So this is the partner thread to my broken fib& tib one, kind of in tandem with the Solitude one too.
I like being on my own. I like the single mindedness, the lack of mental noise, the opportunity to just be me. I also like the increased focus that comes with having to do things "right" because there's no back up. Bike (including some fairly hairy cheeky stuff deep in the woods), hike, climb (grade 3 scrambles solo), ski (side country/gentle off piste). All the stuff you're not supposed to do - but I love it and get off on it. I've had occasional mishaps, but have always been able to self evac (even the broken collarbone), and I've tried to assess and learn from the incident.
So Thursday, not having ridden Tuesday (cleared some fallen trees off a trail instead) or Wednesday (WAY too icy), I decided to nip out midafternoon before the snow started to hit. It had been relatively warm and everything seemed fairly dry. Planned to do a lap of the local trail centre trails at the top of the hill. The initial local woods were dry and grippy and running well. The main climb started out fine too - almost summer like. In the middle of the climb there's a short DH, then a 60° left/rise/stepup onto a concrete bridge. Visibility of the surface very poor. Hopped up onto the bridge, like I do 2 or 3 times a week and discovered wet sheet ice as far as i could see. Instantly go into passenger mode - no brakes, no steering, stick with it - try and ride it out. After a few seconds the bike washes out and I go down. A bit above walking pace, but not much, relatively slow drop of the bike onto hip and elbow. Then hideous ankle pain.
Roll over into the bushes and assess. Left foot pointing a very funny direction. Not too much pain, but body giving major "BAD THINGS" vibes. Shift position to get foot pointing a more natural direction. OK. This is bad. How do I get out of this.
Phone out. try and call the missus. No signal. 999 (should work on any network). Can only get response by holding the phone at arms length above me and shout at the speaker. Asked for ambulance (mistake) and mountain rescue. Very pedantic bunch of questions. Difficulty in trying to get through to them that I'm in the middle of a river valley in semi-countryside. Try giving a what3words, but phone wouldn't load the map, so whether its the right ones or not I'm not sure. Eventually they say they're sending an ambulance out. No idea if MR have been contacted.
Its getting dark, I'm getting cold. Well aware I might be here some time. I have "A" spare warmish layer in my bag, but that's it for spare clothing (there's also a 1st aid kit - useless - and a Sol bivvy bag which I'd forgotten about)
Get through to the missus, tell her to get MR, then come and find me to collect the bike.
Then gloryf***in allelujah a pair of walkers with dog hove into view. Explain predicament. They're friendly (one is an ultrarunner and solitude freak) and set about getting things sorted. The bloke walks off to look for mobile signal, lady helps me into my fleecy pullover thing, dog scampers around. Having people about, I suddenly feel much safer. This will be OK.
The bloke comes back, he'd called the police (who you need to do to get to MR - I do know this, but well broken bones=ambulance!).had some difficulty with the police (who never understand why you call them for MR), but once through to MR, it all gets very easy - they're in the pub at the top of the trail I'm on, having a cuppa after a different shout had been cancelled. There in 5 minutes.
First guy crunches up in his microspikes (sensible lad!), second guy I actually know - occasional gym buddy/mate of a mate. They're all exactly what you'd expect of MRT. Competent, sensible, on it and a fairly direct sense of humour (first comment - "where's your credit card?") ("thats a joke by the way"). Assessment straight out of my Outdoors First Aid course handbook, get me on the stretcher in ALL the coats, add a wheel and start evac. Then you realise quite how bloody difficult that is. I'd call it a green-grade trail, but there's a few narrow wooden bridges, a short sharp climb up some steps through a gate and then a stile-type affair at the top, which I have to be carried over. There's never less than 6 people maneuvering me and teamwork is making the dreamwork.
Ambulance at the top, transfer to their stretcher, fist bump with the MR guys, off we go...
So part 2. What did I do wrong, what can I learn.
Was I wrong to go out? $64000 question. Obviously with hindsight yes. With the evidence available beforehand - not sure I could have made a different decision, without fundamentally changing who I am. Suggested temp was 4°C, all the trails up to 10' before I hit the deck showed no sign of ice at all. That bridge isn't even usually wet - its one of those rough concrete surfaces and normally very grippy, and I've ridden that trail all year, all weather for well over a decade and never seen it like that.
I don't know why my ankle went. 99+ times out of 100 I'd expect to just unclip, frisbee myself along the ground, get up and swear a bit. The winter spd boots (now cut to bits) were quite old and I was aware the release was getting a bit funny as the midsole had worn a slot at the back of the cleat where the pedal rubs. (I'd literally ordered some new GE900CTX the day before). Was it that, did I twist wrong or did I clip my foot on the lip at the edge of the trail and it all just overloaded the bone? Don't know.
I'm less than 2 miles from home, still just about within a major city, but there's next to no mobile signal, no one knows "exactly" where I am, I'm immobile and on my own. That's a big incident pit that's just opened up in front of me. This feels like it needs a better solution.
Call the police for mountain rescue, unless you're lucky enough to know some people who are in the local team. That needs to get hammered in. In this case the ambulance was just a fancy taxi. It was MR who did the grownup work.
Getting location info is key. I've always avoided downloading the OS locate app (even though I have the OS map app!), not for any specific reason, just happened that way/inertia. W3W is sort of useful, sort of dangerous and you need signal.
I was truly very lucky to have the walkers turn up and have MR ready and waiting at the top of the hill. I carry a proper pack pretty much all year and had a warm spare layer in it, which was a godsend and also a bivvy bag thing which I would have remembered about eventually. I was expecting a couple of hours wait, not 30 minutes, but I was still getting pretty chilly. A thin jacket in my back pocket would not have hacked it.
There was fellrunning video a couple of years back something like "go outside, sit down, wait" that bears rewatching - it was the memory of that that's meant I've been taking extra layers with me these last few rides in the cold. I'll link to it if I can find it.
