Alpine Tips
Ice climbing top rope? Consider a V-thread
Setting up a top rope anchor for ice climbing? Bolts or trees may give the fastest and most secure option. If all you have is the ice, be aware that screws can melt out very quickly. To increase anchor security and longevity, consider using one or even two V-threads. Guest post by Canadian ice climbing expert Sean Isaac @seanisaacguiding.
Photos from Tim Banfield @timbanfield and article (used with permission) are from Sean Isaac. Sean is an ACMG (Association of Canadian Mountain Guides) certified Alpine guide, a former professional climber, and author of the “Ice Leader Field Handbook” and “How to Ice Climb” (2nd ed.) Follow @seanisaacguiding and @howtoiceclimb for more great tech tips.
From Sean:
“It’s shocking how fast ice screws can melt out on a warm (> 0 C) day especially when under tension in a top-rope context. Even on very cold days, direct solar affect at the critical angle of incidence will loosen ice screws quickly.
I’ve seen top-rope ice screw anchors melt out on -25 C days in January in 30 minutes due to the sun. If warm temperatures or solar exposure is anticipated then melt out should be a concern.
Using bolted or tree anchors is the obvious solution, but if an ice anchor is the only option then mitigate melt out by using V-threads instead of ice screws for one or all anchor points. The nylon cord/webbing does not conduct heat like metal screws so therefore do not melt out as rapidly.
It sometimes can take days for V-threads to melt out. The cord can then be retrieved at the end of the top rope session and a no-thread used to rappel.
Packing snow over the top of ice screws is not a recommended treatment since it does very little to negate melt out”
Some V-thread considerations:
Threads should never be used as a single-point anchor. Make a second point as show here (screw or another thread), and equalize them.
Threads should be made with a 21-22 cm screw.
All angles are 60 degrees making an equilateral triangle that is as deep as it is wide.
Aluminum screws make constructing V-threads easier due to their larger tube diameter.
7mm cord is the minimum recommended diameter. Not because of its strength but because of it’s surface area.
Webbing makes a stronger thread than cord, due to its broad surface area spreading the load at the back of the V.
Horizontal threads test at an average of 11kN in good quality ice.
Vertical threads (A-threads) tests 3kN stronger because most of the force is on the upper hole, placing more total surface area in compression in a single vector.
Remove cord from threads when possible to minimize plastic garbage in the mountains.
V-thread equalized with single screw.
photo: Tim Banfield @timbanfield
Another option: use a pair of V threads. If you carry a cordelette that's open (a.k.a. untied), you can thread the end through ALL the holes and tie it off. #CraftyRopeTrick!
photo: Tim Banfield @timbanfield
The right (and wrong) ways to backup a V thread anchor
V-threads are used for rappelling on ice when you don't have bolts, trees, or established rappel stations. While they can be very strong, a redundant backup is usually a good idea. There are some best practices for doing this correctly. Learn them here, from Canadian Guide and ice climbing expert Sean Isaac, @seanisaacguiding
Photos from Tim Banfield @timbanfield and article (used with permission) are from Sean Isaac. Sean is an ACMG (Association of Canadian Mountain Guides) certified Alpine guide, a former professional climber, and author of the “Ice Leader Field Handbook” and “How to Ice Climb” (2nd ed.) Follow @seanisaacguiding and @howtoiceclimb for more great tech tips.
Learn this and much more on Sean’s Ice Leader Camps and Ice Series Clinics through Yamnuska Mountain Adventures @yamnuskamtnadv.
PHOTO CREDIT: @TIMBANFIELD AND @SEANISAACGUIDING
Hopefully this is obvious, but this is for RAPPEL ONLY. You should NEVER top rope through cord like this, the friction from the weighted rope could cut through the cord!
Sean writes:
“V-threads (invented by Soviet climber Vitaly Abalakov) are used for rappelling on ice when fixed anchors like bolts or trees are not present. Like any anchor, redundancy is important, so rappelling from two equalized V-threads might make sense in some situations. These can be equalized to a master point or simply in series where one takes the load while the other exists as a backup. Unfortunately, this would also mean leaving behind a lot of cord that ultimately becomes garbage.
With experience, it is acceptable to rappel off a single V-thread, but always implement an unweighted backup anchor clipped loosely to the rappel rope for the first person(s) down to fully test the V-thread. The last person to rappel removes the unweighted backup, relying only on the tested V-thread.
The V-thread backup must be clipped to the rappel rope and not to the V-thread cord. A locker draw is very useful for the backup as long as the length is satisfactory. It also must be slack enough that it does not take any weight, but not so slack that if the V-thread were to fail there would be a major shock load to the backup anchor.
No-threads—also called zero threads or naked threads—are V-threads where the rope is fed directly through the bored holes, eliminating the need for leaving cord behind. This is environmentally more friendly but should only be done in dry ice to prevent the ropes from freezing in place. No threads also need an unweighted backup to test its integrity.”
What about using just one screw as a backup?
“We often see parties using a one screw connection point where the entire team anchors to on a descent. Think about the weight here, the medium we are in, and the issues that may present. Does it hold, yes, but are there great security margins here for the medium we are on? We'd say no. Incorporating another screw to build a stronger anchor it takes seconds and significantly increases the team security.”
Let's look at a few examples.
Here's the right way to do it.
The backup is two screws, statically equalized.
It has a locker draw, for extra security.
It's clipped to the climbing rope, not the thread.
It's clipped with minimal slack.
photo credit: @timbanfield and @seanisaacguiding
The same principle applies for a no thread / naked thread anchor, where the rope goes directly through the ice instead of cord.
photo credit: @timbanfield and @seanisaacguiding
Now, some common mistakes . . .
Whoops! Backup is clipped to the threaded cord, not the rope. Initially this might not appear to be a problem. However, if the V thread fails, your backup, and thus you, are putting a sudden large load on some 6-ish mm static cord, rather than the larger diameter, stretchy dynamic rope. Better to remove the this cord altogether, and clip the back up directly to the rope.
