FIXING: SHORT vs ROUTE

IMAGE PROVIDED BY MALACHOWSKI. THE FINEST DOWN PRODUCTS POSSIBLE.

AS THE IRON MAIDEN PEAK TRIP TAKES SHAPE THE DISCUSSION INVOLVES HOW THE PEAK WILL BE CLIMBED, AS THE RANGE IT IS IN IS KNOWN FOR COMPLICATED AND STEEP ROUTES. WITH A RELATIVELY LARGE TEAM, THIS MEANS SPECIAL LOGISTICS AND SYSTEMS ON THE ASCENT, AND SOME WORRY THIS MEANS COMPROMISING OUR STRICT ADHERENCE TO THE ETHICS OF ALPINISM.

YE OF LITTLE FAITH.

WE WOULDN’T RUN A TRIP IF IT MEANT UNDERMINING WHAT FEEDING THE RAT EXPEDITIONS IS, IF ONLY BECAUSE THE LOGISTICS WOULD RUIN ANY COSTING LET ALONE COMPROMISE STANDARDS THAT THE CLIMBING WORLD HAS SHOWN HAVE NO BOTTOM.

CONTRARY TO THIS WE DRAW ON A RICH AND VARIED BAG OF TRICKS, ABSORBED FROM DECADES OF CLIMBING ACROSS MULTIPLE STYLES. WE SEE THIS AS FUNDAMENTAL TO ALPINISM, THE SYNCRETIZING OF METHODS TO ADAPT UNIQUE SOLUTIONS FOR EACH OBJECTIVE.

THIS MEANS WE WILL USE FIXING AS A WAY TO COVER TECHNICAL TERRAIN, A WORD THAT HAS BECOME TOXIC DUE TO ITS ASSOCIATION WITH EVEREST-STYLE COMMERCIAL ASCENTS, BUT IN THIS CASE A VERY DIFFERENT FORM THAT HAS A LONG HISTORY AS PART OF ALPINISM. THIS FORM COMES UNDER VARIOUS NAMES, OF WHICH WE USE ‘SHORT FIXING’ TO DESCRIBE ITS EFFICACY, AND DISTANCE OURSELVES FROM ANY CONNECTION TO FORMS WE DON’T PARTAKE IN.

.

ROUTE FIXING

THIS IS WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE – FIXING ENTIRE ROUTES – AND GOES HAND-IN-HAND WITH GUIDES, FIXED CAMPS, SUPPLEMENTARY OXYGEN AND CROWDS. IF YOU’RE WONDERING ‘DO THEY ACTUALLY FIX ENTIRE ROUTES KILOMETERS LONG?’ YES THEY DO, USING HUNDREDS OF KILOGRAMS OF LINE IN THE PROCESS. AT BETWEEN 1 AND 2kg PER 100m EVEN MID-ALTITUDE PEAKS REQUIRE A LOT, AND ALL THIS IS BEFORE ADDING THE HUGE AMOUNT OF HARDWARE USED TO PIN IT ALL TO THE MOUNTAIN. YOU START TO GET AN IDEA OF WHY HELICOPTERS ARE SO POPULAR…

IN MOST CASES THIS LINE IS AROUND 6mm DIAMETER, OF WIDELY VARYING QUALITY RANGING FROM HARDWARE STORE STUFF TO CORD FROM SPONSORING COMPANIES. REGARDLESS, IT ISN’T EXPECTED TO EVER LAST MORE THAN A SEASON DUE TO TRAFFIC AND UV DEGRADATION, EVEN THOUGH THE STUFF LEFT BEHIND DOES GET REUSED AS A FORM OF RUSSIAN ROULETTE.

ROUTE FIXING EXISTS TO GET PEOPLE AND SUPPLIES UP AND DOWN MOUNTAINS AS EFFICIENTLY AS POSSIBLE. IT USUALLY STARTS JUST OF THE GLACIER AND ENDS JUST SHORT OF THE SUMMIT, WHERE IT IS EASY TO LEAVE OUT OF PHOTOS. THE LINES GO WHERE THE QUICKEST LINE IS AND WHERE THE ANCHORS CAN COPE WITH THE LOADS OF MULTIPLE CLIMBERS, WITH SET GUIDELINES FOR ACHORS AND CLIMBERS PER SECTION FOR SAFETY, THAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE ADHERED TO. THE IDEA IS THAT A CLIMBER WILL HAVE AN ASCENDER IN ONE HAND AND A SINGLE AXE IN THE OTHER, WITH A FREE-RUNNING SAFETY LINE COMBINATION.

