Alpine Tips
Climbing "shades of grey" - Dealing with conflicting advice
Beginning climbers often hear a confusing mish-mash of different advice and rules. Read this Tip to discern what's a definitive rule, and what’s more personal preference.
Short version: A vast majority of climbing techniques are not black or white, right or wrong, but exist along a continuum of subjectivity and best practice. If you receive climbing advice that differs from what you already know, ask "Why do you like to do it this way, and what might happen if I do it differently?"
It’s day one of climbing school. You’re out at the local crag with a handful of instructors and a few other eager students. One instructor, over the course of an hour or so, shows you how to belay and tie a few knots. You take a break, rotate to another instructor, and they then proceed to tell you a different method to belay and a different way to tie the same knots.
Aaaaaarrrgh! Confusion and frustration! Who should you listen to?
Sound familiar?
Just about every climber can think of situations in their climbing education where they received wildly different advice on a particular topic or technique. Your climbing mentor tells you to belay with your palm up, but the "Freedom of the Hills" instruction book suggests belaying palm down. There seems like a dozen different ways to tie a butterfly knot and everyone wants to convince you their way is the best. You get the idea. When you’re learning, it sometimes seems like everything is like this!
(And let's not get started on YouTube, where Reinhold Messner himself could post a climbing instruction video and even then some yahoos would rip his "incorrect technique" apart in the comment section.)
After you have some experience under your belt, you may be better able to interpret conflicting advice like this, but it can be especially confounding for the newer climber.
New folks are doing their best just to get their heads around the foundational skills, while underneath it all, anxiety is amplified because we all know we are doing a sport that can get you killed in an instant if you do something critical the wrong way.
Here are two approaches to hopefully cut through this fog. One is to understand that climbing techniques exist along a sliding scale. Two is to remember a back-and-forth dialogue needs to happen when you hear conflicting advice.
Let’s dive into each of these.
One: sliding scale
It’s part of human nature to want to put things in a binary box. Is it A or B? Am I right or wrong? Are you liberal or conservative? Is this restaurant great or terrible? This worldview takes less mental energy than trying to weigh the nuances of real life.
But, we all know that most things in life exist along a continuum, a sliding scale of ambiguity between one extreme or the other. The same is true in climbing.
There are actually very few climbing techniques that we can call black or white, set-in-stone, always-do-it-this-way-or-you’re-gonna-have-serious-consequences. I’m giving this a very subjective number of about 10%.
What are some of those black and white rules? Try to think of a few right now.
Never glissade with crampons on.
Never take your brake hand off the rope when you're rappelling or belaying.
Always check your partner's harness and knot before they start to climb.
Always double back your harness buckle.
You can probably think of a few more, but there really aren’t a whole lot more than that!
That means the other 90% of climbing techniques exist along a continuum somewhere in the middle. You could divide these into five general categories:
1 - Never do it this way, you're gonna die or get seriously hurt. Example: Glissading with crampons.
2 - Outdated technique that has a few problems, but you’re not gonna die. Example, using 1-inch webbing for everything.
3 - Completely up to you, flip a coin. Example: using loose chalk or a chalk ball.
4 - Generally preferred modern method, best practice: Example: belaying directly off the anchor in fifth class rock, as opposed to off your belay loop.
5 - Pretty much everyone agrees you should do it this way: Example: Tying knot(s) in the end of your rappel rope so you don’t zing off the ends.
So, this means that the vast majority of climbing techniques are fairly subjective and generally up to your personal preference. Good news, if you do it a different way, you’re probably not going to die! Hopefully this is comforting to the beginning climber who's trying to sort out all this well-intended advice that often comes from different directions.
So, that tells us that this climbing game is not as black-and-white as some people might lead you to think. What's the next step of sorting through the advice? How to decide what you want to absorb and what you want to discard?
esteemquotes.com
Bruce, that's terrific advice, but as new climbers, it's hard to decide "what is useful and what is not". How do we do that?
Here's how. Simply ask, “What could happen to me if I do it differently than what you just showed me?”
Two: Reasons and Consequences
For the giver of advice (instructor): when you offer advice or suggestions, try to follow that up with your rationale(s) for doing so, and the potential consequences of doing it another way.
For the receiver of advice (student): if you hear something that's different from what you already think is correct, try to ask two questions (in a respectful way and ideally at a time that doesn’t interrupt the teaching flow.)
The first question is: “Why do you like to do it that way?”
The second question is, “What might happen if I do it another way?”
(Of course, this is much easier to do when you’re face-to-face with someone, as opposed to reading a book, magazine, or web post).
“Why do you like to do it that way?” If the person offering the advice can immediately answer with a few tangible reasons WHY, then you might well think: “Dang, they know their stuff and have clearly thought this through. It’s different than what I’ve learned, but I’m going to consider this alternative method.”
On the other hand, if your instructor person shrugs their shoulders and says “Well, I dunno, I’ve just always done it like that and I think you should too," then that’s not a very compelling argument for their technique.
“What might happen if I do it another way?” If the answer is "Ehhh, not much", then no problemo, you can pretty much choose whatever method suits you. But, the answer is "If you do it differently than what I taught you, there's a good chance of serious consequences, which are X, Y and maybe Z,” then that's something you should probably pay attention to.
I think you get the idea. Subjectivity is an essential part of climbing, and it's not nearly as black-and-white as many instructors make it out to be. Do your best to embrace the “shades of grey” and develop your own techniques and style within the sliding scale of accepted methods.
Snow telemetry for winter trip planning
“Sno-Tel” data stations show real time weather data for hundreds of mountain locations, including snow depth, recent snowfall, and min/max temperatures.
Snow telemetry, or “SNOTEL”, is a system of snowpack data monitoring stations around the western USA. They offer real time snowpack data for a specific location. If you’re planning a trip in the general area at around that same elevation, you can probably expect to see about that same level of snow.
Below are some screenshots from showing how you can get started.
(Note that some of the screenshots are a year or two old, and the current website might look a little different.)
If you want to see snowpack models for the whole Western USA that are made from these data, you can learn about those here.
SnoTel stations in the Western USA (from CalTopo.com > Realtime Data)
From here, you can zoom in on one particular area of interest. For this example, we’ll look at the south side of Mt. Hood Oregon.
Above each small circle, if you squint a bit you can see three numbers. The top is the current snow depth in inches, the middle is the “snow water equivalent” (not of much interest to most backcountry users) and the bottom is the current temperature.
If you click on the red circle, you get a pop up graph of basic data from the previous seven days. If you want to take a deeper dive into the data, click on the “Official Site” link in the graph.
That brings up a page that looks something like this:
From here, you can look at all sorts of tables and graphs of past data. What has the snow depth and temperature variation been over the previous month? Was there a freeze thaw cycle, which might solidify the snow pack? You can view the data in a table or a graph. Choose what flavor of data you want to view, use the “Layout” drop-down to select a chart, use the “Time Period” drop-down to select dates you want to see, such as previous 30 days.
(Some of the charts shown below are from a year or so ago. The website is re-formatted regularly and what you see may not quite look like this.)
