In reply to ianstevens:
> It's not subtle at all. Me offering to knock you up an extension would be very different to you asking me to do it. It's a service nonetheless, so why should a service offered in the mountains be free?
There is an enormous difference between knocking up an extension and a days hillwalking. This is more like asking a friend to give you hand to move the furniture into your new extension IMO.
There is a strong tradition of giving others a hand to move furniture FoC, there is a strong tradition of taking less existing friends hillwalking FoC. Unless I've missed out there isn't a strong tradition of building extensions FoC.
> If by "charging at an arbitary point" you mean once an instructor has gained the relevant quals and is assuming full responsibility for a clients safety with associated insurance costs etc., it is in no way arbitrary. As for aspirants offering services for free, there is ALWAYS a caveat that they are looking to build experience and the going out climbing/walking/whatever with them is at your own risk. Not the case with most qualified operators. So quite a big difference really.
Time after time we see aspirant instructors offering their services FoC under some wishy, washy disclaimer. Is pretty poor form to criticise someone for making the same request from the other side!
I may be mistaken but I thought that they did have some form of insurance during the consolidation phase of their training as long as they didn't charge for their services?