SOTA Safety Tips Index

 All The Ham Ninja’s SOTA Safety Tips Index

SOTA Safety Tips is a weekly series of quick tips to remember to improve safety of the hobby.  This was inspired by the SoCal SOTA group’s meetings on this topic and will be sourced from my own and others' experience.  Don’t forget, you also need to support your group and others with this knowledge.  I’ll keep these as short as possible.  Send feedback to safetytips@HamNinja.com.

I am not an expert mountaineer, nor a medical expert, but I've had training.  The most important thing I can say right here is to stay within your capabilities and appetite for risk (mine is not that high).  Take advice from the experts in mountaineering and wilderness first aid. Remember, you may have to help someone else on the trail, why not enable yourself to do that. 

Nothing you do is completely "safe", but you can lower the risk.
Below is an Index of Tips Published to date.

• TIP #1 - Bring Plenty Of Water
  
  
• TIP #2 - Know Your Limits
  
  
• TIP #3 - Have a First Aid Kit and The Training To Go With

• TIP #4 - Check the weather
  
  
• TIP #5 - Have Backup EmComms
  
  

• TIP #6 - Be Able To Communicate Your Location
  
  
• TIP #7 - Tell People Where You Are Going
  
  
• TIP #8 - Reduce Your Navigation Risk
  
  
• Tip #9 - Layer for Safety and Comfort
  
  
• Tip #10 - Avoid Sky Sparks

See Also

• My Complete Article on Safety
  
  
• Stop going out unprepared! (a note from the SAR perspective), by N6JFD.

More to come...

My Experience

I am not a safety or health professional, doctor, or other expert, just an amateur, be careful out there and do your research.  I’ve activated 817+ summits since Oct of 2017 in Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, and several other states.  Over that time I’ve hiked 2,540+ miles and climbed 626,000+ feet.  I don’t have skills beyond class 3 hiking and really “scrambouldering” and light snow pack are my upper skill limits.  I was an Army medic and was a certified EMT.  I have received training on desert survival, and recurrent first Aid training in other roles.  Remember: First Aid is a perishable skill.

You can contact me at safetytips@HamNinja.com.