Greetings!

Welcome to our web site. The Self Rescue Group consists of a team of cavers living in the western United States. Our goals are to develop, document, and teach caving self rescue techniques to other cavers living within the region. This serves our ultimate vision of increasing caving safety and competence. Many of the caves in our region are cold, difficult, and in remote areas. If an accident occurs, it may be hard for cavers to call out for help. It could be several hours or days from the initial accident until a cave rescue team arrives. At a minimum, cavers need the skills to assess and stabilize a patient. Under some restricted conditions, it may be best to start evacuation of the patient. The Self Rescue Group is dedicated to giving cavers the skills they need to avoid accidents and handle them if necessary. This site contains information about us, descriptions of the classes that we offer, and several links to training organizations, rescue teams, and equipment manufacturers. Cavers outside the region may find interest in the Discussion List, the Events List, and the Reading Room. We hope that you will enjoy your visit. If you have any suggestions or comments, please contact us. Safe Caving! The Self Rescue Group

Building a rope stretcher. Photo by M. Martin