Adventure sports like mountaineering, base-jumping, surfing and kayaking are just that; ad-ventures. For their execution they depend on tried-and-tested rules on the one hand and personal skills and awareness on the other, but things can go wrong as these activities are defined by their elements of surprise and danger which team sports and ball games seek to minimise with safe fields and courts, strict rules and even on-site referees and marshals. By contrast, adventure sports are practiced outdoors, underwater and in the skies; in wide open and remote spaces, all contributing to their risks. Yet human nature is such that neither these, nor the inherent dangers deter the devotees, resulting in a continuous stream of participants, despite the statistics. Equipment may improve, instructions and safety guidelines may be written and rewritten, but the casualties continue because it’s the nature of adventure sports. When participants are lost in the pursuit of their passions, some small solace may be found in knowing their loss my lead to further refinement of routes, of equipment, safety guidelines and extra caution, as we relentlessly push the envelope. Kayaking has had and continue to have its share of fatalities, even of celebrities like Douglas Tomkins of North Face, in the Patagonia region of Chile in December, 2015. May we pause sometimes in our adventures and reflect on those who were lost in the pursuit of it and those many who lent their loving support in trying times.

In loving memory today of Robyn Loots, nee Lowe. Berg River, 28 May 1988.