Eastern Snow Avalanche Workshop, Instructor Refresher Course, and the first signs of winter

November 10, 2016 David Lottmann Avalanche Courses, Backcountry Skiing, Professional Development

Last week I attended two annual events that always get me stoked on the upcoming winter season. The first was the sixth annual Eastern Snow and Avalanche Workshop. I haven’t missed one yet and although this one wasn’t held at the grand Omni Mount Washington Resort like last year the venue was quite nice (and a lot closer to home, just over the Maine border in Fryeburg).

The event kicked off Friday night at International Mountain Equipment in North Conway with registration, vendor booths, and beer courtesy of Moat Mountain Brewery. I set up a vendor table for the American Institute of Research and Education and was quite excited to see many former students in attendance. Next to my booth was DPS Skis, an amazing ski company I just became an ambassador for. I’ll be ripping the Wailer 112RP Tour 1 skis this season and will definitely post up more info once I’ve gotten some runs ticked.

I did “Instagram Story” the whole event but forgot to actually save any of the pics from the day… so picture a bunch of people having a good time while checking our vendor booths from DPS Skis, LaSportiva, Petzl, Friends of Tuckerman Ravine, and Black Diamond and you get the idea.

Saturday started early at the beautiful Leura Hill Eastman Center for Performing Arts at Fryeburg Academy. I set up my AIARE booth again directly across from Ortovox, a company whose products I have been using for over a decade and also just became an ambassador for!

A couple years ago I reviewed the Ortovox Kodiak shovel here! Expect to hear a lot more about Ortovox products from me this winter!

Right at 8:15 the main event kicked off.

6th Annual Eastern Snow and Avalanche Workshop

There were a lot of great topics & presenters this year. My friend and colleague Jonathan Shefftz is finishing edits of a write-up for the American Avalanche Associations publication “The Avalanche Review“, and when he is finished I’ll share his work (by permission) here. For now I’ll just mention my highlights:

USFS Snow Ranger Helon Hoffer got us excited about work being done to create sustainable (and legal) glades to increase our amount of available back-country ski terrain. Something near and dear to the recently formed Granite Backcountry Alliance. <– a great place to go if you are interested in what you can do to contribute!

After a quick break and some contacts at the AIARE booth I was back in my seat for Jaime Musnicki, the Executive Director of AAA, enlightening personal story of being caught in an avalanche and what she learned from this experience. This was followed by Jon Miller’s story via pre-recorded video of his life threatening fall down Hillman’s Highway late last winter and the impacts it has had on him and his friends and family.

Next up Dallas Glass, a climbing guide and former avalanche forecaster who is also in the AIARE Instructor Pool gave a very engaging talk on the role of luck in the mountains. Perhaps my favorite quote of the day, which he attributed to IMFGA guide Larry Goldie, was;

“Debrief the day… or Why Having A Beer At The End Of The Day Could Save Your Life”

We broke for lunch and had an afternoon filled with more great talks. Jaime (from AAA) once again took the stage and talked a bit about the upcoming split between the “Recreational and Professional Education Tracks”, more commonly referred to as the “Pro/Rec” split. This was a subject I was eager to learn more about and the following day I would have that chance during our AIARE Instructor Refresher Course.

Another round-table occurred, and Sam Colbeck, a true master of snow science, gave a highly technical talk with the simple name of “Why Skis Slide on Snow”… most importantly he answered the age old question are black ski bases faster than white ski bases? The definitive answer after breaking out a few technical terms that broke Google was… “maybe”. I hope Sam attends the next 10 ESAW’s… his talks are always the right mix of “wow I should try to be smarter” and “I hope I’m funny like that sometimes”.

Another break and then Frank Carus from the Mount Washington Avalanche Center gave us some insight of the difficulty of forecasting in terrain as dangerous as Mount Washington.

Following out going Lead Snow Ranger Christpher Joosen’s talk about his lifes work on the mountain (over 25 years!) we retired to our post-ESAW social hour and vendor booths.

I will link to Jonathan’s full report on the ESAW once it is finalized.

The next day a dozen avalanche educators from around the Northeast gathered at the Mount Washington Observatory’s conference room for an Instructor Refresher Course led by Dallas Glass.

This forum answered many of our questions about the upcoming Pro/Rec track splits and was a great opportunity to catch up with other educators. Towards the end we got a sneak peak of some of the bigger curriculum changes and were offered time to provide feedback and suggestions.

Well the annual ESAW/IRC weekend always makes me desperate for some snow and ice so today I ran up to Hermit Lake to see how things were looking. Trail work on the Tuckerman Ravine trail currently creates about a mile detour via the Huntington Ravine Trail and Raymond path so plan accordingly. I will update this post once I hear the main trail is open again. There are pics on my Instagram from today if you are interested.

Finally if you are thinking about taking an avalanche course this winter might I suggest you think about booking your dates now? Most providers in the area fill up soon after Thanksgiving so if you want to have the best selection of dates now is a good time to nail it down. In addition if you book with Northeast Mountaineering before December 1st you can save 10% on the tuition. You also get 2 nights of lodging included. Oh and you get entered into a contest to win a free day of guiding for two people! So why wait? Use coupon code “davidNEM” at checkout to get both the 10% discount and be entered into the contest!

Thanks for reading!

