The OSM (Over Snow Mobility) from DPS is a new military ski designed for use in conditions where you won’t traverse terrain over a 14 degree grade. It incorporates Fish Scales on the bottom which are as efficient as skins on those smaller hills. Think of it as a more efficient snow shoe.
They also have a binding which accepts Mickey Mouse as well as Mountaineering Boots. The OSM is Made in USA and features a MultiCam Alpine top sheet.
Petzl’s Lim’ice is a budget minded Ice Screw Sharpener and takes the guess work out of sharpening. You just screw the business end of the Ice Screw into the Lim’ice and slide it back and forth. Perfect for the individual or small unit.
The Revolver Rig is an evolution of our innovative Revolver carabiner and adds industrial strength and performance to give an incredibly versatile connector that can be used in any running rope system to increase efficiency.
The Revolver Rig comes into its own when flexibility and efficiency are paramount, and will excel in improvised rescues, compact mechanical advantage systems and reducing friction in rigging featuring running ropes. The system is both lightweight and compact.
The system is perfect for lowering and raising scenarios. Moving equipment such as weapon systems and ammunition in mountainous or urban environments becomes far easier with our system.
It is available with both single and double sheaves that run on high efficiency bearings; this allows Revolver Rigs to be joined together to create simple, light and efficient pulley hauling systems with a 4 or 5:1 ratio.
The back uses our horned design to stop connected items rotating around the carabiner to create dangerous cross loads.
• Available in Screwgate, Kwiklock and Locksafe variants.
• Single body design with integrated pulley and attachment becket
• Full cross-section top bar for excellent wear resistance
• Spine design minimises the chances of connected devices moving into cross-loading orientations
• Clean, taperlock nose increases gate strength in side-loading scenarios
• Tapered shape that ensures ropes seat correctly and consistently on the sheave
For UK sales and more information please contact Brigantes via brigantes@brigantes.com.
High Angle Solutions is a weekly series of articles focusing on military mountaineering solutions. It’s brought to you by UK-based Brigantes Consulting, in conjunction with several other brands, both here in the US and abroad. This week, it’s Helix Tactical.
Extremely light and comfortable thanks to the exclusive Sock-Fit Plus construction system and extremely performing in all terrains thanks to the innovative and exclusive curved last shape which allows a fast “stile alpino” walking. Ribelle Tech OD represents the “step forward” for new mountaineering and alpinist’s mentality. Outstanding comfort for daily use, Ribelle is the right choice for alpine guides, mountain professionals and expert alpinists who look for lightness, agility, control and great grip. The Pentax Precision III sole has a light PU midsole and Vibram Mont compound on the outsole. The TPU crampon insert on the heel makes it compatible with the use of semi-automatic (C2) crampons while the front part of the sole makes easy for the foot to roll fast off the heel. In SCARPA®, the future is now.
High Angle Solutions is a weekly series of articles focusing on military mountaineering solutions. It’s brought to you by UK-based Brigantes Consulting, in conjunction with several other brands, both here in the US and abroad.
The rechargeable ACTIK CORE headlamp offers 350 lumens of power which makes it ideal for outdoor activities like mountaineering, running, hiking and backpacking. A HYBRID headlamp that comes with CORE, a battery that is rechargeable via standard USB port. It is compatible with standard batteries without the need for an adapter. Red lighting preserves night vision and prevents blinding other members of the group. Its reflective headband helps you to be seen when a light is shone on it, and is equipped with an emergency whistle for rescue situations.
High Angle Solutions is a weekly series of articles focusing on military mountaineering solutions. It’s brought to you by UK-based Brigantes Consulting, in conjunction with several other brands, both here in the US and abroad. For example, this post on the Petzl ACTIK CORE was offered by Lyon Outdoor.
While it’s a bit of a haul for those of us in North America, the Annual Arc’teryx Alpine Academy in Chamonix offers low-cost training opportunities unavailable anywhere else.
Registration for clinics opens tomorrow, Wednesday, March 21st 2018, 15h00 CET (7:00am PST)
New clinics include:
Aid climbing
Climb & overnight bivy course
Mountain landscapes photography
A FEW REMINDERS:
•Please review skill set requirements ahead of registration
•Plan your clinics accordingly. Sign up for level 1 or 2 clinics before level 3
•If you are registering a guest or friend, please have their information ahead of registration. You will need date of birth, address, phone, and email
•The following payment methods are accepted: MasterCard & Visa
Check it out On Facebook.
chamonix.arcteryxacademy.com/clinics
UK company Lifesystems has introduced a new Heatshield Blanket to their Outdoor Survival range and with a weight of less than 100g, there’s no excuse not to carry one in your backpack when exploring the great outdoors.
Made from a heat-reflective, metalised low density polyethylene, the advanced Headshield Blankets are capable of retaining 90% of your radiated body heat. The blanket’s wind and waterproof material also helps to reduce wind-chill and can therefore play a crucial role in keeping you warm if you become injured or lost on the hill. The durable Heatshield Blankets are tear-resistant, meaning you can easily reuse them time and time again, and each blanket is supplied with a bag to keep it safe inside your rucksack.
