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
Khumbu Climbing Center Annual Training
For the past two weeks, Rigging for Rescue’s Xander Bianchi has been instructing climbing and rescue techniques at the Khumbu Climbing Center (KCC) in Phortse, Nepal in the Khumbu region near Mt. Everest. Each year, Rigging for Rescue sponsors an instructor in traveling to Nepal to volunteer their expertise to the Sherpa guides and high altitude porters that operate on Everest during the spring climbing season. The Sherpa KCC attendees are often responsible for rescues that occur on Everest. The KCC training center in Phortse is the focal point for Sherpa continuing education programs revolving around climbing and rescue techniques. KCC was started through the Alex Lowe Charitable Foundation founded by Alex’s widow Jennifer Lowe and his best friend Conrad Anker. Together with many other Westerners working in conjunction with Nepalese Sherpa principals, KCC has developed an annual training program that better prepares the up and coming Sherpa guides and porters for the demands of rescue on Mt Everest. At Rigging for Rescue, we feel very privileged to have been able to offer rescue and climbing training to the Sherpa community for the past several years. A typical day of training at KCC involves a brief whiteboard discussion followed by a pretty robust hike to the local crags. Some of the terrain utilized is on sunny south facing rock crags and much of the terrain is on moderate waterfall ice climbs located in the valley ascending towards Gokyo. Climber pickoffs, companion rescue skills, litter lowers & raises, anchoring techniques, and rescue principles are all covered during the seminar. The Sherpa climbing community at Phortse and KCC are generous and gracious hosts. The annual KCC rescue training seminar is one of our favorite events of the year and we are already looking forward to 2021.
Today at Rigging for Rescue…
Day four of the Waterfall Ice Rescue Workshop featured a multi-pitch lower in the Skylight climbing area. Kevin took some photos of the operation from the top of the second pitch. Enjoy! Troy Couture leading pitch 1 Mike Kingsbury topping out on pitch 2 Moving the load down the upper pitch After the station transition, moving the package down the lower pitch
Horsetail Mission
Members of the Ouray Mountain Rescue Team including three Rigging for Rescue employees recently responded to Horsetail Falls in the backcountry outside of Ouray to assist an injured ice climber. The team chose to use a Guiding Line aerial ropeway system to evacuate the injured party.
Ice!
Winter in Ouray means ice climbing, and at Rigging for Rescue it means ice rescue workshops. Ice Park Manager and Rigging for Rescue instructor Kevin Koprek has been working hard to build our winter playground, and the proof is in the results. Check it out here: http://www.facebook.com/OurayiceparkInc And mother nature has been doing her job to grow the backcountry climbs that also make Ouray the ice climbing capital of North America. The San Juan Mountain Guides Blog is a reliable source for current backcountry conditions. Every year, Rigging for Rescue offers Waterfall Ice Rescue Workshops to military and civilian SAR teams from all over the country. RfR also hosts an open enrollment ice workshop running January 15-20. This offering focuses on efficient climbing movement and companion rescue in addition to team based rescue techniques. More information and photos can be found on our website here. We are looking forward to seeing you in Ouray this winter!
Ice Workshop 2012
This year’s ice workshop will run from January 15-20 in Ouray, Colorado. More information about this offering is available on the Rigging for Rescue website here: http://dev.riggingforrescue.com/WI.html . Here are some photos from previous Ice Workshops: Rigging for Rescue also conducts ice workshops on a contract basis. Contact the RfR office for pricing and scheduling.
