Here's one for you.

This one happened last month, don't know why I didn't post about it earlier.

We'd had some snow, then rain, then cold. This produced a layer of about 1" of ice on the snow, and then it warmed up, so now there's a 1" layer of ice with a skim of water on it. It's slippery - really slippery. We had a call for a guy killed by a falling tree on this day (I posted about that) and later that evening, there was a call for a cliff rescue. A guy had slipped and fallen down the side of a steep, steep hill on a road that's closed in the winter because it's so steep and narrow.

He was cold, and he tried and tried to use his cell phone to get help - but there was not enough signal to call out. He was there for hours, injured and unable to climb up - and nothing but a shear fall further below.

He got lucky. As the sun set, the cell phone, for some reason his cell phone was able to get a signal and he called 911, and because he was able to accurately describe where he was, a crew got to him. But even the crew on-scene had a hard time finding him - he was too weak to shout loudly, and they could not see him from the road. A simple whistle would have knocked an hour off the rescue - maybe more. Although there's no traffic on the road, there was occasional foot traffic - three short bursts - repeatedly - would eventually attract attention.

Simple tools for unusual situations, always a good idea.

1. PLB :-)

2. Would a text message been more likely to get sent than a voice call? I found that at my son's summer camp I could send & receive text messages but didn't have enough signal strength to talk with anyone.

3. Why was he so weak? Injuries? Cold?

4. I've found that even a bit of snow on the ground can REALLY absorb sound - could snow been muffling his shouts?

I was thinking about that situation the other day while reading an article about how ice climbers brake a slide using their ice axe and crampons...and remembering how much it hurt when I slipped walking home from work last week.

Crampons which slip over your shoes/boots are cheap and compact. I own a pair but didn't have them with me that day (I also didn't have my super jumbo winter boots). I don't leave without them now. I'm tempted to put a pair in each of my cars too...the roads around here this time of year are so polished it's amazing anybody gets anywhere on the roads...and amazing more people don't get run over. I guess we're just used to it up here.

He was weak from laying, injured (broken ribs, I think) wrapped around a tree, for five hours.

This NOT an unpopulated area - it's actually rather popular with tourists.

As far as TXT messages....there was NO SERVICE at all.

I agree about the whistle.

The ability to make a lot of noise with a little effort is very worthwhile in any environment, urban or wilderness.

I've gotten in the habit of tucking a whistle and a Bic into every shell garment / jacket that I own. Never had cause to regret it.

Aside:

Hacksaw, what type of slip-on "ice grippers" do you use?

I've found that "YakTrax" are absolutely great on icy paths. Turns any walking boot into 4-wheel drive. MEC and running stores carry them.

That's exactly what I use...got them at the MEC.

The cell phone signal probably benefited from the change in propagation of radio waves that occurs at that time of day, but still, he’s lucky. Good reinforcement to EDC a whistle on your person.

The first thing to come to mind is that when things get rough outside it is time to stay inside. Or at least restrict travel and stay off the roads as much as possible. The best emergency situation is the one you avoid entirely.

Develop friends along your travel routes. Invite people into you house overnight and foster a spirit that encourages people to trade nights on the couch. Keep it casual and light.

If you have to go out:
Whistle. Great idea. Cheap, light, compact, easy to use. Why would anyone go out without one?

Perhaps a spare battery for your cell phone. It would have been a shame if his phone died before he could get a signal out. If your in a vehicle a charger that draws off the vehicle's power system. Perhaps one of the hand-cranked chargers would be a good idea.

Letting someone know where your going, expected arrival time with some mention of when to consider the person lost and, of course, the route. Don't depend on verbal instructions. Write it down and have them pin it near the phone where it won't get lost. You don't need to write a novel. A simple 3 by 5 card is often a good format. Be sure to include all the relevant phone numbers. Including your cell number so they can call you if your running late. This gives them an easy step before calling out the Coast Guard. Also a quirk in some systems is that sometimes you may be able to receive a call but not call out.

When things get really rough outside it is time to do the three-step: Present a itinerary to a responsible person shortly before you leave. Call a responsible person at your destination shortly before you leave to let them know your on your way. When you get where your going you call the person and tell them you arrived.

During a hurricane or in blizzard conditions it may make sense to do this for something as minor as crossing the street. If phones don't work use alternate means of communications.

During extreme weather events it can also be useful to coordinate with authorities and let them maintain a running account of what conditions are like along the travel routes. Often the police and highway patrol are no more aware of which routes are open, closed or iffy than anyone else. If they are informed they can often advise people who simply have to travel, or emergency crews, which routes are best and what to look out for.

Stay away from the edge of icy cliffs.

Stay away from roaring water in flood. A guy here died because he went right up to the edge of a raging torrent to look at it. The bank caved in and took him with it. I never heard that they even found his body.

Sue