tags:
wilderness first aid |tgr safety protocols |tgr iprw |iprw |dave webber |cooke city snowmobile rescue |backcountry rescue |backcountry first aid
Here at TGR, we're big on education. While sports and classrooms are rarely intertwined, for the increasing numbers of skiers and riders that are now heading into the backcountry in search of powder and adventure, education is an absolutely critical component to having a good time and keeping the risk down. And while avalanche education is the biggest skillset many of us seek to brush up on at the beginning of every season, wilderness rescue, and wilderness first aid, are just as crucial. After all, if an avalanche takes out a partner of yours, a Level I avalanche course may only get you the skills to get that victim out of the snow. But then what?
In this 15-minute podcast, Dave Webber–Denali Wilderness Ranger, lead instructor at Remote Rescue Training, and a senior field instructor for the National Outdoor Leadership School–provides a high-level overview of what he teaches to every TGR athlete at the beginning of the season as far as wilderness first aid and rescue is concerned. While specialized towards the unique demands of pro riders attending TGR's International Pro Riders' Workshop, Dave imparts lessons, from trusting your gut to knowing the difference between a critically injured victim and one that can wait around for a longer rescue, that every backcountry user should know.
And it's not all theory–this same skillset allowed a TGR film crew to save a injured snowmobiler's life in Cooke City, Montana, and get Ian McIntosh to safety and medical after breaking his femur during a film shoot in Alaska in 2011. Get learned, be safe, and be the person that saves a life this winter!
Just remember–this podcast is intended to be educational but is not a replacement for the practical and real-world education and experience gained during an actual full-length wilderness first aid course; research to see what's available in your local area as far as courses go before the season gets underway!
About The Author
stash member Ryan Dunfee
Former Managing Editor at Teton Gravity Research, current Senior Contributor, current professional hippy at the Sierra Club, and avid weekend recreationalist.