See you in the mountains,

Northeast Alpine Start

Winter Gear Prep- Part 2 The Clothing

October 31, 2016November 9, 2016 David Lottmann Gear Reviews

Continuing my 4 part series on winter gear prep today we will look at my clothing setup for ice climbing, mountaineering, and back-country skiing in the Northeast. If you missed Part 1, The Essentials, you can find it here.

Your winter clothing system has so much impact on your enjoyment of recreating during the colder months that you should spend some time trying to dial in a system that works best for you. There are so many companies producing high end clothing today then there was 20 years ago that it can seem daunting to wade through all the promotional advertising and hype that is out there. In this post I will share my current clothing recommendations gleamed from hundreds of days spent guiding on Mount Washington, well known for having some of the worst weather in the world. I hope you find something useful here.

Let’s start with base layers. This is essentially how I get dressed in the morning step by step (but I will spare you pictures of me doing so).

Underwear

Exofficio Men’s Give-N-Go Sport Six-Inch Boxer Brief

EXOFFICIO Men's Give-N-Go Mesh Boxer Briefs, 6 in. — EXOFFICIO Men’s Give-N-Go Mesh Boxer Briefs, 6 in.

Boxer briefs are the way to go for cold weather performance. Supportive, quick drying, and a snug fit, these are much better than baggier synthetic boxers and wedgie inducing briefs. Boxer Briefs FTW!

EMS Men’s Techwick Essential Crew

A very affordable option for a quality undershirt, a couple of these allow me to climb many days in a row without having to wash my more expensive “next layers”.

EMS Men’s Vector Power Stretch Pants

I have a couple pairs of these. Polartec® Power Stretch® Pro™ is the softest most comfortable material I have found for this application. They are a little heavier than “medium weight” alternatives but since I prefer lightweight soft shell pants for most of my winter activities so they are perfect!

EMS Men’s Equinox Power Stretch Hoodie

I have owned this item from EMS for at least 15 years. Again, Polartec® Power Stretch® is very soft and comfortable, and the fact that this has a full zip and a hood makes it super versatile in the snowy mountains!

Socks

I have a mix of Smartwool and Darn Tough socks that I rotate through. When it is really cold out I always go with the Smartwool Mountaineering Socks. I haven’t found a warmer or longer lasting option! And side note I rarely wear sock liners anymore… quality socks don’t seem to require a liner in my opinion.

The above “base layer” rarely changes based on the sport. Ice climbing, mountaineering, back-country skiing, it’s all good! I will swap out to a dedicated ski sock for back-country skiing like the Bridgedale Control Fit II Ski Socks.

Bridgedale Men's Control Fit II Socks — Bridgedale Men’s Control Fit II Socks

These above the calf socks excel when skinning many miles in touring boots!

Ok, we have our base-layers on. The next layer is usually super breathable, wind & water resistant “soft shell”. I’m not looking for “waterproof” at this point because I know going up 4000 feet in 4 miles creates a TON of heat and breath-ability is clutch!

Over my EMS Men’s Vector Power Stretch Pants I don the La Sportiva Castle Pants.

This will be my first season with these pants but my first impressions are quite positive. I will post a detailed review of these soon so stay tuned!

Over my EMS Men’s Equinox Power Stretch Hoodie I wear the super breathable Black Diamond Alpine Start Hoody.

I reviewed this piece in detail here.

The above articles of clothing are the most I wear on the “approach”. When you’re moving fast up hill they are sufficient for keeping me warm. Close at hand though is more protection for when conditions get really nasty, or we take a quick break and I need to don an insulating layer. Never deep in my pack is the Patagonia Nano Puff Hoody.

I am working on a full review of that piece and should have that finished in a few weeks.

My hard-shell jacket of choice depends on the sport. For back-country skiing the Patagonia Reconnaissance Jacket is top of the line.

I reviewed it in detail here.

Other than the essential “Belay Jacket” I’ve covered most of my current set-up. Since I have belay jackets from Outdoor Research, Ortovox, La Sportiva, and Black Diamond to demo I will save that one piece of clothing for another post. I also have a few back-country ski bibs to review this season so we will save ski bibs and belay jackets for another time. It’s late, and I have an alpine start planned for tomorrow. Hopefully the first day of ice climbing for my season!

I hope you found some of this useful. Feel free to ask for more details in the comment section or recommend your own favorite piece of outdoor clothing!

Part 1 was a modified list of “The Ten Essentials” and you can find that post here.

Part 3 will focus on ice climbing gear and maintenance.

Part 4 will cover ski gear and maintenance.

If you enjoyed this post please share and subscribe!

INSTAGRAM Contest!

Show me your gear closet by posting a pic on Instagram with #mygearcloset and tagging me @nealpinestart before 11:59pm EST on 11/30/16. While you are there you can vote for entries as well (just like any that have been posted). On December 1st the gear closet Instagram pic with the most likes will win a brand new Petzl Summit Ice Axe!

See you in the mountains,

Northeast Alpine Start

Disclaimer: Some of the products above were purchased with my own money, some were provided for purpose of review. All of the opinions expressed are my own, and affiliate links above help support this blog.

