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I know three of them, what are the other two you ask? Good question and keep reading to find out. As the days continue to become shorter and the snow gets deeper, the running shoes get put away for ski boots and the crash pad for skis. Winter is coming, and so is avalanche season. However you travel in the backcountry; skis, split board, snowshoes, or snowmobile, avalanches affect us all and there is certain equipment that you should always carry. However, with proper terrain selection and travel techniques, most of these items can stay in our packs!
Avalanche Beacon: This might seam like a no-brainer, but one might be surprised at the vast numbers of backcountry recreationalists that do not carry one or use it properly. To begin, your beacon should be at least a two antenna if not three antenna digital beacons. Save that old analog beacon your friend gave you for beacon practice drills. The new digital beacons on the market are faster, more efficient, and more user friendly than ever before. They might seem pricy in the store, however the one time you need it you and your buried friend will be happy you spent the money. Despite what some people might argue, these new digital multi-antenna beacons will help you find your friends faster. This digital beacon needs to be worn against your chest on top of your first base layer. This makes changing layers during the day easier and helps protect the fragile beacon in the event that you are buried. While most digital beacons on the market today are leaps and bounds above the old beacons, talk to your local shop our or give us a call at SWAG to see which ones we’ve used and like.
Avalanche Probe: Along with your beacon, a dedicated avalanche probe is a must. Without a probe you will be able to get very close to the buried victim but not be able to pin point them. To dig up a typical avalanche victim 1-1.5 tons of snow must be moved. This is the equivalent of shoveling a sidewalk that is 30 ft long and buried under a couple feet of snow! That means if you were not able to pinpoint the victim you might be three or four feet off. This could add an extra .5 ton or more of snow to your digging process. The probe should be a dedicated probe, not a ski pole conversion. Dedicated probes assemble faster and work better than ski pole probes. The average burial depth is about 1.5 meters so get a probe that is 2.5-3 meters long. Just like beacons there are different types of probes out there. Try them out in the store before your buy to make sure you like the way they assemble.
Avalanche Shovel: One word-METAL! If I show up at the trailhead and my friend has a cheap plastic shovel I give him my nice metal one and take their cheap one. I want them to be able to dig me up! Plastic shovels do not cut hard snow nearly as good as the metal ones. They also tend to break. New technology has brought down the weight and size of metal shovels to be almost comparable to plastic. Don’t skimp here. If all you can do is pin point the victim and not dig them up you have done no good.
Snow saw:These are becoming more popular and should be carried by at least one member of the group. To get accurate results from bonding tests like the shovel compression test and the Rutschblock test a saw really should be used. Yes, they can be done without a saw, but the results will be more accurate and repeatable if a saw is used. A saw can also be very useful to cut through trees and other debris that your friend is buried under! Get a saw with a good handle and that can easily attach to a ski pole for extended reach.
Rescue Sled System: This one is not directly avalanche related but still critical in a winter backcountry setting. Say that you are your buds are out skiing the pow. You are maybe 1 mile or even less from the road. Suddenly somebody in the group takes a bad turn and BAMM, they get hurt and can no longer ski out. Suddenly a five minute ski through the trees back to car has turned into an epic. The three feet of freshies that you were skiing has become waste deep wallowing. It’s starting to get dark and it looks like somebody is spending the night out with Johny-broken skier-Dowe. Having a lightweight rescue sled like the Brooks Range rescue sled can be a lifesaver. Home made sleds can work just as effectively as a store bought one. Just make sure that your sled can assemble in under two minutes, is lightweight, extremely sturdy and user friendly. Now you can take the injured person’s skis, build a sled and have them to the road and medical care in time to still catch that 7pm movie!
HOW NOT TO EPIC AND HAVE TO SPOON YOUR PARTNER ON A LEDGE ALL NIGHT!
Climbing long, multi-pitch routes offers the opportunity for tremendous satisfaction and creates a memory with a friend or guide that can never be taken away. The complexities of route-finding, problem solving, and using the correct technical system at the correct time require careful thought, and can eat up a lot of daylight. One general rule in the mountains is: speed = safety. Nothing can replace the lessons learned from having years of experience, but here are some ideas which have worked for me over the years that will help you be better prepared, more efficient, and essentially faster, allowing you to watch the sunset from camp, not four pitches from the top of the route.
BEFORE: “An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.” – My mom
- 1. Collect as much information about the approach, the route, and the decent as you can from those who know. Locals, fellow campers, folks from the rock shop, or the local blog can provide key information: what to include (or exclude) in your rack, how many ropes or which length rope works best, possibility of linking pitches, key features of the route to look for or avoid, or which variations are better. Is it better to walk off or rappel? How are the fixed anchors?
