A University of Thessaly professor has called for outdoor education in every Greek school to improve mountain safety, as more people head into nature without the right preparation.
Professor Haris Kouthouris said the growing trend of Greeks visiting mountains, forests, rivers and gorges is good for active leisure and quality of life. However, he said the wish to take part often comes without the knowledge, planning and awareness of risk it needs.
According to Kouthouris, injuries, people straying from trails and rescue operations show that outdoor activities carry real dangers. He said such incidents are growing in number and seriousness.
“The mountain is not an urban footpath,” Kouthouris said. “Weather conditions change, routes hide difficulties, and they demand immediate help, which is not guaranteed.”
Mountain safety starts at school
On mountain safety, Kouthouris said many people choose outings through social media without proper information about real conditions, the demands of the route or the gear they need. In particular, he pointed to the training level of those who lead groups into nature.
He said Greece shows a significant gap in outdoor literacy among citizens and in outdoor education in schools. Despite the long work of mountaineering clubs, that knowledge has not spread widely to the general public, he said.
The real solution, according to Kouthouris, must start in schools across the country. Outdoor education should become a regular part of the curriculum, combining classroom teaching with organised hands-on programs in parks, forests and safe natural areas.
Trained guides and a national plan
Kouthouris also said universities and training bodies have a key role in preparing guides with both technical and people skills. He noted the work of HATTA Outdoors, the professional body for the sector since 2012, in promoting safety standards and certification.
He said licensed businesses should only use trained and certified guides, instead of poorly trained organisers working without control. Finally, he called on the state to link these efforts to a national strategy for outdoor education.
“Access to nature must remain free, but not without knowledge and responsibility,” Kouthouris said. “The real success of an outdoor trip is not the photo at the summit, but everyone’s safe return.”
Greek City Times has reported on several recent mountain safety cases, including the search for a missing hiker on Mount Olympus.
Source: AMNA
