Bulletin's survival recommendations don’t offer full picture

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OpEd to The Bulletin

Bulletin's Winter survival recommendations don’t offer full picture
By Robert Speik
Bulletin Guest Columnist
Published in The Bulletin February 27, 2013
The Bulletin’s Winter Survival Skills series by writer Leon Pantenburg may be appropriate for a closely led pre-teen youth group but it fails to give hunters, hikers, snowshoers, skiers, snowmobile riders and other adults the basic information they need to mitigate in part, the inherent risks of outdoor adventures in the winter.

Indeed, Mr. Pantenburg contributes many of the myths, tips and tricks offered by a cottage industry of “survival experts”.

Clever Survival Kits take attention away from the common sense things each individual should have - to be able to avoid hypothermia (exposure) if forced to stay in place for hours or overnight when lost, injured, stranded by a breakdown or while helping an injured friend.

The Bulletin’s Winter Survival Skills series spends an entire page and six full-page columns on small Survival Kits, one sized to an Altoids tin, the other to a small fanny pack, and also Fire Starting and Emergency Shelter.

Outdoor Leadership traditions of major Outings Clubs - with total membership numbering in the many thousands, hold that each participant should dress for trip specific activity in the forecast weather and carry minimum extra clothing layers that provide protection from a drop in temperature and a possible rain or snow storm or an unexpected cold wet night out.

The series fails to note the real danger of wet clothing layers – hypothermia from heat conduction by water - and does not emphasize carrying a waterproof shell and pants. Leather gloves as illustrated, are sure to become wet in winter, causing terrible cold injuries.

Not emphasized in the Kits are high carbohydrate snacks, two quarts of water or Gatorade to delay dehydration leading to hypothermia and cold injuries.

Each person should carry these trip-specific elements of the traditional "Ten Essentials Systems", including reliable insulation for resting on the wet ground or snow, in a simple day pack, sized to the season and trip and impossible to carry in a tiny Altoids tin.

None of Leon’s small “Winter Survival Kits” contain a map of the area. I did not find a topo map mentioned in the entire winter skills series. The tiny toy compasses illustrated, may point towards North but are just feel-good substitutes for the real thing, a simple declination adjusted clear base plate compass. It does little good to know which way is generally magnetic North if you do not stay found and know accurately where you are on your map showing the best way to safety.

No mention is made of GPS receivers. The simple accurate models cost about $100 and are easy to learn to use with a map. Today, many hunters, snow shoers and snowmobile riders always use a GPS. No, a smart phone is not a substitute for a hand held GPS.

No mention is made of the value of an ordinary digital cell phone. By FCC statute, mobile phone Providers, within ten minutes of a request from SAR, must provide by triangulation from cell tower pings, your accurate geographic location.

Part 2, Learning skills to make a fire, assumes a supply of dry wood on the dry ground, not wet wood under feet of melting snow. To my knowledge, the use of a warming fire has not has not been noted by SAR reports in the last 15 years, in our Central Oregon winter conditions.

Part 3, Learning how to make a shelter in deep snow, is dangerously misleading! A traditional “snow cave” provides insulation from a thick dome of snow, not a thin tarp blowing in the wind. The entrance to a real snow cave must be below an insulated sleeping bench, trapping warmed air. In the snow hole described, hypothermia is hastened by the transference of warmth from the seated (child) to the ice. Note that little “kits” do not include shovel(s) and thick insulating pads.

No mention is made of flagging the shelter, soon covered by drifting snow.

Robert Speik lives in Bend and offers “free basic to advanced mountain climbing instruction” on his website www.TraditionalMountaineering.org
Copyright© 2013 by Robert Speik. All Rights Reserved.

Robert Speik's In My Views comments about your Winter Survival piece didn't go far enough
By Paul Chance
Bulletin Guest Columnist
Published in The Bulletin on March 10, 2013
Robert Speik's In My Views comments about your Winter Survival piece didn't go far enough.

Staying alive overnight, in the snow, is an important skill for locals to have. By publishing fluff pieces like your survival series you missed an opportunity to present really useful information. And it may give your readers a false sense of empowerment so they don’t feel the need to make the effort to learn real skills.

Reading the "snow shelter" topic, I thought, "All that's missing is putting the cross on top so they can find the bodies."

