected in the above situations are, at a deeper level, a profound manifestation of the conflict between the rapid development of mountaineering and outdoor sports and the relatively lagging management and regulations. It is particularly noteworthy that due to the broad scope and blurred boundaries of mountaineering and outdoor sports, there is still no authoritative conclusion on whether it falls under “sports” or “tourism,” which further complicates unified management and problem-solving. Therefore, I suggest that while establishing a comprehensive and unified regulatory framework and corresponding regulations may take time, the municipal government’s relevant management departments (such as the Municipal Sports Bureau) should first authorize the industry association to take the lead. Measures should be implemented from the source, laying a solid foundation for the healthy development of our city’s mountaineering and outdoor sports.
■ Specific Suggestions
Promote outdoor knowledge and raise risk awareness
Since mountaineering and outdoor sports involve many uncertain factors such as geographical environments and weather conditions, it is a high-risk activity. In addition to requiring participants to have a certain level of physical fitness, they should also possess relevant professional skills and the ability to respond to risks. Participating in this sport is by no means the same as a regular outing or tourist trip. Participants must be mentally, materially, and risk-aware enough. All these basic outdoor knowledge points still need to be promoted and popularized, so that more “new travellers” preparing to enter the field understand first that “the outdoors are wonderful, but participation requires caution.”
Establish a reporting system and set entry thresholds
Designate the industry association as the unified reporting body for mountaineering and outdoor sports.
The reporting body will establish a unified outdoor activity registration system to record information on clubs, companies, and related institutions in Shanghai that engage in mountaineering and outdoor sports, as well as the activities and events they organize. This includes details about the organizing unit, activity plans, safety measures, participant conditions, insurance and guide arrangements, transportation vehicles, and basic equipment. Based on this, a unified outdoor activity information system will be created, and corresponding entry standards will be established to lay the groundwork for further standardized management.
Clarifying the regulatory body and implementing a travel filing system can, on one hand, better guide practitioners in the mountaineering and outdoor sports industry to operate in a scientific and standardized manner, improve risk prevention capabilities, and ensure effective rescue operations in case of accidents. On the other hand, through the filing system and source management, data on outdoor sports can be compiled and analyzed to assist relevant departments in decision-making.
Provide professional guidance and implement training
Designate the industry association as the unified body for business consultation and training in mountaineering and outdoor sports.
According to current information, the Shanghai Mountaineering Sports Association has obtained authorization from the China Mountaineering Association and has jointly organized multiple professional training courses in Shanghai related to mountaineering and outdoor sports (including basic outdoor skills, outdoor guides, and rock climbing instructor training). The Shanghai Mountaineering Association already has the foundational conditions for outdoor activity training. Therefore, I suggest that the Shanghai Mountaineering Association take the lead in establishing a Shanghai-based training system for mountaineering and outdoor sports. Based on the actual needs of Shanghai’s outdoor sports scene, it should gather industry experts to organize comprehensive training programs. Certificates recognized by the Shanghai Human Resources and Social Security Department should be issued to further enhance the professional quality of practitioners and the risk prevention abilities of outdoor enthusiasts.
Additionally, given the wide variety of insurance products currently available, I also recommend leveraging the association’s role as a bridge to promote the development of targeted insurance products for mountaineering and outdoor sports. At the same time, awareness of risk prevention should be strengthened, emergency response plans for accidents should be refined, and a reasonable and legal rescue mechanism should be established.
Implement corresponding regulations and standards for standardized management
Currently, most operators in Shanghai’s mountaineering and outdoor sports industry do not have legal operating rights from a legal standpoint. Some individuals and organizations even recruit members and organize trips via websites, forums, and QQ, while the corresponding unified regulations and systems are clearly lagging behind. Therefore, I suggest that on the basis of establishing a travel filing system and gradually improving the training system, a “Shanghai Outdoor Sports Management Measures” be introduced. This would regulate the operations of mountaineering and outdoor sports organizations in areas such as registration qualifications, safety management, member services, and professional certification.
As the above efforts progress, Shanghai-specific outdoor sports standards should be gradually formulated. This will facilitate the association’s work, ensure adherence to rules and legal management, and thereby safeguard the safety of outdoor travellers.