Mountaineering has had a growth in following in the past couple of years due to the fact that people are opting to face mother nature in all her beauty and splendor. There is no other sport that fits man against nature to the basics without too much specialized gear and even with it, skill and experience does count for a truly enjoyable trip. Climbs range from easy ones that are simply strolls up established mountain tracks that is taken at a slow and easy pace. More moderate climbs have quite a bit of technical needs in terms of gear and knowledge. Hard or difficult climbs, along with the ones categorized as extreme are best left for the experienced for death is a lingering fact of life on the edge.
Though growing in popularity, many climbers are getting killed because of recklessness and utter disregard for the risks involved. Safety should always be prioritized and precautions taken for emergency. Equipment and gear all have to be checked and every mountaineer knows he is as good as the gear and preparation he makes. Know what you’re getting into and prepare mentally and physically the challenge you are getting into. With that in mind, even the most difficult climb can be made into a wondrous experience that is best experienced firsthand with mother nature as your guide.
Alpine scrambling or simply, scrambling is a method of climbing rocky ridges and rocky faces. It is somewhat like rock climbing and hill walking. Scrambling is easily differentiated with hill walking in a sense that scrambling uses the hands in the ascent. The difference of scrambling can be defined as, an ascent wherein the hands are mainly used to hold the body weight of the climber instead of just using the hands for maintaining the body’s balance. The mountaineers climbing organization describes scrambling as off trail trips which has a non technical place of destination. In simpler terms, a non technical destination is one that is reached without using any climbing equipment except for the hands.
Climbing without oxygen is always a favorite discussion among mountaineers and enthusiasts. Yet few actually do it. Even the sherpas, the guides in your climb usually use supplementary oxygen. Interestingly enough, in 1999, a climb to Everest with a sherpa by the name of Babu comes to my mind. Babu stayed on the summit for about 22 hours without supplementary oxygen in hand. Babu had super genetic ability and had a strong mind to attempt ascent without oxygen. A safety net had to be placed for Babu’s attempt. Before his ascent in 1999, babu had a super history of 7 Everest summit without using extra oxygen supply. The attempt was prepared for a full year with additional sherpas, ropes and oxygen as rescue back ups just in case. Babu was continually monitored for signs of HACE and AMS. He eventually made it successfully against all the odds. And he was the first international climbing hero of Nepal. Around 2 years later, he accidentally fell into a crevass and died.
High altitude cerebral edema or HACE is the last stage of AMS. In fact, AMS can be regarded as the mild form of HACE. What happens when you have HACE is that your brain swells and stops working properly. HACE symptoms include a several and obvious signs of mental functions failing. The victim suffers from confusion, over fatigue and weird behaviour. There is one way of testing somebody if he’s suffering from HACE. It is through “gait ataxia”, simply by walking heel to toe on a straight line on the ground. Healthy people can easily pass this type of test, and anyone who experiences difficulty balancing themselves while they do this, is obviously showing signs of HACE. HACE is extremely dangerous. It boils down to a few hours to help a person suffering with HACE. If you suspect from your team that he/she is suffering from HACE, the cure is, DESCENT. And give them Dexamethasone to relieve the symptoms. So you can actually have more time to go down further.
First you must know if the weather you are up against, before gearing up and going for your climb check out first how the weather will be at your climbing site. Check out weather forecasts through the local weather bureau or through weather websites.
In facing cold weather be sure to wear thick and layered warm clothes, some climbing eye protection for the drafts and other things you might need to combat freezing temperatures.
Check the altitude of your destination before climbing, if the air pressure decreases as you go up mountains, the higher you climb the thinner the air will be. See if you are going to climb heights that will require you to have aid for breathing.
Always keep your head covered for cold weather; you typically loose almost half of your body heat with an uncovered head.
Remember the useful mnemonic for surviving cold mountain weather: COLD and Clean clothing, Overheating prevention, Loose and Layered clothes, and Dry clothing.
