DiMM Ski CME Expedition Course Information March 2016

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The WMS DiMM Ski CME Expedition provides a unique learning opportunity to focus on the medical issues and science of managing patients in the mountain environment. Spend five nights at backcountry huts and yurts and six day travelling and backcountry skiing in the beautiful Smokey Mountains of central Idaho, just outside Sun Valley. Didactic medical training will be combined with hands-on scenarios, avalanche education, mountain travel skills, winter specific rescue techniques and plenty of powder skiing to provide the ideal well rounded winter medical, rescue and travel educational opportunity. Eight hours of CME will reflect expert opinion, clinical practice guidelines and the most current research updates on topics pertinent to providing mountain medicine in the winter and mountain environments. The travel and rescue curriculum is designed for participants who already have a solid foundation in backcountry winter travel and are capable of

managing personal care in the winter environment and skinning and skiing in varied backcountry conditions. Participants must be competent backcountry travelers capable of skinning and skiing in varied

conditions: traveling up to 5 miles, gaining 3,000 vertical feet of elevation and linking turns on 30-40 degree slopes while carrying a backcountry ski pack. Enrollment will be open to DiMM graduates first, and later to DiMM candidates. Participants can expect to have a good time exploring incredible backcountry settings, refining rescue skills, learning the most current mountain medicine practices and gaining the requisite experience to continue developing as a mountain medicine and rescue professional. Yurts, ski guiding and support will be provided by Sun Valley Trekking.

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March 12 - Saturday: Evening Meeting Sleep at Tamarack Lodge, Ketchum, ID Meet at the Tamarack Lodge at 6PM. Group dinner, introductions, logistics, gear and packing.

March 13 - Sunday: Skin to Tornak Hut Sleep at Tornak Hut

Drive to trailhead, skin 3.5 miles gaining 1800’ elevation to Tornak at 8,400’. Travel skills, leave no trace, thermoregulation, group management, transceivers, hut orientation. CME: high altitude medicine. March 14- Monday: Full-day CME and field skills Sleep at Tornak Hut

Ski touring, companion rescue, problem-based avalanche assessment, terrain management, decision-making. CME: avalanche medicine and hypothermia.

March 15 - Tuesday: Skin to Coyote Yurts Sleep at Coyote Yurts Navigation, snow study pits, 3.5 mile skin to Coyote. CME: frostbite

March 16 - Wednesday: Full-day CME and field skills Sleep at Coyote Yurts

Ski touring, emergency procedures, improvised bivys, litters, patient packaging. CME: management of mountain trauma and backcountry medical kits.

March 17 - Thursday: Full-day CME and field skills Sleep at Coyote Yurts

Ski touring, rescue team procedures, multiple burial situations, backcountry litter ropework. CME: gastrointestinal illness and carbon monoxide poisoning.

March 18 - Friday: Ski out Sleep at Tamarack Lodge, Ketchum, ID Ski touring, ski out to road, dinner in town. Course ends late evening, after dinner.

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The local guiding and yurt company Sun Valley Trekking will be a partner in this course providing logistical support, guiding, food, yurts, etc. Every participant needs to fill out the Guided Hut Trip Registration Form at http://www.svtrek.com/guided-trip-registration.html (trip start date 3/13) at least one month before the course starts. (See the Required Paperwork section for other requirements.) All the information you need to prepare for the course is in this information packet, but there are several useful pages on the SVT website such as How to Prepare for your Hut Skiing Trip

(http://www.svtrek.com/how-to-prep-your-hut-ski-trip.html), Packing For a Hut Skiing Trip (http://www.svtrek.com/packing-for-a-hut-skiiing-trip.html), and Hut Ski Equipment Checklist (http://www.weebly.com/uploads/3/1/6/2/31629999/hut_ski_equipment_checklist.pdf). Use these pages as additional reference as you prepare for the course.

CME

The Wilderness Medical Society (WMS) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The WMS designates this educational activity for a maximum of 8 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. For information regarding CME, see the WMS website:http://wms.org/conferences/dimm-ski/

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This course begins and ends in Ketchum, ID. Participants are responsible for travel to and from Ketchum. The Boise airport has daily shuttles to Sun Valley, rental cars are available at airports in Salt Lake City, Hailey, Twin Falls and Idaho Falls. We will likely need a couple of participants’ cars to shuttle to the trailhead. Check details for shuttles and driving times and allow a bit of time cushion for winter travel in the mountains.

