MTR

Mountain Travel and Rescue at Santiam Pass, Oregon

Courses presented by National Ski Patrol certified instructors

2024-25 Courses – MTR1 and MTR2

• See your NSP Learning Center to register – look for”
  • Mountain Travel and Rescue Level 1 – Santiam Pass
  • Mountain Travel and Rescue Level 2 – Santiam Pass
  • Note – you can find the N/BC refresher here

There is no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing.

Alfred Wainwright

MTR 1 – Requirements for credit:

• FEMA ICS-100: Introduction to the Incident Command System
• FEMA IS-700: National Incident Management System, An Introduction
• https://training.fema.gov/nims/
• https://training.fema.gov/emiweb/is/icsresource/trainingmaterials.htm
• Send your certificates of FEMA course completion to your instructor for full course credit.
• Avalanche 1 (and 2) is helpful but not required.

MTR 2 – Requirements for credit:

• FEMA ICS-200: ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents
• Successful completion of MTR 1 and AVY 1. You must complete MTR 1 before taking MTR 2.
• One day field session before the overnight.
• A 2 night/3 day session.

MTR 1 has a field day and an overnight, improvised shelter outing – 2 days and 1 night. This 2024 year, because our students were coming in from long-distance, we rolled the field day into the overnight by setting up the night before and starting early.

MTR 2 has a two-night outing – 3 days and 2 nights.

Textbooks

• Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills, 9th edition (2018)
• NASAR: Introduction to Search and Rescue (2008)
• Technical Rescue Riggers Guide by Rick Lipke
• We no longer use: Mountain Travel & Rescue: National Ski Patrol’s Manual for Mountain Rescue (2012). If you have one, it contains an abundance of useful information
• Texbooks are optional. You can find all or most of the information online

Syllabus

About MTR

MTR is the knowledge and skills of mountain travel and rescue. This includes:

1. Navigation
   • Topographic maps
   • Coordinate systems and datum
   • Compass
   • GPS – handheld and phone
2. Mountain travel
   • Dressing for various outdoor weather conditions
   • Modes – AT/skins, snowshoes
   • Route selection
   • Hazard awareness and mitigation
   • Self-contained or as part of a team
3. Camping
   • Sleeping systems
   • Cooking systems
   • Handling waste
4. Emergency bivouac
   • Improvised shelter
   • Fire building
5. Search and rescue
6. Rope rescue
   • Rope craft: Relevant knots, hitches, and bends
   • Rope systems and management
     • Anchors – SERENE
     • Raising and lowering
     • Rope management
   • Patient care

Credit requirements

1. Complete all prerequisites as listed above
2. Attend 4 online sessions
3. Complete all online google form worksheets
4. Successful completion of the overnight session
   • Two days and one night out
   • Demonstrate skills as covered in the online sessions and google forms

Section A

• Search and rescue basics – see intro to SAR
• See the 50 (70) skill check list
• GPS, maps and compass
• See the Day 1 worksheet below

Section B

• GPS, map and compass continued
  • Coordinate systems
  • Compass declination
• Ropecraft: Knots, bends, and hitches
• See the Day 2 worksheet below

Section C

• Body temperature regulation
  • Water and hydration
  • Nutrition
  • Clothing
• Sleeping systems
• Shelter – focus on improvised
• Fire for warmth and my brand new $400 shell
• Hazards and scene safety for travel
• Patient transport
• Route planning
• See Day 3 worksheet below

Section D

• A rope rescue system
• Preparing for the over-night outing
  • Equipment
    • Pack as if you were going on a “normal” out-of-area SAR
    • With an overnight and shelter-in-place kit
    • Everyone will shelter a patient or two overnight
    • Avy kit: probe, beacon, shovel
  • Trailhead protocols
    • Sign-in
    • Equipment
    • Weather and avalanche review
    • Briefing
  • Travel, parking (snopark, trail pass), lodging
  • Fitness
  • Date
  • Rain? Illness?
  • Schedule Day 1
    • Trailhead protocol
    • Travel in
    • Review and student demonstrations
    • Establish “camp”
    • Night SAR
  • Schedule Day 2
    • Continue review and student demonstrations
    • Break camp
    • Travel out
    • Wrapup/Debrief
• See Day 4 worksheet below

Dates for 2024

• Online – 1900-2100 PT
  • 7-9 PM PT
  • 8-10 PM MT
  • 9-11 PM CT
  • 10-12 PM ET
    • Jan 9
    • Jan 16
    • April 8
    • April 15
• Overnight May 10-12

Worksheet links for 2024

1. Day 1 link
2. Day 2 link
3. Day 3 link
4. Day 4 link
5. Overnight link coming
6. Wrap-up link coming

It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.

Sir Edmund Hilary

Overnight

• Dates – May 10-12
• Meeting location – Probably Santiam Pass, OR
• Schedule – Friday – Sunday 1600
• Concept
  • Your kit
    • Pack as light as you can, but have what you need
    • What you wear or carry in your pack
    • Remember to bring avalanche gear:
      • Shovel
      • Probe
      • Transceiver (We have extra if you do not have one)
    • No pokes, sleds, or sherpas allowed
    • You need to be able to pack up your kit and move as needed
    • You do not need to improvise sleeping gear – bring a warm bag and foam pad(s)
  • Skis or snowshoes
  • You will be grouped into twos or threes for gear and shelter
    • You will coordinate with your group mates on community gear
      • Improvised shelter
      • Cooking
      • First Aid
      • Navigation
    • You will “shelter-in-place” each other in your group
    • You do as a team the shelter, SAR, rope craft, and navigation exercises
    • Each of you will get to take the role of Incident Command and planning

Some cool tips from G3

Overnight 2024

Map

Geospatial PDF 1:24,000

Geospatial PDF 1:12,000

• https://caltopo.com/m/EUPDM – this may not show correctly, but the markers may show coordinates when tapped

Hoodoo Weather

• Hoodoo weather NWS
• Hoodoo Conditions
• Hoodoo Webcams