Rescue Radio by Portland Mountain Rescue (Portland Mountain Rescue )

Created by Mari Feher, Hosted by Ania Wiktorowicz

Dale Remsberg is an IFMGA and AMGA mountain guide based in Lafayette, CO. He currently serves as a technical director of the American Mountain Guides Association, which includes instructing and examining young guides. Dale prides himself in high-end skills in all the disciplines and can still be found out cruising on difficult terrains of the Canadian Rockies or Switzerland. 
Despite his 30 year experience, accidents still happen. Take a listen to what went wrong and how he ended up with two separate helicopter rescues under his belt. 

You can follow Dale on Instagram at Daleremsberg or at daleremsberg.com

Send your trivia responses to rescueradiobypmr@gmail.com for a chance to win PMR swag.

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Hosted by Ania Wiktorowicz, Created by Mari Feher

Did you know that after an avalanche  you, as a back country recreationist are the strongest link in the chain of survival? Heiko Stopsack is a paramedic with the King County Medic 1 and King County Sheriff's Department's Air Support, also a member of Hood River's Crag Rats rescue team.  He is here to give you advice on how you, as an observer can be the most valuable asset and strongest aid in the rescue of your team member or friend. 

Links mentioned in the show: 

Nols.edu
Redcross.org
Heart.org
Nationalcprfundation.com
Cprcare.com

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Cheri Higman is the first female chair person of Seattle Mountain Rescue,  unravelling  her first mission that turned into three separate call outs within 24 hours. 

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Hosted by Ania Wiktorowicz, Created by Mari Feher

In today's episode Ania is talking to Gabe Kitter. He was featured on Garmin.com when his inReach Mini and his trusty friend Steven Jensen saved his life after his 800+ pound snowmobile rolled over him a few times in Cantwell, Alaska. 
Alaska can be desolate just like many outdoor locations all through the Pacific Northwest. Are you prepared to act if an accident happens when you are cut off from civilization? 
Are you planning a backcountry trip to Alaska? Make sure you are covering all bases and follow along to see  what you can do to be ready when the unforeseen happens to you.

Links mentioned in the episode: 
Garmin.com
Lifemedalaska.com

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Hosted by Ania Wiktorowicz, Created by Mari Feher

In June of 2022 Sam Kang was leading a 5.6 trad route on Unicorn Peak in the Tatoosh Range in Washington, when a microwave-size rock came loose, sending them to a 25 foot fall, landing face up on the ground.  Freak accidents like this can happen to anyone and on routes that you have done a thousand times before.  Petra Lebaron-Botts who is a trainee with Portland Mountain Rescue and Roberta Zouain an instructor with the Mazamas were the climbing partners that provided excellent immediate care and aided in the helicopter rescue. 

Climbers of Color is well known if you are a climber in the Pacific Northwest. Not only Sam Kang is the founder of Corvallis Climbers of Color in Corvallis, Oregon  and a pillar of the community  but also a solid and experienced climber. 
 
If you wish to contribute to their recovery, follow the links below. 


Sam's Gofundme page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-sam-kang
Corvallis Climbers of Color: https://valleyrockgym.com/corvallisclimbersofcolor

Links where you can find courses in first aid and medical training: 

nols.edu
mazamas.org
ncascades.org
redcross.org
wildmed.org
cascadewildernessmed.com
wildsafe.org

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K9 Rook is a human remains detection K9, a  Belgian Malinois that works for the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office along with his handler, Terri Hines. 
What does Rook do exactly? What is the certification process for your dog to become a SAR dog? How many different kinds of search dogs are out there and how are they trained? If you ever pondered any of these questions or simply love and appreciate working dogs, come and listen to Terri, who will walk you through the process of a K9 training. You may even find out how you can help a search dog train. 

Rook has his own Instagram:
sar_k9_rook

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Hosted by Ania Wiktorowitz, Created by Mari Feher

We all have a connection to nature and the mountains. It is unavoidable to experience some stress, trauma or even loss and grief while you are on your favourite pitch or route. How do you cope when you are under stressors? Do you have the necessary tools to overcome this experience  or the need to reach out to your community for help? If you ever felt you are alone feeling anxious on a climb and you must be the only one that experiences fear while your partners do not have a shread of doubt, think again. This episode will be very helpful to understand the natural element of fear and how to accept it.
Your guide, Tiffany McClean is a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, DNP, PMHNP, LPC  and a therapist at Climbing Grief Fund, a fantastic support organized by the American Alpine Club.

