Accessible Summits

Activation Reports Pre-Planning
41

There are flexibilities in there Dave, as Brian explains. Other than what is already printed in the General Rules document, there are no further dispensations.

There are lots of summits available for activators with disability here in the UK, and SOTA has (in my opinion) a proud record of successful participation by disabled activators.

The Burton ARC “Easy SOTA” page is useful, but includes a number of summits that do still require some physical ability, even if relatively trivial. The following is a list of summits from my own SOTA history, where I have been able to drive into the activation zone (or very close to it) and participate in accordance with the rules by walking away from my car and setting up an independent portable station:

EI/IE-021 Black Mountain

G/CE-001 Cleeve Hill
G/CE-005 Wendover Woods

G/DC-003 Kit Hill
G/DC-004 Hensbarrow Beacon
G/DC-005 Christ Cross

G/NP-028 Rombalds Moor

G/SC-004 Staple Hill
G/SC-005 Selworthy Beacon
G/SC-008 Win Green
G/SC-010 Dundry Down

G/SE-001 Walbury Hill
G/SE-003 Black Down
G/SE-004 Butser Hill
G/SE-005 Botley Hill
G/SE-006 Ditchling Beacon
G/SE-007 Crowborough
G/SE-008 St Boniface Down
G/SE-013 Detling Hill
G/SE-015 Cheriton Hill

G/SP-010 Winter Hill
G/SP-013 Gun
G/SP-017 Billinge Hill

G/TW-004 Bishop Wilton Wold
G/TW-005 Normanby Top

G/WB-005 Long Mynd-Pole Bank
G/WB-011 Bradnor Hill
G/WB-016 Wapley Hill
G/WB-018 View Edge
G/WB-021 Ruardean Hill
G/WB-023 Hegdon Hill
G/WB-024 Aconbury Hill

GD/GD-005 Mull Hill

GI/AH-010 Slievetrue
GI/AH-011 Cross Slieve

GI/CA-003 Carrigatuke

GI/MM-017 Cairngaver

GW/MW-026 Long Mountain-Beacon Ring
GW/MW-029 Hafod Ithel
GW/MW-036 Pen-crug-melyn
GW/MW-037 Brandy Hill

GW/NW-064 Mynydd Rhiw
GW/NW-070 Great Orme
GW/NW-071 Mynydd Bodafon

GW/SW-018 Mynydd Eppynt
GW/SW-028 Mynydd y Betws
GW/SW-033 Wentwood
GW/SW-036 Mynydd Sylen

So you don’t need to be Bear Grylls to be knocking on the door of 50 activator uniques. Aspirations for Mountain Goat need to be accompanied by a bit more physical effort though.

2 Likes
42

Read his QRZ page and all will be become clear Ed.

Peter
G1FOA

1 Like
43

Hi Ed

My disabilities are sensory being registered blind and also deaf. Sensory impairment can - occasionally - lead to fear of open space and hazards (and there are many of hillsides) being close to something you know (a car) can help overcome those fears.

I would hope that that would not be the case for those with paralysis who may not be able to take a powdered wheelchair with them. Operating from a car could their only option.

73
Dave
(M6RUG)

44

Thanks Tom

I keep threatening to buy you a pint (and have a chat) but the Cat and Fiddle is closed :frowning:

Dave
(M6RUG)

45

I’ll take you up on that pint Dave. There are other pubs in Cheshire… In fact maybe I could pick you up sometime and take you for a suitable joint activation - and a post activation pint of course.

Yes, operating from a vehicle is not valid for SOTA activating, whatever the circumstances. SOTA offers good levels of inclusivity through the chaser and SWL sections of the programme, and through the activation zone rule and the unspecified distance from the vehicle you need to be. But operation cannot be from the vehicle - the line has to be drawn somewhere, and that’s where we draw it.

One final thought, I’m not sure I’d recommend a powdered wheelchair for anyone, let alone someone with paralysis.

46

Hi Dave,
I’ll leave the MT to respond to the operating from a car point. I am only relaying what I think would be the case. The problem is not with the disabled person rather with others who would (in my opinion) abuse the rule if it allowed car operation in general.

However it really matters what you think - if you have done the activation to the best of your abilities, within the vague rules, then it’s OK. In a personal challenge such as SOTA, it’s what you think that matters not what others think.

Ed.

47

Hi Ed

I don’t envy the MT having to write these rules and neither do I expect them to understands the needs of everyone. I do hope however that, if, a situation cropped up that they would listen without pre-judging anything/anyone - and I am sure that that would be the case.

Dave

48

Do you think that this hasn’t happened in the past 14 years?

