Jump to content

Alpine climbing

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alpinist on the Hinterstoisser traverse on the classic Eiger north face climbing route, the 1938 Heckmair Route (graded ED2, V−, A0, 60° snow).[1]

Alpine climbing (German: Alpinklettern) is a type of mountaineering that uses any of a broad range of advanced climbing techniques, including rock climbing, ice climbing, and/or mixed climbing, to summit typically large rock, ice, or snow covered climbing routes (e.g. multi-pitch or big wall climbs) in mountainous environments. While alpine climbing began in the European Alps, it is now used to refer to such climbing in any remote mountainous area, including in the Himalayas and Patagonia. The derived term alpine style refers to the fashion of alpine climbing to be in small lightly-equipped teams who carry all their equipment (e.g. no porters are used), and do all of the climbing themselves (e.g. no sherpas or reserve teams).

In addition to the specific risks of rock, ice, and mixed climbing, alpinists face a wide range of serious additional risks. This includes the risks of rockfalls (common with sheer rock faces in alpine environments), of avalanches (especially in couloirs), of seracs and crevasses, of violent storms hitting climbers on exposed mountain faces, of altitude effects (dehydration, edema, frostbite), of complex navigation and route finding, of long dangerous abseils, and of the difficulty of rescue and/or retreat due to the remoteness of the setting. Due to the large length of alpine routes, at times, alpinists need to move simultaneously to maintain speed (e.g. simul climbing or as rope teams), which brings another source of serious risk.

The first "golden age" of modern alpine-climbing was the first free ascents – in summer, in winter, and as solo – of the great north faces of the Alps by pioneers such as Walter Bonatti, Riccardo Cassin and Gaston Rebuffat. The subsequent era, which is still ongoing, focused on the equivalent ascents and enchainments, of the ice and snow-covered faces and ridges of major Himalayan peaks (e.g. the eight-thousanders, Latok, and The Ogre in Pakistan) and Patagonian peaks (e.g. Cerro Torre Group, Fitz Roy Group in South America) in "alpine style" by pioneers such as Hermann Buhl, Reinhold Messner and Doug Scott, and latterly by alpinists such as Ueli Steck, Mick Fowler, Paul Ramsden, and Marko Prezelj. The annual Piolets d'Or – the "Oscars of mountaineering" – are awarded for the year's best achievements in alpine climbing.

Description

[edit]
Moving together on Kuffner Ridge (D, UIAA V, French 4c), Mont Maudit.

Alpine climbing involves small unsupported teams tackling large multi-pitch (or big wall) climbing routes that can involve various combinations of rock climbing, ice climbing, and mixed climbing, in alpine-type mountain environments. Alpine routes are often long and require a full day of climbing, or even several days. Because of the length of the routes, and the danger of alpine environments (e.g. rockfall, avalanche, altitude, weather, etc.), alpine climbers (or "alpinists") typically try routes that are well within their technical rock, ice, and mixed climbing abilities.[2][3][4]

While parts of an alpine route will involve a lead climber tackling difficult rock, ice, or mixed sections while being belayed by a stationary second climber below, parts will involve both climbers moving simultaneously together as a rope team, particularly on large snow slopes or easier rock sections.[5] Simultaneous climbing (or simul climbing) is riskier but is necessary to ensure that the climbers can move quickly through what is often a very dangerous and exposed environment (e.g. rockfall on open ice fields), and complete the long alpine climbing routes in a reasonable timeframe.[2][5][4]

Alpine climbing can involve aid climbing, particularly if high up on a route, aid is needed to make progress and avoid a dangerous retreat.[5] It can also involve multiple and complex abseils, either on the descent or in a retreat from a route. Classic alpine climbing routes often take at least a full day of climbing which necessitates the early "alpine start" (and helps to avoid the afternoon rockfalls), and may need a bivouac.[5] It often involves traveling on glaciers and bergschrunds to get to and from the route (and in the dark for "alpine starts").[2][4]

