Alpine Tips
What’s a “Unicore” rope?
A regular climbing rope is made with the core and the sheath as two separate components. A Unicore rope, made by the French company Beal, bonds the core and the sheath together, resulting in a rope that has much greater resistance to catastrophic damage.
image credit: screengrab from: https://youtu.be/K83a5zH014I
A standard climbing rope is made of two parts: the dynamic stretchy core, and the colorful protective sheath. (Another term for this is a ”kernmantle” rope, from the German, “kern” = core, “mantle” = sheath.) Andy Kirkpatrick has a memorable way to describe this: The sheath of the rope is like the muscles around your intestines, it holds all the soft inside parts together and protects it. =^)
Typically, the core and the sheath are manufactured separately and are not connected together. Most of the time this works great, but if the sheath of the rope gets damaged, especially when the rope is under tension, it can separate dramatically, also known as a “core shot”. This can: 1) cause you to wish you brought your brown pants that day, and 2), immediately retire your rope (if you're still alive.)
Thankfully, modern climbing ropes are plenty durable enough in most applications, and we're not hearing about ropes regularly self-destructing. However, there are a few cases where having an extra durable rope can be a good thing:
single skinny alpine lead ropes
big walls (more below)
a remote and longer trip where you need your lead rope to stay in good condition
Solution: a “Unicore” (aka “bonded sheath”) rope, created by the French company Beal around 2012, has the core and sheath glued together. With a Unicore rope, the sheath can get a cut, but the sheath does not separate from the core like with a kernmantle rope, and the rope (probably) remains still usable.
To use another anatomy example, think of it as how your skin is attached to the tissue underneath it.
Beal has a wide variety of ropes available with Unicore technology, from skinny alpine, to sport climbing, to burly big wall 10.5mm. (Some other manufacturers have their own version, such as the Maxim Platinum, Edelwiess Element, and the PMI Extreme Pro. (These companies mentioned Unicore technology, so I don't know if that's under license from Beal, or their own proprietary system.)
Especially for big wall climbing, you want ropes (lead and haul) that are as stout and abuse-resistant as possible. Your partner who's cleaning your pitch will especially appreciate your fine choice of rope, as, they jumar that single strand that’s loaded over an edge thousands of feet off the ground!
Also, in big wall climbing you're using ascenders with teeth on them, which can be especially hard on ropes.
With a Unicore rope, a small nick does not turn into catastrophic damage, so even if your rope does get slightly cut, you can (usually) continue to climb with it.
The Beal Top Gun Unicore 10.5 / 70 meter would be an excellent choice for your next big wall adventure.
For a more alpine mountaineering type rope, the 9.4 mm Beal Joker Unicore 9.1 would be a good choice. Finally, if you want one of the lightest single ropes available, check out the Beal Opera Unicore 8.5 (which I have and really like). Having the Unicore technology on a small diameter rope can boost your confidence when you see it loaded over an edge . . .
(Reminder: there are no affiliate marketing links or paid product promotions on Alpinesavvy. I’m writing about Unicore ropes because I think they're cool, and providing these links as a courtesy, not because I make many money off it.)
Here's a nice diagram from Beal and the American distributor Liberty Mountain. It shows a few other benefits: you can cut the end of the rope without it getting all fuzzy, it prevents the sheath from slipping, and there is much less water absorption.
image credit: http://libertymountainclimbing.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-real-truth-about-unicore.html
Video from Beal on some vicious rope abuse and impressive Unicore results. (Warning, viewer discretion is advised. =^)
Video from PMI with more rope abuse:
Petzl Traxion pulleys - Micro vs Nano
The Petzl Traxion series of progress capture pulleys are an increasingly popular piece of gear. Let's have a closer look at the Micro and the Nano, learn some of their common functions, a few key differences, and some of the crafty things you can do with them.
The Traxion series of progress capture pulleys, made by Petzl, are an increasingly popular piece of gear. Let's have a closer look the two suitable for alpine climbing, the Micro Traxion and relatively new Nano Traxion.
Before we get into these, a word on the other two flavors of Traxion, the Mini and the Pro.
The red Mini Traxion is discontinued, but still available used. It’s a fine piece of gear for certain big wall applications, but it's too heavy for most alpine climbing.
The yellow/black Pro Traxion is popular with big wall climbers to pull up your haul bags, but it's way too big for the alpine world so we're not gonna cover it here. (If you get the Pro, be sure and get the newer model. It’s a big improvement over version 1.0.)
Micro and Nano Traxion: things in common
Both are rated 91% efficient. (Keep in mind that this “efficiency rating” is tested under optimal laboratory conditions, probably with a low stretch, small diameter rope. My “garage” testing of these devices with an older 8.5mm dynamic rope gives an efficiency of about 72% for the Nano, and about 76% for the Micro.)
Both have a way to attach a keeper cord. (This is obvious on the Nano, and harder to see on the Micro.)
Both work on frozen or muddy ropes.
Both can be used with the 6mm Petzl PURline and RADline static ropes. (This is maybe a little confusing, because the technical documentation for these devices says that 8mm (Micro) and 7mm (Nano) are the smallest diameter ropes allowed.)
Both are best used with a oval locker or HMS locker, not a D shaped locker.
Micro Traxion overview
Weight: 85 grams
Retail price: $130
Pass a locking carabiner sleeve through the clip point? YES
Retract and hold the toothed cam? YES
Rope size: 8 to 11 mm
Nano Traxion overview
Weight: 53 grams
Retail price: $100
Pass a locking carabiner sleeve through the clip point? NO
Retract and hold the toothed cam? NO
Rope size: 7 to 11 mm
Comes in stealth black =^)
Micro Traxion on left, Nano on right. Note the toothed cam is in the “locked open” on the Micro. Can’t lock open the cam on the Nano, but you can open the cam manually and hold it in place.
Both models have a spot to attach a keeper cord, if that’s your thing.
What can you do with a Traxion pulley?
Set up a drop C system for crevasse rescue, which gives you a 2:1 mechanical advantage, and puts the progress capture on the person in the hole, not on top.
Set up a “Z drag” system for crevasse rescue, which gives you a 3:1 mechanical advantage and perfect progress capture without futzing with a pulley and annoying friction hitches to hold the load.
Improvised rope ascending system, combine with a friction hitch or micro ascender like a Petzl Tibloc to go up a fixed rope.
Top Rope Soloing (TRS). One of the most popular applications for this device. (Nope, you won’t learn that on Alpinesavvy, Google is your amigo.)
Haul packs or lighter haul bags, with the Traxion on the anchor.
Set up a “far end haul” with a 2:1 mechanical advantage on the bag. (Nerdy big wallers only)
You can belay your second directly off the anchor with a Traxion pulley. But it's best to do it on relatively low angle snow or rock, where the chance of a fall is unlikely, and you’re keeping the rope snug on your second so any fall would not create very much force. With a load above about 4 kN you're gonna start to damage the sheath, as shown in the diagram below. If you choose to use the device this way, please be careful. Petzl has done solid testing on this, and has some major cautions . Read more here before you try this technique.
For putting multiple loads on the same carabiner, it's good practice to put the one receiving the largest load on the spine side of the carabiner. Typically if you're hauling, that's where the pulley should go. See diagram below.
image: https://www.petzl.com/US/en/Sport/Pulleys/MICRO-TRAXION
image: https://www.petzl.com/INT/en/Professional/Choice-of-carabiners-for-hauling-systems-and-pulley-attachment?ProductName=MICRO-TRAXION
What's the best carabiner to use with a Traxion?
The Petzl website gives a bit of contradictory information about this. On one part of their website, they have a clear diagram that an oval or HMS locker is generally preferred, because it allows the pulley to sit in a more symmetrical position. However, in the technical documentation for the Sm’D carabiner, they have a diagram of that D-shaped carabiner being used with the Micro Traction. See diagrams below.
So . . . my read on that is that is: while pretty much any kind of locker is acceptable, you're probably gonna get slightly better results with an oval or, what I use, wide gate HMS belay locker.
image: https://www.petzl.com/INT/en/Professional/Choice-of-carabiners-for-hauling-systems-and-pulley-attachment?ProductName=MICRO-TRAXION
image: https://www.petzl.com/US/en/Sport/Pulleys/MICRO-TRAXION
So, the key question: do you need one?
If you find yourself doing a lot of glacier travel or pack hauling, the answer might be yes. If you're doing more moderate snow climbing and rock climbing without much hauling, then the answer could be no.
This is an expensive item of specialized gear. If you're a beginning climber and building your rack, I suggest getting more commonly used gear first, and perhaps adding this later.
If you already have the Micro, I’d think most people would be pretty happy with this and not want to get the Nano.
If you don't have either, I'd probably recommend the Nano because it's less expensive and lighter and pretty much has the same functionality.
The always amazing Petzl website has a great series of tutorial articles on all the ways you can use this handy device. Read it here.
Finally, check out this short Instagram video that shows using the Mini Traxion for Tyrolean traverse, rope ascending, and large load 1:1 hauling.
(If the embedded video below breaks, you can try here.)
Where do you carry your satcom device?
A satellite communication device can be a critical tool in managing a backcountry emergency. A pretty simple question: should you carry it inside or outside the pack? Here's a pretty comprehensive list of pros and cons for both approaches, along with my preference.
A satellite communication device, such as the Garmin inReach, or the one I prefer, the ZOLEO, are increasingly popular for backcountry users (and pretty much mandatory for guides).
What sounds like a fairly simple question: where do you carry it?
There aren’t many options.
Inside your pack
Outside your pack, clipped to a shoulder strap
Outside your pack, in a pocket of your clothing or maybe in a padded pocket on a pack strap
If you have a satcom device, what's your preference?
To a certain extent this is a pedantic question. In the bigger picture, it probably doesn’t matter too much. Do what you want, “Hike Your Own Hike”, blah blah blah.
However, I’m coming at this from the point of view of a climber, where there’s almost always a range of best practices, and not so much as a hiker, where personal choices like this ultimately may not matter very much.
I have my preference, but I have no agenda to convince people to do it. With this article, I simply want folks to think through what they're doing and realize the pros and cons to different approaches. Have reasons why you do things!
(Here, we're talking about a device that's only for emergency comms, and not for GPS navigation. If using any device for actual navigation, you almost always want to have it outside the pack and accessible.)
Reasons for keep a satcom device INSIDE the pack (my preference):
In a nutshell: Security is more important than accessibility.
Why clip an expensive and potentially mission-critical piece of equipment on the outside of the pack, where it has a much higher likelihood of getting damaged or lost? You probably don’t clip your iPhone to a backpack strap, so why would you do this for a satcom device?
The fewer things clipped to and jangling around on the outside of your pack, the better.
I’ve asked many mountain guides and search and rescue professionals this question. Every single one of them has the same answer: they keep it on the inside of their pack or maybe in a pocket, never on the backpack strap. What does that tell you?
You're going out in a group and at least one other person has one, so any reason for “immediate accessibility” decreases.
My device, the ZOLEO, maintains satellite connectivity just fine when it’s inside my pack, including sending location pings at preset intervals.
If you do take a fall, it gets ripped off of your pack, you're injured and you really need it, you may not have access to it.
Reasons for carrying a satcom device OUTSIDE the pack (on a shoulder strap):
(Not my imagination, I've heard these reasons from other people.)
You feel the need for immediate access to the device, no matter how unlikely that situation might be, and that outweighs potentially losing it or damaging it. (This sentiment seems more common for solo hikers.)