Climbing Grief Fund — The American Alpine Club

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Created by Mari Feher, Hosted by Ania Wiktorovicz

In July of 2022 Jaden Stewart of  Gallatin County Sheriff SAR in Montana, Karel Kaiser and their partner set out to summit Mt Rainier in the state of Washington via the Ptarmigan Ridge route. As they started out from their high camp in 30+ miles /hour wind, they noticed a lone headlamp from the party ahead of them giving off SOS signals. At this point, the team knew there would be no summit bid in their day as the terrain became increasingly dire with truck size boulders coming loose as they happened  upon  a climber with a crushed leg. The saga of their 24 plus hour rescue complete with a Chinook and aided by their Inreach and medical training is fascinating to say the least.   

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Hosted by Ania Wiktorowicz, Created by Mari Feher

Eric Gagnon has been in Search and Rescue for 25 years.  He has been in helicopter rescues for 10 years with King County Sheriff's office in the state of Washington after a start at the Coast Guard. Not only is he a rescue specialist, a hoist operator but currently he is training incoming new members on how to conduct rescues. Having numerous back country helicopter rescues under his belt, he is here to tell us what it takes to be a helicopter rescuer, what the process looks like and  what you, as a backcountry enthusiast can do to be most helpful should you find yourself an active participant in an aerial rescue. 

Helpful links:
kingcounty.gov
nols.edu
wildmed.com
avtraining.org
americanavalancheinstitute.com
avalanche.org

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Hosted by Ania Wiktorowicz, Created by Mari Feher

Andrew Holman is a Portland, Or transplant living and climbing around Anchorage, Alaska. In the process of climbing all the peaks of the Chugach  Mountain range near Anchorage, one night he found himself tumbling 500 ft on the South side of Avalanche Mountain  (5,050 feet) . What do you do with one microspike on a side of a 45 degree icey slope? As a BCEP grad from the Mazamas (an established climbing and mountaineering club in Porland, OR), luckily Andrew knew just what to do and ended up in a helicopter rescue with some friendly humanoid aliens. 

helpful links: 

mazamas.org
garmin.com
https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/topics/camping-and-hiking/best-personal-locator-beacon
https://www.alaska.org/destination/chugach-state-park

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Chris Erickson was a veteran mountain ranger in Denali when he was faced with a crevasse rescue that was deemed impossible: extricate a fallen climber from a 60 foot depth of a crevasse what was only 12 inches wide on the bottom.  His story is a true example or heroism and perseverance that you may only find in rare rescue stories told by seasoned experts. 
This episode will make you believe in magical outcomes which in fact is the result of human persistence and the belief that every life counts no matter what you need to do to save it.  What can you do to prepare for glacier terrain and to avoid falling into a crevasse?  Should you rope up? Is it better to ski? 
When odds of your survival are against you, all you can do it trust your mountain rescue team and hope they are like Chis Erickson and his team who's tenacious fight to save a life will blow your mind.

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Eldorado Peak, with its knife edge summit, is one of the most iconic peaks in the Pacific Northwest. 

Our very own PMR member, Marc "Milo" Milobinski is joining Amy Graham and Ania Wiktorowicz to talk about his climb of Eldorado  Peak, the accident, rescue and emergency signaling. Sometimes accidents happen in the least expected places that are still far away from cell service. How do you call for help? What options do you have? Is it worth paying for extra gear? 
 

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Mt. Ellinor in the Olympic National Forest is a very popular peak. This strenuous hike offers spectacular views of he Olympics as the reward.
In this episode Ania is joined by her fellow rescuers Amy and Milo to talk about the accident that took place on Mt. Ellinor in May of 2021. 
What went wrong? What went well? Could this be you?  

 

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"I'm going to die," she thought. "There's nothing I can do." These were the thoughts going through Leah Brown's head as she was sliding down the icy slope of Mount Hood. 
We invited Leah and one of the rescuers, Erik Broms to talk about the November 25th 2023 accident and challenging rescue on Mount Hood, Oregon

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Created by: Mari Feher,  Hosted by: Ania Wiktorowicz

Memorial Day weekend in 2020 was a very busy weekend for Portland Mountain Rescue. PMR was already on a standby knowing that people tired of the pandemic lockdown would head to the hills.  On Friday, May 22nd a rescue call came in about a  lost snowboarder that got stranded in whiteout conditions on Mt Hood.  The rescue took over 17 hours, 2 different rescue companies and 15 rescuers from PMR. 
Here is the account of what happened both from the rescuee and the rescuer's point of view. 
Have a listen. 

