HELP: Topoguide - Description of the fields of the stories of incidents and accidents

Safety techniques and steps applied

Types of belay and protection used, verifications between climbers, snowpack stability tests, testing of avalanche transceivers, etc.

Factors that reduced the event impact

If relevant, describe the factors which prevented the incident from being more serious:

• ability to avoid problems
• expertise in rescue techniques
• having foreseen plenty of spare time for the outing
• having the appropriate equipment
• etc.

Factors that increased the event consequences

If relevant, describe the factors which might have made the situation worse:

• remoteness
• level of commitment of the route
• not being prepared for an incident
• lack of experience of what to do in an incident/accident
• lack of equipment
• etc.

Impact on practice

Has this incident affected the way you will do things in the future?

If yes, in what way? For example: apprehension, better preparation, not doing the activity anymore, changing your partner(s).

Event type

Type of the occurred or potentially resulting event.
More than one type may be selected.
"fall while roped" must be used to clarify "avalanche", "fall of a person or roped party" and "fall in a crevasse", but can't be selected alone.

Activities

A document can be associated to one or more activities:

• skitouring : ski-touring and ski-mountaineering, snowboard-touring
• snowshoeing : snowshoeing
• snow, ice and mixed : alpinism with snow, ice or mixed climbing (in high mountain terrain)
• mountain climbing : alpine rock climbing (alpinism on rock), big-wall climbs in the mountains (bolted or not)
• rock climbing : bouldering, single or multi-pitch climbing (bolted or not) on lowland cliffs and crags
• ice climbing : lowland ice-falls, dry-tooling crags
• hiking : scrambling, hiking and trekking in the mountains (not in the lowlands), on or away from marked tracks and trails
• paragliding : descent with a paraglider
• mountain biking : mountain biking
• via ferrata : via ferrata

The difference between rock climbing and alpine rock climbing is mainly based on the altitude of the summit, not on the type of equipment. In Europe, the following rules apply:

• Altitude lower than 2100m: rock climbing
• Altitude between 2100m and 2400m: rock climbing or alpine rock climbing, but generally the former
• Altitude between 2400m and 2700m: rock climbing or alpine rock climbing, but generally the latter
• Altitude greater than 2700m: alpine rock climbing
• For altitudes between 2100m and 2700m, both activities can be selected in case of doubt.

Count of impacted people

Number of impacted persons. If no accident occurred or if no one has fallen, was buried or injured, put 0.

Rescue

Has the event required a rescue service?

Avalanche risk level

Avalanche danger level coming from the avalanche bulletin at the place and time of the event (the avalanche bulletin may indicate a different level depending on the altitude, orientation and time). If there is no avalanche bulletin or it did not mention an avalanche danger level, select 'unavailable'.

Slope

Slope of the steepest part of the start zone of the avalanche.

Severity

Have the impacted persons been injured and forced to temporarily cease the activity performed during this outing?

Author

If the number of people affected is 0, consider your involvement if the incident had taken place.

If it is impossible to know whether you would have been affected or not, leave the field empty.

Autonomy

Autonomy for practicing this activity.