Improvised Emergency Toboggan

During my epic adventure yesterday, after the first time I twisted my knee, I started thinking about self-rescue techniques that usually linger in my mind when I head out into the back country, more as an EMT rather than just a safety-conscious skier or climber. I remembered a few techniques I had read about that either left a lot of questions unanswered or required commercially built equipment to complete the package. Today, I spent it all spreading out the things I would carry for single day back country tours, ski-mountaineering tours, or multi-day skiing tours. After trial and error, I came up with my own improvised sled using the stuff I religiously carry on tours:

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What you see in this photo:
Pair of K2 AT skis with rescue holes in the tips
Pair of Black Diamond Expedition Ski Poles
Black Diamond Raven Ice Axe (even though somehow I forgot it yesterday...)
15 ft untied prussik (7 mm soon to be replaced with 6 mm cord) with a standard carabiner
Black Diamond Deploy Shovel
x2 Brooks Range Ski Straps

Not shown:
x3 more ski straps I always have in my pack for a total of 5


This is the process I came up with:

Step 1:
Align the rescue holes in the tips of my skis:

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Step 2:
Feed the prussik through the holes to it's halfway point

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Step 3:
Disassemble shovel and place underneath the tips of the skis. Thread the cord from the skis through the top holes of the shovel.

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Step 4
Cross the cord over the tops of the tips of the skis and thread them through the bottom holes of the shovel.

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Step 5
Tie a bend (a connecting knot) in the ends of the cord and clip the standard biner that was used to rack the cord into the bend created by the cord.

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Step 6
Thread ski straps through the holes in the head and end of the ice axe.

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Step 7
Lash ice axe to the tails of the skis.

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Step 8
Lash the ski poles (the patient's ski poles preferably) to the skis in the front and back of the bindings. Note: with my skis, I was able to use my ski leashes to lash the front pole to my skis.

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Step 9
Real important for your patient's well being: if your skis have them, remove their crampons!

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For day long tours, this is the extent of the gear I carry. It's not the most comfortable toboggan but it's definitely usable and pretty sturdy. If I were doing a multi-day tour, I could take the following extra steps to reduce hypothermia and further injuries:

Step 10
Lay a sleeping pad on top of your newly improvised toboggan (if yours is inflatable as is mine blowing it up would help).

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Step 11
Lay a sleeping bag onto the pad with the head somewhere close to the shovel. Note: preferably I would put the patient into the bag before putting them onto the toboggan. It would be to their benefit to get them into a warm environment (i.e. a sleeping bag) as soon as you've finished an assessment on them.

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Stay 12
Since on major tours (climbing, skiing, backpacking, etc) I carry a full 7 meter cordalette, I took the liberty to use it to lash the patient (in this case a comforter and a few t-shirts in a balaclava and ski goggles) to the toboggan utilizing the ski poles as lashing points.

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Considering I was pretty sore from yesterday and I have no life, I spent all day toying around with ideas and perfecting it to my liking. Hopefully next weekend I can find a patch of snow and a willing victim to test this out!