Monthly Archives: February 2010

SAR Day 2

Field training at the secret Coquitlam SAR Crag on Burke Mountain. Technical travel skills; ascending, descending, convert from ascend to descend, and traversing wet slippery steep terrain. Good thing the weather is cooperating by providing the moisture. The magic number … Continue reading

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SAR Day 1: operational, administrative and training

Today had operational, administrative and training components of SAR. Josh Andrew Koenig, an actor who starred in the TV Series Growing Pains, is missing in Vancouver. He is not only a high profile missing person, he is the son of a … Continue reading

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SAR Day 0

My Facebook friend Lee uses the application Snowbook to track the number of days he goes skiing in a year. This has the effect of making me extremely jealous because he racks up an astounding number of days (60 this season … Continue reading

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How not to get hurt at Whistler

In my few days at Whistler on standby for rescues on the Olympic course I’ve had a few opportunities to see the Whistler patrol members in action. A regular weekend on Whistler sees a number of critical injuries (where critical means life … Continue reading

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On Olympic Aspirations

I understand the hopes and dreams of Olympic athletes is a slightly more visceral way today through the potential of one of them ending their career in a crash. US downhill skier Stacey Cook crashed near the tunnel section on the women’s course. She missed … Continue reading

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The Olympic Imperative

Two days of training at the men’s and women’s downhill skiing course, and one day to go before racers start practising. First, some terms of reference: there are just about 2400 blue-clad volunteers for the men’s and women’s downhill, and … Continue reading

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What I am not allowed to do

I have been given a list of do’s and don’ts about being a volunteer at the Olympics: do not ask for athlete/VIP autographs or pictures while on duty or in uniform do not bring family members to work do not … Continue reading

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My Olympic Sport (Part 2)

(continued from Part 1) So, through hook or by crook, I’ve been trained to dangle from a helicopter as a rescue technique. How, may you ask, did that get me to the Olympics? A few years ago, Vancouver won the … Continue reading

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