Are rescue skills necessary?

Im getting into more alpine objectives and i was curious how many of you know how to, or practice self rescue techniques. Is this something i should know or is it a skill more necessary for guides 

Self rescue is one of the most important aspects of climbing, either at the crag or in the mountains.  Don't depend on someone else to come get you.  Get yourself out.

A guide with gumby clients is much less likely to need these skills than a gumby without a guide (i.e you). And besides for just memorizing the protocols and procedures you’ll find in textbooks, really understand the why and how behind them. Know the rules so well that you can break the rules.

I´m baffled that the answer is not obvious. And surprised that it is so common that people do not invest the time to learn rescue skills.

Forrest B wrote:

i was curious how many of you know how to, or practice self rescue techniques.

Some have cast this inquiry into something else. Here is another direct answer:

Probably the majority do not know / practice rescue techniques. One read of, say, David Fasulo’s book, will overwhelm many to the point of setting it aside. And of course mastering the techniques will be much harder for some than for others - it isn’t a cookie cutter world. Plus, most are climbing because that is what they enjoy, not becoming skilled at self rescue.

Maybe be one out there who can make the difference when things go awry?

Eric Craig wrote:

Learning this stuff from a book would be considerably more challenging than learning from  a good instructor. 

True.

I learned from a book plus sessions with friends over years, eaten like a cookie by nibbling a bit at a time from the outside in.  :)

I have learned many individual self rescue skills from books, but what really brought them all together was taking a one day class from a guide who had actually used many of them in real climbing situations.  The class was very much worth it. I hope I never need them, but I practice them a few times a year just in case. 

I'd say for most of us, most rescue skills are not necessary. Those who primarily climb in the gym would be a perfect example, with bouldering and then sport climbing fast on its heels. I'd say that accounts for "most."

The trouble comes in when we suddenly come to the realization that we are not "most of us" anymore.

I have some bare minimum self-rescue skills and basic first aid. That's it.

Bill Lawry wrote:

Probably the majority do not know / practice rescue techniques. 

I make 2 deliberate outings every season.  One, usually on Mt Rainier, to review glacier travel and crevasse rescue.  And one, usually in Leavenworth or Index, to review rock self rescue.  These days include no objective other than a short list of fundamental skills and as much fun as possible and are usually at the start of the season and on the first day of a longer outing.  I usually try and bring at least one current partner or otherwise experienced member in the group and then try to rally up a few new-to-me partners (often times existing partners' significant others).  These are always super fun outings to kick off the season that everyone gets a lot out of and gives me confidence to push my boundaries on real objectives.

Off the top of my head-

Self arrest in a variety of settings (pack on/off, getting pulled off, head downslope, falling backwards/loss of balance while standing on slope, etc), use of pickets, deadman, flukes, iceax, ice screws and axes for snow anchors, full crevasse rescue protocol for a conscious (drop C) and unconscious victim, super basic avalanche snow science and solid beacon use.

Escaping the belay (improvised ground anchors or otherwise upward pulling anchor building, transferring the belay to a releasable system, descending/ascending a tensioned rope), use of re-directs and how to deal with getting around, horizontally, a blank-ish face, clean aid super basics, WFR level wilderness first-aid refresher, simple hauling system 3:1 and 5:1.

Am I pretty much the only one that does this?  If yes, why??

Mostly I got tired of going out into the mountains with newer climbers and getting stressed AF as I realized I was the only one with rescue experience and would be the only one able to actively help if shit went sideways, and no one well equipped to help me if I'm the victim.  So rather than some honorable service to my partners this is my self serving way of letting myself actually be able to enjoy going out, knowing we all have some basic skills in an emergency and makes alpine climbing so much more fun.

I'll bite as another gumby, flame away MP. 

Yes it is important to know basic systems, no I don't really know them, yes I (think) I have enough common sense and rope skills to be able to work through a situation, yes if I was in that situation I would wish I knew more and wasn't figuring them out on the spot. 

Does anybody have examples where a partner-duo actually rescued each other while rock climbing the the US? Seems like 99% of all stories I've read are 1 person gets injured or dies and the other stabilizes them, rappels or rope solo's their way off the route, and then hauls ass to get cell service for a SAR team to come help out. Out in the Karakorum, going to Patagonia? Up on a Glacier? Yeah you probably want A LOT more self / partner rescue knowledge. But for anything beyond a broken leg it seems like getting a team to help is the real answer...?

