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Alpine Efficiency - by Rich Cross
He’s treading on your ropes, having a quick smoke whilst he takes in through his magic plate, and you just know that in a minute or two he’s gonna overtake - without so much as a s'il vous plait. ......Déjà vu? Traditionally the average Brit has had a rough deal in the Alps, being thought of by the continentals as slow and inept. In part this may be true - Brits who are technically very good on home ground can find it hard to adjust from our belt and braces approach to alpine ‘risk management’ techniques. The skills for moving safely but quickly in the Alps don’t come overnight, but there are many common sense tips and techniques that can help… Preparation Fitness and Acclimatisation It goes without saying that fitness and acclimatisation are essential for efficient mountain travel. Training in the UK to make the most of your trip should focus on cardiovascular as well as specific climbing fitness. Training can continue into the trip by indulging in some backbreaking hut walks (compulsory in Switzerland!), which can also save cash on route to a climb. Once you are back in shape however, exploiting cable cars whenever possible will put you at the bottom of your chosen route feeling fit and fresh, if a little guilty, rather than virtuous but knackered. Acclimatisation is a complex issue and always needs to be dealt with sensibly to avoid wasting valuable time feeling ill. A gradual build-up at the start of any trip with a couple of nights spent sleeping high in huts will help greatly. Even at modest elevations an unacclimatised party can be severely hindered, so don’t be blasé. Knowledge is Power In the Alps especially, doing your homework is essential. Gather as much information about your climb from as many different sources as possible. English guidebooks can often be outdated, as glacial activity and rock fall etc alters the state of routes and approaches. Try local guidebooks, magazine articles, other climbers and local guides offices as useful sources of information. Nowadays the Internet has Alpine climbing conditions forums where people can post details about a route they’ve climbed, and pass on crucial bits of information. Armed with the confidence that you now know your stuff, you can carry the correct gear, anticipate the line and conditions and travel faster. Light is Right Other than accessible beta, the other biggest aid to the modern climber is all the lightweight gear that's readily available. In the Alps, light is usually right - giving you the satisfaction that comes from a simple approach and efficiency of movement. Weight can be shaved from every part of your kit - from wire gate karabiners and high tech modern boots, to polystyrene helmets. One of the easiest savings to make is by having a light rucksack and waterproofs. Bearing in mind you will usually be climbing on a ‘beau temps’ forecast, leave the Scottish cardboard body armour at home. Shop around for modern lightweight fabrics such as Event and Goretex Paclite for good emergency protection. Plan Ahead Think carefully about your logistics and have a clear-sighted plan for every outing. Include timings, approach, descent and what you need to take etc - but temper your plans with realism. Only by climbing inside your technical limits will you be able to travel efficiently and safely. Conversely, being overly cautious and bringing bivvy gear ‘just in case’ for example, will almost certainly result in you using it. As ever, the harder and more committing the climb, the finer the line you will have to tread and the more good judgment and experience will come into play. Technique Ability First of all, the single biggest aid to speed is pure fluid climbing ability. Anyone can learn all the tricks in alpinism, but the fastest are usually also the most technically gifted. So for all of us wanting to improve - training harder, trying harder and getting out more is the first step! Magic Plates Think about time management down to the last detail. To this end, whilst climbing on pitched ground everything needs to be done whilst belaying, including eating, drinking, looking at the topo etc. Using a self-locking magic plate means you can belay a second but safely take your hands off the rope to do jobs, therefore using the dead time sat on the stance. Block Leads On long pitched routes consider block leading. This technique is very popular in places like Yosemite and involves one person leading 4 or 5 pitches in a row before the second takes over. In this way the climb can be broken down into a number of blocks, which can offer several advantages: Mentally, 4 or 5 blocks can be easier to deal with than 25 swung leads, as:
Changeovers Keep belay changeovers speedy and efficient. Three minutes saved on every belay will save an hour over 20 pitches, which could easily be the difference between beers in the valley or a night sitting on your rope! An efficient racking system really helps here: bandoliers can be useful for passing things like quickdraws back and forth. Rope management is crucial and if leading in blocks the ropes will need to be restacked so the leader’s ends com from the top of the pile again. With a little practice (and the help of a magic plate) you can start to restack the ropes once your second is 5-10m below you. When they arrive the bulk of the rope will be organised with just the bottom 5-10m lying the wrong way up in a separate pile (try it out, but don’t forget to take in your poor mate!) Climbing Smart Always play to the strengths within your partnership. Plan ahead and try to make sure people lead on the ground that suits them best. This is especially important on mixed routes that may involve several different styles of climbing. This really maximises the combined skill of the team and keeps movement fluid. Moving Together This is an essential skill that improves greatly with experience, so any practice on easy climbs in the UK is time well spent. Your ability and confidence will dictate the standard of ground you are prepared to move together on and the nature of the terrain will dictate the length of rope between each climber. Key factors are:
The ultimate moving together skill, ‘simul-climbing’ involves moving with most of the rope out on technical ground that would normally be pitched. Prussic devices such as Tiblocs are placed on runners above crux sections to hold the second should they fall - and prevent the leader being yanked off! Other runners are placed as sparingly as you dare to conserve the rack and increase the distance you can travel before regrouping. This technique requires lots of practice to perfect, and careful thought in using the Tiblocs to prevent rope damage. Limitations are: the size of your rack, rope drag and you ability to climb confidently without a belay! This is a great thing to practice on ice couloirs with the occasional bulge, as there are no rope drag issues. Simul-climbing has resulted in some awesome speed climbing achievements well documented in the press and is a great tool to have in your alpine skills box. Route Finding Adopt a common sense approach to route finding. Climbers in Britain are pampered by detailed blow-by-blow route descriptions in most guidebooks. Alpine guides may have one small paragraph for a vertical kilometre of climbing, so the incentive is for you to interpret it properly. Use the information to guide you but be prepared to take a step back and ask yourself ‘if this was my route where would I have gone next?’. This often solves route finding problems, but if not don’t be afraid to look round the corner before committing yourself to an uncertainty. Five minutes exploring can save hours of wasted time battling up the wrong line! Ropework Keep your rope work simple. Plenty of long extenders and Twin or single ropes (where appropriate) will keep your management much cleaner and faster, and prevent French guides from threading in between your double ropes - damn! Consider climbing on a full weight rope and carrying a thin line for pulling on abseils (5.5mm dyneema is often used). This is a specialist technique but does have advantages when you have to haul, aid climb or jumar, and is often used on hardcore mixed routes in the Greater Ranges. Camming Devices Borrow a technique from Yosemite speed climbers. Carry a good rack of cams on long pitched routes, they are much faster to place and clean on smooth granite than nuts or hexes. Also keep a good look out for fixed runners and belays which can be used quickly, but remember to always check pegs and tat first. Crampons Learn to climb rock quickly and efficiently wearing crampons. For Scottish mixed experts-no problem. This is a real skill, but can save hours of fiddling around changing footwear when faced with technical bare rock sections. Nutrition Make sure you don’t become too tired/lazy to eat and drink properly. Have lots of snacks and fluids easily accessible (drinks bladders are good in warm weather) to ensure a steady flow of carbs. Also try to stay cool when climbing to prevent overheating and dehydration, then add a layer if necessary to belay in. Abseiling Have a safe and efficient system in place for abseiling. Hours can be saved in the day if the descent is slick and quick. Crucial points include:
Finally, practice your overtaking skills……and don't forget to have fun!
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