We consistently invest in no-mad (through Mentrau Bach). And, whilst we like to keep our time in wild spaces as disconnected as possible, we do also take our duty of care for our clients very seriously.
Where safety is concerned, "reasonably practical" is a test often applied to whether or not you should do something. In brief, this involves weighing a risk against the trouble, time and money needed to control it.
As we've developed we have recognised that more and more becomes reasonable.
So, to begin with we invested in our training and qualifications. To prove that alongside experience, we were competent in the eyes of an awarding body.
Because we run in wild places, fitness of groups, and their speed over the ground can be hugely different. So, we use lower ratio's and we also run a licensed radio communications system in case we need to split the groups. This communication between leaders allows us to take greater care of groups and also be more sensitive to their individual needs.
And now we have added a Garmin InReach mini to our kit. This means that we can be located, and communicate by satellite to anywhere in the world, from anywhere we have a view of the sky. 10 years ago this wouldn't have been reasonable due to the cost, but now, it most definitely is.
There are many places we run where we know we don't have a mobile signal, and to us and the way we work, this is a sensible addition to our kit.
It also means that we can now provide a tracking link to friends and family and also provide simple message options to those who may urgently need to be contacted whilst on a course with us. Of course it also means that when we are lone working on events there is a greater response rate, and we can reduce the amount of pre-event emergency planning.
If there are any runners/outdoor people who would find it useful to hire a small beacon, and have back-up without worrying family, we're also happy to discuss this being used for those adventures!
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