Outdoor rescue
Toolbox
By LINDA FREEMAN Correspondent - Published: November 15, 2009
There is a marriage between outdoor recreational safety and Vermont's tourist industry. A good experience will encourage repeat visits, while a bad experience will sour the memories. Likewise, those who live in the Green Mountain State and enjoy the abundant seasonal activities that lure us outdoors must not become complacent, but must always consider personal safety.
Neil Van Dyke, owner and general manager of Golden Eagle resort in Stowe, is also Stowe Mountain Rescue Team leader and founding member. As one who is active in the New England hospitality community as well as the promotion of recreational safety, Van Dyke is dedicated to this marriage.
Considering Vermont's popular recreational activities of hiking, skiing, boarding, snowshoeing, ice climbing or simply touring the state for its gorgeous views, it is no surprise that accidents happen, leaving residents and guests in need of assistance.
"The majority of our responses are for hikers," Van Dyke said. "Typically it's a case of slip and fall, resulting in their inability to bear weight and need assistance or to be carried out of the woods."
This past summer was a wet one and hikers are not always mindful of resulting slippery conditions.
"Very often, people's equipment is inadequate. Just their footwear can be a problem," Van Dyke said. "You'll see someone on unstable rock and they are wearing flip flops. They will think they'll get a little better view and go higher. It's easier to go up than down. They'll need to call for help."
Accidents of this nature happen often in high-traffic tourist destinations, Van Dyke said.
In the summer, there are calls for rescue from well-known swimming holes and gorge areas. Again, slip and fall is the culprit but here the rescues are technical and challenging.
Astonishingly, even places like Huntington Gorge in Richmond, which has claimed far too many innocent lives, continue to attract visitors and swimmers.
Winter rescues often involve skiers, boarders and over-faced hikers and ice climbers. The rising popularity of backwoods recreation increases the need for awareness, preparation and skills.
"Ninety-nine out of one hundred people are getting in trouble because their mindset isn't towards back-country. They are accustomed to lift-served skiing and riding," Van Dyke said.
"The first thing to remember," he said, "is that the responsibility for your safety is entirely your own."
Never ski or ride alone. Always be sure someone knows where you are going and when you should return. Be familiar with the area and, if possible, be sure one of your group has been there before.
Bring extra gear. Your pack should include water, snacks, extra clothes and gloves, a whistle, lighter, flashlight, space blanket, knife, compass, map, large garbage bag and first-aid supplies.
"Trips in the back country always take longer than you think," Van Dyke said." If you go, go early in the day.
From the rescuer's perspective, the rise in cell phone use cuts both ways. Adequate rescue assistance or directions may be given by cell phone, eliminating the need for a rescue team to be deployed. On the other hand, reliance on cell phone reception in Vermont is often false. Self-sufficiency is always the key.
Rescue teams are highly trained and stand ready to perform. However, there is a cost to be paid. Van Dyke stands firmly on one side of the controversy.
"People should not be charged for their rescue," he said. "We should never want someone to not call, hesitate or delay for fear of not being able to pay. The longer they wait, the more difficult the outcome."
Others believe that people should be charged because they've done something foolish. A determination of negligence is often subjective which fans the flames of controversy. It is clearly stated, however, that if someone has purchased a lift ticket and then skies out of bounds and needs rescue, the ski area may mandate recovery of the cost of the rescue.
Van Dyke's most memorable rescue was his own. In 1993, a father and son were "cliffed-out" in a gully at Smuggler's Notch in northern Vermont. Father and son were on a ledge. Van Dyke was located 50 feet below, ready to belay his partner, when a boulder separated from rock, causing Van Dyke to tumble 60 feet.
He suffered a punctured lung, broken ribs and a broken wrist. The focus of the rescue switched from the uninjured pair to the severely injured rescuer.
All were ultimately rescued, but the accident underscored a basic principle of subsequent rescue efforts.
"The whole team, as a result, is more safety-conscious," Van Dyke said. "The highest priority is for our own safety and to come back safely at the end of the day."
Lessons should be learned with each rescue, yet the same message seems to repeat itself. "Be prepared," Van Dyke said. "So much is having the mindset that you're going into the woods. Prepare to be self-sufficient."
Skills, experience and knowledge give any outing a safety advantage. "When I go into the woods, I'm prepared to walk out," he said.
A free, informational DVD, entitled Backcountry Skiing and Riding Safety, produced by Stowe Mountain Rescue, is available by contacting Van Dyke at neil@stowemountainrescue.org.
(Linda Freeman is a certified personal trainer and director of personal training and group exercise at First in Fitness, located in Berlin and Montpelier.)
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