The summer RfR season proved to be a whirlwind. We traveled near and far working with a variety of rescue teams from very different backgrounds and mission profiles. Continued areas of participant interest included: pros and cons of Two Tensioned systems and how/when/why to apply them effectively use of the VT Prusik in rescue systems [...]

On Saturday, October 5, a call came in from the North Rim ranger station that there was a SAR in the works.  A climber on the 5.11 route Stoned Oven on North Chasm View Wall had taken a leader fall and injured (broken) their ankle after striking a ledge. They and their partner were self-rescuing [...]

  We recently wrapped up one of our semi-annual Rigging for Rescue Self Rescue and Small Teams Response workshops. For the backcountry trad climber and mountain rescue “hasty team” respondent, it represents just about the best quality material that RfR offers in ropework and rigging. Our new indoor training facility provides an excellent venue for [...]

Conditions in the Northern Rockies were cool and wintery this past week during our training with the Jenny Lake climbing ranger cadre at Grand Teton National Park.  After a review of system components/devices we focused on some of the more challenging rope rescue problem-solving missions such as highlines and multi-pitch.  Both techniques require excellent logistics [...]

The month of April had us visiting a frequent port of call - Mt Rainier National Park.  The climbing ranger cadre at Rainier responds to similar missions as the Denali NPS rangers - crevasse falls, hypothermia, altitude illness, and the myriad of others means of being incapacitated in the high mountain alpine environment. We worked on [...]

San Juan Pickoff: a lowering based pickoff with a self-managed belay Approaching a station on a multi-pitch lower Vertical litter orientation is commonly utilized for patient safety on waterfall ice terrain The Attendant adjusts to the foot end of the litter for steep ice   The 58th [...]