[pct-l] Snow fears and your choices

[Ned Tibbits]

OK, I have the time now to deal with this issue of snow ascents, descents, 
the timing of, what is practical for the thru hiker to use or do, poles, 
crampons, or nothing at all, and the issue of when to enter the Sierra at 
all.....

When you enter the sierra is dictated by when you start and your speed. It 
is our opinion, after years of teaching mountain safety, summer and winter, 
that it doesn't matter whether there is 6 inches or 6 feet of snow, you 
still will have to deal with the wet and cold, the slips and falls, and the 
creek crossings. Therefore, unless you start significantly late or incur 
time and expense to leap-frog around the trail to hike only on optimal trail 
conditions, your PCT experience will include learning how to hike in, 
negotiate, and route-find in snow.

Start when you want in the spring. Anytime after March 14th (when I 
started), once the snow pack has begun to percolate and compress making it 
more avalanche safe and harder to walk on, will do. The other parameter or 
time limit is the early snows that can stop you in your tracks just short of 
your Canadian goal/dream you've been working 5 months for. When that is 
fluctuates, but the risk increases after Sept. 15th to Oct. 1st.. You can 
start anytime; you may have to deal with flash floods in SOCAL or some new, 
soft snow from a late storm down there, but once the snow flies up north, 
you're done. Research the trail journals. If you choose to avoid snow by 
starting late, you'll have high mileage days to stay on optimal trail and 
get in before the first snows. Enough said, on to safety issues....

You can not buy anything that will protect you all the time. Your most 
important safety guarantee is in your head. What you know and how you use 
it. Wisdom. Experience is the best teacher. It isn't just having the best or 
right pole or shoe that's going to get you safely over that pass, it's what 
you do with them, how you use them. People have traversed the high mountain 
snows safely for hundreds of years without the technical gear we have now 
due to their experience with it, common sense, and savvy. Good, reliable, 
predictable equipment helps get you through. That said, lets talk gear....

On crampons, boots, balance and falls:
    In general, something is better than nothing, if you know how to use it. 
Strap-on versions may not work on a shoe that is twistable, therefore, not 
reliable enough to trust my life with. Ice-gripping screws or nails 
installed in soft-soled runners or hikers lends some traction, so this is 
better. They can also be hiked in after the snow until they wear out. 
However, they are still soft-soled and soft uppered and are nor predictable 
for optimal balance control, torsionally, so slips and falls will happen 
more often with these than boots with stiff soles and uppers. If safety is a 
major concern and you have little experience to override marginal or 
compromising equipment, what is the thru hiker to do when faced with snow 
and morning ice? You could choose to enter the sierra at KM in a more 
aggressive hiking boot with major lugs, no crampons, and an ice axe or 
walking pole with a self-arrest grip. We consider this a safer option for 
the lesser experienced.

On snowy ascents/descents, snow conditions, and snow walking:
    Timing is the key to negotiating spring snow. In the morning, the snow 
is hard on top, soft, melting, and compressing on the inside = good for 
walking on. The earlier in the morning, the more likely you'll have surface 
ice to deal with. You can avoid it by choosing to walk in the sun or waiting 
a while for it to soften enough to acquire traction. You can walk on it with 
care if you have manageable traction, good balance, and self-arrest skills 
(acquired with aids and experience).

Make your climbs in the morning while the snow is firm yet the ice is gone. 
Simple. HOW? Traversing uphill is easier, but harder on the balance and ice 
axe/pole co-ordination. If you're in soft-soled shoes, this isn't the safest 
way up as your feet can twist and ankles can roll. Also slab and slough 
avalanches being triggered by your trail cut are possible. Climbing straight 
up to the pass is the safest for balance, traction, ice axe use, maintaining 
your breath, changing snow conditions, etc.. Just make sure each step is 
kicked in for a level and stable platform before putting your weight on it.

Descents are more dangerous and fun. The condition of the snow will dictate 
your strategy. Straight down is safest for avalanche avoidance, but be 
careful to not lean forward to where your momentum causes you to break at 
the waist and head-plant downhill, potentially causing severe injury to 
knees, hips, and thighs. . If the snow is still hard, but not so soft to 
post-hole, you might choose to ski down on your boots, even in a skating 
manner called glissading. If you aren't comfortable with glissading, slide 
down on your rear, feet ahead of you, ice axe at the ready should you spin 
out of control on the way down. If the snow is soft enough to post-hole in 
already, your descent will be more of a flounder, wade, and freeze than 
anything comfortable, if you wish to stay on your feet. Sit and slide or 
consider a rock route down that is more predictable but has its own hazards 
like rock slippage, cliffs, leaps, and equipment belays.

    Regarding poles, self-arrest grips, ice axes, snowshoes, etc.:

To be continued in the next email...

Mtnned



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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "mark v" <allemande6 at yahoo.com>
To: <pct-l at backcountry.net>
Sent: Thursday, February 28, 2008 4:04 PM
Subject: Re: [pct-l] poles, boots, and such


>
> I've had experience  with REI, Komperdell, and Leki
> poles.  I've managed to break them all, but my Lekis
> have 9 lives, whereas the others had merely one.  I
> obviously work my poles too hard and in climbing
> situations they aren't meant for.  But instead of
> bending/breaking, Lekis seem to just come undone, so
> with a little futzing one can get them working again.
> So that's one person's recommendation.
>
> Maybe it's the stupid novice climber in me, but i'll
> be out there in the Sierra (singular!!!) trying to
> time my high passes EARLY in the morning.  If you have
> crampons and some comfort level with them, the walking
> is 100x easier.  So, lightweight boots with just
> enough of a platform to hold regular 10 point crampons
> would be very valuable to someone like me.  Right now
> though, i have some Merrill Torques that are probably
> too flimsy to keep the spikes stable, and some La
> Sportiva that as comfy as they are, are weigh way too
> much.  Way weigh.  Haven't decided yet what to
> do...can't bring myself to buy another boot right now though.
>
>
> 
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