{"id":535,"date":"2020-02-07T20:51:56","date_gmt":"2020-02-07T19:51:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theursaminor.eu\/?p=535"},"modified":"2020-02-07T20:51:56","modified_gmt":"2020-02-07T19:51:56","slug":"winter-trekking-safety-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theursaminor.eu\/?p=535","title":{"rendered":"Winter Trekking Safety Tips"},"content":{"rendered":"

When temperatures drop down, ice and snow bring new challenges to the hikes. So here are some important rules that will help you stay safe and enjoy your routes in the nature, without having unexpected problems.<\/p>\n

Check the weather<\/b><\/p>\n

View and study the weather forecast for the route, starting one week before. Remember that the weather in the mountains is changing very fast and you need to be prepared for these changes. Select a route you are familiar with. When the trails are covered with snow, it can be more difficult to find the way. Be very careful in searching for signage on the trail.<\/p>\n

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Avoid hiking alone<\/b><\/p>\n

As we always say, take your friends first and then the backpacks. Hiking with friends provides more security and fun.<\/p>\n

Start early and finish early<\/b><\/p>\n

The night arrives earlier in the winter months and in the mountains the night arrives earlier than the city. Ice and snow will also slow down your speed. Choose a shorter route than the one you would in the summer and start early in the day and plan your route so you can be off the trail before darkness falls. You must take care of having a headlight, with new batteries, with you, just in case.<\/p>\n

Dress properly<\/b><\/p>\n

Staying dry is the key for staying warm in the winter and dressing in layers will help you to achieve that. A good base layer is an isothermal blouse. Add a middle layer such as a fleece and then a waterproof, breathable jacket. Avoid wearing cotton as it holds moisture. All the above, applies to the legs, as well. Add or remove layers to minimize sweating. Wear a hat because a significant amount of body heat is lost from the head. Also cover your neck and hands. Don’t overdress at the beginning. As you walk, you will get warmer. But when you stop, you should dress well. Also be sure to wear sturdy, waterproof footwear and a pair of good hiking socks (remember, no cotton).<\/p>\n

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Extra equipment <\/b><\/p>\n

Take care of the hiking poles functionality. You might need to adjust their height, depending on the field. Make sure you have special micro spikes shoe covers that will help your balance in icy conditions or crampons and an ice axe, depending on the route. Use gaiters to prevent the snow from getting into your boots. Don\u2019t forget UV400 sunglasses, as the ice or snow glare can be seriously hazardous and may cause eye damage and temporary blindness.<\/p>\n

Take Care of Nutrition and Hydration<\/b><\/p>\n

Hiking in the cold burns more calories, so make sure you have extra snacks and liquids. Foods such as nuts, raisins or chocolate are great. Dehydration can also be a problem in the winter. It is not easy, when you are cold, to notice how much you are sweating and therefore how much you are dehydrated. Make sure you bring and drink plenty of water.<\/p>\n

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Finally remember<\/b>: The trails are difficult to be maintained in winter and the conditions of the route vary according the weather. So the risks are greater. No set of rules can substitute the real field conditions. Be very careful and responsible first for your own safety and then for the safety of the others.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When temperatures drop down, ice and snow bring new challenges to the hikes. So here are some important rules that will help you stay safe and enjoy your routes in the nature, without having unexpected problems.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":536,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[239],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tips"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/theursaminor.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/iStock_17151186_MEDIUM.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7oXKh-8D","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theursaminor.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theursaminor.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theursaminor.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theursaminor.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theursaminor.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=535"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/theursaminor.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":540,"href":"https:\/\/theursaminor.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535\/revisions\/540"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theursaminor.eu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theursaminor.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theursaminor.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theursaminor.eu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}