 Perfect ski control is the greatest contributing factor toward the prevention of skiing accidents. The patrol unit that maintains this level of performance will have at all times the best chance of fulfilling its mission or to complete a hard-hitting military operation with the maximum efficiency and safety and a minimum of danger to any of its members. Let us examine the ski patrol as it comes down a moderate slope in long sweeping turns. Particularly at the end of the day when you're tired and your muscular reflexes have slowed down from the effects of fatigue, ski slowly and under perfect control even though you're tempted to get back to camp in a hurry. Otherwise you may misjudge a hazard and take a bad spill. Now the four skiers descend a steep rocky slope, the men swerving in and out among the rocks. One wrong move on the part of a trooper among these jagged rocks would result in a serious spill for someone. To safeguard against such accidents the good ski trooper must not only keep in the peak of condition and perfect his skill by constant training but he must also make sure that his equipment is in excellent condition to withstand any sudden shock or strain. The four men under perfect control come to a stop at the edge of a rocky precipice. To safeguard a patrol unit against accidents it is imperative that each member should know how to check his speed and stop safely in all types of snow on all kinds of terrain. This trooper is skiing too fast, he's out of control. Thus you see how the lack of ski control on the part of a trooper will cause a crack up. Time must now be spent by the other members of the patrol in administering first aid and returning the injured skier to camp, clearly demonstrating how the military effectiveness and striking force of the entire patrol unit is destroyed. Here a patrol is climbing up the side of a steep slope reaching the top the men come to a stop and remove their skis and rucksacks. Since the snow on the downward side may be of a different texture the men pick up a handful to inspect it in order to determine the proper wax to apply before commencing the descent. In as much as the snow is not wet they discard the wet snow wax but select a can of wax suitable to its dry and powdery condition. Let us see what can happen if a member of the patrol makes a careless mistake in selecting the improper wax as well as haphazardly applying it. As the result of a trooper's carelessness the rest of the patrol must come to his aid. Note how the snow stuck to the running surface of the skis. Improper selection and application of the wrong wax was the cause of this accident. Here is a trooper who after having reached the peak of a slope discovers that his ski is not properly adjusted. His heel wobbles because the toe plates are out of line or the heel spring is loose. The good ski trooper will correct this condition immediately. If he doesn't he will undoubtedly wind up in a bad spill. For safe skiing it is necessary to keep the ski bindings properly adjusted at all times. Be sure your heel is in the center of the ski and the toe irons rest snugly against the soles of the ski boot throughout the entire length of the irons. With the bindings adjusted in this manner the heel is held firmly in line with the ski and cannot shift to one side or the other. The heel spring is kept sufficiently tight to hold the ski boot against the toe irons. If the bindings are properly adjusted and you ski under control you can travel on a steep slope with perfect safety. But here is a careless trooper who has neglected to tighten the shoulder and belly straps of his rucksack. What he doesn't realize is that the weight of his loose rucksack will throw him out of skiing control. The smart ski trooper will always make sure that his rucksack is adjusted properly, cinching the shoulder and belly straps to hold it firmly against his back. If the pack resting in this manner against the back you will be able to make fast sharp turns without being thrown off balance by any shifting weight of your rucksack. This ski trooper has traveled with too much clothing and the strenuous exercise of skiing has caused him to perspire excessively. The same trooper because he has worn all of his clothes while traveling now has nothing left to put on during a momentary halt. This is the quickest way to become chilled as his clothes absorb the moisture and freeze. Thus the insulating value of his clothes are destroyed and heat will be conducted from his body causing the body to chill which increases the danger of his freezing to death. On the other hand the trooper who wears only enough clothes while traveling automatically guards against such a hazard. When this skier stops to rest he will be able to put on an extra sweater or additional clothing and have no fear of contracting a chill which might hinder the progress of his tour. When emerging from a forest or any other dense area the careful ski trooper will always stop to apply sunburn preventative to his face and neck in order to guard against painful complications. A trooper can become sunburned in winter just as easily as in summer as in all weather direct sunlight or reflected light from snow fog or clouds can cause a severe burn. This careless ski trooper has neglected to wear his snow goggles and is squinting against the glare of the sun as he travels along. Snow blindness is caused by direct and reflected rays of sunlight. The symptoms are a burning sensation in the eyes which increases to intense pain and a sandy feeling in the eyelids. The eyes become red and swollen and the victim is unable to look at any bright light or white surface and frequently he is unable to open his eyes. A victim of snow blindness may suffer severe pain for many days and be completely incapacitated. Until the snow blind trooper can be returned to his main base for emergency treatment a cold compress should be taped over the victim's eyes and gauze wrapped over the compress around his head so that his eyes may be protected from all light. There is no excuse for any trooper to be afflicted with snow blindness. The army sun goggles issued to each man if properly used eliminate all harmful rays of the sun. In the event the trooper should lose or break his goggles there are several methods to provide himself with a satisfactory substitute. It is in an emergency like this that the many extra pieces of equipment carried by each trooper can be put to ingenious use. One way to fashion a pair of goggles is out of cardboard the edges of which are rounded with the trooper's jackknife. The strip of cardboard is folded in half each corner is paired and the cardboard cut in two. Horizontal slits about one eighth of an inch wide. T-shaped at one end are cut in the center of each cardboard. This same operation is repeated on the second cardboard. A small piece of adhesive tape is used to join the cut pieces of cardboard and leather thongs are knotted and threaded through each of the t-shaped ends in order to secure the goggles to the head. These emergency sun goggles will permit fair vision to the trooper but most important will protect him against snow blindness. There is a second method to prevent snow blindness when the trooper is without his sun goggles. In this case the trooper unrolls gauze around his head to judge the proper amount he will have to use. He doubles the bandage and cuts it from the roll. Next he fastens a strip of adhesive tape on the cut end and secures it around his head. This bandage of double thickness will diffuse the harmful sun rays and still give the trooper an adequate degree of vision until he can get a new pair of sun goggles. The trooper who has damaged or broken his sun goggles should repair them immediately. To wear goggles in this condition is as harmful as not wearing any. Notice the open knife is thrust into the log so that the trooper will not lose it in the snow. The best method to repair them is to first cut two strips of adhesive tape, applying them to the outside of the frame. Narrow slits are left between the two strips for vision. The tape is then slit and turned under at the nose piece so that the goggles will rest comfortably on the nose. To prevent the sticky surface of the tape from coming in contact with his eyes the trooper places four smaller strips on the inside of the goggles to match those on the outside. These repaired goggles will adequately serve the trooper until he's able to replace them with a new pair. This picture has shown you some of the more important rules for ski safety. It is up to you to see that these rules are not violent. The military striking power of your patrol, the ultimate success of your mission and very possibly your life itself may depend upon these rules.