PHOTO CREDIT: @TIMBANFIELD AND @SEANISAACGUIDING
Whoops! Backup is partially holding the weight of the climber, instead of having the full weight on the thread. This never properly tests the anchor for the last person.
PHOTO CREDIT: @TIMBANFIELD AND @SEANISAACGUIDING
Whoops! The backup is too long. If the thread fails, you could have a big shock load on that sling.
PHOTO CREDIT: @TIMBANFIELD AND @SEANISAACGUIDING
How to ice climb - video tutorial series by Will Gadd
Canadian ice climbing expert Will Gadd posted an excellent series of ice climbing tutorial videos on Youtube. Video production is excellent, and Will’s vast experience, good humor and teaching ability comes through in every one. Highly recommended!
image: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nwl4XAdIKGM
Canadian ice climbing expert Will Gadd and Black Diamond teamed up to make an excellent introductory video series about ice climbing techniques. There are nine videos in the series, most are about 10 minutes long. (Pretty sure these came out just as I write this, late November 2022.)
Topics include:
footwork
how to swing
steep ice technique
dry tooling
screws
clearing bulges
V threads
pick sharpening
Will radiates his usual positive energy, vast experience, good sense of humor (and humility), and overall stoke. Solid tips from a solid guy, good video production quality, highly recommended!
Search YouTube for “Will Gadd how to ice climb”, or see the whole playlist from this link.
Rigging your rope for glacier travel
Here's a fast, clever and easy-to-remember way to ensure proper spacing between team members when traveling on a glacier. Plus, a diagram and photo to show actual distances for three and four person teams.
Image: from the highly recommended and hilarious book, “The Illustrated Guide to Glacier Travel and Crevasse Rescue, by Andy Tyson and Mike Clelland. Anyone setting foot on a glacier would do well to get this book. The method shown is a bit outdated, but it's still a great drawing!
(There are a few different book editions with different covers. They're all good, get whichever one you can.)
credit: Mike Clelland
I remember when I first learned crevasse rescue WayBackWhen, it was pretty darn simple. Two people tie to each end, one person ties to the middle, and off you go! 50 meter rope, 25 meters between everybody.
Turns out that has a few problems:
Communication can be difficult because people are further apart.
All the extra rope gets hung up on ice blobs and snow-sickles.
How do you do a rescue if the middle person falls in?
Happily we’ve moved into the modern era, where you climb a bit closer together (at least in my neighborhood, the Pacific Northwest), and the end people carry extra rope to initiate a rescue. But, that still leaves a few questions:
What distance should you have between climbers?
It sort of depends on the potential size of the crevasses you may be facing, but for moderate sized crevasses typical of the Pacific NW, here’s a quick and easy to remember how to set up the rope spacing. It varies a little bit, depending on the size of your team.
Take the number of people on your rope team, and subtract that from 10. That gives you the number of double “arm spans” between climbers.
2 climbers: 10-2 = 8 - 8 arm spans of rope between climbers (need to leave a few extra meters to tie brake knots . . .)
3 climbers: 10-3 = 7 - 7 arm spans of rope between climbers
4 climbers: 10-4 = 6 - 6 arm spans of rope between climbers
Notes . . .
This is known in some circles as the “10 minus equation.”
If you’re on a two person team, it’s best practice to tie 4-5 brake knots in the rope between each climber. It's optional for 3 and 4 person teams, but if the terrain is hairy then go ahead and tie some.
Generally, you want to put the least experienced person(s) in the middle, and the two more experienced/skilled people on the end. The end people will be more responsible for route finding and probably initiating a rescue if you need one.
Note - there are lots of different ways to rig your rope team for glacier travel. This is one of many that works. In areas with larger crevasses, like Alaska and the Himalaya, you’d probably want more distance between people than what I’m describing here.
Pro tip: If you're doing an alpine start, rig your your rope with knots and coils the night before. It's one less thing to do at 0:dark:30 by headlamp when you're sleepy.
Generally, it's best practice to have all team members clip to a knot with a locking carabiner, rather than tying the rope through the harness. Doing this allows you to unclip from the rope more easily, which is convenient when performing a rescue.
The end people need a good way to secure the extra rope. Some people advocate stuffing it in your pack. Bad idea, because every time you want to get in and out of your pack you have lots of annoying rope coils. Much better is to secure the rope in a small butterfly coil, I like to secure the coil with a Voile ski strap. Yes, I know how to tie off a butterfly coil, but using a ski strap is faster and easier. I don’t like the coils around my neck unless there’s a good reason to do so, like moving from glacier to rock, where you need to take in coils and walk close together.
The standard approach to clipping to the rope is to use two carabiners, opposite and opposed usually with at least one a locker. Here's my alternative, using the odd-looking Grivel Clepsydra S carabiner. It has a wire clippy thing so it can never be cross loaded, and it has a double gate that will never freeze shut or wiggle open during a day of tromping around on the glacier. It's my new favorite.
A team of two can require a longer rope (60 meter minimum) than a team of three or even four.
Yes, this is a little counterintuitive! If you're using the modern standard of a drop loop C, that means you need about twice the distance between climbers at a minimum for a typical rescue. A party of three or four will ideally build an anchor at the closest team member to the fallen person. This allows them to use the rope between the other team members for the drop loop and thus they can carry fewer rescue coils on each end. A team of two is probably not able to do this.
This means that it's best practice for a two person team to be on a 60 meter rope at a minimum, while a three person or four person team can probably use a 50 meter rope.
Check out the below diagram for a two person team. With 8 arms spans between climbers, and with 4 brake knots which each take about 1 meter, that leaves just 15 meters in rescue coils for each person to carry.
