Rescue @ Razorback

After Emil's grand entrance into the world of snow-camping last year, we took him out again to Federation Hut. The Winter Camp is annual event since 2013 to get mountaineers, snow- and backcountry lovers together for a play in the fluffy white. Each year we return from the mountain with great memories and this year would provide a lot of entertainment ... although not for everyone. 

As it turned out Anna's and my fear our little offspring will keep the camp-site awake was completely unfounded ... it was actually an AW139 helicopter hovering about 20m above the hut at 5am almost flattening a couple of tents with its downwash ... and of course Emil slept through all of this.

Our recent post (see below) got a bit of air-time on social media however we didn't go into the details of what had happened and what we should learn from it. Please keep in mind this isn't about blaming someone. Yes of course these rescues would have been preventable - the guys could have just stayed at home but that's not what we want. As a SAR volunteer I want people to go out on adventures and enjoy the benefits which come with being outdoors. In this case nobody got injured so these are great outcomes. Overall the (mental) health benefits of you getting fresh air outweighs the costs of the occasional rescue by far!

So don't be a keyboard warrior, think about where you did stupid mistakes which could have led to a call-out and learn how to do it better next time.

What happened?

There were two helicopter rescues. The first one took place around 4 pm and can be filed under "unfortunate circumstances". One of the two experienced guys simply got sick and that's something which is hard to prevent. Fortunately they had left early and therefore they could make the call for help while there was some daylight left. There's still a takeaway in this: 

Once you called for help, put your valuables, car-keys, wallet and other need-to-have small items in your pockets. It's not guaranteed that the rescue heroes get your backpack.

Locations of rescues 17.8.2019

The second rescue happen not far from the first - about 400m - and also not far from the hut at around 9:30 pm. Well that's when the whole thing started. Sunset on that day was 5:37 pm with last light just after 6 pm and a full moonrise around 7 pm which means the visibility was good because there were no clouds.

The hikers started at Diamantina Hut around 3 pm which means they covered roughly 9km in 5-6h. This isn't a terrible pace although it's at the slower end of the spectrum. 

As mentioned in the facebook post, a MICA flight paramedic was winched down near the spot but couldn't be picked up with the hypothermic patient due to high winds. The paramedic and the AT skiers who stumbled upon the hikers earlier moved everyone to the hut from where the patient and the paramedic were eventually airlifted at 5 am.

Is the Razorback a trap for beginners?

In winter all hikes are easy to underestimate since a bit of snow can slow you down significantly. However in my opinion the Razorback is especially prone to lure people into a false sense of security.

• In summer it's a simple and easy hike. Trailrunners wrap it up in less than an hour quite regularly while hikers take about 4 hours.
• It's easy to access. You simply park your car at Diamantina Hut and off you go. 
• It doesn't look that far or steep from the road. Yes you can see Feathertop from Mt Hotham and it seems quite ok.
• Finding the trail shouldn't be hard since you just follow the ridge-line.

The Razorback and Feathertop

This doesn't sound too bad for a little snow-shoe adventure, right? Length-wise it's almost the same as Bungalow Spur and you have far less of elevation to tackle. For sure the Razorback is the faster and easier option, isn't it?

Yeah nah mate - unfortunately the reality is slightly different:

• In winter the time on the trail blows out quite fast. Five to seven hours aren't unusual which means if you want to leave some room for error, you should be on the trail by 12 noon at the very latest. Earlier if you're beginner or not a fast walker.
• It is indeed easy to access but only costs a bomb since you need to pay resort entry for Hotham - it's $102 for 2 days.
• It's roughly 10 km up and down little hills with 300m of ascent. In snow that's not a piece of cake especially since the whole track will be covered. The icing on the non-existent cake are icy conditions because some of the slopes are quite a steep and exposed and a slip can result in a fast slide into a snow-gum. In general that's fairly unhealthy unless you know how to self arrest.
• In good conditions the trail isn't hard to find however Australian winter has the tendency to be windy and it comes often with poor visibility. Then it's easy to miss a turn and go down one of the many ridges to the side and after dark all bets are off anyway. Speaking of windy - which is was on that Saturday - the whole Razorback is extremely exposed and every little movement of air hits you hard with a wind-chill factor. 

