Working through a Re-Anchor scenario Deviation and Knot-Pass maneuvers Last week we hosted the first of two autumn SPRAT rope access training and evaluation sessions.  100% of the candidates passed their evals and are now certified SPRAT rope access technicians.  Our next offering is Nov 30-Dec 4, 2021. We are welcoming [...]

The weather gods took care of us last week with some rock solid high pressure and bluebird skies for our annual training event at Grand Teton National Park.  The highlight of the week was utilizing the contract helicopter to ingress personnel to the top of Peak 11,840 for a multi-pitch lowering exercise down some unknown [...]

This summer's West Metro Fire training event followed an A,B,C shift rotation of 2-days each shift.  The focus was on swiftwater-related ropework and rescue solutions for both pickoffs and patient transport.  Our first scenario was a traditional Guiding Line through steep slope ground to a river crossing. At the river, we unstrapped the patient's litter [...]

We recently finished a fantastic week with Rescue 1, Seattle Fire Department.  The commitment to excellence and dedication to the mission within this Company - and entire Department- is remarkable.  Our objective heading into the week was clear: deliver a set of experiences that challenged reliance on gadgetry; focus on fundamental principles of rigging and [...]

Uppylsingar East Sideways A-Frame near Akranes AHD edge transitions Vertical litter orientation Volcanic crack crevasse rescue 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 [...]

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 [...]

Steep slope work above the fjord Vertical litter transitions over abrupt edge Iceland's largest tree anchor Akureyri in the background 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 [...]

BC Pickoff - making the connections Cradle Carry attending technique 2-rope lower to Guiding Line (230m) Upper Attendant position BC Pickoff Piggyback attending on a pickoff Recently, we hosted Tip Top SAR from Sublette County, WY at our home base in Ouray. Tip [...]

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 [...]