WITH THIS SOMEONE CAN THEORETICALLY FOLLOW THE LINE VIA CAMPS TO THE SUMMIT, CONTAINED WITHIN THE COURSE OF THE LINES. SAFE IN ONE WAY IT IS ALSO POTENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC IN OTHERS, BY CONSOLIDATING THE GREATEST RISK FACTOR – OTHER CLIMBERS – INTO DISCRETE GROUPS. THE INFAMOUS IMAGES SHOWING CONGA LINES ON EVEREST ARE SHOWING THE PRODUCT OF ROUTE FIXING, WHERE A STRATEGY MEANT TO ENHANCE SAFETY ACTUALLY REDUCES IT. THOSE CLIMBERS ARE GETTING COLD, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE LOADING ON THE LINES MAKES IT DANGEROUSLY DIFFICULT FOR CLIMBERS TO DESCEND. OF THE DEATHS THAT DO HAPPEN ON 8000m PEAKS, THE FIXED LINES ARE A COMMON CONTRIBUTING FACTOR.

FIXED ROUTES LITERALLY CHANGE THE MOUNTAIN ITSELF. WHERE SUPPLEMENTARY OXYGEN CHANGES THE CLIMBER BY REPLACING ABILITY WITH TECH, FIXING ROUTES CHANGES THE ACTUAL ROCK, ICE AND SNOW IN THE SAME WAY TRAILS EVERYWHERE CHANGE THE PLACE THEY ARE IN. INITIALLY LINES GO WHERE THEY ONLY CAN, SOON BECOMING THE PLACE THEY HAVE TO, AS ANCHORS, CAMPS AND OVERSIGHT IS INSTITUTED. THIS IS WHAT IT IS, BUT IS THE ANTITHESIS OF ALPINISM DEFINED. MAKING THE PROBLEMS COMING WITH THIS SORT OF THING ENTIRELY UNRELATED TO THE PROBLEMS OF ALPINISM.

IT’S TRUE THAT ROUTE FIXING IS WHAT GOT MOST 8000m PEAKS SUMMITED FOR THE FIRST TIME, BUT THE STUFF OF TODAY IS NOT THE ROUTE FIXING OF HILLARY OR EVEN BONINGTON DECADES AFTER THAT. THE STUFF NOW IS CLOSER TO PRODUCTION-LINE WORK, WHERE THE EMPHASIS IS ON EVENT MANAGEMENT OF LARGE GROUPS, WITH THE MAJORITY OF THOSE USING THE ROPES WORKING STAFF. THOUGH ASCENTS LIKE THE BIG JAPANESE AND BRITISH SEIGES WERE NOT ALPINISM, THEY WERE STILL UNRELATED TO THE FIXING OF TRADE ROUTES THAT STRING TOGETHER THE NYLON HAMLETS FOND ON EVEREST AND BROAD PEAK.

.

SHORT FIXING

SHORT FIXING IS WELL WITHIN THE PARADIGM OF ALPINISM, AND DOES NOT REDUCE ACTUAL CLIMBING TO ASSISTED VIA FERRATA. YOU STILL NEED TWO TOOLS, YOU STILL ACTUALLY CLIMB, BUT IT SPEEDS THINGS UP BY REDUCING THE TIME SPENT ON PITCHING. IT TAKES THE GUESSWORK OUT OF THE SECONDING CLIMBERS EFFORT WHICH HELPS KEEP FRIED MINDS BACK FROM THE EDGE, THOUGH THIS MENTAL SEMI-REST IS BALANCED BY THE SECONDS BEING ABLE TO CLIMB WITH SIGNIFICANTLY MORE WEIGHT. WHEN USED ACROSS A SMALL TEAM THIS MAKES FOR PERHAPS THE BEST WEIGHT-SPEED RATIO OF ANY HIGH ALTITUDE STYLE.

THIS HAS BEEN KNOWN FOR A LONG TIME, WITH SHORT FIXING AS STANDARD PRACTICE IN BIG WALL AND BIG FACE CLIMBING – INCLUDING THE MOST AUDACIOUS ASCENTS DONE BY THE MOST VANGUARD STYLES, AND IS USED A LOT IN HARD ALPINISM DESPITE NOT ALWAYS BEING MENTIONED.

