- 1). Prepare before you take the first step. Preparations for hiking are mostly influenced by the terrain and weather you will face, but some fundamentals of hiking do exist. Wear proper footwear. Active footwear ranges from trail runners to full-ankle Gore-Tex covered boots. Your hiking footwear should be comfortable, provide good tread and meet your hiking needs. For potential wet and hilly terrain choose a boot that protects the ankle from rolling -- a mid- or full-ankle sport boot. For wet conditions, wear waterproof shoes.
- 2). Survey the slippery downhill slope and judge the degree of difficulty. Ask yourself if the slope is manageable without considerable bodily risk. If it is not, hike back to the trail head. Plan a route down the slope with the lowest degree of difficulty.
- 3). Keep your weight on your back foot. Falling on your behind is better than tumbling face forward. Also keep the entire surface of your foot to the ground, giving you more traction. This will decrease the chances of slipping.
- 4). Find good footing with your front foot. With your weight on your back foot you can test the next step with your front foot. On a slippery slope, look for flat surfaces, especially one's with small pools of water -- a rock with a small shimmer is more slippery than standing water. Avoid rocks with algae or debris. Take slow, methodical steps as you descend
- 5). Slide down the slope on your backside, using your feet and arms to control the descent. This is the safest, and dirtiest, way to tackle a slippery slope.
SHARE