Table of recent snow data. See snow depth and air temperature. Can show at a glance if there’s a freeze/thaw cycle.
and a graph. The red line shows exact snow depth at that location.
In Feb 2021, Gaia GPS added a snow telemetry map layer as well, available for premium level membership. They are layer is a bit more user-friendly, because it has some color coding to show whether snow is melting or accumulating. Here's a screen grab of that, with the legend added to the lower left corner.
And zoomed out a bit . . .
Belay jackets 101
New school layering - have an “action suit” when you're moving fast, and a big puffy jacket to put over everything when you stop. Here’s just about everything you need to know about the belay jacket.
Andy enjoying a lovely afternoon in Antarctica. Credit, Andy Kirkpatrick collection.
The concept of a belay jacket has various origin stories, but American climber Mark Twight is typically credited with popularizing the idea. Old school layering used to be something like: base layer, fleece or wool, hard shell on top.
But with a belay jacket, you dress more like a minimalist cross-country skier - when skiing, you don't need much in the way of layering, because you're maintaining your heat through movement. But if you stop for more than a few minutes, you better have something to put on.
Applied to climbing, you may start with a base layer and maybe a wind shell when moving. But in your pack is a VERY warm jacket to put on quickly over everything when you stop.
British climbing expert and winter hardman Andy Kirkpatrick has a wonderful, deep dive article on his website that covers the history, theory, design features and recommended models for belay jackets. It’s a great read for all cold-weather athletes.
(Yes, it’s a few years old, but the general principles don't change much.)
A learning sequence for any vertical rope skill
When learning any climbing skill where a mistake has potentially lethal consequences, it's good to take a very conservative approach. Here's one step-by-step method.
If you want to learn any rope skill that if you screw it up, there's a high chance you're going to die, here’s a conservative learning sequence you might want to follow. It increases the odds of you learning the skills and getting through the process in one piece.
Yes, that may sound a little dramatic, but learning new vertical rope skills is no joke.
For beginners, this might be rappelling. For more advanced folks, it could cover Crafty Rope Tricks like passing a knot on a single rope rappel, or moving the rappel knot past an obstacle.
Let's use learning to rappel as an example.
Watch any solid instructional videos you can find. (Start on the alpinesavvy Video page)
Recruit a friend who knows what they’re doing with a few tasty beverages or dinner.
Start first on flat ground. It’s easy to do this in a park by throwing a sling around a tree and just walking backwards to get a feel for the basic movement.
Then try doing it on a staircase. Again, work with your partner. This gives you the feel of actually putting your body weight on the rope with minimal consequences if you screw up.
Finally, you’re ready for something vertical yet very close to the ground, where you can practice your moves under the careful eye of your experienced friend. Unfortunately, due to liability issues, most rock gyms do not smile upon people practicing Crafty Rope Tricks. Always ask first. You may have to be resourceful and find something on your own, A short retaining wall of 10 or 20 feet as a possible option. How about a tree? The first few times you rappel for real, having a back up belay of some kind is an excellent idea.
FInally, You can try rappelling from a real life stance, ideally with a skilled climber standing next to you while you do the entire set up, and remaining on a belay of some kind the first few times you try it.
Airflare - An app that helps search teams find you
Airflare is a sophisticated yet easy to use phone app that can potentially help a Search and Rescue team find you much faster. Learn more about it here.
The AirFlare app is a unique way to use your phone to assist search and rescue teams to find you in the wilderness.
For an app that’s essentially weightless and for a very modest monthly cost, you could have additional peace of mind on your backcountry adventures.
The technology behind it is quite sophisticated, but it’s well explained on their website if you want details.
From their website:
“AirFlare transforms your mobile phone into a wilderness rescue beacon that provides search teams multiple ways to find you on and off grid. AirFlare adds no weight or bulk to your pack, works with limited or no cellular service, extends off-grid battery life to a week or longer and requires no user action to be searchable. Leveraging the cell phone already in your pocket, AirFlare is a low cost, easy to use, lifesaving tool you don’t need to remember to pack.”
As more search and rescue teams hopefully embrace this technology, having the app on your phone becomes more and more useful.
DIY - measure UTM coords with your baseplate compass
Try this little compass hack to increase accuracy when you measure UTM coordinates. (Warning, this is for map geeks only =^)
If your map has a printed UTM grid on it (which is a good idea for various reasons, covered on this tip) you can, with a little practice, be able to estimate your position down to about 100 meters or so. This should be good enough for most applications.
However, if you’re into precision navigation, or want to make your map positioning a bit more accurate, here’s a quick DIY compass hack to increase your accuracy.
Side note: You may have read of a little clear plastic device (above) made to do this, which is known as a “Romer” (supposedly after the British military officer who invented them.) These do allow you to do various bits of map and compass wizardry a little more easily, but they are small, easy to lose, only work for maps with a certain scale, and in general are not very suitable for civilian users, so I don’t recommend them for most people.
Let’s get to it.
You need:
a roll of athletic tape
a map with a kilometer scale bar divided into 100 meter increments
fine tip pen
(Note that if you print out a map from CalTopo, it should have a perfect scale bar for doing this.)
Put a thin strip of athletic tape on the top and right hand edges of your compass base plate. Trim away any extra tape.
Place the top right corner of the baseplate on the one kilometer mark of the scale bar.
At each 100 meter increment, draw a small tick mark onto the tape.
Repeat this for the right-hand edge of your compass.
When you're done, your compass should look like this:
Now, you can measure UTM coordinates on your map. Put the top right corner of the base plate on the point you want to measure, and then read the tick marks in 100 meter increments to the left for easting and down for northing.
Example: Put the top right corner of the baseplate on a map feature, in this example Sisson Lake. We can see at glance that, within the 1,000 meter grid square, the easting is about 500 meters and the northing is about 300 meters.
(Note - If you change to a map with a different scale, you’ll need to start over and copy the new scale bar.)
A true story: drinking water trailside in Nepal
Think about it. Why are you in such a hurry in the backcountry?
Two trekker guys are hiking on the Annapurna circuit, a 200+ km trail in the beautiful Nepal Himalaya. One of them has a water bladder in his pack. The two guys stop for a break next to some porters who are carrying loads of supplies up to higher villages. It turns out that one of the porters speaks some English. A conversation begins.
The porter asks, “What is that tube coming out of your pack?” The trekker guy replies, “It's for drinking water.”
The porter looks a little puzzled. He asks, “Why not use a water bottle?” Trekker guy says, “Because the tube lets me drink while I’m walking.”
Porter: “Why do you want to drink when you’re walking?” Trekker: “So I don't have to stop as often.”
Porter: “Why don't you want to stop?” Trekker: “So I can walk faster.”
Porter: “Why do you want to walk faster?” Trekker guy, pausing a moment: “So . . . I can walk more farther in a day and finish my hike sooner.”
The porter pauses. He talks with a few of his friends in Nepalese and they shrug their shoulders and chuckle. The porter turns back to the trekkers.
