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Two persons can raise 180-200 pounds; four can raise two climbers, the injured and the assistant, if necessary. Additional ropes and slings may be required depending on the location of the victim. One-man rescue.—The brute strength required to pull a man directly from a crevasse is nonexistent, or rare at best. Friction of a rope that has cut deep against the snow is prohibitive. The rescuer must have some means of freeing himself from the rope so that he can work. The
anchor butterfly in his climbing rope provides this. With the victim anchored by the butterfly, the rescuer unties, places whatever smooth object he can find under the rope near the crevasse lip to prevent the rope's digging in any farther, places a short Prusik loop around the belay rope and anchors it to the ice ax to serve as a ratchet, and then hauls with all he has, using his leg muscles and hip belay as much as possible, meanwhile sliding the Prusik knot along the rope to hold all he gains and permit the frequent rests he will need. He may meanwhile take a very dim view of his prospects of success. Prospects would have been much brighter with two ropes between the two men and a conscious victim. |
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