49

Hi Tom

I will have to get fit first unless you fancy giving me a piggyback :smile:

Yeah I am up for a pint but the YL can drive me somewhere - and I will probably need her to relay the conversation - can’t hear a thing in pubs :frowning: (especially when someone say “is it your round”!)

We can have a debate over a pint on that one :wink:

As my stepdad was hit by a car while on his mobility scooter 2 weeks and is lying in hospital in a coma I would tend to agree with you! However, enforcing someone to be housebound is also neither an option.

Dave
(M6RUG)

50

If we take my complete quote for clarity - I simply don’t know the answer, how could I ?? I am not part of the MT ???

Dave
(M6RUG)

51

It’s fair to say that we on the MT don’t know all the answers, either. We have a good, well-tried and tested set of rules but as we go on, here and there we get questions that arise, grey areas and special circumstances demand answers, and we discuss them and arrive at a concensus - sometimes with difficulty! :grinning:

Brian

1 Like
52

Brian

Thank you again for a clear response

73

Dave
(M6RUG)

53

We started a list of accessible summits in north america a year ago, but interest waned. No need for a list to be exhaustive. A few in each region would be a start, such as W6/NC-435, 221, 178 & 151 in the San Francisco bay area, plus W0C/FR-003 & 004 in Colorado (the latter two at 4,300 metres). Among the 51,258 registered SOTA peaks in the USA, there are over a hundred drive-on, plus ten times that many requiring a wheelchair climb up a paved road after the car park.

Elliott, K6EL
Sota MT

54

Naturally it is a shame that interest waned but something has been done and can always be picked up again at a later date.

Congratulations for doing something and I hope people are taking advantage of the work that has been done.

Dave
(M6RUG)

55

Yes, operating from a vehicle is not valid for SOTA activating, whatever the circumstances.

We can have a debate over a pint on that one :wink:

Nothing to debate - it’s definitely not allowed!

56

That is beyond doubt. However, Dave has offered a situation where it is in my opinion open to discussion:

" Operating from a car would be frowned upon however, as if one person does it (possibly with good reason) others (without a good reason) will also do it.

I would hope that that would not be the case for those with paralysis who may not be able to take a powdered wheelchair with them. Operating from a car could their only option."

Would it do so much harm to the ethos of SOTA to exclude a car-born activation under those particular circumstances? The number of possible summits would not be large and mostly in the lower points bands, so it is improbable that any large score could be amassed, but it would be difficult to overstate the possible satisfaction to a paralysed ham. We only have to take the precaution of obtaining some proof of the condition of the ham before issuing permission. At present this is a hypothetical question but if it ever arose in practice I would hope that we would consider an application sympathetically. The need for a permit would prevent any flood of fraudulent activations - after all, we control the database and could soon dump the scores of anybody trying it on!

Brian

1 Like
57

My point on this one is that, technically, a class III motorised wheelchair is considered to be a motor vehicle and has to be taxed, insured and carry an MOT certificate. It can ONLY be driven on a road.

Dave
(M6RUG)

58

Our adult son is disabled, with mild motor deficits and bigger cognitive deficits.

Every disabled person is different.

The best approach is to describe the characteristics of the approach: car park in the AZ, paved path into the AZ, paved path with steps, and so on. There are ecological preserves that do not allow service dogs. So write down what you observe and share.

And who knows, maybe we’ll talk Four-Wheel Bob into getting a ham license.

1 Like
59

In answer to your question Brian - yes, I think that would do harm. It would create encouragement for many more attempts to take advantage / bypass the rules and standards. The checking / verification process described would be unworkable, unmanageable and unpoliceable.

We already have more than enough inclusivity. Participation in SOTA is available as a chaser and as an SWL. Activator rules are already pretty flexible to afford significant opportunity for activating by disabled persons.

Changing the character of the programme by removing that constant standard we have upheld since inception, and creating a confusing 2-tier system in its place would be very undesirable.

60

Its a strange thing rules and standards - talking in general now.

In the last semester of my degree I have a (compulsory) ethics unit, some of the points raised in this discussion factor in many organisations rules and standards, how they effect various “interests” etc… The bottom line we are taught is that there is no right answer - doesn’t bode well with engineers that tends to end up with whispers in the audience relating to the rear end action of a bull !

I digress, ethics are important and so are rules. Much of SOTA works on the principle of trust, equally that trust allows the freedom to have summits with car parks in the activation zone. Its common sense really.

I didn’t mean to instigate 60+ posts on this, the point is Dave is the tools are there in abundance to use - mapping project, activation reports and you learn like the rest of us. Nobody told me how to get around Snowdonia. But I am glad I did learn, cor what a cool place that is !

Jonathan

1 Like