Winter Gear Prep- Part 1 The Essentials

October 24, 2016 Tech Tips

(Originally posted October 2016, now updated October 2017)

Every year around this time I start getting excited about the arrival of my favorite season, Winter! To help fuel the stoke I go through my gear closet and take stock. What’s worn out and what needs replacing? What’s good to go for another icy season? I thought it might be helpful to provide a gear checklist with recommendations on what I use in all categories. In this first segment I’ll cover “The Essentials” a personally modified list of the classic “Ten Essentials“.

The Essentials

Maps– I use the free online mapping software CalTopo for all my mapping and trip planning needs. This powerful software has so much potential every outdoor adventurer should familiarize themselves with this tool! If you’d like to take a course that covers survival navigation and these advanced navigation skills go here!

Compass– I love my Suunto MC-2 compass which I reviewed in full detail here.

Buy on Backcountry Buy from EMS Buy on Amazon

If you’re looking for a smaller more affordable compass I also highly endorse the Suunto A-10 Compass.

Buy on Backcountry Buy at REI Buy from EMS Buy on Amazon

Headlamp– I recently upgraded my headlamps and currently carry the Petzl Zipka 2 and the Petzl Actik. You really can’t go wrong with a Petzl headlamp.

Buy the Petzl Zipka 2 on Backcountry, Amazon, REI

Buy the Petzl Actik on Backcountry, Amazon, EMS, REI

Batteries– I put fresh lithium batteries in my headlamps every Fall. Days are shorter and I am much more likely to need a headlamp. Lithium easily out performs alkaline in cold weather so the Energizer AA’s and AAA’s are always on hand. The best deal I can find on these batteries is on Amazon which is linked here.

First Aid Kit– I start with the Adventure Medical Kit .7 then modify it a little. I add more gloves (acquired from visits to the hospital) and a bottle of iodine tablets (for emergency water treatment and wound irrigation), and a small refillable bottle of Advil.

Knife– Colonial makes dozens of great models like this one.

Bivy Sack– I carry a AMK Heatsheets Emergency Bivy on every single outing. It only weighs a few ounces and is worthwhile the extra insurance!

Handwarmers– I always carry 6-8 hand warmers in my winter pack. Pro-tip: If you need to use them… place them under your glove on your wrist, right where that artery is. Much more effective than placing it in the palm of your hand which reduces grip on ice axes/ski poles. Usually the glove can hold it in place though sometimes I’ll use a little athletic tape.

A “Buff“– A very versatile clothing accessory! I have a few so I can wash them occasionally and always have one ready to go.

Glove Liners– I usually need to purchase a couple pairs of these because I do wear them out within a year or two. Totally worth the cheap price though!

Dermatone Sunblock– I always have a tin of this stuff with me in the winter.

Neoprene Face Mask– I like this simple style. It works well in combination with the Buff and my hat/hood. Bigger “fancier” ones make it difficult not to over heat. Pro-tip, if you have fogging issues when used with your goggles take a pair of scissors and enlarge the mouth holes.

Goggles– Revo Capsule with the Green Water Lens. The one “essential” category I don’t skimp on. I need quality breathable goggles for the mountain work I do and this pair has not disappointed. As a Revo ambassador I’m able to extend a 20% discount on these to any of my readers! All you need to do is order them directly from http://www.revo.com and enter promo code “ALPINESTARTF&F” and you’ll get 20% off the purchase!

Well that’s it for my “Essentials” list. Did I miss something? Let me know in the comments below!

Part 2 will focus on my various clothing systems specific for ice climbing, mountaineering, and back-country skiing.

Part 3 will focus on ice climbing gear and maintenance.

Part 4 will cover ski gear and maintenance.

If you enjoyed this post please share and subscribe!

See you in the mountains,

Northeast Alpine Start

Disclaimer- Every product mentioned above except the goggles was purchased with my own money. This post contains affiliate links that help support this blog.

Winter Gear Prep- Part 1 The Essentials (and Instagram Contest)

October 24, 2016November 1, 2016 David Lottmann Tech Tips

Every year around this time I start getting excited about the arrival of my favorite season, Winter. To help fuel the stoke I go through my gear closet and take stock. What’s worn out and what needs replacing? What’s good to go for another icy season? I thought it might be helpful to provide a gear checklist with recommendations on what I use in all categories. In this first segment I’ll cover “The Essentials” a personally modified list of the classic “Ten Essentials“, along with giving away a brand new Petzl Summit Ice Axe (1st Gen)!

Instagram contest details at end of post!

The Essentials

Compass– I love my Suunto MC-2 compass which I reviewed in detail here.

Headlamp– I have a few different headlamps but they are almost all Petzl. The Zipka, Tikka XP, and Myo XP are all awesome. You really can’t go wrong with a Petzl headlamp.

Knife– Colonial makes dozens of great models like this one.

Bivy Sack– I carry a AMK Heatsheets Emergency Bivy on every single outing. It only weighs a few ounces and is worthwhile the extra insurance!

A “Buff“– A very versatile clothing accessory! I have a few so I can wash them occasionally and always have one ready to go.

Glove Liners– I usually need to purchase a couple pairs of these because I do wear them out within a year or two. Totally worth the cheap price though!

Dermatone Sunblock– I always have a tin of this stuff with me in the winter.

Goggles– The one “essential” category I don’t skimp on. I need quality breathable goggles for the mountain work I do and this pair has not disappointed.

Well that’s it for my “Essentials” list. Did I miss something? Let me know in the comments below!

