GETTING OFF THE MOUNTAIN
SOMETHING WE ARE SEEING IS A DISTINCT DEGRADING OF ABILITY OF CLIMBERS BEING ABLE TO GET DOWN A MOUNTAIN. THIS IS NOT CONFINED TO COMPLEX ABSEILING TECHNIQUES AND SPECIAL ANCHORS, BUT COVERS A DEMONSTRATED LACK OF ABILITY TO SIMPLY DESCENT STEEP SLOPES WITH ANY DEGREE OF SPEED. FOR ALL THE PREPARATION TO PULL M6 MOVES, ASCEND FAST AND RUN OUT PITCHES, THESE DAYS LITTLE SEEMS TO GO ON THE 50% OF ANY EXPEDITION THAT IS COMING DOWN AGAIN.
ALMOST ALWAYS UNDER A CONDITION OF DURESS FROM FATIGUE, WEATHER, TIME AND GEAR RUNNING OUT, THIS IS A BASIC SKILL OF ALPINISM, AND ONE THAT GETS YOU HOME. WHEN YOU TRAIN, DEDICATE SOME TO DESCENT SKILLS, SO YOU ARE NOT THE ONE HOLDING EVERYONE BACK WHEN YOU ARE ALL COLD, HUNGRY AND TIRED.
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CONFIDENCE
THE SECRET TO WALKING DOWN STEEP SNOW SLOPES IS THERE IS NO SECRET – JUST WALK. IF YOU CAN WALK DOWN STAIRS YOU CAN WALK DOWN A SNOW SLOPE, AND ANY ‘TECNIQUE’ THAT HAS YOU HUNCHED OVER AN ICE AXE OR DOING SPECIAL FOOT PLACEMENTS IS WRONG. THE CLIMBER WHO IS GOOD AT DESCENT STANDS UPRIGHT, BALANCED, RELAXED AND MAYBE A LITTLE BANDY-LEGGED. MORE THAN ONE INSTRUCTOR SAYS TO WALK LIKE QUINCY JONES ‘THE DUDE’, ie RELAXED AND EVEN LAZY.
GETTING DOWN BIG SLOPES IS A MAINSTAY OF MOUNTAINS AND THE MORE CONFIDENCE YOU HAVE TO WALK, DOWN CLIMB AND ABSEIL THE BETTER, TO THE POINT WHERE THIS IS THE TRUE MEASURE OF ANY ALPINIST. GOOD TEAMS DON’T NEED A PICNIC TO DISCUSS EVERYTIME THEY NEED TO GET DOWN A ROPED SECTION, THEY DON’T HUDDLE TOGETHER WAITING IN THE FIRING LINE OF DEBRIS AS EACH DESCENDS, AND THEY UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS THE PART OF ANY CLIMB WHEN THE RISKS ARE HIGHEST.
A GOOD TEAM DESCENDS SMOOTHLY, ADJUSTING ITS PACE AND RESTING WHERE IT IS INTUITIVE. SLOW MEMBERS REFERENCE OFF FAST MEMBERS SO THEY CAN LEARN BETTER, AND FAST MEMBERS TAKE THE INITIATIVE OF OF ROUTE FINDING AND ANCHORS.
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OVER-COMPLEXITY
THANKS TO INSTAGRAM SOME CLIMBERS KNOW 10 VERSIONS OF THE BOWLINE BUT NO VERSION OF SIMPLY CLIPPING AND GOING. EVERY HALF-MINUTE ADDED TO THE BEGINNING AND END OF A RAPPEL ADDS UP TO MAYBE AN EXTRA HALF HOUR ON THE DESCENT PER CLIMBER, WHICH IS UNACCEPTABLE. THIS IS THE ANTITHESIS OF SAFETY. OF COURSE BRAKING KNOTS AND EXTENSIONS ARE IMPORTANT WHEN THE SITUATION DEMANDS IT – HEAVY PACKS, FALLING DEBRIS, OVERHANGING TERRAIN etc – BUT IF YOU CANNOT RAPPEL WITHOUT THESE THINGS THEN YOU ARE NOT AS SAFE AS YOU THINKING YOU ARE.
GET GOOD AND CONFIDENT AT SIMPLY PUTTING THE ROPE THROUGH A DEVICE ON YOUR BELAY LOOP AND STEPPING OFF. KEEP THE DEVICE CLIPPED THERE AT ALL TIMES – THE SMART CLIMBER USES SOMETHING LIKE A GRIVEL DOUBLE GATE THAT IS IDIOT-PROOF FOR SECURITY – AND PRACTICE CLIPPING THE ‘RIGHT’ WAY AND THE ‘WRONG’ WAY WHERE YOU WILL REALIZE THE ‘WRONG WAY ACTUALLY ADDS MORE FRICTION, THUS RESOLVING SOME OF THE HEAVY PACK ISSUES.
