Rock Climbing 402

Rock Climbing Self Rescue Course

The Rock Climbing Self Rescue Course teaches skills every climber who ties into a rope should know: basic competency in risk management, problem avoidance, and self rescue skills. This course emphasizes reducing the risks in the first place to reduce the chance of ever having to use the rescue skills you will learn in the course.

We will teach you the most efficient systems and won’t flood you with over-complicated, useless systems. All these skills are useful in everyday climbing, and it’s amazing how much speed and efficiency is gained from having these skills “dialed.” Self rescue is a topic that all climbers should be skilled in for themselves and the people they climb with.

“Let’s face it, unless you take a course no one ever practices rescue skills. We just go climbing. That’s why I took the self rescue program with Fox Mountain Guides”. – Tom Gallo

Topics Covered:

Day One

  • Planning, preparation, equipment, and communication
  • Problem avoidance: reducing the risks in the first place
  • Basic rescue knots, hitches, and tie offs
  • Load transfers, the building blocks for all rope rescue techniques
  • Raising systems 101: a detailed look at the basic physics behind raising systems, mechanical advantage raises, and assisted raises (2:1, 3:1,3:1 assisted, 5:1, and 6:1)
  • Rescuing and assisting the second: raises, lowers and counterbalanced lowers
  • Ascending a fixed and counterbalanced rope
  • Correct techniques for using plaquette devices in climbing and self rescue applications (ATC Guide/Reverso)

Day Two

  • Rescuing the injured leader in the single and multi-pitch environment
  • Weighted transitions (rappelling multiple pitches with an unconscious climber)
  • Counterbalanced and tandem rappels
  • Effective knot passes on rappels and lowers

Course Prerequisites:

Applicants must have the following experience:

  • Can top rope 5.6 climbs comfortably
  • Have experience rappelling
  • Can tie basic knots such as Figure Eight, Clove Hitch, Münter Hitch, and various friction hitches
  • Have experience placing artificial gear and building anchors for top roping

Climbers who have already taken our self rescue training or mastered the basics elsewhere can also join day two of this program as ongoing education for $200 (when space available). Climbers who elect to take just day two of the program for ongoing education must be able to effectively perform all of the course pre-requisites above and can perform the following:

  • Lock off an aperture type belay device
  • Complete a basic load transfer
  • Ascend a fixed line without the use of mechanical devices
  • Create a basic 3:1 raise using an assisted braking device (GriGri/Cinch) or plaquette device (ATC Guide/Reverso)
  • Release a loaded plaquette device (ATC Guide/Reverso)

Number on course: Maximum of 6:1 client to instructor ratio
Course length: Two days
Course dates:See the Course Schedule
Cost*: $450.
2 climbers: $570 per person (two to one instructor, two days)
1 climber: $730 per person (one to one instructor, two days)

*The costs are based on the actual number of participants on the course. Courses normally run at 3+ people but in the event the courses run with fewer people the costs will be as shown above.

Course Schedule
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