Part 2 will focus on my various clothing systems specific for ice climbing, mountaineering, and back-country skiing.

Part 3 will focus on ice climbing gear and maintenance.

Part 4 will cover ski gear and maintenance.

If you enjoyed this post please share and subscribe!

INSTAGRAM Contest!

Show me your gear closet by posting a pic on Instagram with #mygearcloset and tagging me @nealpinestart between now and 11:59pm EST on 11/30/16. While you are there you can vote for entries as well (just like any that have been posted). On December 1st the gear closet Instagram pic with the most likes will win a brand new Petzl Summit Ice Axe!

Submit as many pics as you like! Free shipping only within the US. International shipping paid for by winner if winner is outside US.

See you in the mountains,

Northeast Alpine Start

Disclaimer- Every product mentioned above was purchased with my own money. This post contains affiliate links that help support this blog.

2017 Avalanche Course Season

October 18, 2016October 24, 2016 David Lottmann Avalanche Courses, Backcountry Skiing

This winter I will be teaching both AIARE 1 & 2 Avalanche Courses for Northeast Mountaineering based out of Jackson, NH. I am really excited to bring an avalanche education program to the growing list of mountain adventures that Northeast Mountaineering already offers. This will be my 8th winter leading these courses and I really can’t wait for the first one to start!

On-site lodging is included with the course tuition!

A word of advice. These courses (regardless of provider) tend to sell out before the season even starts. Last year most providers in the area were at 80+% capacity before New Years Eve. So want to pick the dates yourself? Book early! Now is good.

AIARE 1

January 6-8
January 13-15
January 20-22
February 3-5
February 10-12
March 17-19
March 24-26

AIARE 2

February 17-20
March 10-13

When booking use promotional code “DavidNEM”. If used before December 1st it will discount the already competitive rate by 10% and you will be entered into a monthly drawing for a free one-day climb of your choice for two people!

Another word of note… while we have decided not to schedule December dates due to historic snow conditions I can still highly recommend early season dates. The reasoning behind this is thin snow-packs are often the most dangerous snow-packs and we often see conditions in our late December early January snow-packs that are very conductive to learning. So don’t think you need “deep snow” to have a valuable learning experience. Remember this 5 person incident happened next to one of my courses last mid-January during a record low snow year!

Other snow worthy topics to be aware of:

Registration is open for the Eastern Snow & Avalanche Workshop on November 5th. This is an amazing event with a kickoff party Friday evening at International Mountain Equipment and then an information packed day on Saturday with some of the industry’s top minds when it comes to snow safety (not to mention lots of free swag opportunities in the raffles). I’ll be setting up an AIARE information booth at both the social hour at International Mountain Equipment and at the main event Saturday so stop on by and say hello!

Here’s a few links for all snow travelers to have bookmarked both on the home PC for trip planning and smartphones for field access (when you do have service):

Mount Washington Avalanche Center

MWOBS Higher Summits Forecast

MWOBS Current Summit Conditions

NOHRSC Interactive Snow Map

Before I sign off I want to thank EMS Schools for 12 years of great adventures and opportunity. The list of seasoned EMS guides who have helped shape who I am today is long and varied and I wish all of them, along with EMS Schools, the very best.

See you in the mountains,

Northeast Alpine Start

407300_10150517850984670_617746192_n — Onward

Product Preview- Arc’teryx AR Mountaineering Boots and Cassin Blade Runner Crampons

October 11, 2016October 25, 2016 David Lottmann Climbing Gear Reviews, Footwear Reviews, Gear Reviews arcteryx, CAMP USA, Cassin, ice climbing boots, ice climbing crampons, mountaineering boots, mountaineering crampons

While I am excited about all the products I’ll be testing this winter I am perhaps most stoked to put this duo together and get on some early season ice as soon as possible! I’m hoping I’ll get enough field days in to have a full review post for each by early-mid January. I realize though by then a lot of ice climbers may have already geared up and wanted to share my first impressions on these before the season arrives.

Let’s start with a preliminary look at the new Acr’teryx AR Mountaineering Boots.

Arc'teryx Acrux AR Mountaineering Boot Review — Arc’teryx Acrux AR Mountaineering Boots

“A pinnacle of design for mountaineering, ice and mixed climbing, the Acrux AR is the lightest, most durable, and lowest profile insulated double boot available.”- Arcteryx.com

That is a strong statement, and it happens to be true. Let’s compare some of the other lightweight double boots on the market:

La Sportiva Spantik (88.96 oz/pair)

La Sportiva Baruntse (82.96 oz/pair)

La Sportiva G2 SM (72.22 oz/pair)

Scarpa Phantom 6000 (70 oz/pair)

Arc’teryx Acrux AR (69.1 oz/pair)

This is actually less than an ounce difference than my La Sportiva Batura 2.0’s that I reviewed last winter here.

The obvious difference here between these and my Batura’s is that these have a removable liner.

ACRUX AR MOUNTAINEERING BOOT Review — ACRUX AR MOUNTAINEERING BOOT PREVIEW

ACRUX AR MOUNTAINEERING BOOT removable liner

These liners “feel high-tech” in hand. I wore them around the house and they feel like a comfy slipper designed for astronauts. From arcteryx.com:

“Arc’teryx Adaptive Fit technology uses a removable bootie that employs stretch textiles and minimal seams to create an instant custom fit with no pressure. With protection extended beyond the cuff of the boot and the highest level of breathability in this category, the bootie’s GORE-TEX® membrane optimizes climate control and waterproof benefit. The perforated PE foam’s quick dry properties improve comfort, and a rubberized sole allows the bootie to be used as a camp shoe.”