If you’re using it for texting a lot, if you have it on the outside of your pack, you can more easily hear the chirp of an incoming text. (For me, sending non-critical texts is the last thing I want to do when I’m in the backcountry, so this is not an issue for me, but it might be for you.)
If you're using it to send check-in (“all is well”) messages, it's easier to grab it off your pack and send one on-the-go than potentially forgetting to do so after you get to camp.
You've seen pictures in social media or ads about satcom devices clipped to pack straps, and so you think that's how it should be done. (I think it’s a subtle marketing ploy by the satcom companies to encourage the pack strap. Looks better in social media, and free advertising for their device. Not much of that happening if it can’t be seen inside your pack.)
Some devices (like the ZOLEO) come with a little square shaped carabiner, which seems designed to clip onto the flat webbing backpack strap.
To show potential hostile people that you have one, which will hopefully deter any sort of a threat.
If you're in an emergency situation and you get adrenaline-fueled brain malfunction, having it on the outside of your pack might remind you or your partner that you actually have one and you can use it. (Don't laugh, this happened to a friend of mine in a canyoning accident. One of them had a satcom device and they had to deal with a serious accident for a LONG time before they remembered that they had the device.)
One scary story: a backpacker attempted a sketchy river crossing at high water. They were pushed off their feet, ditched their backpack to swim safely to shore, lost their pack, and were then in a serious situation. (This person did NOT have a satcom device). Yes that would suck, but c’mon, how often does something like that happen? If you were in that situation, perhaps you might have the foresight to remove your satcom device from your pack before you did something sketchy and attach it to your body?
“I can get to it more easily in a catastrophe, where I might not be able to get into my pack”. Yes, I can see this might be true if you’re in some sort of boating accident, like ‘“man overboard” in the middle of the ocean or something. But realistically, what’s the scenario when this could happen if you’re hiking or climbing? You could probably come up with some crazy contrived scenario, but if it's a 1 in 100,000 chance of happening, why are you even concerned about it? If you’re so severely injured that you can’t unzip a pocket of your backpack, you’re probably not gonna stay alive long enough for search and rescue (SAR) to be much help anyway.
If you’re unconscious out in the woods and someone else walks by and finds you, they might see the device on the outside of my pack, hopefully know how to properly use it, and call for help. I suppose that's remotely possible, but extremely unlikely. With logic like that, you’d carry your first aid kit dangling around on the outside of your pack, but no one does that. See the previous bullet point; if you're unconscious in the woods, I don't think SAR is likely to be much help.
So, that’s my take on the pros and cons for both approaches.
Like I said, ultimately the more important thing is probably that you have one and know how to use it, either to assist yourself or someone else.
How to use the Beal rope marker
A middle mark on your rope is very important, for both setting up rappels and for safe lowering from one pitch routes. Yes, you can probably use a Sharpie pen, but an easier and longer lasting option is the Beal rope marker. Here are a few tips how to use it, including the not so obvious way to open the bottle.
Most quality ropes these days come with a middle mark from the manufacturer. But . . .
Some don’t
Even if yours did, it can fade over time.
Why is a middle mark important?
It helps you set up your rappel more quickly and safely.
Short rope warning. If you’re single pitch climbing and the belayer notices the middle mark passing through their belay device BEFORE the climber has reached the anchors and plans to lower off, that’s an immediate sign that your rope is too short! STOP, get creative, and next time, bring a longer rope and RFG (Read the Friggin’ Guidebook).
(Hopefully you know the importance of using a closed rope system, which means the ends of the rope are always tied either with a stopper knot or into someone's harness to prevent dropping your partner when lowering or rappelling off the ends of the rope, two of the most common climbing accidents.)
Even if you have a “bi-pattern” rope with a sheath color or pattern that changes in the middle, it can still be a good idea to mark it. Most bi-pattern ropes are extremely obvious, but some are more subtle. Depending on the color and pattern, the change can be hard to see in low light or with a headlamp (ask me how I know this.)
There's been a L O N G debate on the interwebs about the safety of using things like Sharpie pens and laundry markers to mark the middle. We’re not going to rehash those here.
One solution that most people should be comfortable with: go with a recommended product from one of the largest rope manufacturers in the world. The French company Beal offers a rope marker that has a specially formulated ink in a handy dispenser that's designed for use on climbing ropes.
The Beal rope marker is approved by Beal, Edelweiss, Blue Water, Roca, PMI, New England, and Lanex. There are some big names here that are not mentioned: Mammut, Edelrid, and Sterling, to name a few. If you have one of these other ropes, you may want to contact the manufacturer and see if this marker is approved.
(Another option is the rope marking pen from Black Diamond.)
As far as I know, there has never ever been a case of a climbing rope breaking because of some aftermarket middle mark. But there have been dozens of cases of people rappelling off the ends of the ropes, or dropping their partners when lowering because their rope was too short. Let's focus on solutions to real problems, and not invent imaginary ones.
A few tips . . .
Before you start, recommended items are: 1) exam gloves to protect your hands, 2) tape to make a clean line, and 3) something to protect your work surface (like cardboard) from the ink. Do NOT do this on your kitchen table! I suggest working outside. It’s gonna be messy.
To unscrew the dispenser cap, you turn it CLOCKWISE, not counterclockwise. (Silly me, I almost broke the bottle turning it the wrong way.)
Remove the stopper, screw the dispenser cap back on (counterclockwise!) and roll the ink onto your rope. Let it dry, ideally in a well-ventilated ideally outside place for a couple of hours. Done, give yourself a high five.
You have enough ink to do many ropes, invite your friends over.
I've marked a lot of ropes with Sharpie pens, and this Beal marker works much better.
Here's a short video showing the process.
Does the Beal marker weaken the rope? Answer: No.
HowNOT2 tested this. The rope broke at full strength.
The ZOLEO satellite communication device
A satellite communication (satcom) device can be a crucial tool for communicating with search and rescue if you have a backcountry emergency, and handy to check in with concerned people at home. There's a new player in the field that offers several advantages over the competition. Check out the ZOLEO satcom device.
Alpinesavvy was provided with a free ZOLEO satcom device. This in no way affected my opinion and review. There are no ads, paid product promotions or affiliate marketing links on Alpinesavvy. Whenever I get a free product for review, I'll always tell you about it.
ZOLEO is offering a coupon code with free activation for Alpinesavvy readers. Use the code ALPINESAVVY for a $20 USD discount. (This deal comes as a courtesy from the ZOLEO team. I get $0.00 from this offer.)
An emergency satellite locator/communication device was once something pretty much reserved for sailers, pilots, or extreme expeditions - if your ship is sinking, your plane is going down, or polar bear is gnawing on your leg, you could press the SOS button and (hopefully) someone could more easily find your remains.
The older style, called a Personal Locator Beacon, or PLB, is designed for emergency use, one-way transmit only. Push the big button, and your lat-long coordinates and an SOS is (hopefully) sent via satellite to the appropriate local search and rescue (SAR) team.
The main problem with this type of device is that the SAR team has no idea what your actual situation is, so they don't know what kind of resources to send. Do you need a helicopter for a life threatening emergency, or did you just break your ankle and can wait a day or so for a rescue team to walk in?
The newer style of satellite communication (satcom) devices offer two-way text capabilities, which is a significant improvement. Satcom devices are now a much more mainstream, every-day-carry item for many people, even on a casual day hike.
As I write this in summer 2022, the most well-known satcom device is the Garmin inReach. I’ve used this device several times, and it works fairly well. However, there are newer competitors on the market, and after testing one called the ZOLEO (yes, all caps), I think it offers some solid benefits over the inReach.
The primary design principle of the ZOLEO is to have the best possible messaging experience, without trying to also be a GPS navigation device. I think they succeeded. For actual navigation, I prefer a phone app like Gaia GPS, a printed map, and a compass. Zoleo was named “Product of the Year” at the Third Annual Outdoor Retailer Innovation Awards in Jan 2021, that's pretty impressive!
Before we get into the specifics of the ZOLEO, let’s look at the bigger picture of satcom devices in general.
There are four primary ways to use a two way satcom device. In order of importance:
1 - Request help in an emergency. You can text back-and-forth with SAR to tell them the exact details about your problem. (Pro tip: this makes SAR teams VERY happy!) SAR not only knows your exact position, but also what resources they need to help you. When you push the SOS button, the device sends your message and coordinates to GEOS (the international emergency response coordination center.) GEOS then notifies your emergency contacts and coordinates with emergency responders in your area.
2 - For a delay, but no emergency, you can text your at-home contact something like: “Everything’s fine, but we’re running late. Do NOT initiate a rescue.” Preventing an unnecessary SAR mission is hugely important, and it's a big benefit of a satcom device that many people may not fully appreciate.
3- Using the “check-in” feature to send a quick text to a few trusted contacts at home, usually saying something like “All good, here's my location.” While this is probably the most common use, let’s remember this is strictly optional. It’s really meant for anxious or concerned people at home, and does not directly benefit the backcountry traveller. (People have been adventuring for thousands of years without making “check-in” calls, so it's a luxury, not a necessity.)
Side note on all satcom devices like this: sending check-in notifications is fine, but don’t let a lack of check-in become the basis for a rescue. If your satcom device breaks, gets lost, dropped in the lake, or runs out of power, and you’re fine, the last thing you want is to trigger an unnecessary “rescue” because you didn’t send your daily check-in. This has happened often! Make it clear to anyone receiving your check-in messages that LACK of communication does NOT mean you have a serious problem.
4 - Treating it pretty much like texting on your phone, and sending any sort of text that doesn’t fall under the previous three categories. Long distance hikers can connect with other hikers. If you’re car camping in the boonies, you could text someone else the coordinates of your campsite so they can meet you, etc. You get the idea.
Using the Zoleo for daily check ins on a recent trip down the wild and scenic rogue River in southern Oregon.
What separates ZOLEO from the competition? In rough order of importance:
ZOLEO uses whatever available technology is available (and least expensive) to send or receive messages: Wi-Fi, cell tower, or satellite. This allows a seamless thread of conversation if you move from remote backcountry, to cell coverage, to in-town wi-fi. If you're a long distance hiker or like to car camp in remote locations, this is a very handy feature. Messages sent through the ZOLEO over cell or Wi-Fi do not count toward your monthly limit. Plus, messages sent via cell or Wi-Fi are pretty much immediate. With Garmin, you have to bounce back-and-forth between your phone and satcom device to continue the same conversation.
You get a unique email and SMS number (for texts only, not voice calls) with your ZOLEO. Simply share this email or SMS number with anyone, and they can use any device (computer, tablet or phone) to send you a regular text, without you having to initiate a text thread. This is simple, intuitive, and results in fewer missed messages. Compare this to the awkward Garmin inReach system, where you need to first send a text to someone from the device in order to receive a text back from them. This may sound like a minor difference, but it’s actually a pretty big deal.
“Progressive SOS” feature. When an SOS is declared, ZOLEO users receive step-by-step status updates throughout the incident via the ZOLEO app. You’ll know what’s happening at each step, from pressing the SOS button to the time help arrives, as opposed to just pressing the SOS button and then hoping like hell the technology is working. This is the single most important function of the device, so why not make it more intuitive?
Well designed app. For people who will be contacting you more often, they can download the free ZOLEO app. This allows the most characters per message, and, if they’re on your list of preferred contacts, they can receive check-in notifications and (if activated) Location Share+. You and your designated contacts can use one single app for all your communication.