Due to the greater complexity and risks of alpine climbing, alpinists need to be much more familiar with and confident in each team member's abilities and skill level.[5] Alpine climbing involves exercising judgment and decision-making to adapt to the constantly changing alpine weather and route conditions (e.g. changing snow and ice levels), and where good initial progress can quickly turn into a fight for the team's very survival (e.g. as chronicled during many famous alpine climbs of north-faces, such as in The White Spider that recounts the 1936 Eiger climbing disaster).[2][4]

Alpine style

[edit]
Ueli Steck making a rapid 'alpine style' one-day ascent of North Couloir Direct (VI, Al 6+, M8) a major alpine climbing route on Les Drus, which normally requires several days climbing.[6]

The derived term "alpine style" alludes to the fashion of alpine climbing to be in small fast-moving teams – or even as solo climbing – all of whom carry their own equipment (e.g. no porters), and do all of the climbing (e.g. no Sherpas or reserve teams laying down fixed ropes).[7] Alpine-style is the opposite of expedition style (which is sometimes also pejoratively called "siege style" climbing), and is often considered a "purer" form of climbing and mountaineering.[8][9][10]

Alpine style also means being lightly equipped; this can mean no supplementary oxygen, no major tenting or overnight equipment, and limited food and fuel supplies. It also means having minimal or no fixed ropes on the route (an important safety feature of expedition-style mountaineering).[8][11][10] While these attributes enable alpine climbers to move quickly and take advantage of good conditions and "weather windows", it also makes alpine climbing far more dangerous. In situations where the habitually unstable high-altitude weather turns, alpine climbers will not have the provisions to "sit-out" the storm, and will not have the fixed ropes in place to retreat safely and quickly; such forced retreats in poor conditions are dangerous.[8][10]

Types of routes

[edit]
Types of alpine climbing routes
Matterhorn Hörnli Ridge (1,220 m, AD III) of the Matterhorn
Grandes Jorasses North Face: Routes include couloirs, rock-pillars / buttresses, and open faces.
Eiger North Face: The original 1938 Heckmair Route (blue-line #2) contrasts with the 1966 Harlin Direttissima
Cerro Torre Compressor Route SE Ridge

Alpine climbing encompasses a broad range of climbing routes, not all of which reach the peak of the mountain. They are typically long multi-pitch routes with a mixture of rock, ice and/or snow surfaces. The most straightforward route to the peak is often the easiest and thus the busiest, is called the voie normale. These routes generally follow a ridge that rises at a less steeper angle then other options to the top (e.g., the Hörnli Ridge on the Matterhorn), or an easier angled slope that rises to a col that can then follow a summit-ridge to the top (e.g., the Boccalatte-Pointe Walker route on the Grandes Jorasses).[12]

After the first ascent, climbers will look to ascend via the main ridges and the main faces of the mountain. While face-routes are typically more severe due to their greater steepness, there are many notable ridge-routes that are equally serious undertakings due to their length and complexity (e.g., Everest's North East Ridge, Nanga Parbat's Mazeno Ridge or the Compressor Route on Cerro Torre's South East Ridge ). Climbers will also look to climb prominent features on the faces such as couloirs (e.g., the SuperCouloir), and ribs, spurs or pillars of rock (e.g., the Bonatti Pillar or the Walker Spur).[12][13]

In alpine climbing, north-face routes are often the most challenging as their northerly aspect means that that they are more ice-covered and avalanche prone all year round, and they are hit by more serious weather systems than the other faces (e.g, the famous 1938 Heckmair Route on the Eiger). The Great north faces of the Alps are considered major testpieces for alpine climbers. Major alpine climbing peaks will have many routes on all their faces, some following different crack systems or physical features, and others being harder technical refinements of earlier routes such as direttissimas.[14]

Equipment

[edit]
Czech alpinists Marek Holeček and Tomáš Petreček [cs] wearing their full gear, about to start their unsuccessful 2015 alpine-style ascent of the southwest face of Gasherbrum I

