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Mountain Climbing Safety Equipment Must Haves
High up in snow-covered, mountainous backcountry, you have to be well equipped with safety gear. You will only have what you bring on your back with you up on the mountain, so how you decide to outfit your pack is the best defense against mountaineering perils. Mountaineers have to be prepared for natural disasters ranging from storms, rockslides, and avalanches to adverse effects of the human body like possible hypothermia, hunger, or thirst. Common mountain safety equipment includes a rescue sled, backcountry shovel, tarps and shelters, map tools, and ski straps.
The Rescue Sled
The rescue sled is an integral part of mountaineering. A sled is of tremendous use in the mountain backcountry. Not only are they used to move injured climbers, they also offer the ability to move supplies through rugged terrain as well. The semi-rigid design of the rescue sled allows usage in a wide range of terrains. Look for rescue sleds are extremely lightweight and fit into a small pack. Some models of rescue sled weigh just 25 ounces.
Backcountry Shovels And Shelters
A shovel is another vital piece of mountain safety gear. Moving snow and digger shelters is key to mountain safety. Shovels should be telescoping for maximum leverage and collapsible for easy storage. They should also be able to be disassembled and used as stretcher bars since they contain the same slots as needed for fitting onto a set of skis. A fixed saw edge accessory can be stowed within the shovel shafts and used for cutting wood or snow and winter shelter building.
Also used in conjunction with a backcountry shovel is a set of tarps and shelter cloths. They are necessary for riding out bad weather and keeping warm overnight as well for storing supplies. Look for tarps that are water-resistant, made of ripstop nylon, and lightweight.
Map Guides And Ski Straps
To round out a pack with safety gear, a map guide system is usually the last thing a mountaineer thinks of, but maps are always useful even in familiar territory. Storms can alter your hiking course or create obstacles to be navigated around through unfamiliar territory. It's a smart idea to pack ski guide cards, map tools for determining scales and slopes on topography maps, a field organizer for tracking your movements, and an emergency latitude and longitude ruler for relaying position coordinates.
Finally, a good set of ski straps are a versatile tool in an unpredictable terrain. Like duct tape, ski straps have a thousand and one uses. You can do nearly anything with them, from setting your skis in an a-frame on your pack to fixing a climbing skin, holding your shovel and probe together, securing gear onto your pack, or holding your skis together for transport. Every mountaineer should carry a set of straps.
Mountain climbing safety is a learned skill that, when supplemented with the right gear, allows the safe enjoyment of wonderful backcountry lands. Awareness, training, experience, and equipment all play a vital role in a versatile tool set for dealing with problems while climbing.
About the Author Chris Harmen is an author for Brooks-Range Mountaineering, the leader in mountaineering innovations. Lead inventor, William Mathews Brooks. Matt Brooks has been designing high quality mountaineering equipment for over ten years.
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