2. Risk reduction. Operators utilize a number of risk reduction strategies. The look for trek leaders who have appropriate qualifications, as qualification serve as an indication that leaders have a minimum level of experience and have undertaken some formal training in practical mountaineering skills and party management. Leaders also need to be mentally robust enought make unpopular decisions to ensure the safety of their elients. In Hibbert research, operators stressed the importance of clients choosing the right trip in accordance with their experience, skills etc. This was achieved through requesting clients to provide an outline of the their experience before booking the trip. Some operators also assessed their clients capabilities during the early part of a trip before committing to the main objective. In addition operators assigned grades to their trips, to assist clients in making the correct choice, However, Hibbert notes that no uniform system of grading is availabel, and hence clients may face problems when comparing that holiday products of one company against another. As many mountain adventure tourism activities involve clients being at high altitude, an acclimatization programme is necessary to reduce the risk of altitude sickness. Operators stressed that trips should be of an adequate lenght to ensure clients acclimatization. Local agents were seen as key to risk reduction. and whilst some operators had established goood working relationships with these companies over several year they also noted difficulties in finding agents in whom they had complete confidence when breaking into new destinations.