A. This website is good for knots: http://www.abc-of-rockclimbing.com/howto/learn_climbing_knots.asp The main knots to remember are Figure of 8 on the bite, Clove hitch, Italian hitch & prussic knot.
B. I will shortly forward all the crevasse rescue techniques when typed up.
C. A short story:
The Story:
1. Q: Anyone seen Canadian geese fly overhead? How do they fly?
A: In a Vee formation.
2. Q: Why do they fly like that?
A: Aerodynamically, the lead goose breaks the wind so that it is easier for the geese behind him/her. By the time you get 3 - 4 geese back, they are having todo about 50% less work to keep up. This formation adds 71% more flying range than if each bird flew alone. Whenever a bird moves out of formation it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to fly alone and it quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front.
3. Q: So, what happens over time?
A: The lead goose gets tired and peels off. They share the leadership.
4. Q: What do they sound like as they fly overhead?
A: Honk, Honk, Honk! Constant communication. Watch the next time they fly by. Just before they change formation they get very noisy. Animal behaviourists tell us they are figuring out who needs to go where, when will the switch etc. Those who honk from behind encourage those in the front tp keep up their speed and strength.
5. Q: What happens if one gets sick or injured and has to drop to the ground?
A: Two geese go with it. They will stay with the goose until it either heals and is ready to fly (in which case there are three geese to make the formation) or it dies or they determine it will not heal in time for the season. If they leave it alive, they will stop back the next season to see if it survived.
Lessons from the Geese:
Geese demonstrate one of the best models of teamwork that exists.
1. They share the leadership.
2. They encourage one another.
3. They communicate constantly.
4. They share a common direction or goal.
5. They have a shared community.
6. They travel on the strength of one another.
7. They accept help when they need it.
8. They look for ways to utilise others to make life easier and to support others in the same way.
9. They stand by one another, helping one another in difficult times, supporting one another to regain their place in the community.
10. They have a plan, a leader and each goose knows its place in their formation before they take flight.
D. Thanks for the experience last week and I look forward to working with you all again at some point.
Kind regards
Matt Price
Performance Pace
Tel. 07706131527
On 4 Apr 2011, at 20:49, Manley Hopkinson wrote:
> Crucial
> Invigorating
> Illuminating
> Inspiring
>
> I complained that I was running out of superlatives on the ice and now, 2 days later, I am still struggling. It was all of the above.
>
> Last week I took my team to Chamonix under the guidance of the amazing Peter Golding with Matt Price for a spot of "ice skills training" and "team development".
>
> What I wanted was an opportunity for the Ice Team to come together and start to feel like a team. I wanted them to deeply understand what it is that we have committed ourselves to. I wanted their ice survival skills to be learnt and tested. I wanted them as individuals to feel some real pressure and I wanted them as a team to achieve. All of this happened in a few short days in Chamonix, France, and above all, we did not just enjoy the experience, we loved it! It was fun, real fun; the banter was fast and furious, yet inclusive and forgiving - testing and challenging yet enabling us to grow!
>
> After a frustrating day trying to find boots big enough for Matt P we were kitted out and ready to go. A team dinner at the local bar - The Office - in Argentiere enabled us all to drop the barriers and start to understand each other. Working with Matt Price we studied and learnt about "Relationship Awareness Theory" based on Jung - all part of our mental journey of self and team awareness and management. We understood more about what motivation drives our behaviour and how we react in conflict - conflict is not just an argument, we can find ourselves in conflict internally when we are far removed from our comfort zone - a place that will become foreign to us as this expedition develops.
>
> I wont describe each and every moment of the 4 days on the glaciers, I will let the team share that in their own words, but I will try to put some words down that express some of the emotion of the time on the ice.
>
> You realise the limitations of language and the human ability to express ourselves when confronted by the raw power of nature. We were witnessing geography on the move - a planet in the making. All around us was the constant thunder of rock and ice falls as we climbing on to the base of the Mer de Glace glacier. Discreet signs stating the previous level of the ice shocked us all as we had to climb down newly erected ladders some 20 meters from the 1990 height of the glacier - the ice is retreating, it is real! It is humbling and frightening!
>
> In the cold cloud covered crystal river we focused on picking the best route between the massive suspended boulders and the yawning crevasses. Working as a team with rope discipline first on our mind we found a beautiful crevasse ridge for practice. As one team prepared themselves, the other, with Mike Dann in front just marched toward the edge at speed with Mike disappearing over the frozen lip. The previous days "slow time" training came to the fore with the rest of the team taking his weight and deploying the newly practiced "crevasse recovery techniques" to great effect.
>
> Some fun was had as others "volunteered" to throw themselves into the abyss, quickly followed by a flurry of snowballs! Good fun and good learning.
>
> We pressed on to our first night's camp at the junction of two massive glaciers; we found a safe patch amidst the tortured and broken ice floes......
>
> I'll tell you the rest later!!
>
> Hurrah
> Manley
>
>
>
>
>
> two moths
>
> good shots
>
> that first cold beer
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