Chris Townsend: 'Adventures involve risk. With no risk there is no adventure'

THE tragic death of the British teenager in Norway will inevitably raise questions about whether adventure holidays in sometimes potentially dangerous situations for those who take part are worthwhile. The answer has to be yes.

Thousands of people of all ages are taking part in adventure holidays worldwide today. Whether climbing Munros, mountaineering in the Alps, trekking in the Himalaya, kayaking round the Hebrides, mountain biking in the Utah deserts or any of the other outdoor activities that come under the umbrella of adventure holidays, these people are having exciting, stimulating and fulfilling experiences that will make them feel more confident and more alive. The desire for adventure is a major part of being human. Since the first people started to spread out in Africa, exploration has been essential to humanity's development. It still is. But so successful have we been that, at least for those of us in developed countries, it's possible to live life without adventure or exploration, content with the ersatz thrills of television and computer games. But the need for real adventures is still there and still necessary. Hence the growing appeal of adventure holidays.

Outdoor adventures also connect us with the natural world in a direct way so we can feel part of it and not see it as just a pretty landscape to be viewed from a car or on a screen. Interacting with nature in this way is challenging, both physically and mentally. There is a sense of immediacy and alertness rarely found in urban life. This is both beneficial to the individual's mind and body - adventure holidays require fitness and so are a good way to overcome an unhealthy sedentary lifestyle - and to the world in general as adventures in the outdoors can lead to an appreciation of the need for conserving and protecting the places in which they take place.

John Muir, the great Scottish conservationist, who had many adventures of his own, said: "Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilised people are beginning to find out that going to the mountain is going home; that wildness is necessity".

All adventures involve risk. Without it there is no adventure. Of course minimising risk is essential for those organising and leading adventure holidays. But it will always be present and that means that, very occasionally, despite all precautions, there will be terrible accidents. But what is the alternative? To never venture out, never do anything that might be risky, never live? To feel really alive, to have a sharpened awareness of your existence and the gloriousness of the world, there has to be an element of risk. It adds excitement and a sense of the unknown, which are part of the life-enhancing adventure experience.The level of risk has to be put into perspective though. The vast majority of people on adventure holidays have a great time and suffer nothing more than occasional soreness, sweatiness and tiredness. And maybe some midge bites if they're in the Highlands.

Serious accidents are very rare, which is why they are so newsworthy. Far, far more people are killed in road accidents than are even injured on adventure holidays (driving to the airport is probably the most dangerous part of the trip) but because these are so commonplace they rarely excite much media attention.

Adventure holidays, then, should not only continue but should be encouraged. People need excitement, challenges and physical activity and society needs people who are prepared to take the risks involved in order to progress.

• Chris Townsend is President of the Scottish Mountaineering Council