[pct-l] Ice axes

Sun Jan 13 03:36:05 CST 2013

Jon & Cat,

In the context of thru hiking the PCT, the need to arrest a fall on snow is 
a distinct possibility, especially if the friction of your chosen footwear 
fails and you fall and slide toward rocks or trees downhill. You may never 
have to self-arrest if you're careful, and you can never be too careful, but 
slip-and-falls do happen, especially if you're in a hurry or push too hard 
off your toes on snow.

You can carry an ice axe, but if you do not know what to do with it in an 
emergency, it is a waste of money and weight you're carrying. Learning how 
to use an axe to stop an out-of-control fall on hard, steep snow or ice has 
to be preceded by risk recognition (you have to identify the hazard before 
you get there so that your axe is in-hand when and if you should fall) and 
employed by reflex (you need to practice how to hold it, in which hand on 
what pitch/traverse, how to position it when in the fall, what the body has 
to do to maximize its effectiveness, and all this in a split second).

We all fall on snow. Mountain Education is based in "snow-country" and we 
slip just walking around the parking lots! It happens just when you least 
expect it to (probably because we forget to keep looking for hazards or just 
get distracted).

The PCT is not a flat trail. Matter of fact, in the sierra it spends quite a 
bit of time traversing steep mountainsides, switchbacking up or down, or 
just wandering in and out of mellower hillsides through trees, above 
timberline, and on shadowy north slopes where snow lingers late into 
summers. Everybody knows what it is like to stand on an ice rink, your feet 
can suddenly go anywhere! It's not much different standing on a patch of 
snow early in the morning when the surface is frozen solid. Now, put that 
small patch of drifted snow across the trail on an angle (because you're 
traversing down into a creek) and you REALLY need to be careful how you 
move. Traverses are more dangerous to the snow hiker than straight ups and 
downs!

What becomes important to the simple act of getting around on snow is the 
predictability of your footwear in transferring your body's forces onto the 
snow. This is where the rubber meets road, so to speak!  This means you need 
to consider aspects of  your shoes like depth and type of lug pattern, sole 
flexibility, torsional rigidity, ankle support, and so on. If you can't get 
a good enough grip on the snow, you're not going far and certainly not fast.

The next issue on snow hiking is balance maintenance. This is where poles 
with snow baskets come in. Mountain Education is on-snow up to 80 days and 
nights every year and we've tried many designs over our 30 years and have 
come to like and rely upon the Black Diamond products, namely their Traverse 
and Whippet poles. Walking on dry trail is vastly different than walking on 
snow when it comes to how you utilize your poles!
http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-us/shop/ski/ski-poles/whippet-self-arrest-ski-pole

The Whippet will stop most any fall on snow. We have never experienced a 
failure and even use the poles to teach self-arrest techniques from time to 
time. So we carry one on all trips with the other hand carrying the 
Traverse.

When we recognize a serious ice or hard packed snow pitch up ahead, we will 
stop and get our axes out. An ice axe is the definitive tool for snow travel 
as you can chop, belay, arrest, chip, and otherwise help yourself out of 
most any nasty situation with it in trained hands. When we are past that 
steep or bad stretch, we bring out the Whippet/Traverse and continue on.

Never be hasty on snow. Always be paying attention to what's around and 
ahead of you to be safe.

Remember, even a single suncup can send you flying...or at least on your ass 
with a laugh!

Ned Tibbits, Director
Mountain Education
www.mountaineducation.org
-----Original Message----- 
From: belcherjd at juno.com
Sent: Wednesday, January 09, 2013 4:01 PM
To: Pct-L at backcountry.net
Subject: [pct-l] Ice axes

Thank you Ned, Sonya, Matt, and Scott.

Your replies are very helpful as was a reply from John “GQ” Duncan class of 
2011 regarding his high snow year experiences.

I have a pair of hiking boots I was considering on using through the Sierra’s 
until I realized that they fit me prefect now ….. not after 700 miles of 
abuse to my feet:)

So, I shall stay with the trail runners and pick up a pair of KTS Aluminum 
Crampons.

Ned and all, next question.
I’ve been going to purchase the BD Raven Pro at 14 oz but also looking 
intently at the CAMP USA Corsa axe which is only 7 oz (60cm is a perfect 
fit).  For our purposes (not going to be hanging off the edge of a glacier) 
it would do fine??  Yes/No - what’s the thoughts here?

'til later
Jon (Gandalf - PCT class of 2013)
Marysville WA

Follow my pct hike on You Tube:
http://www.youtube.com/GandalfPCT2013
Mexico to Canada

____________________________________________________________
Woman is 57 But Looks 27
57-Year-Old Mom has a simple facelift trick that angered doctors...
http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3131/50ee052bd9ac652b3fc3st03duc
_______________________________________________
Pct-L mailing list
Pct-L at backcountry.net
To unsubcribe, or change options visit:
http://mailman.backcountry.net/mailman/listinfo/pct-l

List Archives:
http://mailman.backcountry.net/pipermail/pct-l/
All content is copyrighted by the respective authors.
Reproduction is prohibited without express permission. 