Arc’teryx partnered with Vibram® and created the AR outsole using Vibram® Mont rubber which keeps its frictional properties in sub-zero temps.

Arcteryx AR Mountaineering Boots Preview — The Vibram® AR outersole uses Vibram® Mont rubber to perform well even in extreme cold

“The specially developed Vibram® AR outsole is designed for support and sure footedness. The tread and construction feature a semi-blocked toe, with anti-slip grooves, a medial climbing support zone, and heel created to provide braking on steep descents. The Vibram® Mont rubber compound maintains its performance in sub-zero conditions.”

I’ll share a promotional video on the boots and move onto the crampons I’ll be pairing with them this winter!

CASSIN Blade Runner Crampons

These are the most aggressive fully adaptable to any situation crampons I have seen. I used to love my older Petzl M10 crampons because I could swap out the front points for either dual, mono, or mono-offset. The Blade Runner’s do all that but CAMP also makes optional “snow points” so you can turn your vertical ice crampon into a multiple purpose mountaineering crampon. It really does make these incredibly versatile! My demo pair arrived set for offset mono and I plan to test them that way first with our thin early season ice conditions. Included with the crampons were two more vertical front points and semi-automatic toe bails allow for use on boots without rigid toe lugs.

CAMP Blade Runner Crampons — Included extra parts

Fit

How well a crampon can attach to your boot is paramount. You want them to feel like they were designed for each other and no one else. Right out of the box the fit on the Acrteryx AR was quite good. There is plenty of adjust-ability to make it “perfect” starting with three possible toe bail positions, two possible heel lever bar positions, full vertical adjustment on the heel lever itself, and, something I haven’t seen before, the asymmetric bottom that more closely follows the contours of the boot outer-sole.

Obviously we can’t talk much about performance just yet but they are definitely a very aggressive crampon! One could argue this is a 19 point crampon (20 if set up in dual front-point mode). The design looks like it will excel on steep & cauliflower ice.

The front points are made from Chromoly Steel and taper from 5mm down to 3mm. A “wear indicator” of sorts lets you know when it’s time to swap in new front points.

Well that’s it for my first impressions. I absolutely can not wait to start putting these to use this winter. I’m also reviewing the Camp Cassin X-All Mountain Ice Tools and the Camp Cassin X-Dream Ice Tools.

CAMP USA Cassin Ice Tools/Crampons — Things with sharp points

Think the Arcteryx Acrux AR boots might be good for you?

You can purchase them on Amazon here. Ordering through that link will help support this blog.

Stay tuned this winter for lots of gear reviews and giveaways! I’ll be raffling off brand new climbing harnesses, ice screws, carabiners, and more. Don’t miss a review or giveaway! Subscribe/Follow this blog at the top right so you get all the details!

See you in the mountains,

Northeast Alpine Start

Hounds Hump, Franconia Notch State Park (10/6/16)

October 7, 2016October 8, 2016 David Lottmann Trip Reports

I have a special place in my heart for the climbing on Hounds Hump in Franconia Notch. This alpine crag across the street from Cannon Mountain has some of the most spectacular rock climbing in the region and one of the most iconic rock features in New Hampshire, The Eaglet spire.

Yesterday Tom and I headed up there in unseasonably warm weather for a 7 pitch trifecta of the best moderate routes around. I usually tag Route 66, Salt Packed Pig Sack, and The Eaglet when I head up this way but Tom wanted to do a bit of maintenance on a relatively new 2 pitch route below Route 66 so before we reached the talus field below the Flatiron we bushwhacked north for about 10 minutes and reached the edge of the slabs.

The bushwhack point is around the green arrow and is non-descript. When you think you’re getting close to the boulder field look closely for where people may have headed north through some semi-thick pine and moss. It would be a good spot for a small cairn or survey tape.

I’m not sure what the first route we climbed is called but it starts on mellow slab and works its way up to a steeper swell with great pro. Here a dead tree had fallen over the route and Tom’s mission was to saw it off so climbers wouldn’t have to scramble over it mid-climb. He left me with the saw as it would be easier to clean it while seconding.

With the security of a tight belay I was able to keep the saw in the pack and pull/kick the dead tree down and out of the way. It’s still up there but now it does not interfere with the climbing, which was pleasant 5.5-5.6ish crack & face.

dscn0566 — Following the first pitch, photo by Tom C.

After finishing the first pitch a quick thrash through the woods brought us up to the 2nd pitch. Tom grabbed this lead as well and I switched into climbing shoes as it’s definitely an edgy 5.7. A bit of a slabby start leads to a bolt, then some decent gear, then excellent climbing on an arete with a few bolts at decent intervals.

Tom finding some protection on the 2nd pitch

The top of this pitch is right near the original start of Route 66 so I took the rack and ran us up to the 1st pitch anchor.

