Climbing - First Aid Guidelines for Novice Climbers
When you're out on the mountain, health problems happen. Injuries, illnesses and other issues occur. Often, professional help is a long way and a long time away. It's important to be able to treat minor conditions to keep them from becoming major. It's important to deal correctly with serious issues to minimize the odds of them being fatal.
First, pack a first aid kit. It needs to be lightweight. But it should still contain the basic items needed for the most likely problems and/or cover the widest possible uses.
Antibiotic ointment and simple gauze and bandages are low weight, but can keep a minor scrape from becoming a serious infection. Aspirin, for those who can use it, is a very universal treatment and for more than just simple headaches. It's useful for any kind of inflammation and pain.
Carrying at least a small amount of sterile water is important. Drinking fluid is vital for avoiding dehydration on a climb. But many, rightly so, prefer to carry sports drinks in order to replenish not only water but minerals as well. But the ability to clean a wound is essential for avoiding infection. Streams aren't always nearby and often contain harmful bacteria, despite how pure and pristine they may appear.
Sunscreen may not at first sound like first aid material. But an ounce of prevention here is literally worth much more than a pound of cure. Sunburn can not only be painful, it increases the odds of infection. The skin is the body's primary block against tiny invasive organisms that reproduce and interfere with internal systems. Sunburn can reduce freedom of movement, making climbing more risky.
Having the right items along is essential, but so is knowing how to perform first aid.
Any good climbing class will contain instruction in safety and first aid. That environment is the best way to obtain the needed knowledge for how to treat injuries and illness in the wild.
Such courses will cover performing a Heimlich maneuver to dislodge windpipe obstructions. They'll teach students how to distinguish a simple fracture from a compound fracture and what to do in each case. They'll demonstrate how to make a sling, how to carry a person with an injured ankle, what to do about a dislocated joint and other common problems.
Practicing CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation), though you hope it will never be necessary, can make the difference between a serious but short-lived episode and a life lost. It's simple to learn and apply, but has to be done correctly.
Treating heat stroke, AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness), Frostbite and other common conditions is important. It doesn't require in-depth medical knowledge and a few simple lessons will equip anyone with what they need to know.
In the case of Frostbite, for example, removing the affected area immediately from cold is essential. Treating with warm water, if possible, can be very beneficial (provided you don't expose the tissue to increased cold from wetting the skin). At least, wrap the area in warm clothes.
Heat stroke can be very dangerous, even fatal. But it develops in degrees usually. Drinking cool fluids, resting in the shade and other simple actions can prevent or treat it quickly.
AMS occurs from ascending too quickly into low-oxygen level heights where air pressure is changing. Slowing the rate of ascent is important for prevention. Once it occurs, descending or treating with a portable chamber is needed.
There are other, easy-to-learn lessons that can keep your climb from becoming a medical disaster. Attending a first aid course is the best way to acquire the needed knowledge.
