BMC Field Test

BMC will be held at Snow Valley Ski Resort in Running Springs. The date is January 21-22 2012. Registration is required. Please contact Dave Alexander at Volunteer Forces 909-387-0678. In order to participate in BMC, an individual must be cleared by Dave Alexander a head of time.

Certification students: the weekend will be run similar to a SAR mission. There will not be scheduled food or toilet breaks. Eat, drink and rest on the fly throughout the day when rare opportunities present themselves. Wear slippery pants and jacket for ice axe arrest. You should show up at the parking area by at least 0630 with full packs in order to begin walking at 0700 on Saturday. You possibly will not have a significant break until you go to bed late that night. There are no toilet facilities where you will be camping. All human waste is to be packed out. Festivities for the second day begin just after sun up on  Sunday and will end in the afternoon. Our meeting location is at the western portion of the Snow Valley main parking lot at GPS NAD27, 0496308, 3786727. There is good cell phone coverage. The 155 radios will be monitored on channel 11, TAC 1. Consider sleeping at that location next to your car on Friday night in order to assist with acclimatization. Participants must officially check out on Sunday in order to receive credit.

Recertification students: in order to participate, registration is mandatory with Dave Alexander at  Volunteer Forces. Please do not simply show up at the site hoping to be tested. Be prepared to begin walking at 0700 on Sunday. Meet at the location noted above. Consider sleeping next to your car on Saturday night to assist with acclimatization. This is a test. Instruction will not be given. Feel free to join the certification students on Saturday if needed. Any avalanche beacon can be used for the test. It is  strongly suggested you test with a device you are intimately familiar with. Wear slippery pants and jacket for ice axe arrest. The test will end late Sunday afternoon. Only registrants who officially check out will be given credit.

For more information please contact Sonny Lawrence at email: slawrence AT sbsar
DOT org or phone 909-255-6036.

BMC is Around the Corner

It’s time to be thinking about our Basic Mountaineering Course (BMC). The lecture portion will be held on November 19 and 20 at the Mountain Team’s rescue shack in San Bernardino. The field portion will be held at Snow Valley on January 21 and 22. All individuals intending to take the course or the recertification must register with Dave at Volunteer Forces. A $50 deposit must be sent with registration. It will be returned if you attend the course. If not, it will be donated to IESARC. Personal vertical skills (PVS) is a requirement for the course. Contact Sonny Lawrence, Cave and Technical Rescue Team at slawrence@sbsar.org or 909-255-6036 for further information.

BMC is Coming!

The Basic Mountaineering Course is just around the corner. The lectures are Nov 20-21, and the field portion is in January. Please see the previous post for information on prerequisites and how to sign up.

Check out the flyer for more information on the class.

BMC Teaching Evaluators Wanted

BMC needs HELP! Yes, ASSISTANCE!! We are in desperate need of professional educators to critically evaluate our new, improved course. No previous SAR experience is needed. We are looking for two or three individuals who are expert in the educational system. They would attend the BMC on November 20-21, 2010 and observe. The goal is to give constructive criticism of the instructors and the course in preparation for the 2011-12 course. Please ask fellow SAR members, family and friends if they are interested. Contact Sonny Lawrence at email address: “slawrence AT sbsar DOT org” or call at 951 DASH 315 DASH 5449.

BMC 2010-2011

This year reveals the continuing evolution of our Basic Mountaineering Course (BMC). We have greatly increased the amount of instruction related to avalanche awareness.  In order to accomplish this, the BMC program had to be expanded over our standard course offered in the past. The November lecture time on Saturday will be extended into the evening. The time spent on various activities in the field has been rearranged and extended in order to cover all of the avalanche material. All SAR members, old and new, are encouraged to attend the entire course. All SAR members are welcome to attend the lectures on November 20/21, 2010 at the sheriff office. Anyone wishing to then take the field portion on January 22/23, 2011 at Snow Valley must also have a Personal Vertical Skills (PVS) certification. REPEAT:  PVS is required to take the field portion of BMC. All San Bernardino County SAR courses require registration (fill out the form) and a $50 deposit (sent to Dan Whitten).  The deposit will be returned if the participant attends.