What else? Its going to take me a while to recover from this one, mentally as well as physically - I really do not like being an accident statistic, but equally, there's still very much the desire to be out in the conditions. I was supposed to be going climbing with a mate in the Lakes today - it looked beautiful there yesterday from his pics, and that's what drives me. But I also need to make sure the scales are weighted appropriately...
Could I suggest getting a PLB.
No subscription, just set it off and it sends a distress call via a satellite.
i have one for Sea Kayaking and carry it in remote areas just in case .
I quite like paddling on my own but it carries extra risk.
I have always ridden on my own but never really thought about what if.
i hope you recovery goes smoothly.
I don't think it was the wrong decision to go out. Maybe you had a bit of hazard blindness, having been lulled into a sense of security by the grippy woods beforehand.
I do think that sometimes we (well I!) am driven to take unnecessary risks because I love riding bikes so much. For example if I'd not been a bit full of lurgy all week I would probably have gone out today. I didn't and went on a gentler walk instead.
Once out, I was really really glad I was on foot because there were some properly sketchy death ice bits - melted water over ice. Did not seem that bad on our street when I left the house.
These days though, I am much less inclined to ride sketchy stuff than I used to when alone. For example I'll tend to stay clear of any jumps I'm not 100% comfortable on, and will tend to do trail, xc or gravel ride (rather than committing enduro) and try to stick well within my limits.
The issue with ice though is that the limit changes from one moment to the next, is really unpredictable and if you go down, you're going down hard without warning onto a really hard surface. It's unlike any other hazard, really.
It really sounds like it's just one of those shit happens days. We've all had tiny crashes that have sizeable results and huge ones that you just walk away from. You'll be back to it sooner than you think and you better prepared than most would have been.
Firstly, hope you recover well... both physically and mentally. My best wishes there.
I had my bad crash back in November 2021 (aged 74) and fractured my pelvis..... documented here at stw at the time.
It scared me, I was on my own, I hadn't seen anyone around for ages. Phone signal iffy. I couldn't move. Then I got lucky and saw two riders on an opposite ridge and managed to call to them.... they did the rest, got me out to a safe place, called the ambulance, called my wife, removed gatepost for the ambulance and stayed with me. Two + hours later the ambulance arrived.
What has changed for me is that although I still often ride alone I use Livetrack which prbably isn't enough but better than nothing. I re-evalued what I think I can ride, cut back a bit, have a good look at the unknowns and if I have that "feeling" that it might go seriously wrong I chicken out.
Now at 78 I'm about to go the e-gravel route and take it all a bit more sensibly (well, that's the theory). But yes, it has affected me mentally. Lying in that ambulance I realised that I might have screwed up what was (and happily still is) an active and happy old age for me and my wife.
Carrying a spot tracker or similar device with an sos button. Which works with no mobile signal and fairly robust to weather as well. It weighs 100g or so 😮
But layers for keeping warm essential.
I used to put on my layers carried on the ride after a ride as well to see if they were REALLY up to the job of keeping me warm .
It's a surprise and worth doing , and experimenting with. Down is shite in a rain storm!
Thanks so much for this post...we get complacent.
Spot Tracker subscription will be renewed.
I did use it all the time but it got expensive and I ride solo mostly and my wife used to like seeing where I was on a winter 200km in winter esp.
( it like an insurance policy and can be used for others you may come across too when biking ,walking etc as well.)
I hope you heal quickly fella.
I've messaged you Jon
Registering your phone with the 999 text service could be a good idea. It works well when you only have intermittent signal.
I had an incident once riding at night alone, I was starting with a cataract on one of my eyes (which I hadn't realised at that time) and it was messing with my depth perception, anyway my front wheel jammed in a hole and shot me out the front quite abruptly I landed with my full weight on a log on my chest, really winded my and I couldn't breathe, I was on all fours unable to breath banging my fist into my chest trying to shock myself into breathing and was getting quite panicky, then I just started breathing again. I was left with kind of a welt from the impact on my chest rather than a bruise, but after that faded I kind of forgot about it and just went back to riding normally again
When I was suffering with heart rhythm problems, and was on blood thinners, the doctor advised me against mountain biking because of the risk of a brain bleed, but after a while I was going stir crazy so started solo riding again.
Sometimes I just feel the old saying "what's the point of having years on your life, if there is no life in your years" has to be applied.
This thread has prompted me to pack my trail running bag for tomorrow mornings run (20k near where jon had his accident!!) with a spare warm layer, food, and a drink. It's an early 5:45am start with snow forecast. Also set up the emergency 999 text thing - so thank you for the kick up the bum! Healing vibes for a VERY painful injury!!
I did the same thing not 2 miles from the injury site 5 years ago!! Bloody weird feeling, whole leg went boiling hot but didn't hurt as such!!3 weeks after the op to pin and plate the broken tib and fib i was on the turbo trainer 🙂
Satellite tracker is an essential one for me. Had a major accident in winter last year in the back of beyond. I was lucky that, despite quite a lot of injuries, I could recover myself. I did have my satellite tracker with me, but didn't want to call MR unless it was absolutely necessary.
Great story. Well told.
Always leave your phone sharing your position to your wife/partner.
Have a second Esim that can use all major phone providers?
Chances are it would be giving some clue to your last position.
No matter how much you risk assess - sometimes things don't go to plan.
It doesn't take much in cold weather or even a little distance to quickly go south.
Hope you heal well OP. Most of my riding is solo and often early, at this time of year necessitating lights. I’d not have it any other way - got Garmin live track which is pretty accurate so my partner can see where I am, if the worst happens!
Does anyone else always carry a whistle (and know how to use it)? Some bags have them builit into the buckle but they're not exactly loud. Buy a cheap bundle of decent whistles and stash them in various bags and pockets.
