Alpine climbing
Alpine climbing is a type of mountaineering that uses any of a broad range of advanced climbing techniques, including rock climbing, ice climbing, and/or mixed climbing, to summit typically large rock, ice, or snow covered climbing routes in mountainous environments. While alpine climbing began in the European Alps, it is now used to refer to such climbing in any remote mountainous area, including in the Himalayas and Patagonia. The derived term alpine style refers to the fashion of alpine-climbing to be in small lightly-equipped teams who carry all their equipment, and do all of the climbing themselves.
In addition to the specific risks of rock, ice, and mixed climbing, alpinists face a wide range of serious additional risks. This includes the risks of rockfalls, of avalanches, of seracs and crevasses, of violent storms hitting climbers on exposed mountain faces, of altitude effects, of complex navigation and route finding, of long dangerous abseils, and of the difficulty of rescue and/or retreat due to the remoteness of the setting. Due to the large length of alpine routes, at times, alpinists need to move simultaneously to maintain speed, which brings another source of serious risk.
The first "golden age" of modern alpine-climbing was the first free ascents – in summer, in winter, and as solo – of the great north faces of the Alps by pioneers such as Walter Bonatti, Riccardo Cassin and Gaston Rebuffat. The subsequent era, which is still ongoing, focused on the equivalent ascents and enchainments, of the ice and snow-covered faces and ridges of major Himalayan peaks and Patagonian peaks in "alpine style" by pioneers such as Hermann Buhl, Reinhold Messner and Doug Scott, and latterly by alpinists such as Ueli Steck, Mick Fowler, Paul Ramsden, and Marko Prezelj. The annual Piolets d'Or – the "Oscars of mountaineering" – are awarded for the year's best achievements in alpine climbing.
Description
Alpine climbing involves small unsupported teams tackling large multi-pitch routes that can involve various combinations of rock climbing, ice climbing, and mixed climbing, in alpine-type mountain environments. Alpine routes are often long and require a full day of climbing or even several days. Because of the length of the routes, and the danger of alpine environments, alpine climbers typically try routes that are well within their technical rock, ice, or mixed climbing capabilities.While parts of an alpine route will involve a lead climber tackling difficult rock, ice, or mixed sections while being belayed by a stationary second climber below, parts will involve both climbers moving simultaneously together as a rope team, particularly on large snow slopes or easier rock sections. Simultaneous climbing is riskier but is necessary to ensure that the climbers can move quickly through what is often a very dangerous and exposed environment, and complete the routes in a reasonable time.
Alpine climbing can involve aid climbing, particularly if high up on a route, aid is needed to make progress and avoid a dangerous retreat. It can also involve multiple and complex abseils, either on the descent or in a retreat from a route. Classic alpine climbing routes often take at least a full day of climbing which necessitates the early "alpine start", and may force a bivouac. It often involves traveling on glaciers and bergschrunds to get to and from the route.
Due to the greater complexity and risks of alpine climbing, alpinists need to be much more familiar with and confident in each team member's abilities and skill level. Alpine climbing involves exercising judgment and decision-making to adapt to the constantly changing alpine weather and route conditions, and where good initial progress can quickly turn into a fight for the team's very survival.
''Alpine style''
The derived term "alpine style" alludes to the fashion of alpine climbing to be in small fast-moving teams – or even solo – who carry all of their own equipment, and do all of the climbing. "Alpine-style" is the opposite of expedition style, and is often considered a "purer" form of climbing."Alpine style" also means being "lightly equipped"; this can include no supplementary oxygen, no major tenting or overnight equipment, and limited food and fuel supplies. It also means having no fixed ropes on the route.
While these attributes enable alpine climbers to move quickly and take advantage of good conditions and "weather windows", it also makes alpine climbing far more dangerous. In situations where the habitually unstable high-altitude weather turns, alpine climbers will not have the provisions to "sit out" the storm, and will not have the fixed ropes in place to retreat safely and quickly; such forced retreats in poor conditions are dangerous.