I'm 100% on board for self reliance, get yourself out, but I think realistically investing in an inreach or whatever and having it on you is probably the more practical first step. 

Flame Away! Tell my why I'm a moron, really be mean about it, that's why I'm on MP.   

I would think one of the most basic skills would be how to ascend a rope using a variety of devices/materials. I know deaths have occurred due to lack of this knowledge. What is your life expectancy whilst hanging in your harness off of an overhang while awaiting rescue? 

I made a [not complete] list of things that I try to practice, or at least SHOULD practice every now and then...

--Ascending the rope (jumars, Prusik, Klemheist, Bachmann, Grigri, ATC, Tibloc/Traxion, etc.)

--Descending a taut rope

--Ascending the rope, passing a knot (various devices/material)

--Descending the rope on rappel, passing the knot

--Belaying, passing a knot through the device

--Lowering safely in guide mode, both very short lowers (a few inches up to a foot or two) and longer lowers (the whole pitch). Hot take: get the DMM Pivot.

--Escaping the belay (with belayer on ground, belayer on multipitch, belaying off anchor, belaying off harness, when belaying leader, belaying follower--all scenarios)

--Rappel to "pick off" stranded/injured climber, then tandem rap to ground or to safe ledge.

--3:1 and 5:1 pulley setups

--Lowering an injured climber with Munter, two ropes tied together, passing/popping the knot through HMS biner (with two 8.5mm 60s, say, that means you can lower a climber nearly 120 meters, almost 400 feet--possibly all the way to the ground on a multipitch... then you rap down, pass the knot, and assist/go for help, leaving the rope behind).

--How to build an improvised harness with materials available or the rope

--Rappelling/belaying with Munter

This is not an all-inclusive list, just things that I came up with. If folks have other critical skills to add, I'm all ears.

EDIT: Just saw James M's post above. Yes, you are likely right in many, many circumstances--just call for help and get rescued is indeed what happens a lot. A cell phone or InReach is indispensible. Even if I never actually self-rescue using anything from my list, I just like knowing the stuff and it opens up the imagination to more possibilities if I get myself into a pickle. Sometimes a "pickle" doesn't mean  a rescue is required... just a little extra knowledge, though, can make make the day go a lot easier and change things from a potential "pickle" or "epic", to just another day out.

Forrest, I think it's a good question.  A lot of people make a progression from sport to gear routes to multipitch to alpine without thinking about rescue at any stage of their evolution.

My husband was my first climbing partner and he was a great teacher and mentor.  One of the first things he told me, which made a big impression on me, was that he and his friends would ask the question "What's the worst thing that could happen?" before they started new, more challenging objectives.  It was a game they played to discuss ahead of time how they would deal with various scenarios.

I think it's a good question and a good exercise, but not just what's the worst thing, but what are the typical things that could happen, and what would you have to do.  This will guide you to understanding what types of skills you need to acquire.

Beyond the skills, the mindset is different.  For example, I carry a mini-ascender and some long cord with me on all multipitch routes. You have to know how to ascend a rope. A first aid kit that has a clotting pack in it. An extra layer of upper body clothing. I don't do much alpine climbing but I still do a lot of long multipitch routes in places like Red Rock.  Depending on the routes and the options for retreat, we may use double ropes rather than single. Sometimes, depending on the day, we take walkie talkies. I own an inreach and that is in the bottom of the pack for last resorts. But self-rescue is the 1st, 2nd and 3rd resorts. 

One of the most important considerations is your partner.  Both team members should know what to do, how to cope with various scenarios. My mind is continually blown by the partner requests for strangers to do serious objectives, where the requestor is willing to go off with a beginner.  Anytime you are with an inexperienced partner, you're putting yourself in the role of a guide.  If you do that, best to have the skills of a guide too.  

Calling a rescue team IS the right thing to do if you don't have the appropriate medical and SAR training (and supplies) to treat someone's injuries and get them out. And usually it takes more than just one person to do this. But having basic self-rescue skills can speed up this process quite a bit, and if its a more minor thing, then often you can resolve it yourselves (eg. stuck rope but no injuries- probably better to be able to deal with that and not call SAR until you're totally screwed). All I'm saying is the inreach should be the last line of defense after everything else you've tried has failed. In case of injury, yes speed is important and the SAR team will be faster than one person trying to solo rescue their partner but the terrain means SAR is only so fast too, so even then some rescue skills can speed the process up. Remember that the SAR team is putting themselves at risk to come rescue you...

