Technical Alpine Climbing

For Two-Person Teams

by CAMERON McPHERSON SMITH

PLANNING THE CLIMB
Objective Dangers in Alpine Climbing

When it comes to crevasses, rockfall, icefall, avalanche and storm there is little that one can do except plan and climb carefully and hope for the best. All the planning and consideration simply will not preserve you from freak occurrences, and these do occur. Of course, a 'freak occurrence', just like a 'miracle', is not 'bizarre'; it is just statistically very unlikely. The dangers you cannot control for are called objective dangers. These are risks that the alpinist has to take if they want to go into the wild environment; the environment of Adventure, if you will. Be aware of the dangers, learn how to deal with their threat, and be careful.

Avalanche and other snow dangers are dealt with in detail in Snow Dangers and Glaciers and Crevasses : Small Party Concerns.

Your best instruction regarding objective dangers will be the mountains themselves; with a little consideration and a lot of practical experience, you'll find that you're able to pick out areas you wouldn't be caught dead in (no pun intended), and areas which seem rather safe, all according to the time and conditions.

Many of the objective dangers are related to gravity. Falling ice, snow, rock and other debris are common in the mountains, and avoiding it is, naturally, desireable.

Rockfall and Icefall

Aside from storm, these are the worst of the objective dangers. Many times you will have to retreat from a climb due to falling debris, and sometimes you won't even make the approach hike, knowing that it's far too warm to climb, that the face is alive with lethal projectiles.

Predicting icefall and rockfall are often difficult. While it appears that direct sunlight will generate rockfall and other chaos, the albedo (a measure of light/radiation reflectivity) of snow and ice is so high that it is rarely effected by direct sun alone. What really triggers melting is an increase in overall air temperature, and often this is closely correlated with a blast of sunlight. Often, though - not always. In clear and very cold conditions a face may be exposed to glaring sun all day and still remain intact. But don't get too excited. Consider the overall temperature fluctuations of your particular mountain range, observe the signs of falling debris (rockfall scars, avalanche slides, serac and cornice collapse debris) and plan with care. Remember that rockfall will start when the ice or snow holding rock in place begins to melt.

Figure XX illustrates some of the tell-tale signs of rockfall, avalanche and icefall danger. Keep your eyes open and try to determine when the route was last raked by falling debris.

Timing the Climb

Time is a critical variable in alpine climbing. Consider: you are climbing in the mountains, where weather is often unstable. You must time your attempt so that there is a minimum of icefall and rockfall, and avalanche hazard is low - thus, it is likely that 'you'll be climbing during a period of relatively good climbing weather (e.g. 'clear and cold'). However, it is only a matter of time before this weather will change, and it is likely to be for the worse. The solution is to move quickly. Of course, moving too quickly can lead to error and it's consequences. There is little advice that can be given here; you must learn for yourself how quickly you can climb while still being safe, and just where the line between speed and foolishness lies.

In planning your climb, always examine the route for possible retreat routes, or 'bailouts'. If you get stuck and cannot pass point A, would it be better to descend the whole route, or is there some safer bailout available? While you're climbing, keep these in mind as you pass by them. Sometimes you pass the 'point of no return'. This can be exhilarating, or it may generate a dark, creeping terror, depending on the situation.

There are some general questions you must ask yourself before attempting any climb, and in alpine climbing they are critical. For example, consider the following questions- they may seem trivial, but for the average Jane or Joe trying to get something done over the weekend, they can save you a lot of time if you address them effectively :

Will you be strong enough to do the approach hike after getting off work, or

out of class, and then driving for several hours ?

How long will the approach hike take ?

Will you be strong enough after the approach to do the climb with the speed you

want, or would it be better to bivouac first ?

What is the 'temporal nature' of the line you wish to take ? Is it relatively

safe all day long (such as a north-facing line in the northern hemisphere), or is it going

to turn into a death-trap of icefall by noon ?

When would it be best to climb - day, or perhaps night ?

Is the line relatively straightforward (as in a gully), or does it have

complications such as traverses or overhangs or very difficult 'steps' of ice or rock ?

How long will these obstacles delay you ?

How long do you think the ascent will take, from rope-up to summit ?

