Do you go touring with a rope?

[readyshreddy]

Hey all,

I'm looking to add a rope into my ski touring kit and am interested to hear if anyone brings a rope touring when you're not expecting to encounter terrain that would normally require one (such as glaciers or couloirs). If so, what type of rope do you pack, what protection/slings/hardware do you bring alongside a rope and in what scenarios do you feel okay leaving your rope at home? Or do you think carrying a rope is overkill most of the time?

Here's a little backstory on this question. I was recently out with some friends with intentions to ski a fairly mellow line in the alpine. The visibility was slightly variable and we accidentally ended up one saddle over from where we intended to be. This led to two of my partners skiing off a small cornice, having to climb back over it, falling into a crevasse above the edge of the cornice then having to climb out of that. It was a stressful day, to say the least. We had a long piece of paracord that came in handy when assisting/belaying our friends while they climbed the cornice and crevasse, but it was certainly not the right tool for the job.

After this experience, I want to start packing rope, or at least when I'm going into the alpine. I'm looking for something that you can safely repel or hoist off of, thick enough to easily hold but also doesn't take up too much space in my pack. My initial thoughts are:
- 30m of ~8mm dynamic twin-rated rope or 6-7mm static cord (Edelrid Starling Pro or Petzl RAD)
- 2 locking carabiners
- 2 120mm Dyneema slings
- z-drag kit - microtrax and tibloc (maybe?)
- 1 ice screw (maybe?)

Note: I know that the best way to manage the risk of a similar accident is better planning, better communication and better knowledge of crevasses. Bringing a rope is not the real takeaway here. With that said, things don't always go according to plan and when they don't, ropes can be an invaluable tool.

[Clownshoe]

If I'm going to be on a glacier, I'll bring my 30 metre skinny rope (RAD kit), and enough gack to build a 3:1, plus 1 ice screw

[XXX-er]

I was skiing with a guide who got us slightly cliffed thru some trees so he pulls out 10 M of 3mm cord, not enough to support a climber but lotsa uses and it sure was nice to help get us down he said " sorry about that just leave the rope there " so i started carrying a small amount of rope

i could see lots of uses making an emergency climbing skin, fixing gear ect

[raisingarizona13]

20 to 25 feet of P-chord, two or three paperclips and some chewing gum usually do the trick for me.

[Falcon3]

Just get the Petzl RAD kit. It’s got 30m of 6mm cord, a couple Dyneema slings and the pulleys/biners. Whole kit is a little over a pound and packs into about 2l stuff sack. Your described use is exactly what it was made for.

I wouldn’t waste time with an ice screw.

[BFD]

OP are you talking about crevasses on a glacier? Are you referring to the space created by the cornice pulling away from the mountain as a crevasse?

[grrrmountainman]

The RAD kit is exactly what your looking for. Easy to share it as group gear too when packaged up.

To answer your question, no, I don’t carry a rope when not expecting or intending terrain that requires it, but I do always have some webbing, biners, and cord mainly to be used with the rescue tarp/sled but could be used in a pinch if needed I suppose.

[gretch6364]

Charles Bronson always has a rope…


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[readyshreddy]

OP are you talking about crevasses on a glacier? Are you referring to the space created by the cornice pulling away from the mountain as a crevasse?

The latter. I supposed that isn't technically a crevasse. Is there a better term for it?

[readyshreddy]

I was skiing with a guide who got us slightly cliffed thru some trees so he pulls out 10 M of 3mm cord, not enough to support a climber but lotsa uses and it sure was nice to help get us down he said " sorry about that just leave the rope there " so i started carrying a small amount of rope

i could see lots of uses making an emergency climbing skin, fixing gear ect

How tall was this cliff? Lowering off 3mm cord sounds terrifying. Also you bring up a good point about repairs.

[readyshreddy]

Just get the Petzl RAD kit. It’s got 30m of 6mm cord, a couple Dyneema slings and the pulleys/biners. Whole kit is a little over a pound and packs into about 2l stuff sack. Your described use is exactly what it was made for.

I wouldn’t waste time with an ice screw.

Thanks for saying how much volume your kit takes up (i.e. litres). I'm not overly concerned about weight but I do feel like I never have enough space in my pack for what I would like to bring.


One thing I did noticed about the RAD kit was that it comes with a micro-traxion which is only rated on ropes down to 8mm. How are they able to sell it along side a rope that is 6mm?

Either way, I think I'll probably go this route. I'll going to go through my gear room first and see if I can piece most of this together instead of buying the kit. Gotta save money where you can.

