The Lost & Alive Kit — every sheet

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Avalanche: the 15-minute window

What decides your fate, second by second

Lost & Alive

The survival curve

92% survival rate if dug out in under 15 min
30% at 35 minutes, almost nothing after 90 min
Asphyxiation kills more people than the cold
9 out of 10 avalanches triggered by the victim

Warning signs before it gives way

The whumpf: dull sound, sudden collapse
Cracks shooting out from your skis
Recent slides on a similar slope
Hollow sound under your poles, blocky snow

The first 10 seconds

Shout to mark the last point seen
Let go of poles and skis if possible
Swim toward the surface and toward the edge
Just before stopping: bring arms in front of your face

Buried: managing your air

Don't scream, unless rescuers are right above you
Breathe slowly, stay calm, save your oxygen
Move immediately as you stop to enlarge your air pocket
Your breath freezes the snow into an ice mask

Searching for a buddy

Transceiver in search mode, descend along the fall line
Probe in a spiral, every 25 cm
Shovel as a team, downhill, using the V-shaped method
Clear the head and airways first

Before heading out

Transceiver worn on your body, in transmit mode, tested
Shovel and probe accessible, never at the bottom of your pack
Only one skier on the slope at a time
Level 3 (Considerable) kills the most, not level 5

lostandalive.com/guide/avalanche · 112 (Europe) · 911 (Amérique du Nord)

🧊

Falling into ice-cold water

The 1-10-1 rule: three clocks, in this exact order

Lost & Alive

1 minute: cold shock

Don't try to swim right away, you'll swallow water
Grab onto anything that floats, keep your head up
Take short, controlled breaths
20% die in the first 2 minutes

10 minutes: before incapacitation

The cold stiffens hands, arms, and legs fast
Head to the nearest exit point
Don't try to swim far, it exhausts you for nothing
Get out NOW, not in five minutes

Self-rescue from ice

Turn back toward the direction you came from
Lay your arms flat on the solid ice
Kick horizontally, don't pull vertically
Crawl then roll toward the shore, don't stand up

Rescuing someone: never get in the water

Reach: pole, branch, scarf, rope
Throw: buoy, weighted rope, floating object
Row: boat pushed flat over the ice
Go: absolute last resort, tied to a rope

Afterward: the afterdrop

Dry clothes, insulate from the ground and wind
Warm sugary drink if conscious and able to swallow
Never rub the skin or apply direct heat
Hospital even if they seem fine

lostandalive.com/guide/eau-glacee · 112 (Europe) · 911 (Amérique du Nord)

💧

Making water safe to drink

Boiling, chlorine, filter, sun: what kills what

Lost & Alive

Boiling

1 minute at a rolling boil kills everything
3 minutes above 2 000 m altitude
Microbes die as low as 60-70°C
10 minutes = useless waste of fuel

Chlorine (unscented bleach 5-9%)

2 drops per liter of clear water
Double the dose if cloudy, colored, cold
Stir, wait 30 minutes
A faint smell of chlorine should remain
An old bottle loses strength within 1 year

Iodine and chlorine dioxide

Iodine 2%: 5 drops/L, 10 if cloudy, 30 min
Iodine not recommended if pregnant or thyroid issue
Chlorine dioxide: the only one to kill cryptosporidium
Cryptosporidium: 4 hours of contact time required

Filter (Sawyer, LifeStraw)

0.1-0.2 micron: bacteria and parasites, yes
Viruses: no pocket filter stops them
Combine with chlorine in viral risk zones
Freezing destroys the filter's hollow fibers

SODIS (sunlight)

Clear PET bottle, 2 L maximum
6 hours of direct sun, 2 days if overcast
Test: read a newspaper through the bottle
No effect on chemical pollutants

In order

Choose the least bad water source
Decant or strain through tight cloth
Disinfect: boiling, filter+chlorine, or SODIS
Do not recontaminate the container after treatment

lostandalive.com/guide/eau · 112 (Europe) · 911 (Amérique du Nord)

🔥

Lighting a fire in the rain

Dry wood is in the standing trees, not on the ground

Lost & Alive

Dry wood is in the standing trees

Look for dead wood still hanging on standing trees
Never use wood on the ground: it's waterlogged
Strip the bark, split it into quarters
The core of a branch stays dry for 3 days
Test: it breaks with a sharp snap

Tinders that burn when wet

Birch bark: high flame even when damp
Fatwood: resinous core of pine stumps
Feather sticks: fine shavings left attached
2 feather sticks in dry weather, 6 solid ones in the rain
Vaseline cotton ball: about 7 minutes of flame

Step-by-step progression, no skipping steps

Tinder, then match-sized, pencil, finger, wrist
An armful of kindling, not just a handful
Prepare everything before striking the first spark
Platform of dry sticks on the ground against moisture

Firesteel: the technique that works

Fine tinder nest on the ground, sheltered from the wind
Spine of your knife on the rod at 45 degrees
Pull the rod back, keeping the striker still
Blow gently as soon as you see a red glow

