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Hiker sitting securely on a broad rock ledge on steep ground making a call, a helicopter in the distance

I am stuck on steep ground and can go neither forward nor back

The path got steeper and steeper, and now you can go neither forward nor back. Stopping here and calling for help is the right thing – not trying somehow.

First

  1. Stop. No more steps that feel unsafe – do not climb on, do not jump, do not let yourself slide.
  2. Stay or sit down where you have firm footing, and secure your backpack so nothing falls.
  3. Call for help: 112, in the Austrian mountains also the alpine emergency number 140. Say where you are and that you are stuck.
  4. Put on warm clothes and wait. Watch out for falling rocks and put on a helmet if you have one.

Call emergency services if

  • You can go neither forward nor back safely
  • Someone has fallen or is injured
  • Cold, wet, a thunderstorm or darkness is setting in
  • Rocks are falling near you

Emergency numbers for Austria · Change region

What is happening

Getting stuck happens faster than you think: a path gets steeper than expected, a section has slipped away, you have strayed from the marked trail, or the way back looks far more dangerous from above than it did on the way up. Suddenly every step feels unsafe, your legs shake, looking down is frightening.

The real danger usually comes from what happens next: a hasty attempt to climb on after all, a jump, a “shortcut” over steep grass or scree. Add cold and wind when you sit still for a long time, darkness and rocks falling from the face above.

Mountain rescue can bring stuck people down, on foot or by helicopter. The earlier it is called, the more likely this can still happen in daylight and calm weather. Emergency numbers: 112, in the Austrian mountains also the alpine emergency number 140. Without signal, the alpine distress signal helps.

This page helps you secure your position, call for help, keep warm and behave correctly during the rescue. It does not replace climbing or belaying technique.

Step by step

I am stuck on steep ground and can go neither forward nor back – Phase 1 of 4Stop: do not climb on. Stop and breathe. No step that feels unsafe. Stay or sit down where you stand or sit securely, with firm hold for hands and feet. Secure your backpack, poles and phone so that nothing falls. Do not jump, do not slide down steep grass or scree, no “shortcuts”.
Phase 1 of 4

Phase 1 of 4

Stop: do not climb on

Stop and breathe. No step that feels unsafe. Stay or sit down where you stand or sit securely, with firm hold for hands and feet. Secure your backpack, poles and phone so that nothing falls. Do not jump, do not slide down steep grass or scree, no “shortcuts”.

The animation shows the key actions of each phase schematically; the text below is what counts.

  1. Phase 1

    Stop: do not climb on

    • Stop and breathe. No step that feels unsafe.
    • Stay or sit down where you stand or sit securely, with firm hold for hands and feet.
    • Secure your backpack, poles and phone so that nothing falls.
    • Do not jump, do not slide down steep grass or scree, no “shortcuts”.

  2. Phase 2

    Call for help

    • Call 112, in the Austrian mountains also 140.
    • Say where you are (coordinates from the map app, path, nearby summit), that you are stuck, how many of you there are, whether anyone is hurt and what the weather is like.
    • Then stay reachable and save battery.
    • Without signal: keep trying the emergency call anyway; alpine distress signal with shouts, whistle or light – six signals per minute, then one minute's pause.

  3. Phase 3

    Keep warm and avoid falling rocks

    • Put on all layers early: jacket, hat, gloves – even if you feel warm right now.
    • Sit on your backpack or a mat; wrap a bivvy bag or an emergency blanket around you if you have one.
    • Put on a helmet if you have one; do not kick stones loose, and if one comes loose, shout “Rock!” loudly.
    • Eat and drink a little, pace your strength.

  4. Phase 4

    When the rescue arrives

    • Stay visible: bright clothing, a light; show the helicopter a Y with both arms.
    • Hold on to or pack away loose things such as a hat, emergency blanket or plastic bags – the downwash is strong.
    • Stay seated until the rescuers reach you; do not run or climb towards the helicopter.
    • Follow every instruction from mountain rescue exactly.

★ Pro tips

What experienced people do differently: proven practice from mountain rescue, fire services, lifeguards and civil protection that beginners rarely know.

  1. Only climb up what you can climb back down

    Going down is almost always harder than going up, because you cannot see the footholds well. Mountain guides ask at every tricky step: could I get back down this? If not, that is the moment to turn round – not a bit higher up.