The good news is, if your drop loop turns out to be a little bit short, it's easy to extend it with whatever extra slings, cordelettes, etc. you might have available. This means that a two person team does NOT always need to carry twice the amount of rope between climbers. (Another alternative for a two person team with a shorter rope is that they do not use a drop C and instead use a drop end 3:1, which comes with its own set of problems and benefits. Here's a detailed article on this technique.
Either way, the bigger picture, if you’re a two person team in serious crevasse terrain, you absolutely have to have your systems dialed and be completely self-sufficient to perform a rescue. Two person glacier travel is recommended for experts only.
Rope rigging for a THREE person team (with at least two experienced climbers):
Find the middle of the rope, tie a butterfly knot for the middle person.
Measure about seven full arm spans from this middle knot towards one end, and tie a butterfly knot. Repeat for the other half of the rope. These are the clip in points for the two end people. The end people coil the remaining rope for use in a possible rescue.
If you have only one experienced person on your rope team, then the novices should probably clip in starting at one end of the rope with seven arm spans between them, and the more experienced person should carry all the the remaining rope. Let’s hope the guide doesn’t fall in . . .
Rope rigging for a FOUR person team:
Find the middle of the rope.
Measure three arm spans to the right of the rope middle, and tie a butterfly knot.
Measure three arm spans to the left of the rope middle, and tie another butterfly knot.
Finally, measure six arm spans from each of these knots toward end of the rope, and tie your final two butterfly knots for the end climbers. Again, the two end climbers should ideally be more experienced people capable of route finding and crevasse rescue. They also carry the remaining rope, either coiled over their shoulder or stuffed into a backpack.
Distance wise, this works out to be about 10 meters between climbers.
(Note the orange Voile ski strap securing the coils for the climber on the right, a quick and secure way to tame extra rope.)
Check out the nice video from AMGA Guide Jeff Ward to see how this works.
Pre thread your crampon strap
Want to set up your crampons so it's faster and less hassle to put them on? Simply pre-thread the strap through your toe piece and the buckle.
When putting crampons on your boots, especially with gloves and/or cold fingers, threading the strap through the buckle can be quite the back-twisting hassle.
Here's a simple solution: pre-thread the strap through the toe section and the buckle BEFORE you step into it. Tie an overhand knot in the end of the strap so it can't pull through. Plus, the overhand gives you something to grab when you have gloves on.
Insert your boot through the loop, engage the heel lever, and grab the knot, and crank down the buckle. Done!
I have to say, when I first saw the video below it was one of those face-palm moments of, “Why have I been doing it wrong for all this time?!”
Here's a nice video from IFMGA Guide Karsten Delap showing how it's done.
Shovel blade as an emergency snowshoe
Lost or broke a ski? With a shovel blade and a ski strap or two, you just might make it back to the trailhead. Tip and photos from our friends at @graybirdguiding.
This clever tip and photos (shared with permission) come from Graybird Guiding, a Seattle based guide company that not only leads some sweet ski trips, but also has an Instagram full of solid advice. Connect with them at their website and on Instagram. (Check out their hashtag #sknowmore for specific backcountry ski tips.)
Lost your ski in the deep stuff? Broken ski? This clever tip just might get you back to the trailhead with minimal postholing.
If you have a long ski strap or two, and a shovel with some holes in it, you can probably improvise a mini snowshoe and clomp your way back out. The larger the shovel, the less you’ll sink in.
Yet another reason why carrying a couple of extra ski straps is a fine idea! Here's a whole article on that topic.
I must say this is a pretty clever trick, I never would've thought of this!
Dealing with brake knots in crevasse rescue
For two person glacier travel, best practice is to have three or four bulky “brake knots” between climbers, intended to minimize the length of a crevasse fall. If you need to do a rescue and want to lift your partner, you may need to remove these knots from your hauling system. Here's a simple way to do it, courtesy of Petzl.
Credit to the Petzl graphic design experts for the diagrams below, from the always terrific Petzl website.
IMAGE: HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=QHW9AM7AHLA
As a climber, when might you have to deal with knots in a hauling system? Maybe in two person crevasse rescue, where you’re following best practice (with one other highly skilled partner, who has all needed gear, and their rescue skills dialed) and using brake knots in the rope. Or maybe big wall climbing, where you want to do a super long haul from the ground tying several ropes together, to get your bags up several pitches all with one haul.
Untying a knot from a loaded rope (or getting a knot past the hauling pulley) can be tricky, but it doesn't have to be if you follow the steps below. This is one of various ways to do it. Initially this might look a little complicated, but it's actually a simple procedure. Study it for a bit and I'm sure you'll get the hang of it.
Note: In this example, for a 3:1 mechanical advantage (MA) system crevasse rescue, the knots are being untied. For big wall load hauling, you’ll probably be using a 2:1 MA, the knots will very likely stay in the rope, and a different procedure is needed, which were not going to completely cover in this article.)
In the diagram, they’re using the Petzl Micro Traxion as a progress capture pulley on the anchor point, and a Tibloc as the “tractor” pulley to actually pull the load. These are two great pieces of gear and work fine here. However, you could also use pretty much any other sort of pulley, prusik and rope grab combination.
If you have more than one knot you need to pass, such as in a two person crevasse rescue, using the Tibloc is going to be faster, because you don't have to fumble with re-tying a prusik hitch at each knot pass. Best practice for using brake knots in glacier travel to have three or four of them between climbers, so you're probably going to repeat this process a few times.
Bigger picture, a more modern approach to crevasse rescue eliminates the problem of brake knots entirely. Lower either a single strand or a loop of rescue rope to your partner, and pull them up on this separate line. The original brake knots on the rope they fell in on? You can pretty much ignore them.
Here’s how to do it.
Haul until the knot gets close to the anchor.
Ease up on your haul and let the load rest on the anchor pulley. Move the unweighted Tibloc below the knot.
Clip a double length / 120 cm sling (green) to the anchor, clip the other end to the Tibloc, and push the Tibloc down the rope, tensioning the sling.