LEARN TO LOCK OFF THE DEVICE FOR IF NEEDED, AND HOW TO ADD FRICTION ON THE MOVE. FOR TIMES WHEN A BRAKE IS NEEDED CARRY A DEDICATED CORD, AND BE JUDICIAL FOR WHEN TO USE IT. BY EXAMPLE, WE DO ENTIRE 6000m ASCENTS WITH 20-30 ABSEILS OFF, AND HAVE ONLY REQUIRED IT A HANDFUL OF TIMES.
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ELEGANCE
LIKE A KAYAKER, FIND YOUR LINE AND STICK TO IT. IF YOU ARE AT THE BACK DON’T FUCK ABOUT TAKING PHOTOS etc, KEEP WITHIN EYELINE OF AS MANY OTHERS AS YOU CAN. IT IS FAR HARDER FOR A FASTER CLIMBER BELOW TO RE-ASCEND TO CHECK ANOTHER WHO HAS DROPPED OUT OF EYELINE, SO IT IS EVERYBODIES OBLIGATION TO KEEP THE TEAM LINED UP. BEING SLOW IS NOT AN INVITATION TO WASTE MORE TIME – IT IS AN INVITATION TO TRAIN BETTER.
GOOD DESCENTS FOLLOW ELEGANT, INTUITIVE LINES, LOOKIG FOR FAST GROUND THAT IS SAFE AND HAS SOME CONTINGENCY. THE REDUCED NEED TO ZIGZAG AS PER THE ASCENT MEANS YOU CAN GO THROUGH SOME FEATURES FAST ENOUGH TO MITIGATE RISKS, SUCH AS BOTTLENECKING CHUTES, BUT ONLY WHEN YOU HAVE A GOOD DYNAMIC. IF IN DOUBT, ERR WITH SLOWER CAUTION.
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SPEED
CALCULATE THE DISTANCE AND RATE OF DESCENT AND WORK TO IT. IF YOU ARE DROPPING AT 500m AN HOUR AND HAVE 2000m TO DESCEND, THINK WHERE THAT 4HR MARK WILL PUT YOU. MAYBE YOU CAN TAKE IT EASY AND STOP FOR COFFEE. MAYBE YOU NEED TO START CHOPPING A LEDGE AND LEAVE THE DESCENT TILL MORNING.
PERHAPS MORE SO, SPEED ON DESCENT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAT WHEN CLIMBING, IF YOU ARE USING LINES AND FEATURES THAT WOULD BE TOO DANGEROUS OR DIFFICULT ON THE WAY UP. THIS DOES NOT MEAN HURTLING AT THE EDGE OF REASON, BUT IT DOES MEAN MAKING SPEED THE PRIORITY, NOT STOPPING TO FUCK ABOUT UNNECESSARILY, CERTAINLY NOT IN BIG GROUPS.
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FATIGUE
NO DESCENT TAKES PLACE FRESH AND CLEARLY, BY THE SIMPLE FACT THAT GOING UP IS HARD. COMING DOWN SHOULD NEVER BE AN AFTERTHOUGHT, AND ALWAYS FACTORED INTO TIMELINES AND GEAR LISTS, AND HAVE SOME FOOD TO KEEP THE BRAIN FROM TUNNELLING OUT.
A SIGNATURE OF FATIGUE IS NOT RECOGNIZING HOW TIRED YOU ARE, AND ESPECIALLY BEYOND A CERTAIN POINT YOU MAY FEEL YOU ARE NORMAL AGAIN. YOU ARE NOT. THIS IS WHERE STARTLINGLY OBVIOUS ERRORS ARE MADE, AS THE BRAIN IS ONLY RUNNING ON LIMITED FACULTIES, WITH A HUGE CHUNK OF ORDINARY CONSCIOUSNESS SUSPENDED.
THIS MEAN SIMPLICITY, FEWEST MOVING PARTS, GROUP COHESION, CLEAR COMMUNICATION AND TRUST. IF YOU ARE FLAGGING YOU MUST RELAY THAT, RATHER THAN LAG BEHIND AND BECOME A SOURCE OF RISK. A CLIMBER STUCK AT THE TOP OF A RAPPEL BECAUSE THEY WOULDN’T ASK FOR A FOOD BREAK IS STUPID, NOT UNLUCKY.
LIKE TIME AND ALTITUDE, LOOK AT THE FOOD AND FLUID YOU HAVE AND APPROXIMATE HOW FAR IT WILL GET YOU, AND WHETHER IT IS JUST BEST TO DIG IN REST. IT MAY NOT BE, IN TERRAIN THAT IS DANGEROUS OR TOO STEEP, BUT OTHERWISE IT MAY BE MORE EFFICIENT THAT STUMBLING DOWWARDS.
CAFFEINE FITS HERE, AS COFFEE, GELS OR TEA. KEEPING A FEW SACHETS IN THE LID OF YOUR PACK WEIGHS NOTHING AND GOES A LONG WAY.
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KNOWING YOU HAVE A GOOD DESCENT ABILITY MAKES THE TAIL END OF A CLIMB FEEL SECURE. KNOWING YOU DON’T IS INEXCUSABLE AND EXACTLY THE WRONG PLACE TO HAVE UNKNOWNS.