The Mountain Rescue Workshop is a minimalist approach to mountain rescue procedures and teaches the access, stabilization and extrication of patients involved in mid-face free or aid climbing accidents, especially those where the accident site is only accessed from below. There is a heavy emphasis on advanced knotcraft (several boutique bowlines) in this workshop. The student will learn how to design and build system anchors from bolts, pitons and active and passive rock climbing camming devices. Strong emphasis is also placed on wilderness improvised techniques where specialized or heavier equipment has no place. Use of whipped and frapped wood frames as high directionals is encouraged, but also the use of the Rock Exotica Arizona Vortex (developed in Sedona, AZ by RTR) is also a main focus of this workshop.
The Mountain Rescue and Canyon Rescue Workshop along with the Team Skills Rescue Workshop are the two workshops which fulfill the 90% solution on most rope rescues in wilderness locations. This workshop is designed for the serious mountain environment rope rescue practitioner wishing to improve their personal and team rigging skill. The MRW goes well into often overlooked personal top down skills involving solo (one rescuer) and semi-solo (two rescuer) victim evacuations employing the rescuer's personal AZTEK kit.
Also, the workshop explores the use of improvised low edge techniques for very difficult litter evolutions as well as artificial high directionals in the remote wilderness location. Gin poles, A frames and sideways (SA) frames are common. The crux of the MRW is where students free climb (or ascend) using the bight-carry technique to position a high directional above the victim on a wall. In 2012's MRW, students climbed the famous "Queen Victoria Spire" (5:8) on the Mitten Ridge in Sedona to pull off this difficult task In this way, a heavy and cumbersome rescue adjunct (litter, etc.) can be brought to the victim high on a wall, under them, and then lowered downward (techniques used in tower rescues). Students also learn the classic differences belays, conditional belays and conditional self belays.
In the superb rock of the Granite Dells of Prescott, the MRW involves more personal movement on stone and personal rigging skill. Lots of climbing and lots of fun!