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Created by: Mari Feher,  Hosted by: Ania Wiktorowicz

What is Psychological First Aid?  Whether you are affected by the pandemic, you've suffered an accident in the outdoors and it limits you from doing the things you love, many of us are having extra stress in our lives nowadays. When the level of stress exceeds what that person can cope with is when one develops a stress injury. 
Learn how to notice the symptoms, how to diffuse it and how to recover from it so you can get back to the life you love, return to climbing and get back on that mountain trail. 
Pearce Beissinger is Portland Mountain Rescues  leader of PFA as well as our Assistant Medical Director. He is here to help you get back to that summit. 

Follow these links for additional information: 

https://www.responderalliance.com/
https://mazamas.org/
https://americanalpineclub.org/

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Created by: Mari Feher,  Hosted by: Ania Wiktorowicz

On May 30th, 2002 9 members of a climbing party fell into a crevasse on the South side of Mt Hood.  The well televised rescue is bought to you by one of our 25 year veteran rescuer Steve Rollins, who was on scene when a rescue helicopter crashed into the side of the mountain.  The rescue made it into the national news due to its complexity and severity. 
Take a listen to the harrowing account of the events unfolded.

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Created by: Mari Feher,  Hosted by: Ania Wiktorowicz

Can you survive falling into a fumarole?  There are very few people that can claim such fame. May 24th, 2014 was the last climb on Mt Hood for Mike Adams. Take a listen to his story as there are not many that live to tell the tale.  As always, PMR walks you through what to do to avoid getting yourself into the belly of the mountain and what are your best chances to survive. 

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Created by: Mari Feher,  Hosted by: Ania Wiktorowicz

NWAC's own Peter Moore avalanche specialist gives you an insight into avalanches on Mt Hood.  Avalanche science, weather and preparedness is the center points of this interview. If you are a beginner in the  backcountry and need advice on how and where to look for information and avalanche safety equipment, Peter  will walk you though the use of the NWAC website as well as giving you several pointers in acquiring current data. 

NWAC.US
Avalanche.org
caltopo.com
avalancheassociation.ca
wcc.nrcs.gov

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Created by: Mari Feher,  Hosted by: Ania Wiktorowicz

PMR is recruiting! Every 2 years Portland Mountain Rescue holds try outs for new members and the time has come for you to apply if you were ever interested in belonging to one of the most advanced rescue unit on the West Coast. Come and listen to the ins and outs of the application and try out process.  As a member, you'll have access to a wealth knowledge and skills along with finding life long partners and friends. Our community is one of the most inviting, inclusive and supportive group of well respected experts. We invite women and people of diverse backgrounds and cultures to apply specifically.  The  strength of a unit comes from a diversity of its members' various talents and inputs. 
If you think you may not  have the skills to qualify, come and listen and allow  Dave Sherman and Ben Swerdlow talk you into filling out that application. 

Come and join us saving lives!

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Created by: Mari Feher,  Hosted by: Ania Wiktorowicz

Have you ever wondered how long  it is and what it takes to complete a full rescue? Ania is picking the brains of Clackamas County Sheriff's  SAR Deputy Scott Meyers and PMR's rescue leader Chris Baker. See the entire time line, the technical support system of a rescue as well as hear some interesting stories. 

https://www.clackamas.us/sheriff
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Created by: Mari Feher,  Hosted by: Ania Wiktorowicz

Tom Gall, one of Portland Mountain Rescue's Rescue Leader takes you down to the Grand Canyon where a canyoneering trip when horribly wrong.  Tom's years of experience as a 20 year PMR veteran, a fire lieutenant and as a paramedic came in handy to control the situation and organize an aerial evacuation.  As a bonus, he will also share a  story of a cross country skiing outing turning into a midnight rescue in the frozen Mt Hood forest, where being prepared for anything literally saved a friend's life.  Do you want to know what was in his pack? Come and listen to the stories. 

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Created by: Mari Feher,  Hosted by: Ania Wiktorowicz

Have you ever experienced a whiteout?  Imagine 2 feet visibility where you can not even see the steps you've just made, blowing ice, temperatures dropping drastically. Now add, that you are in this whiteout as the last team up, close to the summit of Mt Hood with extreme angles below you, with the  danger of your next wondering step possibly taking you into a crevasse or down into a fumarole. How do you save yourself? Luckily for our next rescuees, Portland Mountain Rescue's team members are always ready to face a challenge even if it sometimes comes to a non-in person rescue. 

www.pmru.org

Created by: Mari Feher,  Hosted by: Ania Wiktorowicz

Are ice caves the same as glacier caves? Should you be taking your selfie with them or explore them on your own? Did you know that the PNW has one of the few remaining ice caves inside glaciers  on our back yard volcanos in the entire country? 