While alpine climbers are lightly equipped due to the fact that they must carry all of their equipment while climbing, the range of climbing equipment needed can be considerable due to the diverse range of climbing techniques required on major alpine routes, and the harsh conditions encountered.[15]

Risks

[edit]
Alpinist crossing a large snow field underneath a dangerous hanging serac, on the Grand Pilier d'Angle.
See also: List of mountaineering disasters by death toll

Alpinists face a number of additional risks to the risks of rock climbing, ice climbing, and mixed climbing, making it one of the most dangerous forms of climbing.[8] In 2019, Francis Sanzaro writing in the New York Times said of modern alpinism: "The routes are becoming more technically demanding, in more remote areas, and the method of "light and fast" — minimal gear, no fixed ropes, doing the route in a single push — is now regarded as the best style. These trends, and others, have made the sport of alpine climbing very, very dangerous".[17] In 2021, the New York Times called the Piolets d'Or, alpine climbing's most important award, "A Climbing Award That May Be a Winner's Last", due to the number of fatalities of past winners.[18]

Additional risks faced by alpinists to the risks of rock climbing, ice climbing, and mixed climbing, are:[19][13]

  • Rockfall. Alpine-type rock faces are in a perpetual state of erosion, which leads to periods of significant rockfall on various routes. The action of these rockfalls can be amplified by the couloirs that some alpine routes ascend. Climate change has increased this risk even further.[13][20][21]
The deadly White Spider ice field on the north face of the Eiger into which avalanches and rockfalls are funneled from several directions; alpine climbers move through it as quickly as possible.
  • Avalanche. Similarly to rockfall, alpinists face the risk of avalanches whose effects are also amplified by the couloirs some alpine routes ascend. In addition to encountering avalanches while on exposed alpine faces, they also encounter this risk when traveling to and from the routes. Alpinists such as David Lama, Jess Roskelley, Hansjörg Auer, and Marc-André Leclerc have been killed in such a fashion.[13]
  • Abseils. The completion of alpine climbs, or a retreat mid-route, can involve lengthy and complicated abseils for the descent.[13] Descending major routes can require more than 20 abseils, carried out by tired climbers and often in poor conditions. A failure of any of these abseils can be fatal. The famous 1978 retreat from Latok I required 85 abseils; in 1977, Doug Scott famously broke both legs abseiling down Ogre I, but survived.[8]
  • Altitude. Alpine climbing is done at higher altitudes, and modern alpine climbing in the Himalayas and Patagonia is done at very high altitudes, including in the death zone. As alpinists need to carry their equipment, supplementary oxygen is usually not employed. High altitude not only brings the specific medical risks of AMS and edema but also increases the effects of dehydration and fatigue, and thus can lead to poor decision making that can have fatal consequences.[13]
  • Weather. Alpinists attempt bold and exposed routes – often on the dark north faces of mountains – at high altitudes where the weather is unstable. They don't carry the equipment to "wait out" storms. Retreats by alpinists in violent storms can be more dangerous than the route itself. One of the most famous examples is the 1936 Eiger climbing disaster, with the infamous image of alpinist Toni Kurz hanging from his frozen rope, unable to rescue himself.[13]
  • Glaciers and cornices. Alpinists usually need to travel over glaciers in getting to and from their routes, and can also encounter hanging glaciers on routes. Glaciers bring the risks of crevasses (including bergschrunds at the base of routes), and of large falling seracs, which is amplified by the need to travel on glaciers in the dark (an "Alpine start") to complete routes before the sun increases the risks of rockfall and avalanche. Many alpinists have been killed falling through cornices, including one of the most notable alpinists, Hermann Buhl.[13]
  • Navigation. Alpine routes are typically long and can follow complex paths through large mountain ridges and faces. A mistake in navigation or route finding, which can be exacerbated by poor weather, the effects of altitude, or the need to travel in the dark, can lead the climbers into situations that are fatal. It is not uncommon for alpinists to "go missing" on large routes; notable examples were the fatalities of Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker.[13]
  • Remoteness. Alpine climbs are in remote settings. Even in the European Alps, alpine climbers that get into difficulty can wait long periods before rescue is available or possible. Alpine climbers in the Himalayas and in Patagonia may take significantly longer periods to rescue, and for advanced and dangerous routes, rescue may simply not be possible without endangering the rescuers. In many cases, self rescue is the only option.[13]

