Small things that absolutely have to be in your backpack on ski tours and hikes

Nearly all of us know the feeling of blisters and how painful they are. That is why a blister plaster can become a real lifesaver. They stick over the irritated spot and prevent any rubbing, like a second layer of skin. Unlike ordinary plasters, blister plasters adhere across their whole surface and stay on your foot for several hours.

As a rule, before every mountain tour you should put sun cream on the exposed parts of your body and protect them that way. But in winter in particular it is easily forgotten, and your face is exposed to the sun for several hours. So: put it on, and take the sun cream with you.

You can only hope that it never has to be used. But in an emergency the bivvy bag can make all the difference. It keeps out wind and weather and provides extra thermal insulation if ski tourers or snowshoe hikers have to sit it out on the mountain because of a sudden change in the weather, an injury or nightfall. A tiny investment compared with the huge difference an emergency bivvy bag can make.

Whether it is a binding, a backpack or a boot sole - almost any kind of material failure can be repaired temporarily with duct tape, and you still make it safely down to the valley or to the next hut.

A small cut or a real emergency: with the right first aid kit you are well prepared for any kind of accident.