In the OPs case, the walkers might have heard the signal and homed in on him sooner.
Always leave your phone sharing your position to your wife/partner.
What if I'm a loner who nobody loves?
Great information in here.
You can preregister to text 999 in areas where you can't get a phone signal.
Does anyone else always carry a whistle (and know how to use it)?
From memory, three long blasts, three short blasts, three long blasts then pause (for a minute)???
(Its Morse code for SOS IIRC...)
Does anyone else always carry a whistle (and know how to use it)?
From memory, three long blasts, three short blasts, three long blasts then pause (for a minute)???
(Its Morse code for SOS IIRC...)
Three blasts, repeated about 1 minute apart. The pause should enable you to hear a response, which is normally two blasts.
Heal fast Jon.
I hear all this. I’m nearly always out on my own, with a prevailing “ach it’ll be fine” attitude.
Rode to the office yesterday, about 10 miles of canal path. Frozen but mostly grippy/crunchy, and I had a studded tyre on the rear. On the way home I got to a bit that’s always borderline but was fine in the morning, next thing I was on the deck, sliding. It was dark and I couldn’t actually see where the bike ended up for a few seconds, landed fairly painlessly on my arse thankfully. Could have been considerably worse.
Today I wanted to go a big run in the snow, micro spikes don’t get used enough, so went over the Kilpatricks with a plan to meet Mrs Tyred after a couple of hours. Completely forgot my phone but figured I wasn’t going to be running anything too tech and the snow wasn’t much to speak of really. Was fine but in retrospect I’d have felt a real plum if something had happened.
Neither location is properly remote and it wasn’t the middle of the night or anything but I probably could have been more sensible.
At what point so you start over thinking though?
I’m generally a soloist too - simply because I’m pretty remote, on an island with few people daft enough to do the things I do. I regularly go solo mountain running, cycling and sea kayaking.
Fortunately, I’ve never had a serious incident or injury to warrant needing a rescue - the closest being slipping on sheet ice on the canal towpath and ending up in the water under ice at -10C one Boxing Day on the Basingstoke Canal. The biggest risk was hypothermia and it would take some time for Mrs DB to come and find me - so I wrung out as much water as I could and rode the 10km home. I just turned up at home sopping wet - the outside of my clothes had frosted up - and climbed in the shower.
These days I carry a Garmin Inreach Mini (Spot don’t work as well and are a crappy company to deal with). Mobile phone reception is patchy here - particularly when kayaking behind headlands and islets. I can send texts and I’m ‘OK’ messages which confirm my position - you can’t do this with a PLB. The latest models of iPhone have sat phone connectivity built in, but not yet enabled for UK.
The only time I’ve been ‘rescued’ was fatbiking on day 5 of the Rovaniemi 300. It was so cold my tracker went haywire, it was -27C and it was saying I was off-course going the wrong way. Mrs DB in the UK called my mobile to tell me (I was north of the Arctic circle in a forest and still had 4 bars of mobile signal) Changed my batteries and I was back on track. About 30 minutes later a snowmobile headed towards me - event HQ had seen my track and tasked a local to find me. I kindly declined the offer and made my way to the finish under my own steam.
In my younger years I had a few more scrapes/close calls but over the years it simply more about understanding your abilities, have realistic goals, let someone know where you’re going and have some idea of how to deal with a situation should it arise.
I ride alone fairly often and whilst I wouldn't say I'm prepared for the worst, one thing that always happens is that I share my Strava tracking with Mrs STR.
It's been quite frustrating looking out at blue skies and sunshine this last week and having to wait until the ice had melted before getting the bike out . Riding to work a few years back and coming off on black ice with an artic breathing down my neck shit me up big time .
Luckily the lorry driver had the presence of mine to anticipate what happened.
As for riding solo , I did for years before I got a mate into it , he's decided to hibernate this Winter , I had an off on the Quantocks in November on my own , I lay there for a while thinking you've done it this time , your Osteoporosis and crushed vertebrae are going to bring everything to an end riding wise .I could see the road from where I lay but I may as well have been 10 miles from a road .
Decided to try and make a move , upshot was a broken helmet and nothing else , phew !
Have I stopped? Hell no just trying to be more sensible 🤔
Great information in here.
You can preregister to text 999 in areas where you can't get a phone signal.
Do iPhones have satellite capability in UK?
I’ve got a 13 but the newer models include that function for free texts to emergency services in Australia so next new phone will do that.
If I’m going on an ‘adventure’ then I use a Garmin edge with the live tracking. Last week I was out for 8 hours… phone battery was almost dead as a result. But it obviously works: A stick broke two chainring teeth so I stopped to bend the chainring straight again. Cue text from wife? You’ve stopped - are you ok? Surprised me tbh.
The latest models of iPhone have sat phone connectivity built in, but not yet enabled for UK.
Ah… I didn’t see this 🤦🏻
Some of the latest Pixel phones have "satellite" built-in, as do some of the newer Garmin watches.
I don't think it was the wrong decision to go out. Maybe you had a bit of hazard blindness, having been lulled into a sense of security by the grippy woods beforehand.
Hazard blindness is a very real thing. Most accidents happen in the home or (for biking, driving etc) within a very few miles of home. You're in familiar territory, you've relaxed after the long drive / ride, you're nearly home, kettle will be on soon...
Next thing you know you're on the deck or wrapped around another car. The familiarity causes you to switch off.
Glad you're OK though Jon, heal up quick! Best wishes.
AFAIK satellite connectivity can be used with the latest models of iPhone to contact emergency services.
I've got an iPhone 15 Pro and when I go out of reception I get a little symbol of a sattelite that says SOS ONLY. I haven't tried it though.
You can try a demo of sat connection on the iPhone it connects to a satellite without calling emergency services.
For reference, we do have Find My IPhone set up. It didn’t work.