Do a short pull on the rope and open the toothed cam on the Traxion pulley. Lower the load slowly onto the sling. Check to see that everything is holding. (Tying a backup knot in the haul strand at this point is not shown in the diagram below, but might be a good idea.)
The load is now on the Tibloc, and you have slack above it. Untie the knot from the slack rope. (At this point, if the knot had to stay in the rope, you could extend the master point pulley on a 60 cm sling below the rope and reattach it.)
Engage the cam on the Traxion so it’s grabbing the rope again. Resume hauling. After one pull, unclip the sling from the Tibloc. If you have another knot to pass, keep the sling clipped to the master point. If not, you can remove it. Continue hauling.
image: https://www.petzl.com/BE/en/Sport/Crevasse-fall--hauling-on-a-rope-with-knots
image: https://www.petzl.com/BE/en/Sport/Crevasse-fall--hauling-on-a-rope-with-knots
Finally, here's a nice video clip from British IFMGA Certified Guide Dave Searle showing how it's done. (Dave has loads of great tips on his Instagram, check it out.)
What angle is best for ice screws?
Most ice climbers know that a screw angled down in good quality ice is stronger than one angled up. Black Diamond tested this; here are the real numbers. Plus, in real life conditions, where you can't always assess the quality of the ice, there's a good argument for using an angle of 0° all the time.
Most ice climbers know that a screw placed with threads pointing UP in good quality ice is stronger than one with threads pointing DOWN.
How about some real data, please?
Chris Harmston and the gear testing experts at Black Diamond have some answers.
image: https://www.needlesports.com/Information/Need-Advice/Ice-Screw-Placement
The difference in strength is dramatic - about 9(ish) kN for the screws tilted up, vs. about 22)ish) kN for the screws angled down. Most ice climbers know that a screw pointed down in good quality ice is stronger, but here are some real data to back that up.
Why is this? An comment on my Instagram from @willmurphy6612, explains:
”It has to do with how the load is displaced in the ice. When the threads are perpendicular or pointing UP, the load is transferred axially along the length of screw. This takes advantage of the compressive strength of ice.
When the threads are pointing DOWN, part of the screw is loaded radially which exploits the shear strength of ice, which is not very good. Combine that with the fact that the cracks initiated by the screw are propagating to the surface when angled DOWN the load strength of the system is severely compromised.”
Thank you Will, nicely said!
Note that there are many more variables and play here: the length of the screw, the type/brand of screw, is there a chance the screw might melt out, and above all the quality of the ice. Check out this link to learn more about these factors, and how the test was conducted.
From this BD article on ice screw placement strength:
“There has been a lot of discussion over the years surrounding placement angles. It is generally understood that the strongest placements are between 10 and 15 degrees in the positive direction (teeth upward). The ice surrounding the screw is the weak link in the system, so the goal is to place the screw in a way that reduces the stress on the ice.
An upward-placed screw reduces the compressive stresses in the surrounding ice and better aligns the threads on the screw body with the fall direction—both of which increase holding power. As the screw moves towards negative placement angles (teeth downward) the holding power of the threads decreases and the stresses in the ice increase due to the levering action of the screw.”
Notice the strength at the purple oval / zero degrees - all above 13 kN, which is more than you would ever encounter in any climbing fall. Super good enough!
In their excellent book “The Mountain Guide Manual”, authors Mark Chavin and Rob Coppolillo write that they feel it's best to place screws at zero degrees / perpendicular.
Their reasoning: While in perfect ice tilting the screw downward can result in higher strength, in less than perfect ice, screws at 0° hold the best. Because it's often hard to judge the quality of ice for the full depth of the screw, they feel that defaulting to perpendicular is the best approach.
Along with these test data that show 0 degrees is plenty strong enough, that seems like a good choice.
Snow picket - vertical or buried deadman?
A vertical picket is fast to place, but the strength depends on the firmness of the snow. Here’s a quick rule of thumb to determine if the snow will hold a vertical picket, or if you need to take more time and make a T slot (deadman) anchor.
When placing a snow picket, a key decision is whether you can place it vertically (preferably leaning back about 25° from the direction of pull for optimum strength) or if you need to bury it as a deadman, a.k.a. T-slot.
If you're using it for crevasse rescue, where the anchor has to be unquestionably strong, a single T-slot or possibly a T-slot equalized with a vertical picket is usually the best choice.
In firm summer snow in ideal conditions, you might get away with a vertical placement, which is good because it's faster.
If you make a vertical placement, you get a much stronger anchor if you clip the picket in the middle instead of the top. From IFMGA certified guide Mark Smiley, on his Instagram, he writes:
“ . . . if the snow is soft enough to push one gloved finger into it, a top clipped picket will likely fail under 500 pounds (~2 kN) Yikes! A deadman style picket placed 60cm down = strength of midclip vertical pickets = ~1500 pounds (6.7 kN)”
(Side note: One of the best studies on snow anchors is from the 2010 International Snow Science Workshop, from a paper called “Snow anchors for Belaying and Rescue”, by Don Bogie (New Zealand) and Art Fortini, (USA). You can see it here.)
But if you're unsure of the firmness of the snow, here’s a good rule of thumb, also courtesy of Mark Smiley:
“Typically if it takes 10+ solid hammer strikes to drive the picket to the deepest hole (top of the picket), then I have confidence the snow is firm enough. If less than 10 strikes, I will switch to building a T-slot anchor...which takes longer to build but it’s stronger.”
Mark’s tip is in the comment section of this excellent Youtube video from Outdoor Research, “How to Build a Snow Anchor.”
Great snow climbing tutorial from the AAC
Want to learn some snow climbing tips from the guy who founded the American Alpine Institute and former president of the American American Guide Association (AMGA)? We thought so. While these are some great tips for beginners, even you crafty veterans may learn a few new things.
