tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352166344614826568.post2822066849586421616..comments2024-03-14T10:07:59.760-07:00Comments on American Alpine Institute - Climbing Blog: Rope Length on a GlacierErin-Leigh Hardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10781785451497618508noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352166344614826568.post-46026265290839720202013-07-28T13:22:49.921-07:002013-07-28T13:22:49.921-07:00I would just like to point out that the measure of...I would just like to point out that the measure of rope is off. A Double Arms Length is (measured from the tip of the left thumb, left arm extended, across the chest to the right thumb, right arm extended)about 6 Ft.. An Arms length is (left thumb, left arm extended to the crux of the left shoulder)about 3 Ft. and a Good Arms Length is(from the left thumb, left arm extended, across the chest to the crux of the right shoulder) about 4.5 Ft.. It is note worthy that a Double Arms Length is also considered the Height of a Man.<br />Hope this clears up matters. Love the Post! Keep on keeping on and happy climbing!<br />RickAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04603295977092941322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352166344614826568.post-45318182818355539482011-07-14T11:02:25.427-07:002011-07-14T11:02:25.427-07:00The point about unroping due to rockfall danger is...The point about unroping due to rockfall danger is a good one. I personally have been pulled into the path of some bad rockfall while roped up on Rainier a couple years ago. I was a client in an RMI group on the DC route.<br /><br />We were hiking up through Cathedral Gap at the time, and I believe the rockfall came from the adjacent cliffs. Most of it was falling down between me and the next guy on the rope. He started running and didn't realize that I was getting pulled into the middle of the action. Luckily all of the big rocks missed me and I got away with hardly any injury.<br /><br />I'm not suggesting that it's worth untying for that section of the route, especially with a guided group. However, in this particular instance, we would have been better off without the rope.Joshnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352166344614826568.post-46636465392838712402011-04-19T08:03:49.650-07:002011-04-19T08:03:49.650-07:00Hello,
In the past my wife and I have climbed the ...Hello,<br />In the past my wife and I have climbed the Breithorn near Zermatt from the 'easy' route off of Kleine Matterhorn lift. We used a guide. Now I would like the two of us to climb this same mountain soon. While it's not a technical climb, and is considered easy, I want to be safe. Can anyone offer a suggestion as to a length of rope between the two of us? I do not want to take my long climbing ropes on the flight, but I will buy an appropriate length rope just for this purpose. Thanks!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352166344614826568.post-2025309789183011332011-01-05T09:55:27.881-08:002011-01-05T09:55:27.881-08:00Thanks for the response, Andrew. We saw teams of ...Thanks for the response, Andrew. We saw teams of 2, 3 and 4 people all roped up this way. I agree that in RMI's case it was more about managing clients. I wonder if they tie in that way on the Kautz route. I guess with such a well-maintained and well-marked route there really wasn't too much risk of a crevasse fall. Still, I'm not convinced it was the safest thing to do off the cleaver. I'm guessing that if we all were breaking trail instead of simply following a well-worn road we'd be a bit more careful.Davenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352166344614826568.post-62918782200008064552011-01-03T15:20:00.972-08:002011-01-03T15:20:00.972-08:00Dave,
Thanks for adding more thoughts to this dis...Dave,<br /><br />Thanks for adding more thoughts to this discussion. I'm curious however as to how large these other groups were. When you have 5 or 6 people on a rope team, it is mathematically impossible to have people 45 feet apart on a 200ft/60m rope, so that may be why they were tied in shorter.<br /><br />Another reason for tying closer together while in a large group, is that if one person punches through, there are four people's weight holding them out of the crevasse. It is fairly common on a rope team of 5 for the last person to fall in, and the person at the front of the team is simply wondering why they can't walk forward anymore - they may not even feel the true tug of the fall. No one on the team may even have to arrest. As such, they don't need to be 45 feet apart and being closer is easier for communication and "managing clients" in a guided setting.<br /><br />Ultimately there are many things that should be factored into deciding the distance between two people on a glacier. I commend your observation skills and that you were thinking about the best thing to do in the situation. Without knowing the full details, I don't feel like I can say it was the right or wrong decision. Regardless, I encourage you to make decisions not solely based on literature nor what you see, but a combination of the two - as well as professional instruction.<br /><br />--Andrew Yasso<br />Program CoordinatorAmerican Alpine Institutehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02912049031518327438noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352166344614826568.post-2977758005613355082011-01-03T13:37:41.657-08:002011-01-03T13:37:41.657-08:00A coworker and I climbed Rainier via the DC in Jul...A coworker and I climbed Rainier via the DC in July 2010. Neither of us had any formal mountaineering instruction, so we followed the books and roped up about 45 feet apart. It wasn't until after a grueling climb through the cleaver's switchbacks that we noticed every group around us - RMI included - were tied in much closer, no more than 15 feet apart. They we're tied in like this for the entire route, not just the rock sections. We shortened our rope on the descent and indeed it seemed to make things a lot cleaner. When in Rome, I guess....Davenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3352166344614826568.post-24958455955555243552010-11-09T10:19:59.412-08:002010-11-09T10:19:59.412-08:00Thanks for this insight into rope lengths. As wint...Thanks for this insight into rope lengths. As winter approaches here in Scotland, I have been pondering the benefits of roping up with my partner on more exposed ridges.Electric Flyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03442663461472127970noreply@blogger.com