- 2. A good reporter never allows his story to be based on one source. Usually there are multiple guidebooks which describe the route, and referencing as many as possible allows you to piece together all the details.
- 3. The day before go and check out the approach. This will make finding the route in the pre-dawn light much faster. Also, use some binoculars and check out the route. See if you can see the details of every pitch, and compare it to the topo. Look for macro-details, like roofs, dihedrals, or water stains, which can be used as reference points.
- 4. Make a photocopy of the topo and written description of the approach, route, and descent. If this is not an option, use your digital camera and take a photo of the pages from the book. The zoom feature on your camera allows you to see the topo in great detail on playback mode.
DURING THE ROUTE: “Speed equals safety” – The Road Runner
- 1. Start early!! You should be roping up when there is just enough light to climb. Also, being first on the route removes the possibility of getting behind someone else who did not read this.
- 2. Dial in your changeover plan. Learn how to anchor yourself using the rope and a clove hitch. It is faster and also adjustable. Here’s another trick: Learn how to use an auto-locking belay device (like a reverso, guide ATC, or gigi) to belay the second, this will allow you to be belaying hands free so you can prepare all the gear to hand over to your partner when he or she arrives. When he or she arrives at the belay, cinch her tight, and have her hang on the device instead of taking the time to anchor in directly. While she’s re-racking the gear you’ve handed her, grab the belay device from her harness and put her on belay. When she’s ready to go, unclip her from the auto-locking device (she should take this with her) and zoom!, she’s gone. Being hands free also allows you to eat and hydrate while belaying.
- 3. Rope management!! A tangled rope is like a time-eating monster, and believe me that dude is hungry. If you are on ledge, stack the rope like a tight little pancake as you bring it in, occasionally tapping it flat with your foot so it stays put. If you are hanging, butterfly coil the rope over your tie-in rope starting with long loops, then make them shorter and shorter until your partner arrives. As you are feeding the rope during her lead, the loops will come off cleanly, instead of catching on the other loops.
- 4. Discuss non-verbal signals at camp. Many minutes can be lost wondering if your partner (or you) is on or off belay.
DESCENDING: “I’m not afraid of the dark, but I hate nature!” - Chunk
- 1. I prefer to walk off rather than rappel, so if this is an option, take it. If you must rappel, THINK. Inspect that mess of slings before committing two lives to them. Learn to trust the overhand knot (formerly known as the European Death Knot) for tying two ropes of the same diameter together, this low profile knot allows for cleaner pulling. Shorter rappels are better. There is less chance of the rope getting stuck, and if it does, you’ll have some extra rope to take a belay to go un-stuck it. When your rope sticks, be gentle trying to pull it free. Pulling it with all your might will only fix it into whatever feature is holding it, and then you have to use the knife. If it is windy, do not throw the ropes! Butterfly coil each rope and attach them to your harness like saddle bags, using a shoulder-length sling. As you are rappelling, feed the ropes out as you go. Another windy option is to lower your partner to the next station, then rappel yourself. When faced with many rappels, and all of the anchors are completely bomb-proof, simul-rappeling is a fast option. Simul-rappeling is dangerous business if you don’t know what you are doing, not something to experiment with 2000’ off the ground; practice this often and make sure your partner is dialed as well.
- 2. Walk off’s on popular routes are usually well travelled, and thus, well marked. Follow cairns and signs of travel. If confused, try to think about where the first ascent party would have gone, it will usually be right. That being said, don’t commit yourself to a route without checking out all of the options, and don’t be afraid to reverse your course to the last known cairn.
Have fun, be swift, and bring that headlamp just in case!
First aid kits are coveted items. They are as desirable as a good sleeping bag, backpack, or jacket. And everyone wants to have the “perfect” first aid kit. They want one that will have everything they will need, but be light and small at the same time. The difficult issue with first aid kits is that, just like with other gear, they don’t match every circumstance. It is unrealistic to expect a summer sleeping bag to keep you warm on a cold, snowy winter night. And it is equally unrealistic to have a first aid kit that is suited for a quick and light ascent of a local multi-pitch route be also suited for a two week winter ski expedition into a remote wilderness area. But unlike sleeping bags, no one wants to have multiple types of first aid kits lying around. They just want one. Well, I hate to break it to you but there is no “perfect” first aid kit. They must change with the length of trip, type of environment you’re traveling in, the population you are going with, and the possible problems you might face. But there are a few key essentials that you should consider carrying in every first aid kit be it small or large. Following is a list of items and the reasons for their making the list.
- Gloves - Body substance isolation. Because you never know. Keep yourself safe!
- Blood stoppers - When you have a bad bleed, you need something that will do the job. Maxi pads work great and are very cheap.
