If I'm caught in lightning above tree-line, what should I do?

reno_rita

We all know the general lightning guidelines, but what if I am above tree-line and caught in a freak lightning storm. Is it better to: Run like mad to toward the trees Lie flat, and find religion Find any imperfection in my surroundings (boulders, creek-bed) and try to wedge myself between / below it.

Originally asked by Lost on Stack Exchange (outdoors) (CC BY-SA 3.0).

uphilltech

Great question — answering as the UphillTech team:

Okay - I found that both my Langmuir ( Mountaincraft and Leadership ) and my Mountaineers ( Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills ) have pretty good advice about lightning. I would advise anyone planning on heading out into the hills to read both of these excellent books - Langmuir is the book for British Mountain Leader Training, and the Mountaineers covers a lot extra information for activities over in North America. I don't think being away from the treeline is particular problematic (unless you are the only thing on a very flat piece of ground). As long as you are not on the top of a ridge/hill, then there is a safe "shadow zone" on the side of the hill - I think something of the...

Full answer by HorusKol: https://outdoors.stackexchange.com/a/224 (CC BY-SA 3.0).

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