![]() ![]() “They told us, ‘Hey, when you go out today, do it like you always do it,'” said Tom Schlader, the director of engineering at The Chateau at Beaver Creek by day and a 13-year member of Vail Mountain Rescue Group on the side. We want to learn, we want to see the systems, we want to see what you’re doing well, what we could be doing well.” “How do we make each other better? Let’s not just try to make it hard to make it hard. “It’s become much more constructive now with the teams,” he continued. “You’d be in a high-angle scenario and there’s the perfect anchor right here, but they’ll say, ‘nope sorry, this is off-limits,’ and they’ll make you do something random,” Ritter recalled before explaining the culture shift to a peer-development focus. “I’m glad it’s not like that anymore,” longtime Mountain Rescue Aspen volunteer Scott Messina, who was the head evaluator for the weekend, said, with a humorous eye roll. In the old days, grading one another’s search and rescue systems occasionally fostered unreasonable competitive tension between regional squads. Experienced members hailing from Mountain Rescue Aspen, Larimer County Search and Rescue, Rocky Mountain National Park Rescue Team and elsewhere served as both acting patients in the weekend’s scenarios and the lead evaluators. Vail Mountain Rescue Group also assists other rescue organizations within the Rocky Mountain region, one of nine regions under the Mountain Rescue Association national umbrella. “Our team leads are pretty proficient at lots of modes in the backcountry at this point.” “We like to say, we like to take them from 50 to 100, not 0 to 100,” Ritter said. They still have things to learn, of course. ![]() Most of Vail Mountain Rescue Group’s 60 or so annual recruit applications come from folks who spend a lot of time outside. “Because of what I like to do recreationally - I like to be out in the mountains as often as I can - I feel like it’s a unique opportunity to give back with my skill set,” said Meghan Twohig, the team’s training director. For several, it’s simply the integration of day-job skills and weekend passions into a community-serving position. After comprehensive new-member training, they also become fluent in search and rescue fundamentals and equipped to support a myriad of applied responses. Vail Mountain Rescue Group’s 45 active full-field members are teachers, engineers, CEOs, pastors and neighbors. More information can be found on Alpine Rescue Team's website: Those interested in applying need to attend one of three mandatory informational sessions – August 24th, September 20th, October 18th at 6 PM - where the application will be distributed.Vail Mountain Rescue Group members execute a low-angle rescue near Wolcott during the Mountain Rescue Association reaccreditation process last weekend.Ĭomprised of highly-skilled, on-call men and women serving 8,000 man-hours per year, the nonprofit - formed in 1977 - provides free rescues across three wilderness areas, two major waterways, several 13,000 and 14,000-foot peaks, and roughly 1,700 square miles of rugged, high-altitude terrain. So this is a lifestyle change when you commit to Alpine Rescue Team," Wilson told CBS4's Dominic Garcia. ![]() ![]() We do training six times a month and missions come any day, any time of the day. It's not something where you can volunteer once a month. "It's a lifestyle choice, not just a volunteer thing. The team is looking for those who enjoy being outdoors, are willing to learn mountaineering skills, and most importantly - are willing and flexible enough to help others in need in the mountains, no matter the day nor time. Interested individuals do not need to be experts in navigation, rock climbing or skiing. Alpine Rescue Team's services were requested 137 times in 2020, and its members provided over 17,000 hours of volunteerism to the community. There is no charge for these services, and the prospective members will all be volunteers. Most often, responding to a 911 call of someone who is lost, injured or stuck in the backcountry. They love being in the mountains, they want to help other people, and they have the flexibility and they are choosing that life choice to put this into their lives," said Dawn Wilson with the Alpine Rescue Team.Ĭurrently, the nonprofit organization has 60 members who respond any day or time of the year, at the request of the sheriff's office. "We're looking for people that are willing to be trained for all the skills that they need. This several month training process will prepare individuals with the various skills and knowledge necessary to safely participate in searches and rescues within the counties they will serve: Jefferson, Gilpin and Clear Creek. To help, Alpine Rescue Team will be training a new prospective member class beginning in December 2021. (CBS4) - As more and more people move to Colorado, rescue crews are seeing their calls increase in the high country. ![]()
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