Checkpoints: Knots, Prusiking, & 10 E's

You will demonstrate the above skills at this field trip. Please refer to FT 1/2 or the Critical Skills Page for reference material.

Expected Standards

• Knots: Be able to show how to do each knot/hitch and explain its use without prompting.

• Prusiking: Be able to tie in, put on your prusiks correctly, prusik up rope, and safely/slowly drop your pack, then prusik down. NOTE: prusiking is and extremely physical activity and does require fitness and upper body strength.

• 10 Es: Bring these and list these off from memory

Crevasse Rescue 

USE COMMON SENSE & THINK CRITICALLY.

If a team member falls in the crevasse, they are at serious risk for hypothermia. Of course safety is paramount, but time and efficiency may be more so. You need to learn to improvise, adapt, and be able to make decisions and execute quickly and under pressure as a climber. 

If you have the luxury, simpler methods are always best. If the climber can prusik out, they will keep themselves warm and you can build a snow anchor in the meantime to secure your team to and figure out next steps after the fallen climber is safely out of the crevasse. Otherwise, most basic climbs you go on will have enough people present to do a direct haul.

In the unlikely, but still possible, event that your fallen climber is injured or conscious and cannot assist with the rescue and/or you don't have enough rope team members present to help assist, you should employ a 2:1 hauling system. If that system is not strong enough to haul them out, you can add a 3:1 system on top of it (making it a 6:1).

Crevasse Rescue

When a climber on your rope team yells "Falling!", drop in to self-arrest and stop the fall immediately!  Once the fall is stopped, follow these steps:

Step 1. Set up a secure anchor system

Step 2. Communicate with the fallen climber

Step 3. Devise a rescue plan.

You will learn the following rescue plan options in this course:

• Self-rescue/prusiking (fallen climber is conscious and able to prusik out of the crevasse, team members will still build a safe anchor system while they prusik out)

• Direct haul (there are enough team members present and/or the climber hasn't fallen that far so that they can simply hoist the fallen climber out)

• 2:1/C-pulley (preferably there is another rope team present to help haul the fallen climber and the fallen climber is still conscious and able to assist with their rescue, although not necessary)

• 6:1 - 3:1 added to the 2:1 (fallen climber/pack weight is very heavy and additional hauling power needed)

  • We only demonstrate the 3:1/Z-pulley in this course and leave more dedicated practice in its construction to the intermediate program.  However, it is an important building block for rescue systems If you wish to practice the 3:1/Z-pulley on your own time, we recommend this video.

Step 4. Carry out the plan.

Upcoming Checkpoints:

At FT 4, you will be checked on your routine/prep for a glacier climb (rope spacing determined, tied in, kiwi coil on, prusiks on)