wannabe Posted February 11, 2007 Share Posted February 11, 2007 I soon will be acquiring some two and three foot pickets to use while leading some steeper snow pitches. Since they are obviously too long to clip to a harness gear loop, what is the preferred method for carrying them so they are accessible while leading but not dangling down by your legs (or collecting them while following for that matter)? I had envisioned some kind of quiver on my pack as if I were shooting arrows, but that may not be the most practical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catbirdseat Posted February 11, 2007 Share Posted February 11, 2007 Clip them to the shoulder straps of your pack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark_Husbands Posted February 11, 2007 Share Posted February 11, 2007 i'm not sure there's any good way to carry a three foot picket (other than on the side of your pack) unless you're 7 feet tall. despite the obvious shortcomings, cutting those in half makes for a handier carry. i guess a 1.5 foot picket could still be deadmanned successfully. hope i'm right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catbirdseat Posted February 11, 2007 Share Posted February 11, 2007 Yes, the best way to carry a three foot picket is to cut it in half. I don't buy those. If a two foot picket won't work you should use a fluke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigtree Posted February 11, 2007 Share Posted February 11, 2007 I've carried a 3-foot picket for years under the strapping loops on the side of my pack. However, I've concluded its unnecessarily long for the Cascades (e.g., tends to catch/snag on brush and crap on bushwacks and trail approaches). As such, I've recently bought a few 2 footers and will pack them in the same way instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpinfox Posted February 11, 2007 Share Posted February 11, 2007 Lots O' Pickets: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-spotter Posted February 11, 2007 Share Posted February 11, 2007 The best way to carry pickets is the way having the most fun... Which means getting your climbing partner to carry the damn things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmace Posted February 11, 2007 Share Posted February 11, 2007 why go to the effort of carrying an extra chunk of otherwise purely decorative metal for the job, when one of your tools does an equally good job. Don Serl Kinda hard to argue with him... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
max Posted February 11, 2007 Share Posted February 11, 2007 Lots O' Pickets: This guy 'sorta looks like toms hanks in "Cast Away" About those pickets: - Long pickets = overkill. Other people have said this, but I thought I'd just second that opinion. - 2' pickets: From mid pitch stuff (you plan on using them), clip them to the harness, clipped at the second or third hole. For glacier stuff, girth hitch one end with a 3'-4' runner, clip the other end to the other end of the runner, and wear quiver style. - Respectfully, I don't think Don Serl knows what he's talking about here. Ok, I'm sure he knows what he's talking about, but I would say pickets are useful as running pro and I'm sure as hell not going to leave my ice tools as gear mid pitch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmace Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 His argument is that they work like shite and 9/10 arent worth the weight..I dunno maybe 1 each..half a dozen like that photo and you proly wont even make it to the alpine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-spotter Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 Unless you have to aid a cornice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordop Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 While I wait for elephantitis to grow my steep snow balls to the size of Don's, I will continue to carry pickets. I would like to think that my tools are just as good, but my layman's observations tell me they are too curvy and bendy to really distribute forces well. It's a lot easier to bail off a $15 piece of aluminium and maybe there's a lesson here . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-spotter Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 Bollards are free Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordop Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 And for belays? You're buildin bollards you might as well bring a blender for the margaritas cause that level of craft is too much like buildin sandcastles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-spotter Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 I like to carry a picket so that if I have to stop and retie my shoelaces on the climb I can have something to dog off of. But for rapping, it gets spendy to leave a whole bunch of pickets behind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wfinley Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 If you throw a piece of webbing across the shoulder and clip the picket in the 3rd hole or so and then clip it to your shoulder webbing, it stays well out of the way. I don't know about cascades snow - but up here there are times when I can barely pound my picket in - yet it's not ice so screws won't work. Flukes would be a true pain to place. As for slowing you down... my wife is a beginner alpinist and doesn't like to solo steep snow. Last year we climbed a long snow route with a few others who chose to solo while she & I roped up and placed pickets for close to 1500' of steep snow. We reached the summit 20 minutes after the party that was soloing did; thus I'd argue that if you have decent technique the use of pickets won't slow you down too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dechristo Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 pickets are for protesters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordop Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 (edited) . Edited June 4, 2021 by jordop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dechristo Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 and goaltenders Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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