Drop Loop 6:1 Crevasse Rescue for Guides (Hard Ice)

Hey all, here is a video demonstrating a 6:1 drop loop rescue system. (As of Dec 2018) So this video has seen a lot of traffic and received some great critiques.

Remember, this video in now way replaces training from a professional certified guide, which you should seek out before trying these techniques. This video is based on skills acquired during various trainings both inside the Association of Icelandic Mountain Guides and from fellow Guides outside of the Association.

A well respected guide in Iceland critiqued the video. Here are some of his critiques:

1.) Butterfly...Nice! I like to have things simple so I skip the butterfly and just use the master point of the anchor to clip the other end of the drop loop.

2) I skip using the extension on the ATC while rappelling, just use it straight from my belay loop and the hollow block connected to the foot loop with a carabiner...this will save one sling if you like to be lightweight or need the sling for chest harness.

3) Always remember prussik knot is just half a system so unless you have some kind of a safety knot , you should hold the rope with one hand. So when you clip your client in in just be aware of that, In this video you are connected to a loop so it is not very risky if your prussik knot starts to slide without a backup....you will just slide to the bottom of the loop.

4) When I was doing my training instructors talked about never wrap climbing ropes around your hands. Not when hauling or doing something else. The idea was that if you always wrap them around then at some point in life when something brakes your hands might get stuck and you can't let go of the rope. Meaning you might fall or your fingers might be cut off by the rope.
I personally like this rule and have experienced two accidents were a person would have been pulled off a cliff or his fingers cut off if he had the rope wrapped around his hands...so be careful about it

5) At 13:10 you have pulled your client up on the 2:1 system and then you just let go of the rope. Remember that the prussik is only a half system, so you need to back it up or hold onto the rope with one hand. At this moment there is a lot of slack in the system and if for some reason the prussik starts to slide, there is not much you can do. The person will jus slide back into the crevasse

6) 13:32 Same as before the prussik is just holding the victim and while you put up the ATC there is nothing else backing it up. A good thing would be to put up the ATC, pull all the slack through and then release the figure eight knot that is clipped to the butterfly.