Get the Skinny on Chain Brake Use, Evacuation Seats and Line Savers!

We receive a lot of questions from our customers. This issue, I picked several that always seem to come to the top of the list. While our thoughts on these subjects aren’t always the “absolute” gospel, they do come from years of experience – some of it learned the hard way.

CHAIN BRAKE USE: The use of the chain brake can easily become a crutch for some patrollers. The primary control surface for managing a toboggan – loaded or otherwise are your skis or snowboard. If the hill is steep, deploy the brake to take some of the heat off of your legs. Light downward pressure on the handles will increase the amount of braking that occurs. Cranking down, or putting all your weight on the ends of the handles with the intend of increasing your braking power only does bad things. First it takes weight off of your primary control surfaces making it more difficult to manage the toboggan, second, it can actually lift the fins or runners off the snow, tip the nose down and actually negate any effect of the brake and fins. This can create an extremely dangerous situation for both patroller and patient. Lastly, it puts unnecessary strain on the pivot point of the toboggan and the handles without accomplishing anything. If you are on a hill where you can’t control the toboggan in the fall line (Model 100), then get out of the fall line! Properly run a Model 100 will easily traverse just about anything and does not always have to be pointed straight down the hill.

So, our perspective is that (pending upon area protocol) the chainbrake is a tool. I often run a sled loaded without a brake. In many cases, the brake when deployed can be as much a hinderance as it does good. On steep, icy slopes or whenever you feel like you can’t control the sled, your brake is your next option. If you get beyond its capabilities, then you need to change direction to reduce the angle of attack. Make sense?

LINE SAVERS: The proper positioning of a Line Saver or Line Belay to place the long end of the device pointing down to the Evacuee and the short end down to the person controlling the descent (patroller). This lets the patroller move up or down the mountain without creating too much twist or repositioning of the device. An easy way to remember this is: “The Dink (patroller) always gets the short end”. 

EVACUATION SEATS: What the heck is the lower loop for on the back of the Cascade Evacuation Seat, and what is the best way to position the seat for the customer? There are many ways to “skin the cat” on this subject. First, the lower ring is for a tag line. Mostly to keep the seat from swinging around too much on its way to the customer. Once it reaches the customer, it is designed to help “tip” the seat away from them, allowing them to grab the top of the seat post and keep the bottom from banging into their knees, etc. If you are trying to move the seat around obstacles or are working on a very windy day, you can use the lower loop as a tag line as described and then we recommend that tag line be attached to the rope at least 4 feet above the seat. Generally speaking, good rope rescue practice would dictate that a prussic cord be attached to the rope a few feet above the evacuee. A tag or guideline would then be attached to the prussic making the point of pull from the rope above the customer and keeping the seat “plumb” or slightly tilted outward at the base and in front of the evacuee. A butterfly knot may also be used in place of the prussic.

We hope this helps everyone. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to call or email to Dana Jordan, 208-263-2484 or djordan@cascade-rescue.com