Safety & First Aid
After the Avalanche: What to Do With a Buried Person Once You’ve Found Them
Digging someone out of an avalanche is only the beginning. What happens in the next…
Before You Leave the Car Park: The Safety Decisions That Happen Before the Trail Starts
A checklist that only covers what’s in the pack has already missed the most important…
Build the Kit That Actually Gets Used: The Alpine First Aid List Without the Useless Extras
Pre-packaged kits are built for liability, not mountains. Here is what to put in yours…
Cold Creep: How Hypothermia Develops on Winter Trails and the Protocol That Reverses It
Winter hiking hypothermia doesn’t announce itself. It steals cognitive function first — which is precisely…
Down But Not Out: What to Do in the First Minutes After a Fall on the Trail
The seconds after a fall are the most important. Most people do the wrong thing…
Grip on Ice: How to Choose and Use Winter Traction Equipment Without Getting It Wrong
The right traction tool for the wrong terrain is almost as dangerous as no traction…
Hiking in Austria: What the Trail Markings Don’t Tell You
Austria has some of the best-marked hiking infrastructure in the Alps. It also has some…
Hiking in France: The Safety Gaps That the GR Network Doesn’t Fill
France has 180,000 kilometres of marked trails. It also has terrain where the margin for…
Hiking in Germany: The Safety Realities Behind One of Europe’s Most Accessible Mountain Countries
Germany is safe, well-signed and excellently managed. It also has terrain that catches people off…
Hiking in Italy: The Country of Via Ferrata, Afternoon Storms and the Most Scenic Rescue Operations in Europe
Italy has 150,000km of marked trails and the continent’s densest via ferrata network. It also…
Hiking in Switzerland: Why the World’s Best-Marked Trails Still Send Hundreds of People to Hospital Each Year
Switzerland has 65,000km of waymarked trails, mandatory rescue insurance for every resident, and a rescue…
Hot and Cold: How to Recognise and Respond to Temperature Emergencies Before They Become Fatal
Hypothermia and heat stroke both begin with symptoms that are easy to dismiss. By the…
Ice, Tools and Cold: The Injury Patterns Specific to Vertical Frozen Terrain
Ice climbing combines sharp tools, crampon points, sustained cold and vertical exposure. The injuries it…
Impact at Speed: Trauma Assessment After a High-Speed Winter Fall
A fall at 50km/h on a ski touring descent is not the same as an…
Lost on the Mountain: The Sequence of Decisions That Gets You Found
Getting lost is not a failure of navigation. It is a moment that every experienced…
Metal That Cuts Both Ways: How Crampons and Ice Axes Injure the People Using Them
The tools that keep you safe on steep snow are also the tools most likely…
Open the Kit: What to Actually Do With Your Trail First Aid Supplies
Carrying a first aid kit is not the same as knowing how to use one….
Reading the Slope: How to Identify Avalanche Risk Before You Step onto It
The avalanche bulletin tells you the regional danger. The slope in front of you tells…