Grading

[edit]
Cosmiques Ridge (AD, French 4c UIAA V, 300-metre), Aiguille du Midi.
Chéré Couloir (D+, Ice WI4, Mix M3, 400-metre), Triangle du Tacul.

Due to the complexity of routes in alpine climbing, the "overall" grade denotes the general level of seriousness of the route to which is added additional specific grade(s) for any rock climbing (usually the French, American, or UIAA grades for free climbing, and the A-grade for aid climbing), ice climbing (the WI-grade), and mixed climbing (the M-grade) involved. In addition, alpine grades will quote the inclination of the main snow slopes encountered (e.g. 50–60 degrees), as these are often not graded ice climbs, but contribute significantly to the overall risk.[22]

The most widely used "overall" grades are the acronyms of the UIAA Scale of Overall Difficulty, also known as the International French Adjectival System (IFAS).[23] The UIAA warns against aligning their acronyms with equivalent rock and ice climbing grades, as the objective dangers can vary dramatically on routes with similar rock and ice climbing grades. For example, the famous 1,800-metre Eiger North Face 1938 Heckmair Route is graded ED2 even though the rock climbing is graded UIAA V− and the ice climbing is only at 60 degrees (i.e. both typically a D grade), due to the exceptional length and danger of the route.[23] In spite of this, attempts have been made to ascribe a "typical" range of rock and ice climbing grades for to each acronym:[22][24][25]

  • F: facile (easy). Beginner climbing, possibly a glacial approach, with snow at an easy angle; little real rock or ice climbing, some scrambling.[22][25]
  • PD: peu difficile (slightly difficult). Novice alpine climbing. PD-/PD/PD+ routes have snow slopes up to 45 degrees, glaciers but no real ice climbing, can have easy rock climbing at grades 3a  III to 3c  IV.[22][25]
  • AD: assez difficile (fairly difficult). Intermediate alpine climbing with long pitches of fully roped climbing. AD-/AD/AD+ routes have sustained snow and ice at an angle of 45–65 degrees, with ice climbing at grade WI3, and rock climbing at grades 4a (5.4) IV+ to 4c (5.6) V.[22][25]
  • D: difficile (difficult). Hard and serious routes even for experienced climbers, can be long or short. D-/D/D+ routes have sustained snow and ice at an angle of 50–70 degrees, with ice climbing at grade WI4, and rock climbing at grades 5a (5.7) V+ to 5c (5.9) VI.[22][25]
  • TD: très difficile (very difficult). These routes are serious undertakings with high levels of objective danger. TD-/TD/TD+ routes have sustained snow and ice at an angle of 65–80 degrees, with ice climbing at grades WI5 to WI6, and rock climbing at grades 6a (5.10a) VI+ to 6c (5.11a/b) VII+.[22][25]
  • ED1/2/3/4... : extrêmement difficile (extremely difficult). Extremely hard, exceptional objective danger, vertical ice slopes with ice climbing at grades above WI6, and rock climbing at grades above 6c (5.11a/b) VII+; retreats may be extremely difficult in poor weather.[22][25]

Note: A "+" (pronounced Sup for supérieur) or a "−" (pronounced Inf for inférieur) is placed after the acronym to indicate if a climb is at the lower or upper end of that grade (e.g., a climb slightly harder than "PD+" might be "AD−").[23] The term ABO for abominable is explicitly not recognized by the UIAA.[23]

