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Improvised harness
A Tape joint at your back
B Overhand knot tied around the waist
C Overhand knot tied slightly above the knee
D Tightoverhand knot at the end of the sling to hold the karabiner captive
Trekking Poles
Poles are almost a standard accessory for most folk these days but in the Alps they come into their own, being very handy when crossing glacial steams and for traversing those steep patches of old snow.
Glacier travel
The glaciers of the Hohe Tauern are in the heartland of the Tyrol and the Eastern Alps, with the Gross Venediger’s glaciers covering the greatest area, while the Pasterzen Kees glacier adjacent to the Gross Glockner remains the longest single glacier in the Eastern Alps. Quite a few of the mountaineering routes described in this guide involve crossing or negotiating glaciers that can be heavily crevassed, depending on the time of year and varying from season to season.
Crevasses (spalten) will be encountered but they should not create a serious problem for the mountain traveller and most will be easily bypassed. As is common to most glaciers, the main crevasse zone will be on the steep sections, at the edges and where the ice breaks away from the underlying rocks to form bergschrunds, randkluft. If difficulties do arise it will be in negotiating bergschrunds such as those below the Romariswandkopf on the Fruschnitz Kees glacier.
Orientation on the glacier is described as being in the direction of flow along the right or left-hand bank. This means that in ascent the left bank will be on your right. To avoid confusion, as when route finding in mist, a compass bearing has been added in the route description to aid direction.
Although most of the Hohe Tauern’s glaciers are relatively straightforward, they can vary quite considerably from season to season, the Obersulzbach Kees and Umbal glaciers being good examples. This scenario is further exacerbated by large temperature variations generally because of the glaciers’ relatively low altitudes. This means that while routes may be straightforward one year, with minimal snowfall in the following year previously hidden crevasses may become exposed and enlarged. The result is that glacier travel becomes more problematic.
The ideal number of people for glacier travel is four. Two is the absolute minimum although two cannot be entirely safe, and solo travel should be avoided. For a party of two some added security could be gained by teaming up with a second party, gaining strength through numbers.
In summer, many of the Hohe Tauern’s glaciers are dry glaciers at their lower levels and are quite safe to traverse un-roped, as the crevasses are obvious and easily avoided.
However, when crevasses pose a threat, for example where they overlap, are deep or when they occur on steep ground, as will be found on the Reichen Spitze and Gross Venediger, then the party should be roped up. Equally parties should be roped at all times while crossing glaciers that are snow-covered as will be found on the Koednitz Kees glacier on the approach to the Gross Glockner, no matter how well trodden the route. It is worth remembering that crevasses have no respect for people and can open up beneath the best of us.
Practise before you go
For a roped party of three, the group leader, the most experienced person, is best placed in the middle, since it is the group leader who will contribute most to a rescue in the event of a mishap. The second most experienced person should take the lead position at the head of the rope so as to route find, and the last person, preferably the heaviest, should take a place at the back to act as anchorman.
For parties visiting the Alps for the first time, particularly those of equal ability, some experimenting will be necessary to gain more experience. However it is absolutely essential that you practise roping up and crevasse rescue before you go; particularly, practise a crevasse rescue scenario were the fallen climber is out of sight of their companions and when another member of the party has to go to their assistance and enter the crevasse as would be the case if your companion hurts themself.
The following technique is suggested (only suggested because the style varies between German and French parts of the Alps). If you learned glacier and crevasse techniques in the Western Alps you may well have been taught a different but equally valid approach. This method works and will ensure that a group has a safe anchor at all times.
In ascent and descent the lightest person should go first at the front to route find. Should the route finder fall into a crevasse (unlikely) it is improbable that the rest of the group will be dragged in after them, but in a full-on fall you will be dragged off your feet. In case such a mishap occurs then the heaviest person is best placed at the back to act as anchor. For a party of two the most experienced person should be at the back in both ascent and descent.
To rope up a party of three, the middle man (group leader) should tie on 15m from one end of the rope, with the rope leader tied on at the front end. The back man (anchorman) should then tie on about 12m behind the middle man (group leader). The surplus rope at the end should then be coiled by the anchorman and carried over the shoulder and rucksack or, as the author prefers, it can be loosely coiled inside the top of the rucksack from where it can be easily retrieved in the event of being needed for a crevasse rescue. In addition to roping up, two Prusik loops are needed for attaching to the rope by each person, to be stored in their pockets.
On most glaciers the party will move together, keeping a respectable distance between each person. When there is no crevasse danger a few rope coils may be carried in the hand of each person to make the rope more manageable and to help prevent it snagging and being dragged along the glacier’s surface, making the rope wet and heavy.
When crevasse zones are encountered, the rope between individuals should be kept taut to limit the effect of a fall. Where crevasses pose a very real risk, such as when they are large or their extent is unknown, the rope leader’s second (middle man) should belay, while the rope leader traverses or jumps the crevasse. At the same time the group’s anchorman will be similarly belayed a safe distance away. While these procedures may seem complicated and time-consuming, with a little practice they should become second nature.
The purpose behind these techniques is to prevent climbers falling into crevasses and to ensure glaciers are crossed safely. Most mountaineers will spend many hours crossing glaciers without any serious mishap. Experienced mountaineers will be able to recall falling into crevasses up to the waist, a few to the chest and the odd one falling through the surface to the glacier below. In most instances during a fall climbers can react quickly enough to spread their weight by outstretching their arms or by falling backwards to prevent themselves falling further. Once the fall is arrested, the group’s second (the group leader) should belay while the anchorman uses their weight and position to secure the belay which then frees the group leader to make use of the anchorman’s coiled spare rope to affect the rescue and haul the leader free.
Should the leader fall free and end up inside the crevasse, it is important the rest of the party work quickly. If falling into a concealed crevasse it is likely the rope leader will be hurt. This is due to the fact that their rucksack will have jarred, pushing the head forward and banging it on the ice during the fall. In such situations there are a number of options to choose from, but all will be useless unless the group has spent a little time practising crevasse rescue techniques. This is absolutely essential.
In this situation, provided the rope leader is uninjured it may be possible to:
a) simply haul them out of the crevasse using brute force.
b) help the rope leader to Prusik out of the crevasse under their own steam.
c) by lowering the end of the end of the surplus rope, rescue the rope leader by using a combination of hauling and Prusiking using the assisted Hoist Rope Pulley Method. (See diagram).
If the rope leader is injured, then the actual group leader will have to go into the crevasse to perform