No one is immune from making mistakes in the backcountry. And winter does not have patience with the careless. While beginners may suffer from ignorance and naiveté, “experts” can fall victim to their own complacency and laziness. Mountain emergencies usually occur in bad weather, often hours or days from help. What happens before and after such occurrences is the skier’s responsibility. It’s up to you to be as prepared as possible for any kind of mountain situation, be it in the face of bad weather, an avalanche, injuries cold, or fatigue.

Image captions (looking at small icons on the left):

Top left: Specialized medical-mountain gendarme rescue helicopter (Eurocopter, Model EC-145) on rescue location high above Chamonix Valley. Photo by Phillipe Poulet from his awesome book, “Secours Extreme” (Extreme Resuce).
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Top right: PGHM paramedics (Pelotons de gendarmerie de haute montagne) stabilize an injured skier inside a helicopter while en route to the hospital in Chamonix. Photo by Phillipe Poulet from his awesome book, “Secours Extreme” (Extreme Rescue).

Middle right: Big kids sometimes need a snowcave themselves. It’s not going to be warm, but it will be warmer than outside. Vivesphoto.