Reykjavik Refresher Workshop
The second week of our trip to Iceland included a Refresher Workshop for previous RfR Fundamentals attendees. The weather continued to be dry and cold, and we had some excellent training sites for pickoffs, litter work, and volcanic crevasse rescue. The old lava flows have numerous cracks in the surface that form rock crevasses. Some of these are hidden with a blanket of thick moss that acts like a carpet. Cracks like these create a hazardous trap door quality for the unaware hiker out for a stroll. It was a different experience to cover crevasse rescue in a volcanic lava flow.
Highline in the north of Iceland
We wrapped up our first course in Iceland with a nice drooping horizontal Kootenay Highline System over a scenic river gorge near the end of the fjord. There was a humorous misfire of the line delivery device that resulted in a small delay in establishing the messenger line. However, the comic relief was well worth the line entanglement. Lots of clever anchoring techniques were utilized to rig the highline, including the “hedgehog” ground anchoring plates (angled aluminum –note: not snow pickets!- with customized rebar stakes).
Icelandic SAR – Akureyri
The Icelandic Search and Rescue Association (ICE SAR) has been attending Rigging for Rescue seminars going back to 2007. Our trips to Iceland have covered many cliffs and crags on this spectacular island nation. 2021 marked our 7th trip to Iceland and one that was hard-earned after a couple of Covid-related rescheduling snafus. ICE SAR is the umbrella organization for around 96 SAR teams. Each comprised of around 30 members. That means for a small nation of 300,000, nearly 1/100 are active SAR personnel. Respect! This trip we started up north in the village of Akureyri. This is near some of Iceland’s best backcountry skiing terrain and it also has an abundance of cliffs and crags for SAR training. We were treated to mostly dry, albeit cool weather and had a great week of ropework and rigging.
The Great State of Wyoming
Recently, we hosted Tip Top SAR from Sublette County, WY at our home base in Ouray. Tip Top responds to a large swath of the Wind River Range, which involves some very remote terrain oftentimes accessed by helicopter. The team prefers to hone their ground rescue skills in Ouray each spring in preparation for the hiking/climbing season in the Winds which starts around July 4th most years. And right on the heels of hosting Tip Top we trained another Wyoming-based team – the Jackson Hole Mountain Patrol. The JHMP is responsible for all of the incidents and accidents on the Jackson Hole ski area terrain including the summer bike trails as well as the via ferrata. The via ferrata at Jackson has been in use for around 5 years now and they continue to add new terrain to the via ferrata circuit every year. Much of the terrain would make for very challenging terrestrial rescue as the base of the cliffs are semi-remote with no easy access to the road cuts or ski lifts. Every year we brush up on the basics like 2-rope pickoff techniques. But we also spend a lot of time on aerial suspension systems such as Guiding Lines and Highlines. The longer suspension systems allow us to float the patient across very rough talus-strewn terrain to an eventual egress point for a wheeled litter evac. A great couple of weeks with Wyoming SAR personnel!
10th SFG in Ouray
It was our honor and privilege this past week to host military mountaineers from the 10th SFG out of Fort Carson at our home base in Ouray. The 10th Group has a long and prestigious history dating back to WWII. The 10th Group’s members are often some of the American military’s subject matter experts for mountain travel and ropework. Suffice it to say it is humbling to have them seek out Rigging for Rescue for their training needs in rigging and ropework. We have been fortunate to have been able to work with their cadre for the better part of 15 years. We had a great week of weather and enjoyed the cliffs and crags around Ouray. A lot of the focus was on use of the SKED stretcher in cliff rescue as well as pickoffs of stranded climbers. We also got a chance to rig and operate a highline system across the raging Uncompahgre River.
April SPRAT Evaluations Complete
Last week we hosted a SPRAT Training and Evaluation with four Level 1 candidates and three Level 3 candidates. After a quick week of training we are please to say that everyone passed their evaluations and are now certified SPRAT Rope Access Technicians. RfR will be hosting more training and evaluation sessions starting back up this coming September. Get yourself registered for your Level 1, Recertification, or Upgrade before they fill up.
Rope Access in Ouray – SPRAT Training and Evaluation
Last week, we hosted our first SPRAT training/certification for calendar year 2021. We had a nice mix of welders, construction trade personnel, a firefighter, curious rope rescue practitioners exploring SPRAT certification, and a Level 3 recertification candidate. All of the Level 1 candidates successfully passed their SPRAT evaluation and are now newly minted SPRAT rope access technicians. And our man Chris from Rope Partner successfully passed his Level 3 recert with flying colors. Zero discrepancies issued for the day. Congrats to all! Our next SPRAT offering is scheduled for April.
Amphitheater Adventure Ice
Just prior to the big dump of snow we got this weekend, Jared and I squeezed in a day of adventure climbing high in the Amphitheater overlooking Ouray. The route was first put up nearly 25 years ago. This was my fifth trip up the face and it never disappoints. Very sweet to have fresh sticks into sticky blue ice and no evidence of previous climbing traffic – a rarity in the San Juans. Get some!
Ice Conditions are Outstanding
The consistently cold start to winter has created optimal conditions for both Ouray Ice Park ice-farming as well as backcountry ice formation. The Ice Park opened for the season on Dec 19th and we have been climbing backcountry ice since before Thanksgiving. We have two open enrollment Waterfall Ice Climbing & Rescue workshops scheduled for this winter. The first available is the week of Jan 11-15, 2021: https://staging4.riggingforrescue.com/upcoming-programs/waterfall-ice-and-rescue-workshop/ The Waterfall Ice Workshop focuses on ice climbing movement skills, companion rescue, as well as lightweight, small team rescue in the winter alpine setting. Please consider joining us in 2021! Happy New Year
SPRAT Training and Evaluation Dates 2021
We have just posted new SPRAT Training and Evaluation dates on the calendar. Our next training and evaluation sessions are February 2-6, 2021 and April 20-24, 2021 in Ouray, Colorado. The February session is filling up fast. If you are interested, please do not hesitate to get registered. We will be adding more sessions to our 2021 calendar soon. Check back after the new year for Spring and Summer dates.
