SAS Mountain and Arctic Survival

245 Pages·2013·2.77 MB·English

by  Barry Davies BEM

SAS
MOUNTAIN
AND ARCTIC
SURVIVAL
SAS
MOUNTAIN
AND ARCTIC
SURVIVAL
Barry Davies, BEM
Copyright © 2012 by Barry Davis All Rights Reserved. No part of this book
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10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.
ISBN: 978-1-62087-206-2
Printed in China
Contents
Arctic Clothing and Equipment
Medical Priorities
Survival Medicine
Shelter in a Cold Climate
Fire
Water
Cold Climate Food
Mountain and Arctic Travel
Rescue
Introduction

As with any hostile environment, mountain and Arctic regions
can be dangerous, but the same basic rules of survival apply no
matter where you find yourself: blend and integrate with the
elements, and resist the urge to fight them.
It is difficult to imagine that anyone would deliberately go unprepared into
a mountain or Arctic region. The most serious situations arise when an
aircraft crash-lands or some other form of transport breaks down during a
deep penetration into the wilderness. In all cases, providing you are
uninjured, your chances of survival are good. In both winter and summer
the northern Arctic offers an abundant supply of water and food; shelter
can be found in the tree line, or created even on the barren ice floes.
Provided that you successfully protect yourself against the risk of freezing
to death your chances of survival and rescue are good.
Even in the worst cases, when you have been plunged into a survival
situation by a plane crash, you should still be able to salvage enough
equipment to survive for several months. In wartime, prisoners who have
weighed up their chances realistically prior to any escape from, e.g., an
Arctic prison camp and who have prepared themselves and their
equipment intelligently have found that the Arctic offers survival
conditions that most of us can deal with.
Latitudes higher than 66 degrees 33 minutes North define the area
known as the Arctic Circle. It covers some 21 million square kilometres
(approximately 8 million square miles), of which two-thirds are occupied
by the Arctic Ocean. More than half of the ocean is permanently covered
with layers of pack ice.
In winter the Arctic temperature can drop as low as -65°C. Winters in the
Arctic are long and severe, with the ground frozen much of the time.
Summer lasts for around four months during which the ground thaws
sufficiently to allow moisture to reach the roots of the trees and plants.
The northern landmass changes as you move south, from pack ice to a
rich grassy vegetation (the tundra), and on into a wide forest strip; in
parts this is up to 1500km (900 miles) deep from North to South. Man
and beast have occupied this inhospitable area throughout the history of
mankind; depending upon the time of year, it is rich in plant life, fish and
wild animals.
wild animals.
By comparison the Antarctic continent surrounding the South Pole is a
forbidding land almost devoid of plant and animal life. Scientists have
found a variety of lichens and insect life, but insufficient to sustain life for
survival purposes. The landmass is greater than that of Europe, and is
entirely covered by a dense sheet of ice which averages over 2000m
(7,000ft) thick. The Antarctic is much colder than the northern Arctic, with
temperatures falling as low as -89°C (-128°F). Animal life is mainly
restricted to birds, seals and penguins, the latter spending most of their
life in the water. Winds in the Antarctic can reach speeds of up to
160kmh (100mph), driving snow 30m (100ft) into the air. It is imperative
that any survivor takes shelter from such a snow blizzard; apart from the
lack of visibility, the wind forces down the air temperature, creating
deadly hypothermic conditions. Short-term survival is possible, but would
depend upon making early contact with one of the many scientific
research stations which are dotted around the outer edge of the
Antarctic.
Similar conditions prevail in high mountain areas where, especially during
winter months, the harsh environment, changing weather and snow
conditions can pose a serious threat to survival. With the right skills and
equipment, however, your chances are good.