When I called 999, I obviously got a good call handler - 999 straight through to police, and the woman I got completely understood the situation and what needed to happen.
Just be aware that if you’re the one making the emergency call, you may not be able to go to the casualty because you need to be contactable until MR are on the scene…
Hazard blindness is a very real thing. Most accidents happen in the home or (for biking, driving etc) within a very few miles of home.
Currently nursing a damaged right thumb where I came off on ice Thursday morning, 10 minutes up the hill from where I live. In the past I've always self rescued (broken radius; broken thumb; seperated shoulder) but tend to be more careful these days. The benefits of solitude outweigh the risks IMO.
Not wrong to go out. Wrong to go out on the bike IMO. Assuming your weather is anything like it has been here- long period of sub zero means even though air temp goes above zero ground remains frozen and any thaw freeze cycle means black ice in places.
Walking or even jogging in daylight you can assess the surface before each step. Cycling is too fast.
In current conditions here I am not even jogging. Down to just walks with the dog and swimming. While never the most active cyclist I am getting withdrawal symptoms but the risk of a sudden off and broken bone is too high for me. At mid 60s and recovery time would might be long.
Good read, glad those walkers came along and you're okay.
I, like you, tend to mostly follow my outdoor pursuits on my own too, thankfully I've never had any real bad mishaps and have learned over the years I often crash or fall off when riding with others as I end up pushing myself more. Which lead me to realise when riding solo I've less risk tolerance so progress slower.
Funny story though a good few years back a mate of mine did a similiar thing, went for a Sunday solo mile muncher ride, about 40 miles over north York moors. Set out at 8am told his Mrs he'd be back at 4pm for Sunday dinner with visiting family.
8pm rolls around and his Mrs calls me panicking because he didn't turn up for dinner and I said he's probably just still enjoying the ride like usual then she said his phones not ringing which I agreed was strange as he always picked routes with coverage just incase of emergencies, said I knew his route I'd pop out and look for him. Well I found him about 4 miles from home coming down a bridleway, turns out he had an off up at danby beacon about half way through and badly sprained his ankle and landed on his phone in his pocket and smashed it, completely dead, so had been pushing himself along the entire route with his good ankle, fair, I bundled him and his bike in my car and took him home, dropped him off put his bike in his garage and off he went inside. Got back in the car rang my Mrs to tell her what was going on and that I'd be home soon and 3 minutes later he comes hopping out knocks on my window and asks me to take him to the hospital.
I look up and he's covered head to toe in cold beef gravy, mash and cabbage, and then what appears to be bit of a Yorkshire pudding stuck in his helmet so I start laughing and he tells me he told his wife what happened and some strong words were exchanged, apparently him disappearing for all day rides had become a bit of a bone of contention and hed promised he'd start to be back on time, so she thought his sprained ankle was just a lie and he was pretending to hobble to avoid trouble, few more words were exchanged cause he was fuming she didn't care that he was in pain and struggled to get home, she was convinced it was all a lie and he doesn't care about her family etc and it escalated until she threw his plated up Sunday dinner at him causing him to fall backwards onto his freshly sprained bad ankle which then broke it. I looked down and his ankle was definitely pointing the wrong direction so off I took him to A and E. The story gets brought up now everytime anyone asks why his nicknames Yorkie
Are they still together?
Surprisingly yes, and have since had 4 kids. When it does get brought up he always claims it actually brought them closer together.
Rather him than me though
?? The Uk “convention” is six short blasts 1 min appart and responding party can give 3 blasts.Does anyone else always carry a whistle (and know how to use it)?
From memory, three long blasts, three short blasts, three long blasts then pause (for a minute)???
(Its Morse code for SOS IIRC...)
Three blasts, repeated about 1 minute apart. The pause should enable you to hear a response, which is normally two blasts.
in the OP’s position I would look at the flagship phone models from Apple and Google which have satellite emergency calling included - or even one of the top end watches. Feels much more likely you’ll actually carry that and if it’s on your wrist be able to reach it than a PLB or Spot tracker. Also worth sharing your location via Googlemaps or similar with someone who might notice you are late back.
Getting location info is key. I've always avoided downloading the OS locate app (even though I have the OS map app!), not for any specific reason, just happened that way/inertia. W3W is sort of useful, sort of dangerous and you need signal.
I've had this three times now and I really think the emergency service use of W3W (or at least ONLY W3W - at minimum they should be accepting OS co-ordinates as well) is stupid and dangerous. Even close to civilisation there are a lot of dead zones in the hills - we tend to walk/ride/climb where people don't live - in the deep hollows, between hills, where there just isn't going to be mobile coverage.
You can make a traditional phone call long before you have sufficient data speed to load maps. And more of issue, theres a fair chance you're going to need to download the app (if you've not used it before, you've a new phone since last used, or your phone has offloaded it for storage). Both the times in the last couple of years we've made an ambulance call someone has had to walk hundreds of metres away to get enough signal for W3W to work so it's notional 3m accuracy is irrelevant anyway.
When it wasn't us who'd made the call we found the ambulance crew wandering around trying to get enough signal to locate the W3W reference they'd been given. If theres no signal at the casualty it doesn't seem to work that way either.
OS locate is free and would be free for ES as well and it doesn't need a data signal. For the receiver it converts the OS reference into GPS coordinates that will open for directions in navigation apps. I really don't understand how the ES got sucked into a chargeable solution from W3W that seems fundamentally worse. (it's no more effort for someone to download OSLocate than it is for someone to download W3W)
iPhone satellite emergency calls DO work in the UK. Based on a quick search I'm not confident it's all mobile operators and there seems to be a suggestion that it's only free for the first 2 years after a phone is first registered, which they've now apparently extended to 3 years for the first phones with the feature and still no details of when or how you'd pay after that expires.
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/101573
A few people have mentioned the "emergency 999 text thing" - what is this, how do yo use it up/register for it? why isnt' it on by default?