Please plan to arrive at the Tamarack Lodge in Ketchum, ID, by 5:30 PM MST on Saturday, March 12, and plan for the course to end late in the evening on Friday, March 18. Your hotel room for the final night at the Tamarack Lodge is included and we encourage you to stay the night. Rooms are double occupancy; mixed gender occupancy may be required. The Tamarack Lodge will store small luggage bags for us while we are in the field, but they should be small and lockable.

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The DiMM Ski CME Expedition will spend the first night in Ketchum, five nights at backcountry huts and then one more night in Ketchum. While in Ketchum, dinner is provided and breakfasts will be on your own (many options within short walking distance). Once we head into the field on Sunday, all food will be provided by Sun Valley Trekking. Please provide food preferences on the Sun Valley Trekking Guided Hut Trip Registration Form referenced above. SVT will provide food and the guides will take point on food preparation; expect to help with occasional food prep and clean up.

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We recommend going fairly light which will allow you to travel more easily, have a smaller pack for skiing and be more easily organized. Please minimize the extra items beyond the gear list.

gear early. Some items may not be available in your local stores. Allow time to return items, especially if purchasing on the internet. All items will work best if the user has experience using them. There will not be time to acquire gear once the course begins. It is essential that you come prepared.

You should have experience with your gear, so the list is designed to provide direction in packing (i.e. a checklist for packing). Some gear specifics are listed, most are recommendations, some are

requirements. Utilize the list and your experience to pack appropriately. Contact Andy at

[email protected] with any questions.

Start to gather your equipment early. Anyone not properly equipped may not be allowed

to participate in course activities.

Ski Kit:

§ Skins, bindings, boots and skis or splitboard: alpine touring, telemark, or splitboard set up. o Skis: 95-125mm underfoot. Splitboard: Dedicated split, you must have experience with it. o Bindings: AT: tech style, such as Dynafit. Tele: free-pivot tour mode.

o Boots: Comfortable for both ski and walk, with walk mode that lets your ankle flex. Make sure to get new boots with moldable liners cooked to your feet. Some people like custom foot beds. o Skins: Cut to fit your skis, good glue, and both tip and tail attachment. Ski Skin Proof applied at

home.

§ Poles, adjustable (collapsible, for boarders).

§ 2- or 3-antennae avalanche transceiver. Must be less than 10 years old. Old or single-antennae transceivers are not acceptable.

§ Avalanche probe, 235-300 cm. Ski poles that turn into a probe are not acceptable.

§ Avalanche shovel, metal (required), collapsible, shaft separates from blade for easy packing

§ Pack, ~40 liters. Will need to fit all personal gear on travel days and still ski reasonably well. Best if it has a separate easily accessible zippered pocket for shovel and probe. Pack at home to make sure it fits your kit including sleeping bag, hut items, etc.

§ Optional:

o Helmet: Lightweight, made for skiing.

o Snow study kit: Saw, ECT cord, inclinometer and compass (often on phone), crystal card, magnifying glass, snow thermometer, field notebook, ruler, carry case.

o Avalung: Incorporated into pack or separate bandolier style.

o Airbag: Airplane travel with an airbag that has a canister may not be allowed. Ski Clothing:

We generally recommend light layers that can easily be taken away (skinning uphill) or added (skiing downhill or stopped), plus one puffy jacket and accessories. Layers should be compatible to be worn simultaneously. Many combinations are possible here. Keys are flexibility, ease of changing, lightweight and compact.