SHORT FIXING FOLLOWS THE EXACT LINE OF THE LEADER, UNLIKE ROUTE FIXING WHICH FOLLOWS THE EASIEST LINE TO JUG. SHORT FIXING IS VIA THE PROTECTION THE LEADER USED, AT LEAST FOR THE FIRST SECOND, EXCEPT ON WANDERING ROUTES WHERE BETTER OPTIONS MAY BE POSSIBLE, THEN MAKING WHAT THE FOLLOWERS CLIMB ANOTHER, ODD, FORM OF FIRST ASCENT.

SHORT FIXING ALLOWS A SPECTRUM OF ANCHOR QUALITY TO BE USED, UNDER DEEP UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN TEAMSTERS REGARDING THIS. SHORT FIXING ALSO QUICKLY MUTATES INTO PITCHING AND SIMU-CLIMBING, AND EVEN ROPED SOLO CLIMBING (ALL WHOOOOLE OTHER SUBJECTS).

BECAUSE SHORT FIXING IS VERY TEMPORARY AND THE ROPES ARE NOT DISPOSABLE, WE USE DYNEEMA AND ARAMID COMPOSITES THAT ARE EXTREMELY STRONG, EXTREMELY CUT RESISTANT AND MADE SPECIFICALLY FOR THE PURPOSE. THESE ROPES ARE USUALLY ALREADY CARRIED FOR THE DESCENTS, MEANING NO EXTRA GEAR OTHER THAN THE ASCENDERS, AND PROBABLY A FEW EXTRA BITS OF PRO FOR ANCHORS, BUT EVEN THEN NOT A LOT. WHEN CLIMBING IN A PAIR OR ONLY NEEDED FOR BRIEF SECTIONS, THE LEAD ROPE CAN USED, SAVING MAN-HOURS AS THE LEADER FULLY RESTS AND THE ADVANTAGE IS FELT MOST ON COLD ASCENTS. IN SOME CASE TWO ROPES CAN BE USED.

UNLIKE FIXED ROUTES, SHORT FIXED SECTIONS ARE RARELY IF EVER LEFT IN PLACE, SO THE HARDWARE AND ROPES SHOULDN’T BECOME TRASH THAT DEFILES THE MOUNTAIN. THEY GET USED ONLY WHEN NEEDED, WITH THE ONLY GEAR BEING CARRIED, AND DO NOT FORM AN UMBILICAL CORD ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE BASE.

.

FOR FIRST ASCENT TRIPS LIKE THE IRON MAIDEN EXPEDITION, SHORT FIXING ALLOWS US TO ADAPT THE TEAM TO THE CLIMBING DEMANDS AS THEY ARISE. UNLIKE ROUTE FIXING WHERE A DEDICATED FIXING TEAM SEWS UP THE ROUTE AND THE CLIMBERS FOLLOW AT THEIR OWN TEMPO, WE CLIMB AS A SELF-CONTAINED TEAM AND MAKE ROUTE CHOICES AS WE GO.

IN SOME WAYS THIS IS YET ANOTHER DIVISION, WHERE ALPINISM AND INDUSTRAL CLIMBING SHARE LITTLE IN COMMON. WHILST SOME OF THE GEAR, TERMINOLOGY AND ANCHORS ARE THE SAME, THE WAY THEY USED REPRESENTS TWO DIFFERENT PARADIGMS. WHERE ROUTE FIXING INTRODUCES RISKS TO MOUNTAINEERING THAT ONLY EXIST WITHIN THE INDUSTRIAL STYLE, SHORT FIXING ALLEVIATES SOME RISKS THAT ALPINISM SUFFERS FROM, NAMELY BEING TOO LONG IN A DANGEROUS ENVIRONMENT,

SHORT FIXING ALSO HELPS OPEN THE DOOR TO WINTER ALPINE ASCENTS, REWORKING THE EQUATIONS OF EXPOSURE, LOADS CARRIED, TECHNICAL PROWESS AND ROUTE CHOICE. AGAIN, THIS HAS BEEN DABBLED IN BEFORE, BUT IT IS A COMPLEX THAT IS ALWAYS EVOLVING, WITH A HUGE SCOPE FOR POTENTIAL AS EACH ELEMENT PROGRESSES.