SVK: On The Mountains Safely I. - Basic Equipment

In the first part we will talk about safe staying overnight and the necessary equipment for a trip to the mountains.

The important thing once before each hike is best to familiarize yourself with the route trip and remember some landmarks such as tops, jacks and the like. During a trip to the unknown terrain map should be an integral part of your outfit. We recommend either the tourist map, or map section with the desired terrain, which can be freely downloaded from a map server. Suitable equipment is also part of GPS devices, including hiking route.

In winter, when mountain hike recommended avalanche equipment, including avalanche transceiver, probe and shovel. Finder itself has no meaning without the probe, which allows you to search the overwhelmed patient, preferably within 15 minutes, when it is the biggest possibility to survive. Effective tool are also backpacks with airbag and avalanche ball. Backpacks work so that it expands when you run around the body and head of a large air cushion. It keeps the body masses of snow on the surface and prevents refilling. Knock the ball again after running the ball creates a canvas that is associated with a person cord. When landslide avalanches will remain on the surface of the snow ball and through a cable it is possible to locate the victim.

Equipment for safe overnight staying

In case that you will catch night on the mountains, you should have with them at least a small mat, preferably air. In the summer mat serves as a backpack and emptied. All high quality backpacks have the back side is reinforced. In winter, again you can use as a fill bag mountain pine or spruce branches, giving you better insulated pad to sleep.

If you already pre-planning to spend the night in the mountains, high-quality sleeping bag with feather filling is the best choice. If you do not have a sleeping bag wear everything what did you take. Dry T-shirt and dry feet are mainly in the winter necessity.

Recommended piece of equipment is a paraffin candle that provides illumination at night, but also a bit of heat. This candle can raise the temperature in a tent or in a trench up to four degrees. In winter, the candle can be used as a lubricant for skiing or climbing belts.

Ski equipment for hikes

The base kit consists of ski boots and skis, which without the tour shouldn´t done. Choosing a ski depends on the nature trails.

The skis are climbing belts. When you select ski, you should know which handle will you need. In the case of rubber caught on the tip, there is a break if carelessly tip skis are deploying a protruding rock. Another integral parts of ski equipment are sticks. They ski, unlike the pedestrian, have larger and swivel ring for better handling in soft snow. Three-part folding canes fit rather than trekking to mountain skiing. Experts don’t recommend sticks, from which in the case of risk can be folded avalanche probe. It is more a fad as a practical tool. On the other hand, you can throw tip, which can be retrofitted poles, especially in steep terrain and snow.

 Snow cats are a great tool in the field of hardened surfaces, ice snow. In Slovak conditions are not an absolute necessity.

Suitable equipment for hikes

An important part of the road into the mountains is suitable clothing. Windbreaker and pants should be of high quality water resistant and breathable material. These properties are mutually separated although the factories tags on indicate something else. In winter it is preferable clothing that is more waterproof but breathable, because the steam condensed at low temperatures just freezes.

Pay special attention to the selection of shoes. At present, the choice is really wide. The main criteria are hardness outsole pads, its curvature, hardness of rubber on sole, height of the tibia and skin hardness. Cover material must be waterproof in both - winter and summer shoes.

Text: Zuzana Megerssová
Source and photo: hory.sk