Cheat sheet: Climate and extreme environments

1. 1Check the mountain forecast – Read a mountain forecast the evening before and in the morning: thunderstorm risk, wind, freezing level, visibility.
2. 2Set a turnaround time – Before setting off, agree a fixed time at which you will turn back, however close the goal is. Start early when thunderstorms are likely.
3. 3Observe on the way – Watch the sky regularly: rapidly growing cumulus clouds, freshening wind, a drop in temperature and approaching fog are warning signs.
4. 4Decide rather than hope – At warning signs, exhaustion in the group or delays, turn back or take the planned escape route.
5. 5Descend safely – Do not rush the descent; most falls happen when tired.
6. 6Call for help – In case of injury, loss of orientation or hypothermia, call the local emergency number (112 in the EU) or use the alpine distress signal if…

Danger: In a thunderstorm, ridges, summits, isolated trees and fixed cables are especially dangerous. At the first signs (towering clouds, thunder) leave exposed places and descend.

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1. 1Plan short, start early – Allow generous walking times in snow and plan the trip to end well before dark.
2. 2Read the avalanche bulletin – In mountain regions read the regional avalanche bulletin.
3. 3Regulate layers – Start slightly cool, remove layers on climbs to avoid sweating, put on a warm layer immediately when stopping.
4. 4Eat and drink – Eat regularly and drink warm drinks; cold and walking in snow use a lot of energy.
5. 5Keep batteries warm – Carry phone, headlamp and spare batteries close to your body; cold noticeably reduces usable capacity.
6. 6Watch each other – Watch each other for white patches on the face, shivering and changes in behaviour.

Danger: Avalanches can release on moderately steep slopes and steeper, even in sunshine, and can be triggered by your own group. Without avalanche training, emergency equipment and knowledge of the current avalanche bulletin, do not enter avalanche terrain – stay on cleared and secured routes.

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1. 1Get trained – Take an avalanche course with an alpine club, a mountain school or a comparable organisation and refresh it regularly.
2. 2Read the bulletin – Before every winter trip read the current regional avalanche bulletin: danger level, avalanche problems, affected elevations and aspects.
3. 3Avoid unclear terrain – Without training stay on cleared winter trails and secured pistes.
4. 4Practise with emergency kit – Avalanche transceiver, probe and shovel belong together and must be practised regularly.
5. 5Turning back as an option – Warning signs such as fresh avalanches, whumpfing sounds or shooting cracks in the snow are reasons to turn back.

Danger: Only enter terrain where avalanches are possible with training, a current assessment and emergency equipment – or with a certified mountain guide. This entry does not replace training.

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1. 1Training or a guide – Complete a glacier course with an alpine club or a mountain school, or hire a certified mountain guide.
2. 2Ask about conditions – Hut keepers, guides and regional bodies know the current conditions; glaciers change from year to year.
3. 3Use secured attractions – If you only want to experience a glacier: use guided walks or marked, secured paths and respect barriers.
4. 4Mind the time of day – Snow bridges are usually stronger in the cold of early morning; meltwater and rockfall increase as the day warms.

Danger: Do not go onto a glacier without training and a rope team or a certified mountain guide. Even harmless-looking snow-covered glacier surfaces can hide crevasses.

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1. 1Get advice beforehand – Get medical advice before travelling to high altitude, especially with existing conditions.
2. 2Ascend slowly – The Wilderness Medical Society recommends that above about 3,000 m sleeping elevation should not increase by more than about 500 m per day…
3. 3Recognise symptoms – Treat headache together with nausea, loss of appetite, fatigue, dizziness or poor sleep after an ascent as possible altitude illness – do…
4. 4Stop – With symptoms do not go higher, rest and tell your companions.
5. 5Descend – If symptoms get worse or warning signs appear, descend – accompanied if possible – and get help.

Danger: Breathlessness at rest, confusion, unsteady walking or increasing drowsiness are emergencies: descend or be evacuated immediately and call for help – local emergency number (112 in the EU) or mountain rescue.

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1. 1Build experience – Step by step: winter trips with overnight stays, then multi-day trips in cold regions, then a guided polar trip.
2. 2Get training – Take courses in winter camping, cold protection, navigation in poor visibility and emergency communication.
3. 3Test gear as a system – Test clothing, sleep system, stove and gloves beforehand in real cold – including operating everything with gloves on.
4. 4Clarify rules and permits – Many polar areas have permit, insurance or equipment requirements.
5. 5File an emergency plan – Leave the route, schedule, communication means and check-in times with a reliable contact person.

Danger: In polar regions help can take hours to days, and there is usually no mobile coverage. Satellite-based emergency communication and a filed trip plan are basic requirements.