§ Upper/lower body:

o Long underwear top and bottom. This base layer will be worn at all times when out for the day. o Long sleeved fleece/poly/wind shirt/hoody. Another lightweight layer that can be added on top of

o Fleece sweater or down vest. Mid-weight layer that can be added when colder or stopped.

o Down/synthetic parka. The warmest layer, worn only when stopped or skiing downhill. Usually fit to wear over all other layers.

o Shell jacket with hood. Fits over at least the three light/midweight layers. Worn when windy or storming.

o Ski pant. Water resistant, breathable, keeps snow out of your boots. Many people like zippered vents. Worn at all times when out for the day.

o Underwear. As needed. Synthetic preferred for men, cotton for women. § Head:

o Warm hat. Fleece or wool.

o Sun visor or ball cap. For sun protection. Most people prefer one not made of cotton. o Buff or fleece neck warmer. Yes.

o Sunglasses. 100% UV protection. Retainer strap. Vented enough that they won’t fog going uphill. o Goggles. Photochromic or light colored lens for flat light/low-visibility.

§ Hands:

o Lightweight gloves. For hand protection when skinning uphill. o Warm gloves or mittens. For warmth while skiing or when stopped.

o Optional: Extra warm gloves/mittens or chemical hand warmers if prone to cold hands. § Feet:

o Ski socks. 2-3 pairs Miscellaneous and Hut Stuff: § Headlamp. With fresh batteries.

§ Small stuff sacks to organize clothing and gear.

§ Sleeping bag. Rated to 20°F or lower. Down preferred. § Hut clothes. Lightweight fleece pants, t-shirt and slippers.

§ Toiletries. Toothbrush, toothpaste, gold bond, feminine hygiene products, ear plugs, hand sanitizer. § Prescription eyeglasses to back up contact lenses.

§ Sunscreen for face, lips and hands.

§ Pack towel/bathing suit. For sauna. Yes, sauna. § Note pad and pencil. Rite in the Rain 391.

§ Water bottles. Most people find that wide mouth is easier to fill, bags are harder to keep from freezing, 1-2-liter capacity is plenty, and while an insulated bottle is awesome, it must be compact and light. § Small first aid kit. Tape, band aids, blister care, meds. Keep it light.

§ Small repair kit. Correct screw head bit and extra screws for bindings. Ski strap. § Optional: Camera, GPS, phone. Don’t expect cell coverage. USB compatible charge cord.

Hut Living

Tornak is a spacious wall tent located at 8,400’. Coyote Yurts were consumed by the Beaver Creek Fire in 2013 and recently rebuilt. Both are stocked with all of the necessary equipment and luxuries for a cozy stay in the mountains including: wood stoves for heat, solar-power for light and charging widgets, a three burner propane stove, books, magazines, board games, bunks with mattresses, covered outhouses, and a classic wood fired sauna! The remote locations at both provide magnificent views and fantastic

backcountry skiing opportunities. Solar USB charging ports are available in limited numbers at each hut. Living quarters are comfortable and close. Good close quarters living etiquette is required!

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The fitness and ski ability you bring to the course will impact the terrain we cover, lines we ski and technical rescue curriculum. Getting to Tornak at 8,400’ on the first day with our packs brings us deep into the backcountry. It is imperative that you arrive ready to skin uphill and ski downhill in varied conditions for several days in a row.

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After registration, the WMS will need several things from you: • Emergency Contact Information

• Travel Itinerary, cell number, whether you will have a car and if you plan to stay somewhere else other than the Tamarack Lodge while in Ketchum

• Adventure Medical Review Form(http://wms.org/conferences/dimm -ski/Adventure%20Medical%20Review%20Form.pdf)

• Evidence of Evacuation and Medical insurance coverage • Evidence of trip interruption/cancellation insurance

• Release of Liability(http://wms.org/conferences/dimm-ski/Release14.pdf) Please contact Teri to make sure your file is up to date.

Each participant will also be required to sign the University of Utah Participant Agreement, Release and Acknowledgment of Risk form which will be provided at the first meeting. You may preview this form at: http://www.health.utah.edu/health-promotion/uucep/docs/rrt_waiver.pdf

Participants are also required to fill out the Sun Valley Trekking Guided Hut Trip Registration Form referenced in the Sun Valley Trekking section.

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1 Remote Rescue Training instructor, 1 Sun Valley Trekking guide and 1 WMS medical faculty.

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Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions you have.

Contact WMS with questions regarding CME, logistics, ground transportation, payment, etc. Contact RRT with questions regarding course content, equipment, fitness training, etc. Contact SVT with questions regarding food, hut living, etc.