The porter says, “What do you think of Nepal?”
The trekker takes a deep breath, looks around at the stunning mountains, and back to the porter. He says, “This is really a trip of a lifetime for me. I've been dreaming of coming to Nepal for years, and it's one of the most beautiful places I could ever imagine."
The porter gives him a big smile. "I agree", he says, "it is very beautiful. That’s why there's no need to rush. You will be here probably just once in your whole life. So, my friend, take your time, drink your water slowly, have lots of breaks like the one we are having now, and enjoy your trip, these mountains and my beautiful country. Namaste.”
Climbing Gear Strength Ratings
You’ve probably wondered how strong that piece of gear actually is, especially compared to others in the same category. Can you really rappel safely off that micro stopper? How much trust should I put in that single bolt? Most all of that gets answered, right here.
Ever wonder how strong that pro or gear really is? Here’s a list to get you started, and maybe help you win an argument or two. I wanted to see a list like this for a long time, and after scouring the web and not finding any, decided to make my own.
Metric notes: A kilonewton (kN) is a metric unit of force. 1 kN is equal to about 100 kg / 225 lbs. Ratings are rounded to the nearest kN.
Sources: http://www.fishproducts.com, tech pages, “The Mountaineering Handbook”, by Craig Connally, the always awesome Petzl website, various web retailers, checking the gear ratings on some of my own stuff and in the local gear shop.
I made two lists. One is gear ranked in descending order, and the other is gear ranked by category (like seeing small, medium and large stoppers all ranked side by side.)
Takeaways (for me)
Even with a severe factor 1 fall, the force on the belayer is only a tiny 2 kN.
There's a BIG increase in strength from 6mm cord to 7 mm cord. Use 7 mm for cordelettes.
A tiny wiregate carabiner may be stronger than a honker "belay" style carabiner.
A well placed bolt is never going to fail you.
You can almost rappel on your shoelaces; 2 kN is about the most force you can apply to the anchor.
Climbing ropes are not tested for tensile breaking strength like most other gear. Because they are so stretchy, they absorb a huge amount of force before they have a break. But, if you stretch a rope until it breaks, that will probably happen between 14 and 18 kN. Click each link to see the relevant test results. 14 kN was for an old crusty rope, 18 kN was for a new one. Either one is super good enough.
Here's a video for our friends at Hownot2.com, breaking an older rope. Start at 9:45.
DIY - Nail polish marks The Spot on your crampons
If you swap crampons between different boots, mark the most commonly used setting with a dab of fingernail polish. This makes it easy to reset it to the correct length.
If you wear your crampons with one and only one pair of boots, you can stop reading. But many climbers swap crampons between different size shoes, such as stout boots for a more technical climb, and maybe lighter ones for later season travel.
Unless you remember the right crampon setting for each boot, switching from one shoe to another can lead to a trial and error process of finding the correct size setting.
(Do I use crampon hole number 6 or 7 for the light summer boot I’ll take on my moderate glacier climb?)
After you get your crampons dialed into the correct length for the boots you use most often, try this simple trick to be sure you can easily reset them.
Dab a spot of fingernail polish around the crampon hole that matches your most-used climbing boot. That way, if the crampons ever are moved from that adjustment, it’s easy to see the right setting and move it back.
If you want to get fancy, you could use two different marks, one for each different sized boot.
Fingernail polish is also great for marking metal climbing gear like rock and snow pro.
Carry an ice screw for crevasse rescue
If you fall into a crevasse, having an ice screw lets you unweight the rope, making life a lot easier for your partners on top trying to get you out. If you have two screws, you could even aid climb your way out. Some minimalist glacier harnesses even have elastic tabs designed for carrying screws.
When you're on a glacier climb with a moderate to high risk of a crevasse fall, consider carrying an ice screw.
If you do fall into a crevasse, you can hopefully sink the ice screw and clip yourself to it. This can take your body weight off the rope, which will make life a LOT easier for your partner(s) on top to set up a hauling system, or allow them a bit of slack in the rope so they can put some sort of padding under the rope at the lip of the crevasse. If you have a second ice screw (which maybe your partner on top can lower down to you) you could even aid climb your way out of the crevasse.
The more obvious use is anchor building up top. You'll want a longer screw (16 cm minimum) to be sure you get good purchase in the glacial ice, which is often not the best quality.
For the weight conscious, it's hard to beat the Petzl Laser Speed Light ice screw (photo above). They have steel teeth, an aluminum tube, and are about 40% lighter than a similar steel screw.
Here’s a photo of my better side in my Petzl “Tour” harness, a super lightweight harness designed for ski mountaineering and alpine climbing. Notice on each leg loop, there are two elastic tabs designed for holding an ice screw. Even on a minimalist harness like this, Petzl thought it was worthwhile to have a place to tuck away not one, but two, ice screws. It's not for ice climbing, it's for crevasse rescue.
(And no, that’s not a sexy lightweight aluminum screw as mentioned above, but you get the idea.)
This tip is mentioned in the book "The Mountain Guide Manual", by Marc Chauvin and Rob Coppolillo. It’s an excellent resource for more advanced technique, check it out!
Protect a descent with “downleading”
Here's how to protect the last person downclimbing a route from taking a big fall.
Scenario: Your team needs to descend a tricky section (steep snow / low 5th / 4th class) that’s about 1 pitch long. The most skilled climber on the team feels fairly confident they can safely down climb it . . . but they’d feel better with some sort of backup.
A Crafty Rope Trick (CRT), sometimes called “downleading”, can be used to protect the last climber in this situation.
First, one end of the rope is fixed to an anchor and the other end tossed down. Then, all but the last 2 climbers descend the fixed rope, by rappelling the single line or by downclimbing protected by a friction knot.
Here's what happens next.
The second to last climber places protection (snow or rock) as they descend, and then clips the rope to the pro. These placements should be below any tricky moves, not above.
The last person, typically a more skilled climber, unties the fixed rope, then ties the rope into their harness.
A climber at the bottom puts the top/last climber on belay.
The top climber then downclimbs the pitch cleaning gear as they come to it, just as if they were “seconding” a route. The gear prevents the last climber from a big fall should they come off. The last climber ideally climbs below each piece of gear before they clean it, to reduce the length of any possible fall.
diagram: Andy kirkpatrick from his great book, “Down”
Rappel tip - Getting the knot past an obstacle
Use this Crafty Rope Trick (CRT) to move your knot past any crack or crevice near the rap anchor that might snag your knot. Practice it at home before use in the wild!
Note - This post discusses techniques and methods used in vertical rope work. If you do them wrong, you could die. Always practice vertical rope techniques under the supervision of a qualified instructor, and ideally in a progression: from flat ground, to staircase, to vertical close to the ground before you ever try them in a real climbing situation.
Scenario: You’re the last one rapping on two ropes tied together and you’re worried about the knot sticking on the corner of the ledge or in a crack near the anchor. (In the Portland Oregon area, the rappel off of Rooster Rock in the Columbia River Gorge has a notorious knot-eating crack at the top, and is a great place to use this technique.)
