Rules for survival in the mountains on different parts of the path. Features of survival in the mountains

Better than mountains there can only be mountains
Where no one has been

V.S. Vysotsky

Mountains are an extremely difficult test of human strength, skills and perseverance. Even prepared expeditions can come back with losses, let alone people who strayed from their group and were forced to survive in the mountains by oneself. They don't have much of a chance, to be honest.

However, a harsh prepper cannot be broken even by such difficulties, especially if he knows everything that is needed about survival in the mountains and is able to withstand the main adverse factors of influence. Yes, we specifically do not consider the situation where a person has to survive in the mountains without equipment, as it was in the Andes in 1972. So it is assumed that you have clothing and basic equipment suitable for mountain survival. So.

Temperature

As practice shows, for every 100 meters of vertical rise, the temperature drops by 1 degree. So in the mountains. And in combination with variable humidity and strong winds, this is especially unpleasant. Therefore, the main problem that confronts a climber lagging behind his comrades is not to freeze to hell. And for this you need additional warming. As experienced climbers advise, additional attention should be paid to the areas of the shins, neck, lower back and hands. The latter are especially important, since they freeze very easily, and this completely deprives a person of the ability to do something. So, without additionally insulated gloves, you can’t go to the mountains with your foot. All other places can be additionally insulated with banal fabric windings.

The sun

The sun is very angry in the mountains. It shines brightly, but almost nothing warms. And light, reflected from snow and smooth stones, can cause “snow blindness” with prolonged exposure to the eyes. Therefore, an important point survival in the mountains- Polarized sunglasses. But that's not all. The sun almost does not heat, but actively waters everything around with strong ultraviolet radiation, which does not have time to dissipate in rarefied air. Hence the burns of open areas of the skin - the nose, lower lip, chin. Just the kind of situation where it can really help. But if there is no time to grow a beard, then a banal fabric mask will do.

Fog

It is extremely difficult to move over rough terrain when you can see no further than 20 meters. And such a situation in the mountains and foothills is not uncommon. You have only two options. The first, the safest, is to stop, quickly and wait out the bad weather. But if the fog stays for several days (and this is also possible), then this is not the best way out. And the second is to move carefully, from a visible landmark to a visible landmark, leaving signs behind you and trying not to lose your bearings. The method is extremely risky, because in the mountains and in normal weather, you can easily stumble and fall down.

Rain

The higher you are, the less likely it is to get caught in the rain. And that happiness, because getting wet to the skin in the mountains is another test for survival skills. What is the point? Wet stones slip and become covered with frost. Wet clothes warm worse and are also covered with ice crystals. Frozen fingers are not able to cope with the simplest actions. There is only one way out - to find shelter, make a fire and try to warm up and dry out. If it didn’t work out, try to dry the clothes at least in the wind.

Glaciers

The higher in the mountains, the more chances to get on the glacier. There is only one possible danger here - hidden cracks and faults, powdered with snow and covered with ice. If you fall into such a crevice, you will fucking crawl back out. Therefore, when moving along the glacier, you should always feel the surface in front of you with a long pole or stick.

Rockfalls

Even one pebble falling from a great height can do a lot of trouble. And in the mountains, rockfalls happen regularly, especially in the morning, about two hours after sunrise, when the rocky slopes begin to warm up unevenly, and the boulders begin to split and crack. Therefore, an important factor survival in the mountains- protective helmet. It’s better to get a slight concussion than an open TBI (). The noise of rolling stones usually warns of trouble. As soon as you hear him, hide under a canopy or cornice, and if they are not there, pull your head into your neck and cover it with a backpack.

Avalanches

God forbid you fall under an avalanche in the mountains - this is the worst thing that can happen there. When a huge mass of slightly melted ice, snow and stones breaks down from a great height and rushes down gaining speed and size, it is almost impossible to survive. But there are some things that can be done to increase the chances of survival.

• Try to stay on the surface of the avalanche. This is difficult, but theoretically feasible, since the moving mass of snow and ice allows for floating movements.
• Try to avoid getting snow in your airways.
• As soon as the avalanche has stopped, use a trickle of saliva to determine where is the top and where is the bottom and immediately start digging, if possible.

