Advice and safety in the high mountain Mountaineering requires experience of the terrain and its dangers, a good physical preparation and a technical training. It is the current conditions that determine the choice of a route : mountaineers must adapt themselves to the mountain. Whatever the route is, they must act with:

INTELLIGENCE - HUMILITY and CAUTION

If you are not sure about your competence, hire a professional guide: you will have a better chance to achieve your goal and you will be safer. Storm • High altitude sickness • Weather report • SOS • Video tape “Prudence” • Winter season
STORMS ON THE MOUNTAIN AND LIGHTENING DANGERS

The numerous storms on the mountain are particularly violent. They are dangerous for mountaineers and hikers. Lightening accidents can happen when mountaineers are late in their route or if they are climbing very long routes, when a storm breaks, in the morning, surprising climbing parties near the summit.
The signs showing that a storm is coming are numerous, and the indicative cumulus with their tower shape should be remembered as one of them.


When a storm is brewing

• Do not panic

• Leave crests and rock buttresses : hair raised up, buzzing noise are signs of an imminent storm. A snow slope or a scree, a ledge under a higher point can be relatively good shelters from direct lightening.

• Avoid sheltering under an overhang or at the entrance of a crack in the rock where the body could be an excellent conductor for earth electricity.

• In area covered with trees, do not shelter under the tallest trees, shelter under spaced out low trees.

• Do not be close to metal objects and put your axes, crampons, pitons and carabiners away in a safe place (the route is not finished).

• Reduce as much as possible the surface between your body and the ground in coiling yourself: crouch, head inside shoulders, knees bent, feet and legs together and hands on knees. It is possible to sit on a rope, on cloths or rolled materials, body bowed forward, hands on knees.

• Leave a few meters between people.

• Do not lie down.

• Secure yourself: a mountaineer under a storm on a ledge might fall if he or she loses consciousness or if his /her muscles contract without control. You must tie on your harness (without intermediary carabiners) and belay on several anchors if possible.

• Abseiling down: If you have to abseil down, follow the safety procedure while manoeuvring the rope. Use if possible a dry rope, leave metal equipment hanging on the backpack, put a safety device, and do not touch your device.

• You should read the practical booklet ‘Storm on the Mountain” edited by the CAF scientific comity.
ACUTE MOUNTAIN SICKNESS (AMS)

Acute mountain sickness is due to poor acclimatisation. Four essential factors determine the sickness.
- Speed of the climb
- Altitude
- Length of the stay in altitude
- Personal abilities

Most of the time it is minor: headache, nausea, insomnia, and dizzy spells. Disorders start 6 to 8 hours after reaching high altitude and often it starts above 3500 m.. Any weakness or symptom should be considered as a lack of acclimatisation.

- If you feel any of theses disorders : take one gram of aspirin
- If the symptoms diminish : keep on going up
- if the symptoms remain the same: stop until they diminish
- if it gets worse: go down until you feel better.


Advice. The three golden rules :
1-don’t climb up to high too quickly
2-climb high enough while getting acclimatised
3-don’t stay at too high altitude too long.

Check your 4 hypos:
1-hypoxia: lack of oxygen
2-hypoglycaemia: lack of sugar
3-hypothermia: lack of warmth
4-hypo hydration: lack of water
GET INFORMATION ON THE WEATHER!

Weather report

France : tel. +33(0)8.92.68.02.74 - http://meteo.chamonix.com - http://www.meteofrance.com
Italy : tel. +39.0165.44.113 - forecast Aosta valley
Switzerland : tel. +41.848.800.162 - forecast switzerland Mountaineering advice and safety in winter