I led the next pitch, which has a great move pulling over an awkward chock-stone followed by engaging climbing all the way to a new double bolt anchor just left of the corner. Using Tom’s new Sterling 7mm Tag Line we rapped down to the base of the bolted New Variation start (and our stashed packs). After grabbing our packs we made one single rope rap down through the brush to reach the start of Salt Packed Pig Sack.

Tom starts up the ultra-classic Salt Packed Pig Sack

This is by far one of my favorite routes in New Hampshire. Steep face climbing on mostly positive edges leads past a couple bolts, a pin, some good small gear, and more bolts. It’t a fantastic climb at the grade (5.8) and I fondly remember on-sighting it over ten years ago.

From a new bolted anchor about 15 feet right of the old anchor we double rope rapped back to the starting anchor then carefully trended down the right side of the buttress (some loose rock) and landed right on the approach trail for the Eaglet. There is a little drag when pulling the ropes when choosing this option but it’s nice to “cut the corner” when heading up to the Eaglet.

We reached the base of the Original Route and met Cole, a familiar canine I had seen on many 4000 Footer hiking forums.

Running short on time we skipped the first pitch by scrambling up the gully to the left and caught up to my friend Ben and Cole’s human counterpart Alton. They were starting the 2nd pitch chimneys and while we were considering our time line Ben graciously offered to let us play through. After I made those chimney chock-stone moves look less than graceful we topped out.

fullsizerender-1 — Ben leads the last bit of the Eaglet with Alton below

I rapped the spire and ran up the hill to grab a couple quick shots of Tom rapping and Ben and Alton summiting.

Tom about to rappel over the roof that makes the rest of this rappel free hanging

We hiked out at about 3:30pm, about 5.5 hours from leaving the car. Hounds Hump, and the greater Franconia Notch climbing area is a real mecca for climbing. From the easily accessed single pitch moderates at Echo Crag to the commiting and often scary routes on Cannon Cliff, this area has something for just about everyone!

See you in the mountains,

Northeast Alpine Start

http://classic.avantlink.com/affiliate_app_confirm.php?mode=js&authResponse=850aca0f08aec51a67d9627ab550c86c796b5792

This Knot Can Save Your Life

October 4, 2016October 4, 2016 David Lottmann Tech Tips

Following a climbing fatality last month in Yosemite that involved a climber rappelling off the end of his rope and a more local albeit less tragic accident last month at Rumney, NH I want to focus this week’s Tech Tip on one simple but important subject.

Closing Your System!

stopper-knot — The common “stopper knot”, technically a “double overhand”, is a fast and common way to close your system when belaying and rappelling

I’m going to get into more detail on what I mean by “closing your system” but first some context as to why this is important. I decided to conduct a little research this past weekend to try to determine how many accidents in the last few years would have likely been prevented by the simple act of “closing your system”. I looked at data¹ from the last four years of Accidents in North American Mountaineering²

Accidents in North American Mountaineering (Climbing), published yearly by the American Alpine Club

The result…

On average we have 7 reported accidents a year in North America that would have easily been prevented by closing the system.

While 7 does not sound like a lot consider that this type of accident involves complete belay/rappel failure which is likely to lead to serious injury and death. In fact the majority of the accidents I looked at from 2013-2016 involved fatalities.

So what does it mean to “Close Your System”?

Simply put, this means if there is a belay or rappel device attached to a rope there is no physical way to remove the device from the rope without unlocking and opening the belay carabiner. If you have 50 feet of rope on the ground with no knot I could essentially stand next to you and pull the rope through your belay device until the end of the rope passed through the device. This leaves the belayer (or rappeller) not attached to the rope.

This, is an “open” system, and it can sometimes cost a life.

Let us put it in context in relation to the two climber actions that are most at risk to “open systems”, lowering and rappelling.

Lowering

2016-06-22 09.47.45 — Being lowered on the Thin Air Face of Cathedral Ledge, New Hampshire

Lowering happens all the time when climbing. We get lowered at the climbing gym. We get lowered while top-roping outside. We get lowered after leading a hard sport climb. While we normally get lowered in a top-rope type format sometimes we get lowered from above. We’ve gotten better at backing up the brake hand in all these scenarios. Climbers are largely adapting to the Universal Belay Standard which wisely calls for two hands on the brake strand during lowers (and recommends closing the system).

Yet every year “attentive” belayers have the free end of the rope shoot through their belay device resulting in the climbers free fall to the ground.

The repeated theme in many of these accidents is that the anchor at the top of the climb is higher than half of the rope length and this is not discovered during the lowering until the end of the rope shoots through the belayer’s brake hand and device resulting in complete belay failure.

Why?

Common Misconceptions

The route is half as tall as the rope
The rope is twice as long as the route
The belayer will notice if they are running out of rope

While the dominant length of climbing rope in use today is still 60 meters, some routes are developed with 70 meter ropes in mind. With routes close to half of your rope length care must be taken as any zig-zag in rope direction will mean less rope available for the lower. There have been multiple occasions when a partners rope was shorter than the victim believed, or even more rare when climbers simply choose to climb on less than standard length ropes which led to this accident last month at Rumney, NH. Finally, “attentive” belayers are typically looking up at the climber they are lowering, so when the unsecured end of the rope approaches their brake hand they often do not notice… until it is too late.

Luckily there is one surefire way to safeguard yourself from any of these potential errors…

Close Your System!