Lastly, the increasing trend for people to ride really 'light' does compromise safety. When I was riding with a hydration pack in winter I'd always have an extra layer of some sort. There was a whistle in there and an emergency blanket as well. A decent set of tools. For many years after tubeless I'd still have a tube.
I'm often now riding with a waist pack and that's stripped right back. A lot of people are riding with a bottle, minimal Allen key set and a CO2 canister strapped to the bike.
Stuff can go wrong even on a short ride. Someone as simple as a broken chain might mean a few hours walk back to your start point. Those foil emergency blankets are the smallest/lightest/cheapest back up - I've used them when we got caught in a storm and were soaked and sheltering from the rain too.
You can make a traditional phone call long before you have sufficient data speed to load maps. And more of issue, theres a fair chance you're going to need to download the app (if you've not used it before, you've a new phone since last used, or your phone has offloaded it for storage). Both the times in the last couple of years we've made an ambulance call someone has had to walk hundreds of metres away to get enough signal for W3W to work so it's notional 3m accuracy is irrelevant anyway.
It’s a bit odd as all modern UK smartphones can/will transmit their location to the 999 service by default!
MR commonly use Sarloc - a link by SMS that will enable them to get your position.
however I’ve just tested W3w app - and no need for you to have data / display a map to get an accurate W3W location. W3w will also work in a browser if you have signal.
Call the police for mountain rescue, unless you're lucky enough to know some people who are in the local team. That needs to get hammered in. In this case the ambulance was just a fancy taxi. It was MR who did the grownup work.
I think even if you are best mates with the MRT team leader you should still call the police.
whether to call police (for mrt) or ambulance is a bit of a dilemma. If you are fairly close to a road, far from actual mountains (and thus an MRT base) you *may* get a quicker response from the ambulance. You were lucky that they happened to be assembled and close by anyway - otherwise you have to wait for them to summons the team, turnout to base, and then travel to you. Of course with an overstretched ambulance service you might be waiting a long time for them anyway. An ordinary ambulance crew may never have had to extract a casualty over rough ground, and probably need more muscle (locally they call the fire service to help with than as MRT will take an hour or more). But the HART/SORT crews are potentially the right tool in some locations. The frustrating thing is the ambulance service often try to deal with it themselves in the first instance and only escalate when the people on the ground ask for backup. It would be better if any call which was more than a set distance from a road automatically alerted MRT, even if the MRT said “we think your guys can probably do this but I’ll alert the team so our response time is 5 mins quicker if you need help”.
sometimes of course it might actually be the coastguard who are the right resource to contact (if you are riding on a coastal path or injured on a beach) in a way it would be better if there was one common “rescue” service who knew all the local assets and availability and could muster the best help.
Getting location info is key. I've always avoided downloading the OS locate app (even though I have the OS map app!), not for any specific reason, just happened that way/inertia. W3W is sort of useful, sort of dangerous and you need signal.
I read this and my immediate thought was that this is all very “mobile-phone-centric”.
And one of the OPs primary issues was phone signal. So is the issue an over-reliance on mobile phones? (And being conscious enough to operate one)…
For my own part, if I was overdue I know for a fact my missus could not communicate my most likely local route(s) to the emergency services. She generally doesn’t know what type of ride I’m planning to go on (on or off-road, never mind which direction I’m likely to have gone in). But the main factor I’m relying on, beyond a phone signal, is my Wife noticing I’ve gone missing and alerting someone.
I think this thread has prompted me to think about what I leave stuck on the fridge door when I go for a ride to give the boss a fighting chance of communicating useful information to anyone trying to locate me. I think I might need to start leaving A4 maps with highlighted route(s) and my ETA as a minimum (not always a fixed plan).
As for doing things differently, I guess you can re-assess the likely risks of a given route depending upon the time of year and weather conditions, but short of assigning certain routes as no-go at certain times, all you can do is make sure your planed activities are logged with someone else.
Firmly in the shit happens camp OP, wouldn't over think it but text 999 and whistle both excellent advice. I've always been taught three long blasts pause.
You can make a traditional phone call long before you have sufficient data speed to load maps. And more of issue, theres a fair chance you're going to need to download the app (if you've not used it before, you've a new phone since last used, or your phone has offloaded it for storage). Both the times in the last couple of years we've made an ambulance call someone has had to walk hundreds of metres away to get enough signal for W3W to work so it's notional 3m accuracy is irrelevant anyway.
It’s a bit odd as all modern UK smartphones can/will transmit their location to the 999 service by default!
MR commonly use Sarloc - a link by SMS that will enable them to get your position.
however I’ve just tested W3w app - and no need for you to have data / display a map to get an accurate W3W location. W3w will also work in a browser if you have signal.
I can't say for sure - the app could well have all the locations cached and just need a gps signal but as I said, it hasn't worked well the times I've seen it being used either by the incident or the responders when the incident is an area with no signal.
Likewise when I was last injured spent some time trying to explain the location relative to roads as well - if Sarloc works all that should be unnecessary - why are they even asking for W3W?
A few people have mentioned the "emergency 999 text thing" - what is this, how do yo use it up/register for it? why isnt' it on by default?
Text REGISTER to 999, and they will send you a message back explaining the service, you reply YES and it registers you
A good read that. Wishing you a speedy recovery.
I ride solo 99.9% of the time and perhaps do get a bit complacent about the risks. I always tell my gf where I'm going but other than that I'm probably not best prepared if SHTF.
I came off badly on my own ~25 years ago on a trail I couldn't describe to anyone but my two best pals with who I'd ridden it for years. It was the very dawn of mobile phone ownership, I had my first phone with me, called one of my pals. He was round the corner playing cricket in the village, rescued in 5 mins, off to A&E with a broken collarbone.
