After surviving 880+ SOTA summit activations, I wanted to share what I’ve learned from my experience and from others about how to lower the risk of injury and death while doing this outdoor hobby. In 2025, I published my “Top 10 safety Tips” in a weekly email series for SOTA (Summits On the AIR) operators. Later, I was asked to present my “Top 10 Safety Tips” to various Ham Clubs. This article puts all if together in one place with a little more detail. I hope you find some value here for you and your family.
Quick Links
Reducing Risk - Not Eliminating It
Tip #1 - Bring Plenty Of Water
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
Bonus Tip #11! - Site Safety & Respect
Continue Learning & Teach Others
Reducing Risk - Not Making the Outdoors Safe
Nothing can be made absolutely safe. My list is all about reducing risk when doing SOTA and other outdoor activities. We can’t eliminate risk, but there are things we can do to reduce risk. For example, many people recommend that you hike with others (not covered here) but that in itself doesn’t eliminate risk but it would reduce some risks. I don’t make hiking with other people a requirement because it reduces the amount of time I can enjoy the outdoors and I’m willing to take on the associated risk. But, if you feel hiking with others is a requirement, should that “other person” have medical training, or be a doctor specializing in emergency medicine? You see where I’m going here.
This article is about what I do to “reduce risk”, not eliminate it. I’m willing to take on some risk when hiking in the wilderness but I do things that help reduce the risk of going by myself into the wilderness.
These tips apply to anyone conducting any outdoor activities like SOTA (Summits On The Air), POTA (Parks On The Air), or just general hiking and being away from civilization whether it be on foot or in your jeep.
I’ll try to keep these tips short and simple by explaining what each tip is, why it’s important and what I and others do to reduce risk. To create these tips, I used my own experience, I reached out to other experienced hikers and mountain Search & Rescue team members, and I used well respected and trusted research sites. The core assumption is that your activity is limited to a day or two outdoors.
I’m not perfect, I’ve been injured, and I’ve come a little too close to having a significant “events” and learned from that so you don’t have to 🙂. If you find any errors, please reach out to me at N1CLC@HamNinja.com.
The 10 Essentials (The Gear)
Before we dive directly into safety tips, let’s delve into my “10 essentials” that I take when hiking. Some of these will be repeated when we get into the top 10 tips.
Navigation: Compass, GPS & Paper charts.
Headlamp (& extra batteries)
Sun Protection.
First aid including foot care
Knife: multi-tool for repairs
Comms: Radio or Satellite
Shelter: emergency bivy to stay warm.
Extra food beyond what the expedition calls for.
Extra water. If you are hurt, you will need this or you may run into someone else that does.
Extra clothes: I pack a minimum of one extra layer (2 in winter) and a shell.
Safety Tips
Tip #1 - Bring Plenty Of Water
The Mayo Clinic recommends 3.7 L of fluids for men, 2.7 for women per day. Temperature and exercise raises that significantly.
Why?
Dehydration can quickly bring death. Also the older you are the more dehydration affects you due to heart efficiency, being more susceptible to electrolyte imbalances. Severe heat injuries can result in swelling of the brain, seizures, kidney failure, coma and death. I’ve run out of water during a hike due to a malfunction in my pack and forgetting to resupply. I was miserable.
We’ve recently had a death on a small summit near my house due to dehydration, and the SOTA community had a close call when an operator recounted how he forgot to re-fill his bottles and pressed on. He said he “came-to sitting in his truck with the air conditioning on, not knowing how he got there”. That was a close call.
What I and others do:
I check the weather first. My minimum water for a half day hike is 2 L, if it’s going to be warm, 70 - 80, 2.5 L , 80+, 3+ L. Hydrate before leaving the car, and have water at the car for the return.
Consider having an electrolyte replacement additive for hot days.
Look up signs and symptoms of dehydration and heat injury so that you can recognize it in yourself and others and learn how to treat yourself and others.
Turn back if you identify a lack of water early. SOTA operators tend to be very goal oriented. Be aware of that and force yourself to mitigate that risk. If you run out of water, consider stopping and stay in the shade until it cools off (don’t let a made up schedule kill you). Don’t be afraid to ask others for water or make a call for help.
Tip #2 Know Your Limits
Knowing your limits means knowing what the limits of your skills, capabilities and gear are. Your assessment includes weather, training, mountaineering skills, assessing your fitness, how much water you have, layers of clothing, weather, and mission appropriate gear like microspikes, crampons, ice axe, etc. Don’t forget to assess the skills of your group. Many times, SOTA operators are the ones leading the pack, so look out for your team, and don’t let them exceed their limits.
Why?