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1. 1Get trained – Take an avalanche course with an alpine club, mountain school or guides and practise companion rescue every season.
2. 2Read the bulletin – Understand the danger level, avalanche problems and particularly dangerous aspects and elevations, and adapt the plan accordingly.
3. 3Check gear – Avalanche transceiver switched on and checked, shovel and probe in the pack, phone charged.
4. 4Start with a guide – Ride your first off-piste days with a mountain guide and learn terrain assessment.
5. 5Ride one at a time, regroup in safe spots – On steep slopes ride one at a time, regroup in spots outside possible avalanche paths, keep visual contact.

Danger: Off-piste there is no avalanche protection. Do not ride without training, avalanche transceiver, shovel, probe and a partner. Read the avalanche bulletin before every day.

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1. 1Plan water – Plan water needs generously for heat and exertion, include a reserve and count only known, currently confirmed water points.
2. 2Use the cool hours – Walk or work early in the morning and late in the afternoon, rest in the shade during the midday heat.
3. 3Cover the skin – Loose, light-coloured, long-sleeved clothing, a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses protect better than bare skin.
4. 4Drink regularly – Drink regularly, not only when thirsty, and eat salty food when sweating heavily.
5. 5Choose a safe camp – Do not camp in dry riverbeds or hollows; choose raised spots away from drainage channels.
6. 6Stay with the vehicle – In a breakdown in remote terrain, as a rule stay with the vehicle: it provides shade and is easier to find.

Danger: Confusion, impaired consciousness, very high body temperature or seizures can indicate heatstroke – a life-threatening emergency. Call the local emergency number (112 in the EU), move the person into the shade and cool them.

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1. 1Pack for both extremes – Plan sun protection for the day and a warm layer, hat and sleeping pad for the night.
2. 2Go into the night dry – Change or dry sweaty clothing in the evening before it gets cold.
3. 3Choose a camp – Slightly raised, outside wadis and hollows, sheltered from wind where possible.
4. 4Night walking only when planned – If walking at night to avoid the heat: known route, headlamp, spare batteries, compass, keep the group together.

Danger: Do not camp in dry riverbeds (wadis): distant thunderstorms can trigger flash floods there.

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1. 1Use warnings – Follow heat warnings from the weather service or health authorities and plan your day accordingly.
2. 2Shade by day – Keep windows closed during the day and shade them from outside (shutters, awnings); curtains inside help less.
3. 3Ventilate at night – Cross-ventilate in the coolest hours late in the evening and early in the morning.
4. 4Know cool places – Use the coolest room in the home; know cool public places such as libraries, churches or designated cooling centres.
5. 5Look out for each other – Check daily on relatives and neighbours who live alone; remind them to drink.

Danger: Confusion, reduced consciousness or a very high body temperature in heat are an emergency: call the local emergency number (112 in the EU).

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1. 1Check fire danger – Before the trip check the fire danger level and wind forecast from the weather or forestry authority.
2. 2No ignition sources – No open fire, no cigarettes, park vehicles only on paved or bare ground.
3. 3Note escape routes – On the way always know where the nearest road, water or bare area is and where the wind is coming from.
4. 4Act early when you see smoke – Do not watch the smoke, leave: across the wind or into the wind, towards areas with little fuel and towards roads.
5. 5Follow instructions – Follow evacuation orders immediately and keep roads clear for emergency vehicles.

Danger: Grass fires can move faster than a running person when it is windy. Never flee uphill or downwind ahead of a fire. Leave early as soon as smoke is visible nearby and call the local emergency number (112 in the EU).

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1. 1Sort out travel medicine – Get travel-medicine advice well before the trip: vaccinations, mosquito protection, drinking water.
2. 2Adjust the pace – Walk more slowly in the first days, plan breaks in the shade and do strenuous sections in the cooler early hours.
3. 3Drink and treat water – Drink regularly; treat water from streams and rain before drinking.
4. 4Keep a night set dry – Walk in wet clothes by day, but keep one set of clothing dry in a waterproof bag for camp and sleep only.
5. 5Camp off the ground – Choose a raised site away from rivers and dead trees; a hammock with mosquito net and tarp keeps you off wet ground and away from crawling…
6. 6Plan for early darkness – Near the equator the day lasts about twelve hours all year and dusk is short.

Danger: Heat illness can occur in humid heat at temperatures that would still be bearable in dry air. Confusion, vomiting or reduced consciousness are an emergency: call the local emergency number (112 in the EU).

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1. 1Plan the paths – Choose a route on marked paths and boardwalks; set the return route and time frame and tell someone.
2. 2Read the ground – Very green, smooth patches, open water between moss cushions and ground that quakes are warning signs.
3. 3Turn back in fog – Fog quickly removes visibility in a bog.
4. 4If you sink in – Stop, lean back, use the backpack to spread weight, free the legs slowly one at a time.
5. 5Get help – If you cannot get free or are getting cold: call for help and describe the location as precisely as possible.

