Ggby Volunteer Guide
User Manual:
Open the PDF directly: View PDF 
.
Page Count: 19
Unique
Volunteer Guide
1 What is ggby?
2 volunteers
3 Rigging & Safety
4 Space Net
5 Transportation
6 Nourishment
7 Medical
8 Leave No trace
9 intelligence
10 media
11 workshops
_____________________________
What is GGBY?
GGBY is an annual gathering of the international highline community over the canyons
of Moab, Utah . GGBY, which stands for Gobble Gobble Bitches Yeah, takes place during
Thanksgiving week each year and was conceived over a decade ago by a group of
highliners who gathered informally to celebrate and have fun. The gathering has grown
to include hundreds of participants and spectators and has received international
recognition for the visually striking aesthetics of the canyons and the shenanigans. 2018
marks the 11th year of GGBY and the second year of official organization
GGBY Highline Gathering is first and foremost a community gathering with a mission of
service. Slackline U.S., a 501(c)(3) non-profit that works to serve the US slackline
community at the national level, is the official organizing body of GGBY and seeks to
maintain an organic feel while helping maintain access for the community. Slackline US
and local GGBY facilitators are working with local land managers and officials to keep
an stewards to the Fruit Bowl Highline Area.
Mission
Our mission is to facilitate adventurous experiences and meaningful connections with
friends, our community, the environment, and ourselves through highlining, workshops
and other flow activities.
Values
Empowering, supporting, and inspiring others
Treating all individuals with respect, honesty, and integrity
Stewardship in the protection and service of the planet
______________________
What’s a Volunteer?
Core Team Concepts
(Courtesy of the Northern Arizona Highline Gathering)
●Teamwork Makes the Dream Work - Feel the cog, be the cog.
●Care for Each Other! - To keep our badass volunteer team strong over the
course of the gathering, we will need to take amazing care of each other! If you
notice that someone needs something, make sure they get it.
●See Something Say Something - Yes, the 4 S’s! Whether you notice
inappropriate sexual advances, rigging errors, or a noob not checking their knot
properly, please speak up and encourage a safe space to share concerns and
raise awareness!
●Stay Balanced - Remember to take personal time, rest and have fun! If us
volunteersdon’t appear to be having fun, it will affect everyone at the gathering.
If you are overly stressed and are in the middle of a shift, holler out on the radio
and we will help you out!. Please do not abuse this.
Responsibilities
●Volunteers are to remain sober on shift.
●Yes, it’s a volunteer role, but
please
be on time.
●Emergency preparedness (see emergency protocol below)
●The food prep team will be feeding
over 70 people
. We want everyone to feel
nourished and provided for, but please be mindful when going for seconds.
●Please do not walk from the parking lot to the Fruit Bowl empty-handed if there
are things to be carried (e.g. food, equipment, fire wood, water, etc.)
●To relieve pressure on the LNT team, please make every effort to poo in the
parking lot porta potties, and spread the word to other festival-goers to do the
same!
●Everyone should be receiving buddy checks before getting on the highlines!
This is incredibly important, so please lead by example. If you need a refresher,
check out this ISA post.
Perks
●Volunteers will have ticket fee waived. At checkout, use coupon code
‘TWIZZLERS’
●Workshop teachers will receive one free day pass for each workshop taught. At
checkout, use ‘REESES’
●Volunteers will receive breakfast, lunch, and dinner (courtesy of the Food Prep
team!)
Our Promise to You
It’s a huge priority for the organizational team that you feel safe, appreciated and supported
throughout the gathering.
Remember that your organizers are here for YOU as much as anyone else. Please never
hesitate to speak up or reach out for any reason at all--before, during and even after the
gathering.
Yes, we will all be exhausted together by the end of this--but if we do things right, we’ll also
feel deeply nourished and walk back into the world standing tall and overflowing with
inspiration.
Closing sentence? Get stoked!
Welcome to this
massive team of
76 humans
The Nylon Ninjas
Your team is your lifeline. Where one maybe fall short, the rest will carry. We will carry
each other through the toughest of breaks, and we will glide with one another on the
highest of cliffs. We
highly
recommend familiarizing yourself with your fellow team
members before the gathering. Use this information to benefit your own experience
and the experience of everyone at the gathering. With a concerted effort from each of
you, we will leave the fruit bowl empty, and the hearts of us and all of our friends
overflowing
Team Members
Dan Walsh, President, Slackline U.S.,
Mr. President
Rigging
Jerry Miszewski, Team Coordinator
These humans get the rope across. Love them.
