BAMRU Blog: Houdini Training at Castle Crags

Sometimes, whilst climbing, you may find yourself in a bit of a pickle. A situation that maybe you wish you weren't in and that may take some clever moves and exactly the right gear to get yourself out of it. Or perhaps you intended to end up where you are, but need some Macgyver type maneuvers to continue on in challenging terrain.

In the spirit of being prepared for a wide variety of circumstances, BAMRU members carry with them what we refer to as our Houdini kits. A combination of gear that can come in very handy if you find yourself unable to climb difficult section of rock, needing to tie off your belay, or pull someone out of a crevasse. Some of recommended items for a houdini kit are:

80 to 100 ft of 7-9mm perlon
simple climbing harness
few biners
few pieces of protection
rappel/belay device
rescue pulley
3 prussiks
few slings

As with any gear, it is only helpful, if you know how to use it. If you climb regularly outside, we highly recommend taking a self rescue course by a certified guide. BAMRU team members recently had the opportunity to practice using their skills and their gear for a weekend at Castle Crags State Park. Some photos from the training and a write up are below.

On March 14, six BAMRU members headed north to the Castle Crags Wilderness, A rugged area of phenomenal granite spires set in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. The goal: practice the use of our "Houdini Kit" -- a mountain rescuer's personal collection of rope, webbing, cord and other climbing gear likely to prove useful when navigating steep and unpredictable alpine terrain.

photo credit: Brian Biancardi

The hike in was made additionally strenuous due to the near total absence of water in the area in which we would be training -- we carried it in ourselves. One particularly masochistic member brought eight gallons of water in addition to a full climbing rack, 2 ropes and all his personal gear in one massive hall bag, primarily for the purposes of training for an upcoming adventure.

The team spent two full days practicing rapelling, ascending a rope, passing knots, building anchors, hauling gear using simple mechanical advantage systems, and navigating fourth and fifth class terrain. Day one culminated with a scramble/climb to the top of Castle Dome, with an amazing view of Mount Shasta in the background.

In the backcountry, it's pretty easy to find that you've gone from, say, an easy rock scramble to a much more challenging and potentially much riskier scenario. So, beyond the purely technical skills, the team also practiced personal and collective risk assessment, and discussed how social dynamics affect individual and group decision-making.