Longer messages. If you and your contacts use the ZOLEO app, messages can have up to 950 characters. Otherwise, emails are limited to 200 characters and SMS messages are limited to 160 characters. Garmin inReach Mini has a 160 characters limit per text.
Here's a screen grab example of the progressive SOS feature.
General ZOLEO features:
Retail price: $200. Weight is a bit over 5 ounces/ 150 grams. Size is very similar to a deck of playing cards.
It doesn’t have a screen. It has four different colored LED lights and some audible alerts, to tell you the basics like battery charging, whether a message was successfully sent or received, etc., so you don't have to look at your phone. The blinking lights are surprisingly intuitive. (I've seen more than one Garmin InReach with a cracked screen, so the screenless ZOLEO could be considered a benefit.)
ZOLEO has three core features: SOS function, preformatted check in message, and two way text messaging. The SOS and pre-formatted check in message work on the device itself, and don’t require your phone. But, you can use the phone app for both of these functions if you prefer. To send and receive texts, you use your phone and connect to ZOLEO via Bluetooth. Yes, you need a functioning phone to send a text message. (You did bring that auxiliary battery and charging cable for your phone, correct? If you're hiking with a partner(s), have them download the app as well so you can both use the device in case one phone is kaput.)
One touch check-in button. Reassure concerned people at home without excessive fiddling with electronics. You can set up to five check-in contacts on the ZOLEO app. Simply press the “check mark” button on the device, and your contacts will get a message like ”I’m OK”, and your latitude longitude coordinates. This will probably be the most common use of the device, and it's nice that it's so easy, literally one touch.
Impressive battery life. Specs say more than 200 hours, even with checking messages every 12 minutes. That’s 20 days if you have it on 10 hours a day, or about eight days if you left it on all the time. The internal battery recharges to full strength in just two hours via micro USB cable. If you're moving in and out of cell coverage, simply leave the device turned on to make sure you catch all your messages. (Having said that, I am a huge fan of always carrying an auxiliary battery and appropriate charging cables, so I’d encourage you to do the same.)
Weather updates. Via satellite. Zoleo uses DarkSky to get weather info. These weather updates count against your total number of messages. I used this several time during my testing. Weather updates came through in just a few minutes, quite impressive.
Location Share+. Added in 2021, this lets you automatically share your location with up to five check-in contacts, on a selectable interval from every 6 minutes to 4 hours. You and your check-in contacts use the ZOLEO app to view the most recently reported location and “breadcrumb” trail on a map. Personally, I don't see this is being very necessary for most hiking and mountaineering, but if you're a pilot or sailor, it could be more important. This feature is an extra $6 a month.
Not just for camping. Keep it in your car for times when you’re driving outside of cell coverage. It's more than an emergency notification device; depending on where you live or recreate, it could be your primary way to connect to the world.
International travel. Heading on a trek to Nepal, Peru, Kilimanjaro, etc.? This could be a great way to stay connected on your trip. Use the device and a single app to stay in touch, without any concern with your phone being compatible in the country you're visiting, changing SIM cards, etc.
Waterproof, rugged, no screen to break, grippy plastic on the outside. Small clip on the top for a carabiner to wear it on the outside of your pack, but I see zero reason to do this. It doesn’t help with satellite connectivity, but it does greatly increase the chance you're going to lose it if you're bushwhacking. I keep it stashed in the top pocket of my pack, which still allows satellite connectivity if you're sending back-and-forth messages with someone during the day. (I see lots of pictures of people wearing satcom devices clipped to the outside of their backpack, and I never understand why.)
Uses the Iridium satellite network, the largest and most reliable. Keep in mind that these satellites move around. If you have a poor connection, wait a few minutes and a new satellite might move into position; in theory, there should be a satellite overhead about every 10 minutes. If you're in a deep canyon and or dense tree cover, satellite connectivity may be affected. Try to have a clear view of the sky. As mentioned just above, there's no need to have this out in the open to work, inside the top of your pack should be fine. Related note, be patient. Messages can often take several minutes to be sent and received. It's never going to be as fast as cell or Wi-Fi.
The ZOLEO app is available in 7 languages (Italian, German, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and French). From the ZOLEO website, spring 2022: “ZOLEO will only accept credit cards with a billing address in the following countries: Canada, United States and its territories, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Additional countries will be added over time.”
In addition to the device, you need to choose a subscription plan. There are three levels, depending on how text-happy you are. Data plans start at $20 a month, after three months you can suspend your plan for $4 a month. When you suspend your plan, you keep your dedicated phone number and email address. The amount you pay for the subscription plan is really what the long-term cost of ownership is about, so it's worth taking a close look at this. I won't summarize it here, check the ZOLEO website for details.
So, that's my take on the ZOLEO. It's not a device for everyone. If you hike on mostly frontcountry trails, and you have cell coverage most of the time, any sort of satcom device is probably not needed. But, if you do higher risk activities with off-trail travel in remote areas away from cell coverage (and especially if you lead trips and are responsible for other people) I feel a ZOLEO is well worth the cost, reduced risk, and peace of mind.
Think of it this way: If you use a satcom device just ONCE to help you, a teammate, or another person / group with an emergency situation, isn’t it well worth whatever you spent on it?
Don't just take my word for it. Here are some ZOLEO reviews from solid sources.
Progress capture pulley tip - "Teeth to Tail"
When using a progress capture pulley such as a Petzl Micro Traxion, here's a good mnemonic to help you remember the correct way to thread the rope.
The tip comes from @fitzy315 and @climbing.technical, a great Instagram account with lots of rigging tips and nice diagrams.
Progress capture pulleys (aka PCP) , such as Petzl Traxion, have long been crucial gear for big wall hauling. As these PCPs have gotten smaller and lighter, pulleys like the Petzl Micro / Nano Traxion and Edelrid Spoc are becoming standard kit for alpine climbers, especially for crevasse rescue. These devices combine a high-efficiency pulley wheel with a toothed, spring-loaded cam that grabs the rope. This “captures the progress” as you pull, allowing the rope to only move in one direction.
While in theory these are simple to rig, it can be confusing to do it correctly. This can be especially true in the added stress of a rescue situation, or if the pulley is in a different configuration than how you may normally rig it, such as on your harness rather than clipped to an anchor.
To thread it correctly, remember: “Teeth to Tail”.
When threading the rope into the pulley, rig it so the TEETH are resting on the TAIL of the rope, aka the end you're pulling on.
That way, you’ll always capture the progress correctly. Hopefully this is obvious, but the glove indicates where your hand is, which shows the pulling force on the “tail” of the rope.
Note:
In the photo below, I'm using a very short length of rope to clearly show where the tail is.
The pulley only has one of the two plates clipped to the carabiner, I left it open so you could see where the teeth are. When using it for real, you have to close the swinging plate and clip both of the holes.
Stamped on the inside of the Nano and Micro are little icons for a “load” and “hand”, which can also be helpful to remind you. Even with this, I still find “teeth to tail” more helpful.
(And if you gearheads are wondering, yes, that is the black ninja version of the new Petzl Nano Traxion. A very nice piece of gear!)
Practi Bolts - indoor anchor practice made easy
Practibolts are magnetic bolt hangers that stick to a refrigerator (or something similar). Perfect for indoor practice, you can build just about any anchor you can imagine, or a practice clipping sport draws with this clever tool.
Full disclosure: Practibolts sent me their product for free. That in no way biases my review; it's a cool product and I want to tell you about it. There are no ads, affiliate marketing links, or paid product promotions on Alpinesavvy. In the rare cases when I get a free product like this, I’ll always let you know.
Looking to practice your anchor building or sport draw clipping technique indoors? Check out Practi Bolts.
This cleverly designed bit of gear has two aluminum bolt hangers, along with two plastic quick links and two short lengths of plastic chain. The hangers have a strong magnet on the back, and some gel material. Press the hangers firmly on any magnetic surface (such as your refrigerator) and you're ready to go. The magnets hold up to about 30 pounds, and the gel keeps them from scratching the surface.
(Hopefully this is blindingly obvious, but I'll say it anyway: these are not meant for any kind of bodyweight load. You will discover this instantly as soon as you lean back on them and end up with your butt on the floor.)
You can use this to practice just about any sort of anchor configuration you can imagine, as well as sport draw clipping. If you have additional quick links or rings, you can use those too. Give ‘em a follow on Instagram, @practibolts, to see more rigging examples.
Let's look at a few configurations (that I set up on my fridge).
(Sorry about the funky lighting, it's hard to take pictures of shiny stainless steel without some weird reflections . . .
Here's one possible set up for top roping. This makes it easy for the last person, especially if they’re inexperienced. First person threads the rope through the chains, and clips it to a carabiner (locker or non locker) which takes all the wear and tear from top roping. Last person up cleans the carabiner and lowers off. Learn more about this technique here.
Hey, now we're getting fancy. How about the fixed point lead belay? Learn more at this article.
If you have your own anchor hardware, feel free to use that too. Here I added a couple of steel rings, a common anchor set up in many climbing areas.
I think you get the idea. Practi Bolts are a fairly inexpensive and versatile way to practice anchor building, rigging, and sport draw clipping from the cozy comfort of your kitchen. Give ‘em a try and help support a small Colorado USA, climber owned business!
Edelrid Aramid slings
Edelrid Aramid slings are great for anchor building, friction hitches, and threading around rock spikes and chockstones. One of the best features: really easy to untie after being loaded.
120 cm Edelrid Aramid sling; stiff enough to pretty much stand up by itself!
Note, I bought my Aramid slings myself. There are no ads, paid product promotions, affiliate marketing links or similar fluff on Alpinesavvy. In the rare cases where a company sends me a product for free, and I review it, I’ll always let you know.
Dyneema slings are great for clipping protection when climbing. They are light, strong, fairly inexpensive, and absorb minimum water. However, for anchor building they have a few drawbacks.
If you tie an overhand knot in them, it can be really difficult to untie (a figure 8 is a bit easier).
Many people have a fear (perhaps mostly unfounded?) that the knots weaken the webbing to a dangerous level. (That’s an entire topic onto itself, which we cover in this article.)
The German company Edelrid makes a sling that’s an attractive alternative: It’s an Aramid (kevlar) cord, that has a sewn connection. This sewing that keeps the bulk down, and eliminates the permanent bend of the material inside of a knot, which may cause the fibers to be damaged over time.
Kevlar cord has been around for a long time, but fell out of favor because it was thought that the fibers can start to cut through each other after repeated flexing at the same place, which you might find if you made a cordelette with, say, a triple fisherman's knot, and never untied it.
So what's the deal? Does repeated load cycling weaken Kevlar to a dangerous level? I asked Edelrid about this, and they sent me an interesting PDF article from the German Alpine Club (DAV), who has tested this extensively. (Here’s a link to that article.)
“Aramid's vulnerability for changing flexing loads was discussed early on, but has shown itself to not be relevant in real life. The number of flexes required to weaken the fibre cannot really be reached during the product's ten year life-span."
Here are more comments from an Edelrid product manager about these slings:
We have done in house cycle bending tests, and found no notable results.
Tying knots in the aramid cord sling is perfectly fine, but we always recommend storing slings untied, to let the material rest.
Always assume that a knot will lower the tensile strength of any sling by 50%, since this is the worst case scenario. The affect of a knot on any material varies greatly between the kind of knot and how well it was tied/dressed.
The Aramid Cord slings are unique in their stiffness. This makes them perfect for threading in ice or through holes in the rock, or even for throwing them around a rock that the back can’t be reached.