Rafael Bridi
Dani Schmidt
Friedi Kuhne
Mia Noblet
Greg Fishell
Mauro Poletti
Dakota Collins
Zac Timmons
Josh Rovder
Gerald Situ
Bryan Sipe
Will Primrose
Jacob Adamson
Pablo Signoret
Nick Dean
Space Net
Ryan Jenks, Team Coordinator
These humans build the spider web. Love them.
River Echeverria
Garrison Rowland
Michael Melner
Kiley Hartigan
Kimberly Weglin
Medical
Ethan Arkin, Team Coordinator
These humans are basically Doctor Who. Love them.
Wade Desai
Alli Gordon
Justin Smestad
Scooter Finney
Sarah Hill
Kate Hives
Josef Saunders
Media
Scott Rogers, Team Coordinator
These humans record community into history. Love them.
Katrin Bell
Aidan Williams
Michael Madsen
Information Desk
Maddie Mckenzie, Team Coordinator
These humans record community into history. Love them.
Bianca Brzezinski
RJ Roush
Steven Milov
Feagann Harlow
Taylor Virginia
Philip Queen
Matt Dunkleberger
Food Preparation
Tiffany Jade, Team Coordinator
These humans nourish you. Love them.
Alexandra Reynaldo
Josh Richardson
Dalton Snow
Josh Beaudoin
Michelle Griffith
Eric Z
Mia Kerry
Debb Ashby
Rachel Anne
Jacque Garcia
Stephen Burns
Shuttle
Nick Olson, Team Coordinator
These humans transport you. Love them.
Marshall Leaver
Savannah Steamer
Nick DeTone
Breann Bassler
Leave No Trace
Jesse Faircloth, Team Coordinator
These humans take care of the land. Love them.
Ashley Meyer
Sean Hawkins
Jenny O’Neil
Alex Wallace
Ben Judson
Alex Patton
Kat Nebrida
Athena Gilliam
Heather Larsen
Lorenzo DeMuro
Workshop Teachers
Rachel Dobos, Team Coordinator
These humans share their knowledge with you. Love them.
Louie Wray
Alexandra Reynaldo
Michelle Griffith
Tiffany Jade
Dani Schmidt
Liz Thomas
Josh Beaudoin
Brian Mosbaugh
Bianca B.
RJ Roush
Anna Littleton
Sara Kokkelenberg
Will Primrose
Leila Noone
Kali Turner
Sarah Hill
Damon Hill
Ashley Meyer
Jeramiah Morgan
Maddie Mckenzie
Jess Joy
Liz Galloway
Dany Bouchard
Zac Timmons
Andrew Gasparis
Schedule
You can find the Detailed, current event schedule
and descriptions in the GGBY app!
Rigging & Safety
All rigging modifications must go through the lead rigger on shift. Rigs will be
standardized as much as anchors and equipment allow. If you see something odd and
aren't sure about it, run it by a rigger before changing it. Use a radio!
At this year’s GGBY, all anchor points will be either old “Terry-style” wedge bolts or new
glue-in eye bolts. Every anchor will use a Hang-Frame and a custom-designed crash pad to
ensure that soft materials like rope and webbing will never touch the cliff edge in any way If
you are not a rigger but are curious to learn more, ask someone on the rigging team to explain
the basic framework of the rigging at GGBY.
Rigs will be checked every day before lines open at 8 AM, and again around mid-day. A
standardized rig-checking protocol will be employed. Lines close at 6 PM, unless we are night
lining!
Standard Bolt Rigging Protocol
3-4 Point BFK to Hang-Frame
All tree wrap main anchors will be formed with a spanset, using a “bgebz” knot with an
integrated weblock. Integrating the weblock will help us save steel connectors for other
purposes, like connecting backup lines. All main anchors, even spansets, will be backed-up.
Webbing connections
All main lines will be connected using either sewn loops or weblocks. Backup lines will use
either sewn loops or sleeved frost knots. Webbing connectors that stand any chance of
vibrating loose (I’m looking at you, shackle pins) will be zip-tied closed after being tightened
with a wrench.
Hang-Frames
Will be secured to the anchor using several ratchet straps to prevent any slippage either
forwards or backwards. Each Hang-Frame will have a true SRENE (Strong, Redundant,
Equalized, Non-Extending) master point incorporated into it.