The exterior of the Heatshield Blanket is a highly visible, safety orange that makes it easy for help to spot you during an emergency situation. For even greater practicality, the outer surface of the blanket is also radar reflective, making it much easier for emergency services to locate you when you’re far away from the beaten track. Crucial safety information is printed directly onto the outside of the blanket, helping you to take Lifesystems’ extensive survival knowledge out on your adventures with you.
Available in both single and double versions, the Heatshield Blanket is particularly useful for situations where someone has fallen and you can’t risk moving them. By tucking the Heatshield Blanket around the injured individual, you can help them retain crucial body heat, reducing the risk of hypothermia – a real, year-round threat on the British hills. Before you head out onto the trail, make sure that not only have you prepared for the unexpected with your kit, but you are also aware of the early symptoms of hypothermia so you can deal with situations before they arise.
EARLY SYMPTOMS OF HYPOTHERMIA
Shivering
Slurred speech and mumbling
Shallow breathing
A lack of coordination
Drowsiness or confusion
Contact tribe@brigantesconsulting.com for more information (Minimum Order Quantities apply)
High Angle Solutions is a weekly series of articles focusing on military mountaineering solutions. It’s brought to you by UK-based , in conjunction with several other brands, both here in the US and abroad.
FORT MCCOY, Wis. — Twenty-five Soldiers came to Fort McCoy to learn how to survive and operate in a winter environment as students in a cold weather operations class during the first two weeks of January.
Soldiers who are students in the Fort McCoy Cold-Weather Operations Course learn about specialized knot-tying as part of course training Jan. 10, 2018, at Fort McCoy, Wis. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Scott Sturkol)
“This course gave me confidence,” said Staff Sgt. Joseph Chrysler with the 339th Psychological Operations Company of Arden Hills, Minnestoa, after completing Cold-Weather Operations Course Class 18-02. “It gave me confidence in my cold-weather clothing and gear and helped me (rebuild) skills that are not used every day in today’s Army … Also, some of the best parts of this course were learning to build a thermal shelter and (bivouacking) overnight in the elements.”
The course, also known as CWOC, is modeled on the Cold-Weather Leader Course taught by the Army Northern Warfare Training Center at Black Rapids, Alaska, said course instructor Bill Hamilton.
Hamilton said the course is designed to challenge students. “Our program of instruction includes overnight operations in the field,” he said. “We teach them a finite set of individual, leader, and small-unit collective tasks within a structured ‘crawl, walk, and run’ methodology.”
Instructor Hunter Heard with the Fort McCoy Cold-Weather Operations Course teaches Soldiers who are course students about specialized knot-tying as part of course training Jan. 10, 2018, at Fort McCoy, Wis. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Scott Sturkol)
Tasks taught include cold-weather injury identification and treatment, proper ways to wear cold weather clothing, cold weather risk management, snowshoeing and skiing, and adverse effects of cold weather on military equipment, Hamilton said.
Training also includes developing winter fighting positions in the field, camouflage and concealment, building improvised shelters, and numerous other areas that are important to know in order to survive and operate in a cold weather environment.
“We start off with classroom training for a few days and then it’s training in the field every day until we’re done,” Hamilton said. “In the field, the students spend time ruck marching for dozens of miles, skiing, snowshoeing, building tents and shelters, and more.”
Soldiers who are students in the Fort McCoy Cold-Weather Operations Course learn to ski and about skiing techniques Jan. 11, 2018, at Whitetail Ridge Ski Area at Fort McCoy, Wis. (Photo Credit: U.S. Army photo by Scott Sturkol)
After being exposed to the cold weather in the field, many students said understanding the Army Extreme Cold-Weather Clothing System, or ECWCS, was most helpful. The system, which is issued through the Fort McCoy Central Issue Facility, includes a lightweight undershirt and underwear, midweight shirt and underwear, fleece jacket, wind jacket, soft shell jacket and trousers, extreme cold/wet weather jacket and trousers, and extreme cold weather parka and trousers.
“You have to have confidence in your gear … It’s how you stay alive in extreme conditions,” said Staff Sgt. Anthony Steinhoff, who with the Wisconsin National Guard in Richland Center, Wisconsin. “In this course, they teach you how to properly dress for the cold.”
“Practical, hands-on application of using equipment seems to be one of the best ways for students to get familiar with the equipment needed to survive in cold weather,” Hamilton said.
Toward the end of the course, all students participated in cold water immersion training. Joe Ernst, also a CWOC instructor, said cold water immersion is critical to the ability to survive and operate in a cold weather environment.
“The experience of a service member being introduced to water in an extreme cold environment is a crucial task for waterborne operations and confidence building,” Ernst said. “For a person to fall into water in that environment, the onset of panic generally introduces itself quickly. For our service members who will be operating in an extreme cold environment, it is a task that, if not trained for, can produce unnecessary casualties.”
“The best parts of this course was learning to build an improvised shelter and the cold water immersion,” said Sgt. Hunter Carlson with the Wisconsin National Guard’s 1158th Transportation Company at Beloit, Wisconsin. “I didn’t enjoy doing either of them, but I realize how important learning those skills are and being able to use them.”
Army ROTC Cadet Molly Brown with the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse said she appreciated all of the training.
“Everything you need to know to succeed in (cold weather) is taught in this course,” Brown said. “This course significantly prepared me and taught me the skills needed to (operate) and survive in a cold weather environment.”
By Scott Sturkol and originally published at Army.mil.
