An Cosantóir the official magazine of the Irish Defence Forces and Reserve Defence Forces.
Issue link: https://digital.jmpublishing.ie/i/125206
12 | Survival F by Pte Thomas Mc Hale-Roe Photos Cpl Paul O'Connell (Both from 1 Cn Cois) Switzerland still has national service and military service is compulsory for all Swiss men aged between 20 and 34; women can serve voluntarily. The Geb Spez maintains a state of permanent readiness for training and support in mountain-rescue tasks for the entire Swiss army. After their 15 weeks of basic training some Geb Spez personnel are posted to different combat units to assess and advise commanders on mountain exercises and operations. There are 600 mountain specialists on active and reserve duty. In addition to their military duties Geb Spez personnel are occasionally called in to assist the civil authorities. Mountaineering and skiing are core competences of the Swiss army, and it is therefore natural that their international exchange courses should include these skills. On January 14th two members of the Irish Defence Forces underwent a Geb Spez combined winter mountaineering course (CWMC) in Switzerland along with 13 other students from Belgium, Canada, Georgia, Great Britain, Israel, and Switzerland. The course combined a twoweek basic winter mountain training An Cosantóir May 2013 www.dfmagazine.ie or the past 15 years the Swiss army has been training foreign troops in mountain skills. Their mountain specialists, Geb Spez, known locally as the 'soldiers in skis', are in the Military Mountaineering Service Centre in Andermatt at the foot of the Gotthard Pass in Central Switzerland. From there they run a variety of international courses, from skiing, and winter- and summerclimbing, to mountain rescue and dealing with avalanches, as part of the Swiss contribution to NATO's Partnership for Peace (PfP) project. course and a two-week advanced winter mountain training course, and is designed to provide students with mountaineering, avalanche, and rescue techniques to an expert level. In addition there were a number of tactical exercises in the mountains to allow the students the opportunity to apply the different techniques. The main objectives of the courses were to give the participants the knowledge necessary to serve as a training instructor and adviser. Training is given to improve general knowledge and the ability to survive in mountainous areas under difficult winter conditions. The participants must learn how to perceive and evaluate avalanche risks, and then initiate and take avalanche rescue measures in fulfilling missions in different terrains. The courses provided by Geb Spez assume a certain level of skill in the subjects, so to participate in the basic course you must have mountaineering qualifications and a competent skiing level. You also require a high level of fitness before attending the course. Most international participants usually come from their countries' military mountaineering units. The two De- fence Forces participants are members of the Defence Force Association of Mountaineers (DFAM) and qualified confidence training instructors (CTIs). On the basic course we started off with skiing on- and off-piste, before progressing to cross-country touring. In the evenings, after dinner, we attended lectures on avalanche risks and rescue techniques, alpine navigation and survival skills. All equipment on the course was supplied by the Swiss army, including insulated Gortex army uniforms. On the second week we got the chance to put our skills into action as the class took part in avalanche rescue exercises while on overnight expeditions staying in alpine huts. Only those who successfully pass the basic course are allowed to continue on to the two weeks of the advanced course. During the advanced course there was a lot more asked, and expected, of us. The instruction was more in-depth and the students were given a leading role when planning routes and assessing conditions. The members of the class also took part in carrying out snow profiles in steep terrain, which is the most impor-