Who's best at developing outdoor safety standards?

There is alrdy a organisation dedicated to that. The New Zealand Mountain Safety Council. http://www.mountainsafety.org.nz/

Sorry, I just forgot NZ Mountain Safety in my list. Would you say they are THE capacity in this regard? Which others play significant roles? Thanks, Matt

I would say so, they wrote the latest Bushcraft manual(I think) which has things like river crossing etc. I've been tramping since I was 6 and I'm 18 now so have learn everything I know through experience and people like my dad/uncle. Have not needed to attend any courses, taught my yr 12 outdoor instructors a thing or two and all my classmates. My Dad has a old survival manual from the 1960s written by a ex airforce pilot-quite interesting reading and possibly of some benefit. if you click on training on their website NZAC provide training as well. No doubt the above clubs encourage their members to undertake correct training in the outdoors and endorse courses run by NZMC. Federated Mountain Clubs probably have a part to play they usually have a article or to on safety plus the backcountry accidents which is quite good. I believe it is responsiblity of the tramper or hunter for their own safety and to be prepared and made the best decisions for themselves/party. If your with a couple other people its your responsibility to speak up if you dont want to cross that flooded river or whatever. After a few close calls when I was younger(going on 19 now) I would not dare to cross a flooded stream of the brown variety and I'm always cautious of the strength of the wind after a few teams crawling along the tops in the Ruahines(getting blown off once)!

No doubt when that old manual was written NZMS had not yet formed. 'MSC is a national organisation promoting safety in outdoor activities. We facilitate the setting of standards, offer training, distribute resources and advocate publicly so that more people can discover and enjoy New Zealand's outdoors safely. '

To undertake research and develop standards for outdoor safety is one of the four key goals of MSC. The purpose of this research goal is to be able to better understand the social and physical environment that the MSC exists within in order to make informed decisions that benefit the outdoor sector and environment. MSC facilitates and supports outdoor related research through a variety of means. This includes; a research committee made up of respected academics and researchers from around New Zealand; a Programme Manager responsible for research and evaluation; financial support for research projects and communication pathways for disseminating research findings and outcomes. The MSC embraces both qualitative and quantitative research and diverse methodologies to mirror the diverse ways in which experiences in the outdoors may be accounted for. MSC is also committed to playing a part in ensuring research outcomes, findings and practice implications are communicated to appropriate groups and individuals. MSC’s existing publications, website and training programmes are an obvious mechanism for this, in addition MSC utilises a range of communication channels through our 17 member organisations and in some instances, maximising distribution by using commercial publications.

The MSC dedicate time to researching methods of crossing and from this formulate their recommendations. Their recommended practices do evolve from time to time but fortunately they are based on research, not notions. Our club (CTC) was given extensive SAR training and the rivercrossing techniques instructed were indentical to the MSC guidelines. It is worthwhile doing one of their courses or a club one which will be similar particularly if they push the envelope so you are frequently losing your footing and floating off still linked-up in the mutual support method. Then you will have an idea of what it takes to push a linked-up party off their feet. I recommend doing a course annually for quite a few years and then refreshing say every 3 years or so so you have a good idea of your boundaries and other factors such as group dynamics when linking up and crossing. I do know quite a few people who disparage the MSC but I haven't seen anything to persuade me they are barking up the wrong tree. In a serious crossing, I link up as advised. Recently, while crossing the entire Rakaia (Boulder Col trip) my partner and I forgot to do the full formal link-up and boy, were we sorry! It was so marginal. I was a liability to him, instead of being able to support him while he adjusted his footing. Going back downstream the next day, he insisted we do it properly with the 2 other members and we were absolutely bombproof as a tight unit. If there's a boulder in your way, you just go over it in this method. I have practised this technique on numerous courses and instructed it on others as well as using it in the field heaps when the situation calls for it (except a couple of times when I rued my decision).