SOTA activators tend to be very goal oriented and this can get us into trouble. Hikers call it “summit fever”, pilots call it “get-there-itus”. We tend to push on when we shouldn’t. I’m told that Search & Rescue teams are constantly rescuing people that just weren’t prepared in one way or another and continued on anyway and I’ve read many NTSB reports about pilots that pushed on when they should have landed and waited for better conditions.
What I and others do:
Be prepared to abort. I’ve had to abort a few summit attempts when I've encountered terrain that exceeded my skill level. I’ve also aborted a hike when thunderstorms were going to be a factor. Abort the expedition when conditions exceed your skills, training or equipment. For example, I know what an ice axe is and how it works, but I’ve never been trained or practiced with one. If I might need an ice axe, I abort.
Set your expectations on what you will do if anything above is encountered. As a pilot, aborting an unstable approach or when visibility is below minimum was drilled into me, and I apply that to hiking as well. Pilots expect to abort every approach.
Have an alternate plan for when things go wrong. I’ve been able to just pick a different route or summit or do POTA and still have a great day. I’ve done the same when flying.
Tell your party that you will abort if needed. This establishes the expectations for everyone in your expedition.
Tip #3 - Have a First Aid Kit and The Training To Go With
Make sure your pack has a first aid kit and that you’ve had the training to use it. Because most SOTA adventures are pretty short, I recommend just enough gear to stop the bleeding. Anything more than that and you are probably going to need to press the SOS button anyway. If you’re leading a larger expedition, re-evaluate your safety loadout.
Why?
Things happen and emergency response isn’t 5 minutes away. You need to survive or help others till it does arrive. For Example: When I was setting up an antenna, I stumbled backward and did a very simple fall to a sitting position, impaling myself on a sharp branch sticking out of a fallen tree. I put my medic training into action, calmly pulling myself off the log (I said “calmly”, not quietly). I had a plan A, B, C ready to go if the bleeding didn’t stop (never mind the stuff poking out :-). I let my wife know I needed a ride to the ER when I returned home, and I constantly pinged my location using my Garmin Inreach to an online map just in case my wife wanted to come get the dog if I didn’t return.
What I and others do:
I carry a small two-person first aid kit that has some small bandages for c uts and scrapes, antiseptic wipes, large bandages, gauze and tape, cling wrap, tweezers. I have some extra bandaids for when I decide a summit just needs some blood sprinkled around on it. I also carry leukotape for the hot spots / blisters. In addition, I find that my leatherman multi-tool is great for pulling cactus spines out of me or the dog.
Get training. I was an Army medic and a certified EMT. This is a perishable skill so I am looking for some wilderness first aid training. (see REI.com)
I’m ready to treat others but only to my level of training (fixing boo boo). Stop the bleeding, provide comfort and warmth and get help if needed. Pay attention to trends in patient’s health when treating, documenting some baseline measures as soon as you can will be helpful.
I love N6JFD’s advice “Bring your brain”. In any situation, calm down, and remember your training. For example, knowing multiple ways to stop the bleeding, maintaining an airway, and treating a bit of shock will go a long way to allowing you or others to survive until support arrives.
Tip #4 - Check the Weather
Before you leave, check the weather forecast for your area of operation. This includes not only the destination, but also the trailhead and route.
Why?
Checking the weather means you can reschedule your plans early due to lightning or other severe weather. It also allows you to be prepared for the forecast temperatures and other conditions. This is critical for packing the proper number of layers and water for your trip.
Don’t forget to look at the night time lows in case you get stuck on the mountain. Be prepared to stay overnight due to injury, being lost, or something else.
What I and others do:
I use Weather Underground but there are tons of free apps for your phone as well as websites that provide weather forecasts. My favorite tool for SOTA is SOTAMĀT.com. It allows me to use a sms message or email from my phone or inreach to get the weather for my summit or a lat/long. The night before, I send a command similar to “w w6sc330 1” to get the hourly weather forecast for a designated summit. If needed, I send the lat/long of my trailhead for that forecast. I love that SOTA Mat can be used from Inreach or other satellite communicators.
No forecast is perfect but it does help mitigate the risk. Don’t forget to have a backup plan if things don’t work out. Look at trends in weather and get updates on the trail if you have concerns.
Tip #5 - Have Backup EmComs
The focus here is not to depend on cell service in the backcountry for emergency communications.
Why?
We have become overly dependent on cell phones. Service can go from 4 bars to zero for no apparent reason. Phones break or they can go dead.
Recently, we had a Southern California SOTA operator who fell, slid, and broke his leg. He lost his phone and his satellite locator was dead. He saved his life using a 2m HT. He had backup!
