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S.O.SDespite all the best plans things can still go wrong, mistakes can happen. What you do then can make the difference between life and death - usually yours. There are four things that you can do to to reduce the risks of a bad situation turning into a fatal one.
Most emergency situations can be avoided simply by following the first two steps. Very few emergencies are truly unforseen. They usually arise due to bad planning or having the wrong equipment for the conditions. In the UK the number one killer in the mountains is hypothermia. This is simply because people go up into the mountains without the proper clothing - typically no waterproof clothing and often summer clothing when the conditions on the tops are 'winter'. This is the most elementary preparation. In 2006 there were two bizarre incidents in Snowdonia that show how it is the silly things that cause the deaths. In one instance a group of three lads had gone for a walk up snowdonia. Coming back down the path on the Pyg track one of the group managed to walk off the edge of the ridge and fall to his death. On that day visibility was good. How did it happen? We may never know. At the place where he fell the path is narrow. Maybe he wasn't paying attention to where he was walking. Maybe he trod on some grass that was slippery. In another incident a man had taken his wife and 3 small children (1 carried in a backpack!!!) up Snowdonia in winter when the top was thick with snow. They had no proper winter clothing, no crampons, no ice axes, no food. They had assumed that the cafe would be open and the train would be running!!! At the top they were cold and wet with no shelter. He used his mobile to call out mountain rescue. He was very lucky, the rescue team got to them before hypothermia had set it - but it was a close call. Now Snowdonia in winter would be classed as a serious mountaineering expidition. The paths up it are very steep and narrow in places with sheer drops on both sides. The winds can be fierce and the windchill even more fierece. There is no natural cover for a large part of the route. 1. Know when to quitThis is the simplest solution to avoiding most potentially dangerous situations. If the weather takes a turn for the worse and you do not have the clothing for the conditions then the sensible thing to do is to find a safe route to lower ground. If you had planned a six hour walk and you are running two hours late at the lunch stop then it would be sensible to consider whether you should shorten your planned walk or find an alternative and perhaps faster or safer route. There have been several times in the past when I have started a walk and then aborted it and taken a less interesting and shorter route. Typically this had been because the route was taking much longer than planned and based on the actual time taken rather than my estimates the walk would have finished long after sunset. In those conditions I would often decide to just call it a day rather than risk being on the hills after dark. Of course I might be a little annoyed at a day 'ruined' but it was better that than risk needless danger. 2. Know when to stay putSometimes the sensible thing to do is to find or make some sort of shelter and stay put. This is often the best thing to do if the weather is too harsh to continue or the visibility is so bad that you cannot navigate safely or even if you cannot see your feet! It is only safe to stay put for any length of time if you can cover the survival basics - you have food and water and can keep warm and dry. When you are stationary you can become cold very quickly. When you are moving it is easy to stay warm. 3. Know when to press onThis can be the tough decision to make. If you are tired and wet and hungry you may not want to do this. It may also be the safest thing to do. My own personal advice would be to press on when quitting or staying put are likely to be more dangerous. If the weather is bad then pressing on might be the best thing to do if it means you can get away from the weather and typically to lower ground and if by pressing on you can stay warm. 4. Emergency EquipmentAny 'emergency' equipment that you carry is only there when things become bad. If you are using your emergency equipment then something has gone really wrong. I don't tend to carry a first aid kit because for small scratches I am happy to let them bleed and heal, for larger cuts I would apply pressure to the wound and wait for it to stop bleeding and for the big things like broken bones I don't expect to be able to apply splints or triangular bandges to myself - even though I know first aid. If you spend a lot of time outdoors and are a 3-4 season walker you may like to consider doing a first aid course. If I really had to self-administer serious first aid then I would try to fashion something out of my spare clothing, actual clothing, walking stick and para-cord or bag straps or whatever else I had that I could use. Below I have listed out some emergency kits. As a separate topic here I have talked about first aid and the sort of stuff that I carry. Emergency Equipment - Ultralight 1oz KitThese items are the absolute minimum that would be useful. In a recent situation they would have made a big difference to me if I had been wearing them around my kneck instead of tucked inside my pack which I had lost. Naturally my pack contained all of my survival gear.
Emergency Equipment - Ultralight 2oz Kit
Emergency Equipment - Light 10oz Kit
I personally find a Bothy bag more useful for daytime kit and only take a Bivi bag if I am planning to use it anyway. There is no point spending large amounts of money on a bivi bag that is for emergency use only. I recently bought a cheap 'breathable' Khyam bivi bag for 15 in the sale. It weighed 340g and was not a luxury bag but it did work... Emergency Equipment - Optional items
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