Latest News from The Peak

Gene, Gord, Carl, Mark, and I spent the latter half of October in Jackson Hole, Wyoming conducting Winter Warfare Training with a group of sixty warriors. I know everyone feels sorry for us (yeah right) but we had a very ambitious training schedule and put in some very long days. During the two weeks of training, each man spent two days rock climbing, two days in Swift Water Rescue training, and two days learning Pack Horse Operations. In addition to that block of training, they spent four nights and six days in the Tetons developing advanced mountaineering skills. Despite all the moving parts and personnel, no one was hurt and everyone really enjoyed the training. We owe a big thank you to our partners in the Jackson area. Nat Patridge and the Exum Mountain Guides, KC Bess, and Carlton Loewer, Sam Coutts, and the Black Powder Ranch all went above and beyond to make it an unforgettable experience for everyone involved. Thanks again to Sam and Carlton for the great elk feed/party at the end of the trip.

-Rod Alne

It's always nice to sleep in our own beds so we prefer to work out of our headquarters in Butte. Our hangar on the Butte Airport is set up for your training and our location is centrally located for a variety of evolutions. We know the area well and already have everything wired but we know that people want to explore other areas. We can, as we did in Jackson Hole, conduct our training in any location with the appropriate terrain. In addition to numerous locations around Montana, we are also working on trips this winter to Northern Utah and the Tahoe area in California. With enough of a head's up and within reason, we can go pretty much anywhere you desire. We'll bring in the right people and use the local resources as much as possible but we will always be on site to insure that you get the Peak quality experience.

Just this month we met with the leaders of two great organizations here in Montana. Both of these alternative locations could be used as a basecamp for your training. Camp Bighorn in Northwest Montana is right across the road from the Clark Fork of the Columbia and is a perfect launching point for a number of activities. Upper Canyon Outfitters in Southwest Montana has the Ruby River running right through it. This beautiful Montana ranch, located at the confluence of three major Rocky Mountain ranges, is very close to our High Angle Shooting Area (Granite Creek Range). Whether it is pack horses, mountaineering, or just tossing a line after a long day of training, Donna and Jake will welcome us.

Check the links out below and let us know if you would like to set up our training at either of these locations. If Jackson Hole, Northern Utah, or Hawaii is on your list, we can work those locations as well.

Upper Canyon Outfitters

Camp Bighorn

Chew Someone Out in Pashto?

The Peak is always looking for new courses that we can offer our clients and are currently working with two vastly different organizations to provide some great training. We have started working on a one or two day Cultural Awareness/Survival Language course with The Defense Critical Language and Culture Program at the University of Montana. In addition to a "Working with Interpreters" course, they have Pashto, Dari, and Baluchi Language programs and Afghanistan/Pakistan/Iran/Iraq culture and regional studies programs. We are very excited to be working with this outstanding organization and will keep you posted on developments and in the meantime, check them out here.

Another small company we are working with offers an Advanced SERE course that focuses on escape techniques. During the two to three day courses, students will become proficient at escaping from various types of restraints and environments. If this sounds like something you or your team could put in their toolbox, please contact us for further details.

LTC John Nugent - US Army Retired

We are excited to welcome our newest staff member, LTC US Army (retired) John Nugent to the Peak team. John is our new Business Development Manager and will help take our rapidly growing business to the next level. He has a wealth of experience including 38 years of service in the U.S. Army. He is a college professor at Montana Tech, heavily involved with a variety of community programs, and seems to know everyone in town. Keep an eye out for his impressive bio on our staff page.

...High/Low Angle Shooting at Altitude

We are proud to announce that the lead is flying at the Granite Creek Range, the Peak's exclusive high & low angle/long distance shooting area. Our new partners, Bill Wood and Tyler Merica, hosted the first group of shooters last month for some high/low angle shooting. The feedback from the SEAL team was that the shooting was great and the ability to shoot up and down hills in terrain similar to what they are experiencing in Afghanistan is priceless. Tyler and Bill offer a variety of shooting positions with targets at + or - 20 degrees out to a thousand meters. They also offer long distance targets from 1500-2000 meters and all the shooting positions are at elevations ranging from 6850-7000ft.

The Granite Creek Range crew will tailor the range and populate it with targets to meet your training requirements!

The range, located near Alder Montana, is on a private ranch and has a small cabin and storage barn on the property. If your team is interested in some great high/low angle shooting, please contact us so we can get you on the rapidly filling schedule.

As the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks rapidly approaches, it is hard not to reflect on all that has changed and all that we have lost. It is especially hard for the families and friends of the fallen heroes that have sacrificed everything during this decade of war. We remember and honor all of the fallen and offer our heartfelt condolences to the families of our 30 brothers lost on August 6th.