What I and others do:
Try to call 911 if needed, even if your phone doesn’t have service. Carry a satellite communicator like an Inreach or other device. Some phones will send sms message via satellite. Carry an HT, and program it with area repeaters. Since you are a ham, you could use HF radio if needed (try 14.300). Make sure your backup devices are charged.
Tip #6 - Be Able To Communicate Your Location
In an emergency, you need to be able to tell people where you are located. The best way to do that is to communicate your latitude and longitude in decimal format.
Why?
Your location is the single most important piece of information you’ll communicate in an emergency. Being able to communicate your location using lat/long in decimal format will improve the chances that help can get to you in time.
What I and others do:
Know how to find your position using the decimal format of lat/long (eg: 33.94735, -109.12171). If all you have is the old degrees, minutes, and seconds (DMS) data, (e.g. 33° 56’ 50 N 109° 7’ 18’’ W), use that, but I recommend using the decimal format if possible.
Have an app that can display your location in decimal format. Decimal format will be easier to communicate and I think easier for people to use in today’s digital world with GPS. Know how to cut and paste. Try putting 33.94735, -109.12171 into Google Maps and other charting apps to see what I mean. You should know how to get this from multiple sources - Phone, watch, radio, GPS. Teach others in your house this skill.
Tip #7 - Tell People Where You Are Going
Tell people where you are going before you start your expedition.
Why?
You could be lost or injured and unable to ask for help. If you leave and don’t come back, hopefully people will start looking for you. If you don’t tell anyone where you are going, they will have no idea where to start.
What I and others do:
I tell my wife where I’m going. If I don’t come home in a reasonable amount of time, she’ll call my favorite SAR person (who is also a SOTA operator) because she’ll want the dog back.
Tell a friend, preferably one that is into SOTA and let them know when you return. It’s similar to filing a flight plan with the FAA.
Leave a note on your car’s dashboard readable through the windshield. Many a hiker have been found because they left a note in their car describing where they were headed and possibly the planned route.
Tip #8 - Reduce Your Navigation Risk
Build redundancy into your navigation capabilities and execution.
Why?
Getting lost is no fun and it could be deadly. Our phones are super capable, but this makes us too dependent on them. Breaking your phone, or running out of power can put you in danger if you don’t have a backup plan.
Using a well established trail is great, but if a fire sparks up, or a flash flood closes off your return route, you’ll need to navigate on the fly.
What I and others do:
I research & study the area of operation. Don’t forget to download offline maps for GPS units (phone or other)! Carry a compass!
When hiking, I stop at places that I know I can get to and take a bearing to my car or other known location. Also, pay attention to the terrain and key landmarks as you hike to the summit.
Have a backup plan. For example, my watch, and some of my radios can give me navigation guidance. I’ve also carried paper charts (in water proof containers) for the area and can use it with a compass. If you’ve never navigated with a map and compass, take an orienteering course, it’s a lot of fun.
If you become lost, stay where you are, take a break, and evaluate your options while you await search and rescue. No fires if possible.
Tip #9 - Layer for Safety and Comfort
Use the layering method when packing for an expedition to ensure you can survive unexpected cold conditions. Carry light, non cotton layers, that you can put on or remove as needed.
Why?
Hypothermia can be life-threatening, cooling your body below 95 degrees f. It doesn’t have to be super cold for this to happen.
The temperature drops 3.5 to 5 degrees f per thousand feet of elevation gain. The SOTA hobby means you’ll most likely be climbing up in elevation and it will probably be cooler than at the trailhead. The weather can change unexpectedly; arriving on a windy summit while covered in sweat will cause you to chill fast. Additionally, you could be stuck on the mountain longer than expected if you or someone else gets hurt, become lost, or due to some other unforeseen event causes a delay.
What I and others do:
Check the weather before you leave (see Tip #4).
My standard loadout always includes bringing a fleece and a rain shell. You would be amazed at how effective putting on a light fleece and shell can help keep you warm in cold windy weather. Obviously, staying dry is a critical factor to avoid becoming chilled, but the shell also doubles as a wind breaker. Add a light fleece under the shell and you have a very effective start at layering.
When you’re cold, you’ll burn a lot more calleries, so ensure you have food to eat. Want that extra comfort, bring a hot tea kit when it’s cold.
When it’s hot, wear long sleeves, light pants, and a big hat.
Don’t forget tip #2, abort if you get into conditions for which you aren’t prepared. Experiment and learn what works best.
Tip #10 - Avoid Sky Sparks
Don’t get injured by lightning.
Why?