I don't know if I learned anything from that other than always have my phone with me but I always have a spare insulated layer in anything but summer conditions, even then when running I carry the same coat and an emergency shelter.
I often ride alone too, just 'because'. Likewise hillwalking and sometimes a bit of low grade scrambling. Having the OS Locate app is handy on the phone for other reasons, such as easily geolocating photos for the Geograph website, but I've just registered it with the 999 service too. Hopefully will never need it, but being prepared is one step ahead of just assuming everything will be fine, so thanks for the suggestion.
On the subject of whistle signalling. My recollection is 3 short blasts, then quiet for a minute, then repeat. Wait for a reply of 2 blasts, I think. And I'm sure we used to have an elderly Blacks rucksack with a rather faded label sewn into the lid which said that was the recognised pattern, but it was probably 1950s or 60s vintage, and things may have changed since then. Googling it produces references to both 3 and 6 blasts now. Either way, as someone mentioned above, having a proper whistle is better than relying on the pokey little things built into chest straps. I shall be spending a few quid next time I'm in a gear shop, and getting a whistle for each of several rucksacks.
Thanks for sharing and hope you heal quickly. Like you, I do a lot of solo rides, particularly big days out in the Lakes when I can occasionally be out for twelve hours or more on my own. There are a few things I do to stack the odds in my favour if things go wrong.
Making sure my good lady the Professor Her in Doors knows my route. A really simple thing to do.
Regular text check ins. I'm invariably riding several peaks so the tops make for a natural opportunity to drop a message.
Not going full beanz. I always ride within my abilities and rarely go full gas even though I may know the trails well. On local trails where it is likely that there will be people passing if I come off, I'll adjust my risk appetite accordingly. The remoter the location, the more I will ease back a little.
I tend to carry more kit than most. Fast and light is great right up to the point that it isn't. I'm always mindful just how quickly you get cold when you stop so my list of kit includes a synthetic belay jacket, a beanie hat, spare gloves and waterproof jacket (and trousers in winter or if the forecast is looking potentially grim).
I also have a small first aid kit with painkillers including Diazepam if things really go south, an emergency blanket and an ultralight Bothy shelter. The last has been a game changer. 400 grams of guaranteed warmth if I am stuck on the Fells and it starts raining and the wind gets up.
A map and compass just cos the batteries never run out on them.
A whistle.
A head torch.
Spare food that is energy dense but I am unlikely to scoff except in an emergency such as halva or chocolate covered Kendal mint cake.
A fully charged phone.
I've not invested in a tracker but they seem like a really good option.
I guess my approach is to think what I would want if I came off and could not easily extricate myself from the situation.
Other than that, checking the mountain forecast is my first port of call. There is a reason why so many of my bigger adventure rides take place under sunshine and blue skies, summer or winter. 🤣 One the wind gets up to the point of impeding movement, I'll ride elsewhere. I learned that the hard way on Ben Chonzie one January.
I guess none of it is rocket science. It works for me. Others will take a different approach which is absolutely fine.
I was out yesterday riding some of the West Highland Way. There were big sections of ice so I was running my spiked tyres. They are a bit niche but have seen several years of service so have proven a worthy investment. Any excuse for a bike related purchase!
Hope some of this is of use?
Cheers
Sanny
On the subject of whistle signalling. My recollection is 3 short blasts, then quiet for a minute, then repeat. Wait for a reply of 2 blasts, I think.
I suspect it doesn't really matter. any sort of pattern is relying on the person hearing it knowing the code as well but the sound of a regular whistle is probably enough for most to investigate
I read this and my immediate thought was that this is all very “mobile-phone-centric”.
Just don't do what someone on a group ride did and set her phone to silent or airplane mode or whatever. It fell out of her pocket on a descent, someone behind her had actually seen it fall and was able to yell her to stop but with the speed of the descent, it took a while to stop and walk back to roughly the area it had fallen. Couldn't see it anywhere.
Oh give me your number, I'll call it.
Oh I put it on airplane mode when I'm riding... 🙄
Why?!?!?! Jesus ****ing wept. Took over an hour to find the thing, something which could have happened in 5 seconds if Bluetooth or the speaker were actually on.
Leave the bloody phone on! If you don't want to be distracted while riding turn notifications off or set up a straight to voicemail divert. Or - radical thought - ignore it. Do not turn it off!
I read this and my immediate thought was that this is all very “mobile-phone-centric”.
Just don't do what someone on a group ride did and set her phone to silent or airplane mode or whatever. It fell out of her pocket on a descent, someone behind her had actually seen it fall and was able to yell her to stop but with the speed of the descent, it took a while to stop and walk back to roughly the area it had fallen. Couldn't see it anywhere.
Oh give me your number, I'll call it.
Oh I put it on airplane mode when I'm riding... 🙄
Why?!?!?! Jesus ****ing wept. Took over an hour to find the thing, something which could have happened in 5 seconds if Bluetooth or the speaker were actually on.
Leave the bloody phone on! If you don't want to be distracted while riding turn notifications off or set up a straight to voicemail divert. Or - radical thought - ignore it. Do not turn it off!
Airplane mode does have the advantage of saving battery and if you're using the camera on your phone then powering it on every time is a drag.
Airplane mode does have the advantage of saving battery
Yeah but realistically, a phone sitting in a pocket doing not a lot other than coming out for the occasional photo is using very little battery anyway. It'll certainly last long enough for the average ride, even an all-dayer. Certainly doesn't need airplane mode.
Even with my phone connected to the satnav, it'll still last a 200km audax easily.
Depends where you are does it not? - if its a poor reception area does it not use a lot of battery looking for a signal all the time? I have had a phone run down really quickly like this I am sure
OP here.
Thanks for the comments all.
