Racking Screws

[scrambled_legs]

How many screws and what size do you take for an average ice climb? I'm planning on going with 5 - 16cm and 2 - 22cm right now. Also how do you rack these properly? I've just been using a couple of biners but have been looking at buying either the BD or Petzl screw clippers. Any preferences and how many screws per clip etc. Sorry for all the newbie questions... I promise they'll stop soon.

[Mark_Husbands]

i like to keep a slew of BD 17s on clippers for intermediate pro. i keep 2 22s on back of harness for anchors. i keep some (or none, depending) shorty or 360 screws on individual biners for specialty placements. then i load up the front loops with screamers, runners, draws. that's just what I do. i might take more than 5 17s if the pitches are full length and the ice fat enough to take a bunch. 7?

[icegirl]

depends on how scared you get Pitch length, ice conditions, and how much time you want to spend putting in gear also comes into play. I've seen TONS of gear placed and next to no gear placed on the same "climb" (take into account that conditions change)

 

Practice putting your hands in the freezer, then putting on your lead climbing gloves that have been soaked with water and left in the freezer for a bit... hold your hands over your head for a while and then practice taking screws off your racking beiner one handed, after doing something with your ice tool (putting it over your shoulder?). Everyone's dexterity is different, but it will become apparent quickly how many is too many

 

"Average" ice climb is a tough one. Some pitches are short, some are double rope stretchers...

 

I only lead really easy stuff tho, so take what I say with a grain of salt

[Alex]

whats an average ice climb?

 

my rule of thumb is "if you use 3 screws for each belay, possibly, how much are you comfortable leading on?"

 

So I tend to carry about 12 screws -

 

9 16/17s, 3 22s for fat ice, or

3 10cm stubbies, 1 13cm, 8 16/17s for "Cascades ice"

 

I've lead kind of hard pitches where I'd wished I'd brought more. I've lead hard pitches where it was impossible to place anything, really. It all varies from pitch to pitch. But 12 is as good a numer as any....

[DPS]

Also how do you rack these properly?

Black Diamond used to make a carabiner called the Fin that works very well for racking screws.

[daler]

Everybody was alwasy way into those big bent gate carabiners for racking.

 

Try a hotwire! I bet if you try it side by side with a big bent gate you will find the straight wire gate works alot better.

 

dale

[Don_Serl]

Also how do you rack these properly? I've just been using a couple of biners but have been looking at buying either the BD or Petzl screw clippers. Any preferences and how many screws per clip etc.

 

the BD clipper is great; way easier to get screws in and out of than a biner. the petzl looks equally good, but i have no direct experience with it (yet).

 

you probably can get away with one each side, cuz they'll hold 5 or 6 screws each.

 

and i agree with the prior comments: you're generally looking at close to a dozen screws for anything other than a really straightforward pitch - although, 'round here you often can belay top and/or bottom off trees to the side.

 

cheers,

[ken4ord]

I f you have a Petzl harness there is a small hole on the gear loops made so that you can clip a biner in there for ice racking. I use those BD clipper thingys in that hole and it works fine.

 

IMO 22cm screws are overkill, they are good for glaciers and alpine where the ice might be crappy. For waterfall ice though especially around here the short screws come in handy. I alway carry on mini, and 3-13cm, then the rest are 17's.

[specialed]

Those 22's are good for belays. Espescially hanging ones

[freeze]

On long routes with a screw belay at each station the number of screws go up. I usually carry 17cm screws for running pro and a 22 or two for belays. I find that the 17cm are a good compromise for running pro as they are faster to place and have decent holding power in good ice. The 22's are also good for nice deep v-thread rappel anchors.

 

I have used the BD Ice Clipper and a Trango Ice Screw racking device. The BD seems better. I place 3-4 screws on the clipper, 3-4 on a biner on a shoulder sling. The rest on biners on my harness. Runners, draws, screamers and such go on the shoulder sling. This allows access to the gear with both hands. If I were to rack all my screws on one side, on the clipper, left hand placements would suck.

 

I have used this system for a number of years and it works well. But YMMV.

Edited December 12, 2004 by freeze