Mountain Safety Advice

What ever time of year, always carry a torch. You never know when or why you may be delayed.

When it goes dark in the hills, it usually goes VERY dark! There's little ambient light unless you are lucky to be out when there is a good moon and little cloud.

It's worth carry a set of spare batteries as well. If you're lucky they'll be the same size as other devices you might be carrying such as GPS.

Modern LED torches are very reliable, and batteries last a long time, and it's well worth considering a headtorch in favour of a hand torch, leaving your hands free.

Even modern batteries hate cold weather. Their performance deteriorates significantly in lower ambient temperatures.

Keep battery powered devices protected inside bags or jackets, and always carry spares for 'mission critical' devices (apologies for that phrase, but it does best describe devices such as torches and GPS).

Beware of battery life indicators on devices as well. They actually signify voltage drop, and most batteries maintain a steady output for most of their life and then drop off VERY quickly. A battery showing anything less than full charge may not have much life left in it

Make sure you allow enough time to complete your walk and that it is within your capability. Be prepared to change your plan if things aren't going well.

Always check the weather forecast for the area you are visiting.
Mountain forecasts are available from:

• http://www.metoffice.gov.uk. and
• http://www.mwis.org.uk.

The weather can change unexpectedly and you should be prepared for this. If you are immobilised because you or companion are injured, or because you become cragfast or benighted you will cool down very rapidly. A bivvi bag is useful (essential) to protect you in these circumstances.

The choice of route for a day out but take into account the ability of the weakest member of a party.

There's no harm in setting a challenging route, but there has to be a contingency plan and escape routes factored in to the planning. There's no harm in cutting a route short, or turning back. The mountains will still be there next time!

The pace should be set by the slowest member, and they should be given time for rests. It's better to walk at their pace, than to find yourself hanging around for them, and much more social!

In this unique and difficult time we respectfully request that you follow current guidelines with respect to Corona virus. This will help to protect team members and help to place no additional burden on the work of the emergency services and NHS at this stage. The hills will still be here when it's all over

Although MRTs enjoy an excellent relationship with both military SAR helicopters and civilian air ambulances, the majority of rescues are still carreid out on foot, with NO helicopter support.

Helicopter limitations...

Military aircraft. Although capable of being flown in the dark and in very poor weather, they have many priorities and will generally only be sanctioned in life threatening circumstances. They can be grounded at their home bases by poor weather or turned back en-route for the same reason. They are stationed approximately 1 hour flying time away.

Air Amulances. Based much closer, their operation is much more limited. Poor weather can ground them and they have NO night flying capability. The injured person has to be loaded with the aircraft on the ground and the engine shut down. This means they need enough flat ground to land on... not always easy to find.

If you're not injured then you are unlikely to be rescued by helicopter, and may be depriving someone in genuine need of a sparse resource

Not something you need to worry about in the Lakes, surely?

Well yes it is...

You need to drink plenty, especially on warm/hot days. Dehydration, even by a small amount, causes brain impairment, and may be a factor in slips and trips in the afternoon, the biggest cause of callouts for us. In more extreme cases it is life threatening. It can be linked with hyperthermia and uncontrollable rise in body temperature.

The best drinking water is tap water taken with you. Easily 2 litres or more might be required. If you run out, then it should be safe to top up from moving, well airated water. Check there's not too much by way of livestock about, and if it's rained recently, then be extra careful.. faecal matter can be washed off the surrounding grass and transported in the water. The higher you go, the lesser the risk... Cryptosporidium is probably the main concern.

Helmets... usually a contentious and much debated issue.

Climbing helmets are designed primarily to protect your head from falling rocks, rather than from a fall. They're certainly worth considering when summer and winter climbing, gorge scrambling, canyoning, off-road cycling.

If you're organising a group of novices or children then they should be considered essential. Otherwise it has to be an informed decision.

More information is available from the The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) in this article about climbing helmets.

The effects of hypothermia are insidious and can creep up on people.

Have spare, warm clothes, and carry plenty of high energy food to keep our glucose levels topped up.
Beware of wet clothes exposed to the wind. The cooling effect is MUCH greater through wet clothes.

A two or four day course is ideal, but even a one day course would give you the basics.

You would learn the basics of ABC, how to do CPR and control bleeding. It can take us up to an hour to get to an incident scene, sometimes longer, if you haven't given us an accurate location. Your intervention might make the difference between life and death.

