This is the first of a series of posts ‘an introduction to the technical Mountaineering kit and equipment’ I use to keep me safe and comfortable while climbing/ scrambling or any other mountain related activity.
First an introduction to the different types of equipment that is used in a mountain environment and the examples of that equipment that I use. My reasoning behind using these specific types of equipment will be discussed at length in different articles in the not too distant future
Note. Before I begin with this article please be aware that everything in this article is my own personal opinion built over many years climbing. I recommend you get some introduction and physical instruction in how to use the things mentioned here. Rock climbing and mountaineering in general can be very dangerous to those people that do not properly know what they are doing and I cannot accept any liability for any injuries that occur while doing this.
Ropes
These are pretty self-explanatory, there are 2 main sorts of climbing ropes used, these are dynamic and static ropes. In simple term’s dynamic ropes have a bit of stretch to them and are safer and a little comfier to fall on while static ropes do not stretch very much at all. Both of these ropes are what are called kernmantle ropes, kernmantle construction means that the part of the rope designed for strength (the middle) is protected from cuts and abrasion by the outer sheath. Dynamic ropes come in 3 distinct types, single ropes, half ropes and double ropes. Single ropes as the name suggests are designed to be used on their own, double ropes are designed to be used in the same way as single ropes but both MUST be clipped through each piece of protection to work correctly. Half ropes are a middle ground between the two, these are designed to be clipped into alternating pieces of protection.
My ropes
1 x 20m static rope – I rarely use this unless I am taking friends new or not very confident climbing out for a day at the crag and then will use it to set up an anchor for them to top rope the route on.
1 x 70m static rope – as above very rarely used. Only properly used if I am taking people or myself for a day of abseiling this allows me to set up the complete abseil with only one rope and minimal extra equipment (in climbing simple is generally safer and this is even more so when abseiling as, while many in the climbing community shun it as a skill due to it being more dangerous than climbing, I believe that it is an inherent part of understanding a crag and is if properly respected a very fun way to spend an afternoon with friends and a good way to experience the cliff without having to climb it.)
1 x 60m dynamic single rope – this is the rope I do most of my outdoor climbing on as it is long enough to do most pitches I have seen and in a relaxing day a single pitch crag lets me monitor or chat to both the belayer and the climber.
2 x 50m half ropes – these ropes I have not used a great deal in this country but expect to be using them a fair bit in my foray into the Alps next year and most years after that.
1 x 40m single rope – this rope is my general mountaineering rope, it is fairly light (being 20m shorter than my other single rope) and is bright yellow so if needed in an emergency it is very easy to find and see while you are using it even at night.
Harnesses
Harnesses are the most personal piece of equipment that a climber can own and each and every one of us will have their own reason for using the one they own and find that theirs is infinitely better than anyone else’s. in the broad spectrum from a mountaineering background there are two main types of harness used these are the alpine harness and the regular climbing harness. Regular climbing harnesses are just that a harness designed to worn for a relatively small period of time and nice and comfy to rest in when needed while you are climbing. Alpine harnesses are generally only used by mountaineers who are spending a lot of time walking or scrambling and need something they can put on nice and easily and quickly over multiple layers of clothing, these types of harnesses usually have leg and waist loops that can open completely to allow you to put these on while wearing crampons or ski’s.
My harnesses
Black Diamond Alpine Bod – this is my new favourite alpine harness due to its simplicity and it is very easy to adjust and put on in a hurry even while wearing lots of layers and crampons.
Edelrid Jay – my go to climbing harness is the Jay by Edelrid. It is simple to use and comfy to wear. It comes with 4 gear loops. Slots for extra carabiners to be attached to hold extra equipment and comes with a haul loop at the back for attaching one of the static ropes to so we can haul any equipment up a climb after us.
Protection
Nothing says rock climber like seeing someone walking around with a harness on with a load of metal stuff hanging off it and sounding like a very out of tune wind chime. This is where a lot of climbers money will go and rightly so as this is the stuff that in the event of a fall will save your life if properly used. Climbing protection comes in 2 main styles these are; active and passive. Passive protection is protection that does not have any moving parts. The most basic are nuts and hexes. Nuts are a slim tapering piece of metal on the end of a wire. These can all be inserted into different types of crack and used in a multitude of ways. Hexes are much like nuts but a bit heavier duty and, you guessed it they’re a hexagonal shape. They are used in much larger cracks. Active protection is something with moving part. The most well-known example of this type is the cam. These can be retracted to insert into a crack and then expended to grip (or cam) themselves in place making them very hard to get out likely to fall out.
Passive
DMM nuts 1-11
DMM micro nuts 1-4
DMM Offsets 7-11
Active
Wild country friends 0.5-3 (in .5 increments)
Slings. Slings are loops of webbing that have many different uses in the climbing industry. In general, they come in 2 different forms; Nylon and dyneema. I use both types in many different sizes for a multitude of uses.
Quick draws
Quick draws are really simply two carabiners linked together with a piece of webbing. These are used to decrease rope drag and make the protection you have placed less likely to walk out of the wall. Once again I use a variety of quickdraws in different lengths, the last bit to be mentioned here are something called extender draws, I find these very useful these are a short sling with a carabiner on either end looped back on itself to make a small quick draw that can be extended if needed.
Footwear
There is a staggering amount of footwear available for people looking at getting out into the mountains but here are the main pieces I own and use regularly.
Climbing shoes
Red chilli Sausalito
Trainers
La Sportiva Akasha
Approach shoes
La Sportiva Boulder X – these are my favourite pair of shoes I own as they can also be climbed in fairly successfully
Walking boots
Scarpa Baltoro GTX
Mountaineering boots
La Sportiva Nepal EVO – these boots are also crampon compatible.
Belaying: there are a huge amount of belay devices available for use by climbers but I use a guide plate by OCUN as this device has teeth that enable me to catch my partner when they fall and also when rigged specially can allow a certain amount of free movement at the top of a pitch when belaying a second.
Winter walking equipment: for walking/ scrambling in the mountains in winter there are two main pieces of equipment needed by a mountaineer (one of which in my opinion you are not a mountaineer until you have.) these are a walking ice axe and a set of crampons. The axe once again is a complete personal choice and varies massively from climber to climber, the one I use is not liked by my climbing partner and vice versa. My axe is a black diamond raven with bottom grip, mine is slightly longer than most people will recommend (again personal preference) at 65cm and the grip at the bottom lets me feel more secure when using them. The crampons I use are once again from black diamond and are a 12 point general mountaineering pair with anti-balling plates.
Other: prussiks are a loop of climbing cord that can act as a third hand to grab the rope when you need to let go for whatever reason. I normally carry 3 of these as they are indispensable. One ready to go attached to a screw gate carabiner on my harness, another attached to my nut tool as a back up and way to keep the tool attached to me when im using it. The last one is attached to my rope knife again so that it is always attached to my harness should I drop it or need to let go of it for any reason.
The last thing on my list is gloves, I own 2 main pairs of climbing gloves again both from black diamond the one is a set of belaying gloves that allow me to keep a secure grip on a rope and also let me put a thin pair of gloves on underneath when its cold. The last pair are a pair of leather rappelling gloves to protect my hands while I’m abseiling. Both of these gloves are only half finger allowing me the dexterity needed to be able to tie and untie knots.
As before with every post I look forward to any questions you have and will answer any of them I can
Matt
Matts Mountaineering 