TGR Practices the New Parallel Group Search Avalanche Rescue Technique

This year at the International Pro Riders Workshop, lead instructors Jim "Sarge" Conway and Jamie Weeks presented a novel beacon search technique they've had a hand in developing with Backcountry Access over the last few years. It's called the Parallel Group Search, and it's a method that instructors and guides have recently found effective in large-scale multiple burial scenarios when a group of searchers is available.

This is designed to be an advanced-level search technique, so isn't meant to replace the basic transceiver training we should all be familiar with and is still being taught in all recreational-focused avalanche classes. However, with a group that has been specifically trained in the technique, it has been proven to be a really fast and efficient way to locate and dig out multiple buried victims, especially when there are no "last seen points" and/or the number of victims is unknown.

Here's how it works.

A group of searchers (this works best with at least 4 searches and one leader) comes upon an avalanche slide path with multiple known buried victims. With a leader standing 10-20 meters in front of an evenly-spaced line of searchers, the group moves forward methodically, with each searcher staying only in their own parallel strips. The width of these strips is established by dividing the width of the avalanche debris by the number of searchers (in our case, the debris was about 50 meters wide, and we had 5 searchers, so each searcher had a 10-meter "lane.") Every 10-20 meters, the leader stops the group and asks each searcher to call out what their beacon is reading.

The group then keeps moving forward, 10-20 meters at a time, until a member gets a distance reading smaller than their lane width (in this case 10 meters). At this point, he or she would break off and perform a fine and pinpoint search and start probing for a buried victim. If searchers get to the end of their lane (the bottom of the debris pile) without getting a signal below 10, that lane is "clear" and that searcher can then go assist anyone with probing and digging.

The two main advantages of this method were made clear to the group after practicing it a few times in the field with multiple buried beacons. First, by having each searcher move only in a straight line, it prevents multiple searchers from bunching up on the same signal, wasting precious time. Secondly, the even spacing allows multiple signals to be acquired and homed in on simultaneously rather than consecutively, as is often done in guiding-oriented scenarios. Parallel group searching saves precious time by more evenly splitting the search workload across the team rather than putting the entire workload on a single guide doing all the searching. 

Another advantage of parallel group searching is that it enables better triage, or prioritization of victims. By searching for the victims all at the same time, rather than consecutively, rescuers can assess the survivability of each victim and which ones should receive priority.

It's great to see BCA and TGR teaming up to think-and search-outside the box. After all, it was BCA that invented digital transceivers. Our suggestion: learn this, practice it, then make darned sure you never get yourself into a situation where you'll need it.