Despite having five mountain ranges and an estimated one million people who enjoy hiking in the hills, Taiwan has never had a real mountaineering school. To be sure, there have been short-term training courses for university climbing clubs and for guides, but never a permanent institution. Even in universities, there is no curriculum devoted to mountaineering. People simply learn-by-doing in alpine clubs.
O-Young Tai-sheng, who is constantly on the lookout for ways to raise the level of Taiwan's mountaineering culture, takes as his goal the standards established by famous schools such as Ullswater in the UK and Yamnuska in Canada. In fact, even before he went to mountaineering school in Canada, as early as 1989 O-Young had established the Chinese Alpine Climbing Association, which has been known since 1997 as the Alpines Outdoor School. He began offering courses in environmental mountaineering, high-altitude first aid, outdoor rescue operations, team leader techniques, law and responsibility, and "Cornell natural joy," so that the general public can get a deeper understanding of the mountains and of mountaineering. He also went to the US several times to participate in Project Adventure (PA) courses, which train people to take on new challenges. He became a PA instructor, and also offers PA activities at his school.
Currently the Alpines Outdoor School has two PA instructors, two mountain climbing instructors, and a group of experienced assistants. They teach people how to prepare physically and mentally for climbing at all stages, from planning to training to leading. O-Young also frequently cooperates with halfway houses, the Sunshine Social Welfare Foundation, and the Holistic Education School (an experimental middle school) to help kids find a sense of accomplishment and self-esteem through wilderness activities. Many companies in the service industry also patronize outdoor activities, believing that these are helpful to increasing the self-expectations, leadership ability, efficiency, and communications skills of their employees.
In mid-September, O-Young began inviting instructors from the United States to teach disaster assistance to kick off a three-year course being offered to governmental and private rescue organizations. He hopes the students will eventually reach the point where they can qualify for a US license to work professionally in the field. Besides raising the professionalism and confidence of local rescue groups, the course can also bring more public attention to the specialized field of rescue operations. At the same time, the Alpines Outdoor School will offer a ladder study camp, involving six rungs, between December of 2001 and April of 2002, on mountaineering safety and mountain rescue techniques. The camp will offer instruction in such areas as map, compass, and satellite positioning; search techniques; construction of strength-saving devices; and setting up search and rescue operations centers.
Addressing the vexing problem of the mountain accidents that one hears about so frequently in Taiwan, O-Young emphasizes the importance of establishing "mountain watch centers." These would cover mainly two areas: one from the trail running between Lake Nanhu and Central Range Point to the second southern section of the Central Mountain Range, and the other the mountainous area south of Mt. Tapa. He hopes that every team climbing in these areas can provide information on such things as clothing, backpack manufacturers, and other identifiable personal markers so that just in case something should happen, this information can be used to evaluate clues for tracking. This is a proactive approach to dealing with climbing accidents.
In February of 2002, the Alpines Outdoor School will offer a ten-day course on climbing in snow conditions. Through his various classes and activities O-Young Tai-sheng aims to create a professional curriculum especially designed for mountaineering conditions in Taiwan, so that even more people can enter the wilderness, get close to the mountains, and live harmoniously among them.
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Dick Sale, a mountain rescue specialist from the US, is now in Taiwan training non-governmental rescue teams in transporting injured people out of dangerous terrain.
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