2015 dates for Waterfall Ice Workshop
It feels odd to be typing this while outfitted in shorts and flip flops. However, winter is never too far away in the San Juan’s regardless of the season. In 2015, we will be hosting two different sets of dates for our open enrollment Waterfall Ice Climbing and Rescue Workshop. The first one will be 18-23 January and the second 22-27 February. They are essentially 5-day workshops with an evening get together on the Sunday prior to the M-Fr training. The workshop focuses on small team tactics, companion rescue skill sets, and of course the myriad of considerations for the medium of waterfall ice including movement skills, anchoring, and avalanche awareness – just to name a few. The workshop can also be arranged on contract on mutually agreeable dates/locations. If your organization has 4 or more participants, consider contracting your own private course. We hope to see you at an offering in 2015! Multi-pitch lowers with litter Main and Belay on multi-pitch exercise
Rigging for Rescue in the East!
We are very excited to announce that this autumn we will be hosting an open enrollment seminar in the Shawangunk Mountains. Rigging for Rescue, in conjunction with the Mohonk Preserve, will be offering our very first East Coast-based open enrollment seminar in The Gunks. Long regarded as the East Coast’s finest rock climbing destination, the Gunks is also a fantastic training ground for high angle technical rescue. On two previous occasions we have conducted seminars on contract in the Gunks. The rock quality is amazing. The variety of site locations and the close proximity to New Paltz makes it a superb destination for technical rope rescue. The dates of the seminar are October 13-19, 2014. The autumn is a beautiful time of the year to visit upstate New York. The Gunks are located 6 miles west of New Paltz, NY and are approximately 1.5-2 hours driving time from airports in either Albany, NY or Hartford, CT. Please contact us directly for registration information and availability: [email protected]. Edge transition with litter in the Gunks High Exposure Enjoying the spectacular climbing
Black Canyon NPS – mutual aid rescue assist
All of the Ouray-based Rigging for Rescue instructors also serve as volunteers on the Ouray Mountain Rescue Team. A little over a week ago, our team got a call from the Black Canyon National Park climbing rangers to help in a very large and technical rescue of an injured climber. The climber had dislodged a large rock mass on themselves while climbing on the Atlantis Wall. They sustained multiple injuries and their lower leg fracture prevented them from self-rescuing from the depths of the canyon. Their climbing partner was able to scramble out the access gulley and place the 9-1-1 call. We all gathered at the north rim ranger station at first light the next morning. A medic and ranger had spent the night with the injured party. The rescue team was comprised of around 20+ volunteers from Ouray Mountain Rescue, Western State, and West Elk along with a handful of rangers from the Black Canyon. The patient was stranded at the base of the Atlantis Wall approximately 500m down from the canyon rim. We linked three 183m ropes together for each the main and belay. The terrain involved a 100m vertical cliff at the top to a large terrace followed by a 400m lower down the primary wall. We used a mechanical advantage tagline system to draw the stretcher across the flat terrace during the initial descent and then had to reverse that on the raise with a descent control system. All told it took around 10 hours to build the system, lower an attendant and stretcher down the wall, and raise the patient/attendant back up to the top of the rim. The weather was atrocious with sideways snow and very cold temps. The scale alone made it probably the biggest rope rescue I have been involved in and the weather just took the whole operation to the ‘epic’ stage. Type II fun if you are familiar with that metric. It was quite the effort. Kudos to all that were involved. Beginning the initial descent Patient nearing the top edge transition View of the changing fall line at the terrace Taking it
Denali NPS seminar in Valdez, Alaska
Recently, we returned from our annual pre-season training with the Denali NPS climbing rangers. Rigging for Rescue has been conducting this training each year since 2001. This year we based out of Valdez, Alaska. The terrain around Valdez is superb and ranges from excellent ice climbs to easily accessible glaciers as well as the famous snow slopes off of Thompson Pass. The ranger cadre uses this training as a means of tuning up their glacier travel, crevasse rescue skills, and team-based rope rescue techniques in advance of the Denali climbing season. We covered a variety of challenging scenarios including multi-pitch access/egress to a stricken climber, traversing a steep snow slope with a loaded stretcher, pendulum falls into crevasses, and specialized edge transition techniques. The training also included members of the 212th Pararescue Team (PJs) out of Anchorage. The PJs often serve as medics on the Denali climbing patrols. It is always a privilege to work with such a skilled group of practitioners in the great state of Alaska! The Chugach Bridalveil Falls Ice tunnel on Valdez Glacier – so cool! Crevasse rescue practice on Valdez Glacier Successful use of the ‘Tractor Pull’ technique Mission briefing for the stretcher-based snow slope traverse Pike ‘n Pivot
Ingram Falls Sendfest
Yesterday, we managed to squeeze in a coveted ascent of the rarely formed Ingram Falls just prior to the start of our Waterfall Ice Workshop currently being conducted in Ouray. Looming above the town of Telluride, Ingram Falls is in the same general basin as its more famous neighbor, Bridalveil Falls. However, while Bridalveil faces nearly true north, Ingram has a W/NW aspect and sees a few hours of direct sunlight every afternoon. The result is a rarely formed pillar that in most years never seems to quite touch down. This is not one of those years. A pillar is what you came for and a pillar is what you’ll find. Ingram is in very FAT conditions at the present. It is debatable as to whether the crux is the grade 5 pillar climbing or the 2+ hours of post-holing through San Juan depth hoar to reach the objective. Regardless, the climb is a prize tick and makes for a fine day in the mountains. Get some!
