Can I glissade with crampons on?

[dan_forester]

best answer yet

[scottk]

If you're sitting up at Piker's Peak on Mt. Adams waiting for the snow to soften and you feel like a little community service, just wander over to the top of the glissade track and watch for people getting ready to glissade with crampons. Apparently people break their legs all the time on that glissade. I've only seen one person planning on glissading with crampons and he actually took my advice to take the crampons off.

[tvashtarkatena]

Glissading with crampons is perfectly fine if you glissade head first on your back. If self arrest is required you'll need to drive your ice axe pick (preferably) below your crotch, then quickly cross your legs to keep it there.

 

There may be other complications as well....

[Jamin]

I agree with g-spotter. I have glissaded with crampons on many times. Is it safe? No. Is it sometimes necessary to save time? Yes. Contrary to public opinion, you will not always break your legs if you glissade with crampons. However, you should definitely keep your speed down. It is pretty hard to break anything when you are going around 5 miles per hour.

[Dechristo]

...you should definitely keep your speed down. It is pretty hard to break anything when you are going around 5 miles per hour.

 

Safety first! Even at that speed it is still possible to break wind.

[ClimbingPanther]

you don't miss anything, do you? but do you miss me? miss misery like you say you do?

[Dechristo]

miss stakes often. Miss Terry always

[Ovr40]

Here is another reason to take off the crampons before glissading.

There will be a few exceptions (such as patches of rock/ice intermixed with snowfields like G-spotter described earlier in this thread), but in general if a climber is considering glissading they are in conditions where they should take off their crampons anyway.

For most people plunge stepping into softening snow with boots puts less strain on the ankles, knees, and leg muscles than leaving the crampons on. Plus, if they are descending, they will likely be fatigued and may have relaxed their focus, setting up the likelihood of tripping.

 

[EWolfe]

If you use crampons with the quick release bindings it's pretty safe to do.

 

I always set my crampon release din real low

[Off_White]

he's right about the spray, there's a bit too much of it outside of Spray, but I suppose this is nothing new, eh old timers?

 

Actually, this is quite new. Place has kind of gone to hell recently. And I mean recently.

 

Bug is right. Spray belongs in spray. The Newbie forum has usually stayed pretty respectful and sprayfree.

 

Okay, so no one has been paying attention here lately, but none of you happy campers have seen fit to notify any of the mods either. Newbies is supposed to be a Spray free zone.

 

You're right though, that this place is not always really great for the fragile and painfully sincere to ask questions. In this thread it seems that folks are making fun in general, and not slamming the original poster (who, as noted, asked a rhetorical question). There's a real discussion hidden amongst the yucking it up, and since people are only rhetorically outraged at the Spray and not personally insulted or incensed, I'm going to leave this thread here where it may in fact answer a question someone has.

 

[upzmtn]

Someone was just flown off of Adams last week doing it. Seems like a great idea.

[sirwoofalot]

miss stakes often. Miss Terry always

 

you miss miss demeanor.