Under the tarp

Set up your tarp before lighting the fire
Double the amount of kindling when it rains
Look for a sheltered hollow, never a bowl that collects water
Dakota fire pit: stealthy, draws air like a stove

Keeping the fire going overnight

Let the flames die down to a bed of embers
Cover with a few cm of ash
Place 1-2 dense logs alongside, not directly on top
In the morning: rake it open, find the glow, blow

lostandalive.com/guide/feu · 112 (Europe) · 911 (Amérique du Nord)

🩹

Hypothermia and frostbite

Stages, burrito wrap, and what you never do

Lost & Alive

The 4 stages (Swiss system)

Stage 1: awake and shivering
Stage 2: drowsy, shivering has stopped
Stage 3: unconscious
Stage 4: no signs of life
Shivering stopping in the cold = emergency

The hypothermia burrito

Insulation under the casualty first
Cut off or wrap up soaked clothing
Heat to the trunk, never on the limbs
Vapor barrier, then insulation, then outer shell
Warm sugary drink if awake and swallowing

What you never do

Don't rub, don't shake, don't sit them up
Below 30°C the heart becomes irritable
No alcohol: it speeds up heat loss
They aren't dead until they're warm and dead

Frostbite

Only rewarm if it won't refreeze
Refreezing causes more damage than prolonged freezing
You can walk on a frozen foot, not a thawed one
Water bath at 37-39°C for about 30 minutes sheltered
Clear blisters: drain; bloody blisters: leave alone

Cold water: the 1-10-1 principle

1 minute to control your breathing
10 minutes of useful movement left
1 hour before losing consciousness
A drowning person doesn't scream or wave

lostandalive.com/guide/secours · 112 (Europe) · 911 (Amérique du Nord)

🎒

The Pocket Kit

The Altoids tin: what you're left with if you lose your pack

Lost & Alive

The hierarchy: on your body first

What you wear is worth more than what you carry
On you, EDC, pack, vehicle: four tiers
The pack gets lost; what's on you stays

The pocket kit (Altoids tin)

Firesteel or stormproof matches cut in half
5-6 m of strong thread wrapped around a card
2-3 fish hooks, one sail needle
Small signaling mirror or piece of a CD
5 water purification tablets
Duct tape, vaseline-soaked cotton, folded foil

Why this size

About 9 x 6 x 2 cm, around 100 grams
Waterproof: seal the lid with duct tape
The sealing tape adds to your usable supply
No duplicates with your pack, no useless gadgets

The 3 non-negotiables

Water: 1 min of boiling is enough (3 min >2000 m)
Fire: at least 3 independent methods, kept separate
Shelter: tarp or thick orange bivy sack

lostandalive.com/guide/kit · 112 (Europe) · 911 (Amérique du Nord)

🕷️

Bites and stings

Snake, tick, hymenoptera, jellyfish

Lost & Alive

Snake bite

Stay calm, immobilize the limb below the heart
Remove rings and watches before swelling starts
Draw a line around the bite with a pen, note the time
Never use a tourniquet, incision, suction, or ice
25-50% of viper bites are dry bites

Tick bite

Tick remover or fine tweezers, flush with the skin
Gently twist, never use ether or petroleum jelly
Monitor for 30 days: bullseye rash (erythema migrans)
Consult a doctor if you get a fever or spreading redness

Hymenoptera sting: anaphylaxis

Facial swelling, difficulty breathing = emergency
Adrenaline (auto-injector) before antihistamines
Inject into the outer thigh, through clothing if needed
Then call 112 immediately
Scrape off the stinger (bee), never squeeze it

Jellyfish and weeverfish

Immerse in hot water at 45°C for 20 to 40 minutes
The venom breaks down with heat
Never use ice: it concentrates the toxin

lostandalive.com/guide/secours · 112 (Europe) · 911 (Amérique du Nord)

🪢

Essential Knots

8 knots, their uses, and tricks to never forget them

Lost & Alive

Loops: Bowline and Prusik

Bowline: fixed loop, doesn't slip, easy to untie
Mnemonic: the rabbit comes out of the hole, goes around, goes back in
Prusik: friction hitch, ascends a fixed rope
Won't bite on a frozen or icy rope

Hitches: Clove hitch and Taut-line

Clove hitch: quick attachment, never alone under load
Always secure with a half-hitch
Taut-line: adjusts tension on a tarp guyline
Two friction turns, one locking turn

Tension and Quick Attachment

Trucker's hitch: improvised pulley, x1.6 tension
Always finish with two tight half-hitches
Lark's head: attaches a strap or hammock in one move
The weakest of the group in pure holding strength

Quick Release, and the Reef Knot Trap

Siberian hitch: releases with one sharp pull
Made for gloved or frozen hands
Reef knot: secures a package, never joins two ropes
It can spill and slip suddenly under load

lostandalive.com/guide/noeuds · 112 (Europe) · 911 (Amérique du Nord)