Abrasion protection
The combination of the new Hang-Frames and customized crash pads will prevent all
possibility of abrasion for both the main and backup line on almost every single rig. In the
event that a crash pad doesn’t completely cover the cliff edge, Sidewinder webbing sleeves
will be used.
Buddy Checks!
Please familiarize yourself with a figure 8 knot to the point of insanity. Ensure your waist
harness fits and can be double backed. Become comfortable asking for buddy checks for
yourself and for those around you. While it does not need to be something we enforce, we
should as a team, be extremely aware of the individual level of awareness of each participant
in the moment. Most accidents in the climbing / highlining world happen because of comfort
and complacency to simple, seemingly-obvious issues like failure to complete a knot.
Awareness, alive, lack of awareness, dead. Stay aware, stay alive
SPACE Net
General Procedures
We are aiming to have 15 spacenets all interwoven this year into “Netropolis”. That is a lot of
surface area so don’t be an idiot and think we can fill it up with monkeys. Please help us limit
the # of slackers who get on the system and please help us keep everyone tied in while they
get their selfies and do their yoga. Did you know having lots of different space net legs is NOT
redundant? It is a liability! IF just 1 leg goes then the whole system will go limp and anyone
not attached could fly off. Let’s keep this slack art project fun and safe!
Medical
Stay calm. Call for help. Remain with the patient.
GGBY will have 8 volunteer medics, including 2 supervisors. The team is made up of nurses, a
doctor, WFRs and a chiropractor with various levels of experience and training in outdoor
medicine and critical care.
From 9am-6pm, 2 medics and 1 supervising medic will be on radio at all times. During off hours
a supervising medic will carry a radio.
On call medics can be identified by reflective “MEDIC” armbands:
The Med tent is prominently located at the opening of the Fruit Bowl, and will have the
following 2 flags hung on it:
Last year we learned the majority of incidents that required our services were minor wounds.
However, the medical team will have tools to respond to a variety of threats to life and limb,
including:
●Backboard (spine injuries & loss of mobility)
●Automated External Defibrillator (Cardiac Arrest)
●Epi-pen(s) (Allergic Reaction)
●Narcan (Opioid reversal agent for overdose)
●Tourniquet (serious extremity bleedingk)
●Satellite phone for rapid evacuation.
As a volunteer and participant you may witness an event that becomes an emergency. If you
find yourself in a situation that you are not 100% certain you can handle do not hesitate to
CALL FOR HELP!
Here are few helpful guidelines to follow if you encounter an emergency:
1. Stay calm and take a deep breath. It is normal to feel panicked or scared during an
emergency. Tactical breathing is an effective practice for maintaining your cool:
2. Take another deep breath! Yup, it’s that important.
3. Assess the scene--is it safe? Are you putting yourself in any danger? If there is
any risk to yourself, hold back and get help. Saving two people is 100% more
effort than saving one.
4. If you find someone unresponsive, first try to wake them up, then see if they
are breathing or have a pulse. To check for breathing, watch their chest for rise
and fall, or feels for breath from the nose and mouth. Feel for a pulse between
the throat and neck muscles:
If there is no pulse, begin chest compressions.
*Even if you are not CPR certified, any compressions are better than no
compression.
5. Call for help (YELL if you have to) and do not leave the patient unless
absolutely necessary.
Emergency Protocols
First, find someone with a radio and raise the On-Call Organizer.
While we all so earnestly hope everything goes smoothly as planned, shit does happen. Here
are some things to keep in mind during an “emergency”. At least one of us organizers will be
on call during all line-open hours. That means one of us will always be on radio, be sober, and
have a line grip, rescue kit and medical kit within arm’s reach. This person will be ready to
respond for anything you might need.
Highline Emergencies
A comprehensive highline rescue kit will be on hand during all line-open hours. Us organizers
are well-versed in the rescue protocol; volunteers should only be needed for assistance with
hauling victims.
Medical Emergencies
Several team members have emergency medical training. At least one comprehensive medical
kit appropriate for WFR scope of practice will be on hand at all times. A detailed emergency
medical plan has been filed with the Forest Service.
Intellect
Check-in Procedure
Overview - The information desk will serve as a single point of information for participants,
coordinators, organizers, and volunteers during the festival. With that being the case, there is a
likelihood that volunteers will be asked questions that they don’t have the answers to.