You know how the biography and qualifications of an author often appears at the end of an article? Well, here’s a link to a great tutorial on basic snow climbing techniques from the American Alpine Club (AAC), and I’ll mention the authors right here, up front - Dunham Gooding and Jason Martin. (Bold text mine.)
Dunham Gooding founded the American Alpine Institute in 1975 and has taught courses and guided expeditions in the Cascades, Canada, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Patagonia. He has served as chairman of the National Summit Committee on Mountain Rescue, president of the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA), and president of the Outdoor Industry Association.
Jason D. Martin is the director of operations and a senior guide at the American Alpine Institute. He is on the board of directors of the AMGA and has written two guidebooks and co-authored Rock Climbing: The AMGA Single Pitch Manual.
So yeah, If you're going to get climbing advice, these are two pretty good guys to listen to.
This article is about a 10 minute read, and covers just about all of the basics of snow climbing. If you’re a beginner climber, this is an excellent place to start. Even if you've been in the game a while, you may learn a few things. Highly recommended.
How to (and how not to) rack pickets
You want pickets clipped vertically to your gear loops or pack straps, not slung around your neck. Here’s how to rack pickets right.
What beginning snow climber has not cursed the clanking cowbells and the strangle, tangle and dangle of pickets, hanging from ill-placed runners around your neck and shoulder, threatening to trip you up at each step!
Here’s a better way to rack pickets. Carry 6 pickets like this, with them more or less out of the way yet still easily accessible. (Think of this method as the least of all evils. Pickets are still a drag to carry, no matter how you do it, but this way sucks the least.)
If you have very firm snow, you might be able to use a “top clipped” picket. In that case, girth hitch a single length (2 foot / 60 cm) runner through the top picket hole. Clip a carabiner to the runner, then clip this carabiner to the third hole from the top of the picket.
If you’re clipping the middle picket hole, you're probably going to need a double length (4 feet / 120 cm) runner. Girth hitch this long sling through the middle hole . . .
Then wrap the sling around the picket until there's a few inches left, and clip the carabiner to the 3rd hole from an end.
Then, clip the carabiner to your gear loop (harness or on your pack waist belt). By clipping the third hole, the picket rides high enough to (mostly) not trip you, and stays oriented vertically.
Another option: clip it to your backpack strap.
This works well for the leader and for the second / gear cleaner.
Rack the pickets (to begin with) on the opposite side of where your ice axe is generally held. For example, if you're heading more or less straight up or traversing left, and you're right handed, rack the pickets on your left side gear loop so they don't interfere with your axe.
And, a related tip on who the cleaner should be. Often the slowest or least experienced person can end up in the back of a running belay, and guess what, that person becomes the cleaner. It's usually better to put a less experienced team member in the middle of the team, and have someone more skilled doing the cleaning at the caboose end of the rope.
Also, it’s helpful if the caboose person is taller; the pickets will ride higher and be less of a tripping hazard.
Here’s a few more tips on the running belay.
Finally, it’s fine to girth hitch the runner through the picket hole. That dyneema sling is rated to 22 kN, weakening it by half with the girth hitch means it's still good for about 11 kN, which is way more force than you're ever going to put on a snow anchor. (But hey, if that's not your thing, feel free to clip the sling to the picket with a carabiner.)
Finally, how NOT to rack pickets: don’t put the slings around your neck and let the pickets strangle, tangle and dangle, like this guy.
Crevasse Rescue - skip the munter mule overhand
The munter mule overhand, or MMO knot, is a load releasable hitch. While it can be helpful in advanced rope rescue scenarios, it’s not required in crevasse rescue, and in the opinion of various experts, does not need to be taught to beginners.
Or, “just say no to the MMO”
Short version: In my opinion (and that of many experts) the munter mule overhand knot (from here on referred to as the MMO) is not a required component of a crevasse rescue system. Including it in a beginner crevasse rescue class adds further unnecessary complexity to an already very complicated situation. It’s fine when taught to intermediate or advanced climbers, and it certainly has a place in more advanced rescue scenarios, but it’s probably best not to teach it to newer climbers.
Long version: You’re considering taking a class in crevasse rescue from your local mountaineering club. You read the class curriculum online, and see that requires that you tie an MMO knot at the anchor to make a “releasable system”.
In addition, the generally always awesome and hilarious cartoon book, “Glacier Mountaineering: An Illustrated Guide to Glacier Travel and Crevasse Rescue”, says to use one also.
Conversely, the following reputable sources do NOT suggest using an MMO for crevasse rescue:
Book: “The Freedom of the Hills”
Book: “The Mountain Guide Manual” a reference book for, you guessed it, professional guides
The American Alpine Institute (AAI, see their crevasse rescue sequence here.)
YouTube instructional videos presented by professional mountain guides
The munter mule overhand with a cordelette
(Note: Mule knot not snugged up against Munter hitch to show the various parts more clearly. Carabiner through the overhand knot for extra credit.)
So, what’s the dealio, you may be wondering. Do I really need an MMO for crevasse rescue, or not?
To help answer this, ask yourself a few questions.
Is the MMO a seldom used, specialized rescue knot, that’s tricky for most people, especially beginners, to tie correctly? Answer, yes.
Is it likely that you’re going to forget how to tie a seldom used, specialized rescue knot, that you never use in your day-to-day climbing, years from in a rescue scenario that’s already stressful and complicated? Answer, yes.
Is it possible to rig a successful mechanical advantage crevasse rescue system without using this knot? Answer, yes.
Are the vast majority of crevasse rescues performed by raising only, without ever needing to lower at all? Answer, yes.
Is it possible to lower a victim safely (if for some reason you need to) without having an MMO in the system? Answer, yes.
I’ve watched several crevasse rescue videos made by AMGA (American Mountain Guide Association) certified guides on YouTube, and none of them use an MMO. Why is this? Probable answer - see the previous five questions.
(If you watch the excellent crevasse rescue videos made by AMGA certified guides that you’ll find on the video portion of AlpineSavvy, nowhere do you see this knot.)
