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Mountain sports have a significant impact on health.
High-risk mountain sports require planning and risk management.
Despite careful planning, mountain sports always involve a residual risk.
Cable cars and e-bikes also give less experienced people access to mountain sports.
Abstract of the book contribution:
Mountain sports encompass a wide range of activities in summer and winter, with geoclimatic factors such as cold, altitude and terrain characteristics significantly influencing performance and safety. With increasing altitude, the temperature drops considerably, which has physiological effects and requires the use of functional clothing to protect against hypothermia. Particularly intense UV radiation, which is further intensified by reflection from snow or rock, makes consistent skin and eye protection essential. The lack of oxygen at high altitudes (hypoxia) can also lead to mountain sickness and reduces physical performance, which is why slow acclimatization is important. Although the unpredictable natural terrain poses a higher risk of falling than controlled sports facilities, it also offers a variety of health-promoting stimuli for the metabolism and cardiovascular system. In addition to the prevention of chronic diseases, an adapted diet and hydration, especially an increased intake of carbohydrates, play a central role in maintaining performance at altitude. Finally, careful planning and conscious risk management are crucial in order to safely exploit the positive potential of the alpine environment.
Key messages of the book:
- The extreme influences in the mountains, such as the drop in temperature (approx. 6.5 °C per 1000 m altitude) and the increasing UV radiation with altitude as well as reflection (snow/rock) , make functional clothing and consistent sun protection imperative.
- The reduced availability of oxygen at altitude leads to reduced performance and carries the risk of acute mountain sickness, which is why slow acclimatization and an adapted, carbohydrate-rich diet are important.
- Mountain sports offer great potential for preventing chronic illnesses and improving general quality of lifedue to the diverse demands placed on the metabolism, muscular system and cardiovascular system .
- As natural mountain environments are unpredictable compared to controlled sports facilities (e.g. risk of falling, weather changes), careful planning, reliable equipment and a high level of safety awarenessare essential for a healthy sports experience.