UKC

Buenos Aries crevasse training

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
 Flashy 12 Sep 2013
Hi all,

I am training a group in crevasse rescue in the near future and it has to happen in Buenos Aries. The company has booked a climbing wall, but I'm dubious as I can't think of any walls I've visited in the past (admittedly not many) which would have had suitable facilities.

Long shot I know, but has anyone visited a climbing wall there and have some comments, or know of anywhere in the city that might have a suitable low flat roof or pit in the ground? Our agent is looking for alternatives in case the wall isn't good enough.

Thanks in advance for any advice, be it useful or sarcastic!

Flashy.
andyathome 12 Sep 2013
In reply to Flashy:
Not sure if this is helpful or sarcastic but.....the best place to train crevasse procedures is in an area with crevasses.

You want to pretend to the company to be preparing people to deal with crevasses in a climbing wall is totally your call.
andyathome 12 Sep 2013
In reply to andyathome:
Apologies. I can see you have reservations so my last post may have come across as a bit condemnatory.

Get it in writing that the company concerned have insisted that training has to be undertaken in a climbing wall and not a glacier and that is what you have done.

Good luck. Especially if the s. hits t. f. and you are not a Guide......
OP Flashy 13 Sep 2013
In reply to andyathome: Thanks for trying to help. The company is aware that this is a problem and we're looking for 'less bad' solutions. Cheers anyway.
 Brass Nipples 13 Sep 2013
In reply to Flashy:

You might have a problem with the location. It doesn't exist.
andyathome 15 Sep 2013
In reply to Beat me to it!:
> (In reply to Flashy)
>
> You might have a problem with the location. It doesn't exist.

I'm think I've heard of Buenos Aries before. Are you absolutely sure about that?
 hokkyokusei 15 Sep 2013
In reply to andyathome:
> (In reply to Beat me to it!)
> [...]
>
> I'm think I've heard of Buenos Aries before. Are you absolutely sure about that?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buenos_Aires

But anyway, there's quite a lot you can do to practice crevasse rescue without a crevasse. Me and my climbing partner used to practice in my Mum & Dad's garden. We used to draw a line on the lawn which was the "crevasse edge" and used to practice prussiking by throwing a rope over the branch of a tree.
OP Flashy 17 Sep 2013
In reply to hokkyokusei: We're in a slightly unusual position in that all we need to train is the actual hauling out of a victim. I know this sounds weird, but all glacier travel is done unroped by people with no training, or even knowledge they're on a glacier for most of them.

Our management consists largely of only going to places where the chances of falling into a crevasse are vanishingly small, and having guides to spot and avoid any that are there, but every few years someone (out of tens of thousands) goes in so we just need the training and equipment to pull them back out again.

This will probably sounds unbelievably risky and foolish to many of you, but it is reasonable. It took us a while to persuade the company that we should bother preparing for the worst at all, given most others in the industry do not and the gear will probably rot in a dry bag for a decade.
 Mountain Llama 17 Sep 2013
In reply to Flashy: Hi Flashy, I would start your training by showing one of the many videos there are on the net, just find an appropriate one. This will hopefully help a little to set the scene.

HTH Davey

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
Loading Notifications...