Additional note: The MMO, as it’s usually taught, requires a cordelette. Which is probably okay if you have three or more people on your rope team and everyone has one. But if you’re a two person team, you probably already used your cordlette to build the 2 piece anchor, so you don’t have a second one for the MMO.
Let’s get back to the purpose of having an MMO in the first place, which is to have a “releasable system”. Why is this needed?
Typical answer - if the person in the crevasse needs to be lowered, the releasable system lets you do so. Reality - if you want to lower them, all you need to is pull about 1 inch up on the whole raising system, loosen the holding prusik, then lower. You can easily do this without the complications of an MMO.
(There is one additional highly unlikely rescue scenario, and that’s if the hauling team on top gets over enthusiastic, does not monitor the fallen climber during the pull, and somehow manages the epic screwup of pulling the fallen climber into the lip of the crevasse. In this case, theoretically, you may not even be able to get 1 inch more lift out of the raising system to loosen the prusik initiate the lower.)
Well, there is a way to do it. It involves getting out your knife and VERY carefully cutting that prusik knot, thus removing it from the system and getting your victim out of the problem that you caused. In this rare case, it could be argued that a MMO would be a superior solution, but it’s so unlikely to ever happen that in my mind it’s not worth planning for.
Takeaway: the MMO component of a crevasse rescue system is entirely optional, and in a beginner level class, adds needless complexity and a difficult-to-remember component to an already stressful and challenging situation.
Most people starting to learn crevasse rescue have their heads completely full with the steps that REALLY need to happen. Thus, most people don’t have any room for anything optional or overly complicated, or in this case both.
Once you have the basic crevasse rescue skills down, or certainly if you’re on a professional mountain rescue team, then you can start adding in more advanced components such as two person rescue and releasable systems. But for beginners, teach the basics, make sure they understand it inside and out, and keep it simple.
That's probably why “Freedom of the Hills and “The Mountain Guide Manual” don’t teach it.
Just say no to the MMO.
Snow anchors: how strong are they?
Sinking a snow picket and having a few people try to pull it out is kind of fun . . . but not very scientific. The French national guide school did some real world pull tests on snow anchors, and there are a few good takeaways.
Here’s another “tres bien” video from ENSA (“École Nationale de Ski et d'Alpinisme”, or the French National Guide School) where they take engineering tools out into the real world and see how climbing gear and technique really work. (Video link at bottom of page.)
If you haven't seen it yet, be sure and watch this other great video, where they test the usefulness of brake knots in the rope for two person crevasse rescue.
In the mountains near Chamonix, they rigged some pull tests on all manner of snow anchors, some traditional (pickets, snow bollard, ice axes, vertical and horizontal skis), and some unconventional (plastic bags, soda bottle).
Here are some takeaways:
Placing a vertical anchor, like a picket, at a 25° angle leaning away from the direction of pull makes the anchor approximately 40% stronger. (See graphic below.)
Even in a buried plastic bag and a soda bottle held 200+ kg, more than enough to rappel from. (I still think I'd let my friend go first . . .)
From the 2010 International Snow Science Workshop, a paper called “Snow anchors for Belaying and Rescue”, by Don Bogie (New Zealand) and Art Fortini, (USA) is probably the most detailed study on snow anchor strength. It states (pg. 315): "In order to allow some room for error when placing a stake it is recommended that when placing upright mid clips that an angle of 30 degrees back from perpendicular is used.”
So, somewhere in the neighborhood of 30° is probably optimal.
image: screen grab from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYtYZgeUpek
There’s a nice chart near the end that summarizes all of the data. (The fourth column, “strength in daN”, means “dekanewton”, a metric unit of force. It's 0.01 kN, or approximately the same as 1 kg of force.)
image: screen grab from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYtYZgeUpek
Finally, for a very deep dive into snow anchors, here’s a training video for the Mountain Rescue Association featuring a presentation from snow anchor expert Art Fortini.
Crevasse Falls: do brake knots work?
Traveling on a glacier in a two person team can make arresting a fall and crevasse rescue very difficult. Fortunately, we now have some definitive answers on a way to make it safer - brake knots in the rope.
If you've ever tried to perform a crevasse rescue in a two person climbing team, you know it’s a very challenging operation. The two main steps of holding the fall and then constructing an anchor are made much more difficult if you are holding most of the weight of your fallen partner. (If you do choose to travel on a glacier with just a two person team, both of you need to be completely dialed in your rescue technique and have all necessary equipment.)
For some time now, it’s been generally recommended to tie brake knots in the rope when on a glacier as a two person team. The theory is the knots will catch in the snow in the case of a fall, minimizing the distance of the fall, and also helping to hold the weight of the victim, making the rescue initiation much easier.
There are a couple of downsides to this technique, namely it makes it more difficult to prusik up the rope, and can complicate rigging a mechanical advantage hauling system. This is generally true, but with a bit of practice you can overcome both these obstacles quite easily. For the hauling, if you’re carrying enough extra rope in your pack or even a second rope for rescue, you can drop this rope to the victim and use it to carry out the rescue and pretty much ignore the loaded rope that has the knots in it. Two, if needed, it's quite easy to pass a knot through a hauling system provided you have some modern gear like a Tibloc and Traxion pulley; learn how to do it here.
But, while a popular technique in Europe, this method has not fully caught on in North America.
To get some definitive data on this issue, rigorous testing was conducted by ENSA (École Nationale de Ski et d'Alpinisme) or French National Guide School. These are some of the most expert mountain guides in the world, and they have the knowledge and engineering tools needed to come up with some solid answers.
Fortunately, they made a video (in English) that shows their testing procedure and results, which should settle the argument once and for all.
(Note that this recommendation is for TWO PERSON teams only, not three or more.)
The short version:
“Our tests validated the effectiveness of this technique, and we strongly recommend climbers use it.”
image: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qhw9AM7ahlA
While watching the whole video is recommended, here are a few takeaways.
