Rock Rescue Clinic: Releasable Leader Tie-Off - Mountaineers Tacoma Program Center

6-9pm at the Tacoma Program Center.

Pre-requisites: Tacoma Basic Course graduates, Tacoma intermediate students and Tacoma intermediate rock module graduates.  Current membership in The Mountaineers.

On basic rock climbs rope leads rarely fall but it does happen. If a fallen leader is injured and unable to proceed further, the simplest and often safest intervention is for the basic student (or graduate) belayer to gently lower the fallen leader to the belay where they can be assessed, treated and a rescue plan of some sort developed.

However, what should the belayer do if there is too much rope out or the leader is so badly injured that lowering them could exacerbate their injuries? First the belayer needs to make a decision: lower the fallen leader to a reasonably safe ledge and tie them off or tie them off in situ, which can be very dangerous if the fallen climber is badly injured, unconscious or otherwise immobile.

Next, the belayer will need to go hands free (escape the belay) to manage other exigencies such as calling for help or going for help if that is a safe option. When (hopefully) another more experienced climbing team or rescue personnel arrive on the scene it will be imperative that they work quickly and efficiently to complete the rescue using methods that the original belayer does not know how to perform. It is important that the belayer tie the leader off in a way that facilitates later rescue.

In this clinic you will learn an efficient method for tying off a fallen leader and escaping the belay, and to do so in a manner that leaves the system in a versatile configuration known as "baseline". From baseline a more experienced rescuer or team arriving on the scene will be able to perform any one of several more technical operations that can safely complete the rescue. Unlike some leader tie-off/belay escape methods, the one that you will learn is assembled using releasable Munter Mule Overhand (MMO) hitches, including the final MMO that is readily converted to a belay, raise or lower performed by a climber who has ascended to the victim, either on the accident rope or on a second rope.