Avoiding Crevasse Falls with the Basics of Glacier Navigation on Your Next Climb
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I’ve seen a lot of videos about crevasse rescue systems. I’ve seen 3:1 systems, 2:1 systems, 5:1 systems built on the back of a 3:1, and 6:1 systems by building a 2:1 on the back of a 3:1. Of course, we’ve also done a video on the 6:1 “drop loop,” which is my preferred system (due to its adjustability to varying circumstances) and which is (different from above) a 3:1 built on the back of a 2:1.
Maybe from all of this attention to hauling people out of crevasses, you get the idea that crevasse falls are serious, are somewhat unlike other types of climbing risks we typically face, and need to be approach with a high level of rigor and intentionality.
But, for all of this attention paid to what happens after a crevasse fall, what about what happens before? Could we have avoided the fall in the first place?
As I was putting together this video, I was reminded just how hard it is to talk about glacier travel in terms of navigation. Glaciers are just so dynamic that it’s hard to lay out a set of rules or even guidelines. So, I tend to go over concepts. Those concepts may give rise to “rules of thumb” but they (again, dead horse) are far from the “always do this” or “never do that” variety of coaching and mentorship.
Glacier navigation, in my opinion, is the process of us dealing with the crevasse risks that are generated from big, macro-level forces but which impact us on a micro-level or in an “up close and personal” way. That is why I essentially divided this video into looking at the big picture of your glacier route on a mountain and then dealing with the in-your-face, unavoidable decisions that pop up as soon as you get near to crevasses.
Conceptual categorization is just how my brain works. Hopefully my little eccentricities have somehow produced a video you find useful.