3:15 - “Then I did it for real, sliding for 4 or 5 meters until the knots dug into the snow and held the weight. In real life, the belayer would then be completely free to make an anchor and start the rescue procedure, without being pulled forward by the person in the crevasse, and without the rope being continually under tension.”
4:12 - Brake knots are only effective when there is deeper softer snow above the ice layer. “When the same study was done with only 30 cm of snow over ice, this was not enough snow for the knots to properly dig in, and the knots did not work at all . . . The knots simply slid on the ice and didn’t properly penetrate into the snowpack.” However . . . “if the snow cover at the lip of the crevasse is 1.5 m to 2 m deep, then the knots are pulled deeply into the snow and end up blocking the rope.”
5:06 - “With knots, at the end of a fall, there is a maximum force of only 10 or 20 kg on the belayer, which means it's very easy to hold the person who’s hanging from the rope. This obviously makes the rescue procedure a lot safer.”
5:41 - “The tests showed that 3-4 knots were easily enough to reduce the load on the belayer. There's no point in tying more knots than this, because it will just use up a lot of rope.”
6::00 - “We recommend tying one knot 3 meters from each person, and then another two knots at 2 meter intervals.”
6:01 - “Brake knots should be big and bulky, so they brake effectively when they are pulled into the snow. They should also use as little rope as possible.”
6:20 - Pay attention knot geeks, here’s a new one here I bet you don't know - the “brake knot”, a classic figure 8 on a bight with one addition to give it a larger diameter.
Belay jackets 101
New school layering - have an “action suit” when you're moving fast, and a big puffy jacket to put over everything when you stop. Here’s just about everything you need to know about the belay jacket.
Andy enjoying a lovely afternoon in Antarctica. Credit, Andy Kirkpatrick collection.
The concept of a belay jacket has various origin stories, but American climber Mark Twight is typically credited with popularizing the idea. Old school layering used to be something like: base layer, fleece or wool, hard shell on top.
But with a belay jacket, you dress more like a minimalist cross-country skier - when skiing, you don't need much in the way of layering, because you're maintaining your heat through movement. But if you stop for more than a few minutes, you better have something to put on.
Applied to climbing, you may start with a base layer and maybe a wind shell when moving. But in your pack is a VERY warm jacket to put on quickly over everything when you stop.
British climbing expert and winter hardman Andy Kirkpatrick has a wonderful, deep dive article on his website that covers the history, theory, design features and recommended models for belay jackets. It’s a great read for all cold-weather athletes.
(Yes, it’s a few years old, but the general principles don't change much.)
Carry an ice screw for crevasse rescue
If you fall into a crevasse, having an ice screw lets you unweight the rope, making life a lot easier for your partners on top trying to get you out. If you have two screws, you could even aid climb your way out. Some minimalist glacier harnesses even have elastic tabs designed for carrying screws.
When you're on a glacier climb with a moderate to high risk of a crevasse fall, consider carrying an ice screw.
If you do fall into a crevasse, you can hopefully sink the ice screw and clip yourself to it. This can take your body weight off the rope, which will make life a LOT easier for your partner(s) on top to set up a hauling system, or allow them a bit of slack in the rope so they can put some sort of padding under the rope at the lip of the crevasse. If you have a second ice screw (which maybe your partner on top can lower down to you) you could even aid climb your way out of the crevasse.
The more obvious use is anchor building up top. You'll want a longer screw (16 cm minimum) to be sure you get good purchase in the glacial ice, which is often not the best quality.
For the weight conscious, it's hard to beat the Petzl Laser Speed Light ice screw (photo above). They have steel teeth, an aluminum tube, and are about 40% lighter than a similar steel screw.
Here’s a photo of my better side in my Petzl “Tour” harness, a super lightweight harness designed for ski mountaineering and alpine climbing. Notice on each leg loop, there are two elastic tabs designed for holding an ice screw. Even on a minimalist harness like this, Petzl thought it was worthwhile to have a place to tuck away not one, but two, ice screws. It's not for ice climbing, it's for crevasse rescue.
(And no, that’s not a sexy lightweight aluminum screw as mentioned above, but you get the idea.)
This tip is mentioned in the book "The Mountain Guide Manual", by Marc Chauvin and Rob Coppolillo. It’s an excellent resource for more advanced technique, check it out!
Try a static rope for glacier travel
Are you climbing on a moderate glacier, such as a standard route on many Pacific NW volcanoes, without any actual lead climbing? Consider a static rope.
Are you climbing a low to moderately angled glacier? You need a rope for crevasse rescue only, but not for catching any real leader falls, and you don’t want to carry any more weight or length than you have to.
Consider a static rope. If your only purpose of the rope is for crevasse rescue, then you don’t need the dynamic qualities of a typical lead climbing rope. In fact, the extra stretch in a dynamic rope (especially the skinny ones) will result in a longer fall and will add unwanted stretch to any raising system you may need to build. Conversely, the static rope can give a harder yank on the people up top if the rope management is a little sloppy, with extra slack, so keep that in mind.
These ropes can be up to 40% lighter than a similar length of 8 mm dynamic half rope, typically used in glacier travel by many climbers. (Approx 25 grams per meter compared to about 40 grams per meter.)
Of course, you need to take some measures to add extra friction when rappelling, such as using a device designed for skinny ropes such as the ATC Alpine Guide, adding two carabiners to your belay loop, or maybe even putting both strands of the rappel rope through the SAME hole in your rappel device. As always, practice with these in a controlled environment before you have to do it for real on the mountain.
Several companies offer dry treated, small diameter, ultralight static ropes specifically designed for crevasse rescue.
The Petzl RAD system, an complete kit designed specifically for crevasse rescue, uses very low stretch 6mm static rope. (“RAD” stands for “Rescue And Descent”, for you acronym people.)