Volunteers should always feel comfortable communicating with the coordinator/assistant that
the question pertains to or using the resources provided at the check-in desk to answer
questions. Online ticket sales will close and final ticket sales information will be printed and
added to a check-in booklet along with other resources such as workshop schedule, and
highline information. The records for ticket sales are kept in the check-in booklet AT ALL TIMES.
Check In - Upon a participants arrival to the gathering, the volunteer on schedule will confirm
if the participant has purchased a ticket using the printed records of ticket sales. If the
participant has purchased a ticket they should be given the appropriate wrist band and confirm
information in booklet is correct/filled out by the volunteer. The volunteer will highlight the
participants name to indicate they have checked in. In case of lost wristband participant can
obtain a new wrist band at any time according to the records in the check in booklet.
Before entering the gathering the participant must sign all waivers. The volunteers on schedule
should confirm if the participant has signed waivers during online ticket purchases. If they have
not, they can fill out a physical form which will be stored in the check-in booklet.
If the participant has not purchased a ticket they can purchase a ticket upon arrival with cash or
credit and then issued the appropriate wristband. The volunteer on schedule will document the
participants info according to the check-in booklet before the participant may enter the
gathering. In the event that the card reader does not work properly, the volunteer on schedule
should document participants credit card information according to the check in sheet for post
gathering purchases. Hi Maddie I love you <3 Heeeeyyyy <3 great work :) Is this the kind of info
youre looking for? Everything I’m adding is in blue
Thanks so much it looks great.youre great no you are we are <3 <3 <3
Add to list if not on it. Line mounting exercise. Give correct wristband, write last day paid on
wristband and list. Give handout card, Huppies, T-shirt.
Attendee orientation - The volunteers on schedule should give the participant entering the
festival a rundown of festival protocol, including bathrooms (which and how to use), LNT, open
hours for lines, where to direct questions/how to identify/contact volunteers, line mount and
leash climb test. Upon arrival volunteers should encourage participants to sign up for a
Slackline U.S membership to receive discounts, purchase t-shirts, download the GGBY mobile
app, and how to read the map of the Fruit Bowl.
Bathrooms (which to use and how), LNT, Open hours for lines, Who to ask questions
(Volunteers in purple shirts), Line mount test for highline access, BEGINNER Orientation-Please
don’t get on until you can mount the line and leash climb, please stay on the two beginner
lines until you send one.
Medical - Use radio to contact person on call. First aid kit at table.
Forest service - Use radio to contact person on call.
Nourishment
Give praise to the team who feeds you!
Give praise to the team who feeds you!
Breakfast 8-10 AM
Lunch 1230-2 PM
Dinner 6-7 PM
Bring your own utensils! Bowl, Fork, Spoon, Cup! :) <3
A comprehensive highline rescue kit will be on hand during all line-open hours. Us organizers
are well-versed in the rescue protocol; volunteers should only be needed for assistance with
hauling victims.
Thanksgiving Potluck!
A comprehensive highline rescue kit will be on hand during all line-open hours. Us organizers
are well-versed in the rescue protocol; volunteers should only be needed for assistance with
hauling victims.
Transportation
Shuttle Drivers. You are responsible for traveling back and forth between the Fruitbowl,
Parking Lot A, and Parking Lot B. You will be transporting attendees, volunteers, gear, and
whatever else needs moving. We have set up designated hours, and have helped make
participants aware of these hours.
Sunday 3pm - 6pm
Monday 8am - Noon & 2pm - 8pm
Tuesday 8am - Noon & 2pm - 8pm
Wednesday 8am - Noon & 2pm - 8pm
Thursday 8am - Noon & 2pm - 8pm
Friday 8am - Noon & 2pm - 8pm
Saturday 8am - 1pm
Volunteers. You are responsible for checking up on each of the three areas (Fruitbowl, Parking
Lot A, and Parking Lot B) three times each day, while riding along with the Shuttle Drivers. We
need to ensure that people are parking in the correct areas (only in Parking Lots A & B unless
they have a pass for the Fruitbowl lot), and parking in the correct way, so that they’re not
damaging the environment. You will have Warning Tickets to put on any cars that are parked
in the wrong lot or parked improperly, and if needed we can try to track people down.
Volunteers will also be helping setup on Sunday (11/18) afternoon, and tear-down on Saturday
(11/24) morning.