Let's be honest, a loner has almost no chance. Digging up a mass of compressed snow is even difficult, to say nothing of battered hands. But if you are lucky and the snow layer does not exceed a meter, there is a chance, albeit a small one. The main thing is not to panic, breathe slowly and evenly, do not breed convulsive activity. Because all the fuss increases the release of carbon dioxide, which is deadly in a confined space.

As you can see mountain survival- an extremely difficult task that will require maximum effort, good physical and theoretical training, as well as great luck. And it is better not to subject yourself to such a test, especially alone. Mountains are just the case when it is much easier to survive in a team. A comrade will insure you and help you, and, if anything, will try to dig you out from under the avalanche.

In the documentary series Science to Survive Les Strode will travel the world and try to survive alone in the most extreme places on the planet without food, without water and without a film crew for seven days. Les Strode personally shoots each episode. His equipment only consists of clothes, a set of video equipment, a harmonica, a multi-tool, and usually everyday items that a person may have depending on the scenario of a particular episode. For security purposes, the Strode is equipped with a satellite phone. However, Les complained that during the filming of several episodes, the phone did not work and he was left completely alone with nature. Les Strode stopped filming the show after the third season, explaining that each episode of the program requires enormous physical effort and sacrifice.

An excellent series of broadcasts with a very interesting survival expert - Les Strode. If you watch the series in the original, then you will definitely appreciate the humor and resourcefulness of the presenter. In addition, Les is an ardent defender of nature and a professional musician. His short musical performances on the harmonica in the middle of the night in the desert or forest deserve special mention. I advise everyone. Not everyone can spend seven days in complete isolation from civilization, moreover, filming himself on camera.

Les Strode: The Science of Survival - Mountains.

mountains- These are vast areas of the earth's surface, raised several thousand meters above sea level and characterized by a sharp fluctuation in altitude.

Man has coexisted with mountains throughout his history. Ways of trade and communication between peoples, countless wars, indestructible curiosity constantly pushed a person to look for ways to overcome mountain obstacles, master the specifics of high mountains, and expand his geographical knowledge. Over time, the mountains began to be perceived not only as a manifestation of the formidable, sometimes deified forces of nature, but also as a source of livelihood.

The climatic and geographical conditions of the highlands are significantly different from the conditions of the plains familiar to most people. Weak people do not go to the mountains. Living and moving in the mountains is very difficult. The human body must adapt to the features that are characteristic only for mountains: lack of oxygen and moisture in the air, sudden changes in temperature, strong ultraviolet radiation, extreme brightness of daylight. Moreover, all this is accompanied by a significant physical load associated with overcoming numerous dangerous areas and great psychological stress.

Steep ascents, steep descents, narrow winding paths, dips barely covered by fragile snow bridges, treacherous cornices, pebbly screes that go out from under the feet, furrowed with cracks, glaciers create many difficulties. Overcoming them is associated not only with great physical stress, but sometimes with a significant risk to health and life.

Therefore, a transition in the mountains requires careful preliminary preparation, an assessment of the strength of each member of the group, the quality of hiking equipment, etc. The planned route should be assessed from the point of view of possible natural obstacles and, if necessary, adjusted in order to reduce them even by lengthening the total length of the transition. The order of movement in the campaign is preliminarily established (mode and speed of transitions, weight of the carried load and food, water supply, etc.). So that fatigue does not come on a hike prematurely, it is necessary to save energy, spend it sparingly, commensurate with the difficulties of the route.

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Life support in the mountains has its own characteristics. When you get into an extreme situation in a mountainous area, autonomous existence depends on the altitude at which the person is and in what climate zone. Of no less importance are the extraction of water and food until the moment of reaching civilization.

As for nutrition, you need to know that many people quickly lose their appetite at an altitude of two thousand meters and above. Most foods become unpleasant and even repulsive in taste. Moreover, the body stops absorbing them. The higher the altitude, the stronger the symptoms. There is only one way out - as quickly as possible to go down the safest route.

