Ice Climbing—Technique on the Great Faces

André Contamine, Club Alpin Franqais

Translated by H. Adams Carter

EVEN the most impassioned rock-climber can not claim the title of Mountaineer if he is not familiar with ice technique.

Snow and ice, the adornment and defense of the high peaks and of the great faces, are also the most natural routes of access. Along gorges filled by glaciers that pour their frozen cascades toward the valley, along sharp ridges and couloirs with their steep drapery, everywhere snow asserts its presence and obliges the climber to regulate his conduct to its ever-changing state.

It is doubtless just here that the greatest difficulty in ice climbing lies. After careful scrutiny of the terrain to be sure that the climber is well adapted to what it may present and after a study of possible routes, one must choose a slope that is neither too steep or too flat, since otherwise physical strength can easily be wasted. All important also is the choice of when to do the climb; the influence of temperature, the amount of exposure to the rays of the sun and the season can turn a snow or ice climb into a most agreeable ascent or a most detestable adventure.

Like rock climbing, ice climbing has its rules, its unchangeable principles, which the climber can not break without great risk. The angle and the quality of the snow or ice force him to the application of one special technique or another.

The simplest form of ice climbing in couloirs or on great ice slopes is to progress vertically upward with hands on the ice axe and feet on the surface of frozen snow. The climber ascends as on a ladder, the only difference being that he may choose fairly exactly the position and surface he will use in order to make his crampon points and ice axe bite in best. He should pick the places which seem to him the easiest and at the same time the most solid. The rules are never to lift a hand or foot before being sure that the other three extremities have sufficient grip, to find points of contact for hands and ice axe which allow the arms to push down rather than to pull up, to avoid long steps, and with the body erect to keep from leaning into the slope. The search for the best points of contact with very hard frozen snow or ice comes instinctively to a natural or well-trained mountaineer but demands great attention from a beginner.

Front-pointing up a great couloir on hard crusty snow on a beautiful summer day, by the light of the moon or headlamp or in the cold hours of dawn allows an experienced ice climber to ascend veritably vertical walls. However, this kind of cramponing is tiring generally and especially fatigues the calf. If the leg muscles cramp, it is possible to continue climbing by changing the position of the foot and leg. This technique becomes impracticable on hard ice which lacks a covering of snow.

The climber can still ascend straight up or traverse absolutely smooth frozen snow so long as the angle still allows him to keep his body away from the slope. The position of the body is very important. A rough or thoughtless change of the center of gravity can lead to a sudden loss of balance. Not only the angle of the slope but also the quality of the snow, its firmness, its dryness, the sharpness of the climber’s tools, his balance and his confidence all affect the limits of front-pointing.

It is only with practice that one gets to appreciate difficulties at a glance. Pitches entirely of water ice where the slope is very steep are rather rare and always dangerous.

Ice-Axe Anchor (Piolet-Ancre) Technique: Even without direct holds on ice or very hard snow, the climber can still move on all vertical points of his crampons by use of an ice-axe anchor. He no longer moves directly but rather diagonally upward. In this universally recognized technique he must take great care to place his feet flat against the slope. This delicate art requires long practice. Except on vertical pitches such as bergschrunds, the ice axe is held in both hands and serves only to keep the climber’s balance on each movement, thanks to the pick’s being driven in at above shoulder height.

This method may be used with the following rhythm. Preparation: The uphill hand grasps the head of the axe, while the other hand holds the shaft near the spike end. First phase: Plant the pick of the axe vigorously into the slope at shoulder height. The upper hand keeps the axe firmly anchored while the other hand grasps the bottom of the shaft near the spike and prevents its touching the slope. Second phase: Making full use of the axe, pass the lower foot diagonally above the other and place it with all crampon points flat on the ice with the toes slightly down. Third phase: Maintaining the support of the ice, lift the rear foot, bring it diagonally above the other and place it flat and horizontal.

I remember that on our assault on the Mustagh Tower in the Himalayas we were obliged to crampon to the limit of our ability at 21,500 feet up an extremely steep slope of live ice which rose some 350 feet; the ice-axe anchor technique was the key to the ascent in this extremely difficult passage where I could place only four pitons.

Where the ice is not soft enough or is at the edge of bedrock in a couloir, it is a good idea to increase one’s adherence by nicking the ice on each step with a slight kick. But if the foot no longer holds even when the ice is struck by the edge of the sole of the crampons, it then becomes necessary to resort to step cutting. In this way straight cramponing is combined with cutting hand or footholds or both. Thus did Louis Lachenal open for us the direct route on the north face of the Triolet when he climbed an extremely steep couloir filled with flow ice polished by the wind and by repeated snow slides where he could no longer reasonably use just crampons.

Step cutting: Formerly one cut steps interminably, generally without crampons; today this art has not disappeared. It is in fact rare that on a great route, despite the delicate work, one can avoid this technique, which demands long practice to be well done. It is not always easy to choose the best position for each step and even more difficult to chop the right shape with a minimum of strokes. There are two possible methods. The first, and for a long time the only one used, requires the ice climber to chop with the pick of his axe, up the fall-line or obliquely, a series of steps in which he can rest flat the whole of his foot. The second method has sprung from combining on modern routes climbing on crampons alone and cutting steps. In this case, when the slope is very steep, one proceeds obliquely. With the ax one cuts a comfortable step for the uphill foot to stand on, while the downhill foot "crampons” on the slope below. To advance from one step to the next, one anchors the axe to the slope for support. The better the quality of the ice, the better this method is; that is to say when the ice does not flake off in layers under the repeated blows of the axe. It is always tiring; even if beginners appreciate it for the feeling of security it gives, rope leaders avoid it as much as possible by choosing an easier variant where cramponing is possible at the edge of the route with belays from rock pitons.