Compared to a normal webbing sling of nylon or Dyneema, the Kernmantle construction of the Aramid Cord slings (and our Tech Web), offers superior safety (cut resistance, abrasion, aging, UV degrading, etc).
They’re easy to rack if you use the “twist” method: double the sling, twist it a few times, and clip the ends together.
I've been using Edelrid Aramid slings for a while now, and it's becoming my go-to for lots of applications. It comes in various lengths; I have a 30 and 120 cm. Why do I like ‘em?
Robust construction, burly outer sheath that's resistant to wear
Nice and stiff, easier to thread through chockstones and behind rocks
Very easy to untie after loading
In all fairness, let's look at a few drawbacks.
They are expensive compared to most other slings.
Their stiffness, which makes some helpful in some areas, makes them a bit awkward to carry as alpine draws. You probably don't want to replace all your Dyneema slings with these, but having maybe a 30 cm as a friction hitch, a pair of 60 cm for clipping gear, and a 120 cm for anchor building might be a good start.
Where do they shine?
Threading around / over a chockstone, icicle, rock spike or other natural feature
Standard two piece bolt anchor, statically equalized
Rappel extension
Friction hitch / prusik
Fixed point lead belay
1) Threading around /over a chockstone, icicle, rock spike or other natural feature
Because of the stiffness of the material, you can poke it around a chockstone or through a small hole and grab it on the other side more easily than a normal sling. The heavy duty sheath protects against abrasion.
image credit: Max Lurie, @alpinetothemax
2) Standard two piece bolt anchor, statically equalized
Note the figure 8 knot. This is usually easier than an overhand to untie after taking a big load. However, with the stiff sheath, even an overhand is quite easy to untie.
3) Rappel extension
Works great as a rappel extension, again because you don't need needle nose pliers to untie the knot when you're done. (This is one of many ways to set up a rappel extension. Here's a complete article on the topic, with several more examples using this sling.)
4) Friction hitch / prusik
The 30 cm works great as an all-purpose friction hitch and rappel backup. The grippy sheath grabs really well on a skinny rope. The Kevlar is very heat resistant, so on a fast rappel that’s helpful.
It's comparable to the popular Sterling HollowBlock, also a great piece of kit. Similar to the HollowBlock, when this cord is under body weight load you can release it by giving it a good tug. This can be very helpful in certain self-rescue situations.
Note that because of the stiffness and sewn area, the French prusik / autoblock hitch doesn’t work so well with the 30 cm length as a rappel backup. The two wrap prusik is probably a better choice, see photo below.
As with any kind of auto block rappel backup, it's good practice to get used to one kind of cord, and get a feel for how it works with a variety of different ropes. Be sure and practice on something like a staircase before you ever try it for real.
Photo: Triple wrap prusik on a single strand on the left, double wrap prusik on double strand rappel backup on the right.
Here's another interesting application for the 6mm, Edelrid aramid sling: if you do a 4 wrap prusik, it holds on a 6 mm Petzl RADline. Normally, a prusik hitch made with cord that's the same diameter as the rope you're putting it on slips and doesn’t work, but here it does, at least under my body weight.
(Note that this prusik does NOT work on the Petzl PURline, which is a similar 6mm specialty rope, but which has a sheath that’s much more slippery than the RADline. Yes, I tested them both.)
5) Fixed Point Lead Belay
The 120 cm is great for a fixed point lead belay, where you belay the leader directly off the anchor. We cover that technique in detail here.
Probably the thing I like most about this cord is that it's very easy to untie after its been loaded. Here's a short video clip of me bounce testing on an overhand knot, notice how easy it is to untie. Try that with a skinny Dyneema sling!
The many uses of Voile straps
Voile straps are lightweight, tough, inexpensive, and very versatile. They’re an extremely handy bit of gear to have in your pack on most every trip, for all kinds of reasons beyond strapping skis together. Learn some of their many uses.
Duct tape, WD-40, Swiss Army knife, and . . . Voile straps. (It’s pronounced here in ‘Merica as “Vo-LAY”, yes I know that's not proper French, I'm going with how the company pronounces it.)
Their tagline is “Infinitely Useful”, and that's a good description. I've heard them referred to as “Voilà” straps, because using them sometimes feels like a magic trick.
You can find a lot of similar straps made with Velcro. They're not nearly as strong, and the Velcro does not work very well in snow or icy conditions.
These straps, made in Utah USA, are super handy for lots more than attaching your skis together.
Inexpensive, lightweight, and tough
The buckle doesn’t freeze in snow or ice
You can tighten or loosen ‘em with gloves on
Stitch two or more of them together if you need something extra long. Take a few extra wraps if you need to shorten one up.
How long? 25 inches is a good length. If you need something longer, you can attach several of them together.
How wide? They come in various widths: narrow, medium, and stout. I use a shorter narrow one for crampons, and use the medium width 25 inchers for most everything else.
Voile strap nerd paradise! Outstanding selection of different widths, lengths, and colors at my great local shop, Gear Fix in Bend, Oregon. Definitely worth the stop here if you're in town!
Keep a pair of Voile straps nearby, you can use them for loads of things!
Strap your skis together (duh)
Attach skis (or pretty much anything else) to your pack
On long sidehilling sections, add a strap to your uphill ski pole for a good grip
Repair a broken ski pole (along with a splint of some kind)
Broken ski binding? Attach your boot to the ski
Forgot your climbing skins? Put a bunch of straps around your ski (photo below)
Lost ski? Strap a shovel blade to your boot to make a mini snowshoe (photo below)
Fix a broken ski boot buckle (photo below)
Attach an ice axe to a ski pole for a DIY Whippet ski pole (only heard of this, never seen it)
Somehow lost a climbing skin? Put 3-4 straps around your ski for “tire chain” traction
Going up a really steep skin track? Put a strap under your foot for extra traction
Convince a wet / uncooperative climbing skin that doesn't want to stick to your ski
Rig a rescue sled (with a tarp, skis and maybe poles)
Repair a broken backpack buckle
DIY Whippet axe/pole combo (photo below)
Strap down (narrow) stuff on your car roof rack
Repair a broken raft or kayak oar/paddle
Keep your cams, more organized, and less prone to damage (photo below)
Cinch down most anything to a bicycle or motorcycle rack
Strap your crampons together and secure them to your backpack
Repair a broken crampon and strap it to your boot (photo below)
Make a hanging stove with your Jetboil (photo below)
Cinch down a coiled rope without any fancy tie off knot; photo below. (Very handy for glacier travel, good way to deal with the extra rescue rope instead of loosely stuffing it into your pack)
Lash together branches to make an emergency shelter
Splint, yikes! (See below . . .)
Tourniquet, double yikes!!
Rig an A frame pyramid tent by connecting 2 poles; no center pole, so more room. (Check out the photo below from Graybird Guiding. See a longer article here for more details on setting up a tent like this.)
image: @graybirdguiding
Is someone seriously hurt on a ski tour? Straps can be the foundation of a rescue sled. (Photo credit: @mountain_madness_inc)
Lost a ski? Broke a ski or a binding? Strap a shovel on the bottom of your boot and you might be able to clomp back to the car. (Photo and tip from Graybird Guiding.)
image: @graybirdguiding
Lost your ski? You might be able to shuffle out by strapping shovels together for an emergency snowshoe. (From cascademountainascents.)
Lost your ski and no shovel? This is gonna be slow, but you can cut some branches, strap them to your boot and hopefully make it back to the trailhead. (From cascademountainascents.)
Forgot your skins? Whoops! Time to break out every strap you have so you can make it up the hill.
image: @benwooster
Busted crampon? No problemo. (Photo credit: Sean Isaac)
From climbing guide Chris Lyle @lile.chris comes this photo. “The binding broke and would not switch from up to down. Ski straps saved the day!”
Hiking uphill, a rock damaged one of the top buckles. Put a strap or two on it, ready to go again. (Technically not a Voile strap, but you get the idea.) Photo credit: @smileysproject
Sure, there are various ways to tie off a butterfly coil, but using a Voile strap is faster and less hassle.
Protect your cams
Cams are delicate, and can get damaged if you let them get tangled up and cram them into a backpack.
Instead, clip the cams to a short sling, and then put a ski strap around all of ‘em which keeps them more compact and less likely to get janked up inside your pack.
How about a DIY Whippet? Some skiers don't like them because they don't want to descend with an ax in their hand. This way you can strap an axe to your ski pole on the steep/icy up, and take it off for the ski down.
image: Ben Markhart https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cs4mSnhA22q/?hl=en
Want to use a mountain bike, electric or analog, to access some backcountry skiing? Here's one approach from IFMGA Guide Dave Searle @davejsearle - using a few ski straps to attach skis to the frame of your bicycle,
Image credit: Dave Searle, https://www.instagram.com/p/DIbkTHmt-En/
Here's a pretty clever one I saw on Mountain Project. Put a strap around the top of your Jetboil, add some cord, instant hanging stove.
image: Ian McEleney https://www.mountainproject.com/forum/topic/121448987/hanging-stove-setups#ForumMessage-121534164
Check out this photo: a broken leg from a 2021 glissading accident on Mt. Rainier. The rescue team left the splint on and in place all the way to the hospital. Just a foam pad and two Voile straps, nice work!
Photo below by Nick Davis via Facebook, shared with permission.
And finally, from Instagram a little closing humor:
The Grivel Vlad carabiner
The Grivel Vlad carabiner is a combination double gate carabiner and rigging plate in one. If you need to clip multiple carabiners to a single master point (big wall, SAR teams, cavers), and you want to eliminate any concerns about three-way loading of the master carabiner, this might be a useful bit of gear.
Full disclosure: Grivel sent me this carabiner for free. This doesn’t bias my review; the Vlad is cool and I want to tell you about it. There are no ads, affiliate marketing links, or paid product promotions on Alpinesavvy. In the rare cases when I get a free product like this, I’ll always let you know.
The Grivel Vlad carabiner, introduced in 2019, is a unique piece of gear: a combination double gate carabiner and 3 hole rigging plate.
It’s exceptionally strong: 30 kN carabiner major axis, and 27 kN on each “ring”. Primary use: master point carabiner that gets various other Important Things clipped into it. With the Vlad, there’s no concern with three-way loading, or loaded carabiners grinding and sliding around on each other at the bottom of the master carabiner.
It has the Grivel twin gate carabiner system (which can be a little fussy at first, but it’s very secure and easy to open once you get the hang of it). Because there’s no screw mechanism, dirt, sand, mud, and ice are not a problem.
The Vlad is substantially lighter (90 grams) and less expensive than a 4 hole rigging plate and two locking carabiners.
When you clip it to a bolt hanger, the Vlad lies flat against the wall. This keeps the downward pulling force along the axis of the carabiner. Any carabiners clipped to the Vlad are now perpendicular to the wall, which is how you want it.
Here's a nice review of the Vlad, with some break testing data.
I can hear it now: “That's too specialized, it’s a one trick pony, I would never carry a thing like that.”
Or, you could think of it this way: It's only about 30 grams heavier than a standard large locking carabiner, and you can still use it as a full strength carabiner in pretty much any scenario. If you sometimes find yourself in one or more of the following situations, it might be a good addition to your kit.
Where might the Vlad be helpful?