- Ace bandages - They work for multiple reasons. First, they make a mean pressure wrap over a bad bleed, and second, they can secure a stable ankle for the walk out to the car.
- CPR mask or face shield - Would you want vomit in your mouth? Protect yourself!
- Irrigation syringe - This is a must for cleaning a wound well. Nothing else compares. You can find very small syringes that fit nicely into a small kit.
- Iodine - A multi-use item. A necessity for cleaning a wound and you can treat your water with it as well. Sorry, tablets just don’t work the same.
- Roller gauze - Forget the individually wrapped gauze pads. For those of us who have cleaned a bad laceration before, you burn through those things like nothing. But cut a gauze roll down the center and you get lots of small gauze pads….and half the waste
- Cloth tape - Tape is good for many reasons. Blister prevention, securing bandages, supporting a stable musculoskeletal injury, etc.
- Epinephrine - I know, it’s hard to get because it is a prescription, but if you encounter anaphylaxis, there is nothing else that will open that airway.
- Antihistamine - Epi doesn’t last forever in the system. You need an antihistamine to keep the allergic reaction from coming back. Diphenhydramine is the most common one (brand name Benadryl).
- Anti-inflammatory - Good ol’ Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAID’s). Ibuprofen, Aspirin, and Naproxen Sodium. Watch out, they thin the blood, so avoid giving them when you are worried about making bleeding worse.
- Acetaminophen - Pain med and great fever reducer. Doesn’t thin the blood, but doesn’t reduce inflammation.
Like stated above, there is no “perfect” first aid kit, but with this list of items, you have a great place to start. And don’t just put one together and then forget about it. Alter it for what you will need for. If you really need it, you really want it ready. Don’t forget though, even the best stocked kit is of little use if you don’t have the skills to use it. There is no substitute for good medical training. Be prepared and have fun.
I hate getting up early. There is nothing I like better than hitting the snooze button or zipping up my sleeping bag so that incoming light is filtered out and I can pretend that it's 3 hours earlier. Let's face it, warm is comfortable and cold, crisp air makes me want to put on my down jacket. In the winter, I'm sometimes able to justify this m.o. because it often is just to friggin' cold. In the spring, however, I'm motivated to wake up and get things going by the fact that:
- A) It's really not that cold.
- B) I'll be feeling the warmth of the sun before I know it.
- C) Climbing a big route means that I need every second of daylight.
- D) Warmer temps mean more rockfall, and sloppy mid-day snow conditions and avy hazard.
It's no secret that in the mountains, warmer temps can and do create much more hazardous conditions for rockfall and wet snow avalanches. Sure, rockfall can happen at random and at times when you least expect it. But were a statistician to plot rockfall and loose snow avalanche activity on a graph, we'd easily be able to see that hazards such as these most often occur during periods of warmer temperatures and/or intense solar radiation.
During the night or during periods of colder temperatures, the ice that holds many of those big blocks together is, wel, more ice. During the day during periods of warmer temperatures, that ice turns to, yes you guessed it, water. That water lubricates the bonds between the rock and gravity takes over. Therefore, an early start serves three important functions:
- 1) It allows you to climb those long routes without getting stuck in the dark, thus avoiding the potential epic descent (by the way, don't forget to bring an EXTRA headlamp in your backpack because you just never know).
- 2) You can avoid predictable rockfall events in narrow couloirs or on sun affected faces which contain rock of questionable quality.
- 3) Fun with post holing is kept to an absolute minimum. An added bonus is that the early return allows you to cook a huge recovery dinner and bask in the glory of your ascent, and/or make it to happy hour at one of the area's finest establishments.
We all hate getting up early, but it's really not that bad. Before you know it, your legs will be propelling you upward. You'll be moving fast, and with confidence. You might not even need to wear your down jacket!
Unlike the majority of summertime adventures, a simple gear failure in the winter can be catastrophic because we rely so heavily on relatively complex systems to keep us afloat and moving in wintertime snow. Next time your are out in the middle of a virgin powder field in the high mountain snowpack, take your skis or snowshoes off for a minute - did you sink to your knees, waist, or worse? Now imagine walking/wading through that snow for miles back to your car or nearest road. Although with snowshoes or skis we may traverse 5, 10, or even 15 miles easily in a day in the snow, moving those same miles without the flotation provided by skis and shoes can easily triple or quadruple our travel times. Consequently, at minimum, it is imperative that we be able to repair our snow flotation devices to the degree necessary to enable a timely return to civilization. With a reasonably comprehensive repair kit and some ingenuity, most problems can be solved quickly and effectively. The kit need not weigh you down either as it is not necessary to prepare for every possible contingency. The one outlined below weighs in at a very reasonable 11.7 ounces.
