Hiking in summer - what you should pay attention to

The most important things in brief

• If you go to the mountains in summer, you shouldn't do it unprepared.
• It should be obvious that you need to protect yourself from the sun and drink enough fluids - here are a few more specific tips.
• Take advantage of the tools at your disposal, from the right clothing to useful apps.
• Also carry a power bank with you so that you can call the mountain rescue service in an emergency.

People tend to overestimate themselves. It's no different in the mountains, the mountains look impressive from the valley, but we don't really visualize the dangers that prevail up there. But that changes once you climb a few thousand meters in summer under your feet - and if you haven't prepared well. This involves a little more than just thinking about sufficient food.

The mountains promise cooling - but that's wrong

When we think of the Swiss mountains or of the Alps in general, we think of great heights, of the eternal ice and of cooling off in summer. But as soon as you arrive, you quickly realize that it's really hot up there when the sun is beating down. At this point we don't want to mention that you now need a lot of fluids in the form of soft drinks and sunscreen. It should be about real tips.

These are all more or less about trusting the tools that make planning noticeably easier. We're talking about apps. But before we go into more detail about them, a few more sentences on the subject of clothing. Light and loose is all well and good, but cotton has no place in the summery mountains. Because cotton does not support the body's own sweating function, the proverbial functional clothing, on the other hand, does exactly that. So invest in the right clothes.

Warm clothes just in case

This leads directly to the next point: You should always carry a few things to keep you warm. In the mountains you can never be 100 percent sure about the weather, a sudden change in the weather can have fatal consequences. Although weather forecasts are more accurate today than ever before, the mountains have their own microclimate.

It's best to find out a few days before the mountain tour which is the best weather app you can get for the respective region. Some apps are popular with outdoor enthusiasts and mountain hikers because of their accuracy.

Plan the route

It's good to start early in the morning to beat the heat, but it's not good to set out at random. Accept all the available tools you can get, such as trail maps, mountain guide tips and modern apps. They are not only helpful in terms of the weather, but also when planning routes with regard to time and distance information. Good hiking apps also make reliable statements about the difficulty of certain paths and passages. In combination with the weather forecast, you can prepare yourself perfectly.

Always carry a smartphone with a fully charged battery and switch on flight mode so that the phone does not waste power by constantly searching for wireless networks and an Internet connection. And always carry a full power bank with you in your hiking backpack so that you can call the mountain rescue service in an emergency.