ARIZONA VORTEX MULTIPOD

Confined Space Rope Rigging Rescue Equipment

Read History of ARIZONA VORTEX Development

WHAT IS THE ARIZONA VORTEX?

The ARIZONA VORTEX (or AZV) is expressly considered an "artificial high directional" used as a true 1) high frame directional (at the edge or over an opening) or 2) anchor frame. It is so named from it's development in the rugged highlands of northern Arizona’s Oak Creek Canyon through the rigging and rescue school, Ropes That Rescue. The term "vortex" came from the many such-named red rock formations in the Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon area which serve the spiritual gnostic cult community and has become a mainstay of Sedona's global tourist popularity. Reed Thörne, the school’s owner developed the AZV with the help of Rock Thompson at Rock Exotica, in Utah. The AZV was created from years of trial and error and of having worked with crude but functional lashed wood frames at RTR. It represents the essence of at-the-edge frames which no standard tripod can match today.

The A.Z.O.R.P. (AZORP = Arizona Omni Rigging Pod) is a valuable accessory to the ARIZONA VORTEX which adds to its ultimate versatility when used in tandem. Anchoring frame back-from-the-edge rigging monopods, bipods and tripods may therefore be constructed using the AZORP + VORTEX adding valuable rigging elements to any rope rescue or rope access operation or job.

The ARIZONA VORTEX is manufactured from T-6 aluminum by Thompson Manufacturing Inc. (Rock Exotica) in Clearfield, Utah and is one of the most versatile and state of the art artificial high directional (AHD) available to rescue and rope access in industry. With training from Ropes That Rescue (the "Arizona" designer), you may use this frame in a variety of ways and in any number of environments from industry to wilderness. It is ideal for confined space rescue, mine rescue, cliff rescue and industrial rescue. It is also well suited to bridge inspectors, rope access, the construction trades and the movie industry.

We offer many instructor-level workshops on the Arizona VORTEX in differing locations around the US, Canada, UK and Australia (and around the world). See the RTR Open Enrollment Schedule for these offerings under "Artificial High Directional Workshop" or AHDW.

To view PHOTOS of the ARIZONA VORTEX in Ropes That Rescue workshops around the world, go to our TRAINING VENUES. Click on each venue.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON:

RTR description of the training on the ARIZONA VORTEX
RTR coming to your agency and training YOUR AGENCY
See Open Enrollment SCHEDULE for next Artificial High Directional Program (Arizona Vortex training)
Contact RTR

Historical development of ARIZONA VORTEX

The general concept of the ARIZONA VORTEX was developed in the desert-alpine mountains of northern Arizona from expertise gained during the improvised rigging of wood timber frame "artificial" high directionals constructed for vertical rescue work (see right). This initial work was accomplished during Ropes That Rescue seminars since the late 80's under the direction of Reed Thorne. The first metal AZV prototype design was an "easel-style A frame" welded together from heavy steel square tubing and plate at the Arizona Phelps Dodge Morenci copper mine fab shop in a 1996 RTR mine rescue program from plans scribbled out on a pizza restaurant table napkin. Needless to say, it was very heavy and cumbersome to deal with, but the concept was there.

Left: AZV prototype #2 being demonstrated during the Team Skills Rescue Workshop at Harpers Ferry, WV at Maryland Heights in 1998.
Upper right: Improvised timber frame SA Frame at Phelps Dodge Morenci copper mine in southern Arizona. Click on photos to enlarge. Lower right: Wren Industries AZV v.1.0 being used by LA County Fire during highline at costal beach.

It was soon thereafter that an aluminum model (prototype #2, see left) was manufactured by Wren Industries from more elaborate plans drawn by Thorne. This lightweight prototypes was tested in four 7 day Ropes That Rescue rigging seminars before the third prototype (AZV v.1.0) was made by Wren. In this design, all legs would fit together by welded couplings without any telescoping capability. In v.1.0, all adjustment in the final height and positioning of the AZV head was done by extending the legs past the head. Problems occurred with this v.1.0 non-telescoping design because many times in confined locations, particularly in industry, these legs were unable to be positioned. A new foot design, dubbed the "Raptor" because of it's shape, was developed for v.1.0 to help direct downward forces in soft soil like that which would be common in a mine or wilderness area. Version 1.0 has been used in several RTR open & contract seminars around the world. It is through the practical use of AZV v.1.0 during these seminars that much needed knowledge regarding improvements to design were ultimately had. This knowledge has lead to the improvements found in AZV v.2.0.