A Passion for the Mountains - The Alpine Club of Canada

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Pumpkins in Training Winter Leadership Course 2003 by Hinrich Schaefer “Pumpkin colored” is one of the comments about our course habit – the orange vests provided by our sponsor, The North Face. So here are the ten of us, plus three mountain guides, ready to turn us from pumpkins into competent trip leaders for the Alpine Club of Canada (ACC). The setting couldn’t be better than the Vista Lodge in the Esplanade Range near Golden, BC, although I am not sure that all the untouched powder slopes around and the spectacular views of the Selkirks and Rockies are conducive to concentrating on the material we are to learn. Another ‘problem’ is the food – so plentiful and tasty that after the meals we often feel too satisfi ed to move. “Skiing on 6,000 calories a day,” is the kitchen motto and Daryl executes it with a variety of fl avors and elaborate dishes that more than outweigh the cold and the exercise. Other comforts aren’t amiss either. A warm and cozy hut, comfortable bedding and a sauna to rinse off the day’s sweat make life in the mountains more than bearable. And of course there are a total of 14 people full of interesting experiences, attitudes and opinions. There is John, who quietly takes on every chore around the hut but will also cram his endlessly tall body into the kid’s toboggan to go for a ride; Danielle, who out-smiles the sun and draws from her expedition experience in a charming French Canadian accent; Martin, as much at home 8 Alpine Club of Canada ● Gazette ● Summer 2003 photo by Bruce Hardardt in the snow profi le pit as when ripping it up on the slopes or playing the guitar; Bruce, able and eager to take on responsibility; Bonnie, whose fl ashy fake leopard skin hat is in contrast to her quiet competence; Albert, soon battling a cold which he won’t let get in the way of his learning or his fun; Tony, whose course script might be more comprehensive than Freedom of the Hills; Rob, proving that less advanced skiers can be the best leaders; Sylvia, integrating everyone and harmonizing group and decisions; and me, struggling as to whether I should give skis, notebook or camera the priority. Together we represent six different club sections ranging from West Coast cement to Rockies’ powder. With these diverse geographical and personal backgrounds the three guides know that their job is not to teach, but to facilitate our learning. Of course there are theory lessons, but mostly they share their knowledge and experience by modeling and guiding us when we take charge ourselves during the different exercises, each of them according to their own character – Cyril, who would put most show masters to shame, Peter, observantly trusting us and Brad, laughing away the mistakes that would cut into his powder runs. This way we learn and review snow stability and avalanche hazard, route fi nding and track setting, avalanche and crevasse rescue, navigation and trip planning, short roping and downhill leading. We learn, try out and take charge. It is demanding to make the calls, weighing challenge against safety, while being watched by your peers and the guide, and to fi nd that too much cannot be explained in words. Group handling, decision-making and confl ict management are just a few of the problems that can’t be solved by following a rigid scheme. Here, I fi nd, Brad, Peter and Cyril do their best job. They make clear that only work and experience will get you there and that it is a long road to travel, but they don’t leave you discouraged. They show that you are already on your way and steadily making progress. By the end of the week, after many an ascent with wonderful views and countless downhill turns in the dry powder, we have grown together as a group. Each of us has grown a bit more into the uniformly too large North Face leadership vests. The participants were Rob Hafer, Danielle Tardif, Bruce Hardardt, Bonnie Hamilton, Albert Schwarz, Martin Ederle, John Huybers, Tony Knight, Sylvia Moser, Hinrich Schaefer, Daryl Ross (cooking and tele-turns) and Brad Harrison, Peter Amman, Cyril Shokoples (mountain guides).
