39
votes
Accepted
Should one attempt to rescue a stranger from a crevasse or wait for mountain rescue?
Yes, you absolutely should rescue the climber when the situation allows.
The reason that matters most is suspension trauma: Prolonged motionless hanging in a harness can lead to loss of consciousness ...
- 21.8k
27
votes
Accepted
Summitting Breithorn in the winter?
I do not have much alpine experience
Climbing the Breithorn in the winter is a much different matter than in the spring or summer. Any 4,000 meter peak in the alps is subject to arctic weather ...
- 3,032
20
votes
Should one attempt to rescue a stranger from a crevasse or wait for mountain rescue?
Additionally to @imsodins brilliant answer, I'd say the same applies to almost any mountain rescue situation:
if you are able to contribute to the situation while maintaining your own safety, do it (...
- 1,469
20
votes
Accepted
Why is the "alpine style" of climbing not as popular in the Himalayas?
TLDR: Because its much harder that way and the extra altitude of the Himalayas makes it that much more difficult.
Alpine style refers to mountaineering in a self-sufficient manner, thereby carrying ...
- 69.4k
14
votes
Accepted
Is "Short roping" "Death Roping"?
Short roping is dangerous, but it is also a critical part of guiding. This presentation touches on a lot of the reasons for short roping and risks associated with it.
Short roping is claimed to ...
- 10.7k
14
votes
Summitting Breithorn in the winter?
As a general rule, I think it unwise to attempt, solo, for the first time, the sort of climb that one has no experience with, especially if it carries the potential for a serious accident.
You have ...
- 24k
13
votes
Why is the "alpine style" of climbing not as popular in the Himalayas?
alpine style remains relatively rare in the Himalayas
Actually, as far as I can tell from the current climbing literature, alpine style climbs in the Himalaya are relatively common these days. ...
- 3,032
10
votes
What are the use cases for ski crampons over boot crampons?
The answer to this question at its most basic level is generally use your ski crampons until you would feel more safe using boot crampons. I suspect since you asked this question you aren't very ...
- 9,658
8
votes
Should one attempt to rescue a stranger from a crevasse or wait for mountain rescue?
The most important point in any emergency is to avoid making the situation worse. The situation you describe is dynamic and may have several outcomes. Its not really possible to make a decision ...
- 941
7
votes
What are the use cases for ski crampons over boot crampons?
This is an excellent article comparing the two.
Use the ski when you need the grip but still want the flotation of the ski. You are limited to how steep you can go with a ski. This is a picture of ...
- 7,186
7
votes
Is "Short roping" "Death Roping"?
Short roping is an advanced technique, but it is a necessary one to progress quickly and safely in the mountains.
As with most techniques, knowing when to apply it just as important (or more) as the ...
- 6,879
7
votes
Accepted
What conditions should lead an alpine team to abandon a mountain climb/expedition?
IMHO your turn around point "developing hypothermia" is too late.
AFAIK, hypothermia usually doesn't happen out of the blue: there's a typical mix of exhaustion and not enough food, usually also ...
- 4,298
6
votes
Accepted
Mountaineering trousers with short legs
Look in the women's section of your favorite clothing supplier.
The average woman is shorter than the average man, which means there are often smaller sizes in these selections. They also have ...
- 30.4k
6
votes
What conditions should lead an alpine team to abandon a mountain climb/expedition?
I believe it's close to impossible to draft a checklist that would work in every situation. The best recommendation I have (after 40 years of experience in mountaineering on 4 continents) is that you ...
- 81
6
votes
What are the use cases for ski crampons over boot crampons?
Ski crampons are used on frozen crust, most often in springtime when the crust will melt into corn snow before the descent. They cannot be used on extremely steep terrain (over 25-30 degrees) because ...
- 61
6
votes
Is "Short roping" "Death Roping"?
I am pretty certain that I have already answered why this is dangerous here.
As for when it would be a valid technique,
If the terrain is such that there is a slight risk of falling, but not enough ...
- 69.4k
5
votes
Accepted
How to get up for an alpine start without an alarm?
There are some things that will help in getting up early without an alarm.
Drink more water than normal before bed , this ensures that you won't sleep all of the way through the night.
Try to sleep ...
- 69.4k
4
votes
Accepted
Can a regular backpack be worn on top of an avalanche airbag vest?
The correct answer for sure is "it depends on the exact model" but that is quite useless ;)
As far as I can see all the airbag vests deploy over your whole shoulder area. This is definitely not ...
- 7,735
3
votes
Is "Short roping" "Death Roping"?
I never understood the reason for this technique, but let me guess.
When one of the people is much more experienced than the other, he can judge where there is no risk (99% of the time), and when ...
- 4,592
2
votes
Accepted
What size backpack do I need for mountaineering expeditions?
From your description I don't see how bringing two packs will help.
If your ascent is actually a full 3-5 days from base camp then you will have to bring pretty much your entire gear... Certainly all ...
- 13.3k
2
votes
What conditions should lead an alpine team to abandon a mountain climb/expedition?
Short answer: As soon as it's determined that continuing could run the risk of someone getting into trouble or sustaining an injury.
We had to abandon a cave-surveying expedition this past summer ...
- 53.7k
2
votes
What conditions should lead an alpine team to abandon a mountain climb/expedition?
Abandon the trip if...
someone in the group demonstrates behavior that threatens the group,
someone in the group is found to be lying about their status.
First involved dangerous brandishing of a ...
- 3,566
2
votes
Does a Mammut Smart Alpine belay device go well with a Black Diamond Gridlock carabiner? Any other recommendations?
I have used the Mammut Smart Alpine with many biners, including the GridLock. My impression is that, while the Smart does have the tendency to get caught and stuck when the rope runs over the lock ...
- 3,394
2
votes
Should one attempt to rescue a stranger from a crevasse or wait for mountain rescue?
I'd like to add one point to the other good answers:
You call mountain rescue and they say they will be there in 30 mins.
As you are in communication with rescue, once you have answered all their ...
- 4,298
1
vote
Summitting Breithorn in the winter?
Don't try it. The (walking) mountaineering season is over, there is now too much snow in the high mountains and it definitely will not get easier till January. You have to wait until the Summer when ...
- 7,735
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