Medical Knowledge and Preparedness of Climbers on Colorado's 14,000-Foot Peaks

To assess the medical knowledge and preparedness of mountain climbers on Colorado's 14,000-foot peaks and to compare differences in knowledge and preparedness based on demographics, training, and difficulty of the climb.

Mountain climbers from 11 14,000-foot peaks in Colorado were surveyed at the time of summiting. These peaks represented every major mountain range and class of difficulty in Colorado. Marijuana use and demographic information including age, gender, state of residence, and income level was collected in the survey. In addition, participants were scored on medical knowledge and preparedness using a novel assessment tool. Scores were then compared and statistically analyzed.

Mountain climbers scored 2.84 ± 1.25 and 3.92 ± 1.20 out of 6.00 on medical knowledge and preparedness, respectively. Medical training was shown to be the only significant predictor of medical knowledge, whereas age, race, income, and group status were all shown to be significant predictors of preparedness. It was shown that 9.4% of participants were using marijuana. Only 25% of individuals climbing class 3 mountains elected to wear helmets.

Most mountain climbers had no formal wilderness medicine training and did worse on the medical knowledge assessment than those who did have training. Consistent with previous studies, participants performed poorly on the medical knowledge assessment. As such, ways to improve wilderness medical knowledge among outdoor recreationalists should be sought. The low rate of helmet use on Colorado's technical peaks represents an important area for education and injury prevention.