Anna and Emil in the snow

There you go. Suddenly the nice ramp up Bungalow Spur seems to be quite reasonable despite 1100m of elevation gain. This track is actually easy to follow, sheltered from the wind, at least half way without snow and therefore overall faster in winter. Anna did it in a bit over four hours with a baby in the backpack. Now don't get overconfident - that's on the upper end of the speed-scale but it shows you even with 25kg on the back it's a fast approach.

How to do the Razorback

In good winter weather the Razorback is an amazing hike. If you haven't done it yet, the above story of doom and disaster shouldn't deter you from doing it one day. There are just a couple of simple things to consider:

• Check the forecast and the avalanche bulletin. Wind, snow or rain and bad visibility are to be avoided.
• Leave early. Aim for a 10 am departure at the latest.
• Don't go after big fresh dumps or if the bulletin shows other severe dangers.
• Know how to self arrest and carry the needed ice-axe, if the conditions are icy.
• Have an emergency shelter like a bothy or bivy bag.
• Pro-tip: If you have friends with another car, do a key-swap. They come up Bungalow Spur and go out the Razerback the next day. Since you already did the Razor, you can scoop down to the Snowline and have a beer while you wait for your car to arrive.

Some of the VCC Crew on Sunday Morning

Now in case you wonder whether the four hikers of the second rescue were experienced or not, don't take my word for it. By coincident Kat Crema - two time Winter Olympian and Winter X Games competitor - came across them: 

"There was definitely a lack of experience there... we passed the 4 snow shoers on our way back to the road at 4 pm, they were 1.5 hours in and least 3-4 hours away and didn’t know where Fed Hut was... 😬"

Hopefully you learned something from the post and if it's only to take you wallet and car-keys out of the pack when the chopper is coming 😉

Cheers and enjoy the backcountry 🍻

Philipp

SAR in the Victorian Backcountry

We're all responsible adults and carry some type of emergency communication device when we're going on our backcountry adventures, right? But what actually happens when we push the SOS button or call 000[1]? Who's in charge for the whole search & rescue kaboodle when the fluffy white is around?

 Who is getting me out of there if shit hits the fan? 

Police SAR training on steep snow

First the good news: In Victoria there are kick-ass professionals who will run the show. The Victoria Police Search and Rescue Squad has high training standards and therefore working with these guys  is quite delightful. According to their website they "provide specialist expertise, advice and practical assistance in land search and rescue" which basically means they're calling the shots.

General Backcountry Rescue

What happens next really depends on conditions and the type of your emergency. A broken leg at Cleve Cole Hut in wonderful sunshine and zero wind is a more a job for a helicopter than bringing in the big search party. Unfortunately people don't tend to get lost or hurt in perfect conditions but when it's shitty out there. Like in really shitty you wouldn't let your dog out. Let's assume Flopsy the unfortunate climber broke his leg in typical Bogong weather - zero visibility and 80km/h wind. For a bit of flavour we add that Flopsy couldn't provide GPS coords and then his phone went flat. You can literally hear the SAR Squad cheering.

Obviously the Airwing won't be much help and in order to find Flopsy, you'll need boots on the ground. Most likely there will be a call-out to various SES units as well as BSAR volunteers which have done their steep snow & ice (SSI) training. These volunteers will venture out under the Police SAR Squad instructions and if they find Flopsy,  A couple of years back something similar happened and the poor guy had to be hauled up from the south-side of Bogong only to be sledded and carried down the north-face (Eskdale Spur).

Structure

Field Structure of Land SAR in Victoria

Let's have a closer look at the field structure of land SAR operations. Keep in mind that this is a generalisation and sometimes the Police SAR Squad doesn't even get involved. E.g. if you experience the misfortune of a climbing accident at Arapiles, the SES Horsham with their Arapiles Rescue Group and Ambulance Victoria might assist you. AT this point I can absolutely recommend you  NOT to get yourself into trouble on crag with no top access. The local SES and CFA don't have the procedures for bottom-up rescues and it's unlikely that this situation will change within the coming 12 months. I know - that's really bad!
Anyway: I'm focusing on winter adventures in the Victorian High Country. The SAR Squad can tap into various resources of government agencies, volunteers and police units. That includes the Police Airwing, SES, CFA, Parks Victoria or BSAR.