[Falcon3]

Thanks for saying how much volume your kit takes up (i.e. litres). I'm not overly concerned about weight but I do feel like I never have enough space in my pack for what I would like to bring.


One thing I did noticed about the RAD kit was that it comes with a micro-traxion which is only rated on ropes down to 8mm. How are they able to sell it along side a rope that is 6mm?

Either way, I think I'll probably go this route. I'll going to go through my gear room first and see if I can piece most of this together instead of buying the kit. Gotta save money where you can.

Petzl rates it for their 6mm RAD line but other brands only down to 8mm. I’ve played around with it, it grips just fine.

[rod9301]

Super munter works well with a 5.5 mm rope for rappelling.

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[Truckee Joe]

I carry 30m 6mm with light weight harness, sling, belay device and 2 carabiners. I also carry an ice screw but I have never used it. I am thinking about swapping the ice screw for a few wire nuts. As there isn't a lot of ice at my regular spots.


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[Meadow Skipper]

The latter. I supposed that isn't technically a crevasse. Is there a better term for it?

Bergschrund

Though I haven’t carried them when I’m not expecting these kinds of problems a snow picket or a deadman would be useful.

[XXX-er]

How tall was this cliff? Lowering off 3mm cord sounds terrifying. Also you bring up a good point about repairs.

not very so we weren't in the air much, we didnt have harnesses the rope was just a helper to hold on to so the guide could get his group down without drama and it worked cuz everybody got down upright

[romeo tango]

anybody have experience using the micro T repeatedly on the same rope?
Im curious if the aggressive teeth eventually damage the sheath

.

[Jeb McHardman]

anybody have experience using the micro T repeatedly on the same rope?
Im curious if the aggressive teeth eventually damage the sheath

.

I use it as a backup device in my TR solo setup and haven't had any issues. My primary device (Camp Lift) is toothless however, which helps prevent any sheath damage during falls

[Garbowski]

Your gear list sounds good as an emergency kit. Depending on the terrain I would consider a picket as well. I'd make the slings wide to be more comfortable as a harness. If you are going more mellow, I have 10m of 5mm for a handline that I will bring on scramble trips sometimes, depending on the crowd. Never had to use it but confident it would get me out of a jam.

[snoboy]

One thing I did noticed about the RAD kit was that it comes with a micro-traxion which is only rated on ropes down to 8mm. How are they able to sell it along side a rope that is 6mm?

Petzl's got a page about that.

[Hacksaw]

20 to 25 feet of P-chord, two or three paperclips and some chewing gum usually do the trick for me.

Did you get that from MacGyver?

[romeo tango]

[QUOTE=Jeb McHardman;6563170] .... a backup device in my TR solo setup ..../QUOTE]

thanks for the feedback Jeb ....

what i meant was repeated use of a micro T loaded,
say, an instructor who uses the micro T on the same rope to teach 2:1 or 3:1 systems
curious what the accumulated wear is, if any ....

i used to use a Camp Lift to rope solo but didnt feel confident with the 100 kg rating
switched to Petzl Rescucender

.

[gavinski91]

[QUOTE=romeo tango;6563909]

.... a backup device in my TR solo setup ..../QUOTE]

thanks for the feedback Jeb ....

what i meant was repeated use of a micro T loaded,
say, an instructor who uses the micro T on the same rope to teach 2:1 or 3:1 systems
curious what the accumulated wear is, if any ....

i used to use a Camp Lift to rope solo but didnt feel confident with the 100 kg rating
switched to Petzl Rescucender

.

Since the MicroT is spring loaded it shouldn't be a problem. I've heard anecdotally that non-teethed ascenders actually cause more damage than teethed (toothed? toothy?) ones due to slippage of the rope during the initial loading. I'm always more concerned whenever using a first-gen tibloc because it's pretty easy to scrape it down the rope when initially loading if you're not careful about the alignment of the carabiner.

[nortonwhis]

[QUOTE=gavinski91;6564706]

Since the MicroT is spring loaded it shouldn't be a problem. I've heard anecdotally that non-teethed ascenders actually cause more damage than teethed (toothed? toothy?) ones due to slippage of the rope during the initial loading. I'm always more concerned whenever using a first-gen tibloc because it's pretty easy to scrape it down the rope when initially loading if you're not careful about the alignment of the carabiner.

Ya heard the same thing, albeit from a Petzl rep.

[Wapow]

You don't need a rope when you go ski touring, unless you will be on a glacier or know that you will likely need to belay or rappel. And if the latter, you will need a lot more than just the rope (but never a picket, just saying - a stuff sack and a sling will generally do the same job). Don't drop into lines you can't see, and you should be good.