tvashtarkatena

A lot more people girth hitch 'just in case' runners to their harnesses than will admit it. If you get flamed out before you can get a screw in, would you rather NOT have one? The key to keeping your arms fresh is in your feet. Stem whenever possible, but also (and I'm just putting this into practice myself) sharpen ALL your crampon points and stand sideways on one foot using those bottom points whenever a feature allows it. Go leashless to facilitate the ease of switching hands and keeping both arms fresh. Finally, keep your elbows down and in when moving/locking off; no chicken wings. Sure, it's bad form to hang, but it's far worse form to fall, and, if you getting into leading, you will get into a situation where your arms blow out at some point. Ice often looks easier from down below than it really is.

You scare easily. What Alex said. Great resource on the subject. In any case, spend as many days as you need to perfect every aspect of crevasse rescue; it's well worth it.

Gib can be a great way to cut off summiting time and waiting-in-line hassles in June. Some years there's a water ice flow you need to cross just before leaving the ledges. Nothing too technical. but a screw might come in handy if you've got party members that need some extra confidence. Only a fool would try to descend it that time of year, tho. Join the conga line on the DC or other route or break out your squirrel suit.

You think I am?

Eight years Catholic school. Been there, done that, got the T shirt.

Have a shuttle astronaut tie a spent party balloon to the part. That way I'm guaranteed to find it in the mountains somewhere. Fucking balloons.

You'd be surprised at the looks you get from a NOLS group when you pass them by dragging a dried carcass clipped to your harness.

While we're on the subject; 2 people will also have great difficulty Z pulleying a 3rd out unless they are very strong and/or their system has a favorable setup (rope not buried in lip to badly, etc). A double Z pulley gives 2 pullers more advantage, but few parties carry that many pulleys. Adding a 3rd person to a party doesn't add as much security as one might think. Get out there and try the stuff out.

Point well taken. It just sounded hurtful, you know, it being Valentine's Day and all. I agree that it's best to learn established practices on regular gear before 'innovating'. My ideas were more for possible future experimentation for the poster. Any natural deadman, rock, stick, or dried carcas, must be carefully chosen for the task of course. I mention some of these old school tricks to newbies because it gives them more options when they find themselves without certain gear. Rapping over a schrund or moat is one example that's more likely than a crevasse rescue assuming proper probing and terrain reading are being practiced. By way of example, being able to properly deadman and rap off a rock has proven to be invaluable for me on several occasions, particularly on circumnavigations or traverses where you're not sure what you'll encounter on the way down because you haven't been there. Last year I lead a rock pitch entirely on slung chockstones, then rapped off of two deadmanned rocks (short rope) during a ski traverse. Gear required? nothing but webbing. Life would have become quite a bit more difficult without those little non-gear dependent tricks.

zeelution.

BTW, here's way more than you ever wanted to know about placing pickets (or any other object used as a deadman if you generalize the principles) Snow Anchors

Yeah, well, we've all taught crevasse rescue (for 7 years in my case). It's pretty easy to call certain practices ridiculous on the internet without having any experience with them or stating why, but it doesn't help the original poster much with his inquiry. Bad form, brah. I've tried all of these anchors, and they all work just fine. I've been climbing for 25 years, and I've never taken pickets just for crevasse rescue, but everyone needs to figure out what works for them. That's what this forum is for; an exchange of ideas. Some people are uncomfortable with some of the newer (actually, mine are very OLD) ideas, and that's understandable.

What? We're already loaning ourselves money. Don't cry for me, Argentina.

Nah. Hillary has stated that she'll withdraw within a year. There's very little difference between her and Obama's stated position here.

Snow anchors for glacier rescue are really for the descent when conditions warm up and there is more of a chance of poor snow conditions causing a slip (although, with enough experience, this shouldn't happen). So, how does a team avoid lugging pickets along? Ski pole: A ski pole makes a good deadman if placed properly, is lighter than a picket, and makes for a more efficient ascent/descent when your buddy isn't flailing in a crevasse. Long, flat rock: carried on the descent and only through the necessary sections. Or just put one in your partner's pack for fun. Sticks: Grab at tree line, toss at tree line.

It's a nervous tick, an addiction, Bug. As an ankle biter, the poor guy can no longer help himself.

Beautiful. Thanks.

Very.

And who the fuck are you, troll?

You'd have a better discussion with someone else. You've incorrectly summarized my views on private property, which I never really shared in any detail, but in any case, private property issues don't interest me that much. I'm not your guy. And from your statements, you obviously know very little about the ACLU. As for any of my views, like most people's, they're complex and often dynamic. Surprise.

And taking quotes out of context isn't helping you connect any better, either. They're not relevant to this particular exchange.

The 'c' word doesn't bother me. What bothers me is that you assume to know what my views on any subject are without asking. That's not a conversation, so I chose not to respond.

Oh. I thought Valentine's Day had been cancelled.

finding something about my post to be offended about is a reason to avoid the intellectual content? brilliant! If you're really interested in proper discourse, ask properly next time.

but you DO need God and an afterlife to have a fulfilling afterlife! haha! I'll let you worry about that. I'm busy with this one, thanks.