Recommendations for safe walking in the mountains

What should we watch out for?

Tour selection

• Choose a tour suitable for your physical and mental fitness. In a larger group, it is necessary to adapt to the capabilities of the weakest participant. Consider your health and the health of other participants.

• Heart patients, asthmatics, diabetics, people with high blood pressure, allergies, overweight, elderly people should be very careful. Special care should be given to children.

• Choose a tour that at least one of the participants knows.

• In summer, be aware of extreme heat on the south sides and unshaded trails, and in winter, the risk of avalanches on the northwest and north to northeast slopes of our mountains. During the danger of avalanches in the highlands, choose tours lower down, where there is no such danger.

• Seek information from reliable people who know the mountains and their conditions well. These are mountain guides and mountain rescuers. Don’t fall for people who talk about the simplicity of the tour, but luckily they barely managed it themselves.

• Do not walk alone on off-road trails that you have learned about in guidebooks, on websites and from acquaintances, if you do not have this kind of experience, but rather hire a mountain guide.

Weather

• Before heading into the mountains, make sure the weather is good before, during and after the tour - for a gold reserve if your tour is delayed.

Note:

• Our body gets very cold already at plus 10 °C (inappropriate clothing, rain, wind, injury, stress, illness, etc.).

• In winter, there is a risk of avalanches when there is snow or wind.

• There is a high chance of thunderstorms in spring, summer and autumn. Follow the 30-seconds and 30-minutes rules. The rule means conditional safety when at least 30 seconds elapse between lightning and thunder. Then the storm is 10,800 m away (30 s × 360 m/s (speed of sound) = 10,800 m). Lightning can still strike 30 minutes after the last thunder.

• Heavy rains turn dry torrents into raging rivers in a very short time. The paths become slippery and slippery.

• Mountain rescuers will need more time to reach the village in bad weather, and when there is a risk of lightning and avalanches, they will probably not be there at all.

• The helicopter cannot fly in the mountains at night, in fog, during snowfall and in strong winds.

Notification

• When you go on a tour alone or in a group, always write to someone staying at home or in the valley where you plan to go and when you will be back.

• Sign in the log books at the huts and on the summits, especially if you are alone or in a small group. With this, the rescuers can help each other a lot in a possible search and rescue operation.

On tour

• Start slowly to warm up well.

• The pace should be moderate, also suitable for weaker participants.

• Stop in time, take off extra clothes, have something to drink.

• Choose safe places to rest.

• If you suspect that a rock may fall on you, immediately put on a helmet.

• Protect yourself on exposed routes (use a climbing harness and safety kit for ferratas). If someone is afraid or not feeling well, they must be tied up (you need some knowledge for this - mountain guides).

• When something breaks, you have to turn around in time, the mountain will wait.

• In winter, you must know how to walk with crampons and use an ice ax to stop yourself from slipping.

• In the summer, use an ice ax to cut steps on the snowfield. Even better is the use of crampons and ice axes.

• Don’t forget the strong UV rays in the highlands (danger of snow blindness, burns of exposed and unprotected skin, possibility of sunburn and heat stroke). Protect yourself appropriately (sunglasses with UV protection, cream with a strong protection factor, light and breathable headgear and choosing shady paths in the heat).

• Consume enough food and drink regularly to avoid dehydration. It’s hard to make up for it later. Eat soups and drink refreshing soft drinks in the huts.

• In a storm, hurry to the huts, if this is not possible, at least get off the exposed ridges. Do not continue the ascent in a storm.

• Be especially careful when descending, because then you are no longer so collected.

• When you have crampons on your legs, be careful not to jam them into the other leg.

• If you went on the tour in a group, stay together until you return to the valley.

• If a participant is very tired, it is better to sleep in a mountain hut than to continue with all your might.

Using a mobile phone in the mountains

A mobile phone is an electronic device that works flawlessly in (urban) settlements. With it, we are connected to friends, parents, children, colleagues, the service department and anyone else. We can almost always rely on him. However, it can be different in the mountains, so caution is necessary there. When choosing a tour, we should not rely on the advice and help of a mobile phone. This cannot protect us from a stone falling on our head, from slipping, or from getting lost somewhere in the middle of nowhere.

You can use your mobile phone to call for help for yourself or someone else. Since the GSM signal is usually very poor in the mountains due to the distance between the stations that receive and transmit it, the phone tries to find the best signal. It needs a lot of energy for this task, and is therefore depleted much faster than in the valley. Even the cold is not an ally of the small batteries that are in the devices. Therefore, we recommend:

• Before starting the tour, charge your mobile phone battery.

• It should be turned off during the tour. Turn it on only when you need it.

• Keep it stored with you in a warm place and protected from moisture, both sweat and rain.

• If the signal is very poor, you can try SMS messages.

Recommendations for alpinists

Choosing a tour or climbing direction:

• Choose climbing routes and tours that suit your current psychophysical abilities.

• Don’t forget your fellow climber. If you are going on a tour with less experienced people, have more reserves, choose easier routes.

• Be critical of yourself. If you haven’t climbed for a long time, start gradually.

• Avoid fashionable directions and the associated crowding, the danger of falling stones, slow progress due to several connections in the same direction at the same time and thus the possibility of unplanned bivouac.

• Choose courses that are appropriate for the current situation.

• Do not go on a tour when there is a risk of avalanches in the mountains.

• Especially in winter, take a route you know and know the descent well.