Beef up that Belay! by Murray Toft The sport climbing mantra, “If you’re not fl ying, you’re not trying,” has accepted and expected falling as normal behavior in rock climbing. The widespread growth of bolted climbs has defi nitely contributed to the rise in physical achievement and creativity since the consequences of falling have been minimized. If and when the next step is taken and climbers move from the cleaned and prepared playground of bolted climbs to jump onto more committing multi-pitch alpine rock, a corresponding skill set must widen and deepen to keep things safe. And the bottom line of safety here is the belay. Thirty years ago, refl ecting on his Yosemite wall climbs, Tom Frost told me he wasn’t afraid of doing anything up there, as long as he knew that the belay WOULD NOT FAIL. Since then, I’ve been party to, or witness to, or chatted with, victims of long falls on multi-pitch alpine rock. The natural fi rst reaction is to focus on the state of repair of the leader. However, in cases where lead pro had failed, the impact force that came on the belayer was really quite shocking. The belayers suffered serious injuries as well as the leader. To hold a leader fall of any length directly on the harness either before the leader can get gear in, or in the case of failed protection, is a scenario with ugly potential for the belayer. There is great potential for injury to the lower back or at least buckling of the belayer’s legs, which could contribute to a failed belay. Additional injuries range from the belayer suffering from major body hammering and bruising, to having seriously burned hands, to being concussed into a state of dysfunction and unable to respond adequately to the evolving situation. Since standard practice in North America is to belay off the harness rather than directly from a bomb-proof fi xed anchor ring (some areas in Europe), it is vital that we enhance the belay to alleviate impact forces on the body. We can do this easily by redirecting the active rope to the climber through an independent, bombproof placement. The most perfect arrangement would have this high and slightly off to the active rope side within comfortable reach of the belay anchors. By doing so we create similar rope mechanics to that which we use in top-roping situations. Conventionally, however, we see most climbers resorting to using one of the higher pieces of the belay for this action. In either case, when we re-direct the rope this way, we incorporate in the belay system a critical turnaround that the live rope runs over. The more acute the angle of this bend, the more friction, and the softer the ‘catch’ for the belayer when a fall occurs. At the same time, the belayer’s braking hand pulls down, a biomechanically and physically more effective position to create braking forces. In this arrangement it is vital that extra ‘low’ gear is placed in the belay anchor confi guration and cinched tightly to the higher piece(s) to prevent them from lifting. This ‘pieces in opposition’ concept is especially the case if spring-loaded camming devices are used. They should not be allowed to shift or walk when load comes on the focal point (attachment point) of the belay. When swinging leads, the redirect becomes the fi rst runner as the second moves into the lead and eliminates the possibility of a ‘fall factor 2’ on the belayer (the worst case scenario). Now it becomes the responsibility of the leader to take advantage of obvious gear placements within the fi rst few meters of leaving the belay. This can be as important on easy rock as it is on higher angle terrain, especially in loose soft-rock climbing areas (Rockies). Falling hazards from above, wet rock and the potential for holds breaking, increase the risk for leader falls. If a hold breaks early in the pitch, on easy terrain without intermediate protection, the full force of the fall would come on the belayer. In the aftermath, both parties want the belayer’s hands to be functional and able to deal with the subsequent response; to either continue belaying, or lowering, or creating a hoisting system. We must strive to protect those hands with creative anchor rigs. Murray Toft sits on the Alpine Club of Canada’s Safety Committee. Alpine Club of Canada ● Gazette ● Summer 2003 9
Page 1: Vol. 17, No. 2 ● Summer 2003 A Pa
Page 4 and 5: To Every Place There is a Season by
Page 6 and 7: Kokanee Glacier Cabin The Alpine Cl
Page 10 and 11: Liability in the Backcountry by Joh
Page 12 and 13: above: Cathryn emerging from Mac’
Page 14 and 15: If You Go… Getting There Arrange
Page 16 and 17: A Passion for the Mountains by Amy
Page 18 and 19: Las Mujeres de Las Montanas 2002 Ce
Page 20 and 21: Water Wellness in the Backcountry b
Page 22 and 23: Trespassing at ACC Backcountry Huts

A Passion for the Mountains - The Alpine Club of Canada

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