Field exercises, navigation, advanced and beginners - Departs Staging Area 0800. Both mounted and ground options available. Prior registration and check in required.

*** Competition**** Rumor has it several previous winning teams may be returning ! Always a day of great fun and competative spirit !

Friday night - on your own for food, gather at camp fire in staging area for social (BYOB)

Full mock search using all teams over a wide area, full communications team along with a complete ICS management team and helicopter support.

Depart staging area from 0800 onwards, prior check in and registration required.

It is expected we shall have live targets in the field and Mounted Search Teams, K9 Dog teams, Ground search teams, ATV teams, Helicopter extraction and Medical support teams.

The area of operations provides both beautiful terrain and scenery along with many challenges not least being the communications.

Saturday Night ! - The return of the free chilli supper night along with the always exciting raffle, possibly entertainment as well !

Great time to kick back and relax visiting SAR professionals from around the state and our neighboring states.

Open day - social rides, exploring and check out at your conveince.

Each attendee should provide their own food and drinking water and weed free hay or cubes for their horses. Potable water will be available at camp for humans / horses.

Camping sites are beautiful and the air is fresh and clean, we will have porta potties and supplies of water on hand.

Maps used will be: USGS 7.5 minute topographic quads, Baldy Mountain. It is suggested to pre-prepare your maps with UTM grid and waterproof coating. Otherwise, USGS original maps are available from us at $3.60 each, extra if we mark the UTM grids on them for you.

Order maps on the registration form - we will send maps out 6 weeks ahead of the event so all teams can study them in advance.

Only UTM 3 x 3 coordinates or 4 x 4 will be used , a hand out on this system will be made available for clarity. Lat / Long will only be used with air assets and normally only generated by the ICP.

Radios - you are encouraged to bring your own equipment - the following systems are planned for use:

MURS channels (vhf) - Channels 1-5 will comprise the main operating channels - see frequencies below (IF you want to program your own radios we use tone of 179.9 on the MURS channels)

FRS - FRS radios are welcome to be used by the teams for team member to team member communications.

GMRS - ditto if team members are licensed these work well for inter team communications.

Ham Radio - we will have qualified hams on station to operate 2 meters (vhf) and UHF on the ham frequencies - there are several repeaters in the area but limited use in the back country region.

Please complete the radio section of the registration so we know what to expect and what to try to provide for !

GPS - GPS units are permitted and encouraged as useful methods of checking your map and compass work! On the basic track we will provide instructors to help those new to GPS. Advanced and Intermediate are assumed to know their equipment!

Firearms - If you wish to carry your firearm you may do so provided such is lawful, our event regulation requires NO discharging of firearms in camp or within 1 mile of ICP or any camp / staging area.

Horses -No equine under 4 years will be permitted. All horses should be in health for the tasks and sufficiently well behaved and socially adapted for SAR work. This is a training event but NOT for horses new to the kinds of experiences typical of SAR!

Dogs - personal pets must be kept leashed and under owners control at all times, we discourage pets if possible! K9's that are in training or operational are welcome we only request you keep them appropriately leashed and controlled as you would on a mission.

Health issues- You are responsible for deciding if you are fit enough for the planned tasks , base camps are at 9000 feet and we will be operating between 8000 - 10500 feet generally with some possible side excursions to 11500+

We will normally have first responders / EMT basic support based at the ICP - however it could take several hours to reach you so carry your first aid kits and know how to use them.

Observers: We welcome observers from other teams or agencies - so that we may make you time observing as productive as possible we request observers pre register with us using a registration form or a letter of request / confirmation of status from your agency.

Safety: At all times please consider your safety and that of your team, we will have a Safety Officer on the Command Staff but you are still responsible for your safety! Always THINK SAFETY !

Costs: Each person $15 registration fee. ( Includes Chilli Supper) Please make check payable to “Mounted Rescue”. Registration fees must be paid with your registration forms. ( Mailing address : PO Box 1841, Pagosa Springs, Colorado 81147 )

We look forward to welcoming you to some spectacular scenery high in the Rocky Mountains, we hope this years MSARCO will be even better than last year!

Camp sites and turn off directions: Click here !