[pct-l] ice axe/crampons

[ned at mountaineducation.org]

I know this is a week old, but it is one of the skills we teach on our Mountain Education skills training courses.

Though we have been teaching wilderness safety skills for only 30 years in the Sierra (yes, along the JMT, too), the principles are the same year-in and year-out. Though we only spend about 70 days and nights on-snow during the course of any given year, these principles prove themselves as valuable.

One, is that the size of the snowfield doesn't matter, you can slip and fall on a short one as easily as the long ones. 
There may not be the miles of snowy approach to a pass when you get there, but if there is any about the top, you'll need to know how to stay balanced on it and not fall (there's a lot to this, practically speaking). Snow may seem benign, cute, romantic, and fun, but it is unforgiving to the impatient or thoughtless.

Two, is that the safety tools you bring along are only valuable if they are in place when needed. Using snowshoes to cross even a brief field of ice can be (considering your experience with them versus crampons) highly dangerous. Identifying the need for and using crampons on a hazardous stretch without an ice axe or, at least, a Whippet pole is a recipe for disaster (any fall on an even moderately sloped crusty surface can lead you into the rocks or trees below). Assumptions that the snow berm is short, though steep to get on top of and off of on the other side, and your balance will be safe as you cross on your trailrunners often lead to broken joints and limbs as too frequently attested to on Sonora and Selden Passes every year.

Three, is that you need to be knowledgeable and experienced enough to foresee a hazard or changing condition ahead in order to avoid it. Reading about how someone else did their trip will not teach you your identification and reaction skills to keep you safe. Awareness and Avoidance based on personal experience is the key.

Yes, the JMT is often a "dry trail" all the way in the months of August and September, but just be aware of the conditions that may lie ahead of you (and that counts for new weather coming in), be able to recognize any hazard before you're in or on it, prepare for them, and consider STOP whenever in doubt (Stop, Think, Observe, Plan).

The mountains are a beautiful place to have fun, but plan for the worst and enjoy the best and you'll come out the other end with a grin on your face and able to go back in another day!



"Just remember, Be Careful out there!"

Ned Tibbits, Director
Mountain Education
South Lake Tahoe, Ca. 96150
    P: 888-996-8333
    F: 530-541-1456
    C: 530-721-1551
    http://www.mountaineducation.org