Alpine Ski Mountaineering Vol 2 - Central and Eastern Alps. Bill O'Connor
to safety if required.
Helicopter Rescue
If there is an accident on tour that requires rescue assistance, helicopter is the recommended option. When someone is injured speed and safety are paramount. Trying to carry out self-rescue with an improvised stretcher, especially over difficult terrain, is complicated and slow, and may well result in further injury. It is important to know how to carry out such a rescue and be proficient at it, but it is not the best option when helicopter rescue is possible.
Helicopters have their limits, however, and require safe conditions to carry out a rescue. Poor weather conditions will restrict their safe operational use. In poor visibility, strong winds, and in snowy or icy conditions they may not be able to operate. However, the pilots of rescue helicopters carry out some remarkable missions. They should only be called in for an emergency or forced evacuation – do not endanger their lives unecessarily.
Insurance
Signalling to a helicopter: note the skier is kneeling in front of a large flat area, back to the wind, with arms raised in a Y
The cost of emergency rescue, medical treatment, and repatriation, if necessary, varies from country to country, and you will need appropriate insurance to ensure that you are adequately covered. The BMC (Tel. 0161 445 4747, www.thebmc.co.uk) and AAC (Tel. 01707 324835, www.hbinsurance.co.uk) both provide travel insurance: make sure it covers ski mountaineering, not simply piste skiing.
What Information Do Rescuers Require?
If possible write down your message before calling for rescue. The information you give needs to be accurate, precise and concise, and writing it down will ensure this. It should include:
name of person in charge/communicating with rescue base
your position with grid reference
your telephone number if phoning from a mobile
number of people involved
the name of the person/s injured
the nature of the accident/injuries
specific casualty requirements if known
weather conditions at the site of the accident, including wind speed, visibility, cloud level, precipitation, etc
information on whether a helicopter landing at the site is possible.
Safety Procedures on the Ground
Never approach the helicopter when the rotor blade is moving.
Do not approach the helicopter until told to do so by a member of the crew.
Stay low or in a kneeling position with your back to the wind.
Only approach the helicopter in the direction indicated by the pilot or crew member. It is usual to kneel up-wind, head on to the helicopter.
Never approach from the rear of the machine or out of sight of the crew.
Ensure that there is no loose equipment or clothing on the ground or on the person/s close to the helicopter.
The diagram above shows the ideal layout of the rescue site and the arm signals used to communicate with a helicopter.
In the mountains it is difficult to ensure flat ground. Remember a helicopter cannot land on steep slopes. It is important to stay below the pick-up area if the rescue is on a slope, since the helicopter may have to hover and winch the casualty aboard. The rotor blades may come very close to the slope above the rescue, so stay out of this zone. Stay below it and kneel.
Once inside the helicopter enjoy the view because it will be an expensive ride. Helicopter rescue is costly, so it is essential to have adequate insurance cover.
A Safety Strategy for Ski Mountaineering
As a mountain guide my own approach to safety is best summed up as the application of the three Ps: planning, preparation and practice. This may not be rocket science, but it is certainly a combination of science, common sense and experience, which translates quite simply into ‘best practice’.
Common Errors
Mountains can be dangerous – in winter and spring particularly so. But one of the great pleasures derived from ski mountaineering is the ability to journey safely over Alpine terrain that would be all but impossible without skis. Ski mountaineering accidents, alas, are all too frequent, with avalanches accounting for a high number of fatalities. By looking at the accident reports it is possible to identify a number of common errors (see box below). Hopefully we can learn from these.
COMMON ERRORS
Wrong stability evaluation – in one study, over a five-year period, over 60% of avalanche fatalities were the result of wrong stability evaluation.
Triggering the avalanche – most skiers caught in avalanches triggered the avalanche themselves.
Taking uneccesary risks – in particular being on the wrong terrain and discounting evidence of snow instability that was contrary to what the skiers wanted to believe.
Avalanching other members of the same group by triggering a slope above others.
Failure to snow profile – weak layers that were easily triggered went undetected.
Failure to identify dangerous accumulations of wind slab or appreciate the importance of past weather conditions.
Triggering a small avalanche which in turn triggers a major slope failure. Failing to realise that in a snowpack of medium hardness large avalanches may occur.
Triggering spontaneous and rapid release on sun-exposed slopes.
Triggering a release from couloirs after small changes in temperature, wind or sun angle.
Underestimating the power of a small slide – even small avalanches kill 42% of their victims.
Planning and Preparation for your Ski Tour
There area lots of things you can do before a tour to help make it successful. Pre-trip planning is like a reconnaissance, and time spent on it is rarely if ever wasted. A simple checklist which could form the basis of a pre-trip stategy is given in the box below.
Once on tour it is important to remain alert, and there are many simple procedures that will make travel more efficient and improve group safety. A simple checklist will help you, but ultimately only practice will ensure that these procedures become second nature in the mountains.
Safety Strategy on Tour
A list of procedures that comprise a safety strategy is given in the box below. There is no sequential order to these procedures – they are ongoing and invariably overlap. The important thing is that they are understood and done. Use the box as a checklist.
There are other aspects of safety that relate to group organisation (see box on Group Organisation below).
PREPARING FOR YOUR SKI TOUR
| Objective | Decide on the route/ski tour/mountain |
| Gather sources of information | Guidebooks, maps, articles and photographs all help build a mental picture of the tour. Tourist and Guides Offices are also sources of information. |
| Determine the terrain |
Understand the terrain/slope angle. Is it rocky, glaciated, steep, couloir, |