Yeah, I’m Faulknering the Hemingway today, but this blog produced some noteworthy words, reading just now.

The most important part of doing any sport safely is knowing what to look for in any situation, and being aware of those clues. For example, a novice paraglider pilot may not equate lenticular clouds with potential high winds. Or a novice back country skier standing at the top of a nice-looking north-east facing slope may not notice that every north-east facing slope on the whole drive to go skiing had slid the night before… I like to think of situational awareness radiating in rings from me. My first ring is my mind–how I feel, what my attitude is, why. If I have a “bad” feeling then usually I’m missing something in my wider rings of awareness, or haven’t connected something consciously yet. I don’t believe in “mystical” mumbo jumbo, “premonitions” are just my mind trying to reconcile a small clue…In my “immediate” exterior ring are things like my harness buckle, rock quality under my hands, my harness knot, all the holds I’m going to climb up etc. A little bit farther out is the “action” ring, which is about the length of a rope, a rapid, or a glide on a paraglider. This represents roughly the next “unit” of action in whatever sport. Then there’s the “big picture” ring, which includes the day, past conditions in the season (gotta remember that November rain crust in the snow pack), what I read in the winds forecast for paragliding that day vs. what I’ve seen that forecast mean in the past, etc. All of this is “situational awareness.” I think many very good athletes have excellent situational awareness, while most novice athletes don’t. For example, a novice climber’s situational awareness field is can shrink down to the size of a coffee can–the six inches of rock directly in front of their eyes. Anyone who has taught climbing will relate to the novice with the leg shaking like a sewing machine needle–with a two-foot flat ledge just below their foot to stand on.

Amen.