Technical Canyoneering Workshops : April 18 & 19

These workshops will be taught by Rich Carlson, the invited speaker for our April meeting.
 
!!!!! NEW LOCATION !!!!!
Meet at Las Conchas trailhead Friday morning at 9am
 
Rich has been canyoneering for well over 35 years, building a reputation as the most experienced professional canyoneering guide and instructor in the United States. Rich is extremely active in the global canyoneering community offering training, online resources, sponsoring events, and designing canyoneering specific gear with companies like BlueWater Ropes and Rock Exotica. In 1999, he became the first American to be certified as a canyoning guide in Europe, and he regularly teaches courses and workshops all over the world. For 2014 he is already booked in: Utah, Arizona, Colorado, California, Mexico, Costa Rica, South America, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Nepal, Iran and elsewhere. Fortunately, we have the opportunity to add New Mexico to that list!
 
Rich will be staying in town for a few days after the LAM meeting. This "event" posting is to gauge interest for one or two canyoneering workshops on Friday and/or Saturday after the meeting. The actual content would depend on the participants, but a rough idea is the following:
 
Friday, April 18th - Rigging
Rope rigging methods for canyoneering. Things like: releasable blocks, converting blocks to lowering systems, converting blocks to hauling systems, mechanical advantage systems, tensioning systems, belay systems. Basically, anything having to do with ways of attaching rope to hardware
 
Saturday, April 19th - Rescue
Self rescue, tandem rappels, pick-offs, pick-offs on tensioned rope, rescue rigging, anchor considerations in canyon rescue, ascending and transitions on fixed ropes.
 
If you are interested, please send an email to me indicating which days you would like to attend. In a couple of weeks I will pass the responses I have on to Rich. If there is enough interest, he will hold one or both of the workshops.
 
These workshops usually take most of the day, say 9am-4pm, and will most likely take place at a crag in White Rock. This is intermediate level content, so you should already have solid rappelling experience and be comfortable and safe on the rock.
 
Thanks!
-Dan