I had told the missus where I was going but in a vague shout up the stairs "off up to ****" kinda way. No detailed route description, but then most of the time I make a route up as I go along. I know my patch pretty well and pick trails subject to how I'm feeling and what ground conditions are like as I find them. This last week or so I'd actually been riding a lot of "summer only" trails as it had been so dry and firm under wheel.
Not wrong to go out. Wrong to go out on the bike IMO. Assuming your weather is anything like it has been here- long period of sub zero means even though air temp goes above zero ground remains frozen and any thaw freeze cycle means black ice in places.
Walking or even jogging in daylight you can assess the surface before each step. Cycling is too fast.
This is arguably valid and what caught me out, however my mindset is that a day that I don't ride is a "day off". I'd already had Tuesday and Wednesday "off", I knew Friday I'd be travelling up to the Lakes and climbing Sat, maybe Sun, so wouldn't get another ride in. Therefore "have" to ride and I'm "failing" if i don't. I'd figured mtb as being safest option compared to road or gravel and was doing what by my lights was a really low tech, safe, route. There had been no sign of ice at all until suddenly (line on the ground) death ice.
Location finding and the reliance on tech is an interesting one. I could describe the location to within a couple of metres to any biker or general outdoors person who knows the area in 10 words or so (when I got through to the missus, she knew exactly the place). Getting that through to a non-local in a control centre 30 miles away is a different matter. Its a proper shame that 999 don't get gridrefs, but for most of the population that's beyond their ken. I could have done a 6 figure GR easily - I have the OS map stored offline on my phone. W3W is great (we use it at work lots) in built up areas with good signal, but in my case, I could get a 3 word code, but the map wouldn't download so I couldn't check it was the "right" code for the location I was actually in.
This was only a short local ride - was planning to be out less than 2 hours, closer to 1 - I could have been home in 10 minutes from where I came off (all DH), so I understand why people don't carry much stuff - I travel much lighter in summer too. I'd got spare kit with me, so felt like I was some kind of prepared before going out, but if MR hadn't been so on it, it would have been a chunk more touch and go. How much "stuff" is too much? Or not enough?
If I'm in the proper wilds, I'll have a proper map with me (although most of the time I use the OS app). Compass more rarely if I'm on the bike - I prefer to never not know where I am, rather than needing to "navigate" properly (I did have a winter skills course pencilled in for a month's time, which would include bad weather nav stuff as I enjoy that type of thing)
My phone is a moderately elderly iphone11 pro. Doesn't do 5g, only 4g and i think a lot of the older 3g is network is getting turned off now? I travel by train a lot, and am aware I struggle for reception way more than most other passengers seem to. It is always set to silent, but never in airplane mode. We do have "Find my iphone" enabled for each other, but I find mine is really slow to respond - it'll regularly take 3 or 4 hours to find herself, when I know exactly where she is in a fixed location with good signal. "last seen at home 6 hours ago". Great, right, thanks.
Get well soon OP. I love a solo ride at this time of year. I'm MBL qualified but I don't make use of it now. But I like to test myself in tough conditions. This thread has made me realise I've gotten a bit slack recently so I've been checking the contents of my winter pack, partly to see if my current 12l pack is big enough. My Garmin sends out a live tracking link to my other half, so we made sure she knows how it works today. I'm also going to send her a copy of my usual winter solo ride and be a bit more organised in general.
That's a good point actually - I don't use strava or any other kind of ride tracking and I don't use a GPS either 99% of the time.
I’m interested in exactly this was @JonEdwards, I was a Sheffield local until four weeks ago so I suspect I know the spot very well but can’t visualise where it might be. PM me it if you want to disclose and not on here.
I had a very close call during Covid near Lady’s Cross at Barbrook, ended up lying in a pond for a minute or so assessing my injuries and decided I was just about good enough to pedal gingerly home to Totley.
Heal quickly and keep positive. It’ll take time but you’ll definitely get there.
One other thing. When I did my first First Aid course I was the casualty for one of the scenarios. I had crashed and broke my ankle, had lots of ketchup and a fake bone protruding from my sock. I was lying on the ground still attached to my bike, it was November and not too cold. But after 15 or 20 minutes lying on the ground I was shivering and that was wearing more than I would've done in a normal riding scenario. Comments were made on how well I was pretending to be cold but I wasn't pretending l, it was a real eye opener to how quickly you get cold when lying still on the ground.
I think I've linked this video before. It's aimed ar runners but very relevant to cyclists (especially off-road) too.
good thread. food for thought. thanks.
Are You Prepared For The Worst? A true story of disaster – Singletrack World Magazine https://share.google/1EZh5BLXBqqh8vVIY
Googling it produces references to both 3 and 6 blasts now.
My OH is an ultra runner and when I mentioned this she spontaneously said 6 blasts - followed by "just keep blowing until someone hears you" (may also have been the odd expletive in there!). Having a whistle in the first place is the important part. I replaced my whistle this year with a new Lifesystems metal one because the old plastic one had fallen apart - a reminder that you need to frequently check your kit.
I carry all the gear Sanny mentions bar a bothy bag. I've been toying with getting one for a while but kept putting it off because on big trips I'm usually carrying a tent, sleeping bag etc anyway. However this has spurred me to get one.
Could I suggest getting a PLB
That. I had a similar incident to the OP. Broke my arm at the Golfie, no telephone signal, no one knows where I am, and I live alone and would not be missed. Being an arm I was able to self evacuate and then met two lovely Irish chaps on the fire road who sorted me out (thanks again if you're on here!)
If it had been a leg and not an arm, on a lesser ridden trail, at sunset on a Saturday with the forecast turning grim for Sunday so probably no one riding...
I now carry a PLB.
Does anyone else always carry a whistle (and know how to use it)?
Often, but not always. It's on the same string as my compass. And there's one built in to my running pack
Thanks for posting this OP. Really useful to have that reminder to be mindful of not letting safety margins creep away from you. I'm going to be carrying an extra layer when the local trails & roads have melted enough to head back out.