Out of all the units in the chart there are only a handful which can handle snowy conditions. The Police SAR Squad themselves, Ski Patrols and parts of BSAR. While the cops are the brain of the operation, BSAR provides the muscles. Ski Patrols normally only take part in the vicinity of resorts but you'll never know how creative an Incident Controller can be to get the job done.

Long Term Strategy

Since I'm not privileged to any government information regarding the future land SAR strategy, this is just my take on it. Globally mountain rescue organisations face a number of challenges that lie in the current developments and in the changed behaviour of the general population. Changed recreational behaviour and increasing tourism in alpine areas mean a stronger burden for rescue services.

In Australia trendy sports draw people into once-deserted landscapes. Snow cannons, snow factories and floodlights extend the ski season as well as the ski day, mountain bike parks and half-pipes mean new areas of application. At the same time back-country gear - especially Alpine Touring skis - became far more available in Australia over the past five years. Bundle that with increasing ticket prices[2], entry fees and hire costs in the resort and you'll see a natural migration from the packed slopes to the backcountry. Add to this development a the growing proportion of older and mobile people with more and more free time and the consequences are not only an increasing numbers of call-outs in general but also on weekdays. 

Hiking vs. Bushwalking since 2004

So far the capacity of volunteers in land SAR was sufficient but with more people venturing into the High Country more incidents are likely and we might see the point where capabilities exceed requirements. Obviously in the past the above shown structure had an interesting dynamic: If more people venture out bushwalking, more people will sign up with bushwalking clubs and some of them filter through to BSAR. That kept some sort of balance.

However modern backcountry users are not part of that dynamic. There is no simple pathway which eventually increases the number of experienced skiers, mountaineers and backcountry boarders within BSAR at the same rate as these snow-sports are growing. BSAR is recruiting itself from hikers who overcame the increasing stigma of Bushwalking Clubs being old-men's-clubs.

The change in recreational behaviour is also reflected how outdoorsy people organise themselves these days. Social media, meetup groups and far more accessible knowledge on how to access backcountry locations make even the requirement to join any outdoor club optional. In the past you literally learned the ropes by meeting up with more experienced people and doing fun stuff. This mentor-mentee relationship was a big draw card of most clubs but it lost a bit attraction: "Ask quirky  Bruce or watch a YouTube video? I'd go for YouTube ... what could possibly go wrong?" You get the idea.

While the number of backcountry users is increasing and the outdoor industry is booming, the number of competent SAR volunteers might be not enough in the future. In my opinion there needs to be a bigger focus on preventing incidents and adapting to changed circumstances:

• Support Mentor-Mentee relationships outside of clubs
  People who don't get themselves into trouble don't need rescue. This is one reason why Mountaineering Melbourne is organising open social nights.
• Provide Safety Advice
  The Kiwi Mountain Safety Council and the Victorian Mountain Sports Collective are good examples. EMV / the state / whoever from the government would do good to get regular avalanche, condition and weather bulletins out. Maybe give a grant to MSC to do that.
• Restructure BSAR
  I know this is controversial and probably won't happen but I think BSAR can benefit from opening up to individuals without paying to volunteer. Yes currently you need to put coin on the table to volunteer for BSAR - unlike SES or CFA. If you would remove this awkward hurdle, you could tap into other clubs, groups and capable individuals  as well as creating a flow-through of competent outdoor enthusiasts - especially non-hikers. Targeting skiers, mountaineers and backcountry boarders to join wouldn't go astray.

In the end there's room for improvement on the level of professionalism among the Victorian SAR volunteering organisations. If you're looking at how the German Bergwacht and the Swiss ARS are organised, it is quite a  refreshing eye-opener.

I hope this sheds some light on the mystery of land SAR operations. If you have any question post them in the comments or drop me a line.

Cheers
Philipp

P.S.: I am an active call-out member of BSAR with a SSI qualification.

[1] Pro-tip: When you're calling 000 from the backcountry: Ask the operator for the cops! Not ambulance or anyone else! Giving GPS coordinates to Ambulance Victoria can be quite entertaining but not in an emergency situation.

[2] An Australian non-discount adult day-pass is roughly $60-$100 more expensive than a comparable European ticket.

Avalanche Safety

Police Search and Rescue, Mt Bogong, July 2014

With winter well settled in and the next snow-storm around the corner I thought I might highlight something which most of us try to keep out of our mind: The White Death aka Avalanches. They rarely cause a fatality down-under but it happens. Now let's get right into it and see why you need to be on top of this.