Look at the entrance tunnel on the "Igloo" page: five snow blocks per section. If a single person tried to create that igloo, they’d be drenched with sweat, in the cold and dark, before they were finished.

For sure, making an igloo is a fun ALL DAY (short winter days) project for two or more people. But in survival mode, there are better, easier shelter options and more practical gear to bring along. You could have used the space to present effective skills and encouraged an exercise of spending a backyard overnight with warm clothes, food and shelter nearby as backup.

Perhaps as a follow up, you could have one of your staff - maybe the one who opted the article - ski out half a mile in the snow and spend the night using the equipment presented. You could even take him out blindfolded, then somehow disorient him, so he can find his way back with just that keychain compass.
Paul Chance lives in Bend
Copyright© 2013 by Paul Chance. All Rights Reserved.

A suggested minimum standard media advisory for all backcountry travelers

"We would like to take this opportunity to ask our visitors to the backcountry to plan for the unexpected. Each person should dress for the forecast weather and take minimum extra clothing protection from a drop in temperature and possible rain or snow storm or an unexpected cold wet night out, insulation from the wet ground or snow, high carbohydrate snacks, two quarts of water, a topo map and base-plate declination-adjustable compass and optional inexpensive hand held GPS and the skills to use them, and a charged simple cell phone to call 911. Consider carrying a SPOT-2 Satellite Messenger costing $100.00. Carry the traditional personal "Ten Essential Systems" in a light weight day pack sized for the trip, the season and the forecast weather.

Visitors are reminded to tell a Responsible Person where they are going, where they plan to park, car description and license plate number, when they will be back and to make sure that person understands that they are relied upon to call 911 at a certain (early) time if the backcountry traveler has not checked in as agreed."

THE MISSION of TraditionalMountaineering.org

"To provide information and instruction about world-wide basic to advanced alpine mountain climbing safety skills and gear, on and off trail hiking, scrambling and light and fast Leave No Trace backpacking techniques based on the foundation of an appreciation for the Stewardship of the Land, all illustrated through photographs and accounts of actual shared mountaineering adventures."

TraditionalMountaineering is founded on the premise that "He who knows naught, knows not that he knows naught", that exploring the hills and summitting peaks have dangers that are hidden to the un-informed and that these inherent risks can be in part, identified and mitigated by mentoring: information, training, wonderful gear, and knowledge gained through the experiences of others.

The value of TraditionalMountaineering to our Friends is the selectivity of the information we provide, and its relevance to introducing folks to informed hiking on the trail, exploring off the trail, mountain travel and Leave-no-Trace light-weight bivy and backpacking, technical travel over steep snow, rock and ice, technical glacier travel and a little technical rock climbing on the way to the summit. Whatever your capabilities and interests, there is a place for everyone in traditional alpine mountaineering.

WARNING - *DISCLAIMER!*
Mountain climbing has inherent dangers that can, only in part, be mitigated

ABOUT ALPINE MOUNTAINEERING
The Sport of Alpine Mountaineering
Climbing Together
Following the Leader
The Mountaineers' Rope
Basic Responsibilities
The Ten Essential Systems
Our Mission

THE ESSENTIAL PAPERWORK
Suggested Leader Guidelines    Suggested information you should receive from your organized Leaders
Sign-in Agreements, Waivers and Prospectus     This pdf form will need to be signed by you at the trail head
Sample Prospectus    Make sure every leader tells you what the group is going to do; print a copy for your "responsible person"
Participant Information Form    This pdf form can be printed and mailed or handed to the Leader if requested or required
Emergency and Incident Report Form    Copy and print this form. Carry two copies with your Essentials
Participant and Group First Aid Kit    Print this form. Make up your own first aid essentials (kits)

ESSENTIAL PERSONAL CLOTHING AND GEAR
Why is the digital cell phone best for backcountry and mountaineering?
What does Steve House wear for light and fast climbing?
What clothing do you wear for Light and Fast winter mountaineering?
What do you carry in your winter day pack? Photos?
Which digital camera do you use in the mountains?
What about Boots and Shoes?

YOUR ESSENTIAL DAY PACKS
What are the new Ten Essential Systems?
What does experience tell us about Light and Fast climbing?
What is the best traditional alpine mountaineering summit pack?
What is Light and Fast alpine climbing?
What do you carry in your day pack?    Photos?
What do you carry in your winter day pack?     Photos?
Why are "Emergency Kits" dangerous?
What should I know about "space blankets"?
Leave no Trace with Restop bags
Mountaineering blue bag, WAG bag and Restop bag waste solutions in 1985
Where can I get a personal and a group first aid kit?    Photos?

