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• Pre-Whitetail Crevasse Rescue Clinic

  • When
    Sunday, February 24, 2019
  •  
    8:00 AM - 1:00 PM
  • Location
    Great Falls, NP. Meet climbers parking lot.

  Register

  Crevasse Rescue Sequence Clinic

  
  

  At the Whitetail Snow Skills day most intermediate climbers want to learn glacier travel and crevasse rescue techniques. Whitetail is a great place to practice those techniques, but learning them there is a waste of time better spent using the snow. The core elements (tying in, load shifting, lowering, hauling) are the same no matter where you do them. There is nothing special about doing them on snow. So this year I will hold a clinic to go through the glacier travel and crevasse rescue sequence, with time for some practice, before we go to Whitetail. If you want to work on this at Whitetail come to this clinic. We will not re-teach this at Whitetail, you will have the opportunity to practice it with advice, hopefully several times.

  
  

  Prerequisites:

      This is an intermediate to advanced clinic with prerequisite expectations.
  

      Solid intermediate skills on rock (you can belay, set a top rope anchor, rappel on your own)

      Knots: Figure 8 on a bight, prussic hitch, alpine butterfly, munter-mule-overhand (be sure you can do these in advance). Other friction hitches may be useful.

      Gear: Helmet, harness, 5 lockers, 5 non-lockers, cordelette, autoblock belay device or mini-traxion, a few slings, Texas prussik’s (see photo), extra prussic loop.

      Optional gear: More pulleys, mechanical ascender

      Group gear: One rope per two people, one TR kit per three people. Bring ropes and TR kits if you have them and we’ll sort out how many to carry in the parking lot.

      Other stuff: Water, snacks, weather appropriate clothes. Assume we’ll be out for a few hours.
  

  
  

  Plan: I will demonstrate two crevasse rescue sequences, the “basic” method and the “advanced” method. The “basic” method is intended for rope teams of 3-5 traveling on low hazard terrain. The “advanced” method is based on that taught by the AMGA and is appropriate for a two person team on more hazardous terrain. If the person falling in the crevasse is significantly injured then the advanced method may be required, and you would switch to it from the basic method. 

  
  

  The plan is that I will demonstrate then you’ll copy. You are encouraged to take notes, pictures, and even videos. Then you’ll rope up in teams and walk through the sequences. At Whitetail we can move onto cycling everybody through the sequence as the lead rescuer using snow anchors.

  
  

  The method I will demonstrate is based primarily on Glacier Mountaineering by Andy Tyson and Mike McClelland. A very similar method is shown in Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills with a slightly different prussic set up. You are welcome to use the “Freedom” version prussic if you like. Which ever version you use the exact lengths are likely to require some modification for your height and build. The lengths in the photo were set up for me (5’ 7”).

  
  

   

  PATC-MS Member Only policy: This event is for members of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club-Mountaineering Section only, in good standing with liability waivers on file. Please go to this page to join http://www.potomacmountainclub.org/Join_Us.

   

  Reminder: Climbing is a dangerous sport and serious injury may occur.

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• March Monthly Meeting - Smokehole Canyon Overview with Mike Gray

  • When
    Wednesday, March 13, 2019
  •  
    7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
  • Location
    PATC-HQ, Vienna, VA
  • Registered
    Be the first

  Register

  PATC-MS Monthly Meeting

  Smokehole Canyon Overview with Mike Gray. This month in Vienna, VA.

  
  

  
  

  Join us Wednesday, March 13, 2019, at 7:00 pm as we conduct our monthly meeting.

  
  

  Smokehole Canyon Introduction with Mike Gray.

  
  

  Guidebook author and local climber Mike Gray will discuss this lesser-known crag near Seneca Rocks and answer questions about its history, ethics, routes, and other topics. 

  
  

  This meeting will be at PATC-HQ in Vienna, VA. Join at 7 PM for pizza and drinks.

  
  

  This meeting is open to all, members and non-members alike. Registration is not necessary; just show up!

  
  

  PATC-HQ

  118 Park St.

  Vienna, VA 22180
  

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• Whitetail Snow Skills Day 2019 (Date TBD)

  • When
    Saturday, March 16, 2019
  •  
    7:30 AM - 4:00 PM
  • Location
    Whitetail Ski Resort
  • Registered
    25 registrants

  Register

   

  Snow Skills Day
  

  What:
  

  This will be an opportunity to practice snow skills at the Whitetail Ski Resort after it closes for the season. A ski area can be nearly ideal for basic snow practice, with great spaces for ice axe self arrest work, anchor building, and snow movement.
  

  
  

  Date:
  

  The date will depend entirely on when the downhill ski season ends. The tentative date is Saturday, March 16. It could be a week earlier, it could be a week later, or more in either direction, a date change could be announced at the last minute. 
  

  
  

  Signups:
  

  If you sign up please be aware that we will need to arrive together at Whitetail (no straggling in late) to check in and sign their releases and leave together. The meeting will be no later than 7:30 at the McDonald's near Clear Spring, MD (quite near Whitetail). If you are not at the Clear Spring, MD McDonald's at 7:30 you will not be able to enter Whitetail. After meeting at the McDonald's we will proceed together to Whitetail. We will also leave Whitetail together at the end of the event.

  
  

  When signing up please add yourself to the spreadsheet https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ALM5NY5UcPPg85ykdVTNeZ6PJkTa5sU9rXIm3fBxVb4/edit#gid=0 and indicate your level. For level please classify yourself as follows:

  
  

  1. Beginner. You want to learn how to put on crampons, self-arrest, and move over snow. Beginner+ if you did stuff at ASW but not since.

  
  

  2. Intermediate: You already know how to put on crampons, kick steps, plunge step, and you've self-arrested before. You've done them more than just once at ASW. You want to practice these skills and learn to use pickets, make anchors, and do other skills. At this level if you want to do glacier travel and crevasse rescue you need to learn the Texas prussik method and how to rig a 3:1 haul before you go to Whitetail.

  
  

  3. Advanced: You are solid on all basic skills with multiple days of practice on each and you've got all the gear. You can rig for glacier travel, you know how to rig a 3:1 haul for rescue on rock. You have something you want to practice, presumably with your partner. Tell us what it is you want to practice. If you want to practice glacier travel and crevasse rescue then indicate and note how you know the pre-requisites.

  
  

  4. Instructor: You feel good about teaching and supervising basic skills.

  
  

  Gear:

  Basic equipment for this event will be crampon compatible boots, crampons, and an ice axe (ice tools not necessary). If you'll need boots, crampons, or an ice axe please note that on the spreadsheet. The club has gear to lend out, but please check with the gearmeister@patcms.org to reserve gear, especially boots in your size. You may also be able to borrow gear from club members. If the weather is warm we might ignore crampons (they might be pointless) and just work on movement with boots.
  

  
  

  Also bring harness and helmet.

  
  

  Crevasse Rescue Practice:

  A lot of people come to this event wanting to learn roped glacier movement and crevasse rescue. This is a good location for basic practice. However, a lot of the skill is on arranging ropes and simple haul rigging, things more efficiently taught off the snow. We want to maximize time on the snow doing snow skills practice not learning how to rig a 3:1 haul. So if you sign up looking to do crevasse practice then we expect that you will arrive already knowing the basics, including rigging a Texas prussik for glacer travel or the equivalent and a 3:1 haul or you will attend a hands-on session that will be scheduled prior.

  
  

  Reminder:
  

  Climbing is a dangerous sport and serious injury may occur.

  
  

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