If I can give you one piece of advice: Avoid getting caught in an avalanche at all costs. Basically the rescue-chain takes so long that any SAR personnel will only recover your body with barely a chance of saving you. It's a good idea to carry probe, shovel & beacon, know how to use them and check the avalanche bulletin because your mates are your best chance of survival. Time is of the essence:

• "Survival phase": 15 minutes after the avalanche more than 90% of the completely buried victims are still alive (about 10% die immediately from fatal injuries, another 15% a little later from injuries)
• "Suffocation phase": after 15-35 minutes the statistics shows a steep decline due to suffocation with a decreased probability of survival to 30%. All buried victims die from rapid suffocation (airway obstruction due to avalanche snow or vomit and chest compression)
• "Latency phase": between 35 and 90 minutes there is initially a relatively low mortality. About a quarter of the burials survive when they have a closed air pocket
• "Late phase": After 90 minutes, the probability of survival due to hypoxia and hypothermia decreases again (= the remaining 5% of the causes of death).

More than two hours after the avalanche only about 7% survive, but only if there is an open airway with connection to the outside. In general your chance of survival is 75% if you're partly and 50% if you're completely buried[1]. While the Police SAR Squad has great avalanche rescue skills, the knowledge among SES and BSAR guys is not consistent. Even if they make it in time to the avalanche site by some miracle, it's probably not enough to save you. 

Police SAR snow vehicles

“The building blocks of an avalanche
 are made of snow, but wind is the builder.”

If you've skied outside of Australia, you probably have seen the Recco system. That's pretty fancy and allows to find a buried victim from a helicopter ... but it doesn't exist here.

Bottom-line: You and your mates are on your own. Avalanche Safety is a skill you can't learn or maintain from reading websites and watching YouTube videos. Do a course and practice with your buddies as often as possible! In doubt go to the pub 🍻

Stay safe & cheers 🍻
Philipp

[1] Dr. Walter Treibel, Erste Hilfe und Gesundheit am Berg und auf Reisen, Bergverlag Rother

When to use a PLB

This article was written for Argus - the member's magazine of the Victorian Climbing Club

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Before I get into the details, I have to clean up a couple of fairy tales:

Magical Phones

If you see the "No Service" or similar on your phone, that's pretty much it. Your phone is as useless as your coffee cup or a brick. NO! Neither of them will magically turn into a satellite communication device. I see that proposed in hiking forums all the time but it's a myth.

All SatCom devices work - NOT

All PLBs/EPIRBs* have very limited function - "I need help! I'm here" - but they do it very well. They are cheap and very reliable. You can't go wrong with any model. However if you need a bit more function, you got a couple of options for off-grid (emergency) communication

• Satellite Phone >> Not so cheap but great functionality
• Garmin inReach  >>  two-way satellite messenger and tracker 
• Iridium Go >> Mobile data thingymebob
• Old fashioned radio >> Can be a bit bulky, you need a licence and somebody listening on the other end
• Spot Messenger >> Not an option! They are unreliable, Bogong Equipment took them off their shelves and the Victorian Climbing Club banned them as an emergency communication device. I can tell you a bunch of stories how the spot system failed. 

There you have it. Some of these units might leave you disappointed so choose wisely. 

I don't need emergency gear if I have a PLB - ERRRR! WRONG!

If you're that remote that you need a PLB, rescue is not around the corner. You can still die of that snake bite because you didn't bring any bandages, fall to your death because you didn't bring the self-rescue climbing gear or just freeze to death because you didn't bring the emergency bivy-bag.

If I call 000, they know my location - NAAAH MATE!

Sorry to break it to you but they might get the location of the closest mobile-tower you're locked onto but not your actual GPS location. If you're in rugged terrain and you're position is difficult to describe and/or you're not familiar with GPS, you can call 000 AND activate the PLB.
Pro-tip while you're on the phone: DON'T ASK FOR AN AMBULANCE! Ask for the police. They are the ones doing rescue operations > there's a specialised Police Search and Rescue unit based in Williamstown and you want them on the job without delay.

