Little Man, Big Hole
Crevasses are no fun. If you are in an area with lots of big, obvious cracks, then it is easy to justify roping up, but there are many times where you won’t see a crack for days and the hassle of traveling roped up (and it is a hassle) don’t seem worth it. Even if you do decide to go unroped, the graphic though of plunging into a big, black bottomless pit is enough to put a knot in your stomach as you are marching along.
It is kind of rare to see or hear of someone taking the full-monty plunge into a crevasse, but Steve Ogle from Nelson, BC was recently on a trip to the Drawin range where Dean Wagner took a 50′ ripper, complete with his massive sled. Being a videographer, Dean had the wherewithal to pull out his camera and shoot a short entertaining and educational video on why ropes (and partners) are good for crevasse falls. The video is down at the bottom of the post.
Dean Wagner goes for the full Monty crevasse plunge.
I’m glad everyone was alright!
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Category: Random
Just curious Andrew, what are your thoughts on using ski leashes in glacial terrain? It seems to me something that would suck more than falling into a crack would be falling in and losing a ski, then having to post hole back to the car…
I think leashes are an excellent idea. I use brakes most of the time (which wouldn’t help much in a crevasse fall) and also lock my toepieces out for touring (Dynafits), so there isn’t much chance of my ski coming off and going into a crevasse.
Two years ago, a friend fell into a crevasse and was saved by a single Dynafit toepiece!