
Mountain Travel & Rescue

Mountain Travel & Rescue Advisor
Robert Walters
2618 Kerrisdale Ridge Dr.
Medford, OR 97504-5719
Res: 541-779-4021
mcwalts@charter.net
Mountain Travel & Rescue Instructors
Kathy Alexander | Santiam Pass | katalexander911@mail.com |
Johnathon Miner | Willamette Backcountry | minerjc@lanecc.edu | Rob Owens | Mount Ashland | slayerhippy@yahoo.com | Joseph Calbreath | Willamette Backcountry | josephcalbreath@gmail.com |
MTR 1 Class will be put on this year by Willamette Pass Ski Patrol course # PO35200001
Timeline: February 1, 2020: Students should have purchased books and received first homework assignment. February 17, 2020: Students should complete ICS 700 prior to start of class Dates are: In town sessions: Tuesday, February 18, 2020 Tuesday, March 3, 2020 Wednesday, March 18, 2020 (location yet to be determined, but will be in Eugene) Field sessions: Sunday, March 15, 2020 Saturday/ Sunday, April 4/5, 2020 First field session will be either at Gold Lake Snow Park, or at Willamette Pass Overnight field session will be at Willamette PassAttendees taking Mountain Travel and Rescue (MTR) courses will learn a variety of skills, including nutrition and how the body performs in a wilderness environment, weather patterns, survival skills, working with group dynamics, an introduction to search and rescue, rope rescue skills, improvised toboggan construction, and land navigation with map, compass, and GPS. The MTR courses are taught in classroom and field sessions, including mock scenarios to ensure the attendees can apply what they have learned to real life situations.
resources available:
Mountain Travel and Rescue Fundamentals (MTR F)
This course provides students with basic knowledge and skills to travel and work in reasonable comfort and safety in an outdoor environment. Field practice includes basic navigation, travel, and survival, and an introduction to search and rescue. This course does not include an overnight campout.
Mountain, Travel, and Rescue 1 (MTR 1)
This course provides students with the knowledge and skills to travel and work in reasonable safety and comfort in the outdoor environment and to assist a search and/or rescue team, including possible overnight operations. Field practice includes practice in navigation, travel, survival skills, basic search and rescue exercises, and an overnight campout.
Mountain, Travel, and Rescue 2 (MTR 2)
Mountain Travel and Rescue Level 2 is designed as a follow-up course to MTR F and/or MTR 1. This course provides more in-depth training and field work in land navigation, search and rescue, rope rescue, improvised toboggan construction, survival skills, and emergency shelter construction that students can utilize during the length of the course.
Mountain Travel and Rescue Enhancement Seminar
The MTR Enhancement Seminar is designed to provide patrollers with the ability to acquire additional and more in-depth training in specific topics within the MTR program. The extended training of specific skills taught in Mountain Travel & Rescue courses allows the patrollers and instructors to focus on one to two topics based on their area needs.
This course provides patrollers and their areas of operation a source to customize their training based on their needs. If an area of operation is prone to having more guests lost on trails, such as backcountry skiers or snowshoers, the patrollers may require additional training in Search & Rescue techniques or the area may have more ravines or gullies and require patrollers to be more skilled at rope rescue and need deeper training in Low Angle Rescue.
The premise of the course is to allow one to two topics to be taught. If only a single topic is needed, then the course will last eight hours covering field and/possibly class work. If two topics are desired then the course will be divided over the two topics covering field and/possible class work. The extended training will allow a more in-depth study of the topic(s), allow more hands on practice, additional practice scenarios, and more real-life experiential knowledge transfer and discussion from instructor to student.
- Potential Course Topics:
- Search & Rescue
- Low Angle Rescue
- Land Navigation
- Survival Skills
- Extended Backcountry Care