Tour plan

It is not possible to present all the mountaineering knowledge that trainees and later junior and senior mountaineering trainees get in mountaineering schools in a few sentences, but we would like to point out at least a few important points that should not be forgotten when preparing a mountaineering tour:

• choice of climbing direction,

• study of access, description and outline of the course,

• the possibility of retreating from the wall in another (easier) direction or a ledge or by descending a rope,

• particularly dangerous and demanding places in or above the wall,

• places suitable for bivouacs,

• descent (in our country you can usually follow a marked route, elsewhere you can also only descend on a rope),

• time consumption for access, ascent and descent,

• for extremely difficult climbs, help from colleagues who watch us from the valley or meet us at the top of the mountain

• the possibility of notification of an accident from the wall (GSM signal, use of a radio station),

• selection of equipment (in addition to climbing equipment, the most necessary first aid, a bivouac bag or at least aluminum foil when planning a bivouac, equipment for bivouac, avalanche woodpecker in winter, probe and shovel, candle, knife, headlamp, use of special equipment, tent, etc.),

• food planning for the entire tour and a few more to spare,

• waiting for suitable weather and conditions to start the tour.

Action in the event of an accident

• If the co-climber has fallen in the wall, lower him to a suitable ledge.

• Give him first aid, as far as you have the knowledge, equipment and possibilities in the field.

• Protect it from falling stones, ice, cold, wind.

• For us, call the telephone number 112, but in other countries, ask about the law first (Italy 118, Austria 140).

• When doing a helicopter rescue, try to show where you are by wearing high-visibility clothing. If you have phone or radio contact, let the pilot know where you are.

• When the helicopter is flying close to the wall, there is always a chance that the wind will throw the rocks. You must also be attached to the wedges or the anchor point.

• If help is not expected immediately or soon, start rescuing as you were taught in mountaineering school. This is only possible if the co-climber is slightly injured.

• When forced to bivouac, take shelter from wind, avalanches, waterfalls in rain, and falling rocks and ice. Remember that you can dig a bivouac hole with just an ice ax.

Equipment

For each mountaineering destination that we have chosen based on our psychophysical fitness, we must choose the appropriate equipment, on which the quality and safety of our ascent greatly depend. We know several types of equipment by purpose: clothing, footwear, protective, technical, bivouac, etc. Today, there is a very large selection of equipment from different manufacturers and quality on the market. We must know what equipment we need and that we know how to use each piece of equipment we take with us properly.

An ice ax in hand will not save us if we have not first learned to use it to stop a slide. Even a helmet in a backpack will not protect our head. Given that high-quality mountaineering equipment is quite expensive, we advise beginners in particular to consult with mountaineer friends, mountain rescuers, alpinists or even sellers. Even though we need different equipment for different types of climbs, some items must always be taken with us to the hills and are part of the mandatory equipment.

Other equipment, which is also listed in the following chapters, is specific to the type and difficulty of the climb. Be aware that temperatures can be very low in the hills even in summer.

Mandatory equipment

As we have already said, we always take the mandatory equipment with us, regardless of the type and difficulty of the climb:

• aluminum foil and/or bivouac bag,

• personal first aid kit,

• headlamp and batteries,

• a mobile phone with a full battery,

• an ordinary pencil and a piece of paper.

Hiking in the summer

Equipment for walking on marked trails for one- or several-day hikes

One-day hike:

• high leather hiking boots,

• thick/wool socks,

• hiking pants,

• underwear (t-shirt) made of quick-drying material,

• a shirt or pullover,

• fleece or windbreaker,

• cap,

• gloves,

• sun protection cover (e.g. hat),

• sunglasses

• sun protection cream,

• (folding) hiking poles,

• non-alcoholic drink (tea, juice, energy drink…),

• snack (sandwich, fruit, chocolate…),

• a suitable map, especially if we do not know the terrain,

• a helmet if the path is exposed or winds through terrain where there is a risk of falling rocks or minor slips.

Multi-day hike:

• the same equipment as for a one-day hike,

• extra underwear, socks and T-shirts so that we can change clothes,

• sufficient amount of liquid and food,

• a suitable map, possibly GPS,

• if we plan to sleep in mountain outposts, we inquire about their operating hours and capacities,

• if we plan to sleep outdoors, we need appropriate bivouac equipment, such as a sleeping bag, tent, sleeping pad, cooking utensils…

Mountaineering in the summer along more demanding routes

Such routes require better psychophysical preparation from us. To walk on them, we need similar equipment as for mountaineering, as well as protective and technical equipment:

• the same equipment as for walking along marked paths,

• helmet,

• self-protection kit,

• gloves (for an easier grip on the steel cable).

Hiking in winter

For winter hikes, we need more equipment and knowledge, because the terrain is much more demanding and dangerous, the days are shorter and the temperatures are lower. Most of the equipment is similar to that for mountaineering in winter, so only equipment specific to walking in winter conditions is listed:

• winter shoes,

• thermal underwear (shirt and pants),

• warm jacket or down jacket,

• warm hiking pants,

• wind pants,

• an extra pair of warm gloves (boiled wool),

• cap and/or undercap,

• hiking ice ax,

• crampons that match the shoes,

• avalanche woodpecker,

• shovel,

• probe.

Ski touring

Equipment for ski touring is similar to equipment for mountaineering in winter. The difference is in the additional ski equipment:

• touring skis,

• touring ski boots,

• ski glasses,

• touring skins/touring dogs,

• “srenači”.

Alpinist climbs in summer and winter

Any mountaineering activities require a higher level of education, psychophysical preparation and equipment, which goes beyond mountaineering and can be learned in the mountaineering salt within the mountaineering sections. Without proper mountaineering training, such climbs are deadly!

Rado Nadvešnik, President of the Commission for Education and Rescue Techniques

The Equipment section was prepared by Klemen Sladič, GRS Radovljica