Rigging for Rescue Blog

Rigging for Rescue instructors Dave Shuman and Philippe Wheelock recently returned from a month in Nepal, having volunteered their time to instruct the advanced rope rescue course for the Khumbu Climbing Center (KCC) in the village of Phortse.  Phortse is in the heart of the Khumbu region of Nepal and

This past week we have been instructing a Rigging for Rescue Waterfall Ice Climbing & Rescue Workshop for a SAR Tech Squadron in Quebec, Canada. The SAR Techs have a similar mission profile to a USAF Pararescueman; rescue response is their primary job responsibility. RfR instructor Kevin Koprek had a great

Basic principles of rope rescue follow the LAST components of Locate, Access, Stabilize, and Transport. Waterfall Ice is no different on the big picture sequence of events; but the techniques, strategies, and terrain challenges certainly exceed your typical technical rescue call-out. The path of least resistance for patient access high

This past week we had the distinct honor of being tapped to train some of our country’s finest in ice climbing and rescue in the waterfall ice environment.  The 19th and 10th SFG units have proud histories in mountaineering, skiing, and general mountain travel. We had a terrific week sampling

Conducting a technical rope rescue seminar in Acadia in the autumn is as scenic as it gets. Beautiful fall colors, pristine granite, and thankfully bluebird days with dry conditions. Every two years, several of the high angle teams in the state of Maine come together on Mount Desert Island for

This fall we returned to the Grand Canyon to train with the NPS ranger cadre. The top of the Grand Canyon rim offers pretty straightforward anchoring options with a lot of stout vegetation and rock mass features. The real challenge is in properly aligning to the edge transitions to protect

This past weekend 42 SAR personnel from six different organizations converged on the North Rim of the Black Canyon for a much-anticipated rope rescue event.  The principal organizers included RfR and the NPS ranger cadre.  Several other mutual aid teams joined in to participate. The objectives were to trial some

  The Jackson Hole Ski Resort recently installed a via ferrata (VF) course on the upper mountain near the Rendezvous gondola. In preparation for their grand opening to the public, they contracted Rigging for Rescue to conduct a rope rescue training for their Mountain Patrol staff. The Mountain Patrol is comprised

This season’s Grand Teton NPS seminar included multiple areas of focus: a critical analysis of Two-Tensioned Rope Systems and the best practices for where, when, how, and why the MPD snow anchoring techniques and devices polishing command & control and the use of smaller diameter ropes and lighter gear/systems for

Conducting rope rescue trainings in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison is always a treat. What incredible terrain! And only 1-2 hours from Ouray depending on which rim you choose to visit. This past weekend, we did a workshop for some of the Black Canyon volunteer SAR personnel who support the

Last week we hosted our spring offering of the RfR open enrollment Specialty Techniques seminar. The participant mix was skewed towards the fire rescue side of rope rescue. As a result, we covered numerous topics & techniques that had applicability to fire rescue scenarios. Content included a compare/contrast of pickoff

  A couple of different USAF pararescue squadrons have paid us a visit in Ouray, Colorado this spring. The PJs are specially trained operators within the US Air Force, with skill sets that include rope rescue, climbing, scuba, parachuting, medical, and recovery – just to name a few. Because of the

Weather in the desert southwest is decidedly warm and springlike this time of the year, but there is still an abundance of snow and ice up in the great white north of Alaska.  Conditions this year were perfect for waterfall ice outside of Denali National Park. Our annual training with

We recently completed a Fundamentals Seminar in Moab, Utah.  The canyons surrounding Moab offer a truly magnificent location for developing and refining rope rescue skills.  This program marked the beginning of Rigging for Rescue open enrollment Fundamental Seminars in Moab.  In addition to perfect field training locations and amazing weather, participants and instructors alike