Bloody full moon! Been up since 3am.
Yeh, the reason the running line goes on the outside like that, is that, that is your front and back grab handle. Its the same principle as a laced canoe. So when you pull from the front or back, you are pulling the entire rope, distributing the energy evenly. otherwise, like the loaded canoe, if you just grabbed the front plastic, and pulled it would snap off.
[Now on a 5mm or 6mm tobogan, you could easily use them as cinching lines as well, but as ours Al, is only 3mm tyvar, it would bend the sled in a U shape. Which is why i put pot rivets down the middle of my tobbogan, so I can use them to strap around the luggage and it wont pull up into a u shape as easily. as we spoke about]
[I had to buy 500 rivets from screwfix instead of the 8 i needed. So anyone needs long rivets, drop me a line.]
I also have a loop 2loop connection, and a ten foot safety line dragging off the back of the boggan, [again, as you do in a canoe, so if you fell out, and the canoe kept going you had something to grab onto.] Or in this case, the person behind you grabs it. Mines polypropelene, floating 8mm bright viz rope;
Its also wise to have a bit of elastic. I used bungee cords, on my pulling strap. It just sets off a lot easier, and you dont use as much energy. Also wise to have a little system to make the hauling strap shorter in the woods.
If you went into the ice. Hyperthermia, does not happen instantly, youve gotta keep your gob shut, and take the initial shock, and your bodys reaction will be to take a deep breath in. So long as you dont do that under the water, you could tread water for 10 minutes without getting hyperthermia.
I have a dry bag near the top of my kit, specifically marked. EMERGENCY CLOTHING. And a towel on top of it. Thats a complete set of clothes just the same as the ones ive just taken off. I dont want to b searching through your kit, whilst your hyperthermic, looking for your trousers!
Clothing wise. EVERYTHING you are wearing, you need a duplicate of.
You get out the same way you came in, kicking your legs like crazy, to try and get you up, and then using your ski poles, ice picks, to get out. Belly up like a seal. [when walking with your ski poles, if you take them, you dont put your wrists in the loop as you would do normally] I'll be taking a throw bag, or the person behind you would be carrying it. If you cannot get out like that you have to reach down and take off your snow shoes. Then get out. Although I think it'd be easier to just pull you out.
The person with the throw bag looks up, gets eye contact wit the man in the water, then shouts 'rope' at the top of their voice and aims to throw the bag directly over your head. And you grab the rope. Which lands neatly draped over your head.
Once your out, everyone strips you down, covers you in your mother coat, gets your Emergency clothing bag out, gets your towel out for you, whilst someone else is lighting a fire on the shore. We all get you warm. Get you a brew on.
But I doubt that will happen.
When walking through the woods, on uneven territory Dewis sled will excel, whilst i think its best, that toboggans shorten their harnesses, and the person behind you is close enough to hold your back grab handle, because if the sled slides off sideways off the side of the path, normally into deep snow, as youre trying to get round a tree. Which happens a fair bit, the sled can go upside down, or on its side, or kit falls off, and its an exhausting situation, to get it all back on the path, and reload it.
There are other things that would apply equally well, like hand signals, such as you never point toward danger. Always away from it.
Or if youre out of earshot,if someone pats their head with their hand a few times, it means are you ok?
If you dont pat your head a few times, in return, we have to come over and check you out.
We'll do a few things on hyperthermia, like stick your foot in the snow for a while, and then hand, buddy up, and stick it under the other persons armpit. [Chris takes a size 15 shoe, so he'll just stick his toes under your armpit, or in any other warm crevice he can find.]