You’ll be shocked to know, but getting hit directly or being close to a lightning strike can be deadly. According to NOAA.gov, each year in the United States, lightning kills 20-30 people on average and injures 100s more. (research 2025)
Studies have shown that most people struck by lightning are struck not at the height of a thunderstorm but before and after the storm has peaked. Storms don’t need to be close. Most people are unaware of how far lightning can strike from its parent thunderstorm or what to do. Lightning can strike more than 10 miles away from the location of rainfall. In addition, putting up an antenna when thunder storm activity is close can increase the risk of a lightning strike.
What I and others do:
Recall Tip #4, check the weather. Never be on a summit during a thunderstorm. As we all know, weather forecasts aren’t perfect but they can give you a heads up. If you can see it or hear it, get off the high ground immediately.
When hiking, our instinct is to seek shelter under a tree to avoid rain and hail which usually accompanies lightning. Fight this urge. When lightning strikes a tree, you can become part of the circuit and be electrocuted as all of that energy flows into the ground around the tree. You can also be hit by debris from falling limbs or shrapnel as it blasts off the tree. You don’t need to be hit directly by lightning to be killed or insured.
If you can see lightning or hear thunder, take action!
Get off the summit and the high ground!
Don’t stand under a tree, near a body of water, near metal structures like buildings, fences, poles. Stay away from tall structures or near a telephone pole or electric wires. (I’ve got personal experiences on this one)
Look for other signs of increased lightning potential:
If your antenna connector is zapping static out to the ground (myself and others have had this happen before), exit the area immediately.
If you are lucky enough to have hair, and it’s lifting up, exit the area immediately and don’t be the tallest thing around.
If you are caught outside during a thunder storm:
Get off the summit.
Crouch down in a ball-like position with your head tucked and hands over your ears so that you are down low with minimal contact with the ground.
Wait 30 minutes after the last sounds of thunder before returning to the affected area.
Seek Shelter if possible. Every single piece of research I’ve read instructs its readers to seek shelter. If you are on a hike, this is going to be a challenge but I feel obligated to to repeat it. Recommendations for shelter include non-metal building, or homes. An alternative would be enclosed vehicles such as a car, van or school bus. Avoid standing under trees, near bodies of water, or close to metal structures such as buildings, fences, and poles. Also, steer clear of tall structures, telephone poles, and electrical wires or near the opening of a cave.
If someone is injured by lightning strike
Call for immediate help.
Move them to safety if the area is still dangerous (if possible)
Assess their injuries
Administer CPR if required and get an Automatic External Defibrillator to the patient as quickly as possible (many police and sharif vehicles have them on-board).
Be OK with aborting the trip, Tip #2.
Bonus Tip #11! - Site Safety & Respect
Ensure that your site is safe for you and others. Don’t setup on unstable cliffs, or anywhere near power lines. In addition, we share mountaintops with others so we should make the least amount of impact possible so others can enjoy the summit as well.
Why?
Recently, a POTA operator died in a tragic accident when part of his station contacted (or came near) a high voltage power line.
The danger is NOT limited to direct contact. Setting up an antenna too close to high power transmission lines can still result in a shock.
We also want to ensure that others can enjoy the summit and be safe as well, leaving a favorable impression with the public.
What I and Others Do:
Don’t put up your antenna directly under or near high power transmission lines.
Survey the operating position for your safety and its impact to others by looking for power lines, unstable cliffs, and falling rock hazards. Also, survey the area where your mast might fall and ensure that others will be outside the “mast fall zone”, and they can’t trip over guy lines. Don’t forget to look for snakes in rocky areas.
Lastly, conduct your activities in a way that allows everyone to enjoy the view. Although we see beauty in antennas and squealing SSB or CW, others may not so I use headphones or ear buds. For SOTA operators, you don’t need to setup at the very top, so if it’s a busy summit, setup off to the side or below the summit. If you are in a park, be mindful of trafficked areas and where you put your wires and guy lines.
Continue Learning & Teach Others
This is my top ten, not the top 100 or top 1,000 so don’t stop here. Get some wilderness first aid and survival training from a reputable source, and read up on things like signs and symptoms of heat injury, hypothermia, and dehydration.
Why not share these tips with others in your household. Does your household know how to find and communicate their location if needed?
If you’d like to use the information in presentation form, feel free to leverage what I used to present to other groups and pull my slides from HERE (HamNinja.com/safetypresentation)
About N1CLC
Chris Claborne, N1CLC, operates mostly from mountaintops, and is the W6 (California) SOTA Association manager. Years ago, he was an Army Medic and a certified EMT, and as a private pilot, was steeped in the “safety culture” of aviation. N1CLC’s BLOG (HamNinja.com) and his YouTube channel cover SOTA, and other Ham Radio interests. Chris also built and manages the W6 Association web site W6SOTA.org to support Califirnia SOTA operators and the SOTA community.
No comments:
Post a Comment