Pitons: When climbing becomes more difficult either because of the configuration of the terrain or the bad quality of the ice, climbers can no longer move simultaneously. Then points of security are established along the length of the rope by means of ice pitons or screws. The climbers move one at a time. The better placed and more numerous the pitons, the better protected the climbers are on delicate exposed passages. Moves can be awkward when on an ice route one is forced to climb on rock with crampons. There rock pitons may perfectly well be used. When there is a lack of piton cracks, one seeks projections around which to hang, as around bollards, nylon webbing or sling rope with a carabiner to hold the climbing rope.

At other times pitons are needed for artificial aid. This becomes necessary at times to overcome a difficult pitch in the middle of a face such as the north face of the Plan in the Chamonix Aiguilles or the north face of the Aiguille Blanche de Peuterey or to climb the overhang of a bergschrund or a bulge in mixed terrain. But these aid passages are generally short; rarely will the crossing of a sérac be longer than a rope-length. The climber uses the same double-rope technique as on rock. Stirrups may be of four steps with definite rungs to avoid getting the crampons hung up in them. The pins usually used are of the various screw or corkscrew types, conical or cylindrical depending on who made them and suitable either for the compressed snow of a couloir, névé or water ice. Using an ice piton is generally not difficult and normally not dangerous. However, I can not too strongly recommend the greatest care in their use. Of course, ice pitons should, as often as possible, be removed after being used, and my conscience would trouble me if I did not mention this.

Rope-lengths and belays: The rope leader sets out and ascends, carefully watched by his companions, until he has nearly run out the rope and then stops to prepare the belay stance. He must set up a good enough stance at least for himself if he is continuing to lead and one where he can safely bring up his companions from below.

If the snow is soft enough but not too soft, the ice axe gives good security if the shaft can be forced in completely; less good if it is in halfway. It is well to increase the comfort of the stance by digging a spacious enough platform for good balance.

The leader then stops, pulls the rope taut and belays. He secures himself with a loop hung over the axe. Then he passes the rope from his second man over his shoulder or around his waist and pulls in the slack to catch any slip. If the rope is reversible, the second passes the belay stance and continues on up.

On very steep pitches, it is well to use safety pitons. At the belay point the fixed rule is to use two pitons, one for a tie-in, which guarantees the balance and stability of the belayer by means of a sling to the piton; the second to allow the belay rope to slide through. The belayer watches carefully to keep the rope taut. In case the leader slips, the belayer must pull in rope, not just hold it tight, and thus cause friction over as much of the length of the rope as possible since this friction is destined to absorb the greater part of the impact. If the pitch is long, it is important to place a series of pitons so that in case of a slip the fall will be minimal. On ice, pitons are the only possible guarantee against falling into one of the other members of the party.

Descent: It takes many years of experience to become a proven mountaineer, capable of determining the choice of conditions, of estimating without too much error what the quality of the snow will be and of moving on it with ease and safety. While rock remains the same, during dry weather, ice and especially snow change completely from hour to hour. Descent may impose great difficulties. Mist can make it hard and treacherous to find the route again.

It is normal to descend on crampons facing the valley, being sure that all the bottom points of the crampons are driven into the surface of hard snow. Such a descent can last for hours and the climber may find variable snow conditions as he loses altitude.

When the slope is too steep to permit a direct descent using the axe as a cane (piolet-canne), from 45° to 50° for example, one progresses diagonally, taking care to keep the feet fiat. The ice axe is held across in front of the body with the downhill hand on the head, the uphill hand low on the shaft and the spike supported on the slope (piolet-ramasse). When the slope is nearly vertical, on a bulge, a wall or a bergschrund, the pitch is descended by ice-axe anchor (piolet-ancre), following the inverse of the ascent procedure. One can also—and sometimes must—descend facing in, front-pointing. This frequently is necessary when a climb finishes in soft snow at the end of a sunny day. When the final pitch, the bergschrund, is reached, it is often difficult to cross and steps have to be cut. If the steps made on the ascent are insufficient, it will be necessary to make a new set. Finally, if the wall is too steep, a rappel will be in order.

Safe rappelling: It is obvious that when one leaves rock to cross an overhanging bergschrund, a belay from the rock should be kept as long as possible. But the last man is no longer belayed except from below. Today, when retreating from a face or simply when descending high or huge bergschrunds, climbers have brought back into use the Prusik knot, well known to the mountaineer. This self-jamming knot, which I frequently use to link myself from my waist-loop to the rappel rope, lets me descend belayed. To stop my rappel, I just need to lift my hand from the knot and it jams. To descend, it is enough to keep my hand on the knot and it slides. Thus, as one can see, this safety precaution on overhanging and dangerous passages permits the climber to descend safely into unknown space.

In practice many problems will still present themselves. Nothing is simple and one can not foresee everything. In the high mountains there are circumstances which can not be known ahead of time, but there is also what might be called "the glorious uncertainty of the Sport.”