Danger: If you sink in above the knees or cannot get out: do not thrash, lean back to spread your weight over as large an area as possible, move slowly and call for help – local emergency number (112 in the EU).

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1. 1Pack waterproof – Sleeping bag, night clothes and electronics in separate waterproof bags.
2. 2Adjust layers – While walking dress on the cool side so sweat does not soak your clothing from inside; at breaks immediately add a warm layer under the…
3. 3Choose a camp site – Slightly raised, not in hollows or near streams, not under deadwood.
4. 4Defend the dry set – Change into dry clothes in camp and back into the wet ones in the morning.
5. 5Eat and drink – Eat and drink warm food regularly – the body needs energy to produce heat.
6. 6Plan an alternative route – Check stream crossings and slope sections beforehand; if water is rising, change the plan or call off the trip.

Danger: Hypothermia often develops at temperatures above freezing when wet and wind combine. Take shivering, clumsiness and confusion seriously; if it gets worse, call the local emergency number (112 in the EU).

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1. 1Check the tides – Before coastal and beach walks check the local tide table.
2. 2Secure the return route – Plan the latest time to start back and know the exits from the beach (stairs, paths).
3. 3Use lifeguarded beaches – Swim between the marked areas, observe warning flags and signs and supervise children constantly.
4. 4Recognise rip currents – Signs of rip currents can be calmer channels of water between breaking waves, discoloured water or foam drifting out to sea.
5. 5In the water: float – If you unexpectedly fall in or are carried away: first float on your back to calm your breathing, then swim parallel to the shore or wave…
6. 6Raise the alarm – In an emergency call the local emergency number (112 in the EU) or the coastguard and describe the location as precisely as possible.

Danger: If you see someone in difficulty in the water, do not jump in after them: immediately call the local emergency number (112 in the EU) or the coastguard, alert lifeguards and, if possible, throw something that floats.

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1. 1Plan crossings in advance – When planning the trip look for bridges and footbridges.
2. 2Stop at the bank – Do not wade in on impulse.
3. 3Check the no-go criteria – Above knee height, fast, murky, debris, obstacles or drops downstream, alone, chilled or unsure – then do not cross.
4. 4Use the alternatives – Look up or downstream for a bridge, change route, turn back or wait.
5. 5Only if unavoidable and clearly shallow – If a crossing is unavoidable and the water clearly shallow and slow: undo the backpack's hip belt and sternum strap, keep shoes on, use…

Danger: Never walk or drive through floodwater or across flooded roads. A few centimetres of fast-flowing water can knock a person over, a little more can carry away a car.

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1. 1Check whether it is open – Follow local notices, signs and approvals from the authorities.
2. 2In the water: calm your breathing – Keep your head above water and do not fight wildly until the gasping eases.
3. 3Turn back the way you came – Turn towards the side you came from; the ice held there before.
4. 4Slide out flat – Spread the arms far onto the ice, kick the legs to get horizontal and slide yourself flat onto the ice.
5. 5Roll away, do not stand up – Lying on the ice, roll or crawl away from the hole and only stand up on safe ground.

Danger: Do not walk on ice unless you are certain it will hold. Inlets, outlets, reeds, jetties and snow-covered ice are particularly treacherous.

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1. 1Keep back from the edge – Stay on paths, respect barriers, do not go to the edge for photos.
2. 2Avoid the cliff base – Do not rest directly below cliffs (rockfall) and check the tides before walking below cliffs on the beach.
3. 3Plan island stays – Allow a buffer for cancelled ferries, take supplies and medication for a few extra days and follow the forecast.
4. 4On the water – Wear a lifejacket, tell someone your route and return time and carry means of communication in waterproof packaging.

Danger: Keep well back from cliff edges, especially in wind, wet weather and after rain; edges can be undercut. Keep children by the hand and dogs on a lead.

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1. 1Check weather and warnings – Before the trip check storm, thunderstorm and wildfire warnings.
2. 2Navigate deliberately – The forest often lacks a long-distance view.
3. 3Look up when stopping – For breaks and camps check for dead branches, leaning or broken trees, and trees with exposed root plates.
4. 4Check the ground – Hollows can fill with water in rain and stream banks can flood.
5. 5Observe fire rules – Only make a fire where it is permitted and extinguish it completely.
6. 6Check after the trip – Check your body for ticks, especially the backs of the knees, groin, armpits and, with children, head and hairline.

Danger: During and shortly after a storm, avoid the forest or leave it as quickly as possible: branches and trees can fall without warning, even hours after the storm. After storm damage do not enter closed paths.

