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Abstract:
Introduction
Mountain hiking has gained increased attraction. Although at a first glance it seems to be a low risk sport, there are always some mountaineering emergencies with alarming the rescue patrols due to causes such as falls, illnesses, blocking or losing their way. Especially for losing their way the newest technical equipment such as GPS-watches or altimeters should be helpful, making such cases less likely and less severe.
Material & Methods
In the period from 2009-2018 (10 years of observational period) 1,393 Mountain Accidents were identified by losing their way from the SAC (Swiss Alpine Club) Central Registry. In order to quantify the severity of injuries NACA Scores (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics Score) were used. Descriptive analysis of the number of losing their way and the age distribution were calculated. In addition, the average annual NACA Scores were calculated. Linear regression in order to identify the existence of a potential trend with calculation of coefficient of determination over time for the number of events and the NACA Scores were calculated. For 1,201 events details of the underlying mechanism (causes such as fog, weather change, night) were identified from the records, which were used in order to group and classify accordingly.
Results
On average, there were 139.2 +- 16.8 cases of losing their way per year, whereby the number of events did not significantly change over time (cases = 0.3394 * time + 137.33 / R2 = 0.0038). The average NACA score was low with 0.37 +- 0.07 and in addition did not significantly increase or decrease over time (NACA Score = 0.002223 * time + 0.38674 / R2 = 0.0098). Concerning the distribution of age, a peak of cases was identified in the age groups of 50-60-year old's and 20-30-year old's.
Discussion
The aim of this study was to analyze causes and consequences of losing their way during mountain hiking. It was suggested, that due to technical gadgets a decrease of the average annual number should be identified. In around 20 percent clear hints were found that increased map reading skills would have been necessary to prevent an emergency. Therefore, it is not only recommended to use modern tools but also to regularly practice in order to know how to use them when forcefully necessary.
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