Alpine Skills Manual 34 | 2005

Snow and Ice Climbing

V-threads Use V-threads in hard ice mainly for abseiling instead of leaving an ice screw behind. The strength depends on the ice depth and quality. • Drill angled holes with an ice screw. Drill the holes about 15 cm apart so that they intersect at 60 °. • Use a wire coat hanger threader to hook 7 – 8 mm cord through the hole. (Use a stronger tape sling and a karabiner to protect a lead or to anchor). • Tie the threaded cord ends together.

Pick anchor In ice, curved axe picks placed high above the belayer can provide anchor reinforcement, particularly when placing ice screws. Pick anchors have little more than static load strength.

STEEP ICE CLIMBING (PIOLET TRACTION) Figure 65: Steep ice wall climbing requires arm strength and excellent crampon technique.

Disclaimer: This publication is available to you for historical purposes. The content in this publication may not be up to date.

Alpine Skills Manual 34 | 2005

Published on May 27, 2020

New Zealand Mountain Safety Council

About

The New Zealand Mountain Safety Council has produced this manual to promote enjoyment and safe climbing in the mountains. It provides practical information for beginner alpine climbers in New Zealand. Learning from a climbing book is difficult. Ideally, you would accompany an experienced friend on many climbs over a few years. Alternatively, you should attend an instruction course. It is difficult to learn to climb safely without physical instruction and you should seek instruction in conjunction with this manual. Becoming a competent alpine climber requires commitment to more than technique: awareness of potential danger, physical fitness, awareness of ability, learning from experiences, judgement, and control of fear are all vital ingredients. Although there is inherent danger involved, climbers can minimise most risks. Disclaimer: This publication is available to you for historical purposes. The content in this publication may not be up to date.

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