Equipment
While alpine climbers are "lightly equipped" due to the fact that they must carry all of their equipment while climbing, the range of climbing equipment needed can be considerable due to the diverse range of climbing techniques required on major alpine routes, and the harsh conditions encountered.- Rock-climbing equipment: Routes involving rock climbing require the equipment needed for traditional climbing. Alpine climbers may also hammer in bolts or pitons while climbing the route in order to give additional protection in the manner of a sport climbing route. Use of climbing helmets is common given the danger of rockfall on alpine-type routes.
- Ice climbing equipment: Routes involving ice or snow require the equipment needed for ice climbing or mixed climbing. In particular, ice axes, ice screws, and crampons will be required, as well as some of the broader tools needed for climbing in snow conditions such as avalanche equipment and snow belay systems. Alpine climbers may have to change from heavy ice climbing boots into rock climbing shoes while on the route.
- Big wall climbing equipment: Routes involving a large number of vertical rock pitches, may also require the additional equipment typical in big wall climbing, such as portaledges, bivouac sacks, and haul bags, as well as the specialized equipment for extensive and heavy-duty abseiling; and also elements of aid climbing equipment to ensure progress can be made.
Risks
Additional risks faced by alpinists to the risks of rock climbing, ice climbing, and mixed climbing, are:
- Rockfall. Alpine-type rock faces are in a perpetual state of erosion, which leads to periods of significant rockfall on various routes. The action of these rockfalls can be amplified by the couloirs that some alpine routes ascend. Climate change has increased this risk even further.
- Avalanche. Similarly to rockfall, alpinists face the risk of avalanches whose effects are also amplified by the couloirs some alpine routes ascend. In addition to encountering avalanches while on exposed alpine faces, they also encounter this risk when traveling to and from the routes. Leading modern alpinists including David Lama, Jess Roskelley, Hansjörg Auer, and Marc-André Leclerc have been killed in such a fashion.
- Abseils. The completion of alpine climbs, or a retreat mid-route, can involve lengthy and complicated abseils for the descent. Descending major routes can require more than 20 abseils, carried out by tired climbers and often in poor conditions. A failure of any of these abseils can be fatal. The famous 1978 retreat from Latok I required 85 abseils; in 1977, Doug Scott famously broke both legs abseiling down Ogre I, but survived.
- Altitude. Alpine climbing is done at higher altitudes, and modern alpine climbing in the Himalayas and Patagonia is done at very high altitudes, including the death zone. As alpinists need to carry their equipment, supplementary oxygen is usually not employed. High altitude not only brings the specific risks of AMS and edema but also increases the effects of dehydration and fatigue, and thus poor decision making.
- Weather. Alpinists attempt bold and exposed routes – often on the dark north faces of mountains – at high altitudes where the weather is unstable. They don't carry the equipment to "wait out" storms. Retreats by alpinists in violent storms can be more dangerous than the route itself. One of the most famous examples is the 1936 Eiger climbing disaster, with the infamous image of alpinist Toni Kurz hanging from his rope.
- Glaciers and cornices. Alpinists usually need to travel over glaciers in getting to and from their routes, and can also encounter hanging glaciers on routes. Glaciers bring the risks of crevasses, and of large falling seracs, which is amplified by the need to travel on glaciers in the dark to complete routes before the sun increases the risks of rockfall and avalanche. Many alpinists were killed falling through cornices such as Hermann Buhl.
- Navigation. Alpine routes are typically long and can follow complex paths through large mountain ridges and faces. A mistake in navigation or route finding, which can be exacerbated by poor weather, the effects of altitude, or the need to travel in the dark, can lead the climbers into situations that are fatal. It is not uncommon for alpinists to "go missing" on large routes; notable examples are Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker.
- Remoteness. Alpine climbs are in remote settings. Even in the European Alps, alpine climbers that get into difficulty can wait long periods before rescue is available or possible. Alpine climbers in the Himalayas and in Patagonia may take significantly longer periods to rescue, and for advanced and dangerous routes, rescue may simply not be possible without endangering the rescuers.