I read this and my immediate thought was that this is all very “mobile-phone-centric”.
Just don't do what someone on a group ride did and set her phone to silent or airplane mode or whatever. It fell out of her pocket on a descent, someone behind her had actually seen it fall and was able to yell her to stop but with the speed of the descent, it took a while to stop and walk back to roughly the area it had fallen. Couldn't see it anywhere.
Oh give me your number, I'll call it.
Oh I put it on airplane mode when I'm riding... 🙄
Why?!?!?! Jesus ****ing wept. Took over an hour to find the thing, something which could have happened in 5 seconds if Bluetooth or the speaker were actually on.
Leave the bloody phone on! If you don't want to be distracted while riding turn notifications off or set up a straight to voicemail divert. Or - radical thought - ignore it. Do not turn it off!
This where a garish bright phone case can come in handy. I once lost my phone on an offroad moto-ride after forgetting to put it back in the tankbag (after messaging my 38-week pregnant wife to let her know I wasn't dead yet). Back-tracking I found it on the side of the corner thanks to the bright yellow case.
Yeah but realistically, a phone sitting in a pocket doing not a lot other than coming out for the occasional photo is using very little battery anyway. It'll certainly last long enough for the average ride, even an all-dayer. Certainly doesn't need airplane mode.
Depends on the condition of the battery, the temperature, the starting charge, how far from cell towers it is, which apps you have running.
Its a proper shame that 999 don't get gridrefs, but for most of the population that's beyond their ken. I could have done a 6 figure GR easily - I have the OS map stored offline on my phone.
Did you try to give them a grid ref? It might take them by surprise but if it’s all you provide they should be able to work with it - after all they can call MR or CG who use OS GR themselves.
but, have you ever played find the casualty with a six fig GR of possibly uncertain accuracy. If the are lying in a football field it’s easy - in a forest it can be quite a challenge especially if the trail you were on is not mapped or there’s multiple trails etc.
of course you could give a more precise GR which would be just as accurate as W3W but it also needs accurately communicated.
Leave the bloody phone on! If you don't want to be distracted while riding turn notifications off or set up a straight to voicemail divert.
When was Mrs Sandwich out riding bikes up North? I'll be asking questions of her later!
Airplane mode does have the advantage of saving battery and if you're using the camera on your phone then powering it on every time is a drag
Used if I'm using the phone as a stand alone GPS in the wild as not polling the nearest tower or Wifi saves battery for the hungry GPS.
Thanks again to the op it's certainly made me look at what I take with me on a ride and add a few things.
pin this thread.
I bought into the new fashion of biking-bum-bags for shorter rides and really enjoyed the lack of back sweats, so have bought a slightly larger bag for day rides, but not large enough to get the proper amount of kit in. It has certainly been nagging me that the kit i carry is just about enough while i can keep moving to keep warm, with superlight shell layer to thrown on while i fix a puncture or sit in a cafe.
Stuck at the trail side with a broken ankle, would be a very different kettle of fish.
the text 999 is news to me, that could be useful.
must add foil blankets and a dedicated whistle onto my shopping basket too.
Good posts OP, hoping you have a speedy recovery.
It's got me thinking as, although I go MTBing in a group most weeks, I also ride solo often - early mornings gravel from the house and also MTBing on moderate hills. Mornings before work I don't start with a route in mind which isn't the best of plans, and solo MTB I tell Mrs a11y the rough area for but not the actual route/trails cos generally I make it up as I go... I've always thought if I had an off on some of our local trails it'd be more effective posting in my riding WhatsApp with the trail name than telling MR that I've crashed on Dead Hobo etc.
I'm not a minimalist and always have a bag with extra layer(s) (always a waterproof/windproof), extra gloves etc, a survival blanket plus bike tools/spares to fix all the basics. Bags all have whistles built into the buckles but I've now ordered 'proper' whistles to stash in all bags.
PLBs: suggestions? I've got an iPhone 17 with the satellite capability but wouldn't like to rely on that. I'm not riding in the middle of nowhere but it can all too easily go south even on a local ride in a local area.
Carrying a bothy bag is a good call. Trying to climb into a sleeping/bivi bag with a broken leg can be quite difficult I hear, so mountain rescue now advise that folk carry a bothy bag instead if they can.
For the cost of them, seems silly not too. Plus, It's somewhere dry and warmish to eat sarnies and check maps etc
top tip for a bothy bag, keep your rucksack on - it will insulate your back better than a thin layer of BB material will
Trying to climb into a sleeping/bivi bag with a broken leg can be quite difficult I hear,
When I was much younger and plastic emergency bags were the thing it was recommended to punch a few holes in the bottom of the bag, then slip it in over your head and sit up (if possible/on your rucksack). That keeps the core warm and reduces heat loss to the ground. (The holes are obviously for ventilation).
The thin foil blankets aren't very robust but I'm told you can get fairly good results by wearing your jacket over the blanket. Not great for your arms but might be better than the whole thing shredding in the wind.
Always a good reminder whenever a thread like this comes up.
Bothy bags are a really very good investment, and as well as being emergency kit can also be used if you need to get out of the weather for bit. My top tip is to carry another bag to put it in. I used mine with my daughter near the top of Skiddaw in some grim conditions, needed to get out of the wind and the rain to put some food in her, warm up, regroup and add some motivation. Worked really well, but getting it back into the stuff sack is impossible with cold, wet hands. I now put the whole of the bothy bag into a bigger bag that is tied together (so they can't blow away). I can them stow it more easily, dry it out at home and then repack it properly when I'm back. Total weight of the summit supalite 4 person bothy bag with the extra bag is 407g. I don't carry it locally but I do carry it on hill days
I actually leave my other one in the van. Good in case I forget to bring my proper one but also for emergencies. Always worry about having to get out and wait around in grim conditions e.g. by the side of a motorway