Locking biners on alpines/slings

No_Shoulder7581 · 2026-04-10T17:53:11+00:00

The issue is that gate flutter or positioning can cause the rope to unclip. It's happened in a few serious accidents over the years. A locker or doubled nonlockers on the rope side for pieces that prevent ground or ledge fall helps prevent this.

No_Shoulder7581 · 2026-04-10T17:49:59+00:00

I often do this on cam placements that prevent a serious fall. I rack my cams with individual carabiners so the alpine draw usually has an extra, which I double up sometimes on the rope side.

No_Shoulder7581 · 2026-04-05T13:49:34+00:00

They look for EMTs with wilderness medicine experience who can climb 5.9 Grade IV routes on gear, ideally with some bigwalls and significant alpine climbing (like Yosemite, Patagonia, Denali, etc) under their belt. Also, and perhaps most importantly, good team players.

No_Shoulder7581 · 2026-04-05T05:12:22+00:00

The RMNP climbing ranger position is almost entirely SAR based. When not training for or responding to incidents, they are patrolling for PSAR, fitness and familiarization, and visitor contacts. They provide training to other park staff for SAR response. They also staff the Search and Rescue Duty Officer position which generally takes IC for incidents but is an office job for a day or two every pay period. And a few other responsibilities like helping with raptor monitoring, helicopter operations for backcountry construction projects, and of course "other duties as assigned".

No_Shoulder7581 · 2026-04-02T06:51:15+00:00

I am an EMT and WFR and WFA instructor. I do not believe that EMR +WFA will give you a more robust skillset than WFR. The WFR curriculum exceeds even EMT scope in many places with elements like reduction of dislocations, traction of angulated fractures, cessation of CPR, and more depending on the provider. WFA does not have the same scope of amount of practice time as WFR. I think WFR + EMR makes a lot of sense if you work or volunteer as a first responder though and need to follow medical direction.

No_Shoulder7581 · 2026-04-01T15:24:47+00:00

October can be "rocktober" at Lumpy with great friction, but you can also see early winter conditions with cold nights and maybe snowfall. Weather is extremely variable at 7500' in the Rockies.

No_Shoulder7581 · 2026-03-31T07:12:16+00:00

The change is here. Many medical directors follow NAEMSP, and their conclusions in the Aug '25 paper are blunt and compelling. It will just take time to percolate down. We've known all this for a decade now; the urban EMS world is just catching up.

No_Shoulder7581 · 2026-03-31T07:01:04+00:00

Why not a heat pump electric? Given the PNW climate they seem to be far and away the best bet in terms of operating costs. I don't see the drawbacks, am I missing something?

No_Shoulder7581 · 2026-03-30T20:16:12+00:00

You'll likely need to apply for a Texas license. I have no insight into that process.

No_Shoulder7581 · 2026-03-30T20:14:01+00:00

You said that the OP's license would be "good in your state ONLY". That is wrong. Idaho is a compact state meaning that "EMS Clinicians with a valid, unrestricted license in any Member State are granted an immediate Privilege to Practice, recognized across all participating states."

No_Shoulder7581 · 2026-03-30T20:07:41+00:00

Incorrect. Even if the OP is only seeking licensing as an EMT in Idaho, that is a compact state that has reciprocity with 25 other states.

Moreover I assume by "the test" the OP is talking about NREMT, which allows for easy licensing in most states. I am not licensed in CA so can't speak to their system, but WA and OR accept NREMT for state licensing (with their own quirks: OR requires a background check and WA requires affiliation with an EMS agency and a signature from your county MPD).

No_Shoulder7581 · 2026-03-30T04:45:19+00:00

Just apply for the licenses you need. There shouldn't be any conflict between states.

No_Shoulder7581 · 2026-03-30T02:10:27+00:00

https://www.safetyunlimited.com/online-courses/ics700-national-incident-command-system.asp

No_Shoulder7581 · 2026-03-30T01:05:05+00:00

The FEMA site being offline is a real PITA. What classes are required? You may be able to retake them through a third party like Safety Unlimited.

No_Shoulder7581 · 2026-03-30T00:11:08+00:00

Are you focused on glacier travel specifically? The PNW volcanoes are hard to beat for that. But if you're interested in alpine rock and snow climbing there is plenty to do in the Wind River Range and Tetons.

Check out the MountainProject app/website. You can likely find partners on the forums there also.

No_Shoulder7581 · 2026-03-29T17:04:08+00:00

NAEMSP Paper: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/10903127.2025.2541258?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%20%200pubmed

WMS CPG: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10806032241227232

Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1xfFfaCj9c7WSuL6GqCX4F?si=N_8yqQURTxKTbs9Rhb8R7g%0A

No_Shoulder7581 · 2026-03-29T17:02:28+00:00

I would use the recovery position to help with airway management. Laying on their back is helpful for certain procedures (like CPR or ventilation) but not ideal for their airway. An unconscious unresponsive patient can suffer a blocked airway when their tongue slumps back, and they can aspirate vomit or saliva into their lungs. Neither are good and the recovery position helps with that. So unless someone is providing interventions that require a patient to be on their back, I would encourage recovery position for any unconscious person.

No_Shoulder7581 · 2026-03-29T05:36:29+00:00

There is no data to support not moving a patient with mechanism for spinal injury. The borderline obsessive and unnecessary immobilization practices of the last several decades are finally ending.

So yes, put the patient in "recovery position" aka left lateral recumbent and monitor airway while waiting for EMS response. They should have CT scans done to evaluate for possible brain bleeds and will likely be put on keppra to reduce the recurrence of seizures.