Rappelling

The majority of accidents that could have easily been prevented with a closed system were actually rappelling incidents, not lowering incidents, so closed systems during rappels should be strongly considered for 100% of rappels.

Why?

Common Misperceptions

The rope will reach the ground/next anchor
The middle of the rope is at the anchor point
Our ropes are equal length

Every single year we lose climbers who believed one of the above. Every. Year. Off-route, bad beta, wrong anchor, shorter than expected rope, in-accurate middle-mark, double rope setups that are not equal in length. The reasons one can rappel of the end(s) of their rope are many. The prevention is a simple single step.

Close Your System!

Solution

By now I hope I’ve made a solid case for closing your system every time you belay or rappel. There are many ways to do this and some make more sense for certain contexts than others. Since the most common lowering open system failure occurs after a climber has led a route and is being lowered back to the ground let’s look at the three possible “next steps” and what the best practice would be for each.

Lowering

Leader will not clean route during lower and belayer will clean route on top-rope.

In this case the best practice would be for the team to simply knot the end of the rope with an appropriate stopper knot, half a Double Fisherman’s Knot being appropriate and oft used for this purpose. If the climbing rope is used to form a ground anchor in the case of a light weight belayer the system is already closed.

Leader will clean route during lower and belayer will climb route on top-rope.

In this case the best practice would be for the belayer to simply tie in to the other end of the rope. This closes the system and speeds the transition when the leader is back on the ground for the belayer to get their turn climbing. A knot check should still be conducted before the belayer ascends.

Leader will clean route during lower and belayer is not climbing.

Rappelling

When rappelling there are two common excuses I hear against tying stopper knots in the rappel ropes:

“I know the ropes reach”

That’s great! Why not add a quick safe guard in case you are wrong? Rappelling often occurs late in the day when fatigue from climbing can encourage short cuts. Weather or encroaching darkness can cause haste. Closing your system adds only seconds to your descent and allows for manageable mistakes and misjudgments.

“Tying stopper knots will slow us down and if we forget to untie them could lead to stuck ropes.”

In a multi-pitch rappel the first climber down can remove the stopper knots and pre-thread the anchor for the next rappel, all while maintaining a secure “fireman’s belay”. This best practice closes the system and speeds the next transition to the next rappel. It also reduces the chance of forgetting to untie the stopper knots before pulling the ropes.

Better yet, if you always close the system you will get used to always removing the stopper knots before the 2nd climber rappels (while maintaining a fireman’s belay).

If I haven’t said it enough above I’ll say it one more time. Close Your Systems!

The practice of closing your system takes seconds and while it won’t eliminate all risk from your climbing (nothing can) it will eliminate some potential for complete belay/rappel system failure.

Final Thought

If you’ve found this post and read its entirety consider joining the American Alpine Club to help support their mission. I’ve been a proud member since 2004 and it’s definitely an organization every climber should consider supporting!

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¹Data was looked at from the following accidents published in the American Alpine Club’s publication; 2013 ANAM pgs 35, 38, 50, 75, 80, 81 2014 ANAM pgs 69, 70, 78, 84, 85, 90, 105, 114 2015 ANAM pgs 74, 84, 87, 96, 102, 105, 115 2016 ANAC pgs 38, 47, 124
²From 2016 edition on the American Alpine Club has re-named this publication Accidents in North American Climbing

One of These Knots Can Kill You

September 27, 2016November 24, 2018 David Lottmann Tech Tips climbing knots, european death knot, figure of eight knot, flat overhand bend, knots for climbers

It seems every year we lose climbers to a simple user error that can occur when joining two ropes together for a rappel. Compounding the issue is some media outlets refer to the knots (or bends) in question with various misnomers that create further confusion within the climbing community. There needs to be more widespread standardization of the options available for joining two ropes together and it starts with referring to them with the correct nomenclature.

The first thing to understand is any knot used to join two ropes together is technically referred to as a “bend knot” or simply “bend”. While there are quite a few bends that are appropriate for joining two ropes together it is the Flat Overhand Bend that has largely gained popularity for multiple reasons.

Flat Overhand Bend (FOB)

Like any option this one comes with advantages and considerations.

Advantages

Fast and easy to tie, especially with thick winter gloves on
Low profile so less likely to get caught in cracks and on features while pulling the ropes
Easy to untie even after a dozen high angle rappels
Pull tests indicate a properly tied Flat Overhand Bend will not capsize unless loads exceed at least 1400 pounds, far more than any climber can generate on a rappel.

Considerations

Like any knot this one needs to be “dressed and stressed” to be safe. After forming the knot tighten all 4 strands separately.
Leave 12 inches (30cms of tail). This is more than sufficient in the unlikely event of the knot capsizing. There has been at least one fatality when a cautious climber left 3+ foot tails and then threaded a tail through their belay device ending in catastrophic failure of the system. Twelve inches is sufficient.
Use ropes of similar diameter. UIAA recommends within 3mm of each other, which with today’s modern (often skinny) ropes is usually easy to stay within. If using a thin tag line consider adding either an overhand tied with the thinner rope over the thicker rope and cinched tight to the flat overhand bend. The idea here is it will help prevent the knot from capsizing but in reality should not be needed. The practice of tying a 2nd flat overhand bend a few inches down from the first seems to negate most of the advantages (fast to tie and less likely to get stuck while pulling) so this author feels that practice is not needed.