...Shooting Course in Southwest Montana

The Peak is working with a new company based out of Alder, Montana to develop a High & Low Angle Shooting Course. The private ranch where the majority of the shooting is conducted has varied terrain and a number of shooting positions and targets. Future Improvements include high altitude drop zones, a dirt landing strip, mobile target systems, billeting, and messing facilities.

More to follow as we get closer to full operation...

What do you do when the authorities are recommending that people stay off the rivers because of dangerous flood conditions? If you are part of the Peak Team, you find some fast moving, cold water and conduct a River Rescue/Whitewater Rescue Technician Course.

The Peak recently spent a week on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River with Carl Motes-Conners from the Great Northern Resort learning how to “read” the river and conduct river rescue operations. The Peak, and the team we were training, stayed at the Great Northern Resort where we were pampered by the awesome staff. Outstanding food, great cabins, and breathtaking scenery enhanced the challenging and often exhausting training.

With rivers and streams rising to dangerous levels all over the country, please be safe wherever your activities might take you. Driving in flooded areas is especially dangerous and many river rescue operations are the result of drivers misjudging conditions. The following warnings were pulled from the FEMA Flood Website.

• Six inches of water will reach the bottom of most passenger cars causing loss of control and possible stalling.
• A foot of water will float many vehicles.
• Two feet of rushing water can carry away most vehicles including sport utility vehicles (SUV’s) and pick-ups.

The Swift Water Rescue program is rapidly becoming one of our most popular offerings. We can easily conduct it near Butte or West Glacier but also at the location of your choice with enough notice. Participants will receive certification through Rescue 3 International. Be Safe out There.

...High Altitude Pre-Deployment Training

The Peak Team has been assembled to afford pre-deployment teams with the practical training at high altitudes that is needed to survive high in the mountains. Each member of The Peak Team plays a vital role in high altitude training by bringing their individual fields of expertise into the equation. The Peak Team provides High Altitude Pre-Deployment training in the Rocky Mountains of western Montana. Deploying teams can now complete their mobility, TCCC, cultural, language, and weapons training all while acclimating to elevations above 5,000ft.

The Peak Team consists of five outstanding small businesses with the shared philosophy of maximizing unit effectiveness and mitigating the inherent risk of operations at altitude, in extreme environments, and combat. These five teams include—The Peak Inc, BCDS Inc, Tactical Linguists Concepts, Instinctive Shooting International, and Information Sharing Group Inc. Each team member has years of experience providing specialized professional training to elite military special operations and premier law enforcement agencies.

This unique assemblage of training has been specifically tailored to increase the effectiveness of individual and team operations at high altitude. A broad-spectrum training approach is used to focus on high altitude illness/injury treatment and prevention, wilderness first aid, wilderness survival training, rescue techniques, and may include high altitude military free fall/static line parachuting. More specific training such as TCCC (Tactical Combat Casualty Care) consists of operator initiated care, combat trauma skills, and advanced medical capabilities all scenario driven to reflect real world applications. High altitude mobility training employs realistic, situational off road training in vehicles ranging from LT-ATVs to MRAPs on varying terrain. This training can be adapted to suit a team’s specific needs, mission, and area of operations while instilling confidence and knowledge for ‘automatic’ conditioned responses in the areas of all-terrain driving, field expedient repair and vehicle recovery techniques. Cultural and language training is directed at—survival language skills and tactical phrases, hostile and inter-cultural negotiations, surveillance detection and counter surveillance techniques, as well as advanced cultural and social interaction. At the core of weapons training lives advanced tactical training and security services based upon US and Israeli techniques and practices that are proven, effective and field tested.

Training may be conducted in various locations including Fort William H. Harrison, Limestone Hills Training Area, and Circle L Ranch. Each training area consists of thousands of acres with elevations over 5,000ft, all of which offer distinct advantages for units deploying to high altitude areas.

Upon completion of training students are able to effectively achieve their mission objectives and increase their survivability in a high altitude environment.

Contact The Peak Team
for
High-Altitude Pre-Deployment Training

Rod Alne, CMSgt PJ (USAF ret.)
111 Airport Road
Butte, MT 59701
(406) 494-7999
rod.alne@thepeakinc.com

The Peak Inc has taken the plunge into the social media stream- We are now available on Facebook and strongly urge you to come by and check us out. We have tons of exciting photos, videos, and useful links we'll be sharing on a regular basis. Best of all you can upload your photos and videos from your experience with The Peak and your adventures thereafter. Share what you can, we get great joy from seeing our training in use, more importantly where it's needed most- Where Performance Matters.Stay Safe and in Touch.