Self Rescue and Small Team Response

Last week was our Self Rescue and Small Team Response Workshop held at our home base of Ouray, Colorado. The participants were keen, the weather was flawless, and we had an outstanding week of training. Exercises included basic belay escapes and transfers of tension, rescuing the second as well as the leader using counter-balance techniques, a very challenging leader rescue in traversing terrain, a multi-pitch leader rescue and evacuation including use of a tensioned guiding line to cross a water hazard, and some team-based pickoffs. Our next offering of this workshop will be May, 2013.

From the Archive...

A demonstration drop test of the British Columbia Council on Technical Rescue Belay Competence Drop Test Method 1 meter drop on 3 meters of 11 millimeter low stretch rope with a 200kg test mass.  The belay device is a mechanical rope grab: the Gibbs ascender.