Crack rescue is a topic that concerns everyone who spends even a little time in glaciated terrain. However, it has usually only been practiced a few times in theory and often hardly ever in the terrain. But you should definitely do this, because holding a fall can only be practiced in practice. Nevertheless, the feeling of not really having a clue about the subject usually remains. There are too many possibilities and ways of setting up a pulley to pull your companion up. Or you're even in it yourself.
And do you rely on the minimum equipment with a few carabiners and cords to knot the pulley or ascender yourself with Prusik or Prohaska in an emergency? Or would you rather use suitable pulleys and rope clamps?
With the RescYou, Mammut is taking a completely new approach to these issues. Why not simply have a rescue device that is virtually ready to use, regardless of whether it is for self-rescue or rescue of a companion? Two rope clamps including a fixed point, connected by a pulley, allow the quick and extremely intuitive assembly of a rope hoist for rescue. For external rescue, all you have to do is build an anchor with a fixed point, attach the RescYou to it with the carabiner, attach the rope clamps to the rope and, thanks to the 6:1 power transmission, the fallen person can be pulled up in an energy-saving (albeit relatively slow) manner. And without much brainpower or problems, even over knots. The rope clamps simply have to be removed from the rope in front of the knot and then reattached behind it.
For self-rescue, the carabiner is attached to the rope loop, the rope clamps are fixed to the rope and the ascent begins. Only little additional material is required to be prepared for an emergency. At a minimum, a webbing sling is sufficient for the anchor anchor and a cord for self-belaying on the rope. As the RescYou weighs just under 440g, which is not much more than a set of carabiners and blocking pulleys, and can be easily stowed away on a climbing harness thanks to the sheath, this is a really useful item.
Manufacturer's product video:
Of course, there is no question that with the right mix of carabiners, rope cords and rope pulleys with backstops, you can set up more flexible and, above all, more efficient systems, and of course you are also equipped for other situations on the mountain. To do this, however, you need to know what you are doing or can do and have internalized this. The RescYou relieves you of these worries and can even be used with a little improvisation and an additional carabiner for rescue using a loose pulley. Although I would have liked this use to have been better implemented in the design of the device from the outset.
In summary, the RescYou is an ideal crevasse rescue device for the less experienced user who simply wants to be prepared for the extremely rare emergency and eliminates many sources of error and time-consuming problems thanks to its predefined design.