It is essential that you can navigate.

Relying soley on a GPS, either free standing, or software on a smart phone, is a hazardous strategy, and can land you in trouble.

Being able to orientate a map to the ground you're are on, recognise features on the ground as they appear on a map and being able to tell you direction of travel and distance travelled are skills that not only make remote area travel safer, but it is also VERY satisfying.

If your party gets lost, you cannot blame someone else for navigation errors. It's EVERYONES responsibility!

Courses are available and they are often taught on a day out, so you don't waste time sat in a classroom.

The ability to navigate and keep moving in poor visibility, extreme weather, darkness and in unfamiliar terrain is a vital skill.

Not taking a map and compass in the first instance is unforgivable!

Mobile phones have, without doubt, contributed to saving people's lives in the mountain environment. However they have also been misused and abused and led to much time-wasting for voluntary mountain rescue teams.

If you're taking your phone with you for emergencies, then make sure it's fully charged. If it's a smart phone, and you spend the day using its features, then it is quite likely it won't have enough battery power to use it later in the day in an emergency. Be careful if using apps for navigation. Full mapping software is available, but the stuff like Google maps doesn't provide anywhere near enough detail to navigate by.

Quote from British Mountaineering Council:

"This is not a safety device, nor does it guarantee the delivery of any perceived or needed services in the mountains. Use of a mobile phone in the mountains, in a non emergency situation, may be an infringement on the mountain experiences that others have come to enjoy and an intrusion into the wilderness experience. Using a mobile phone to

• Ask for directions,
• Ask for additional food and clothing to be brought to the user,
• Ask to be rescued for a non life threatening or disabling injury,

is properly considered by those agencies who might be called upon to render such assistance as an abuse of the technology, both on a practical and philosophical level. A cellular phone is a communication device that may be aid in the saving of lives and limbs if used solely for that purpose in the mountain environment, after all the above have been taken into careful consideration."

Many of the local roads become impassable in winter due to snow and ice.

Kirkstone Pass is often effected, and signs are put up to say so. However, lack of a road closed sign isn't a guarantee that the road IS passable. AND a 4WD is not a guarantee of a safe passage either. Many modern 4WD cars have tyres that are not design to grip in snow or ice.

Other more remote roads are more likely to be affected since it is impractical to grit them. Wrynose and Hardknott Passes are often impassable, sometimes due to significant icy patches.

You can't blame your sat-nav. It can't tell you anything about road conditions. Only you eyes and common sense can provide that kind of information

Winter driving advice is particularly relevant in mountain areas. See RAC Patrol Tips for Winter driving.

If emergency services are aware that you are stuck, stay with your vehicle. If you decide to leave your vehicle for any reason, walk along the road towards civilisation. Don't cut across country, even if it looks like a shortcut.

Your footwear is the link between you and the ground.

Buy the best you can afford from a reputable outdoor shop. The comfort of your boots is vital, reducing fatigue and giving support on rough ground. Fashion boots aren't suitable and trainers are only suitable for easy terrain on good days. The lightweight specialist fell-runners wear dedicated shoes with deep studded off road tread, not road running shoes for this reason.

Winter requires additional support, with '4 season' boots capable of taking crampons and also with a more rigid sole, allowing the 'edge' to be used for grip on steep or snow covered ground.

For many people, winter is the best time to be on the hills.

A beautiful sunny, freezing day on ice and snow covered ground high in the hills can be one of the best days of your life. It goes with out saying that winter days are colder, shorter, and can be wetter. Snow and ice adds an extra dimension.

When there is snow on the ground, an ice axe and crampons should be regarded as essential. You may not need them, but if you do, there is NO substitute.

Four season boots will keep your feet warm and dry, as well as provide a solid platform to fix the crampons. Put them on BEFORE you need them and take them off AFTER. Hopping on one foot on steep ground is not the time to try and put them on. Anti-balling plates, or a thin carrier bag fitted between boots and crampons will stop snow building up and freezing on to your feet!

Ice axes are a personal choice, but if you're walking don't be lured in to thinking a climbing axe will be better. The steepness of the pick and curvature of the shaft will make it much less useful on anything but very steep ground.

Carry the axe in your hand, or down your back between your rucksack straps where it is accessible as soon as you think you need it. It's NO use attached to the back of your rucksack.

Take buying advice from a reputable outdoor shop.