Sunday, May 20, 2012

How to Prevent Slipping When Hiking On Large Rocks

August 19, 2010 by  
Filed under hiking tips

Most hiking injuries do in fact occur when people slip on large rocks. Most of the time, these rocks are lose and move when you place your foot on them. The majority of these hiking injuries are completely avoidable if you just employ proper hiking technique. Exercising extreme caution is the best thing you can do to prevent injuries created from slipping. One of the main reasons that people have for slipping on large rocks is that they do not have the correct type of hiking boots. The best types of hiking boots will help you keep your balance and aid you in maintaining your grip with the ground.

When shopping for hiking boots that will help prevent slipping there are several things that you should look for. First of all, you should look for hiking boots that will support your upper ankle as well as your lower ankle. Many people make the mistake of hiking in sneakers which can result in a disastrous fall. Hiking is not the same thing as walking and you need the proper gear to stay safe. Sneakers are completely inappropriate for hiking on large rocks. You should also look at the bottom of the hiking boot. You should look for ridges in the bottom of the boot to see if they will provide you with good traction on the ground.

Once you have the proper hiking boots you should be in good shape, but there are still some things you can do to prevent from slipping on rocks. Most slips occur when you step on a rock that is lose and unstable. If you have a feeling that you may be in an area with these types of rocks there are several things you should do. First of all, you should lightly tap each rock with your foot before you apply all of your body weight on the rock. This should give you a good indication of whether or not the rock is safe to step on. You should also take small steps instead of larger steps. By taking small steps you will be able to maintain control over your center of gravity which prevents falls. Here are some of the main things you can do to prevent slipping on lose rocks.

 Purchase the appropriate hiking boots that give you ankle support
 Lightly tap rocks with your foot that are suspect to being lose
 Take smaller safer steps instead of larger riskier steps

By taking these precautionary measures you should almost never slip when hiking on large rocks!

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