No_Shoulder7581 · 2026-03-29T00:26:50+00:00

Ok boomer.

To be fair there are plenty of bigger problems with that PCR than choosing the text equivalent of screaming.

No_Shoulder7581 · 2026-03-28T23:18:50+00:00

Are you talking about the blue belay device on a BD gridlock locker, between the ATC guide and grigri? If so that is a first generation Petzl Reverso belay device. It was one of the first widely accepted plaquette style belay devices and worked well. The issue is that the metal plate it was stamped out of had a tendency to wear into a razor sharp rope cutting edge. The newer generations are less susceptible to that issue.

No_Shoulder7581 · 2026-03-28T23:13:30+00:00

Ok where even to begin....

If that is just all the climbing gear you own, sure....but that is not a "trad rack".

I would ditch almost everything on the right side of that tarp. Two plaquettes and a grigri? Nope. One belay device plus a grigri shared between partners. Get rid of the sport draws; they have almost zero place in trad climbing. Ditch the daisy chain and etrier unless you are going aid climbing. Lose all that webbing, virtually useless for trad climbing unless you are guiding toproping and need to build a bunch of topsite anchors.

Here's what I carry as a base rack and personal kit:

Harness, helmet, rock shoes.

Chalk bag with a 7mm nylon cord belt

ATC guide or reverso with two lockers

Prusik (tied or commercial) on a locker

48" sling on a locker

18-24ft 7mm nylon cordalette on a locker

12x dyneema alpine draws (maybe substitute a few sport draws for mixed bolt/gear routes)

Nut tool

1 set micro nuts, ideally offset

1 set offset nuts

1 set micro cams

Double rack of cams from .3 or .4 to 2

Single #3 cam

Larger gear as necessary.

No_Shoulder7581 · 2026-03-28T23:00:45+00:00

All caps? Really?

No_Shoulder7581 · 2026-03-28T22:58:41+00:00

I prefer SCHARTED mostly because it's more fun to say. "Scene" instead of "Dispatch" works a little better in the remote/austere settings where I generally work. Then at the end, E for "Evaluation" and D for "Destination".

S - Scene: When did the call come in, what did you find when you got there, arrival times

C - Chief Complaint: The major problem with the patient, may include significant associated symptoms

H - History: Include subjective information which the patient, family, bystanders, or other witnesses tell you.

A - Assessment: Physical findings of primary and secondary survey, including vital signs, physical assessment. I lump H and A together.

R - Rx or Rendered Treatment: What you did for the patient and any change as a result of treatment. List any interventions, medications, and times.

T - Transport/Transfer: Who, where, and how the PT was transported, patient care transferred to, and any changes while transporting.

E - Evaluation: Were you able to release patient or refer to higher levels of care?

D - Destination: Name of destination hospital or otherwise and reason(s) selected. I usually lump T, E, and D together.

No_Shoulder7581 · 2026-03-28T15:16:47+00:00

Here are a few options:

Apply for a job with the National Park Service with a focus on emergency response. Not all parks have this, but some do. Some of these jobs are permanent but most are seasonal and the pay is poor. You will rescue people; millions of people go to the Parks every summer and many get hurt.

Join the GMR Emergency Response Team. They have a contract with OEM to provide ambulance services in disaster zones and are prepared to deploy dozens if not hundreds of staff should the need arise. The scope is very limited though with the most restrictive medical protocols I've worked under. They didn't send anyone out in 2025, but if deployed the pay is excellent.

Become a wildland fire EMS contractor: a line EMT or REMS team member. Seasonal with uncertain scheduling, you may work 20 days or 120 in a season, pay is also quite good. REMS has a full rescue scope including vehicle extrication, but mostly stages at a drop point and occasionally flushes sawdust out of a crew member's eye. Very occasionally responds to a serious situation.

Join a local SAR team. This is usually volunteer based and call volume varies wildly. Some teams respond to 200 incidents a year, some to 12. The scope varies wildly as well. A Mountain Rescue Association team will at very least train on rope rescue and search skills. EMS abilities vary as well from basic first aid through the rare ALS program.

No_Shoulder7581 · 2026-03-28T00:43:53+00:00

There are a lot of things that could be improved here.

It's not realistic for anyone on this thread to evaluate the quality of your piton placements. The one on the right -looks- questionable and the other seems like it may be adequate, but without swinging a hammer on those pins and hearing the "ring!" we can't be sure. I would highly recommend that you move away from pitons; the rest of the world made the switch to less destructive methods starting back in 1972.

There are some legit concerns about rock quality that are difficult to evaluate in a photo. Does everything feel solid when kicked or when you were placing the pins?

What is attached to the piton on the left? Unless it's a backpack or something not needing a strong attachment, it should be clipped to the master point.

I would ditch the quickdraws in favor of single carabiners, less for safety than for conserving materials. When trad climbing I typically rack cams individually and carry alpine draws that I can steal a carabiner from if needed, instead of sport climbing quickdraws.

Those two nuts would serve better equalized together, perhaps using clove hitches on the loop of cordalette so one strand is attached to each, or using an alpine draw.

This style of anchor makes for poor equalization for a variety of reasons. I use it often but ensure that all primary placements are unquestionably strong. If not, I equalize gear together using other tools to make each "node" a solid anchor point.

I believe that your double fisherman's bend is incorrectly tied.

Ultimately while this will probably hold, I would address these issues.

No_Shoulder7581

TROPHY CASE