Basically with a storm warning those people had no business taking a group that large down there. Hoedle, the manager of Adventure World, admitted that the guides had undergone only two weeks' training for canyoning, in addition to their mountain guide education. Louis Salzman, a canyoning pioneer and president of the Alpine Rescue Commission, told Swiss television he believed the training was insufficient. British experts said a lack of formal training in mountaineering may have meant that the guides had insufficient knowledge of how changing weather conditions could affect safety. In Britain it takes two to three years to become a fully qualified mountain guide.
Adventure travel is big business in Switzerland, yet it is mostly unregulated.
The only safety rules and requirements are those drawn up by the companies. Despite the tragedy, their spokesmen said self-regulation was still the best system. Moreover, a Contiki representative immediately defended Adventure World. Contiki's chief, David Hosking, said Adventure World was the premier company in the valley. Contiki, founded in 1961, has offices in 35 countries and hosts 80,000 clients a year.