With lots of snow still lying on the steep north facing slopes of Winter Hill, a small group of team members, including six Call Out list members and eight Probationary members decided to have some steep ground / snow stretcher lowering and raising practice this afternoon on the side of Winter Hill.

Despite the recent thaw conditions in our area, the higher parts of Winter Hill Flats still held considerable snow, with the steep face of Winter Hill itself still holding very deep snow in the many gully lines, which made for excellent ’sport’ made better by the -1c temperature and strong winds giving quite a wind chill. (What thaw!)

All our Probationary members learnt new skills today in lowering and raising our Troll Alphin MR stretcher on very steep snow covered ground, whilst the Call Out list members present re-learnt old skills.

After many ’ups and downs’ we culminated the exercise with a continuous stretcher sledge from the very top of Winter Hill back down to our vehicle RVP at Hordern Stoops, with snow covered ground gradually giving way to wet and boggy moorland as we neared the road.

All six (all very experienced) Call Out list members present commented afterwards how impressed they were with our eight Probationary member’s team work and enthusiasm today, particularly as all had never done anything like this at all before.

And had our very long serving Deputy Team Leader Geoff Seddon and founder Team member Alan James been present today, 41 / 43 years MR service respectively, they would both have been very impressed with Call Out list member Alistair Greenough and it must be said our Team Leader Garry Rhodes, demonstrating some ’old fashioned’ improvised rope and tape slings to all present, including a Dulfer Seat, a Parisian Baudrier and a Crossed Sling Baudrier