How long do you think the descent will take, from summit to car ?

Answering these questions will give you a better idea of how long you expect to be climbing and descending, and thus what sort of saftey margin to pursue in clothing, equipment and food. Though plans go awry, and the nature of alpine routes is such that predictions are often difficult, an intelligent and realistic plan is a good start. Experience with weather, knowing your strengths and weaknesses, reading about others' experiences, talking to other climbers; all of these will help to develop your skill in planning the climb. After a time you'll begin to be able to look at a route and quickly evaluate the situation; when to start, about when you'll summit, how long the descent will take, what dangers lurk along the way. Many climbers spend lots of time at home gazing at photographs of climbs; particularly with alpine climbs it's a good idea to sit down and familiarize yourself with aspects of the mountain and surrounding terrain which may not be visible or otherwise apparent once you get on your route. For example, you can look for difficulties on the ascent route which may or may not be covered with snow or ice. You can look for dangerous snow slopes and consider the possibility of avalanche. You can examine the details of the descent route (this is crucial) and try to predict the difficulties, or at least get a general idea of the circumstances. Things will be different when you reach the real thing, but at least you'll have some concept of what's going on, and some idea of the timing for your climb.

Of course, such reckoning is not infallible and you will probably some day under- or over-estimate a climb. The consequences of such an experience will probably teach you some important lessons. In my experience, the most valuable lessons are learned after encountering some horrible obstacle or situation. View any retreat as a saving of your hide and consider what you learned from the experience. Remember, as Don Whillans, the British climber, used to say, 'the mountain will always be there - the trick is for you to be there,too'.

The Descent

The descent is often a perilous time. Imagine: you have just completed an excellent climb, one you've been drooling over for years, and you are elated, standing on the summit. You are also cold, wet, hungry, thirsty and exhausted. Now you face a descent, perhaps in the dark and by headlamp. You have to fight the urge to move quickly; all you want is to get to your camp and sleep, and then get home as quickly as possible and into a hot bath...but there is a lot of work to do first, and taking your time on the descent - being safe - is going to be a total drag.

This is often the situation of the beginner, but it's relatively easy to overcome. Engrave into your consciousness the fact that the climb isn't over until you've finished the descent. This is possibly the most important thing to remember when planning a climb and once you're on the summit. Even on easy descents, be particularly wary. Don't take shortcuts with safety - rather, get into a 'Safety First' mentality. Go ahead and belay your partner down even easy sections. Though this may lengthen the time you spend on the route, it may save you from the consequences of 'stupid' mistakes, which are so easy to make when you're tired and just want to get home.

A tragic example of this sort of mistake comes from the first ascent of Mt. Huntington, in Alaska. David Roberts and Ed Berndt, having summited, were descending fixed lines to their tent on a ledge several thousand feet beneath the summit. It was night, and the pair were, more than anything, looking forward to getting into their tent for a hot drink and sleep... Roberts arrived at a belay station and anchored himself to the ledge. Berndt came down and joined Roberts on the granite perch. Berndt pulled the rappel ropes from his descender, fed the ropes for the next rappel through his descender, clipped a carabiener to the ropes, and clipped this carabiener into the anchor, an angle piton. Or so he thought. He leaned back and for a moment the carabiener held - then it slipped off the top of the piton. In the darkness he had clipped around the eye of the piton, rather than through it. He toppled backwards and silently fell thousands of feet to the glacier below. Roberts, in shock, somehow managed to descend to the tent, where he waited for two days before the rest of the climbing team arrived.

This terrible accident must be recognized as Berndt's fault. This was not a 'rappel failure'. This was climber error -- Berndt failed to check the security of his anchor, probably the most basic mistake possible in rapelling. In the dark he reached for it, felt and heard the click of the carabiener, assumed it was clipped into the anchor and then applied his weight. Figure XX illustrates what happened. Food for thought.

Remember, though, that it's important to stay calm. Panic, expecting disaster at each move, can paralyze you with unfounded fear. The balance of fear and calm is something you can only learn with experience.

You may find it useful to consider a descent route before you plan an ascent route, particularly if you have no description of the line you want to climb. Start off by asking 'how are we going to get down ?', and plan accordingly.