YOUR LITE AND FAST BACKPACK
Which light backpack do you use for winter and summer? Analysis pdf
What would you carry in your backpack to climb Shasta or Adams?
Leave no Trace with Restop bags
Mountaineering blue bag, WAG bag and Restop bag waste solutions in 1985
What is the best traditional alpine mountaineering summit pack?
Photos of lite gear packed for a multi day approach to spring and summer summits
Backpack lite gear list for spring and summer alpine mountaineering 4 pdf pages

CARBORATION AND HYDRATION
Is running the Western States 100 part of "traditional mountaineering"?
What's wrong with GORP? Answers to the quiz!
Why do I need to count carbohydrate calories?
What should I know about having a big freeze-dried dinner?
What about carbo-ration and fluid replacement during traditional alpine climbing? 4 pages in pdf
What should I eat before a day of aerobic climbing?

REAL SURVIVAL STRATEGIES
Why is the digital cell phone best for backcountry and mountaineering?
FREE Clinic on Real Survival Strategies and Staying Found with Map, Compass and GPS together
What do you carry in your winter day and summit pack?
Why are "Snow Caves" dangerous?
Why are "Space Blankets" dangerous?
Why are "Emergency Kits" dangerous?
How can you avoid Hypothermia?
Missing climbers on Mount Hood, one dies of exposure, two believed killed in fall
Missing California family found, dad dies from exposure and hypothermia
Missing man survives two weeks trapped in snow-covered car
Missing snowmobile riders found, Roger Rouse dies from hypothermia
Olympic Champion Rulon Gardner lost on snowmobile!
Lost Olympic hockey player looses feet to cold injury
Expert skier lost five days near resort in North Cascades without map, compass, gps or cell phone
Mount Hood - The Episcopal School Tragedy
Mount Hood - Experienced climbers rescued from snow cave
How can you learn the skills of snow camping? Prospectus

BACKCOUNTRY NAVIGATION
Topographic maps of the backcountry work with your compass and GPS
Why is the digital cell phone best for backcountry travel and mountaineering?
What is a PLB?
What is the best GPS for mountaineering and backcountry travel?
What is the best Compass for mountaineering and backcountry travel?
How accurate is the inexpensive hand-held GPS today?
What are some good Central Oregon Geocaches?
What is the Public Land Survey Grid? pdf
What is the UTM Grid? six pdf pages
How do you use your map, compass and GPS together, in a nut shell?
How can I learn to use my map, compass and GPS?
Do you have map, compass and GPS seminar notes? six pdf pages

ALPINE CLIMBING ON SNOW AND ICE
Winter mountaineering hazards - streams and lakes
Is long distance backpacking part of "traditional mountaineering"?
How long is the traditional alpine mountaineering ice axe?
What about climbing Mt. Hood?
What is a good personal description of the south side route on Mount Hood?
What should I know about travel over hard snow and ice?
How can I learn to self belay and ice axe arrest? 6 pdf pages
What should I know about snow caves?
What should I know about climbing Aconcagua?

AVALANCHE AVOIDANCE
Young Bend man dies in back county avalanche
What is an avalanche cord?
Avalanche training courses - understanding avalanche risk
How is avalanche risk described and rated by the professionals? pdf table
How can I avoid dying in an avalanche?
Known avalanche slopes near Bend, OR?
Can I avoid avalanche risk with good gear and seminars? pdf file

SNOWSHOES AND CRAMPONS
Why do you like GAB crampons for traditional mountaineering?
What should I know about the new snowshoe trails
What are technical snowshoes?
Which crampons are the best?
What about Boots and Shoes?

TECHNICAL MOUNTAINEERING
What is the best traditional alpine mountaineering summit pack?
What is the best belay | rappel | autoblock device for traditional alpine mountaineering?
What gear do you normally rack on your traditional alpine mountaineering harness? Photos?
What is the best traditional alpine mountaineering seat harness? Photos?
Can I use a Sharpie Pen for Marking the Middle of the Climbing Rope?
What are the highest peaks in Oregon? Alphabetically?