One category of safety problems specific to mountaineering relates to the consequences of the high altitude itself. With the increasing altitude comes the decline in oxygen availability (hypoxia).
As climbers ascend, the density of the atmosphere becomes less, because the total number of oxygen molecules is less, and the decline in oxygen is roughly proportional to the decrease in barometric pressure and increase in altitude. At 18,000 feet, the barometric pressure is about half that at sea level, and the number of oxygen molecules per liter of air is halved as well.
This decline in the amount of oxygen has several physiological effects.
Some will be life threatening. You can find a detailed description o f the physiological consequences of hypoxia in High Altitude and Physiology (Ward, Milledge, and West 1995).
Three such altitude illnesses will be discussed:
Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS)
High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE)
High-Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE)
(Dougherty, Neil J. IV. Mountaineering Safety. Outdoor Recreation Safety. United States: The School and Community Safety Society of America, 1998.)
Although first aid kits can be easily bought in commercial drugstores nowadays, it is still important that you know what goes on in a first aid kit. This is a list of basic materials that should be found in your kit when you go hiking the mountains. It can be divided into three basic classifications: the dressings, the equipments, and the medications.
Not because you have these in your kit means you could already treat the injured. Knowing how these materials work and when to use them is vital for administering first aid. If you have some free time, try to work something out and learn some basic first aid administration. You’ll never know when you’ll be needing them, so might as well be sure.
Mountaineering, unlike other sports, requires specific conditioning of the body in order to be at par with its rigorous environmental conditions. Other than making yourself tuned-up and physically fit for the hike, you must be aware of certain pre-climbing preparations in order to ensure you and your team a fun and safe climb.
This conditioning tackles not only the body but the mind as well. Although it might require quite a bucket load of hardwork, perseverance, and patience, its purpose would bear fruit once the trek begins.
Listed below are some guidelines to put you in the most ideal condition for your hike:
Full body check-up. Knowing your body well bodes crucial especially if you are just beginning your journey towards the life of mountaineering. Be it your hobby or your chosen profession, having every part of your body checked is vital to knowing your strengths, capabilities, and limits. So go out and see your physician and don’t forget to tell him the purpose of getting this check-up. Remember, just like any other check-ups, your doctor wouldn’t know the what’s and how’s if you don’t tell them what you want and more importantly, what you need.
Engage on a proper diet. Now that you know the current condition of your body, it is high time that you become aware of what you put inside your body. This includes the solid and liquid intakes you are having prior to any training you engage it. Keep in mind that hiking would require you a lot of energy to burn and more than a lung full of air to breathe in. This means that you can’t eat too much of anything. Balance is key here, although cutting back on foods that would be harder to burn is also important. If your doctor advised you to lose some weight, then it would be better to consult an expert for a planned diet.
Workout. If you’re serious about making mountaineering your choice of sport or profession, it would be advisable to enroll yourself to a gym and get a trainer. In most cases, this type of conditioning requires cardiovascular training and upper body strengthening. However, there is nothing better than getting help of an expert in order to know what kind of training your body should undergo in order to withstand any conditions your mountain of choice might present.
Daily exercise. Although the gym would help in the toning of the body, it is also recommended to alot a couple of minutes of exercise to get your body used to physical activities and ready for the day.
Talk to peers/teammates. Doing anything alone could not only be boring, but considering a preparation this rigorous; it would also be disheartening when the going gets tough. What better way than to have someone share with the experience and reap the benefits of this conditioning? So grab a friend and start preparing for the hike of your life.
Mountaineering has had a growth in following in the past couple of years due to the fact that people are opting to face mother nature in all her beauty and splendor. There is no other sport that fits man against nature to the basics without too much specialized gear and even with it, skill and experience does count for a truly enjoyable trip. Climbs range from easy ones that are simply strolls up established mountain tracks that is taken at a slow and easy pace. More moderate climbs have quite a bit of technical needs in terms of gear and knowledge. Hard or difficult climbs, along with the ones categorized as extreme are best left for the experienced for death is a lingering fact of life on the edge.
