Lost: the STOP rule

When you realise you are lost, you often get a little fright. The body then switches to 'act fast' – you walk faster, look less carefully and make gut decisions. That is exactly what leads to further mistakes. Every minute of hasty walking can increase the distance to the last known point.

Stopping deliberately breaks this cycle. A sip of water, something to eat, a few calm breaths – it sounds trivial, but it helps the mind think clearly again. Many situations resolve themselves in those minutes, because you suddenly remember where you took the wrong turn.

Staying in one place also makes things easier for rescuers. A person who stays put can be found in a much smaller area than someone who wanders around for hours.

When thinking, it helps to break the situation into questions: where was the last point I was completely sure of? How long have I walked since then, and roughly in which direction? Did I go uphill or downhill, did I cross a stream? And very important: does anyone know where I am and when I meant to be back?

When observing, you look at your surroundings and at yourself. What is the weather doing, how much daylight is left? How full is the battery? Do you have enough water, warm clothing, food, a torch? How are you and the others – tired, injured, soaked? Only then do you use map, compass or phone to work out your position.

If you are in a group: stay together. A group that splits up to 'search faster' often turns one lost person into several.

There is no rule that is always right. Going back makes sense if you know the way to the last known point for certain and it is safe – for example because you have only just come that way and it is easy to see. Staying is usually better if someone knows your trip plan, the spot is safe and you do not know the way back for certain.

A particularly dangerous idea is to go cross-country 'just downhill into the valley'. Stream beds and steep slopes often end at drop-offs, waterfalls or gorges where you can go neither forward nor back. Unknown steep terrain is no way out.

If you stay, find a safe, preferably open spot nearby – away from rockfall, avalanche slopes and flood zones. There you can be seen better from above and from a distance. If the place where you are is acutely dangerous, you of course move to safety first.

Call for help early if someone is injured or exhausted, darkness is falling in difficult terrain or hypothermia is a risk: local emergency number, 112 in the EU. An early call in daylight is much better than a late one at night. Afterwards, save the battery – no aimless searching on the map app, no long phone calls.

When waiting, protect yourself against cold and wet early, not only once you are already shivering. Sit on your rucksack, a sleeping mat or thick branches instead of the bare ground, because the ground draws away a lot of heat. Put on extra clothing, look for shelter from wind and rain. An emergency blanket can help in addition.

Make yourself visible and audible: bright clothing, a torch, calling out or a whistle. Three short signals in a row are understood as a call for help in many places. Whistling is far less tiring than shouting over time and carries further.

Go through the STOP rule briefly before every trip, especially with children. Play the situation through once: 'What do you do if you can't see us any more?' The answer should come automatically: stop, stay in one place, call out or whistle. Give children their own whistle for this.

For adults a habit helps: on the way, consciously note 'safe points' – a hut, a junction, a bridge. Then, if it comes to it, you know exactly where you last were. And leave a plan with a trusted person before every trip; without it, nobody may be searching for you in an emergency.