Tom Vogl
Many of the outdoor skills we teach are perishable. These skills are often in response to an incident, are used infrequently, and require periodic review and practice. Good examples of perishable outdoor skills include glacier crevasse rescue, wilderness first aid, and avalanche companion rescue. As responsible recreationists, we take many measures to avoid having to use these skills in real-life scenarios, but when incidents occur, our calm and skillful response can literally mean the difference between life and death.
I recently helped instruct at a Glacier Travel and Crevasse Rescue field trip for the Basic Alpine Climbing course. Many students had never traveled on a glacier, and virtually none were proficient at crevasse rescue. Similar to doing wilderness first aid scenarios, complete with fake blood and bruising, practicing crevasse rescue is stressful. When someone yells “falling!” as they are lowered off the lip of a crevasse while their partners hold the “fall” with an ice axe arrest, adrenaline starts pumping and hearts begin to race. The clock is ticking! But with each practice, the confidence of the students grew.
Watching students become more proficient at a skill like crevasse rescue over the course of a weekend field trip is inspiring. By the end of the course, I would have trusted any one of our Basic Alpine students to rescue me if I fell into a crevasse. Many of those students will return next year to help instruct, and some will even go on to become climb or course leaders.
The cycle of embracing new challenges, learning, developing proficiency, and then helping others acquire those same skills has been the core of The Mountaineers volunteer-led outdoor education program for nearly 120 years. It’s exactly why leadership development is one of our top organizational priorities and why Volunteerism is one of our core values: “we foster lifelong connections - developing leaders who continue our legacy of outdoor education, integrity, and action.”
To the thousands of amazing volunteers who support our students and our community - thank you! You are the lifeblood of The Mountaineers.
This article originally appeared in our fall 2025 issue of Mountaineer magazine. To view the original article in magazine form and read more stories from our publication, visit our magazine archive.