My primary daytrip repair kit is geared towards solving problems for myself and the group of 2 - 6 people I might be travelling with - typically one of these per group is totally adequate for any day long adventure. It includes the following:
(The essential kit for backcountry repairs.)
- 1. Ski straps - I recommend carrying at least 4 with 2 of those being the super long 20 inchers. These are both extremely durable, effective, and useful. They can be used to repair broken bindings, boot buckles, backpacks, and skins that won't stick.
- 2. Dental floss - I use this for all field sewing repairs - it is more durable and stronger than most threads and easier to work with than fishing line.
- 3. Zip ties - often used for handcuffs by police in riot situations, these are quite strong and handy, especially for buckle or skin repairs. Be aware that they can fail in very cold temperatures.
- 4. Skin tail attachment, skin tip attachment - I carry extras of all of these pieces for super quick skin repairs.
- 5. Mini Leatherman - pliers, knives, files, all the good stuff we are used to in a Leatherman but in a much smaller package.
- 6. Binding buddy - driver device, make sure you have the sometimes odd bits, (e.g. star) that your binding requires.
- 7. Extra pole basket - losing or breaking a pole basket is far from life threatening but it can be a nuisance so bring an extra.
- 8. Binding screws.
- 9. High tensile strength steel wire - can be used for a variety of heavy duty applications such as lashing or reinforcing a broken binding back to a ski or doing major repairs to a snowshoe.
- 10. Duct Tape - Mandatory!! Wrap it around your ski pole for easy storage and quick access.
- 11. Steel wool - bring a little along to fill screw holes that have been stripped.
- 12. Epoxy/super glue - multiple applications, only a very small amount is needed.
- 13. Hose clamps and a four or five inch aluminum tube sliced in half lengthwise - can be used to repair a broken ski pole.
- 14. 3 mil perlon cord - some of the same uses as the wire - I carry as a backup/multiple use.
- 15. Ultra lightweight zip pouch. Easily accommodates the whole kit.
Finally, on multi-day trips I typically will add a fastex buckle (identical to the one on my backpack's waist belt), remove the mini-Leatherman and replace it with it's bigger brother, take additional epoxy and patches for tents and sleeping pads, and an additional half inch by 4 inch tubular aluminum sleeve to repair tent poles with.
We¹ve all seen the hapless hiker, climber, or skier on the trail with the lumpy backpack and vast quantities and varieties of gear lashed on and around the outside of the pack - a sleeping bag tied to the bottom, ice axes interwoven into a matrix of straps, avalanche shovels swinging, dangling water bottles, and a full compliment of other accouterments utilizing every buckle and piece of webbing leaving us to wonder what might actually be inside the pack. This form of packing is affectionately known as "chuckwagon" style, harkening back to the early pioneer mess wagon to which was strapped every piece of good and gear presumably for easy access or lack of other space.
In the mountains, Chuckwagon style is to be avoided, and not just for aesthetic reasons. Hard won experience suggests that hiking eight miles to base camp and discovering that your sleeping bag or tent fell off somewhere around mile three is an unpleasant lesson at best. Backpacks are meant to be packed and the goal is to fit every single piece of gear inside the pack. When gear is inside the pack there is no need to worry about losing anything from your kit when a strap system fails or a tree branch grabs. Also remember that climbing, skiing, and yes, even hiking, are primarily balance sports strapping a 30-40 pound pig full of gear to your back generally does not improve balance, so we want to stack the odds in our favor and try to make that gear as small, condensed, and centered on our bodies as possible,. When we move, the pig moves with, and not against us.
The reason many guides and other experienced mountain people prefer simple, streamlined, top loading packs and eschew all of the latest gizmos and strapping systems provided by the industry is because top loading packs allow us to push, cram, and use basic brute force when stuffing everything into the bag. It is common to take a razor blade to a newly purchased pack and cut off all of the miscellaneous straps and patches some claim the weight savings, I do it because those straps are just not needed and have the nasty habit of whipping you in the face in high winds. Side entry zippers are a liability as they might blow out under the force of aggressive stuffing. Ice axes are really the only exception to the rule of keeping all of the gear in the pack, and even then, when skiing or climbing with a small ax, it is a good idea to put those inside as well, as climbing sometimes, and skiing, usually, involves some amount of falling ice axes and cartwheeling down steep slopes is a bad combination.
Without doubt, perfect packing is a goal that takes some practice to achieve, however it is attainable and a clean, tight pack nuzzled close to your body will reward every time a hold is stretched for, dense forest is bushwhacked, a turn is leaned into, or just arriving at camp, confident all your gear is intact, present, and accounted for.
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Alaska