🐻

Bear, wolf, wild boar

The rules change depending on the animal in front of you

Lost & Alive

Brown bear (grizzly)

Back away slowly, never run
Speak calmly, make yourself look big, don't stare
Most charges are bluffs
If contact occurs: play dead, hands behind your neck
Keep your backpack on, it protects you during the attack

Black bear

The opposite of the grizzly: never play dead
Attacks are almost always predatory
Fight back, aim for the snout and eyes
Make yourself look big, yell, use whatever is around

Polar bear and cougar

Polar bear: may stalk you like prey
Active deterrence, then fight targeting the eyes
Cougar: stay upright, never crouch down
Protect your neck, fight back if contact occurs

Wolf

Almost zero threat in France today
Don't run, make yourself look big, back away facing it
Throw stones or sticks if it persists

Wild boar

The real danger of French forests
Don't run in open terrain
Look for a tree or a thick trunk to climb
Protect your thighs if contact occurs
The only predator that a tree trunk actually stops

lostandalive.com/guide/predateurs · 112 (Europe) · 911 (Amérique du Nord)

🌿

Deadly plants of Europe

12 plants and mushrooms, and the giveaway feature

Lost & Alive

Garden classics

Yew: taxine, only the red aril flesh is safe
Foxglove: soft and downy rosette, purple bells
Lily of the valley: two sheathing leaves, odorless

Umbellifers and relatives

Hemlock: smooth spotted stem, mousy odor
Water hemlock: hollow root, oozes yellow sap
False hellebore: alternate pleated leaves (not gentian)

Deceptive berries and flowers

Deadly nightshade: single black berries, star-shaped calyx
Datura: white trumpet flower, 2-5 seeds kill
Oleander: very bitter, bay laurel-like leaves

The bulb, the root, the mushroom

Autumn crocus: leaves without petiole or smell, bitter
Monkshood: blue helmet-shaped flowers, kills through skin
Death cap: no symptoms for 6 to 24 hours

lostandalive.com/guide/plantes · 112 (Europe) · 911 (Amérique du Nord)

🧠

First steps when you are lost

What happens in your head before anything else

Lost & Alive

The Rule of 3s (a hierarchy, not a countdown)

3 minutes without air or massive bleeding
3 hours without thermal protection
3 days without water, 3 weeks without food
Each priority assumes the previous one is handled
Used to prioritize, never to convince yourself you have time

STOP, as soon as you realize you are lost

S - Stop: stop, sit down, drink, eat
T - Think: last known safe point, 3-hour priorities
O - Observe: hazards, shelter, water, remaining daylight
P - Plan: decide, say it out loud, execute

Calm your body

Box breathing: inhale 4 s, hold 4 s
Exhale 4 s, hold empty lungs 4 s, repeat
Naming your fear out loud lowers the alarm
Talk to yourself, narrate what you are doing

Stay or move

Out of 800 lost people studied, only two chose to stay put
A stationary target is found much faster
Stay put if someone knows your route
Move only if you are certain of a landmark leading back
Never split from the group to search alone

General priorities

Mindset, rescue, shelter, fire, signaling, water, food
The state of your fire reflects the state of your morale
Break your goal down into manageable tasks before nightfall

Kids: Hug-a-Tree

Hug a tree, stay close to it
Use a whistle instead of shouting, it takes less energy
Lie down if a helicopter flies overhead
No one will be mad at you: do not hide

lostandalive.com/guide/mental · 112 (Europe) · 911 (Amérique du Nord)

📡

Distress Signals

What can be seen and heard from a distance

Lost & Alive

The number three, everywhere

Three fires, three signals, three whistle blasts
Rhythm: three signals, pause, three signals
Rescuers respond with three signals of their own
A single campfire is not a recognized signal
SOS Morse code: three dots, dashes, dots

Signal mirror

Aim using the hole: reflect the sun onto your hand
Bring the mirror to your eye, look for the spot of light
Without a hole: spread your fingers in a V toward the target
Range up to 160 km in very clear air
Flash slowly, never in rapid bursts

Ground signals (min. 1 m x 6 m)

V = need assistance
X = need medical assistance
N = no, Y = yes, arrow = direction taken
Maximum contrast, never under trees
Orange = international distress color

Facing a helicopter

Arms raised in a Y = yes, need help
One arm up, one down = no, everything is fine
Stay still, back to the wind if possible
Secure any object that could blow away
Only approach when explicitly signaled by the crew

Whistle and voice

A whistle carries up to 1.6 km, your voice 500 m
Your voice gets exhausted in just a few minutes
Three hard strikes carry well in a gorge or cave

Phone without signal

112 works through any available network carrier
SMS sometimes gets through when voice calls fail
Gain elevation, head for an open ridge
Satellite SOS (iPhone 14+): requires a clear view of the sky
Airplane mode saves battery in dead zones

lostandalive.com/guide/signaler · 112 (Europe) · 911 (Amérique du Nord)