Big wall climbing, where you always need multiple secure places to clip stuff
Small rescue teams in remote settings, who may not have the luxury of taking extra rigging plates and carabiners
Canyoneering / caving in muddy environments, because dirt and mud won’t affect the gate
Maybe climbing/guiding in a team of three (or more) less experienced folks, where you want easy, foolproof connection points
A rigging plate typically requires using two carabiners, in order for the plate to lay flat against the wall. As you can see below, the Vlad clips directly to the bolt hanger and lies flat on the wall.
image: https://grivel.com/products/vlad
Here's an image from @smilemountainguides, showing a fairly typical guiding situation: Master point carabiner with 3 carabiners (guide and two clients attached). This setup is fine, provided the loads stay reasonably low. However, using the Vlad might make things a bit tidier and add some peace of mind in a scenario where higher loads or change of loading direction might happen.
image: https://www.instagram.com/p/CNm5e4Sj9Es/ @smilemountainguides, used with permission
With the Vlad, that same anchor scenario might look something like this:
The Grivel Vlad is a specialized carabiner that will probably be useful to only a handful of people. But if you're one of them, it's a pretty cool piece of gear.
Showa fishing gloves: the go-to for cold and wet?
Could these $20 Japanese fishing gloves become your go-to for winter sports? Many top climbers are increasingly saying yes. Let's take a closer look at Showa gloves, see an ice water “torture test”, and learn the one model you probably want to get.
Why are Showa fishing gloves great for cold-weather sports? How about: waterproof, durable, lightweight, warm, good dexterity, and incredibly inexpensive?
Could some of the best all-around winter gloves really be . . . fishing gloves from Japan that cost around $20?! Maybe yes.
In the last few years, more and more climbers have quietly started using some strange looking gloves from Japan. Made by Showa (and known in some circles as a “Smurf glove”, because of the garish blue color of many models) these just might become your go-to gloves as well.
I first heard of these from IFMGA certified guide Silas Rossi, in a YouTube video he made about his glove systems. In the midst of talking about his dozens of different gloves, at 4:17 he casually mentions, “The best all-around glove I probably use most days are these fishing gloves from Japan . . .”
Colin Haley is a fan as well. Here’s a “what’s in my pack” type article where he praises them, and below is a screen grab from his video of his solo speed record on the Cassin Ridge on Denali, with the gloves airing out at a break.
image: Colihn haley, screen grab from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zD6YZkgUYHg
Also, backpacking expert Andrew Skurka has advocated these gloves for several years.
Apparently Japanese climbers already love these gloves. (This page is in Japanese, try right clicking and choose (“Translate to English”.)
So . . . if these expert climbers and backpackers, who demand top performance and test their gear ferociously, give these a thumbs up, there just might be something to it. So I got a pair to check ’em out.
At first glance, these look a bit like heavy duty gloves you might use for grubbing around in your garden. They’re made from an industrial looking fabric that's been hot dipped in some kind of waterproofing rubber. They have a light fleecy liner, which keeps your hands comfortable even when it gets a bit damp. They are billed as breathable and waterproof, but I think of them a bit more like a wetsuit glove - even with some internal dampness, your hands still stay warm.
You may not want to wear them under heavy exertion/sweating, like hiking or skinning uphill, as your sweat is going to dampen the glove a bit. Drying them can take a while, but like most gloves, turning them inside out helps a lot. (When you’re sweating, like skinning uphill, a better choice might be a breathable fleece glove.)
In colder conditions, some people have success wearing a simple nitrile glove as a vapor barrier liner underneath the Showa gloves. (I haven't tried this, but it sounds like a good system.)
The light fleece liner is going to get chewed up under heavier wear. When that happens, add your own lightweight liner gloves underneath the shell.
If you search online, you’ll see MANY different styles of Showa gloves (in some shade of blue) that all look about the same.
For snow sports and alpine climbing, there’s one model that’s most suitable:
Showa 282-02 Temres
This model differs from the others because it's 1) black and 2) has a nylon wrist gauntlet that cinches down on your forearm and helps keep out the snow. The many other models of Showa gloves do NOT have this wrist gauntlet. Those other styles might be suitable for cold-weather backpacking or rainy bicycle rides, but to help keep out the snow, the wrist gauntlet is a big help.
Although the fit is a little loose, because the liner is bonded to the shell, you have greater dexterity than you might think. Tying climbing knots, securing a harness buckle, swinging ice tools, good grip on the rope for belaying . . . no problem!
They are lightweight. A pair of the Temres (size large) weighs just 115 grams / 4 ounces.
Like lots of Japanese clothing, these are sized small by North American standards. My hands are a medium with just about every other glove, but a large here fits me perfectly. The gloves do come in XL and XXL sizes, so if you’re wondering, you might wanna go a size bigger. Heck, they’re inexpensive enough so you might want to buy two different sizes and just give away the one that doesn’t fit.
Are these going to be the perfect gloves for every single winter sport? No. For super-cold weather, you may want more insulation (and maybe mittens, which will almost always be warmer than a gloves). If you rappel a lot, you may wear through the palm. If you're actually rock climbing in them, you may need a thinner glove with more dexterity.
But maybe for 90% of the things you do in the snow, like digging snow pits, brushing snow off the tent, approach hiking, racking your gear, excavating your car, snowball fights, walking the dog, etc., this might be the ticket. I don't do snowmobiling, but they look perfect for that. And I've been on some very cold multi day whitewater trips when these would've been amazing.
As a test, I put on the Temres glove and stuck my hand in a bucket of ice water. (Bonus, 28° Fahrenheit air temperature with snow on the ground.) After 15 minutes, my fingers were toasty warm and completely dry! Try that with any other glove and see what happens.
Sounds good! How do I get some?
At this writing (Feb 2021) there’s only one place that I know in the USA where you can buy the Temres 282-02: Go2Marine.com in Bellingham Washington. (I’m sure they are wondering why the hell they’re getting hundreds of orders for Japanese fishing gloves but hey, good business for them.)
As a reminder, there are no ads, paid product promotion, or affiliate marketing links at AlpineSavvy. This link is mentioned only as a convenience for you.
You may have heard the car mechanic’s saying: “You can have it fast, good, and cheap. Pick two.” It seems gloves usually work the same way; There needs to be some sort of compromise along the way.
Happy surprise: the Temres 282-02 gloves deliver on all counts.
2mm cord cuts 9mm climbing rope
You don't need a knife to cut a rope. A few feet of very thin cord pulled through a rope under tension is all you need. Watch the video here.
You don't need a knife to cut (okay, melt) a climbing rope.
Take a meter or so of any kind of thin cord. In the video I'm using 2mm but I've also done it with 5mm.
Tie a bight knot in each end, clip the loops to carabiners for handles.
Rapidly saw back-and-forth through the material that's under some tension. You’ll cut it through in a few seconds.
Check out the message from an Instagram friend below, they used it to cut through a tether. Pretty much any cord can cut through any kind of soft good if you do it fast enough.
This should also be an outstanding reminder of one of the few “Nevers” in climbing: Never set up a top rope through any kind of cord or webbing. When you lower your partner off, all of that friction, and resulting heat, can potentially cut through or severely damage your anchor material!
This is more than a party trick. Here's a message I got the Instagram after I posted this.
Petzl Sm’D carabiner - there’s a keeper cord hole
Ther Petzl Sm’D carabiner is a compact locker with a bonus - it has a hole designed for a keeper cord.
The Petzl Sm’D carabiner is a compact, lightweight locking carabiner available in screwgate or double action sleeve. It's a great choice just about anytime you need a smaller locking carabiner, plus it has a bonus feature: near the base of the gate, there’s a tiny hole. As far as I know, no other carabiner offers a hole like this, and it's pretty darn handy.
This hole allows you to tie off a keeper cord to better secure expensive hardware such as a Grigri, progress capture pulley like the Micro Traxion, or mini ascender like a Tibloc. Of course, you can tie a bight knot on a keeper cord and just clip it to a carabiner, but then it’s flopping around and can hang up on things. This method is a bit cleaner.
And, hopefully this goes without saying, but the cord is only to keep you from losing the gear if you drop it. Clip the hardware to the carabiner and clip the carabiner to your harness. The cord is there only as a backup in case you’re an occasional fumble-fingers.
I've heard some people voice concern that this hole might weaken the carabiner. Let's trust the ace Petzl engineers on this one, shall we? The carabiner is just as strong and properly rated as anything else you will use. Do you think Petzl would sell this if it wasn't bomber?
Photo: A Petzl Tibloc secured with some #36 bank line. Bank line is heavy duty twine rated to more than 300 pounds, and useful for all kinds of things. Read more about it here.
Here’s a Petzl Micro Traxion progress capture pulley connected to an Sm’D carabiner with some 1.3 mm dyneema / spectra / UHMWPE string. A mere 1.3 mm, but rated to 580 pounds, amazing!
Pro tip: the Micro Traxion actually has a hole designed for a keeper cord. (I’ve found a lot of folks with Micro Traxions don't even know this hole is there =^) You need a string with a very small diameter to fit through that keeper cord hole in the pulley, that's why I suggest this 1.3 mm dyneema string. You'll also probably need a safety pin or something similar to work at through this tiny hole.
Here’s a link where you can buy dyneema string like this. Bonus, it can also work for repairing the trigger wires of cams. Share some with your friends, you’re going to buy quite a lot of it, like about 10 meters.
Finally, you can add a keeper cord to the Petzl Grigri. But, this requires that you drill a hole into the device, and doing so is not an approved practice by Petzl. So, I’m not going to give details on how to do it. If you choose to make this modification, Google is your amigo.
The Petzl Micro Traxion has a keeper cord hole
The Petzl Micro Traxion is an efficient, compact, progress capture pulley popular with many climbers and rigging professionals. It's also quite expensive, and you definitely don't want to drop it. Good news: there’s a “stealth” built-in spot to thread a thin keeper cord.
The Micro Traxion is a progress capturing pulley, popular for rock and crevasse rescue, rope soloing, arborists, riggers, big walls and more. It's also an expensive piece of kit, and you want to do everything you can to avoid dropping it.
Did you know the micro traxion has a hole in it that's designed for a keeper cord? Thank you, clever Petzl product designers! I’ve talked with people who have used it for years and don't know that it's there. I took a careful read through the technical documentation, and it's not mentioned in there either. (And, full disclosure, a Petzl product rep told me about it, otherwise I never would've found it myself.) Well, now you know, a secret little bonus from Petzl! =^)
You need a strong string/cord with a very small diameter to fit through the keeper cord hole. I used 1.3 mm dyneema / spectra / UHMWPE string. A mere 1.3 mm, but rated to 580 pounds, amazing! You may find something tiny (2mm?) at your climbing shop, good luck. You'll also probably need a safety pin or something similar to work it through the hole, be patient.
Now I get it, not everybody likes keeper cords. Some people find that they are fiddly, get in the way, and hang up on other gear. You'll probably feel this way until you drop a Grigri or something similar, then you'll be a convert. =^) Give it a try and see what you think, it's easy to remove if you don't like it.
(And, hopefully this is obvious, but please do not carry gear on your harness dangling only from the keeper cord. Clip it properly to a carabiner. The cord is there only if you’re a fumble fingers.)
Here’s a link where you can buy dyneema string like this. Bonus, it can also work for repairing the trigger wires of cams. (Or so says British expedition climbing expert Andy Kirkpatrick, I personally have never done this.) Share some with your friends, you’re going to buy quite a lot of it, like about 10 meters.
