Mountaineering ā The Freedom of the Hills 5th Edition (notes)
These notes were taken in order of appearance.
Many of these points I already knew but thought pertinent to remind myself
I did not include much technical rock climbing information, as I donāt believe Iām ready for that yet.
Ā P. 29 ā the 10 essentials
Flashlight / headlamp with spare bulbs and batteries
Matches, in a waterproof container
Ā P.77 ā Good navigators are never truly lost ā but having learned humility through years of experience, they always carry enough food, clothing, and bivouac gear to get them through hours of even days of temporary confusion.
P. 83 ā walk in a single file to protect trail-side vegetation
P. 85 ā Screeing ā shuffling your feet to start a minor slide of pebbles and riding it down, in a standing glissade.
P. 86 ā When crossing a large stream / river, cross at the widest part, as it will be the shallowest.
A rope used daily should be retired within a year
A rope used during most weekends should give about 2 years of service
An occasionally used rope should be retired after 4 years
After one very severe fall it may be wise to replace your rope.Ā New ropes are often certified to take 5 falls, but if your rope is not new, consider all the factors affecting its condition.Ā
Ā P. 124 ā MĻnter Hitch ā the only traditional belay method that provides sufficient friction regardless of the angle between the ropes entering and leavingĀ
Ā P. 125-126 āThe Hip Wrap ā Itās main advantage is the speed with which you can belay a follower who is moving rapidly over easy ground.Ā It can be set up quickly and requires no hardware.
Ā P. 135 ā The three factors a belayer can control are
Ā P. 139 ā Proper and improper positioning of gates on double carabiners
Ā P. 147 ā To gain stability while rappelling, your legs must be nearly perpendicular to the slope.
Ā P. 149 ā Potential Problems ā Shirttails, hair, chinstraps from a hard hat, and just about anything else that can get caught in the braking system.Ā Keep a knife handy in case you have to cut foreign material out of the system.
Mantel ā Down-pressure technique.Ā Place both hands flat on a ledge at about chest height, palms down, with the fingers of each hand pointing toward the other hand.Ā Then raise your body up on stiffened arms.Ā
Counterforce ā is the use of pressure in opposing directions to help keep you in place.Ā
Stemming ā A counterforce technique that lets you support yourself between two spots on the rock that may be of little or no use alone.Ā
Undercling ā The hands, palms up, push up beneath the lip of the rock while the body leans out and the feet push against the rock.
Lieback ā Another form of counterforce, uses hands pulling and feet pushing in opposition as the climber moves upward in shuffling movements.Ā
Ā P. 174 ā Dihedrals (inside corners) may be climbed by pure stemming.Ā
Preservation of the rock is paramount
Itās almost never justified to add a bolt to an existing route.Ā If you feel you canāt safely climb the route as it is, donāt try it.
Keep other climbers in mind while climbing, both in your group and of other groups
Ā P. 213 ā Determining the fall factor: dividing the length of a fall by the length of rope run out from belay.Ā The higher the fall factor, the greater the force.Ā
Fall factor is lower when the length of rope run out from belay is relatively great because a long rope stretches more and absorbs more energy than a short length.
Ā P. 227 ā Hauling packs ā You may decide to shed your pack sometime because you canāt fit inside a chimney with it or because the weight would make a pitch too difficult.Ā Then youāll have to haul the pack up after you.
Trail a rope behind you as you climb, tied to the pack down below.
Ā P. 259 ā All ropes should be different colors
The hands hold the axe in a solid grip, one hand in the self-arrest grasp with thumb under the adze and fingers over the pick, the other hand on the shaft just above the spike
The pick is pressed into the snow just above your shoulder so that the adze is near the angle formed by neck and shoulder.
The Shaft crosses your chest diagonally and is held close to the opposite hip.Ā Gripping the shaft near the end prevents that hand from acting as a pivot around which the spike can swing to jab the thigh.
The chest and shoulder are pressed strongly down on the ice-axe shaft
The spine is arched slightly away from the snow.Ā This arch is crucial:Ā it places the bulk of your weight on the axe head and on your toes or knees, the points that dig into the sow to force a stop.Ā Pull up on the end of the shaft, which starts the arch and rolls weight toward the shoulder by the axe head.
The knees are against the surface, helping slow the fall in soft snow.Ā On harder surfaces, where they have little stopping power, they help stabilize your body position.
The left are stiff and spread apart, toes digging in, but if you have crampons on keep them above the snow until youāve nearly come to a halt.Ā A crampon point could catch on hard snow or ice and flip you over backward.
