April 30, 2018
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- Sunday’s classroom. (Betsy Dain-Owens)
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- Justin Merle giving some instructions. (Betsy Dain-Owens)
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- Rescue practice. (Jordan Cohen)
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- What a team! (Robert Jantzen)
Every spring IMG Guides come together for our annual Guide Training weekend just before the start of the Rainier climbing season. This year we packed the room with 37 Guides. Saturday is typically reserved for getting to know the new guides (10 this year), discussing any new protocols, a refresher on driving the vans & trailers, and a brush-up on Leave No Trace ethics. After the day wrapped up it was time to crack open a beer, have a burger, relax, and really get to know the new guides, as well as catch-up with old friends after a long, long winter.
Sunday is a field day, so the guides loaded up in the vans and went up to Paradise to work on beacon search & recovery, crevasse rescue as well as a few different litter rescue scenarios. This weekend is a great transition/switching of gears for guides who have been on big expeditions and/or on skis for the better part of the winter.
The training continues for the new guides later this week with our New Guide Training. Chief Guide Justin Merle along with Guide Supervisors Luke Reilly and Mike Haft will take the new guides through the paces to show them the IMG ropes (pardon the pun). This typically starts out with some route planning followed by a trip up to Camp Muir. Thursday and Friday are reserved for some more technical training and if there’s time, a summit climb.
The weather looks good for the foreseeable future so we’re off to a great start to the 2018 Rainier Climbing season. Our first climb of the season hits the Muir Snowfield in one week!
Tye Chapman