An excellent carabiner to pair with your micro trax is the Petzl Sm’D. This is a modern compact D shaped carabiner, available in screw gate or double action twist gate. It has the bonus feature of a small hole drilled just below the hinge, which is designed for the other end of the keeper cord. See photos below.
Gear we love: the sun hoody
For limiting your exposure to harsh alpine sun, there's one piece of clothing that deserves a place in your pack - the sun hoody.
If you're on the lower slopes of Mt. Rainier on a warm summer day, there's one piece of gear you'll see most every guide wearing: the sun hoody.
The solar oven of a large snowfield or glacier is strong enough. Combine that with high altitude, where there’s less atmosphere to absorb solar radiation, and you can get a memorable sunburn in about 30 minutes on most any exposed skin.
Sunscreen? It’s heavy, expensive, messy, and there's increasing evidence some of the chemicals enter your body through your skin, yuck!
The sun hoody is a better solution. Instead of a snug fitting, cold weather base layer, the sun hoody is a loose, long sleeve shirt with sweat wicking, UPF protection, and you guessed it, a hood. You can combine this with a ball cap style hat and even a buff for pretty much complete face protection.
One more bonus: bug protection. You can treat the shirt with Permethrin and pretty much keep those pesky insects off your upper body.
These shirts are now popular enough so you can get them from many different vendors. Most seem to have some bit of odor prevention in the fabric; your mileage may vary on the effectiveness. (The one I have is from Patagonia, and to be honest, I’m not too impressed with the anti-stink compared to my wool shirts.)
Here's a nice article on the sun hoody from Northeast Alpine Start.
Perfect for a day on the glacier, hanging in the yard with your dog . . . or maybe witness protection.
Here are a few options:
RAB Pulse Hoody (snug / athletic fit, less baggy)
Bight Gear Solstice Graphene Hoody (designed by Rainier guides)
(Alpinesavvy has zero affiliate marketing. These links are provided for your info and convenience only.)
Petzl Tibloc - Everything you need to know
The Petzl Tibloc, an ultralight emergency ascender, is a very handy piece of gear. There are are lots of crafty ways to use it that may be new to you, and also some common mistakes you want to avoid. Learn all about the Tibloc, starting with how to properly pronounce it!
Petzl TiBloc, Ver 2 (left) and original
The Petzl Tibloc, developed in 1998, was one of the first micro ascenders available. With a simple design, solid steel construction, and sharp teeth that can grab the rope through ice and mud, it remains one of the lightest (35 grams) and most compact emergency ascenders. It’s a handy bit of gear and can be used in some clever ways, some of which may not be very obvious. It can also be a bit finicky unless you know some tricks. Let's take a deeper look at this popular and time-tested piece of gear.
First off, how do you pronounce it? You may have heard several different ways. Petzl USA confirms that it's "tee-bloc", as in “drink some tea”. The original French pronunciation is a truncation of the words "petit bloqueur," meaning "small ascender." (Sweet, glad we got that settled!) The first rope ascender from Petzl (intended for caving) came out in 1968, so they have a very long history of ascender R&D.
How can you use a Tibloc?
emergency ascender for going up a fixed rope
the “tractor” pulley in a mechanical advantage hauling system
progress capture on the anchor
safeguard the leader when simul-climbing (advanced use only!)
Before we get into the rigging, a few notes . . .
Around 2018, Petzl introduced Tibloc version 2. In addition to being made from gray steel that offers a better grip, the newer version has a orange plastic hood on it with a small spring. This spring tension gives a much better connection between the carabiner and the rope, regardless of the rope diameter or carabiner shape. (My single greatest grumble with the older version was its tendency to somewhat randomly slide down the rope, which is usually not something you want an ascender to do. See video below). The spring on the Tibloc 2 pretty much eliminates any slipping down the rope, a substantial improvement.
Avoid taking any kind of a fall with a shock load / slack in the rope onto a Tibloc (or any other toothed ascender.) For example, if you’re ascending a rope, you get to the top of the cliff, and then take a few steps forward without moving the rope through the system, that's generating slack. If you were to fall at this point, you're putting a large force with a toothed ascender onto probably a short amount of rope. No bueno. Avoid this by always minimizing slack rope between you and the anchor.
The Tibloc is rated for ropes from 8 mm to 11 mm. But, it's also approved for use on the Petzl RAD crevasse rescue system, which uses a special 6 mm static rope. (So, if you need to use it on a slightly smaller rope, you can probably get away with it, but it's not recommended by Petzl.)
The Tibloc has a bit of a reputation as a rope shredder. In a long-ago crevasse rescue training, I saw firsthand someone put a 1 meter long core shot in an 8 mm dynamic rope as they were putting their (sizeable!) body weight on the Tibloc when ascending. However, most of the time rope damage is probably due to user error, like using the wrong kind of carabiner with an older style Tibloc on a rope that's borderline too small. The Tibloc 2, with the spring-tensioned orange hood, seems substantially more rope-friendly.
Possible damage to the rope can happen when the carabiner is pressing the rope against the device, and then you try to move it up when it's weighted. Like with most ascenders, try to unweight the Tibloc before you move it.
It's not for big walls. This is designed for improv and emergency use, If you're jumaring fixed ropes in El Cap or an expedition peak, get a larger handled ascender.
Petzl recommends always using a locking carabiner with the Tibloc. With the older Tibloc, it’s best if this is a rounded oval or HMS carabiner to avoid damage to your rope and make the Tibloc behave properly. With Tibloc 2, a more modern I-beam style or locking “D” shaped carabiner works fine.
Speaking of carabiners, the Petzl Sm’D is a great choice to pair with the Tibloc 2. In addition to being a svelte, modern locking D carabiner, it also has a tiny hole, intended for attaching a keeper cord for important bits of hardware like Tiblocs, Micro Traxion, Grigris, etc. See photo below. (This is a much cleaner way to attach a keeper cord then having it flop around the carabiner with a bight knot.)
Add a keeper cord if you like. There is a small hole in the Tibloc to add one. If you're using it for winter or snow climbing when you might have gloves, make the cord loop fairly large. If rock climbing, you can keep it much smaller. 3 mm climbing cord, or my favorite, bank line (in photo) would be good choices. Some people find the cord is fiddly and gets in the way. It’s entirely optional, so try it and see what you think. See below - the Sm’D carabiner with a clever hole for a keeper cord.
The video below shows a couple of things.
The difference between the original Tibloc and version 2. You can see that the original version can slide/fall down the rope if it's not under tension. Not good. No such problem with version 2.
You can move the Tibloc down the rope, but it's not very intuitive. You sort of rock the device forward with your index finger and thumb. It's a better show than a tell, watch the video to see how.
Does it damage ropes?
Excellent question! Short answer: it doesn’t damage your rope significantly more or less than other toothed devices, such as Micro Traxion or a handled ascender. Check out the detailed video below from BreakTest Meister Ryan Jenks at HowNot2. Ryan found that the Tibloc destroyed the rope around 6-7 kN.
Some other testing from Richard Delaney at RopeLab show a higher value with an 11 mm static rope of around 10 kN. See that short video here.
Below is a screen grab from the online technical documentation for the Tibloc, showing results that are fairly consistent with what HowNot2 found.
Image: https://www.petzl.com/US/en/Sport/Ascenders/TIBLOC
How to clip it (for ascending and as a “tractor”)
There is some discussion as to whether the carabiner should be clipped around the rope (left) or hang straight down from the Tibloc (right). According to Petzl, either way is fine when you’re ascending or using it as a tractor. However if you're using it as a progress capture or to simul climb, it's important that the rope be clipped through the carabiner, as shown below on the left. More on that below.
I got a few comments on social media saying that the rope must ALWAYS be clipped through the carabiner as on the left. Check out the video just above. It was made by rope rigging expert Rich Delaney (who runs the excellent website Ropelab), and you can clearly see that the carabiner is not clipped around the rope.
Petzl’s technical documentation says this is not true; see screen grabs from their website below.
(If you find it easier to remember to always clip the carabiner around the rope, that's great, go for it. But let's not slam on people who use this gear in a different and Petzl-approved way. =^)
Related diagram from Petzl website:
image: https://www.petzl.com/US/en/Sport/Ascenders/TIBLOC
Another diagram from the Petzl website, where the Tibloc is a tractor in a 3:1 haul. The carabiner clipped to the Tibloc is not clipped around the rope.
image: https://www.petzl.com/INT/en/Sport/Crevasse-rescue-no--3--haul-systems-for-crevasse-rescue
And finally, here’s a screen grab from a YouTube video produced by Ortovox and the German Mountain and Ski Guides Association (“Verband Deutscher Berg und Skiführer” or “VDBS”). You can clearly see the carabiner is clipping the Tibloc and not the rope. (If some of the top mountain guides in the world say this is how you do it, then I'm gonna roll with that. =^)
image: screen grab from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsTihq92IlQ
Use #1 - As an ascender
For self rescue from a crevasse fall or improvised rope ascending, the Tibloc works great. It’s MUCH easier than the old school prusik! Clip it to the rope with a locking carabiner, add a double runner as a foot loop, and stand up. You can combine this with various devices clipped to your harness to capture your upward progress, such as a Grigri, a plaquette style belay device in guide mode, a progress capture pulley such as a Petzl Micro Traxion (photo below), or even another Tibloc rigged as a progress capture.
A few notes on the photo:
The blue double length / 120 cm runner is the foot loop.
Note the single length / 60 cm sling (yellow) from the Tibloc to the harness, plus the Micro Traxion on the harness belay loop. These give you the highly recommended two points of contact to the rope at all times.
If you want to simplify things a bit, you can omit the yellow sling, but in that case you would want to tie back up knots in the rope below the Micro Traxion every 5 meters or so.
And, since we’re talking Tiblocs, if you happen to have two, you can use a second one on your harness as the progress capture, as seen below. (This is not going to be as smooth or hassle free as the options listed above, but it's possible. Generally, use a Micro Traxion or Grigri if you have one.)
Use #2 - As a “tractor” in a hauling system
In a mechanical advantage hauling system, the “tractor” is the term for the rope grab that’s doing the work. The Tibloc is well-suited for this, and because of its camming action and lack of moving parts, it can bite down and hold on ropes that might be icy or muddy. (If you're not too thrilled with using a toothed cam as a critical component of a hauling system, you can of course use something soft like a prusik loop as the tractor instead.)
Note the orientation of the Tibloc: the orange top is pointed toward the load, not toward of the anchor. (If you set this up wrong, it will become immediately obvious when you pull the rope.) Also in the photo, we have the Micro Traxion progress capturing pulley on the anchor, which is a perfect application for this great piece of gear.
One advantage of the Tibloc if you ever have to pass a knot through your hauling system (such as you might have to do in a two person crevasse rescue scenario with brake knots in the rope) is that it's very fast to remove from the rope and reattach below the knot. (Learn more about dealing with brake knots in crevasse rescue at this article.)
Below is a standard Z drag, which gives a theoretical 3:1 mechanical advantage.
And, if you want to go a little crazy with the Tiblocs, if you happen to have three of them, you can rig a theoretical 6:1 mechanical advantage, as shown below. (If you'd like to learn more about rigging a 6:1, see the Alpinesavvy mechanical advantage pages.) A standard prusik loop can be substituted for either of the two tractor Tiblocs in the photo.
Use #3 - As a progress capture
This is a clever use of the Tibloc that a lot of people don't know about. It grabs the rope with a minimum of friction while maintaining your pulling progress. Rig it so the hole with the keeper cord is in the direction of load. The device will flip back-and-forth over the carabiner sort of like a munter hitch as you change from hauling to resting.
