A Division of Sports and Exercise Medicine, Department of Sport, Exercise and Health, University of Basel, 4052 Basel, Switzerland.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Mar 26;19(7):3954. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19073954.
Lightning strikes are a risk during mountain-sport activities. Yet little is known about the prevalence of injuries related to lightning strikes during mountain hiking, backcountry skiing, or high-altitude mountaineering. This study therefore examined the occurrence and characteristics of lightning-strike-related emergencies during mountain-sport activities in the Swiss Alps.
We analyzed 11,221 alpine emergencies during mountain hiking, 4687 during high-altitude mountaineering, and 3044 during backcountry skiing in the observational period from 2009 to 2020. Identified cases were analyzed in detail regarding age, sex, the time of occurrence, altitude, location, the severity of the injury as quantified by its NACA Score (National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics Score), and injury pattern.
We found no cases related to backcountry skiing. Eight cases of lightning strikes during mountain hiking (four female and four male) were identified. The mean age was 32.5 ± 17.5 years, the mean NACA Score was 2.5 ± 1.9, and the mean altitude was 1883.8 ± 425.7 m. None of these cases were fatal, and only one victim was seriously injured. Fifteen cases were identified during high-altitude mountaineering (four female and 11 male). The mean age was 38.7 ± 5.2 years, the mean NACA Score was 3.1 ± 2.5, and the mean altitude was 3486.4 ± 614.3 m. Two lightning strikes were fatal. In these two cases, rope partners were injured by a lightning strike (NACA Score = 4). Most cases were on relatively exposed terrain, such as the Matterhorn Hörnligrat or the Eiger Mittellegigrat.
The typical victims were 30-40-year-old men. It is possible that the lightning strikes are a consequence of a lower risk aversion among these alpinists, which is be supported by the fact that most of the events occurred on famous mountains such as the Matterhorn or Eiger. Furthermore, since most of the locations were on relatively exposed terrain where one could not quickly find shelter, we recommend careful tour planning with serious consultation of the weather forecast and the likelihood of thunderstorms before climbing exposed sections to prevent emergencies related to lightning strikes.
闪电是登山运动中的一项风险。然而，人们对登山徒步旅行、高山登山或高海拔登山期间与闪电有关的伤害的发生率知之甚少。因此，本研究检查了瑞士阿尔卑斯山登山运动期间闪电相关紧急情况的发生和特征。
我们分析了 2009 年至 2020 年期间在登山徒步旅行中发生的 11221 例、高山登山中发生的 4687 例和高山滑雪中发生的 3044 例高山紧急情况。对已确定的病例进行了详细分析，包括年龄、性别、发生时间、海拔高度、位置、损伤严重程度（通过 NACA 评分（国家航空咨询委员会评分）量化）和损伤模式。
我们没有发现与高山滑雪相关的案例。在登山徒步旅行中发现了 8 例闪电（4 例女性和 4 例男性）。平均年龄为 32.5 ± 17.5 岁，平均 NACA 评分为 2.5 ± 1.9，平均海拔高度为 1883.8 ± 425.7 米。这些案例均未致命，仅有 1 名受害者受重伤。在高山登山中发现了 15 例。平均年龄为 38.7 ± 5.2 岁，平均 NACA 评分为 3.1 ± 2.5，平均海拔高度为 3486.4 ± 614.3 米。有 2 例闪电致死。在这两例中，绳索伙伴被闪电击中受伤（NACA 评分为 4）。大多数案例发生在相对暴露的地形，如马特洪峰霍恩利格拉特或艾格峰中壁。
典型的受害者是 30-40 岁的男性。这些登山者的风险规避意识可能较低，这是导致闪电的原因之一，这一事实得到了大多数事件发生在马特洪峰或艾格峰等著名山峰上的支持。此外，由于大多数地点都在相对暴露的地形上，人们无法快速找到遮蔽物，因此我们建议在攀登暴露部分之前，仔细规划旅行，认真咨询天气预报和雷暴的可能性，以防止与闪电有关的紧急情况。