Milestones

[edit]
See also: List of grade milestones in rock climbing § Multi-pitch routes

The following are the most notable milestones in alpine climbing (and latterly, alpine-style climbing as applied worldwide):[12][26]

European Alps

[edit]
See also: Timeline of climbing the Eiger
  • 1938. A team led by Anderl Heckmair completed the greatest prize in European alpine climbing, the first ascent of the north face of the Eiger. Even today, the 1938 Route (as it is known), carries a grade of ED2, due to its extreme danger beyond its technical grades of V A0 60-degree slopes.
  • 1938–1949. Gaston Rébuffat became the first alpinist to complete the six great north faces of the Alps.[27]
  • 1955. Walter Bonatti completed a 5-day solo of a new route on the southwest face of the Petit Dru, which became known as the Bonatti Pillar, one of the hardest feats of alpine climbing at the time; much of the pillar fell off in 2005 and the route no longer exists.[28]
  • 1977–1978. Ivano Ghirardini became the first alpinist to climb the "Trilogy" in winter, and solo; Catherine Destivelle was the first female to complete the solo winter Trilogy in 1992–1994.[29]

High Mountains in Asia (Himalayas, Karakoram, Hindu Kush, Pamir)

[edit]

Patagonia

[edit]

In film

[edit]

A number of notable climbing films have been made about alpine climbing (and alpine climbing routes), including:[36]

