Self Rescue "clinics"?

Just wondering if there was anyone out there willing to teach self rescue techniques to others? Being a poor sorta climber and knowing there are others out there in the same boat, unwilling or unable to pay for self rescue classes, I was hoping to arrange a group of the uneducated with one or more people who would be willing to pass on their knowledge (maybe for a six pack or two :) ) Possibly this could be a semi-regular thing if it works out well? If nothing else it would be a good way to meet other climbers and broaden one's network of partners!

Check with these guys mountainproject.com/v/gener… They seem to be more then will to help others get started maybe some of them have the knowledge you seek.

Ha! Not quite the experience I'm looking for! I'm not a noob, been climbing for years and can hack my way through a self rescue if it ever came to it. Just would like to learn to be more efficient at it. Also I have some friends who are beginner trad leaders that I keep telling them the big thing to know is how to get yourself out of a jamb. (without calling search and rescue unless there is no other way)

Ha ha, nice one Tim. I wondered if that was the link it was!!!

Get ya some books.

Climbing Self Rescue-Improvising Solutions for Serious Situations
By Andy Tyson and Molly Loomis
The Mountaineers Press

Self Rescue
Falcon Guides-Forgot the Author

Freedom of the Hills 7

I have some books, not the same as practical knowledge from someone adept at performing the steps. As with anything experience breeds efficiency and in a self rescue situation that can't be a bad thing. Like I said, I know the basics and could struggle through it but would just like to learn more. Guess it's a stupid thread but I know I enjoy passing on my experience and knowledge to other people who don't have it, just figured there was someone else out there who enjoys teaching too! Ah well climb away and just call 911 every time you get a hang nail 400' up (but that's a different thread altogether)

Read Books - Get Partner - Go Practice - Drink Beer

KHall wrote:Read Books - Get Partner - Go Practice - Drink Beer

Good advice, and I keep thinking about doing just this but always seem to get distracted with wanting to climb.

If you were in Salt Lake, I would be up for it. Maybe I can put one together over here for those interested.
Dallen

Try Avoiding The Touch. If you don't get quite enough out of books, then this DVD might help. And yeah, I know this doesn't answer your question directly, but if you've got experience climbing and can already hack your way through a rescue, then this might address the level you're at.

You know somebody was going to poke some fun I just got to be first on this one.

More seriously I learned the basics of self rescue at an AMGA class back in 89. Some of it came in handy for other things so it was good to learn. I would think that reading books and watching the DVD would be a good start. Then get your buds together and go through it all on the ground then move up to practicing with a top rope belay. That's basically the way it was taught I bet you will learn enough on your own practicing, to feel better about your abilities if you ever really need it.

Seriously, I think they had a short clinic on this at the RRG 'Rocktober' fest one year. Or was it at RRR in Vegas? Well, somebody out there offers a short course on it.

I'd help, but unfortunately I'm educated

Steve Murphy wrote:Try Avoiding The Touch. If you don't get quite enough out of books, then this DVD might help. And yeah, I know this doesn't answer your question directly, but if you've got experience climbing and can already hack your way through a rescue, then this might address the level you're at.

This is actually informative. But going out and doing it after you watch is a completely good idea. They have those programs that let you compress a movie for your iPhone. That'd be the best way to take it with you, watch a clip, do the thing and then move to the next one.

Or go with Sunny D. That's cool too.

Sunny-D wrote:If you were in Salt Lake, I would be up for it. Maybe I can put one together over here for those interested. Dallen

I'd be interested. I've been taught before but only remember the very basics.

Disclaimer - the following is 95% opinion.

The problem with a lot of the published info on "self rescue" is that it only scratches the surface. At worst, this can foster the notion that SR consists of a routine few steps that you would always want to do. As in, "Oh no, my partner has been knocked out by a falling rock. Quick, I must escape the belay."

Once you delve more deeply into SR, you see that maybe you don't need/want to escape the belay at all. As I view it, there's a handful of techniques that you will want to be familiar with, and these merit frequent practice: tying off a belay, escaping the belay, counterweight ascending, hauling, ascending a rope, knot passing, down-prusiking a taut line, and tandem ("spider") rapping, to name a few. These operations need to be combined judiciously to effect SR, and what you do depends on the particulars of the situation i.e. where you are, who is injured and how badly, proximity to other resources etc. No sense escaping the belay, ascending the line, building an anchor and attending to the incapacitated leader if lowering him/her 50' back to level ground is feasible. Two pitches up a traversing route on a 110 degree wall is another story altogether. (What would you do there?)

Suggestion - examine how you belay. Know how to tie off, escape, and transition to a haul for every setup you use. Think "what if" as you belay. Bringing the second up with a Grigri clipped to a bolt anchor? That's easy to haul from. But what about as you sit on the ledge, legs dangling casually over the edge, hip-belaying your bee-allergic partner up the trivial easy pitch below you. Could you manage an effective haul from that situation if they were unresponsive? What about the gear between them and you; can't haul them through that.

And so on...

And to mention difficult medical situations that could be better served by rescue personnel. Sometimes jumping into buddy rescue mode is not the most ideal and can put the injured climber and possibly the climbing team in greater risk, thus making the situation worse. Or delaying a call for aid that should have been made but wasn't.

However, many times partners can better help themselves than by calling out a rescue effort. There is a good balance here.

Luebben gave some good thoughts about the philosophy of buddy rescue; if I remember one it was continued training and practice to maintain technical proficiency in anchors and systems, that's a good idea.

Probably even as important as practicing technical proficiency is reviewing cases of situational assessment, and then determining if you have the resources you need, or do you need extra hands.

The Spot does free clinics every few weeks at the Prana store on Pearl. I've gone to 3 or 4 and there is always free beer and almost always no one else is there. I've had 2 free hour long self rescue clinics and a few others as well. A great resource for the community, but it is just scratching the surface (I mean come on, its only an hour, but free). I've picked through all the books, but I think going and practicing is really the only way to solidify this stuff in your mind, and to realize that every situation is going to be unique.