Alpine Scrambling Equivalency

PROCESS FOR GRANTING SCRAMBLE EQUIVALENCY

To be granted scramble equivalency, a prospective scrambler must be able to demonstrate adequate skills in 5 areas:

• Off-trail travel
• Snow travel
• Rock travel
• Navigation
• First Aid

A prospective scrambler can demonstrate each skill area by:

• Off-trail travel: provide the scramble equivalency coordinator (currently Andy Cahn and Louise Suhr) with a hiking resume that includes at least five unguided trips with at least 3000 feet of gain each and in which at least half of the gain was off-trail.
• Snow travel: attend a special equivalency test that we will try to schedule two to three times in late spring or early summer in which they will have to self-arrest head first on stomach and on back, right-handed and left-handed. Prospective scramblers are urged to assist at the snow field trips to practice and refresh their skills but the field trip cannot substitute for the test.
• Rock travel: attend a special equivalency test that we will try to schedule two to three times in late spring or early summer (perhaps at the program center) in which they will have to ascend, traverse, and downclimb some steep rock. They will also have to demonstrate that they can put on their hasty harness and use it in a protected downclimb using either a prussic or klemheist knot. Prospective scramblers are urged to assist at the rock field trip to practice and refresh their skills but the field trip cannot substitute for the test.
• Navigation: take the Navigation course, instruct at the Navigation workshop and field trip, or be granted Navigation equivalency by the Navigation committee.
• First Aid: take the Wilderness First Aid (WFA) course, the Mountaineering Oriented First Aid (MOFA) course, or be granted first aid equivalency by the first aid committee.

Process: A prospective scrambler seeking equivalency will contact the scramble equivalency coordinator (currently Andy Cahn and Louise Suhr). The coordinator will review the application and schedule equivalency tests of rock and snow skills. After demonstrating the five individual areas of skills, the prospective scrambler will be granted a scramble student badge, which allows them to go on regular season scrambles. Just like any scramble student, they will then have until Nov 1 of the following year to complete three scrambles (at least one of which is rock and one of which is snow), earn their Stewardship badge, and earn their Low Impact Recreation skill badge. When they complete these tasks, they should notify the scramble equivalency coordinator, who will see to it that their scramble student badge is converted into a scramble badge.

The Chair(s) of the Scramble Committee, or the scramble equivalency coordinator, can grant a scramble badge to an experienced prospective scrambler with an exceptional resume who clearly has all of the relevant skills in abundance.