Try this Crafty Rope Trick (CRT) to move the knot past the obstacle.
Move the knot as close as you can to the ledge, obstacle or crack you’re concerned about.
Girth hitch a two foot single runner above the knot, clip the other end to your belay loop with an extra carabiner (not the big locker to which your rap device is attached), and begin to rappel.
The knot will move along with you as you rap down. Once the knot is past any ledges or cracks where it might hang up, unweight the rope for a moment, unclip the runner from your harness, remove it from the rope, and continue your rap to the bottom.
This may be a little hard to visualize when you first read it, but try it once or twice and it should make sense.
A few cautions:
1) Practice this in a safe place! A staircase is a fine place to learn. It’s a little unnerving to see one side of the rope NOT sliding through your rap device, and the other strand sliding through twice as fast!
2) Doing this will cause one end of the rope to rise, so be sure both ends of the rope touch the ground or reach the next rap station with room to spare. Follow the best practice of always having a closed rope system; usually a stopper knot in the ends of your rappel rope, or the ends tied together. The first person down has the task of managing the rope ends. On a multi pitch rappel, a good way to do this is threading one rope end through the lower anchor and then tying the ends together to be sure the rope strands stay connected to the lower anchor.
3) This method is more complex on a free hanging rappel, as this makes it harder to unweight the rope to unclip the sling. If you see that the first few feet of your rappel is completely free hanging, then you want to add a load releasable hitch, such as a Mariner’s knot, or maybe a Purcell prusik (which can extend under load) to the system so you can release it under tension.
4) Be sure to use a single length / 60 cm runner. Using a longer runner will probably cause the knot to be out of reach when you want to remove it from the rope.
5) Only do this when you have a metal-to-rope (carabiner, rap ring, chain, or quicklink) connection at your anchor. This technique causes the rope to slide through the anchor under load. This is something you NEVER want to do with a webbing connection, even if it's only for a few feet.
6) Hopefully this is obvious, but this maneuver only needs to be done by the LAST person coming down the rope.
7) Oh, and please practice this a few times on a staircase at first, willya?
1 - Rig for normal double rope rappel.
2 - Girth hitch a single length / 60 cm runner above the knot connecting the ropes.
3 - Clip the runner to your belay loop. (Note: in the photo below it’s clipped to the belay carabiner; the belay loop is better.)
Now as you rappel, the knot will move along with you. When the knot is past the obstacle, unclip the runner from your harness, remove the girth hitch, and continue your rappel.
DIY - Add gear loops to your pack for alpine climbing
Can’t reach your harness gear loops with a pack on? Solution: Add a small loop of stiff cord onto your pack straps as a convenient place to clip gear.
On alpine rock routes, you’re probably wearing a pack. Even on longer one day routes from basecamp, at least one pack (maybe carried by the second) is usually needed for water, munchies, shoes for the walk off, and maybe a cap or windbreaker. But one of the Big Hassles with wearing a pack is that the pack waist belt can interfere with accessing the gear loops on your harness.
Counter this by adding two loops of parachute cord and tubing onto your shoulder straps.
These shoulder strap gear loops are a super handy place to keep some rock pro, a few extra carabiners and a nut tool, without fighting to get at the gear on your climbing harness hidden by your waist belt. Also, when cleaning a pitch as a second, it’s a fast and easy-to-reach place to clip gear. Of course you're not going to keep your entire rack for a long pitch on these gear loops, but more like a handful of pieces you anticipate needing between one good stance and the next.
(Some climbers may rack snow pickets and ice screws here as well. But, keep in mind what this sharp flying metal in close proximity to your face might do to you if you take a fall. Not my first choice . . . )
Here's how to do it.
Supplies:
12 inches of 3/8 inch plastic tubing (internal diameter - “ID” of 1/4 inch, get this at any well-stocked hardware store)
About 32 inches of parachute cord
2 zip ties (optional)
knife/scissors
lighter
Cut the tubing and cord in half, so you have two 6” pieces of tubing and two 16” pieces of parachute cord.
Patiently push the parachute cord through the tubing. Note, do NOT burn the ends of the cord before you do this, otherwise it won't fit through the tube. Ask me how I know this . . .
Bring the ends of the tubing together, and tie an overhand knot in the parachute cord around your pack strap, as close to the tube ends as you can. This should make the tube into a nice oval shape, and give you an inch or so of tail in the parachute cord.
Now you can burn the ends of the parachute cord to seal them. Do this outside or in a well ventilated area, use a candle or cigarette lighter, and have a small bowl of water to dunk the ends in once they are burning a bit.
This next step is optional, but nice to do if you have zip ties. Take two zip ties, and secure the tails of each loop of para-cord to your backpack strap. This helps keep the gear loops vertically aligned so they don't flop around. Trim off the zip tie after you’ve cinched it tight. (Below left, untrimmed zip tie, on the right, trimmed zip tie.) (Note that the zip ties are not loadbearing at all, they're there to keep the loop oriented up and down.)
Ready for action.
Learn the "V clove" anchor
Trying to build a three piece rock anchor with just one double runner? The “V clove” anchor is a Crafty Rope Trick (CRT) that will let you do this. Slick!
I first saw this clever technique from a video posted by Josh Beckner, an IFMGA certified mountain guide. A link to his video is below. Thanks Josh! Connect with Josh and the School for International Expedition Training.
When building a three piece gear anchor, many climbers will automatically reach for the cordelette. However, if all you have is a double length / 120 cm sling, and if your gear is pretty close together, here are a couple of ways to rig it.
One way is using a girth hitch at the master point, covered here.
Or, try the “V clove” anchor.
Will you use the V Clove very often? Maybe not. But for more advanced climbers, it’s a fine trick to add to the toolbox.
Note: if you have one gear placement that's noticeably better than the other two, it’s best to make that placement the one that gets clipped, not one of the two placements with the clove hitches. Doing this can slightly improve theload distribution, because the additional strand of sling can mean a slight increase in load going to this piece. (In the example below, that would be the placement on the right.)
Here’s how to do it.
Place 3 pieces of solid gear.
Clove hitch a double length / 120 cm sling to the left piece, with the stitching close to the clove hitch.
Add a second clove hitch to the middle carabiner. Try to get the stitching between these two clove hitches to keep it out of the way.
Next, clip the sling to the right carabiner.
Clip a master point locking carabiner to the two strands that are hanging down.
Tie an overhand knot, you’re done.
Check out the video below for full instructions, starting at 3:00.
How strong it it?
Ryan Jenks from HowNOT2.com tested this anchor. With a Dyneema sling, it broke around 15 kN.
While not as strong as some other methods, given that the maximum possible force in recreational climbing is around 8-ish kN, this anchor is definitely strong enough, IMHO.
Here is a link to his YouTube short video showing the testing.
Below is a screen grab.
Sport climbing tip - use a quickdraw for a “fifi hook” rest
Working on dialing the moves on a sport climbing project, and don't care how many takes you have? Give your belayer and the rope a break by clipping directly to each bolt for a rest.