Self rescue can also mean skills as basic as lowering a follower, ascending double ropes, escaping the belay- all of which are quite useful even in non-rescue situations. It's of course also true that better scoping your objectives can make a rescue less likely, but shit happens in the alpine and its good to be prepared.

James M wrote:

Does anybody have examples where a partner-duo actually rescued each other while rock climbing the the US? Seems like 99% of all stories I've read are 1 person gets injured or dies and the other stabilizes them, rappels or rope solo's their way off the route, and then hauls ass to get cell service for a SAR team to come help out. Out in the Karakorum, going to Patagonia? 

Just to note, any stories you read about self-rescue and accidents suffer heavily from reporting biases. There is a wide range of self rescue scenarios and not every party will report; maybe they think it was mundane and not noteworthy (like bailing in a storm), maybe they are embarrassed (like bailing in a storm because they ignored the forecast). 

Furthermore there are many stories about partner-duos self rescuing (at least to the ground). There are even stories of people hobbling out injured several miles without calling for SAR. I don't have these on hand but read the AAC accident reports or listen to "The Sharp End Podcast" long enough and you will see them.

Daniel Joder wrote:

--Descending a taut rope

^This one (and rapping with an unconscious partner) are the 2x big ones from your list I don't immediately know how to do. 

Descending back to your belayer if the rope is loaded (if they were hit by rockfall for example) would take me some time but I have ideas how to make it happen. Anybody have a good resource for some knowledge on this? Google isn't helping me out at the moment. 

• Ideally you figure out a way to unload the rope, climb up a little and allow your belayer to move back down to a ledge or weight the anchor but understand their locking belay device might begin slipping once you unweight the system (so you better build yourself an anchor). Let's say you can't get them to unload, you could prussic the load strand to some gear, take the load off yourself.. but how would you rap the loaded strand? I'll post an update if I find a good resource for that.

Phylp - "Just to note, any stories you read about self-rescue and accidents suffer heavily from reporting biases."    -Yeah that's a fair point, we probably don't hear about many minor self rescue's. 

Self Rescue Skills are just sweet things you can do with the stuff on your harness and a bit of know how.

They are Big Wall Skills, Rope Soloing Skills, Route Development Skills, and most importantly AVOIDING an Epic Skills.

You probably won't use the skills to rescue your unconscious leader (thank God for that). But you will definitely use the skills to avoid a small annoyance from becoming a bit of an epic that cascades into a nightmare.

That stuff ALREADY on your harness can do amazing things with a bit of know how. Know it.

I’ll be a little contrary and say yes self-rescue skills are important but there’s an overemphasis on raising/lowering/complex rope work that climbers believe is “self rescue.”

People spend a lot of time learning complex rope stuff but the reality in the vast majority of “self rescues” is helping an injured but otherwise capable partner get to the ground.

I see a lot of climbers out a lot of energy into the getting to the ground part but then spend very little time understanding the process of how they are going to get out/get help/continue to self rescue from the time they hit the ground.

An equal or greater amount of time should be spent learning and practicing medical skills and scenarios as well as getting an understanding of the rescue resources available in an area where one will be climbing. Is there a decent sar group that works frequently with climbers? Are there heli resources? What is the phone/satellite communications availability like? Things like this matter because once you’re on the ground, you’re often just getting started. 

James M wrote:

Phylp - "Just to note, any stories you read about self-rescue and accidents suffer heavily from reporting biases."    -Yeah that's a fair point, we probably don't hear about many minor self rescue's. 

James, it was Israel, not me who made that comment, but to his point, here is something I wrote in another thread on MP.  This was a thread about a pair who called for a rescue on Taquitz because of an ankle injury.  There was a lot of discussion about whether a rescue was needed or whether they could have self-rescued.  I recounted this story:

"My partner broke her ankle 4 pitches up a wall in Red Rock.  With the assistance of the team following us (pooling ropes, me lowering her, them helping at each belay), we got down and self-rescued down the approach talus (butt-scooting was involved), then (two people on each side supporting her when it turned to trail). Over a mile total. No special skills were involved, except maybe me knowing how to move the knot down during raps to prevent issues when pulling ropes on a route that is not typically rapped. Way too may people go up on stuff without understanding basic self-rescue options. In another thread some years ago about 2 people who were rescued on Tahquitz when they got off route, I explained the concept of "down-leading" (downclimbing with gear preplaced by the lowered first team member)  to one of the climbing team, and he said that they would have been able to do that and would have done that rather than spend the night and get rescued the next day, if they had known the technique."

