Fluid Approach

Firstly information, legislature and guidelines (national and international) are changing constantly and thus our approach needs to be fluid. None of this is set in stone in the long term but needs to be considered by both you and me in order to protect ourselves and those around us.

I take my and my client’s health seriously:

Right now I believe the most appropriate approach is to act as if we are infected. I carry your health and the health of my family as my highest priority. I expect you to do the same. This will inform my behaviour going forward.

Even if the chance of infection is small I do not wish the worst case scenario on anybody. This is what I would like to avoid, this is what I am protecting you against. I believe we can operate in ways that minimise transmission and still have productive interactions and experiences but it requires agreement and buy in from all parties.

Basic principles:

I will discuss my approach to the pandemic before each trip in order to reach agreement. I think it is important that we are in alignment as to how we play going forward. I am basing my behaviour on my common sense (and not only what is currently legally allowed). I believe current government regulations are the bare minimum standard. I think we can do better.

I will offer a full refund if your (or my) health symptoms change between payment and starting of the trip. No questions asked.

It seems that the outdoors are fairly low risk as an environment for transmission. High risk are closed spaces where we spend a significant amount of time with a number of other people (Indoor choir practice, restaurants, shared office space, households etc).

Exercise is good for our mind and for our health. So let’s go and exercise. We just need to find a way of doing it safely.

I would like to avoid situations that are crowded or where touching of common surfaces is unavoidable.

There are enough trails that are less frequented, we are out in the open fresh air.

Right now these are the guidelines that I follow:

• We agree to wear a mask for the duration of the activity. This is government regulation in RSA.
• We social distance during the activity between each other and from other mountain users as best we can.
• We agree to hand sanitise before and after touching potential common surfaces like scramble sections and shared safety equipment.
• Sharing gear, food, drinks is higher risk. It is not impossible to manage but requires extra care, time and resources. For the time being I would like to avoid these complications. I believe we can bring our own and still enjoy these together.
• I suggest that we choose routes that are less known. There are plenty and they are super cool and take us to some pretty special places.
• We avoid routes that require rope work or shared equipment, rides in Cable Cars and require shared transport from finish back to the start and the celebratory coffee/drink afterwards in a pub/coffee shop.
• We choose routes that are well within our technical and physical abilities. Any use of emergency services is higher risk.
• Right now I do not offer a transport solution from your hotel to the start of our route as I am not satisfied with cost effective cleaning solutions.
• I will start earlier to avoid crowds as there are many people out all trying to enjoy the outdoors at the moment.