Thread: Alpine ropes harness etc

When I was a young fella I moved to Queenstown in the late 90s and I got well immersed in all the safety courses that were available which included
Swift water river rescue
Avalanche awareness /rescue
Mountain safety course
Climbing and ropes courses
Dozens of first aid courses over the years
Weather reading
Orienteering

All of this was mainly because I wanted to work in tourism and of course I enjoyed it as it was good practical info the crossed over into all the outdoor sports I was into. This was before I got into hunting but skills learnt has served me well over the years.
Even when we are out on diving or hunting overnighters I enjoy the "what if" scenario talk around the camp fire. It is always good to know how others will deal with a situation and if you personally have the right gear on you and know how to deal with a mishap.
I guess that is why I feel confident heading off into the hills on my own.
Get into doing some courses and just start ticking them off, they are a lot of fun and the skills learnt have great cross overs to lots of areas in life, hey and you never know they may just save the life of yourself or one of your mates.
I see you can do alot of courses on line these days but you can always pick up a mountain safty book and have a read through.
To answer your above question @c-dog, my opinion is leave the ropes in the truck because without the proper skills you could get yourself into shit. I personally believe that an ice axe and crampons are a must to have in the pack along with plb, first aid kit and warm dry clothing. You can read up on how to use this kit, I.e fall arrest, cutting steps etc. Worth carry them even if you don't don't use them. It only takes a 5 meter long section of snow that you had crossed earlier in the day to thaw out during the day then freeze once the sun has left the face and it becomes a death trap.
The bottom line is no matter what type of terrain you plan to walk into just be prepared, do your homework.
Enjoy-never stop learning I reckon.