Essential rules
- Check the forecast and official alerts before leaving
- Share your plan with someone (route and expected return)
- Emergency in Europe: 112
Activity specific
- Assess fitness of the whole group; move at the slowest pace
- Set a turnaround time and respect it
- Don't rely on GPS alone: carry map and compass
- Stay on the marked trail
- Watch out for heat and dehydration
- Respect wildlife and pack out your rubbish
Safety articles
Planning the outing: weather and turnaround timeMost accidents start with a decision made at home.
Check the forecast for the altitude of the route, not the nearest village: temperature drops around 0.6 °C per 100 m of ascent and wind increases.
Set a turnaround time and respect it, even with the summit in sight. Returning in the dark is the most common rescue scenario.
Estimate time with Naismith's rule: 1 h per 4 km plus 1 h per 600 m of ascent, then add breaks.
Leave a written plan with someone: route, trailhead, expected return and car plate.
Getting lost: what to do in the first 10 minutesStopping early saves hours and avoids dangerous descents.
Stop the moment you doubt the trail. Pushing on 'just a bit further' turns a detour into an emergency.
Use STOP: Sit, Think, Observe, Plan. Drink and eat something — bad decisions often come from fatigue.
Backtrack to the last confirmed waymark. Never descend unknown watercourses: they often end in waterfalls and cliffs.
If you can't reorient before dark, find shelter, put on every layer and call 112 while you still have battery and signal.
Hypothermia and heat stroke: signs and responseEarly recognition matters more than any gear.
Hypothermia: uncontrollable shivering, slurred speech, clumsiness and apathy. Act now — shelter from wind, change wet clothes, insulate from the ground, give warm drink and sugar.
Never rub limbs or give alcohol: both speed up core heat loss.
Heat stroke: hot skin, headache, nausea, confusion and no sweating. Move to shade, cool the neck, armpits and groin with water and call 112.
Prevention: drink before you feel thirsty, avoid midday heat in summer and shed layers before you sweat.
Calling for help: 112 and what to sayA structured call speeds up rescue considerably.
Call 112 (Europe). Even without your own operator's coverage, the phone tries other networks for emergency calls.
Say: location (GPS coordinates or app), what happened, how many people, casualty condition, local weather and your number.
Save battery: power-saving mode, minimum brightness, no unnecessary calls. Send an SMS if signal is weak — it gets through on far less signal than voice.
International distress signal: six whistles or flashes per minute, one minute pause, repeat.
Thunderstorms, loose rock and water crossingsThree objective hazards avoided by timing and route choice.
Thunderstorms: cells mostly build from early afternoon in summer. Leave summits, ridges and lone trees; crouch with feet together on your pack, away from metal gear.
Loose rock: never walk directly below another party on steep terrain. If you dislodge a stone, shout 'Rock!' immediately.
Water: don't cross streams above knee depth or with strong current. Unclip your hip belt, use poles and pick the widest, shallowest section.
Activity