Right. All good? Let's get into it:

As the VCC Safety Cat, I recently bought two PLBs which live in the club's first aid kits. There's a manual which tells you how to activate them (flick open the antenna, slide down the red protective cover, press SOS button) ... but not when. AMSA simply states:

A distress beacon should be activated in situations of grave and imminent danger. This equates to when you feel you are facing a life threatening situation. This is a personal decision that is different for everybody.

Let me put that in different words: "Do you have the skills and training to extract the person in danger safely from the current situation?" Instead of giving you a complicated flow-chart and complicated decision making tool, let me run you through a couple of likely VCC trip scenarios. In all scenarios we assume there's no phone reception:

Snake Bite
You're at the base of Taipan Wall and Flopsy got bitten by a snake (pun intended).
✔ That's a no-brainer > press the button! Time is of the essence and using the PLB takes the Search out of Search And Rescue.

Ground Fall
Flopsy took a big whipper and hit the deck. You're not sure if anything is broken and/or he is pretty disoriented.
✔ Button! You don't know if there are any internal injuries. Don't wait for them to get better because these minutes can make a difference. As a matter of fact any suspected internal injuries is a clear indication of alerting emergency services asap.

Multi Pitch Bang
You're up a multi-pitch climb and Flopsy who is your second took a nice slip. Although physically he has nothing serious (a couple of scratches and bruises), Flopsy is pretty shaken and unable to continue the climb or abseil.
It depends:
❌ If you feel comfortable to perform a self-rescue and get both of you off the wall safely, there's no need to call for help.
✔ If you're not comfortable to do the self-rescue or think it will take too long or have any other doubt > button!

Ran out of fire-wood
Don't laugh! People have done that in the past but you're right the correct answer is:
❌ Don't push the button.

You stumble upon an unconscious person
That's straight forward: Even if they regain consciousness, there could be a million things wrong and it's important to get them to a hospital asap. You are
✔ pushing the button.

Rolled ankle
Your party is walking from / to the crag and is a fair distance from the trail-head. Flopsy rolled his ankle and can't continue to walk - seriously?! What's wrong with this guy. Getting hurt all the time!!
It depends:
❌ If you're in Summerday Valley and can carry him out, it's probably faster than waiting for the ambo.
✔ Deep down the south-face of Bogong is not good place to start hiking someone out. As a matter of fact you wouldn't be the first one air-lifted from that valley. Push the button

Injured Animal
You find an injured animal in a remote location.
❌ As heartbreaking as this might be - emergency services are for humans only.

I hope that gives you a good overview when to use these devices. Personally I prefer two-way communication since I can get confirmation my distress call has been received and I can provide the emergency services with valuable information. In certain cases it can also keep the helpers safe: If I roll my ankle in a snow-storm but I'm hunkered down and warm, I can tell the guys to wait until the morning / the storm has passed. There's no need to risk anything. On the other hand you can also tell them to hurry the f#$& up if required.

SAR steep snow and ice training

Keep your details updated

When you register any of these devices, you have to provide your contact details. This is important since they'll try to contact you first and figure out if it isn't an accidental activation - see below. Ideally you do that before leaving for every trip with a brief description what you're up to. In cooperation with Bushwalking Victoria and Trailhiking Australia the VCC is currently exploring  the feasibility of an online trip intentions form however it's only at early stages. 

Accidental activation

If your beacon is accidentally activated, switch it off immediately and contact the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) on 1800 641 792. There is no penalty for accidental activation. Don't just turn it off because emergency services will assume your battery has gone flat and will continue the search.

A false alarm is a good alarm

As long as you're not calling for help for fun, nobody will give you a lecture or present you a bill**. As an active SAR member I'd rather find someone who suspected to have a broken leg and is fine than someone who had a broken leg, didn't call for help and died. Always remember: There's one basic rule:

In doubt, there's no doubt! Push the button! 

Some things we consider to be minor in an urban environment like bee stings, smaller fractures or simple exhaustion, can have severe consequences in the wild. Please call in the big guns before the situation gets FUBAR.

Cheers 🍻

Philipp the VCC Safety Cat 

* An EPIRB is technically almost the same as a PLB except it floats, has a bit more battery life and normally activates upon water contact. If you're doing any land-based activities and you use an EPIRB instead of a PLB, that's perfectly fine. I wouldn't recommend using a PLB on the water.

** Still make sure you have adequate ambulance insurance.