Note: This is best used for emergency or improv (like hauling a backpack) not as a device for sustained hauling of heavy loads like on a big wall. Reason: there are two sources of inefficiency, which is to be avoided whenever possible when pulling big loads:
The flip-back-and-forth motion, because you lose a few centimeters of progress every time you rest.
You’re hauling through a carabiner which is about 50% efficient, instead of a good quality progress capture pulley such as the Petzl Micro or Pro Traxion, which are rated about 90% efficient. For big walls, you definitely want a proper progress capture pulley!
Safety note: be sure to clip the rope into the carabiner along with that Tibloc when hauling! A common mistake is to set this up as a progress capture with the rope NOT in the carabiner. It appears to be working correctly, but as you can see below on the right, the rope is not clipped in. Probably not a catastrophic mistake if you're hauling a backpack, but if your load is more substantial, you want the rope running through the carabiner for sure.
Note for eagle eyed readers: this setup is slightly different than the one above marked “How to attach it”. In the diagram, Petzl says it doesn't matter whether you clip the rope inside or outside the carabiner. (I’m guessing that for simply ascending the rope under bodyweight it doesn't matter if it's clipped or not, but for hauling a potential large load, having the rope run through the carabiner is best practice.)
Related diagram from Petzl website:
image: https://www.petzl.com/US/en/Sport/Ascenders/TIBLOC
And here's a nice video showing how to use it as a progress capture.
Use #4 - Simul-climbing protection - ADVANCED CLIMBERS ONLY
And finally, for the very advanced climber, the Tibloc can be used when simul-climbing to protect the leader from getting pulled off by the second. I remember when this idea was introduced in Climbing magazine around 15 years ago, and it was extremely controversial, Since then, it's generally become more accepted, but it's still an advanced technique; think of it as making a dangerous situation only slightly less dangerous.
Typically in simul-climbing, if the second falls, they will likely also pull off the leader. (This is also why the more skilled climber will usually go second, a reversal from normal climbing.) But, if the leader clips a Tibloc to protection, and the second then falls, the second will probably not pull the leader off.
Typically the leader will place the Tibloc AFTER a crux section, not before as with regular pro. This takes a little getting used to and can be easy to forget in the heat of battle, ask me how I know this. =^)
This is for advanced climbers only who clearly understand the risks of simul-climbing. There are a LOT of cautions and considerations to do this properly, way too much to get into here. I only mention it here because Petzl has it on their website as an approved technique, so it's not such a fringe, crazy idea anymore.
There's lots of info on the web about this if you want to read further.
Here’s one image from the Petzl website, and you can read more about it here.
Outstanding article from Brent Barghahn about simul-climbing with Micro Traxions
image: https://www.petzl.com/INT/en/Sport/Progression-with-a-taut-rope-using-a-TIBLOC
In real life, it looks like this:
All about sewn pocket daisy chains
Sewn pocket daisy chains are designed for aid climbing, have a strength of only about 3 kN between the pockets, and have some limitations for use as a lanyard and definitely in anchor systems. Some people choose to use these, occasionally incorrectly, so let's learn about this gear and some of the drawbacks.
How should you use it? Black Diamond spells it out pretty clearly on their website:
image: blackdiamondequipment.com
A sewn pocket daisy chain like this has been a part of climbing for decades. It's a tempting piece of gear to use for many things, especially for new climbers. Look at all those handy pockets! You could use that for all kinds of stuff, right? How about I use it to build a top rope anchor, or maybe I can clip in to the anchor with that along with the rope?
You can probably get away with many of these uses, but please don't. These are designed for body weight, aid climbing only (usually for connecting your harness to your ascenders when cleaning, or to your aid ladders when leading).
As Black Diamond says: a sewn loop daisy like this should not be used as part of the belay or anchor system.
Climbers who use these for other applications may not be aware of their primary limitation: While if it's loaded end-to-end it's rated as a full strength sling over 20 kN, the stitching that separates the pockets is only rated to a maximum of 3 kN. If you clip the pockets wrong and the stitching blows, the carabiner can come completely off the daisy, yikes!
Now, this is old news to many climbers. But as I recently discovered, not everyone has got the message (details below), so it bears repeating.
It’s okay to use these as a personal bodyweight tether, as long as you know the drawbacks. There are a couple of acceptable ways to set this up. There’s also one way that's definitely not recommended, and that’s clipping the end loop and any other single pocket with one carabiner.
(And, if you're wondering about girth hitching to the belay loop instead of your tie in points, it's okay to do that.)
Let's look at a few different ways to use this as a personal tether, first the wrong way and then two acceptable ways. For this to completely fail as shown, you would have to have an epic load that breaks the stitching on about 7 pockets. Highly unlikely, but still not best practice.
The next two ways are fine: gold carabiner in the end pocket, and blue carabiner in any intermediate pocket. If the stitching were to fail in the pocket clipped by the blue carabiner, you would simply move to the next pocket with no chance of becoming completely unclipped. Another way to think about it: you need two locking carabiners to stay safe, unless the daisy is completely extended.
Black Diamond has some nice diagrams on their website. It's tempting to adjust the daisy length like in illustration #2, but that can have a very bad outcome, as we’ll see below in a couple of videos. Illustration #3 should be pretty obvious: if that stitching fails the carabiner is completely off, as in illustration #4.
image: https://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/
Let's have a closer look at illustration #2. What's the problem with that, you might think? If the daisy takes a big load and the stitching in a couple of pockets were to fail, you're still clipped into the end pocket, right? Well, guess what, it can fail, and even when you watch it happen slowly it still looks like a sleight of hand, rope magic trick.
Now, if your daisy has a twist in it, then your anchor will not fail. But the twist is very subtle, hard to see and not something you want to rely on. It’s tricky to describe this, but if you want to play around with this, you can replicate it with a sewn runner and some masking tape.
But, daisy chains can be misused in other ways as well. I was recently at a local top rope crag in Oregon, and right next to me some climbers had set up a top rope anchor with two sewn pocket daisy chains. Each daisy was clipped to a solid bolt and extended over a cliff edge. One daisy was fine, clipped only in the ends. But the bolt end of the second daisy was clipped into a pocket and the end loop, to shorten it and better distribute the load, in theory.
The top rope anchor my neighbors rigged looked about like this:
At first glance, this might look okay. Two sewn daisies, locking carabiners everywhere, bomber bolts at the top, nice load distribution, small angle, fully redundant . . . good to go, right? Well, not quite.
Close up of the left anchor. If the sewn pockets were to fail under a sudden load, the carabiner might completely unclip from the daisy.
Here's another variation, this time using a single daisy chain for a top rope anchor. Please don't do this either.
And, one more variation. I think you get the idea. Don't use a daisy chain as a top rope anchor.
Now realistically, a failure here is VERY unlikely when top roping, when the maximum load your anchor is likely to see is around 3 kN. And, even if the stitching on the yellow daisy were to blow out on one pocket, you would drop to the next pocket and then the load would probably transfer to the purple daisy, and everything would be okay and you'd have a great story to tell.
But, having said that, we can all agree that using gear correctly whenever possible is the best practice. Please don't use a sewn pocket daisy chain for building a top rope anchor, and please don't clip the end loop and any other pocket with the same carabiner.
If you want to see daisy pockets popping one by one in a break test, check out this great video from the Italian Alpine Club, forward it to about 13:20 and 22:10.
When I started climbing wayback-when, daisychains like this were very popular to use as sport climbing tethers for anchor cleaning. Fortunately this practice has pretty much faded into oblivion, but like I saw at the cliff recently, not everyone has got the message yet. Please, if you see anyone using equipment in a potentially dangerous way, consider giving them a discreet and polite reminder of the proper use.
Maybe a better question to ask yourself is why use a daisy chain at all? If you’re aid climbing, most climbers find an adjustable daisy is a better option. For most trad and sport leading, there may not be much reason to have a daisy /PAS / lanyard on your harness at all. When you’re cleaning sport anchors or rappelling, a simple sling works fine in almost all circumstances for a tether to the anchor.
But, if you happen to have a sewn daisy like this in the bottom of your gear box, there are a couple of things they are good for. One, they make a pretty good over the shoulder gear sling, and two, for big wall climbers, they can help you organize your vertical camping spot.
These inherent problems with sewn pocket daisy chains prompted the invention of tethers like the Metolius PAS (Personal Anchor System) or the Sterling Chain Reaction. These are made of individual loops that are each rated to 20+ kN, so there's no more concern with the stitching breaking between pockets. Some climbers find these bulky and a little awkward to use, other people like them a lot. Give it a try and make up your own mind.
Below: Sterling Chain Reactor (top) and Metolius PAS
"The Bolting Bible" - free PDF book
Climbing bolts - If you place them (or like most of us, merely use them) having a solid understanding of their mechanics and proper placement is a great idea. Ryan Jenks (founder of How not to Highline) wrote a great e-book that covers all aspects of bolting. Donations to Ryan not required, but appreciated.
Ryan Jenks, a mostly fearless, generally hilarious and always high energy guy, is behind “How Not to Highline” (YouTube and website). He somehow manages to combine humor, science, and exciting real life testing to shows some of the break limits of climbing gear and rigging.
Ryan wrote a very detailed e-book on bolting, called “The Bolting Bible”. It's all here: ethics, metal types, rock types, hole drilling, mechanical bolts, glue in bolts, different types of glue . . . 130+ pages, 400+ photos, 200+ links.
If you ever plan on placing a bolt, this e-book will help. And for the rest of us who rely on bolts and really hope they are properly placed, this is a great tutorial on how they’re properly installed, and occasionally what to look for when they’re not. It's also updated regularly with new testing results and materials.
While you can download the e-book for free from the link below, Ryan would certainly appreciate it if you could make a modest donation so he can continue to produce more high-quality free educational material that benefits our entire community.
Note: Placing bolts is a BIG responsibility. Follow these best practices:
Practice bolting somewhere obscure no one will ever see or use, not at your local crag.
Have an experienced person check your work.
Study and follow bolting regulations from land management agencies.
Don’t add bolts to an existing route.
Let's talk about off-axis carabiner loading
In the real world, carabiners can be loaded in some strange ways that are not normally tested. Let’s take a closer look at carabiners loaded in three and four different directions, and learn when you do and probably don't need to be concerned about it.
Short attention span version: Loading your carabiner in three or even four directions is not really a concern for climbers. The carabiner can take a higher load than you will ever put on it in a realistic recreational climbing scenario.
Carabiner rating overview: To attain the CE (“Conformité Européene”) safety rating, carabiners are tested in three loading configurations: along the spine (major axis), gate open, and minor axis (aka, cross loaded). These values should be visible on every carabiner, and surely you’ve noticed them.
The optimal load for a carabiner is along the major axis, or spine. This number should always be the highest of the three ratings, which tells you that’s the strongest configuration. Hopefully you learned this on your first day of climbing, because it's pretty important.
image: https://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en_US/qc-lab-off-axis-tri-axial-carabiner-loading.html
However, in many real world climbing situations, carabiners are loaded in something other than these three tested configurations. Let’s look at a few.
One of these is the weakest configuration, “nose hooking”. A nose hooked carabiner can break at a load as low as 2 kN, yikes! (Here's an entire article from the Black Diamond Quality Control lab about nose hooking.)
A nose hooked carabiner, yikes! This is super dangerous, if you ever see it, stop and fix this right away!