  2. Don't let the cost hold you back

    Fear of the cost makes many people call too late. Membership of many Alpine clubs includes insurance for rescue costs, and some personal accident policies cover it too. Check before your trip so you do not hesitate when it matters.

  3. Don't grab the winch hook too early

    During a winch rescue the hook can carry a static charge. Do not grab it and do not try to clip yourself in. Wait until the rescuer reaches you and secures you – they will tell you exactly what to do.

  4. Against fear of heights: eyes on the rock

    Look at the rock right in front of you or at your hands, not down into the drop. Breathe out slowly, longer than you breathe in. Shaking and a pounding heart are a normal stress reaction and ease once you are sitting securely.

What to watch out for

  • Trying is more dangerous than waiting

    Anyone who is stuck and tries “somehow” takes exactly the risk they wanted to avoid. Waiting and calling for help is not weakness but the safe decision.

  • Falling rocks

    Rocks come loose on their own, because of animals or because of people higher up. Do not sit in gullies where rocks come down if a safe spot next to it can be reached without climbing.

  • Cold while sitting still

    If you stop while sweaty, you cool down quickly. Dress early and insulate yourself from the ground before shivering starts.

  • Two emergencies instead of one

    Companions who climb over to a stuck person often end up stuck themselves or fall. Call and watch from safe points; the rescue does the rest.

  • Darkness and weather

    In thunderstorms, fog or darkness every rescue becomes more difficult. So call early, not only when the sun is setting.

Common mistakes

  • Climbing on because “it will work somehow”.
  • Sliding down or jumping over steep grass or scree.
  • Putting off the emergency call too long out of embarrassment or fear of the cost.
  • Draining the battery with photos and searching.
  • Putting on warm clothing too late.
  • Running towards the helicopter or letting loose things fly around.

Prepare in advance

  • Choose tours that match your ability and read up on the difficulty of the paths beforehand (in Austria, for example, the Alpine Club's grading of mountain paths).
  • Set a turnaround time and stick to it; leave your route and return time with someone.
  • Know the emergency numbers: 112, in the Austrian mountains 140; know the alpine distress signal.
  • Always carry a warm layer, hat, gloves, headlamp, emergency blanket or bivvy bag and a charged phone.
  • Wear a helmet on steep paths.

Special consideration

Children
Keep children close to you and seated, dress them warmly and explain what is happening. Small tasks help against fear: keeping a lookout, holding the light, giving signals.
Dogs
Keep the dog on a short lead close to you so it does not slip or kick stones loose. Tell mountain rescue during the call that a dog is with you.

Sources

  • International Commission for Alpine Rescue (ICAR) – recommendations and information (organisation website) · ICAR – International Commission for Alpine Rescue
  • Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills, 9th edition · The Mountaineers Books, 2017
  • Wege und Markierungen – Informationen des Alpenvereins zu Bergwegen und Wegemarkierung (Organisationswebsite) · Österreichischer Alpenverein
  • Wilderness Medical Society Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Out-of-Hospital Evaluation and Treatment of Accidental Hypothermia: 2019 Update · Wilderness & Environmental Medicine (Wilderness Medical Society), 2019
  • Notrufnummern (oesterreich.gv.at) · Bundesministerium für Finanzen – Amtshelfer oesterreich.gv.at
  • 112 – the European emergency number · European Commission

Your situation

Do you have signal?
Weather and time of day
With whom?

Matching entries

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Basics for this situation

Why: Always applies to this situation – regardless of your answers.

All rules of this situation (5)

  1. [not active] If Do you have signal? = Yes, the phone works

    Give your location, ideally with coordinates from your map app, and describe what you can see. Then stay reachable and save battery.

  2. [not active] If Do you have signal? = No, no signal

    Keep trying the emergency call anyway. Draw attention with the alpine distress signal, a whistle or a light and stay visible. Only look for signal along a safe path – never by climbing.

  3. [not active] If Weather and time of day = Weather getting worse or darkness coming soon

    Put on all warm layers early, sit on your backpack or a mat and keep out of the wind as far as you can without climbing. Keep a light within reach.

  4. [not active] If With whom? = With other adults

    Stay together. Nobody climbs over to or after a stuck person – otherwise there will be two emergencies. Whoever goes for help takes only a safe, known path.

  5. [not active] If With whom? = With a child

    Keep the child close to you and seated, dress them warmly and calmly explain that mountain rescue is coming. Small tasks help: keeping a lookout, holding the light.