June 2013 – the Severe climber

Bouldering in Fontainebleau with a Toddler

The woods around Fontainebleau have a reputation as one of the best places in the world to boulder. Thousands of sandstone boulders, with tens of thousands of boulder problems, scattered about a pretty forest that covers some 300 square kilometres. Fontainebleau also has a reputation as being a great place to take kids. That’s a … Read more Bouldering in Fontainebleau with a Toddler

Climbing a Cathedral and Ringing the Bell on the Klettersteig Pfeilspitzwand

A little over half way up the Klettersteig Pfeilspitzwand there is a brass bell hanging from the rock. If you want to ring the bell, then you need to take a detour that traverses the face of the buttress above a sheer drop. There’s a slightly tricky step to negotiate, before you stand on a … Read more Climbing a Cathedral and Ringing the Bell on the Klettersteig Pfeilspitzwand

A Little Bit of the Eiger – the Rotstock Via Ferrata

“All the Grindelwald via ferrata are closed.” The woman at the tourist information office said these words in a firm, brisk tone that indicated that she didn’t realise that I would find them disappointing. I knew that there was a risk that the long, cold winter might mean that some mountain routes would still be … Read more A Little Bit of the Eiger – the Rotstock Via Ferrata

Bias Can Get You Lost

June 3, 2013June 3, 2013the Severe climber

I like to think that I’m a rational person and that I make reasoned decisions on the basis of a considered weighing up of all the information. This is important, as sound decision-making is vital for the safety of me and other people in the mountain sports that I do. The truth is that I am as vulnerable as everyone else to my decision-making being distorted by biases that lead to less than rational thinking.

Confirmation bias is the tendency people have to accept information if it supports what they believe and to reject information if it contradicts these beliefs. This is because people give more weight to information that supports their existing beliefs and are more likely to look for such information. Conversely, confirmation bias means that people tend to give less weight to information that challenges their existing beliefs and are less likely to look for it. If they do find such disconfirming information, people are inclined to explain it away or attempt to discredit it. Read more →