TECH TIPS WINTER 2007 — 2008

WHAT I CARRY IN MY PACK

On many of the alpine climbs I guide on or do with friends it is always easier to keep the amount of gear we take to a minimum for a variety of reasons. I have found that with the more stuff I have not only does the pack I carry weight more and so become bigger and so difficult and cumbersome to climb with but as I add more stuff to my "security blanket" getting the right piece of gear becomes more complicated, slower, and more time-consuming. Better to go as light as possible and then go a bit lighter still.

Here's my suggestion for what to carry on a standard alpine climb when you may need to bivy and when you just won't bivy!!

I usually lead on the thinnest single rope I can find and maybe take a 5mm tag line that will facilitate rappelling or I have use twin ropes. With ropes this thin material for V-Threads is usually unnecessary since the ends of the rope can be pulled through the connecting holes and so you don't leave any trash behind and don't take any extra cord up the route with you. Be sure to remove the tape at the end of the ropes otherwise they might get stuck in the holes. I bring along a V-Threader constructed from a coat hanger. Improvision is the name of the alpine game and so I leave behind as much specialized gear as possible. If a piece of gear serves only one purpose it has no place in my pack. 6mm cord can be used as Prusik knots which are used as ascenders (Garda or Alpine Clutch). Aid slings can also be constructed from 6mm cord as can a cordelette. Daisy chains are a pain in the neck and so I tie into the belay anchor directly with the climbing rope. Regular single and double-length climbing slings can also be used for those very same purposes.

Carry as much passive hardware as your route safely allows you to take. Hexentrics and Stoppers still work when they are covered in snow, ice, mud and dirt. Camming units very often will not work in adverse conditions or in icy cracks and (unlike Hexentrics) when you hit them multiple times with the hammer on your ice axe you might just ruin them.

I always bring a headlamp, Swiss Army Knife, aspirin or Aleve, a small roll of athletic tape, lighter and/or matches, a straw (for drinking water from the inside of cracks) sunglasses with interchangeable colored lens. These all go in a small stuff sack. I tend to dress lightly when I climb so the belay sweater I bring is light and very compressible. One extra pair of gloves and an extra wool cap 'cause I don't have much hair. I leave the gaiters behind. Haven't used a pair in five years or more.

If I think I might bivouac I'll add to the above a collapsible container which serves as a bowl and cup. This is just a wide-mouth collapsible water bottle that has the top cut off. A Pee bottle goes along for a more comfortable night. This is also a wide-mouth collapsible water container but obviously the top is NOT eliminated. The water bottle I use for drinking is ALSO collapsible because it is less bulky than Nalgene. I'll usually just bring a spoon for eating but not always. I use bubblewrap for something to sleep on . It's light, warm low-profile and when you are through using it you can pop all the bubbles and make it even MORE compressible Plus it usually can be got for little or no cost. Also underneath me I put as much rope, extra clothing (shell clothing mostly) for insulation. The stove I use is a Jetboil because it is light, always works and quickly melts snow and boils water AND can be used anywhere in any adverse conditions. The sleeping bag I use is from Western Mountaineering and it is light, extremely compressible and just warm enough to keep me from freezing. During the day most of my calories are derived from packets of GU and from electrolyte drink mixes. At the bivouac I'll ingest Ramen noodles, pasta and chocolate.

Obviously there is a lot more that could be added for more serious climbing such as what is encountered in Alaska, South America the Himalayas etc. A bivouac tent that I have put to good use and found that it keeps me safe is the First Light by Black Diamond. Constructed from Epic fabric it weight in a just three pounds (for a two person tent) and breathes well while shedding snow confidently.

Above all the pack that you put everything in should be simple, light and have just the absolute necessities on it that you need. The less weight you have on your back the faster and lighter you will climb. Save your energy for the descent.