On the other hand, in the mountains high altitude most often there are no problems with . You can find it even in the high deserts. The best place for search - the foot of the high plateau in places with large quantity green vegetation. In addition, water condenses on the stones after the night, accumulating in bowls - recesses.

There is also water in the beds of outwardly dried up streams (you need to dig in a recess) and in karst cavities. On a sunny day, it accumulates in dry channels in the afternoon, flowing down from melting glaciers and snow. Also, ice or snow can be used to obtain melt water by melting them on a fire.

It should be remembered that melt water in itself can be dangerous, since it contains almost no salts. Moreover, if it is extracted from snow, then it will contain a large percentage of carbon dioxide, which in itself can lead to the opposite effect - increased thirst and drying of the oral cavity.

You can get food by hunting small animals - rodents, as well as birds. There are plants suitable for consumption in all climatic zones, but it is better to find out information about this in advance, before going out into the mountains, as there are too many of them to describe in a short article.

One of the common problems in mountainous and treeless areas is lighting a fire and finding fuel. Moreover, it is almost unsolvable in the zone of eternal snows. There is only one way out - to go down below 2500 meters. On the other hand, if vegetation is available, it can be mixed with dried wild animal droppings and used to keep the fire going and cook hot food.

In 2007, two were found in China Russian tourists from a group rafting down the Yurunkash River. They went without food for over 20 days. All this time, rafters Andrey Pautov and Alexander Zverev had to fight for their lives. They call their salvation nothing less than a miracle.

Tragedy on the Yurunkash River

Alexander Zverev, after he was thrown out of the catamaran, found a cave and lived in it for 20 days. According to the tourist, every evening he "struggled not to freeze." He was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and a light windbreaker, as well as a "miracle helmet", which, according to Zverev, saved him. "I was thrown onto the rocks. This is some kind of miracle, God helped ...", says the surviving tourist.

Chronicle of the rescue operation

In 2004, another incredible rescue story shook the world. Former hockey player Eric Lemarque is lost in the wilderness of the Sierra Nevada. He rode on skiing but accidentally went outside ski slope, after which he could not find his way to the ski base. Lemark lived for a week on pine nuts and needles.

Rescuers found Lemark in the snow. He was conscious but could barely move. Rescuers were surprised that Lemark could survive in such inhuman conditions. Even considering that he was in good physical shape, he could hardly survive another night.

Another case miraculous salvation happened in 1994. Then the Italian Mauro Prosperi (Mauro Prosperi) had to spend nine days in the Sahara Desert.

Prosperi participated in the marathon race. Due to a sandstorm, Prosperi lost his way. In the end, he got completely lost and ran in the wrong direction. As a result, he ran out of water and drink. Not wanting to die a long painful death, Prosperi was going to commit suicide - to cut his veins. However, this attempt was unsuccessful: an insufficient amount of water in the body of Prosperi led to the fact that the blood quickly thickened and the wounds quickly healed. After 9 days, he was found by a nomadic family. Prosperi was taken to an Algerian military camp, and from there to a hospital. For 9 days, Prosperi lost 18 kg.

And in June 1992, 25-year-old Colby Coombs (Colby Coombs) with his friends decided to climb Mount Foraker (Foraker) in Alaska. The friends were almost there when the snowstorm began. The avalanche carried Coombs and his friends down. Coombs woke up 6 hours later. He had broken two cervical vertebrae, a shoulder and an ankle. Both of his friends died.

For the next four days, Coombs stubbornly pushed away thoughts of his dead friends and continued to look for a descent from the mountain. “I just had to force myself not to close my eyes and also to forget about the pain,” recalls Colby Coombs. Even when he got to his starting point, he still had five more miles to go and try not to fall into the crevasse (from there he would not be able to save).

Years later, Coombs says: "When you get into trouble, anything that stands in the way of success must be dropped - whether it be emotions, fear, pain. It is a psychological factor that can prevent salvation."

