Good to see the excellent article ‘After the accident – how to get found alive’ by Roger Webb of Dundonnell Mountain Rescue Team on UKH getting loads of attention and generating lots of discussion. (See previous post).
As i was ‘between bags’ ie still fruitlessly searching for the ideal winter mountain rescue sack i had emptied the Ortovox Haute Route 45 and was about to fill the Arcteryx Alpha FL 40 when i thought i’d play the ‘why am i carrying this’ quiz with myself in order to justify the load on my shoulders.
This is what goes on the hill with me on a call-out in winter. It’s healthy to consider why everything is being carried and consider ways to lose weight from the sack but it’s healthier to take the baseline of being able to ‘spend the night in full winter conditions on Kinder Plateau’ as the reason.
Some notes – a) doesn’t include the winter boots + winter softshell pants + MRT Buffalo Special 6 shirt + hat + gloves i’m probably already wearing b) Blizzard products are brilliant – there’s a full trauma blanket and a jacket in here c) doesn’t include paper maps d) doesn’t include more calories e) the A5 green square is an aide-memoire f) there is another small torch + tuffcuts + sharpie and paper + sweets in my Arva Equipment radio bra (bottom right) g) microspikes on board as they’re as useful on clarty wet slopes as they are on ice.
Sack + bra weighs about 9.5kg. Right then, better pack it all away just in case …📞⛑️.