BMC 2013-2014

The Basic Mountaineering Course (BMC) has expanded rope skills and avalanche awareness compared to courses presented in the past.  Personal Vertical Skills (PVS) is now required before taking BMC. 

The classroom portion of the BMC will be held on November 23 and 24, 2013. The location is the San Bernardino Mountain Team's rescue shack, aka "Harrison Hotel." It is located at 3250 Harrison, San Bernardino, CA 92404. Please arrive by 7:30 am on Saturday. There are local eateries for lunch. There is also a kitchen with stove, microwave, refrigerator, etc., at the facility. There is no set end time Saturday evening. So be prepared to have dinner as well. The metal chairs can be a bit uncomfortable; hence you might consider bringing a cushion to sit on. Bring necessary clothing for rain and a warm jacket and pants in case the Harrison Hotel is chilly. For people traveling great distances, you are welcome to stay Friday and/or Saturday night at a member’s home in Redlands. Let me know if you would like to take of advantage of this. 

The field portion will be held on January 25 and 26, 2014. The location will be announced at a later time.

To sign up, send a written request to Volunteer Forces along with your phone number, PVS documentation and email address. For further questions, contact Jon Woods in Volunteer Forces.

All BMC Instructional Documents

Basic Mountaineering Course (BMC) Mission Statement

 The Basic Mountaineering Course is designed to teach SAR personnel:

• Basics about the winter alpine terrain, weather, and snowpack in our mountains
• Traveling safely and efficiently during winter conditions on trainings and missions
• Personal survival concepts including the roll of environment, human physiology, nutrition, and positive mental attitude
• Basic use of personal and technical clothing and gear used on winter missions
• Construction of emergency shelters in snow
• Construction of snow anchors
• Avalanche awareness and avoidance, basics of avalanche burial search, what to do if caught in an avalanche

In this course, certain assumptions are made including:

• Students are certified in Personal Vertical Skills (PVS)
• Students are in such physical shape that they are able to move uphill in powder snow at 8000-11,000 feet elevation while wearing a 30-50 pound pack
• ·  Students will continue to practice the perishable skills learned in this course often and regularly in order to create and maintain competence

Our course principles are:

• Gear and information can give a person a false sense of security
• Skills must be routinely practiced in order to develop muscle memory
• Everything is a trade off including techniques and equipment
• Survival is primarily concerned with having a positive mental attitude as opposed to equipment carried

At the end of this course, students should have the foundation to:

• Be a member of a team on an alpine mission in our mountains under the supervision of a more experienced team leader
• Pick the appropriate gear necessary for a specific mission in an alpine environment
• Construct snow anchors to handle a personal load
• Spend the night out in the mountains in sub-freezing conditions
• Use a variety of techniques for roped and un-roped travel depending on terrain and conditions
• Understand when to implement a belay and a techniques to do it
• Identify and avoid avalanche danger zones and red flags for avalanche conditions
• Practice tests on the go in a snowpack when entering possible avalanche terrain
• Conduct a beacon transceiver search, use a probe, and strategic shoveling
• Have the knowledge that to be a seasoned mountaineer, one must seek out more training, information, and spend more time on routes in the mountains