Trail craft: the daily rhythm and staying safe

A day on the trail

Most trek days follow the same shape: wake around 6, breakfast, walk by 7 or 8, lunch on the trail, reach camp by early afternoon. The early start isn't for show. Clouds, wind, rain and snow usually build after midday, and snow softens in the sun.

• Pace: you should be able to talk in full sentences. Going too fast is the most common cause of exhaustion and makes altitude sickness more likely.
• Rest step on steep climbs: pause for a breath with your back leg straight, letting the bones take the weight, then step.
• Breaks: short and regular, 5 minutes every hour. Long stops make you cold and stiff.
• Downhill: shorter steps, knees soft, poles in front. Most twisted ankles happen descending, late in the day.

Crossing streams

Glacier-fed streams rise through the day as the sun melts snow, and after rain. A knee-deep stream in the morning can be waist-deep and impassable by afternoon.

1. 1

   Cross early in the day. If it looks too fast, wait or turn back; it's never worth the risk.

2. 2

   Unbuckle your hip belt and loosen shoulder straps so you can get out of the pack if you fall.

3. 3

   Keep your shoes on (or change into sandals with straps). Bare feet on icy rocks is how people fall.

4. 4

   Face upstream, use poles for three points of contact, shuffle sideways and don't lift a foot until the other is planted.

5. 5

   In a group, cross in a line holding each other's packs, strongest person upstream.

Snow and ice

• Microspikes (operators usually provide them) turn icy trails from scary to easy. Put them on early, not after you've slipped.
• Gaiters keep snow out of boots and socks dry.
• Follow the leader's footsteps exactly on snow slopes and cornices; they're testing the ground.
• Snow blindness is sunburn of the eyes and can happen on cloudy days. Wear wraparound UV400 sunglasses or glacier glasses whenever there's snow.

Weather, sun and cold

UV gets stronger as you climb (roughly 10% more for every 1,000 m), and snow reflects it back up. Use SPF 50 on your face, ears, neck and the backs of your hands, and reapply after lunch.

• Layer up before you're cold and strip a layer before you sweat. Wet clothes chill fast when you stop.
• Lightning: get off ridges and summits, away from lone trees and metal poles. Crouch on your pack if a storm is overhead.
• Night cold: sleep in a dry base layer, wear a beanie and dry socks, and eat something before bed. A hot water bottle in your sleeping bag is the best trick there is.

Staying together

Groups have a leader at the front and a sweep at the back. Stay between them. If you need to stop, tell someone. On junctions, wait for the person behind you so they see which way you went.

Your guide will set a turnaround time on summit and pass days. If you haven't reached the top by then, you turn back. It's what keeps summit days safe.