Safer in the mountains with GRZS and PZS

At today's press conference of the Mountain Rescue Association of Slovenia (GRZS) in Kranj, which was also attended by the Alpine Association of Slovenia (PZS), they presented a short analysis of rescue operations in 2014, Avalanche Awareness Days on Pokljka, tips for safer mountain visits this winter, and news on PZS membership fees and benefits for hikers and mountain visitors.



In 2014, GRZS carried out 396 rescue operations, slightly more than the previous year but less than in 2011 and 2012, said Klemen Belhar, member of the GRZS Commission for Information and Analysis, emphasizing that more efforts in prevention are still needed to reduce the number of operations. Mountain rescuers most frequently rescued domestic mountain visitors last year, followed by Germans, Czechs, Hungarians, Poles, Austrians, and Britons. The main causes of accidents remain slips, unfamiliarity with the terrain, and physical unpreparedness, with more male victims than female. Most accidents occur while walking on hiking trails, followed by paragliding accidents, work accidents, and off-trail hiking accidents. The better trained or organized the mountain visitors are, the fewer accidents; regular visitors suffer more accidents than members of mountaineering clubs. The most common are injuries to lower and upper limbs, head injuries stand out as the cause of most deaths in the mountains, so Belhar highlighted the importance of using a helmet. The full analysis of rescue operations in 2014 can be viewed in the GRZS media center.



GRZS President Igor Potočnik said that mountain accidents on trails predominate, and in 2014, marked by ice storms, there were more interventions for injuries during forest work. Accidents in adrenaline sports are also frequent, especially paragliding in the Tolmin area, while there are few in alpinism and mountain biking. Potočnik also emphasized that mountain rescuers have been warning visitors for years to mentally and physically prepare for the trip, equip appropriately, and choose a tour matching their abilities and experience, but casual visitors do not follow this.



One of the biggest dangers for winter mountain visitors are avalanches, and next weekend, January 24 and 25, the traditional Avalanche Awareness Days will take place, organized by GRZS for 30 years on Pokljka and aimed at the general public. Klemen Volontar, President of the GRZS Commission for Avalanche Rescue, summarized tips for winter mountain visits in three rules: "Never go alone into the mountains in winter, follow and heed the weather forecast, and be equipped and use the equipment." The two-day training includes theoretical and practical training with information on safer movement in the mountains, recognizing dangers, reading weather and avalanche forecasts, equipment selection, a lecture on the medical aspect of rescue and companion assistance, a demonstration of organized rescue stories, searching with a transceiver on the polygon, and searching with a rescue dog.

Winter mountain visits are characterized by lower temperatures, shorter days, closed mountain huts, and fewer visitors, but excellent conditions for avalanches are forming. There is little snow, due to strong and frequent winds wind slabs are forming, which will not be visible after new snowfall and will pose a snow trap triggered by minor load. That wind slab avalanches are the most common cause of accidents in Slovenian mountains and across the Alps was pointed out by the President of the GRZS Commission for Information and Analysis and PZS expert collaborator Matjaž Šerkezi, adding that there is currently very little snow on southern slopes, hiking trails are icy, and most hikers are not prepared for this. Good aids on easier trails are hiking crampons, but they are not suitable for more demanding trails and high mountains. In winter, the avalanche triplet goes in the backpack: avalanche transceiver, which must be worn on the body under the outer layer of clothing, avalanche probe, and avalanche shovel. Short instructions for safer mountain visits in winter are provided by the free leaflet "Caution, Avalanche", available at PZS, GRZS, mountaineering clubs, and other locations; more comprehensive tips for safer mountain visits this winter can be found at this link.



News on Alpine Association of Slovenia membership fees and benefits for hikers and mountain visitors was presented by PZS General Secretary Matej Planko. Every member with paid membership expresses affiliation to the mountaineering organization, can claim discounts on overnight stays in Slovenian and numerous foreign mountain huts, various discounts on purchases and services from PZS and its partners, and also has insurance covering accident insurance, liability insurance; the key novelty in 2015 is the introduction of assistance within insurance for rescue costs in foreign mountains and additional health assistance in rescue abroad. In case of rescue abroad, the insured has fewer logistical issues, as they just notify the insurer's call center, which then takes over organizing the rescue action, and above all, the individual does not have to pay rescue costs and wait for reimbursement, as the insurer covers them directly up to the insured amount. Rescue costs abroad range from three to ten thousand euros. Every member with paid membership receives a handy card with instructions on how to respond in case of need for rescue in the mountains. Details on PZS membership for 2015 can be read on the PZS website.



General austerity measures in Slovenia have also affected mountain rescuers, who despite a high number of operations in the last four years received a third less funds, but there is no need to fear that they would leave anyone injured in the mountains because of this, concluded Igor Potočnik, as mountain rescuers rescue as volunteers and do not receive payment for their work.