Very thought provoking article. My mentor was killed with his client on a very well travelled classic route that I had guided (working for him) the week before in similar conditions . I have thought very deeply about risk management and decision making ever since.

Great article! I am not a guide, but have been, and will be, a client of guides. I have mostly been a very cautious hiker and climber, I came to alpinism late, but I made my share of mistakes and poor decisions. I always find a "debrief" extremely useful, and also as a client I love to learn what we could have done better and where we (with hindsight) were incredibly lucky. Some guides take that time at the end of an outing, perhaps while on the cablecar down into the valley. I think making a debrief part of the client's experience not only ads to the overall experience, but also promotes the right way of assessing risk, reviewing decisions, and learning from errors. Frank