As part of their 60th anniversary celebrations, Vango invited Trek & Mountain along with a select group of other outdoor media to Glenmore Lodge in the Cairngorms for a very special couple of days dedicated to saving lives.Teaming up with one of their partners, Standstone Training, Vango had put together a 24-hour itinerary that was built around the idea of saving lives in the outdoor environment. The first day would be spent in Glenmore Lodge itself, with both classroom and practical outdoor sessions led by Tim and Mike from Sandstone both ex-military operatives with considerable in-the-field experience and on the second day wed be going up (as it turned out) a snowy Cairn Gorm to find out how the resorts ski patrol stabilise and evacuate casualties when accidents on the slopes occur.Having been founded in Glasgow in 1966, and still proudly based in Scotland, the Cairngorms were the perfect choice for Vango to run an event steeped in its Spirit of Adventure ethos, and Glenmore Lodge, another partner of theirs, was the ideal venue to base the event. Chris and I had previously spent a fantastic week at the Lodge a few years ago doing our Mountain Leader training and we were delighted to be visiting the centre again, with its comfortable rooms and top-notch facilities. As we arrived, we were greeted by Chris from Vango, the Sandstone team and an excited group of other attendees keen to get stuck into the days activities!A snowy Glenmore Lodge, Scotlands national outdoor centreDay 1: Life-saving skillsAfter a typically tasty lunch in the Glenmore Lodge canteen, we were promptly whisked away to help rescue Malcolm who had become trapped under a vehicle outside in the carpark. Malcolm, a training mannequin who was brought along by the folks at Sandstone Training, would suffer a series of unfortunate events while the group tried to manage the situation and apply life-saving first aid. What to do first: Stabilise the victim? Call 999? Check the vehicle was not still moving? All of the above?! Staying calm while acting decisively is vital in emergency situations like this, and Sandstone had thrown us in the deep end from the word go.Having recovered from the excitement of the impromptu emergency, it quickly became clear that we were not in for your average first aid course. This wasnt about what to do for a sprained ankle, minor cut or blisters; instead it was focused on what to do in true emergencies where minutes, and sometimes seconds, matter such as the instance when a casualty is not breathing, or has an arterial bleed that will be fatal without immediate action.Sandstone Trainings Mike demonstrating how to do chest compressionsFirst up we were shown how to stop an arterial bleed. Our victim held the same amount of blood as a human (a lot less than youd think around just 10 pints!) and as he began to bleed fake blood youll be pleased to hear we realised how swiftly we needed to act if we were going to save their life (shockingly, it only takes a couple of minutes or so to die from a major bleed). With plenty of experience of recent conflicts in which British forces have been involved, the Sandstone team clearly could walk the walk as well as talk the talk, and they expertly demonstrated how to pack a wound, and also how to apply a tourniquet (high and tight), while dispelling common myths such as being able to use your shoelaces or belt as you might see in a Hollywood film! We practised on each other and would also later apply this to saving Malcolm and his accident-prone friends outside.CPR and the use of a defibrillator were next up. Whether you spend time in the outdoors or not, this is something that everyone should know and update regularly, and its great to see more and more initiatives bringing this to communities in the UK. Chris and I had previously done multiple CPR and defib courses, but you can never practise these skills enough, and it never fails to surprise us how tiring it is doing chest compressions for a few minutes especially when youre being egged on by an instructor to the strains of the Bee Gees Stayin Alive!Our casualty Malcolm looking a bit worse for wear!Once wed gotten plenty of practice, the remainder of the course was hands-on in an outdoor setting around the grounds of Glenmore Lodge. It was suitably cold and snowy another factor to throw into the mix and our victims had gotten themselves into all sorts of trouble. We heard calls for help and it turned out there were multiple victims that we had to apply life-saving first aid to, while also trying to keep them warm and calm, and also call for help. Sandstone acted out scenarios in a way that created a very real sense of panic and urgency shouting and creating confusion which really forced us to think about how to remain calm and tackle the various scenarios in a methodical manner.After a nice dinner back at the lodge we all gathered for a pint and a debrief. We chatted, asked questions, and hung out for the rest of the evening discussing all things outdoors.Trek & Mountains Chris and Amanda at Loch MorlichDay 2: Cairn Gorm ski patrolWe got up the next morning to blue skies and a blanket of snow covering everything in sight the perfect (and rare) Scottish winter day! After a hearty breakfast, we drove down to Loch Morlich to enjoy the views from the stunning beach at its east end, and get some group photos of all the events participants. We then jumped back in our vehicles and headed up towards Cairn Gorm.Although there was sunshine and blue skies at the lift base station, once we got out at the top of the furnicular train we were hit by below freezing temps and a biting wind and this again demonstrated (if it was needed) that the elements are a huge factor when dealing with casualties. The ski patrol then proceeded to demonstrate the kit they use for rescuing skiers that have injured themselves on the mountain. This included the use of vacuum stretchers, which are gently slid underneath injured skiers and provide a rigid structure that can be used to lift them onto a vehicle for evacuation.Cairn Gorm ski patrol demonstrating how they stabilise and evacuate a casualtyWe then got to try handling a casualty ourselves. Chris was tasked with holding the victims head still (in case of spinal injuries) while the rest of the team strapped the casualty into the stretcher and prepared to lift and carry to the waiting snowplough. What became clear was that teamwork is crucial to successfully evacuating casualties, and it was reassuring that the Cairn Gorm ski patrol seemed such a professional and friendly bunch just what you need in the instance you break your leg on the slopes!Back at Glenmore Lodge we recapped on what wed learned over the last 24 hours. We were kindly presented with a custom first aid kit that Sandstone had put together for us not your standard plasters and safety pins type of first aid kit, though this one had a proper tourniquet and bandages for packing serious wounds, all contained in a rugged, waterproof bag. Tim had made the point that in the case of a major emergency, standard outdoor or travel first aid kits are pretty much useless; for example, the flimsy scissors you get in these kits arent nearly burly enough to cut through clothing when youre trying to get to a bleeding artery or open fracture quickly. And a standard bandage is not going to be anywhere near good enough to stop a serious bleed.Save A Life attendees enjoying the snowy weatherSo what did we take away from the event? Well, the first thing is that in an emergency situation where someone is going to die if you dont do anything, doing something is better than doing nothing, and you shouldnt waste time on niceties or whether youre doing everything exactly by the book just get on with it! You may literally have only 2 minutes to stop someone from dying, so act quickly and decisively.The other thought we took away was how if more people had basic life-saving skills, many more people who get into trouble in the outdoors could be treated quickly, and hopefully kept alive, in the time that it takes for emergency services to reach them. Chris and I have both been in situations in remote areas where people have been in serious trouble (including a trekker having a heart attack on Aconcagua and unfortunately passing away before mountain rescue arrived), and so the key messages that Sandstone were delivering really struck home.In an ideal world, every person who goes adventuring in the outdoors should have some life-saving skills to call on, because any one of us could round a corner and be faced with a fellow walker/trekker/climber in a life-threatening condition. Think about being in that situation and ask yourself, what would I do? If you dont know the answer, then signing up for a course such as Save A Life should be a priority.Thanks to Tim and Mike from Sandstone Training, Chris from Vango and Vikki from Brandwave Marketing for a highly informative and enjoyable two days and Glenmore Lodge. For more info on Vango and Sandstone Trainings Save A Life course, see the links below.Useful links:VangoSandstone Training