Stopping

There are three main reasons to keep moving on technical alpine routes. First, there usually just isn't any good reason to stop. Second, the longer you stop, the longer you remain on the climb, and thus the longer you are exposed to whatever objective dangers exist. Third, when moving you are generally going to be warm (if not overheated). Stop, and you'll soon chill from sweat and low temperature (a lot of sweat will be wicked away, hopefully, but climbing wearing a pack is awfully sweaty work, leaving your back slick and cold). I strongly advise against rest stops of any kind in which both leader and belayer are halted. Don't bother to stop to do little things like remove your headlamp once it gets light. Such 'convenience' stops eat up time and keep you in danger longer. Those stops you do make should be made in some shelter from objective danger.

If you must make adjustments to your gear, have a bite to eat or whatever, try to wait until you've reached an easy section so you can do it while the leader keeps moving.

On the Approach Hike

While you may spend some time in the bigger ranges and end up bivvying beneath routes or very close to them, such that an approach hike is not a concern in planning, many times you'll be trying to get a climb in on the weekend, and in these cases the speed with which you dispose of the approach hike can make or break your chances. The following are some suggestions for speeding up the approach.

If any part of the climb will take part in the dark, put your headlamp on your helmet before you do the approach hike (this way you don't have to try to do it at the base of the climb, in the dark, with frozen hands). If you can stand it, wear your helmet on the approach hike. Also wear your gaiters (duct-tape the bottom strap so it doesn't get too cut up on approach hikes). Wear your harness and bibs on the approach. However cold it is at the beginning of the approach hike, don't put on a pile jacket, gloves or a hat; on a strenuous hike, you'll soon have to stop to take them off, and you'll have sweated a lot to boot, dampening your clothes. Coil your rope with the butterfly coil; this does not kink the rope and it is less prone to tangling, when disassembled, than the 'mountaineer's coil'. Arrange your leader's and belayer's equipment before you start off, and pack them last, at the top of the packs. Once at the base of the climb you can just get the racks out, rope up and get moving. Eat a good meal before you set off, and plan for it to last as long as possible. Each climber will have to decide how much they can stomach at one sitting without getting bloated or cramped on a hike. Drink a good draught before heading off as well.

With regard to water; If you expect (with good reason) to be able to keep moving on the climb, and you're planning to be back at the camp, or car, or whatever within 24 hours or so, consider not taking a full load of water. On short excursions I can take a half-liter of water, for example (how much you take depends on your individual physiology - get to know this), in a 1-liter bottle (lightweight 7-Up bottle, not a heavy-duty Nalgene-type), and keep this as an emergency ration. On the approach hike I drink from streams or glacial melt-water (in the warmer months, anyway), and on the climb, when I'm moving constantly, I eat snow. This is widely regarded as taboo, as it can reduce your body temperature or give your overheated system a shock. Use common sense. If you're blistering hot and dying of thirst, for heaven's sake don't leap into a melt-water pool and guzzle gallons of ice water. But on the climb, while you're chugging along nicely, the occasional mouthful of ice or snow can be refreshing. You'll end up somewhat dehydrated by the end of a good adventure, though, so have some water (or juice, and food !) stored in your camp or car for the return. If you're going to bivouac and you're taking a stove, pack just enough water to make it to the bivvy and then melt ice or snow for the night (it will help to put 1/8" of water in the pan and let this warm before putting in ice or snow to melt). Drink as much as is reasonable and satisfying, and a bit more. Then 'make' some water for the next day and keep the bottle warm in your sleeping bag.

On the Climb

On nearly any climb, be it in a far range or your local Eiger, the ways to move swiftly are similar. In most cases they boil down to competence and confidence and the are often heavily influenced by the condition of the route. Until real familiarity is achieved, the beginner may consider the following paths to swiftness.

