Well after all was said and done, the week of April 8th was one to remember. Even though snow conditions were less than normal, the energy and enthusiasm at PEC12 was running high. As one of the major sponsors of this event, The Cascade Rescue Team was there in style and could be seen wearing their "made for the event" Sled Crew shirts. While we were manning the booth, answering questions and helping folks with products, the conference and its attendees enjoyed a plethora of classes designed to enhance each patrollers skills. Of special note was the Jeannie Thoren Womens Clinic. While we did not attend, we heard numerous reports from attendees about how this clinic had instantaneously helped them on the hill. We even helped one gal reinstall her heel lifts, with the help of Duct Tape of course! The Womens Toboggan Clinic created quite a stir and recieved super positive reviews as the girls got outside the box with two Model 350 Extreme Toboggans provided by Cascade Rescue. For many, this was their first time working with a 4 handled sled.

Dana Jordan, the President of Cascade Rescue Company delivered a light-hearted view of the Evolution of Rescue Equipment for Ski Patrollers. Time travel took us back to the Caveman era of rescue as well as some great video footage produced by the NSP, the 1952 Ski Patrol Manual (sponsored by Lite Beer - The official beer of Ski Patrol) and a look at the first Cascade Toboggan Catalog in 1970. Dana also took the opportunity to dispel some age old myths about Sled Loading, Line Savers and the appropriateness of running a toboggan Inside vs Outside the handles. A highlight of the presentation was "Cavemen in the Rescue Enviroment". This rare video footage can be seen on the Cascade Rescue Company YouTube channel as well as on our Facebook page.

As always, whenever you get a bunch of patrollers together, some form of controversy arises. In this case, the question of running a toboggan inside vs outside the handles was the subject. Since Cascade Rescue Company doesn't really have a position on this subject regarding appropriateness, we seized the opportunity to take a closer look at these techniques. Our two hour session on the hill Saturday afternoon was one for the books and ended up being very challenging. 30 people pre-registered for the class and we were totally surprised and somewhat understaffed when over 65 people showed up. Our apologies to those registrants who were expecting something else, but we felt were able to offer a little of something for everyone. Once we separated the groups, we headed down the hill and onto a run that was unanamously re-named "That Stupid Bump Run". Icy, sharp with no lines, it gave us a place to demonstrate both techniques. Brent and Justin from the East successfully demonstrated the technique of running a sled outside the handles. Ted and Milan from the West demonstrated the more traditional down the fall line technique. As the two teams worked their sleds down the mountain, I felt an appreciation for each style was achieved (at least for a few minutes), and a "moment" of shared agreement and admiration occured - a rare occasion indeed.

After having watched both teams "do their stuff" I can offer the following observations: When operating a sled outside the handles, it was clear that their were advantages in having the toboggan follow a different route through the moguls than the operator. Essentially, this technique forces the toboggan side to side through the troughs of the mogul, while the operator works on the side, traveling over the tops and sides of the moguls. The advantage is that this technique helps the patroller keep from being reverse high-centered in the troughs. The disadvantage appeared to be that there was significant side-to-side motion of the toboggan and patient and it looked like the technique required more upper body active motion from the patroller.

Inside the handles technique relies on a more traditional fall line approach. The toboggan follows the patroller straight down the fall line, traveling over the moguls. The Patroller uses a technique often referred to as "Picking the Nose", or more accurately using the tops of the mogul to execute turns or direction changes before side slipping and then ascending the next bump. This technique creates little side-to-side motion, but does teeter-totter the patient over the moguls. The technique also relies almost exclusively on good skiing technique (Power Stance) and lower body/leg strength.

Both camps seemed to get the job done. A question that still remains unanswered for me is what happens when you are outside the handles on the steeps and the toboggan pushes past you, knocking the opererator downhill? Unfortunatley, no one is perfect and falls do occur. The last line of defense so to speak, when running inside the handles and you fall, the toboggan will run over you and generally speaking you the operator an opportunity to stop it - patrollers under sleds create a lot of friction! I guess that question will have to go unanswered for now. Until next time - be safe, have fun!