Mazamas — For the Love of Mountains
Get ready to boost your alpine skills with inexpensive, bite-sized classes based on specific topics. Topics will include practical self rescue, mechanical advantage hauling systems, belay/ rappel transition tricks, descending and rappelling tactics to increase efficiency, especially with larger groups, building and cleaning sport climbing anchors, map and compass navigation, smart phone GPS navigation.
Activity Notes
- Sunday Skill-builders: Practical Self-Rescue
- Class date: Sunday, June 25
- Registration opens: May 25
- 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
- Mazama Mountaineering Center (SE 43rd and Stark, Portland)
- Mazama members $25, non-members $35
- Recommended experience level: intermediate/advanced
New for 2023, the Sunday Skills Clinics happen on the second and fourth Sunday of the month, usually from 6 to 9 PM. The second Sunday is more for beginner/intermediate topics, and the fourth Sunday is more for intermediate/advanced techniques. Registration opens one month before the class. Topics will rotate and repeat, so if you miss one and want to take it, keep an eye out for it again.
Students are generally accepted first-come first-served. Please apply ASAP after the opening of registration to have the best chance of getting in the class.
If you need to cancel, please be courteous and do so early to give those on the waitlist a chance to get into the class. Don't be a no-show.
Lots of high angle rescue classes focus on low probability, high complexity scenarios. How about practicing the opposite: higher probability of happening, with fairly simple solutions?
This class may cover skills like:
- What to do if your shirt or hair gets caught in your rappel device
- Options to descend if you drop your rappel device. One way: Use three lockers to make a carabiner brake
- How to do a tandem rappel
- Improvised rope ascending with Grigri or plaquette and friction hitch /foot loop
- If you fall and swing into overhanging terrain, how to reascend the rope to your high point with friction hitches
Gear: helmet, harness, shoes suitable for climbing, belay device, friction hitch, single and double length slings, snapgate and locking carabiners.
This class will be a mix of some practice on the ground and some practice on the Mazamas climbing wall.
The links above cover some of these skills. Our class time will be much more effective if you make some time to read these before we meet, hint hint.
See ya!
Kyle Terry, John Godino and Andy Nuttbrock, class coordinators