You’re working a sport route at the upper end of your leading ability. You are practicing dialing all the moves, and don't care how many takes you need from your patient belayer. Here's a simple tip to give your rope and belayer a break.
Start your climb with a quickdraw clipped to your belay loop.
When you make it to the next bolt where you need a break, clip a draw, clip your lead rope, then clip the belay loop draw into the draw on the bolt.
Clip to whatever carabiner is convenient. Top or bottom, it doesn’t matter.
You can now take a full rest while hanging on your own draw, shaking out your arms, and scoping the next few moves.
This is known in some circles as “clipping in direct.” Other folks call it a “dog draw”, because you’re “hangdogging” the route.
(Bonus Tip - fingers pointed up, not down, is the Better Way to shake out. With your fingers pointed up, gravity helps the blood flow faster away from your pumped out forearms.)
This is essentially using the quickdraw clipped to your belay loop as a fifi hook, a device used by big wall climbers to clip in and hang whenever they need a break.
You of course remain on belay the entire time. But because you never called for a take, your belayer is not holding your weight on the rope, giving them a rest as well. Most important, you’re not losing your hard-won gain up the rock due to the rope stretch. It also gives the rope a chance to relax.
Some people might be concerned that chaining quickdraws together like this might cause some nicks/burrs that might damage the rope. This is theoretically possible, but I've never noticed a problem with it. Your mileage may vary.
When you're ready to climb again, unclip your “fifi” carabiner, let it hang again from your belay loop, work the next few moves until you get to the next bolt, and repeat as necessary.
Here's the classic big wall fifi hook. (Yeah, I know it needs a release loop in that top hole . . .) If you have one of these, you can certainly use it instead of a quickdraw. Slightly easier to take out.
Learn the "SWAMP" anchor
Need to build a quick 2 piece anchor and all you have left is a shoulder length sling? The SWAMP anchor is your new best friend! Learn it here.
I first saw this anchor in action at Smith Rock in central Oregon about 15 years ago. I was in the “mouth” on Monkey Face, belaying my partner on the airy aid pitch. While waiting, a Canadian guide popped up from another route, and set up this anchor in about 15 seconds to fix the rope for his partner. “DANG”, I said, “That’s pretty slick, I've never seen an anchor built like that before.” He said it was common practice in Canada and the UK, where he had lived for a while.
I'm sure this rig has some different names of different parts of the world, but in the US it’s known as a “SWAMP” anchor, which stands for “Shelf Without A Master Point.” (I think this name is kind of lame, but I don't have anything better. If you know it by a different name, please tell me.)
The SWAMP anchor is simply an overhand knot tied in about the middle of a sling. Each end of the sling gets clipped to an anchor / bolt, and a master point locker gets clipped to the two loops made by the knot.
Fast to make, simple, minimal gear, decent load distribution, no extension, and completely redundant, pretty sweet!
Downsides: 1) no shelf (but those are a bit overrated, IMHO) and 2) might be a bit hard to untie after loading, depending on the sling material. (Some folks seem concerned about lack of redundancy if one leg were to be cut and then a heavy load applied to the other leg. In a recreational climbing scenario I think this is extremely unlikely to happen, but in other anchor applications it might be a concern.)
Tying a standard cordelette style rig with a 60 cm sling usually doesn’t work, because the knot and loop take up too much of the sling material.
A girth hitch master point solves pretty much the same issue and is easier to untie. Try them both and see which one you like better.
As seen in the video, this is only used on a 2 piece anchor.
It’s completely redundant and non-extending, but like all statically equalized systems, does not do so well in the load distribution / equalization department. However, if you have a well defined direction of pull, and all you've got to build your anchor is one shoulder length sling, this can be a good #CraftyRopeTrick to have in the toolkit.
Let's address one common objection right off the bat: how strong is this? Yes you are completely reliant on that one knot holding. Good news: #SuperGoodEnough!
I tested this configuration with Ryan Jenks / HowNot2.com in spring 2023, and the results are below. About 20 kN in Dyneema, and about 28 kN in nylon. Being that your rope is going to break around 16 or 18, I think 20 is just fine.
Here’s a nice video posted by Josh Beckner, an IFMGA certified guide, covering just about all aspects of building 2 piece anchors. The SWAMP is demonstrated starting at 11:10.
And, here’s a photo sequence showing how it’s done.
Clip a single runner to one bolt or gear placement.
Tie an overhand knot in about the middle of the sling.
Clip the sling to the second bolt or gear placement.
FInally, clip in the master point carabiner and rotate the knot upwards a bit so it doesn’t abrade on the rock. Done!
You can also tie it with a double length / 120 cm sling. Can we call this the “Double SWAMP?”
Double over the sling, tie an overhand knot, clip one loop to each bolt.
DIY - A Better Way to carry your cleaning tool
Your nut cleaning tool Is a crucial bit of climbing gear that you never want to drop. Here is a little DIY project that will ensure it always stays attached to you.
Your nut cleaning tool is a vital bit of gear, and you don’t ever want to drop it. Most climbers typically tie a few feet of string/cord to their cleaning tool, allowing one end of the cord to be always clipped to their harness. The main problem with this method is that the extra cord constantly tangles with all the other goodies on your harness gear loops.
Note - it’s a fine idea is everyone on the team has a cleaning tool, leader included.
I tried a modification of this, with the short loop of bungee cord. That was working pretty well until I was cleaning a stopper at eye level, let go of my cleaning tool, and almost lost my eye as the little bastard shot past my head from the rebound of the elastic. Bad idea!
Here's a hybrid system, that keeps the tool always attached to you, has a little stretch bungee type system to let you extend and retract the tool, but not enough stretch to take out an eye.
With about $3 worth of hardware and 10 minutes, you can craft a Better Way. This system lets you fully extend the nut tool to clean a placement, yet stays neatly out of the way when not in use. It’s a good rainy day project. (You can likely figure it out from the photo alone, but here’s some directions anyway.)
What you need:
A single mini “keychain” carabiner, ideally one rated to carry a decent load. Kong makes what they call an "Mini D accessory carabiner", rated to I think 600 kg.
About one foot (unstretched) telephone cord - remember those? I got mine at Goodwill for $0.50, or get it new online
Two aluminum double sleeve swages from the bulk rope/wire section of a decent hardware store. Bring the phone cord to be sure you get the right size swage
Wire cutters and sturdy pliers, Vise Grips, or bench vise
To make it:
With wire cutters, snip off the phone jacks from the ends of the phone cord.
Pass about 2 inches of the cord through one sleeve of the swage.
Run one end of the phone cord through the nut tool. (Do not pass the cord through the butt end of the nut tool, as the cord will get mangled when you have to smack the tool with a rock or hammer to remove a really stubborn placement.) Note the Black Diamond nut tool in the photo, which has a very handy bottle opener on the butt end.
Run the free end of the cord back through the second sleeve on the swage.
Clamp hard on the swage with your vise, pliers or vise grips, mashing the swage together around the phone cord.