I’ve made it this far without calling this bend knot by its more common name. I’ve decided to leave the common name out. It serves no educational purpose and its use should be considered archaic in nature.

Now we get into the two options that really exacerbate this issue. One of the two knots below can kill you.

Reverse Traced Figure of Eight Bend (Flemish Bend)

Like any option this one comes with advantages and considerations.

Advantages

Low profile so less likely to get caught in cracks and on features while pulling the ropes
Super strong. If you look closely you realize this is the same option we use to tie into our harnesses. We can not generate enough force to get this knot to fail.

Considerations

Like any knot this one needs to be “dressed and stressed” to be safe. After forming the knot tighten all 4 strands separately.
Leave 6 inches (15cms of tail). Since this knot can not capsize by design it is logical to follow the same guidelines as using the knot to tie into a harness. Six inches of tail on a dressed and stressed knot is sufficient.
Adding “back-up” knots to both tails greatly increases the likely hood of a stuck rope and is completely unnecessary given the strength of the main knot.
Can be very difficult to untie after heavy load, especially with gloves on and slick new ropes.
While tecnhically called the “Flemish Bend” adding the METHOD one uses to create it (reverse traced) to the common name will help differientate between the two.

Flat Figure of Eight Bend

The above knot has a proven track record of killing climbers. It routinely capsizes and fails at loads easily generated in rappelling. So why is it still being used after years of accidents showing it’s not sufficient?

New Climber Perception

I’ve had hundreds of new clients look at the FOB (first knot pictured) and say “That’s it?” Having confidence that such a simple and quick to tie bend could be sufficient for joining two ropes together and committing our full body weight out over the abyss is not so easily won. Let’s be honest, its simplicity and small volume make people nervous regardless of its more than adequate strength.

So what does the new climber do? Well if one twist around the ropes forms a Flat Overhand Bend then two twists around the ropes must be safer right? That mindset creates the deadly Figure of Eight Bend pictured above… and kills people.

Misunderstanding

The common name I’ve heard used to describe both the Reverse Traced Figure of Eight (Flemish Bend) and the Figure of Eight Bend is the “Flat Eight”.

This needs to stop. One is a strong and suitable bend for rappelling. The other keeps killing people. We should not use the term “Flat Eight” as most climbers, especially new climbers, do not easily see the difference between the two. They tie a Figure of Eight Bend, thinking it is a “Flat Eight”.

Solution

In order to reduce or eliminate the amount of fatalities the confusion these options create, we, the climbing community at large, especially the widely read climbing magazines, need to step up and standardize our definitions of these knots and not use mis-leading negative sounding catchy names to describe safe practices. Using misnomers can encourage a new climber to switch to a different, and potentially much more dangerous option for joining two ropes together.

If every guide, mentor, instructor, and tenured climber starts referring to these knots with the correct terminology we will see a reduction in unnecessary loss of life.

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Tech Tip Tuesday-The One Handed Clove Hitch

September 27, 2016September 27, 2016 David Lottmann Tech Tips

In an effort to grow the Skill Zone of Northeast Alpine Start I’m going to start posting a tech tip every Tuesday. I’ll share some personal tips & tricks but I’ll also be highlighting lots of content around the web from other blogs, companies, fellow guides, etc. For our first weekly Tech Tip we are going to take a look at the one-handed clove hitch (and to a lesser extent the one-handed munter hitch).

But why one-handed you ask?

Without question I tie more clove hitches rock and ice climbing than any other knot. On a nine pitch route it would not be uncommon to tie the clove hitch more than a dozen times. There’s a few advantages to mastering this method of tying starting with the most important;

Security

Climbers have slipped while building anchors in all aspects of climbing. The ability to hold onto the rock (or your ice axe) with one hand while tying a clove hitch with the other increases your security when on an exposed stance at the end of a pumpy pitch. Ice climbers should especially master this skill as being able to clove into an ice screw with one hand beats taking a whipper while ice climbing (but try to stay within your ability!)

Speed

Learning to tie both these hitches directly onto the carabiner is faster than tying them any other way. For the clove hitch start by pulling the rope snug from your tie-in. This not only makes it easy to start the hitch but when you arr finished you should be at the perfect length from the master point. For the munter hitch, assuming you’re using it to belay your second, clip the first strand as soon as you are off belay. You can pull the rest of the unused rope up faster this way and when it comes tight on your partner a quick twist of the rope is added to the carabiner and your partner is on belay! Great for icy ropes!

Slick

It just looks cool. And climbing is all about looking cool.

Before heading out to the cliff to shoot a quick video of the process I did a quick search to see if anyone else had made a video on tying one-handed clove hitches. Well lo and behold this is a hot topic! So instead of adding to the insane amount of how-to videos on this skill I’ll just share them with you all here with my personal favorite first, these guys are funny!

Did I miss your video? Let me know I’ll add it 😉

That’s it for this week’s Tech Tip. Stay tuned for a new one every Tuesday… well, almost every Tuesday.

Like this tip? Got a tip you think I should share? Let me know in the comments below and see you in the mountains!

-Northeast Alpine Start

P.S. Only 2 days left to enter to win a brand new Black Diamond C4 Camalot! Details on how to enter that raffle are at the end of this DMM Dragon/C4/Ultralight comparison review!