Stomach Issues – Case Study

Rafting is a Gas – You are camped during a private raft trip on the Colorado, in the heart of the Grand Canyon. You are still pissed at the large party that pulled in late the night before, taking up most of the great campsite you were first at. You vow next time to take […]

Laceration – Case Study

Beam Me Out of Here, Scotty – You are up at one of the 10th Mountain Division Huts on a December ski trip, tired after a great day of shredding some sweet powder.  The hut is pretty full, maybe 20 people.  You are ready to throw out a group of four twenty-something year olds, or […]

Ski Accident – Cast Study

First Tracks and Cracks – You and four college friends who flew in to help celebrate your birthday are doing an early season (Dec.) backcountry ski near Leadville.  Everyone is doing fine and though you are tired and it’s getting a bit late (3:00 pm) you decide to do one last run.  You slap the […]

Fall – Case Study

Narrow Miss? – You are on a three-day southern Utah canyoneering trip in late October with 3 friends.  You are all in your mid-twenties.  It is the afternoon of day two, in a very narrow side canyon when come up to a “pour off” where your side canyon joins a bigger flow.  It’s about a […]

Running Injury – Case Study

Run Amok – It is early October and you are on a trail run up above Golden (CO), about 3 miles from the trailhead when it starts to rain.   It is 2 pm with temps in the high 40s (F), with a moderate (10-15 mph) wind.  The trail takes a steep drop and at the […]

Heat – Case Study – August Newsletter 2019

Race to the Finish – You are working the medical tent at the finish of the Cascade Mountains Ultra Marathon.  It is Washington and around 5000 feet (1500 meters) so not hideously hot, but it is August so it’s definitely still hot with afternoon temps in the 90s.  The race started at 5 am to […]

Boat Flip – Case Study

‘Dacks Dips – It is a beautiful, but hot and muggy July afternoon and you and five buddies are canoeing the Adirondacks in three boats, on day two of a three-day paddle.  You are in the middle of one of the larger lakes when a thunderstorm rolls through.  The thunder you barely heard five or […]

Boulder Tumble – Case Study

Rock Jock Doc – You and a friend are climbing at a local crag.  As you take a break to eat some lunch another friend who was climbing a couple of routes over, and who knows you took this cool WFR class, comes running up and, out of breath, manages to spit out that a […]

Heat Exhaustion – Case Study

Yolo Abuelo Case Study It is day two of a four-day trek to Ciudad Perdida, or the Lost City, in the foothills of Colombia’s Sierra Nevada mountains.  There are 17 of you, 15 gringos (almost all from Europe) and two local guides.  Everyone is trekking with just daypacks as the food and lodging are provided […]

Snow Accident – Case Study

Glissade Aid Case Study After reaching the summit you are descending Buckeye Peak, an almost 13,000 foot peak in Colorado.  You return to the top of the snow filled gully you laboriously ascended an hour or two earlier.  The snow is deep but the avalanche hazard low.  You pull out your ice axe—you’ve been dying […]

Burn – Case Study

Burn Out Case Study It’s late January and it’s been a long couple of weeks at work; you’re feeling a bit crispy after lots of holiday family visits and way too much overtime.  You decide to head out for a weekend ski tour to a “secret” old mining cabin up above Breckenridge that you’ve been […]

Bike Accident – Case Study

Going for the Gold It is a beautiful September afternoon and the aspen are aglow.  You and three friends (the “over the hill” gang of 50-somethings) are mountain biking down an old mining road up near Telluride.  The brilliant fall foliage ignites your spirits and you and let ‘er rip.  You are doing Mach 3 […]