There are other ways carabiners can be loaded, which is from three or four different directions. Our engineering friends call this “tri-axial” or “quad-axial” loading.
Note, there’s no official strength rating for carabiners under these multi directional loads. (Probably because there are too many variations and it would be hard to test consistently? I don't know, that's a guess.)
What about these examples of tri-axial loading? Is this really something to be concerned about, or not? Most people would say yes, because when you see the Petzl “Yer Gonna Die - YDG” icon, that should get your attention!
But okay, you might be saying, these examples below are kind of silly, most climbers know you shouldn’t load a carabiner like that . . .
image: https://www.petzl.com/US/en/Sport/Examples-of-dangerous-carabiner-loading-?ActivityName=Rock-climbing
And, from this page of the excellent Petzl website, comes this interesting graphic.
Now, depending on your anchor building style, this might be something you see more often. Petzl says don't do it, but what are the real world values we're talking about?
(Let's not freak out about that 7 kN value. Petzl is talking about directly cross loading the gate, which we all know is bad, but still something to keep in mind.)
Good thing the clever engineering gnomes at Black Diamond had the same question and decided to break some gear to find some answers. The premise: When a carabiner is loaded in three (or more) different directions, it’s weaker. The question is, by how much, and is it enough to worry about?
We have some real data and testing results below, but let's first look at a real world anchor.
Let's have a look at this anchor below made by IFMGA Certified Guide Karsten Delap. The top “master point” carabiner is clipped through both of the rappel rings. (Some folks get concerned doing this might damage the rings. It actually won't, because the rings are steel and the carabiner is made of softer aluminum. It's like using a plastic ice scraper on your car windshield. The soft plastic doesn't hurt the harder glass.)
image: IFMGA Guide Karsten Delap - https://www.instagram.com/p/B5EjrGojxdI/
This is “quad-axis” loading, as the carabiner could receive a load in four different directions. Problem, or not?
No problem. Realistically, loads in this configuration are going to be low. It's the hanging weight of the belayer on the clove hitch, say 1 kN, and belaying your second up directly from the anchor, a max load of say 2-3 kN. (Also note that the second is being belayed on the right, or spine side of the anchor carabiner, which is the strongest orientation.) Once the second is at the anchor, and the new leader heads out, the new belayer will probably only have a clove hitch on the master carabiner.
As we see in this nice diagram below from Petzl, when you do clip two different loads to the same carabiner, it's best to clip the heaviest one closest to the spine.
So, once again the forces in the real world are going to be significantly less and in a different orientation than in the laboratory.
But, breaking gear is fun, so let's see what Black Diamond has to say!
Here’s the original article from the Black Diamond QC lab archives. (Keep in mind that this testing was done on a very small sample size, on one model of carabiner, from one manufacturer, so the results do not apply universally.)
The Black Diamond website tells us that the Vapor Lock screw gate carabiner has a major axis, closed gate strength of 21 kN. Below are photos and test results from some tri-axial and quad-axial loading done by Black Diamond.
(If you're on a mountain rescue team or doing industrial rigging, or need to maintain your 10:1 safety factor, then you're probably using things like rigging plates to attach multiple carabiners to one anchor and not doing three or four axis loading in the first place.)
image: https://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en_US/qc-lab-off-axis-tri-axial-carabiner-loading.html
Summary of tri-axial loading test: With two loads on the widest end, the carabiner was weakened approximately 20%. With two loads on the small end, the carabiner was effectively not weakened at all (Remember, the carabiner is rated to 21 kN.)
image: http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en_US/qc-lab-off-axis-tri-axial-carabiner-loading.html
Summary of quad-axial loading test: With the carabiner locked, the weakest iteration of the test showed about a 25% reduction in strength. Even so, this was still almost 16 kN, which is sufficiently strong enough for just about any climbing application. (Look at the loading angle onto the top of the carabiner in that top left photo, that is pretty extreme!)
Here's a great video from our friends at How not to Highline. The video is on three-way loading in general. They test various configurations of quickdraws pulling at different angles, and different shapes of carabiners. In one example, and oval carabiner clipped with two quickdraws at about a 90 degree angle broke at around 21 kN.
A tiny CAMP Nano carabiner, one of the smallest made, broke at around 17 kN with the double pull on the narrow end, and about 11 kN with the pull on the wide end. (Screen grab below of the set up.)
So, it appears it if you are going to triload a carabiner, having the double directional pull on the skinny / hinge side of the carabiner gives increased strength.
Here's another test, from Over the Edge Rescue in New Zealand. The carabiner is a CT Snappy screwgate, rated at 23 kN on the major axis.
Three-way loading, wide gate down, three different tests. Average breaking strength: 23.7 kN.
That’s higher than the rated strength!
image: https://overtheedgerescue.com/canyoning/vlad-master-carabiner/
And, here's a 30 second video from Australian rigging expert Rich Delaney at Ropelab: “Three-way loading, no problem.”
Takeaway:
Always try to load a carabiner along the spine (the strongest orientation) whenever possible.
Quad-axial loading can reduce carabiner strength by a maximum about 25%, to about 16 kN. Other configurations of tri-axial loading show essentially no reduction in carabiner strength.
In all cases, this is considerably stronger than 9 kN, which is about the maximum force possible in climbing.
So, in those oddball situations where optimal carabiner loading is not possible, it's probably going to be fine. Just don't make a habit of it. =^)
So, that’s some lab break test results, admittedly on a fairly small sample size. Alpinesavvy does not give advice, we offer ideas and information.
I'm not here to tell you what you should or should not do when to comes to building anchors. Look at these results and decide for yourself.
What do you think?
CE rated quick links from CAMP
While some people are fine with using random hardware store quick links for rappel anchors, I'm not one of them. Well, good news. CAMP (Italy) sell CE rated quick links that are the right sizes, right price, and insanely strong.
CE rated quick links from CAMP
5mm, 8mm and 10mm (Note, the 5mm is stainless only, not CE rated, and 25 kN)
galvanized or stainless
starting at about $3 each
strength - 25 kN to 50 kN (!!!)
Let's take a moment to appreciate the humble quick link. Also known by a few other terms, such as “rapid links” or “maillon rapide” of just “maillon”, it's a simple, inexpensive, near bulletproof, and long lasting connection point that’s useful in many aspects of climbing. It was originally used by farmers, who needed an easy way to repair or extend chains. They are popular with cavers, who needs sturdy connection points that take a lot of abuse.
Of course you can buy quick links from the hardware store, but they're going to be made at some unknown machine shop in a far away country. Is that where you want your life support hardware to be from? I didn't think so. (Although, I added a video at the bottom of the page that shows even these hardware store versions are probably gonna be fine. . . )
Instead, for about the same price, get a proper CE rated quick link from a reputable manufacturer, such as CAMP or Metolius.
The 8 mm galvanized steel quicklink, rated 40 kN /9,000 lbs(!), is just $3, whatta deal!
Try a Google for “CAMP quick link” or visit the CAMP website.
But quick links are too heavy . . .
Many people like to hate on quick links, grumbling that they are “heavy” and single use item.
But are they really that heavy, compared to the gear you’re already carrying? Perhaps not! Check out the photo below. The 5 mm stainless steel quicklink is actually stronger, lighter, and less expensive than a small snapgate carabiner.
It does look about as robust as a paper clip, but can't argue with 25 kN! Yes they are a fairly specific single use item, but they do that one thing pretty darn well.
NOTE: the CAMP website says the 5 mm link is a: “Minimal oval quick link for accessory uses.” “Accessory uses” probably means the CAMP legal team would prefer you not rappel from it. Personally, I'm OK with 25 kN. You are free to make your own choice. Remember, my website offers, ideas and information, not advice.
When rappelling, it’s best practice to run your rope through some sort of metal connection at the anchor. Doing this gives a smoother rope pull, with no chance of damaging the anchor webbing. In alpine climbing where you don’t have bolted/chain anchors, this usually means three options: quick link, rappel ring, or your least favorite carabiner. (Carabiner tip: tape the gate shut to make “cheapskate locker” for a more secure rappel anchor.)
Quick links are a good choice at rappel anchors for two reasons:
You can open the threaded sleeve and put it OVER existing cord or webbing (which you can kind of do with a rappel ring, but I find it sketchy).
They have a very small opening, which lets them be used with a blocking knot. (Blocking knots are an advanced technique; you can learn about them here.)
Notes . . .
It's best practice to close the sleeve of the quick link by screwing it down toward the ground. This means that gravity is helping keep the sleeve closed. A little pneumonic to help remember this is: “Screw DOWN so you don't screw UP.” Also applies to locking carabiners.
If you have a link that you want to fix it more permanently, give it an extra turn with a pair of pliers; a multi-tool is your friend. And if you’re a route developer, feel free to put a few drops of Loctite on it to really hold it closed.
A study from On Rope Canyoneering states that quick link breaking strength increases by roughly 10% if you use a wrench to tighten the sleeve rather than your hands.
What size quick link should I get?
5mm: Leave behind at alpine rappel stations, and as a master point if you're going to use a knot block, because it's so small. Fits rope up to about 10.5 mm. Yes it might look like a paper clip, but it's rated to 25 kN, #SuperGoodEnough!. From CAMP, comes in stainless steel only. (Legal notice: CAMP suggests using these for “accessory only”, choose wisely.)
8mm: Nice all around size. Fits two carabiners, and rotates through a standard bolt hanger. Good for connecting chain to hangers and rings. Rated to 40-50 kN.
10mm: Tie up aircraft carriers, and for master point / rope connection / lowering point at high use areas. Last a long time, cheap and easy to replace. (Yes, it's good practice in most areas to lower off for the last person rather than rappel. ) Rated to 40-50 kN.
When are quick links useful?
An alpine climb where you anticipate building your own rappel stations. The 5mm stainless is a good choice here.
If you're a good Samaritan and want to improve anchors at your local crag. (It's best practice in most outdoor climbing areas to use stainless steel hardware whenever possible. It lasts much longer. If you are equipping outdoor anchors, spend a few more bucks and get stainless steel.)
Making an anchor where you want to do some kind of a knot block (Reepschnur), and want to be 120% certain that the knot is unable to pass through the master point. A quick link is perfect for this.
Making a durable and (mostly) theft-proof “gym quickdraw” from a fixed eye steel carabiner and a quicklink for your project route or “clip & lower” sport anchor. (Photo below.)
You can chain two “dogbones” together to make an ultra-long quick draw. (Photo below.)
For certain applications in big wall climbing or rope soloing, where do you need a supe- strong, very reliable connection.
Please do NOT use them to bail off of a sport climb, use a carabiner instead. Reason: the gate is often quite difficult to open for the next person up who needs to remove your gear.
DIY “perma-draw”, like what you find on lead routes in many climbing gyms.
You can chain two quick draws together with a quick link, as seen on the right.
Here's where you should probably NOT use a quick link: retreating from a sport route. It can make it difficult to clip for the next climber, and they can be hard to remove, especially if they've been there for a while and the threads start to rust shut.
Leave a carabiner instead. If you're not comfortable with lowering from one snap gate, leave a locker, or tape the gate closed, aka “cheapskate locker”.
So, how strong are those hardware store quick links after all? Here's a video from On Rope Canyoneering that tries to answer the question.
They tested two diameters, zinc (non-stainless steel) hand tightened, five links of each size tested.
5/16” (8 mm) broke at an average of 31.5 kN
1/4” (6.4 mm) broke at an average of 10.5 kN
