SAFETY & PREVENTION

Safety and Prevention Articles

Two articles make up the core of this category. One is Wilderness Safety—A Debate. This article is formatted as a fictitious debate between ultralightists and traditionalists. It includes in-depth discussions regarding the safety impacts of things like survival gear, gear failure, hypothermia, low-cut shoes and solo hiking (among others). A question central to this debate: How important are knowledge, experience and skill compared to the gear carried?

The other core article in this category is Risk Management Principles Applied to Hiking. This article discusses the highest probability risks faced by wilderness travelers. It also discusses how risk management principles can be applied to hiking and backpacking. It encourages trip leaders to do risk assessment and planning before trips into the wilderness.

Other in-depth articles currently available in this category cover three serious problems for wilderness travelers: fording fast-moving water, hypothermia and falling in rough terrain.