The Petzl RADline can be purchased separate from the above mentioned system. I have a long article about this rope, read it here.
Mammut makes a 6mm dry treated Glacier Cord, also a static rope designed for crevasse rescue. This rope has a middle mark and comes with a nice storage bag, which can be used for a clean toss when you need to rappel.
These ropes (usually) play nicely with tiny ascenders and progress capturing pulleys, such as the Petzl Tibloc, Petzl Micro Traxion and the Edelrid Spoc, tools which can simplify the crevasse rescue process.
These specialized ropes typically have a Dyneema core, giving them minimal stretch, light weight, and nice strength, typically about 14 kN. Another benefit is that they absorbs basically zero water, making them lightweight when dragging through snow.
Be careful with your friction knots. You may need use triple wrap prusiks made from skinny 5 mm cord to be sure your friction knots hold on the narrow diameter line.
Read some great gear reviews for these ropes, and a lot more gear, at Black Sheep Adventure Sports.
Here's a quote on this topic from “The Mountain Guide Manual” by Marc Chauvin and Rob Coppolillo (pg 243):
“Because of all the dynamic aspects to a crevasse fall - climbers sliding on the snow surface and the rope and bending over and cutting into the lip - it is becoming acceptable to use static rope.
In fact, Petzl has conducted tests that suggested the spring/rebound nature of a dynamic rope actually makes it more difficult to stop a fall.” If you want to get into the test results, here’s a link to the Petzel website which discusses them.
Here’s a bit of Youtube chat about the topic with another pro guide:
This tip is mentioned "The Mountain Guide Manual" by Marc Chauvin and Rob Coppolillo, and "The Mountaineering Handbook" by Craig Connally.
(This is not an affiliate marketing link, I am offering you these links as a convenience to you and because these books are great.)
How to always have dry socks with only two pairs
Dry Feet = Happy Feet! You can always have dry socks, even on multi day snow climbs, if you follow this tip.
On longer Pacific Northwest snow climbs such as Mt. Shasta and Mt. Rainier, (not to mention longer expeditions) keeping your feet in good shape can be a challenge. Even with modern boots, your socks and feet will get progressively more wet if you don’t take proactive steps to dry them.
Here’s a tip to have dry socks every day on milti-day snow climbs, while bringing only two pairs.
Wear a pair of socks (pair 1), get them wet.
Hang pair 1 up in the tent that night and all next day.
In the morning, put on pair 2.
That night, hang pair 2, and put pair 1 in the sleeping bag with you, and put a hot water bottle inside each sock (preferred), or put the socks on your belly. (This is a perfect use for a 20 oz. Gatorade bottle, a great water container we talk about in this Tip.)
Repeat indefinitely.
Bring two shirts for sweaty approach hikes
Headed on a snow climb that has a long approach followed by more technical climbing? Don’t “sweat” the approach - bring an extra base layer and swap it as you slow down.
You’re heading up Mt. Hood to try Leuthold Couloir in March. Your team is setting a good pace on the approach, and you’re sweating a fair bit, even after you strip down to your base layers and open a few zippers.
At Illumination Saddle where you stop for a break and to rope up, you are suddenly chilled by the wind that often appears at passes, even though you’ve put on your puffy belay jacket and hat. That damp first layer seems to suck the warmth right out of you.
Solution: Bring two shirts, one lightweight and one mid-heavyweight. Tackle the fast-paced approach hike in a lighter shirt. When you start the technical climbing (or arrive at base camp) which usually means moving more slowly, remove the sweaty shirt and replace it with a dry, thicker synthetic top.
The few seconds of discomfort from exposing your upper body to the elements are outweighed by the immediate warmth, comfort and psychological boost that comes from a fresh, warm shirt. If you take the rest of the climb at a more modest pace, the second shirt should stay dry.
3 tips for better running snow belays
Running belays on snow can be a lower risk and relatively fast way for a rope team to travel in steeper terrain. Here are three tips to make them more effective.
image: Climbing.com
General caution on running belays: Snow anchors are probably not as strong as you think they are. If things are getting steep and you think there's a chance of a fall putting significant impact on the picket, it's probably best to start climbing with belayed pitches, have your most skilled person climb a rope length and fix the rope, or perhaps turn around.
Having said that, there are some times when using a running belay is appropriate. Here's how to make the best of it.
1 - The Better Way to rack pickets
Many climbers don't give a great deal of thought how to rack pickets, usually just slinging them over their neck. Doing this is just about guaranteed to dangle, tangle, and strangle, and if you're doing a long running belay with more than about three, it gets even worse. This applies to the leader as well as the cleaner.
A much better method is to clip a carabiner through the third hole of the picket, and carry the pickets on your vertically clipped to your harness or pack shoulder straps. Here’s a separate post that describes how to do it, with some pictures.
The leader can carry pickets on their backpack quiver style, but you need to set them up in a way so they can't fall out.
2 - Consider a whistle
Running belays require clear communication between the entire climb team, to tell the leader to stop and place more pro, or for the team to stop while the last person cleans.
If it’s windy, the route goes around a corner, you have your hood cinched down tight, you’re wearing a windproof fleece hat, your ice tools are knocking off chunks of ice and snow, you’re mentally focused on a tough lead . . . or all of the above, it can be very hard to hear the calls for “pro” or “cleaning”. Consider whistle blasts to signal the leader to stop and place more gear. Wear the whistle on a short cord girth hitched to your pack strap and be sure you can get to it with gloves on and using one hand.
The leader doesn’t need to have this, but all of the following climbers should consider it.
3 - Running belays - Max party size is three
A simple rule of thumb for running belays is this - keep the party size to 2 or 3 people max on a rope. With more than 3 people, it’s almost always faster to fix the rope and have the everyone come up on a fixed line or simulclimb.
Reason: if the team always keeps one piece of pro between team members, with four people on the rope, the leader has to carry and place a LOT of gear!