Redmond, Oregon, United States ISTRO Tactical Rope Master (Level 3) ISTRO Tactical Instructor ISTRO Tactical Assessor Eddy Cartaya brings over 37 years’ experience in tactical rope operations and instruction from his military and law enforcement special operations profession. After graduating from West Point in 1990 with a degree in aerospace engineering, he had careers in the military, and state & federal law enforcement agencies, all of which had tactical rope operations applications. His operational and teaching experience includes military mountaineering, urban tactical rope operations, back country rope operation with tracking teams, and protester intervention with the US Forest Service. Eddy is an experienced mountain rescue leader, certified cave rescue instructor, and a certified arborist who is fluid on rope in a variety of industries. Eddy has been a vertical caver, ice climber, and mountaineer since 1987, and now coordinates and leads science-oriented glacier cave expeditions for international teams and glacier rover testing for NASA. Eddy is a professional trainer in tactical rope operations, cave & rescue operations, advanced & specialty firearms training, and tactical tracking operations. Currently he is the curriculum coordinator for the National Park Service technical rescue school and a trainer-director with the Vertical Training Commission of the NSS. Formerly an ITRA certified instructor / assessor in technical rope and tactical rope operations, as well as a delegate to the International Commission of Alpine Rescue (ICAR). Having retired from federal service in 2021, Eddy now runs his own training center, Direct Action Vertical, Inc. to train extreme environment, ultra-light rope operations to law enforcement, military, and civilian mountain & cave rescue.

Tillamook, Oregon, United States ISTRO Tactical Level 3 (Rope Master) ISTRO Tactical Instructor Matt Gordon is a tactical Rope Instructor with over 19 years of service with the Oregon State Police, including 15 years with the Mobile Response Team and 10 years on the Oregon State Police Tactical Ropes Team. Matt has a desire to help build the international tactical ropes community by sharing experiences learned over his time in the field in his role as the Treasurer of ISTRO.

Santiago, Chile ISTRO Tactical Rope Master (Level 3) ISTRO Tactical Instructor Axel has five years of experience as a tactical rope instructor and eight years of experience in mountain search and rescue, in addition to six years as an instructor for remote areas first aid programs and wilderness emergency response personnel. His passion for mountaineering for over 15 years, in addition to his training and studies, have been dedicated to sharing his knowledge with emergency personnel in various fields. He is currently one of the directors and lead instructors for Cerberus Adviser Group (CAG Training), a Chilean company that offers ISTRO's tactical ropes programs in South America. Beyond his training as an instructor, Axel has university degrees in medical technology and is currently completing his law degree. His greatest motivation is to be able to provide new knowledge and skills from ISTRO programs for those who serve in various agencies and are dedicated to protecting and help others.

Jamberoo, New South Wales, Australia ISTRO Tactical Rope Master (Level 3) ISTRO Tactical Instructor Roland Curll is a Tactical Rope Instructor with over 27 years of service in the New South Wales Police Force, Australia — including 23 years with the elite Rescue and Bomb Disposal Unit. His career has focused on technical rescue, tactical operations, and high-angle environments in both urban and remote conditions. Roland is the founder of Alias Rescue, a global training company delivering customized rescue education for wilderness professionals, law enforcement, and military teams. With decades of field leadership, he combines real-world operational knowledge with a commitment to high standards in tactical rope instruction. Beyond his law enforcement career, Roland is an accomplished alpinist and climber. His experience spans the Canadian Rockies, Swiss and French Alps, and ascents of Mount Elbrus (Russia), Vinson Massif (Antarctica), Denali (USA), and Aconcagua (Argentina) to name a few. Roland brings a lifetime of operational wisdom, a passion for mentorship, and a relentless pursuit of safety and innovation to his role with ISTRO.

Corvallis, Oregon, United States ISTRO Tactical Rope Master (Level 3) ISTRO Tactical Instructor ISTRO Tactical Assessor Scott Linn is a Tactical Rope Instructor, a caver, and 30+ year mountain rescue member who enjoys technical rope work and scientific documentation of caves. He started caving in 1982 with lava tubes and cold alpine marble caves, and has been on international caving expeditions to Canada, Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, Peru, Ecuador and India to discover, explore, map, and document caves. A lifelong learner, he is the graduate of the Italian CNSAS cave rescue class of 2022 and takes his extensive experience and teaches new and different rope rescue techniques that can be applied to tactical rope work, Small Party Rescue (SPAR) as well as mountain rescue. Scott has taught Tactical Rope courses for many years, specialty firearms courses, and most recently been working with Jet Propulsion Laboratory employees to teach them Single Rope Techniques (SRT), glacial travel and working in austere glacial moulin shafts in Canada to test space exploration robots. In his downtime he is a 36+ year member of the Corvallis Mountain Rescue Unit when not traveling the world.

Nampa, Idaho, United States ISTRO Tactical Rope Master (Level 3) ISTRO Tactical Instructor Scott McCain is a 25-year veteran of the Nampa Police Department, where he serves as a Patrol Division Supervisor and Tactical Response Team (TRT) Leader. During his 23 years on the TRT, he oversees tactical planning, training, and curriculum development for the team. Scott has also served as Supervisor of the School Resource Officer Division and as an investigator in the Narcotics Division. A bilingual officer, he provides critical communication capabilities during high-risk incidents and community engagement. He is an internationally certified rope instructor through the Industrial Rope Access Trade Association (IRATA) and the International Technical Rescue Association (ITRA). His additional certifications include Explosive Breacher, Rappel Master, Night Vision Operations Instructor, and Tactical Medicine (TacMed) Instructor. Outside of his operational duties, Scott serves as Pipe Major for the Nampa Police Department and Boise Police Department Bagpipe and Drum Bands, leading ceremonial honors throughout the region.