Build Your Own Pulk Sled to Access Winter Camps or Big Mountain Climbing Objectives

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Self-sufficiency…

…or maybe team-sufficiency.

I’m a big believer that the collective team needs to have the fitness and skills to confront the the hazards of the objective they have decided to attempt. And in the world of mountain climbing, that isn’t really a “duh” kind of statement. We certainly have the option to hire groups of professionals to set up the route for us, take the risks for us, and make sure that we - now as clients rather than climbers - have a reasonable chance of making our summit and getting back down safely.

But, if I’m honest, I find that kind of dynamic to be morally problematic. I don’t mean immoral, I mean what I said: “problematic.” I’m not sure I like the idea of purchasing risk mitigation in the form of a person who will take those risks on your behalf. Is that a lot different than landed sons hiring people to take their place in the ranks of the US Civil War armies when they were drafted into military service? It might be even worse given the somewhat inherently selfish aspects of climbing, anyway. After all, the outcomes of a climb pale in comparison to the outcomes of a war.

The ambiguity sets in, though, when I think about the person willing to accept the money for taking on that risk. They are doing so willingly. But then we get into questions of “just how willingly.” I’m not saying anyone is forced into the career of being a guide or a porter, but there can be circumstances that make someone more apt to take on that risk when the alternatives are poor or even nonexistent, as they can be in certain impoverished areas of the world near big mountains.

Now, I’m not saying “never hire a guide or hire porters.” I’ve used porters in the Himalaya to establish basecamp. I’ve worked on a recurring basis with guides to learn the skills that can help keep me safe in the mountains.

What I am saying is “I don’t want to be a liability.” There is plenty of room on the continuum between the climber who is dependent upon the support of porters and guides and a climber who is enhances by the support of porters and guides. And the standard I set for myself is, should it hit the fan - should things go wrong - am I able to contribute to the necessary solutions or am I just another risk that has to be kept out of the way and managed as the “pros” go about engaging in the rescue, or the securing of camp, or whatever.

I can readily admit that in any particular form of climbing or in a particular region or whatever, there are plenty of professionals who know more about that style of climbing or the eccentricities of the mountains in that region that position them as “more expert” than I am. But I also know what to look for for avalanche assessment, or how to transfer the load, or how to perform a multi-pitch rescue, or, or, or…

If it hit the fan, I could help, not just sit by and take up resources.

Which, believe it or not, takes me to sleds. I won’t say hauling a heavy sled is “fun,” in any typical sense of the word. But it did allow me, for example, to climb to the summit and back on Denali with my team but without any guides or porters. We were capable of confronting the risks and making the decisions that would determine our fate. Part of those risk mitigations were tied up in having the right gear and enough consumables to be on the mountain for weeks. That takes up space and adds weight, more than we can put on our backs. So, some of the weight was hauled along behind us.

The same scenario, if less extreme, plays out when we go an a family trip in the winter hut systems. We have more gear for the longer duration, and a longer duration means increased risk of something going wrong. So, being able to help get a family of four into and out of the winter backcountry often takes more than I can put on my back. I really do pull that sled out a lot during the winter. It’s a piece of gear I’m glad I have had… and now am glad we have two of, as someday the boys will be big enough to help haul in all that gear for that week-long trip into the snowy mountains.