Repeat on the other end of the phone cord with the carabiner. I wrapped some athletic tape around the phone cord/carabiner connection, to be sure the loop never can come off the carabiner.
When on your harness, the butt end of the tool is clipped to the carabiner, keeping it well out of the way.
That’s it, and happy cleaning! That next welded tri cam you find will be your wall booty.
"Lost in the Gorge" - a cautionary tale
This account of a lost person (shared with her permission) is instructive at many levels. As you read it, make some mental notes about her good decisions and perhaps not so good decisions. Could this happen to just about anyone? Answer, yes.
This story is an account of a lost person in the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon. It was originally printed in the November 2014 Mazamas bulletin.
It’s shared here with the permission of the author, who wants as many people as possible to learn from her experience and hopefully avoid a similar one.
Pam did many things right, and a few things not-so-right. As you read this, make a short list of what you think these things might be.
Probably the single most important thing she did right was to be able to determine her latitude longitude coordinates from her phone, and transmit that information to 911. This is a vital skill for any backcountry traveler, yet many people who carry a smartphone with complete GPS capabilities don't know how to do this. We cover various techniques in this tip here.
Lost in the Gorge
by Pam Monheimer
I admit it; I was the woman lost in the Columbia River Gorge on January 29, 2014. I had been trained in mountaineering, avalanche basics, CPR and Mountaineering First Aid (MFA). At first I was embarrassed and horrified that my friends and my Mazama acquaintances would learn of my debacle.
When I was finally located, rescued, been transported out and, at 11 pm, arrived at the Sheriff’s van to be debriefed, I was sick to see that the Angel’s Rest parking lot was packed to capacity with rescue teams, ambulances, police cars, and, of course, the four news channel crews. I caused a lot of people a lot of trouble and worry. I am sorry. I am grateful to those who helped rescue me, and to the Mazamas for providing me the mountaineering training that kept me alive. I want to tell my story as I think I can help fellow hikers and perhaps save a life, especially with colder, wetter weather and shorter days upon us. As I’ve been told more than once, “nobody plans on getting lost.” Not even on a short hike.
In the past 18 months I have hiked over 2800 miles, climbed atop and skied numerous mountain peaks in the Cascades and Olympics. I have hiked and climbed the entire Haute Route in France and Switzerland. Getting lost for me in the Gorge is like getting lost in my own backyard. I know it like the back of my hand. When I drive Highways 84 and 35, I can name all the mountains, hills, waterfalls and trails to myself. The Columbia River Gorge is in my DNA.
I frequently hike with friends and, as we travel at different paces, it is not unusual for us to split up with plans to meet at a designated place and time. I was hiking with my friend, William, a world-class runner and climber with whom I often hike both the Gorge and Mt Hood. It was 34 degrees with a light rain falling. We had a few hours to spend hiking in the Gorge. We started out together in the late morning in a remote area a few miles behind Angel’s Rest. We were in a place I’ve hiked a more than a dozen times before. William and my vizsla puppy, Tüz, went running ahead, and we planned to meet back at my car at 2:30 p.m. I was listening to a book on my iPhone and was so engrossed I didn’t realize how much time had passed. When I noted the time, I realized I needed to quickly head back. I cut through the woods, off trail with my compass in hand to get back to the main trail that would take me back to my car.
After 20 minutes I still hadn’t found any trail. I thought I was in a totally unfamiliar area, didn’t recognize any surroundings and was among fallen trees, deep brush, and on a very steep slope. The light rain had turned heavier and it was becoming quite breezy. I was worried, I knew I couldn’t be very far from a trail, but I was scared enough with the changing conditions that I called 911 then quickly lost the connection, as cell service was iffy at best in the area. I called twice more and finally made contact with the Multnomah County Sheriff, as my call had been answered by Clackamas County Emergency. I explained that I was in Multnomah County.
After describing my location, I emailed and texted my exact coordinates from my GPS at 2:39 p.m. The sheriff assured me help was nearby telling me, “they had found my car, William, and Tüz, and that the whole world was coming to help find me.”
The most important thing I did after that emergency call was to stay put, a very important Mazama lesson. Search and Rescue had my exact location. I paced and did jumping jacks to stay warm. In another text the sheriff asked me how much battery time was left on my phone now; 25 percent, yikes, it was over 50 percent just a few minutes earlier. Once my situation hit the news, friends and family called, texted and sent Facebook messages. By 3:15 p.m. my phone was dead.
The breeze had blown into the famous Gorge gusts. Luckily, I was wearing the correct clothing and boots for the day. I had a waterproof jacket, pants and Gore-Tex lined hiking boots. I was also wearing a down sweater underneath. All that was fine for the first few hours, but now it was 4:30 p.m. and I was soaked, shivering and darkness was settling in. How long could my rescue take? Rescue had had my coordinates for over two hours.
I went into survival mode. I dug a hole for shelter next to a large downed tree with my gloved hands, filling it with leaves, small branches, pine needles and anything else my filthy, frozen hands could carry. I then attempted to build a cover made from larger branches to try to shield myself from the rain and wind until rescue arrived. For a few desperate brief moments I considered making a run for the trail in the remaining daylight. Had I done so, I fear there might have been a less fortunate ending to my adventure. It was odd to be alone in the ebony forest with only the sound of the wind and rain. I had no fear of being alone, I had passed survival training.
As I lay in my dugout in the pitch black, no moon powerful enough to shine through the awful inky, rainy, gloom, I realized I did not have my “10 Essentials” that should be taken on every hike. BCEP and the Mazamas had drilled into my head over the past year that those essentials should always be in my pack. Just a week earlier I was sitting on the summit of Mount St Helens with my larger backpack filled with these 10 Essentials. I didn’t think that it was necessary to repack my smaller pack for a few short hours of hiking, but then again, I hadn’t planned on getting lost either. Thus I had no headlamp, no extra clothing or waterproof matches, or any other useful tool that might help me remain safer and warmer until help arrived. All I had was my small daypack with a slowly decreasing amount of water and a lone protein bar.
Eventually I had to stop the jumping jacks and pacing, which had kept my muscles moving. The darkness and uneven terrain could prove treacherous. I lay down in fetal position in my wet, muddy hole to try and stay warm. I hugged the earth for warmth. My teeth were chattering so hard I had to put a cloth between my teeth and by now I also had a raging headache. After a while I realized I couldn’t move my curled legs or arms, they were both totally cramped. My mind was playing games, I didn’t know if I was awake or asleep. So this was hypothermia, I thought.
It had been five hours since I realized I had become lost and placed my 911 calls. Where was the cavalry? I thought something had gone wrong, perhaps the GPS coordinates had been incorrect, there had been a landslide, or worse a change in plan with daytime rescue. I needed to stay alive until morning so I could get myself out in the daylight. Then I had the realization that I might not make it. I was too cold to cry. I thought about my family and my friends. All the small stuff I wasted time and worry on. All the things I never did or said. I truly thought this would be where I died. By 7:40 p.m. I was so darn miserable but something inside me refused to give up. It took all my strength, balance and my huge pain threshold to stand up, as I knew I had to move if I were to stay alive. I jumped in place and screamed “I am not going to die here!”