In 1971, 17-year-old girl Juliane Diller Kopke was the only survivor of a plane crash over the Peruvian jungle. The plane got into a severe thunderstorm and crashed. At the time of the fall, the girl was fastened to a chair. As a result, she broke her collarbone, injured her right hand, and became blind in one eye, but survived.

Initially, Juliana tried to find her mother, who was flying with her. For 9 days, Juliana wandered through the jungle, trying not to leave the stream, believing that sooner or later it would lead her to civilization. The stream also gave the girl water. After 9 days, Juliana found a canoe and a shelter in which she hid and waited. Soon the girl was found in this shelter by lumberjacks. The next day, she was taken by boat to the nearest station, from where she went by plane to her father.

The mountains are one of the harshest terrains for survival. The mountainous terrain is very specific, the movement is carried out not only in the horizontal, but also in the vertical plane, which increases the risk of falling, falling off a plumb line. The insidious mountain climate also poses a mortal danger: the weather in the mountains can change dramatically in a matter of hours; there are cases when tourists went to the mountains in excellent weather at high positive temperatures, and a day later they died in a snowstorm when the air temperature was already below zero.

Thunderstorms, avalanches, landslides, lack of shelter, water and food sources - survival in the mountains is too broad a topic to fit everything in one article. However, we will try to briefly “walk through” the main points.

The main threats to the survivalist in the mountains

mountain sickness

The intensity of the symptoms depends on the height to which you managed to climb

The specific mountain climate and the lack of oxygen in sufficient quantities greatly weaken the body, contributing to the development of the so-called mountain sickness. Its main symptoms include weakness and fatigue, headaches, lack of appetite, and most importantly (and most dangerous) - impaired coordination.

Mountain sickness manifests itself the brighter, the worse your physical fitness. Therefore, when moving in the mountains, it is important to save energy, move smoothly and slowly.

A stick that you can lean on will come in handy. When driving in snowy terrain with a stick, always check the depth of the snow in front of you, because. there is a danger of falling into a crevice hidden by snow cover.

Movement features

The main goal of a survivalist in the mountains is to descend to the lowlands as soon as possible. Ideally, if you can go down the same way you went up.

80% of deaths in the mountains are due to a breakdown, a fall. Therefore, it is important to remember the rule: if it is possible to bypass a steep descent, even if it takes more time and effort, it will be safer and more correct to do just that.

Going down the slope on a rope is not recommended - leave this method as a last resort. The danger of stumbling, not holding on, making an awkward movement increases even among professional climbers with prolonged exposure to a harsh mountain climate.

Weather

A separate threat in the mountains is a thunderstorm. Here it is much more dangerous than in the lowland, besides, it can begin completely unnoticed. That's why it's important when you're in the mountains to evaluate the weather all the time and notice any changes in the sky. If you suddenly see that the sky has begun to overcast, immediately start looking for shelter.

And, of course, an avalanche is something that is important to remember all the time while in the mountains. To learn how to predict an avalanche and what to do if an avalanche cannot be avoided, read this article.

And, of course, the air temperature. At the foot of the mountain, it can be 25 ° C, and at the top it can go to a decent minus. The temperature difference can reach from 10 to 30 degrees Celsius. Thus, the quality of uniforms is extremely important - when hiking in the mountains, choose clothes and underwear from trusted manufacturers.

Quality equipment and uniforms can greatly reduce discomfort from weather conditions in the mountains

Getting water and food

Dry mountain air contributes to dehydration, which can greatly aggravate altitude sickness and significantly affect your overall well-being. That is why it is very important to observe the drinking regimen. In the mountains, water can be obtained from rivers, streams, in extreme cases - by melting snow or ice.

But with food, everything is a little more complicated: as we said above, mountain sickness provokes a decrease in appetite, but providing yourself with a full two meals a day (morning and evening) is a necessity. It’s good if you have canned food and another “camping” with you, if not, you will have to look for bird nests and small rodents, which are usually enough in mountainous areas. You should not eat the meat of a dead animal if it gets in your way - it is quite possible that an infection led to its death.

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