Leave no trace
Leave No Trace, Pack-In Pack-Out (100%) and Zero Waste are some of the most
common programs for promoting sustainability and protecting our beautiful outdoors.
Unfortunately, these practices are nearly impossible to achieve because they require a
communal awareness and simply put, humans create waste. When we camp and play outside,
we leave footprints, urine spots, ashes and create trash … not to mention where all our fancy
gear come from. Even when we buy food from the grocery store chances are we are create a
byproduct. Now to add insult to injury, due to limited resources and the remoteness of Moab
most of the trash and many recyclable products that are “Properly Disposed” of will likely end
up ONLY 10 miles North of the Fruit Bowl in the Klondike Landfill!
However, NOT ALL IS LOST, the traces we leave can range from long-term to short
term and from negative to positive. The cool part about sustainability is we can choose how we
would like to impact the areas around us. By educating ourselves, working as a community and
giving an honest effort we could possibly even leave places better than we found them.
Below are some of ways we can work together to protect the Fruit Bowl and the surrounding
DESERT. Do not be afraid to share this information or afraid to hold others to these standards.
Keep in mind that sustainability practices are often strongly based on the environment in
which we are currently occupying and can change dramatically from place to place. More
detailed information about local ecosystems can be found on the Canyonlands National Park
Service website: https://www.nps.gov/cany/index.htm
FIRE/FIREWOOD/TREE USAGE
DO NOT CUT, BREAK OFF, OR GATHER FIREWOOD
- Please use wood provided by GGBY
- Packing-In wood for yourself and friends is always a way to insure a warm night
- The average campfire can be one of our largest impacts
- Bigger isn’t always better
- Using community fire pits saves wood and is a great way to make new friends
We all love and enjoy the classic campfire when we are spending time outside, it
provides a cozziness to the camp, heat to keep us warm, a way to prepare food, and in some
cases a sense of safety from the wilderness.
However, in the Moab DESERT trees, shrubs and other plant life struggle to survive
with less 9 inches of rain a year and little to no soil . As a result of these extreme conditions
many plants grow very slow. Please DO NOT sling hammocks or rig slacklines off the trees in
the Fruit Bowl area. Also be sure to remove all string and cordage tied around trees because
over time it can restrict growth and physically “Choke” or “Strangle” a tree. More information
can be found on Canyonlands National Park Services website:
https://www.nps.gov/cany/learn/nature/treesandshrubs.htm
“
Mixed stands of Pinyon Pine and Utah Juniper cover millions of acres in the southwest. In
Canyonlands, pinyon-juniper woodlands thrive on mesa tops like the Island in the Sky and the Orange
Cliffs west of the Maze. As elevation decreases, trees become more scattered.
Pinyon pines have crooked trunks, reddish bark and are very slow growing. Trees 4 to 6 inches
in diameter and 10 feet tall may be 80 to 100 years old. Their root systems are extensive and often mirror
the size of the above ground tree.
The Utah juniper is the classic desert tree. Its twisting, often-dead branches seem to epitomize
the struggle of life with little water. When moisture is scarce, a juniper will actually stop the flow of fluids
to some outer branches so that the tree has a better chance for survival.
”
f
NON ACCEPTABLE RECYCLING
ACCEPTABLE RECYCLING
Private Compost (GGBY STAFF)
#1 plastics ( Clamshells )
Aluminum Cans
Food Scraps(No Meat/Oil)
#2 plastic (Frosted and Colored Containers )
Steel Cans
Coffee Grounds
#3-#7 plastics (Mainly Food Containers )
Corrugated Brown Cardboard
Coffee Filter
Plastic Film, Bags, and Wrappers
#1 Plastic Water Bottles
Tea Bags
Newspaper
#2 Plastic (Milk Jugs Only)
Egg shells
Mix Fiber, Wax or Painted Cardboard
Brown Paper Towels
Styrofoam
Brown Paper Napkins
Aerosol cans
Glass
REMINDER: All other residential and commercial waste goes to the 80 acre
Klondike Landfill (Class 1 facility), less than 10 miles North of the Fruit Bowl,
where it is BURIED!!
Thank You!
Thank you everyone for being a part of this beautiful gathering!
This guide is courtesy of Louie Wray, Zac Timmons, & Greg Fishell of the Northern Arizona
Highline Gathering. If you find them, tell them thank you and ask to hug them!!!