In the distance I saw faint light. I remembered my GPS watch had a backlight. I flashed it as I jumped. I was screaming help and hello to no avail, as the storm was too loud, and flashing my light. A few minutes later the faint light came closer. I waved my light frantically and the rescuers waved theirs back. It took over 30 minutes for the five-man search and rescue team to reach me. I learned there were four teams that had started out at different points looking for me as well as a sheriff’s “quick response team” comprised of two runners who were out looking for me. It was the quick response team that found William and Tüz. They ran nearly 15 miles looking for me and as I later learned, they came within 1.5 city blocks of where I was calling for help.
My rescuers went into action, following the same protocols I had learned in Mountaineering First Aid. I was so relieved and grateful to this group who saved me. They carried the largest packs I’d ever seen. They offered me blankets, dry clothes, water, food, etc. I was too cold and shivering so hard I couldn’t fathom changing clothes; they persisted and then wrapped me in the blankets. They then had to study maps to figure the safest way out. We went through thick brush, fallen trees and down a steep slope and we still had to walk a few miles to one of the two vans that had made it to the fallen tree a mile from the start of the trail. One of the vans then got stuck in the mud, which added more than an additional hour to my evening.
I used the time to get to know this quality group of volunteers who had braved the elements to find me. Some were still in high school. I learned that they had to pay for their own gear and have made it a personal goal to support Portland Mountain Rescue with an annual donation.
William and I went back a few days later with the sun shining, a layer of fresh snow dusting the trail, and a GPS unit with my coordinates plugged in to see where I had gone wrong and “get back up on that horse right away.” I was fearful of going off trail again and didn’t want one scary incident to ruin my love of exploring.
It was bizarre to see the shelter I had built myself, and understand that I had done the right thing by staying put, as the terrain was steep with lots of fallen trees. I’ve learned to carry orange trail tape for when I want to explore new areas and mark turns, and I always bring my 10 Essentials. I have a set of those important, potentially life-saving items in every backpack I own. I never leave home without them.
How to make a backcountry 911 call
When reporting a wilderness emergency to 911, take a few minutes and gather some critical information before you make the call.
This tip was written with expert advice from Steve Rollins, a long time member of Portland Mountain Rescue
Write down key information BEFORE you make the call.
State your location first.
If your battery is low and/or you have a poor cell signal, texting key info to your trusted contacts might be better.
You, someone in your group, or someone you come across, has a serious injury in the backcountry.
You're fortunate enough to have cell phone service, or possibly can text with a satellite communication (satcom) device such as a Zoleo or Garmin InReach. (In this example we’re talking about using a phone primarily, but the pretty much same advice applies to using a satcom device. This article is also geared toward the United States; different countries of course have different emergency response systems.)
Note: Calling 911 is usually the first choice. If you’re using a satellite communication device that can only text, be aware that many 911 call centers, as of this writing in 2018, CANNOT receive text messages. If you have a satcom device that can only text, it's better to text your in-town emergency contact person, and have them forward the information to 911. But using a phone to directly call 911, if possible, is always the first choice.
As of July 2023. Source: Access SOS
However… if you have a weak battery and weak to minimal cell signal, sending a text to a trusted contact or 911 might be a better choice than a voice call. You might get lucky and 911 gets your text, but more likely your contact people will get it and transmit the information.
Before you grab your phone and dial 911 in a panic (or text your at-home emergency contact person), take a few deep breaths, get a pencil and paper, and write down some important information that Search and Rescue (SAR) will probably need. Note that 911 will probably not ask you for all of this information; you’ll need to volunteer some of it.
Keep a pencil stub and a few small sheets of tyvek paper, free from a cut up repurposed Priority Mail envelope, in your first aid kit for this very purpose.
If you have a few different people on your team, do a phone inventory before you make the call. See who has the strongest cell signal and battery level. Different cell phone carriers can have different signal strength in the mountains. You don’t have to use your own phone if a better battery and a stronger signal comes from someone else.
Be patient. The 911 operator is used to dealing with urban emergencies and may not initially understand that you are calling from the backcountry. They also are probably not familiar with things like UTM coordinates nor things like “I’m at the Hogsback on Mt Hood.” Be patient. Don’t get frustrated. They want to help you. Explain your situation, have them repeat back everything, and tell them to transmit the information to county SAR; more on that below.
One more tip - If you call 911, you are most likely going to initiate a rescue. Do not call 911 for a “We’re okay, but running late” type of call. That is a non-emergency, and should go to your contact person in town, not 911.
If your phone is cold or you have a weak signal, try to transmit the most critical information first. That's going to be 1) your location and a 2) description of the accident. If your phone cuts out in the middle of the call, hopefully you had time to share the important stuff first.
A boiled down way to think of it is this: Transmit the “where, who, what” information, ideally in that order. Where, general location, route, exact GPS coordinates if you have them. Who, your name and call back number. What, describe the accident, number of patients, and overall seriousness.
Tell the 911 operator, “I am calling from a wilderness location and I do NOT have a street address.” (This hopefully gives them a heads-up that this isn’t a standard urban 911 call.)
Tell the 911 operator, “I’m going to give you some information that you normally do not need or ask for. I want you to relay ALL of it to county Search and Rescue.” (911 call centers have a protocol for urban emergencies that they usually follow, and this gives them notification that they need to record more than usual.)
Exact location of the accident. If you're at a well-known spot like a trail head, campground, or climbing route, start with that. If not, provide GPS coordinates. Try to use latitude longitude decimal degree format. Example: 45.1234, -122.1234. Providing coordinates in another format, such as latitude longitude degrees, minutes, seconds or UTM, is acceptable, but many 911 call centers may not be familiar with this format, so use decimal degree format if possible to reduce the chance of error. (It’s easiest to transmit decimal degree coordinates by voice, because they don’t have tricky extra things like zones, eastings, northings, single quotes, double quotes, and degree symbols.) It's best to start off with your location. If your phone battery dies or drops cell coverage during the call, at least 911 knows where you are.
Side note: You should always know how to get your coordinates from your phone, here's a tip how to do this. Having a phone app designed to do this is a fine idea, like my favorite “My GPS Coordinates” for the iPhone.
If you’re giving UTM coordinates, tell the operator, “I'm going to give you coordinates of our current position. You may not be familiar with them, but write them down exactly as I say, repeat them back to me when I'm done, and pass them onto SAR.” Once SAR gets the coordinates, they will know what to do with them, no matter what format they are in. But if you have a choice, decimal degree format is better.
A verbal description of terrain, map location, or climbing route. “We are at the base of the Hogsback on Mt. Hood”. The 911 operator will probably not know what this means, but SAR will. Give this in addition to your GPS coordinates. If the coordinates get messed up somehow, the verbal description is a backup.
The caller’s name and phone number, and your call back number, or perhaps two. If it’s not your phone, write these number(s) down before you call.
List of injuries, most serious first.
Patient name, age and gender.
The time of the accident.