Sapphire Bullets of Ice
Prior to Kevin and I taking on the CDOT rockfall mitigation rigging project, we were enjoying a typical winter in the San Juan’s complete with a heavy dose of ice climbing. One of the areas best climbs is the rarely formed Sapphire Bullets of Ice located on the main headwall to the west of Bridalveil Falls – another area classic in its own right! Sapphire Bullets is definitely in my personal Top 5 of ice climbs in the San Juan’s. Every pitch is excellent. The climbing is engaging, but not desperate. Super classic. Not to be missed, if you get the chance. We have our second Waterfall Ice Workshop offering for this winter coming up in 3 weeks time. Currently, there are two remaining spots. If you want to hone your ice climbing skills and learn about both companion rescue and team-based rescue in the ice climbing environment, come pay us a visit for a week of quality education and training. Berg heil. Kevin leading the steep curtain on pitch 1 Nearing the top out – pumpy stemming Looking down from the second belay station Heading into the intimidating roof on pitch 3 Sapphire Bullets of Ice
Highway 550 open!!!
Today, Jan 31, Highway 550 was opened – albeit partially – for the first time since its closing on Jan 13 due to rockfall on the Ruby Walls. I don’t believe 18 days is the longest stretch of closure on 550, but it is the longest in quite some time. All of us involved in the undertaking are understandably proud to have played a part in the success of the rockfall mitigation project. Almost all of us on the mountainside team are Western Slope residents and most of us live in Ouray or Silverton. We were speaking daily to our friends and neighbors and they were curious about the progress and encouraging us in our dogged pursuit of a solution. We know we made a difference. And we felt like we were the right people thrust into the right circumstances at the right time. It is with a different set of eyes that I view that ‘open’ sign on the highway reader board. A tremendous accomplishment by the entire CDOT team.
Ruby Walls – Last day of net laying
Ruby Walls – Red Mountain Pass- Final nets in place
Wow. It is kind of a surreal feeling to be on the backside of the helicopter-based net laying. What a push it was to get that completed during this favorable stretch of high pressure. With 36 nets in place over the talus and considerable scaling completed at the top of the north gulley, the ‘heavy lifting’ of this project is in the rear view mirror. There are still some important tasks remaining such as shackling the remainder of the net drapery, some spot scaling, and the installation of a cantilevered net fence at the highway level. But there won’t be any more ‘working for hours on end underneath a rock-spitting 400 foot headwall’ and that is a relief for all involved in this rockfall mitigation project. We were scheduled for one more day of good weather and we took full advantage of the conditions. We flew in the last four panels, did a bunch of scaling in the north gulley including the removal of a behemoth boulder that was teetering on the slope, shackled about 1/3 of the drapery, and scouted the remaining pockets of hanging talus on the north side of the recent disturbance. It was a very full day as they all have been. Collectively, we were dragging with low energy levels as we descended to the highway at the end of the day. This unique project has been without a doubt one of the most scary, dangerous, and yet gratifying endeavors I have ever been involved with in my professional career as a ropework practitioner. We had around 12 people on the mountain side every day representing four different CDOT contractors. Most of us met for the first time the initial morning we ascended the fixed ropes. There was a tremendous amount of professional respect, an amazing element of team work, and some serious blood, sweat, and tears poured into that slope. So far we have a 100% safety record on the slope with some close calls due to overhead rockfall, but no injuries. We are all very proud of the overall team effort and glad to have played an important contributing role in the success of the project. Like everyone else, I hope the pass opens soon. I am ready to go skiing! Cory managing a rope station The last net inbound Placing a net in the north gulley The crew at the highway. Glad to be safely down. Ruby Walls on Jan. 29 with 36 nets in place Searching for the keystone on the behemoth boulder Shackling the final net
Ruby Walls – scaling bonanza
Great progress has been made each and every day, and today was no exception. It was the culmination of a lot of prep work, some favorable flying conditions, and a general ‘get it done’ enthusiasm that resulted in 15 additional panels being laid over the talus field. We are steadily progressing towards the highway and there could be as few as a couple of panels remaining to complete the air support end of the operation. The snow is predicted to be coming our way soon, so we hope to wrap up the helicopter ops tomorrow and then scale as much rock as possible in the remaining time before the storm.