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1. 1Supplies at home – Build a basic stock of water, food, medication and hygiene items according to your authority's recommendations.
2. 2Think about high-rises – On upper floors, lifts and often water pressure fail in a power outage.
3. 3Know the way home – Know the way home from work or school on foot too – public transport may stop.
4. 4Official information – Keep a battery or crank radio ready, install a warning app and do not pass on rumours from social media unchecked.
5. 5Involve the neighbourhood – Know your neighbours, especially older people or those living alone; agree to check on each other in a crisis.
6. 6Know the support points – Find out whether the city provides emergency information points, shelters or water distribution points, and where they are.

Danger: In a crisis the authorities decide whether to stay at home or leave the area. Follow these instructions and get information via radio, warning apps and official channels.

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1. 1Stay outside – Avoid tunnel entrances, shafts and cave openings and keep away from shaft openings – the edges can give way.
2. 2Talk to children – Explain to children and teenagers why old mines are not adventure playgrounds.
3. 3Safe alternatives – Visit show caves and show mines, or join a caving club that provides training.
4. 4Report hazards – Report open shafts or damaged barriers to the local authority.

Danger: Do not enter abandoned mines, tunnels or shafts – not briefly, not as a shelter. Never cross barriers.

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1. 1Check wind and thunderstorms – Read the forecast for wind, gusts and thunderstorms; do not set off on days with severe weather warnings.
2. 2Wear wind protection – Windproof jacket, hat and neck gaiter within reach; protect eyes from dust with glasses.
3. 3Prepare navigation – Plan the route with compass bearings and waypoints and fix your position regularly.
4. 4Camp in the lee – Use hollows, banks or shrubs as windbreaks, but not gullies where water collects.
5. 5Know your retreat – Mark buildings, vehicles or settlements on the map that you can reach in a thunderstorm or fire.

Danger: In a thunderstorm on open ground: do not be the highest point, avoid lone trees, masts and fences; a closed car or solid building is the best protection.

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1. 1Recognise karst – Typical signs: funnel-shaped hollows, streams that suddenly disappear, strong springs, bare, furrowed limestone surfaces.
2. 2Keep your distance – Stay on paths, do not step to the edge of hollows or shaft openings, and take extra care in fog and snow – openings can be hidden.
3. 3Treat water – Treat water from karst springs and streams before drinking, even if it is clear and cold.
4. 4Caves only with guides – Caves can flood quickly when it rains.
5. 5Report anything unusual – Do not investigate new collapses or depressions, have them cordoned off and report them.

Danger: The edges of dolines, shafts and fresh collapses can give way. Keep your distance, keep children and dogs close and never cross barriers.

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1. 1Get informed beforehand – Check the alert level, exclusion zones and advice from the responsible volcano observatory or authority; follow warning apps and local…
2. 2Stay on paths – Use only marked paths and boardwalks, respect barriers and hold children by the hand.
3. 3Avoid low spots – Do not rest in hollows, ditches or caves near gas vents, especially when there is no wind.
4. 4Leave at the first signs – With a pungent smell, coughing, eye irritation, breathlessness or dizziness, leave immediately uphill and upwind.
5. 5Avoid valleys in heavy rain – On volcanic slopes heavy rain can mobilise loose ash into mudflows.

Danger: Volcanic gases such as carbon dioxide are invisible and odourless and collect in hollows, ditches and caves. Never walk or rest in low spots near gas vents. With shortness of breath, dizziness or headache, move immediately to higher ground, upwind, and call the local emergency number (112 in the EU).

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1. 1Clarify access rules – Whether and where you may enter private land differs greatly between countries and regions.
2. 2Leave gates as you find them – Close gates that were closed and leave open ones open – otherwise animals could escape or be cut off from water.
3. 3Go around cattle – Cross fields with cattle along the edge and calmly, do not get between a cow and her calf, keep a dog on a short lead.
4. 4Avoid hazards – Keep away from slurry stores, silos, machinery, stacks of straw bales and farm buildings.
5. 5Be considerate – Do not walk on crops, take rubbish home, pick up dog waste and do not obstruct work.

Danger: Cattle, especially cows with calves and bulls, can attack and seriously injure people – particularly when a dog is present. Avoid fields with calves where possible. If you are chased by cattle while with a dog, let the dog go and take the shortest safe way out calmly.

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1. 1Get your bearings when boarding – Glance at the emergency intercom, fire extinguisher and door release in the carriage; note the exits on the platform.
2. 2Keep back on the platform – Wait behind the safety line, hold children by the hand, park buggies parallel to the platform edge with the brake on.
3. 3Train stopped in a tunnel – Stay calm, listen for announcements, use the emergency intercom if someone needs help.
4. 4During an evacuation – Follow instructions, leave luggage behind, help each other, walk slowly on steps and uneven ground.
5. 5Avoid crushes – Do not push, do not stop on stairs, and move to the side if the crowd becomes denser.

Danger: Never step down onto the track – not even to retrieve dropped items. Power rails can be live and trains can arrive at any time. Inform staff or use the emergency call point.

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