🕷️ Crawler Inspector

- [KMSRT](https://www.sfu.ca/~jlnewman/WorkingTitle_KMSRT/index.html) - [Avalanche Safety](https://www.sfu.ca/~jlnewman/WorkingTitle_KMSRT/avalanche.html) - [Hypothermia](https://www.sfu.ca/~jlnewman/WorkingTitle_KMSRT/hypothermia.html) - [Mountain Safety](https://www.sfu.ca/~jlnewman/WorkingTitle_KMSRT/mountain.html) - [Kalmont News](https://www.sfu.ca/~jlnewman/WorkingTitle_KMSRT/news.html) - [About Us](https://www.sfu.ca/~jlnewman/WorkingTitle_KMSRT/about.html)  # Mountain Safety Travelling through a hiking trail provides visitors and travellers with a safe way to enjoy the vast mountain range and beautiful forests without worrying about getting lost. However, certain circumstances may prevent hikers from losing track of the trail and finding themselves lost in the mountains. It may be important to prepare to survive the night in the mountains if this is the case.  ## Important notes to prepare for survival: To help improve your chances of staying safe if you get lost, there are some considerations you must take before arriving at the mountains. ### Equipment: Having the right equipment on you can be the difference between life and death in the mountains. Depending on the situation, you will want to make sure you bring the right tools with you. To best prepare yourself for surviving in the mountains, you should at least bring: - A compass and map of the area. This is important for finding your way if you get lost. - A survival kit containing essentials for shelter, fire, signaling and water purification. - Proper clothing, especially clothing that won’t get you wet to prevent hypothermia - Proper walking equipment to provide traction wherever you go, i.e, mountain boots, or if you find yourself in a snowy environment, snowshoes. - Flashlight or portable light source. - A whistle. Having these tools ensures the best survivability in the mountains, and helps ensure people can find you safely. Having all the equipment necessary to help you survive is useless without understanding how to use them. Not everyone has the time and resources to get proper survival training, however familiarizing yourself with the steps and practicing them beforehand will increase your chances of survival. ### Travel in a group: If possible, never travel in the mountains alone. Unavoidable accidents happen, and having another person with you can help you survive these accidents. If a situation arises and you are unable to travel with another person, let somebody know beforehand where you are going and when you plan to return. If you find yourself lost in the mountains, they will be able to contact local authorities and they will be able to find you easier. ## Steps to take if you find yourself stranded in the mountains  ### Start a fire: Clear a space for your fire. Scrape away brush, leaf litter, duff, and surface soil to square off a space at least three feet across. In snow cover, you can either dig to bare ground or make a platform of green logs or branches on which to light your fire. Consider building a wall around your fire site with rocks or logs, but don’t stack it so high that you block airflow. Place a pile of tinder in the center of your fire space. If you’re using newspaper strips, tie them in a loose knot to increase the ignitable surface area and prolong burning time. Brace twigs in a rough cone form around this tinder bundle. Then stack some larger pieces of kindling around that structure, being sure not to pack the wood too tight to impede airflow. Light the tinder, then gently blow on the sparks to grow them into flame. Once the kindling catches, add a few more pieces to start building a bed of embers. When you’ve got embers and burning kindling going, begin adding larger fuel wood.  ### Find shelter: Below are some examples: Snow cave: If you have at least 4 feet of strong snow, you can dig yourself a snow cave to stay in. The problem? It will probably be freezing in there. The benefit? Freezing temperatures will actually be warm compared to outside of the snow cave. Digging a snow cave, of course, requires a shovel. Thus, a shovel can help would-be frigid mountain trekkers in more than one way. Tent: A four season tent can be great. However, the wind can sometimes make a tent a noisy place to be (constant flapping). Thus, people may choose to build walls (out of snow or brush) around it for added shelter. If you want tent recommendations take a look at our list of the best survival tents. Bivy: Get in a sleeping bag and lay down for a good night! Usually, people do this in cracks in rocks or in a dug trench. This is about as basic as it gets, of course. In other words, only if you have to.  ### Call for help: If you are in an alpine area, you should use the alpine distress signal, which works as follows: - Six flashes within a minute (every 10 seconds) - 1-minute break - Repeat The proper response to this is: - Three flashes within a minute (every 20 seconds) - 1-minute break - Repeat If you happen to be in a non-alpine area, you can use SOS morse code as the distress signal. In addition, you could also use the full morse code alphabet to communicate full sentences. However, SOS is simple and easily recognisable by many as a distress signal. SOS in Morse is as follows: #### . . . - - - . . . 3 dots, 3 dashes, then 3 dots, or 3 short flashes, 3 long flashes, then 3 short flashes. ## Learn More [ Avalanches can happen whenever there is snow lying on the ground at a sufficient angle. Every year there are avalanche accidents in the Scottish hills. While there is always an avalanche risk in winter, some of these accidents could have been avoided by awareness and planning. Avalanche safety: How to recognize and prepare for an avalanche](https://www.sfu.ca/~jlnewman/WorkingTitle_KMSRT/avalanche.html) [ Hypothermia occurs when core body temperature drops below 35 degrees Celsius. This occurs when the body’s ability to generate heat by burning calories, muscle exertion and shivering is overwhelmed by heat loss. Heat is lost in four ways; radiation to a cold environment, conduction through contact with cold surfaces, convection from wind and water currents and evaporation of moisture. Improperly prepared or injured backcountry travellers can become hypothermic even in summer months. Hypothermia: Warning signs and preventative measures](https://www.sfu.ca/~jlnewman/WorkingTitle_KMSRT/hypothermia.html) ### Find Us On - Instagram @KMSRT - Facebook @KMSRT - Twitter @KMSRT ### Contact Us - Office Number: +1 604-501-1353 - Crisis Number: +1 604-310-1010 - Email: wintersafety@kmsrt.kal ### Emergency Rescue Line: +1 778-782-411 ##### [References](https://www.sfu.ca/~jlnewman/WorkingTitle_KMSRT/references.html) ##### ©KMSRT2020