Manage the rope(s) efficiently ! Few things slow the novice climber more than tangled ropes. Learn effective rope management on rock-climbs, and don't get messy on an alpine route. If you're using the double-rope technique, or a 100m rope, two different colors of rope (or a bi-color 100m rope) are best for keeping things straight. Simul-climb whenever it's possible, and lead with the 100m rope as often as is safe (the better climbers you are, the more you can use the 100m length). Use the boot-axe belay or direct belay whenever you can. Avoid aid sections; look for an alternative (unless, of course, you specifically want to do some aid). Haul the leader's pack before the second climber comes up. This way if the pack snags somewhere, the second can un-snag it, rather than someone having to go down and get it. Stay on snow and ice as much as possible. These are generally faster to climb than rock - the protection (e.g. screws and pickets) are often faster to place than rock protection, you're unlikely to encounter sections requiring aid, and many times snow can be simul-climbed.

As mentioned previously, you want to keep moving in the mountains. Just as critically, you have to balance speed with saftey. It's little good to try to make time by tackling a hard, dangerous pitch with the 100-meter rope; double it. Don't skimp on belay set-up time. Next to your climbing talent, the belay is the one thing which may keep you attached to the rock. The same applies to placing protection on the lead; you don't place as much as in a normal rock-climb, but if you see a good potential placement you DO NOT pass by it in the interest of speed. Where you get speed is in simul-climbing and climbing normally belayed pitches with a minimum of fuss and maximum efficiency.

Remember, there are only a few really good reasons to stop; if you get in over your head and need to consider your situation, if someone is hurt, or if you need to bivouac. Otherwise, keep rolling. Don't rush, just get into a routine, adjust as the terrain dictates and move smoothly upwards.

Lightweight Packing

Lightweight packing is a skill learned and learned again and always tailored to the climber's particular needs. Keep in mind the fallacy of any certain 'ten essentials' and figure out what you need for the route you are attempting. Pack these items and nothing more. Do you need a sleeping bag? Can you stand a night with just an extra sweater and a bivvy bag, or would that be foolish in this situation? Do you really need a stove for that single night bivvy, or could you treat yourself to an extra ration of chocolate in compensation? Do you need more than one picket? Do you need any snow protection? Can you dig a snow cave with just your axes and helmets? Do you really need a shovel? Can you take along an effectively weightless space blanket rather than an emergency bivvy-bag, or would this be idiotic? With everything laid out, question each piece of equipment and discuss weight-saving with your partner, and get into a routine before you head off on the approach trail: "Helmet? check. Pitons? check. Rope? check...", etc. It sounds ridiculous, but it's far better than the untold horror of arriving at the base of a great climb, only to find you (or your partner) forgot the rope !

Making decisions on hardware only becomes easy with experience, and over time you'll likely find yourself taking less and less hardware as you become more confident. For the novice, consider the points made about protection equipment in Part I of this book.

There are a number of items used in big-wall aid climbing which, in the interest in speed and simplicity, can be left behind for alpine routes with appreciable but not extended sections of aid. Consider forgetting : fifi-hooks, extra 'cleaner-bieners' (for removing stubborn placements), nut-extraction tools (nail out the piece with your hammer and a Lost Arrow), two pairs of aiders per person (you can get away with one pair per person for shorter aid sections), 1" wide aiders (use 1/2" wide aiders with wider foot-loops; wearing plastic boots these are not painful), kneepads (if you anticipate a lot of aid, perhaps duct-tape your knees - see the section on Equipment Modification), ready-made haul bags (carry hardware to the climb outside your packs and fill them with bivvy-gear and food, and use a lightweight, improvised haul-bag - see the section on Equipment Modification), safety glasses (wear goggles if necessary), piton hammers (use a third tool or ice hammer), two mechanical ascenders per person (use one mechanical ascender and one kreutzklem made of webbing), daisy chains (know how to shorten and adjust slings with twisting and clove-hitches; pre-sewn daisy chains are a luxury), hauling devices (DO carry a pulley or two, but don't bother with specialized hauling machines, as your load should be rather light compared to big-wall ascents).

Similarly, some things you might not take on a standard wall-climb but will find useful on an alpine wall, or a big-wall climbed in winter or otherwise foul conditions : fingerless wool or pile/Capilene gloves, belayer's coat (down, or better yet, synthetic with rainproof shell; two may not be needed if you are equipped for warm bivouacs), c.20m of 7mm rappel-sling cord, andmore long slings than on a 'normal' big wall (slings 2-3' long will be more versatile than shorter slings).

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