Eddy Cartaya, the Indiana Jones of Glacier Caving , TED Talk speaker and  will give you the scoop of the intimate details of these majestic formations. 
Cartaya and his climbing partner, Brent McGregor  explored the frozen caves created in the Sandy Glacier and in 2011, they  identified and explored three caves which they named Snow Dragon, Pure Imagination and Frozen Minotaur. 
As one of the couple of  dozens of glacier cave rescuers in the world, not only does Eddy work with NASA and  is a co-founder of Glacier Cave Explorers he is one of the most esteemed members of Portland Mountain Rescue  with countless rescues under his belt. 
Come and listen to Eddy's fascinating, geek-out worthy stories about a part of the world only a few lucky people get to venture to: the belly of the beast. 

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Created by: Mari Feher, Hosted by:  Ania Wiktorowicz

A fire erupted on  Sept. 8, 2012, and burned about 26,000 acres, or about 40 square miles at the Pole Creek trailhead.  The fire that was caused by lightning cost about $18 million to fight. The surging blaze destroyed four cars at the trailhead in the Three Sisters Wilderness, endangering 30 hikers and campers who had to be rescued out of the forest. 

One of those climbers was our very own Ania, who just completed a climb to the top on North Sister, a rugged, dangerous mountain on its own. Come, listen to the harrowing story of how Ania and her team run out the fire while trees burst into flames along the way. How did they make it out? By being prepared and by using their rational navigational system.  

Fire preparedness resources mentioned: 

insiweb.nwcg.gov
fire.or.gov
oregon.gov - Oregon department of environmental
nwcc.gov -North West Interagency Coordination Center

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Created by Mari Feher,  Hosted by Ania Wiktorowicz

On May 31, 2019 four climbers -- Yevgeniy Krasnitskiy, Ruslan Khasbulatov, Vasily Aushev and Kostya "Constantine" Toporov -- started climbing the hardest, most technical route on Mount Rainier in Washington . High winds that tore up their tent and blew away their gear forced them to stop on the Liberty Ridge route. After spending 5 days on the mountain, the group was rescued on June 6th, suffering from hypothermia and severe frost bite. 
This rescue is personal for so many in  our Pacific North West community. Anyone lucky enough to know Yev knows the deep humility, above human strength and kindness he possesses. 
Come listen to what went wrong, how  good decision making lead to perseverance as well as what pitfalls to avoid while making your plans on your next climb. 

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Hosted by: Ania Wiktorowicz Created by: Mari Feher

In 2020 Jake Palazzi had one of those classic rappel accidents.  Upon topping out on a five pitch route,  Wherever I may roam at Smith Rock in Oregon, he came to a crashing halt after falling a full pitch and rag dolling another 150 ft to the hiker's trail. How did he survive rappelling off the end of his rope? He is here to tell you his miracle  of a story and  to remind you to always check your knots or use an autoblock before you jump back over that ledge and yell" On rappel". 

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Created by Mari Feher, Hosted by Ania Wictorowicz

So you like backcountry skiing and mountaineering? If you are a beginner you may stick to known routes but if you do like getting off the heavily traveled areas and find your way through new pow in the backcountry, are you sure you can find your way out? What can you do to ensure you make it out safe without spending a cold and wet night huddled under the shelter of some branches? Do you rely on a compass, an app on your cell phone or try to rely on your memory to find your way ? What if you dropped your phone or the battery dies?  What is your next move? 

John Godino is the unofficial guru of navigation of the Pacific Northwest. He is a former US Forest Service wilderness ranger and wildland firefighter  with  a Masters degree in geosciences / cartography.  While  contributing to the new edition of Freedom of the Hills, he is  active in the sport of competitive orienteering and have been a  volunteer climb leader, navigation and mountaineering instructor at the Mazamas for the past 20 years. He is here to tell you what you can do to ensure you never find yourself in a pickle. 



Sources mentioned in the show: 
alpinesavvy.com
caltopo.com
gaia.com
croc.org

Apps to locate current gps coordinates:
mygpscoordinates
mygpslocation

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Should Airbags Be Standard Avalanche Safety Equipment? Avalanche Airbags , invented in the 1980s prevent mortality  better than avalanche transceivers, but have yet to be widely adopted. Is the price and weight difference worth it to save your life? Absolutely. Come and learn how to use them and where you can get one. PMR's presenter Christopher Van Tilburg, MD talks through the reasons why.

Christopher is an accomplished outdoors person and is widely involved with the outdoor and medical community. He works in Hood River at Occupational and Travel Medicine, the Emergency Department, and the Mountain Clinic at Mount Hood Meadows. He is also Public Health Officer for Hood River County and the Medical Director for Crag Rats Mountain Rescue, Portland Mountain Rescue, Clackamas County SAR, and Pacific Northwest SAR. He is author of Backcountry Ski and Snowboard Routes: Oregon.

SHOW LESS

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