The local weather conditions.
Number of people in your group.
Your plan for treatment. Stay put and wait for help, or maybe start moving to a specific location. Generally, once SAR knows where you are, even if you’re mobile, they want you to stay put.
A request for what form of help you think you need, such as litter, sled or helicopter. Note that the decision for this is not yours to make, it's up to the SAR team. If you have a very serious injury and think you need a helicopter, you can make this known, but it's no guarantee you're going to get one.
What county you’re in, if known. SAR is typically coordinated by the county sheriff. If you make a 911 call from a wilderness location, depending on the cell towers you reach, the 911 call might go to a county that’s not the one you’re in. The operator may transfer you to the correct county, let them make this decision.
Patient’s emergency contact person and phone number.
Ask the 911 operator to REPEAT this information back to you.
More info . . .
Here's what will probably happen after you make the 911 call. The 911 call center will forward your information to the county sheriff search and rescue (SAR) coordinator. If you’re in a mountain environment, that SAR coordinator will probably contact the local mountain rescue team; hopefully there’s one in your area.
Either the SAR coordinator and/or the mountain rescue team may call or text you directly for additional information. After your initial 911 call, keep your phone warm in an inside pocket, available and charged. Don’t tie up your phone or use battery by texting or calling anyone else right after you make the initial call. SAR may want to know patient vital signs, weather conditions, altitude, wind direction and speed, and approximate snow conditions. This can dictate what equipment they need to bring and how to reach you most effectively. This may sound obvious, but if you get a call from a number you don't recognize, answer it! It may be SAR calling you.
Regarding battery life, a detailed text message uses a small amount of data compared to a voice message, and can transmit using a much weaker signal. If you have a weak cell signal, a text might make it out when a voice call will not. Compose a text to some trusted contacts. Don't use images or attachments. When you’ve composed your text, turn off airplane mode, hit send, and hope that your message gets out. Check after about five minutes to see if your text went out. If you didn't, moving to a higher location with less tree cover might help you get a better signal. Remember to turn airplane mode back on after you send it to save battery.
Consider monitoring your phone on the hour for 10 minutes to save phone battery; eg 11:00 to 11:10. (Hopefully you brought an auxiliary phone battery and a charging cable, the 11th essential.)
Avoid non-crucial texting and stay off social media. Sometimes easier said than done. There's been cases of someone trying to carefully conserve their phone battery, but turned their phone on and discovered loads of text messages and social media messages from concerned friends, which killed their battery. If you do get a pile of texts, try to not respond to them and save your battery for communication with rescue teams.
Giving your correct coordinates is extremely important. Write them down. Take time to get it right. Newer smartphones can access a greater number of satellites, such as the European Union and Russian satellite constellations, in addition to the United States satellites. This generally can give you a faster lock and more accurate position. This can become more important if you are in a deeper canyon or under heavy tree cover. So, if someone in your group has a newer phone, you might want to use theirs. Good news for climbers, being high up on the side of a mountain is going to give you about the best possible satellite reception. Again, try to give coordinates in latitude longitude, decimal degree format.
Be aware that a rescue can take a L O N G time. (At least that’s what it seems like when you’re waiting for one.) This is not the French Alps, when the Chamonix rescue helicopter can be on the scene in 20 minutes. There may be many people and resources that need to be mobilized. Sit tight and get comfortable, you're probably going to be there for a long time. So that means after you've stabilized your patient, you need to focus on making them and everyone else as warm and comfortable as possible. This may mean putting insulating pads, sleeping bags and warm clothing underneath the injured person, putting other clothing along their sides, and possibly wrapping them up mummy style in a tent or tarp, if you have one.
Faster rappelling with a group - fix each strand
Rappelling with a group , especially with newer climbers, can take a L O N G time. Here’s a Crafty Rope Trick (CRT) to cut that time almost in half.
Note - This post discusses techniques and methods used in vertical rope work. If you do them wrong, you could die. Always practice vertical rope techniques under the supervision of a qualified instructor, and ideally in a progression: from flat ground, to staircase, to vertical close to the ground before you ever try them in a real climbing situation.
Sometimes, a well moving climbing team can come to a screeching halt when making a rappel (or a few of them.) The logistics of setting up and completing a rap seems to gobble up the clock like no other part of climbing, especially if you have a group of newer climbers. Add to this approaching darkness or a building storm, and reasons to rap quickly can become even more pressing.
The next time you’re stuck in a crowd at a rap station, try this trick:
Feed the rope through the rap anchor as for a normal rap.
If the anchor has a single master point, clip a locking carabiner to the masterpoint. If the anchor is twin chains, clip a locking carabiner to each bolt hanger.
Tie a butterfly knot in each strand. Clip the butterfly loops to the carabiner(s).
You now have two fixed single lines, allowing one climber to rappel while another is rigging their rope. (I call this being in the "on deck circle" like in baseball.) The second person should be ready to rappel the moment the climber ahead of them is on the ground or at the next anchor.
This can really speed up your downward progress, because there's no downtime waiting for anyone to rig. Someone should be moving down the rope at all times.
The last climber unties the butterfly loops (which are used because they are fairly easy to untie even after being loaded), cleans the carabiner(s), and raps normally.
Note: Be sure that all climbers are comfortable rapping on a single strand of rope. If the rap rope is free hanging, and/or the rope is skinny or wet, climbers may descend faster than they are used to. If this happens, climbers can use various techniques for adding friction to a rappel - read about a few methods at this tip.
There are lots of different ways you can fix two strands of the rope. Here are two more.
The methods shown above are visually easy to check, and use knots and anchor components that are clear and obvious.
However, there are certainly a few other options.
You could tie a double strand bight knot, which effectively blocks both strands of the rope as well. Here's a double strand butterfly. (A figure 8 or an overhand would also work, but they are a bit harder to untie after being loaded.)
Another option is the Stone hitch. This is commonly used in canyoneering, not so much in climbing, but it is a rather simple and elegant way to isolate two strands of rope. Here's an entire article on this knot. Definitely practice this with a qualified instructor before you use it for real!
Another way to expedite a rappel - the “pre-rig” with an extension
Another approach to expediting a group rappel is to have everyone use an extended rappel, and do what's called a “pre-rig”. This means that everyone in your group has their rappel device on a shoulder length runner, and they are all attached to the rope at one time. By extending the rappel, the climbers waiting at the top will not be yanked around when the rope is under tension.
Doing this expedites the rappel, because the moment the first person gets to the ground or the next anchor and creates a little slack in the rope, the next person can immediately head down. This is the same idea as the fixed single strands Illustrated above, but allows each person to rap on double strands of rope, which gives a little more friction and is probably more comfortable for beginners. Having a pre-rig speeds up the entire process, because once again there should be someone moving down the rope pretty much constantly.
The number of people in your party, and the size of the ledge around the rappel anchor will dictate the method you use. Lots of people, and maybe a small stance? Use The “fix separate strands” method mentioned at the top. Small team, and perhaps a larger ledge around the anchor? Then use the pre-rig method described here.