The accident in question with me and my partner was never reported to AAC, or here.  We just dealt with it and moved on.

Yes, they're necessary.  Unless you're of the opinion that any scenario you could ever be in would never lead to needing these skills, which would be the epitome of foolishness.  I've never been injured and no one belayed by me has ever been injured and I've been involved in 3 rescues.  One I conducted myself to get someone out of a bind and it was nbd.  Another one was kind of a big deal where I helped to stabilize someone while paramedics were on their way, and one that involved a full on 6 ranger excursion and a helicopter ride for the injured person the next morning.  So pretty much the full gamut-  minus death.  Yes, you will likely need those skills one day.

ALWAYS BE MASTER OF TIME:

Backcountry time is not a clock time. It is measured by your ability to cope, by hazards, visibility, terrain, and the weather. If you must be somewhere else, either because you are cold or you must be back in the office at 9:00 AM, you lost control of time. Bad decisions are likely to come from this. When in alpine terrain, start as early as possible (2-3am wake up call). Early starts avoid the bottoms of avalanche gullies and low angle snow slopes that just might slide when the first morning sun hits them. Rockfall is also most prevalent at first sunlight. You should be high up on the face by the time the sun softens the slopes and warms the rocks. Aim for reaching the summit no later than 1pm to avoid the ever-present afternoon thundershowers and lightning strikes. Speed in the mountains is safety. Always camp as close to your objective as possible. Know your route and how to get down. Do everything possible to avoid having to bivouac, even if you have the gear for it. But if you get caught in technical terrain and it’s getting dark, find a good spot and wait for dawn. Learn how to climb fourth and easy fifth class rock un-roped. Know how to self belay yourself with your ice axe on frozen snow and ice. Learn how to ascend lower angled ice slopes without the use of rope.

DON’T TRUST TO LUCK:

Always wear helmet in any climbing situation. Without exception, set up anchors like the leader will take a factor 2 fall on them. Practice setting fast but bombproof anchors at your local crag while speed climbing easy routes. If you have to run it out, always think what the consequences of a fall would be on you, as well as on your belayer. If you don’t like the next move, double up your protection. Learn to reverse any upward moves you make. Lucky escapes are admissions that we were not acting safely.

RESCUE IS NOT AN OPTION:

Never - not even for a second - think that rescue is an option. Rescue is totally opposite to safety. Once we need rescue, we already screwed up big time and passed the threshold of disaster. Expecting to be rescued is totally irresponsible. Nobody owes us rescue. Let’s use our own backcountry sense and skills to make the kind of decisions that will make rescue unnecessary.

KNOW YOUR BACKCOUNTRY SKILLS:

Do you know what the weather will be tomorrow? Do you know where the route goes? Can you find your way in unfamiliar terrain, with just a map and a compass? Do you know your gear and it’s limitations? Do you know where your physical and mental threshold is? All of the above can only be practiced by doing. So learn route awareness, keeping an eye on the weather, staying fit, fed, dry, and warm (or cool), and soon you will be able to travel much farther in safety.

BRING THE RIGHT GEAR:

Tennis shoes are not very useful on Palisades Glacier. A down parka is useless in Cascades downpour. A 60 pounds pack is way too heavy for ANY three-day trip almost anywhere. So bring the kind of gear which is right for the situation. If you don’t know, ask someone, who does.

BE IN CONTROL:

In the end it all comes down to how you understand yourself and reality, how you imagine the possibilities, accept responsibilities and weigh risks. Backcountry safe thinking is in many ways totally opposite of what we do as consumers in the age of "NOW".

P.S. I wrote this for LA climbing and mountaineering  club in the early 90s. It might be valid even now.

I know all the techniques I can think of, including rescuing a leader on a multi pitch with more than half the rope out that has fallen on a traverse. That scenario took me a couple of hours to complete, so that would obviously be of little value if such an accident would happen. I however have had to prusik climb several times outside. Most of the times because the ropes got stuck during a multi pitch rappell. Knowing how to prusik climb is a very important skill to have when doing anything more than single pitch climbing (and it is fully possible to get into a situation where it is needed on a single pitch...).