See also

[edit]
Wikimedia Commons logo
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alpine climbing.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Eiger speed record by Dani Arnold". PlanetMountain. 24 April 2011. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d Buhay, Corey (19 September 2022). "Want to Get into Alpine Climbing? Here's How to Get Started". Climbing. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  3. ^ Cosley, Kathy; Houston, Mark (2004). "5. Alpine Rock: Movement Skills and Protective Systems". Alpine Climbing: Techniques to Take You Higher. The Mountaineers Books. pp. 139–175. ISBN 978-0898867497.
  4. ^ a b c d Cosley, Kathy; Houston, Mark (2004). "6. Snow and Ice: Protective Systems on Snow". Alpine Climbing: Techniques to Take You Higher. The Mountaineers Books. pp. 219–232. ISBN 978-0898867497.
  5. ^ a b c d e Ellison, Julie (4 July 2022). "Go From Crag to Alpine Climbing With These 8 Tips". Climbing. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  6. ^ "Ueli Steck, Mathieu Maynadier and Jérôme Para in Les Drus North Couloir Direct". PlanetMountain. 28 March 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  7. ^ "Alpine-style". Collins English Dictionary. Retrieved 5 May 2023. Definition of 'alpine style': In Mountaineering, of or in an ascent (esp in high mountains like the Himalayas) in which the climbers carry all their equipment with them in a single ascent from base to summit.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h Holsten, Jens (16 August 2016). "State of the Heart: The Evolution of Alpinism". Climbing. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  9. ^ Gogorza, Óscar (17 January 2023). "Two climbers attempt first winter ascent of an eight-thousander in pure alpine style". El País. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  10. ^ a b c "The New Alpinists". Outside. 1 October 2000. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  11. ^ "Alpine style". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  12. ^ a b c Royal Geographical Society; The Alpine Club (3 October 2011). "3. The Golden Age of Alpinism". Mountaineers: Great Tales of Bravery and Conquest. DK. pp. 112–177. ISBN 978-1405365598. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Cosley, Kathy; Houston, Mark (2004). "The Making of an Alpinist". Alpine Climbing: Techniques to Take You Higher. The Mountaineers Books. pp. 15–31. ISBN 978-0898867497.
  14. ^ Davis, Luke (24 February 2024). "The Six Classic North Faces Of The Alps Article". UKClimbing. Retrieved 2 May 2026.
  15. ^ a b c d Cosley, Kathy; Houston, Mark (2004). "3. Preparatio and Equipment: Equipment". Alpine Climbing: Techniques to Take You Higher. The Mountaineers Books. pp. 89-107-232. ISBN 978-0898867497.
  16. ^ Middelton, Daniel (20 June 2014). "Tech skills: gear for alpine rock". British Mountaineering Council. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  17. ^ Sanzaro, Francis (17 April 2019). "Are Mountain Climbers Selfish?". New York Times. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  18. ^ Levy, Michael (2021-11-29). "A Climbing Award That May Be a Winner's Last". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
  19. ^ House, Steve (24 May 2019). "The Principles of Alpine Climbing / Mountain safety with Steve House". PlanetMountain. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  20. ^ O'Neill, Devon (5 February 2016). "How Climate Change Is Making Mountaineering and Alpinism More Dangerous". Outside. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  21. ^ "Opinion: Climbers Are Dying in Patagonia and It Seems Different Than Before". Gripped Magazine. 26 January 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g h "Grade Conversions: Alpine Grading System". Rockfax Publishing. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  23. ^ a b c d Mandelli, Gabriele; Angriman, A (2016). Scales of Difficulty in Mountaineering. Central School of Mountaineering, Italy. S2CID 53358088.
  24. ^ "International Grade Comparison Chart". American Alpine Journal. 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  25. ^ a b c d e f g "Alpine Grading". International School of Mountaineering. 1 February 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  26. ^ Royal Geographical Society; The Alpine Club (3 October 2011). "6. The Age of Extremes". Mountaineers: Great Tales of Bravery and Conquest. DK. pp. 326–346. ISBN 978-1405365598. Retrieved 3 May 2026.
  27. ^ Rébuffat, Gaston (1999). Starlight and Storm: The Conquest of the Great North Faces of the Alps. New York: Modern Library. ISBN 0-375-75506-3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  28. ^ Potts, Mary Ann (16 September 2011). "Remembering Italian Mountaineer Walter Bonatti, 1930-2011". National Geographic. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
  29. ^ Destivelle, Catherine (2003). "L'Eiger en solitaire et en hiver". Ascensions. Arthaud. p. 181. ISBN 2-7003-9594-8.
  30. ^ Turnbull, Ronald (7 May 2022). "Mountain Literature Classics: The Shining Mountain". UKClimbing. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  31. ^ "Piolets d'Or 2016: Wojciech Kurtyka to receive Piolet d'Or Carrière and the 'big list' of elite alpinism". PlanetMountain. February 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2026. His first ascent of the West Face of Gasherbrum IV (or the 'Shining Wall') in 1985 is considered by purists to be the most remarkable alpine-style ascent of the 20th century
  32. ^ Griffin, Lindsay (2014). "The 2014 Piolets d'Or" (PDF). Alpine Journal. 118. The Alpine Club: 397–399. ISBN 9780956930934. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  33. ^ Douglas, Ed (17 May 2017). "Ueli Steck obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  34. ^ Franz, Derek (15 February 2021). "Interview with Sean Villanueva O'Driscoll about his solo traverse of Patagonia's Fitz Roy massif (the Moonwalk Traverse)". Alpinist. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  35. ^ "The Greatest Alpine Climb Ever Done?". Gripped Magazine. 21 February 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  36. ^ Bisharat, Andrew (6 September 2022). "The 20 Best Climbing Films of All Time". Outside. Retrieved 28 September 2023.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Cosley, Kathy; Houston, Mark (2004). Alpine Climbing: Techniques to Take You Higher. Mountaineers Books. ISBN 978-0898867497.
  • Goodlad, Bruce (2011). Alpine Mountaineering: Essential Knowledge for Budding Alpinists. Pesda Press. ISBN 978-1906095307.
  • House, Steve (2014). Training for the New Alpinism: A Manual for the Climber as Athlete. Patagonia. ISBN 978-1938340239.
  • Twight, Mark; Martin, James (1999). Extreme alpinism: climbing light, fast & high (1. ed.). Seattle, Wash: Mountaineers. ISBN 0898866545.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alpine_climbing&oldid=1353215613"