Ā P. 301 ā Couloirs ā Safe passage through a couloir is usually depends on time of day.Ā They can be safe in early morning when the snow is solid and rocks and ice are frozen in place.Ā Itās often a different story later in the day, when they can turn deadly.Ā Gullies are the garbage chutes of mountains and with the arrival of the sun they begin to carry down such rubbish as well as avalanching snow, rocks loosened y frost0wedgin, and ice blocks weakened by melting.Ā Most of the debris comes down the center.Ā But even if you keep to the sides, listen for suspicious sounds from above and keep an eye out for quiet slides and silent falling rock.
Ā P. 306 ā Four out of five avalanches strike during or just after a storm.Ā
Ā P. 312 ā Traversing snowy slopes - After youāve checked your avalanche beacon, put o mittens and warm clothing.Ā Get set to jettison your gear so it canāt drag you down in the event of an avalanche.Ā Ā Loosen the shoulder straps and undo the waist and chest bands on your pack.Ā
When the route lies up a slope, head straight up the fall line instead of switchbacking (which undercuts the snow).Ā Only one person moves at a time, and everyone else watches from safe places, ready to should if a slide starts.Ā If the climber is on belay, donāt tie the rope directly to the belayer, who would risk being pulled in if it proves impossible to stop a climber hit by a wet, heavy avalanche.Ā
Ā Avalanche Rescue:Ā The rescue effort starts even before the avalanche has stopped.
Someone must pay attention to where a victim is first caught, where the person disappears beneath the snow, and where the point of disappearance on the moving surface of the avalanche finally stops, and be able to relate these three points to fixed objects, such as trees or rocks.Ā With this information, the search area is immediately reduced in size.Ā
Then mark these three points and search. DO NOT GO FOR HELP.Ā This is a critical principle of avalanche rescue.Ā The chance of a person surviving depends on everyone staying put, searching efficiently, and digging the victim from the snow.Ā You can go for help after all search efforts prove to be futile.
Select a search leader so the operation will be thorough and methodical.Ā Approach the scene carefully, posting an avalanche lookout in case of another slide.Ā Start with a quick scruff search of the snow surface, looking for someone partially buried, castoff equipment, or any logical spot the victim might have come to a stop against a tree or rock.Ā
The next step is a thorough search with avalanche beacons, or snow probes.
A probe is anything you can use to pole into the snow in hopes of finding the victimsā body.Ā Set up a probe line, probing at every step.Ā
Ā P. 323 - Crevasse Rescue āWhen the climber in front of you suddenly disappears beneath the snow, Ā Do not stop and think.Ā Your immediate reflex must be to drop into self-arrest (facing away from the direction of the pull)in the snow and hold the fall.
Ā P. 397 ā Expedition Philosophy ā Members of an expedition need a common code to live by during the weeks they struggle together.Ā A good one is summed up in three promises you and your teammates make:
To take care of yourselves
Ā P. 403 ā Leadership ā Leadership starts with each individual.Ā
Individual leadership means being aware of the group and its progress, whether or not youāre the formal climb leader.Ā
The complexities of leadership grow as a party size and trip length increase.Ā
The leader cannot do everything, nor is that desirable.
A leader is also a teacher.
Leaders prepare carefully to meet any major disaster that could befall their party.Ā
Ā P. 438 ā Lightning facts:Ā Current flows because of a voltage difference between two points along its path. A person bridging two such points with some part of his or her body presents a second and probably better path for the current.
Avoid moist areas, including crevices and gullies
Span a small distance (occupy as little area) as possible.Ā Keep the feet close together; keep the hands off the ground
Sit, crouch, or stand on insulating objects if possible ā a coiled rope or sleeping bag, preferably dry.
Stay out of small depressions; choose instead a narrow slight rise.Ā A small detached rock on a scree slope is excellent.
Stay away from overhangs and out of small caves.Ā Large caves are very good if one keeps clear of the walls and entrance.Ā However, a cave might well be the lower terminus of a drainage crevice, and should be avoided.Ā
When on a ledge, crouch at the outer edge, at least 4 feet from the rock wall if possible.Ā If there is danger of falling off in event of a shock, tie in crosswise to the prospective flow of current.Ā Make the tie short and avoid placing the rope under the armpits.
Rappelling when lightning is imminent should be avoided, but may be a valid calculated risk if it is the quickest way to escape a danger zone.Ā Dry synthetic rope presents the minimum hazard.
Contrary to popular belief, metal objects do not attract lightening as such.Ā However, in the immediate vicinity of a strike, metals in contact with oneās person may augment the hazard from induced currents.Ā Induced currents usually are quite small, but when added to ground currents may mean the difference between life and death.Ā Thus it is best to set aside all metals, but to keep them close by (donāt worry about an article buried in the pack).Ā A metal pack frame might well be positioned to provide a more attractive path for ground currents beside and past oneās body.Ā At distances greater than 100 feet from a possible strike there is no need to divest oneself of metal objects.Ā
prguitarman
andulkaphoto
kianamaiart
theartofmadeline
romaincrisis
ellievsbear
izzy806
blakekathryn
gracieabrams