One of the great dilemmas of alpine climbing is how to protect yourself and your party on steep snow slopes. On lower angle snow an experienced party usually decides to stay unroped and rely on the self- arrest for protection. This is a legitimate way of solving the problem. How steep a slope you and your partner(s) are willing to climb with just the self-arrest technique as protection will depend on your abilities with self-arrest and the snow conditions or hardness of the snow. Once you and/or your partner(s) begin to feel uncomfortable climbing unroped you need to decide how you will employ the rope.

For an unguided party there are only two basic options:

First, you can use the rope in much the same way we use ropes in rock and ice climbing. The party can rope up with the climbers tying into each end. One of the team members can anchor into some type of snow anchor (picket, buried ice axe, deadman, etc.) and the other climber leads up placing protection until he or she runs out of rope. How many protection placements, if any, the leader places between anchors will depend on the leader's comfort level. The leader then builds another anchor, brings his or her partner up, and the process is repeated. We'll call this standard 5th class technique

The second option is often referred to as simul-climbing. This system has the two climbers moving simultaneously with a section of rope between them. How far apart varies, but generally the climbers are 100 to 150 feet apart. The lead climber places snow anchors periodically as the team progresses. The second climber removes the anchors as he or she reaches them. How many anchors the leader places depends on the comfort level of the party, but at a minimum the leader should always have at least one anchor between the climbers. Simul-climbing should not be confused with another technique called shortroping. Shortroping is a guiding technique that requires guide training and is only appropriate when one climber is significantly more experienced and trained than another. The safety of the entire party is in the hands of just one climber and a small error in judgement by that climber can cause the party to fall the entire distance of the slope. Shortroping is an inappropriate technique for the average climbing party.

Before we can choose which method we are going to use we should look at the pros and cons of each system. In the standard 5th class system, time seems to be the biggest drawback, but the margin of safety seems high. Also, because you can use your ice axe as an anchor and protection will be cleaned every rope length, you do not need much in the way of equipment. Simul-climbing, on the other hand, is generally considered much faster, but because both climbers are moving, if either falls it will result in a leader fall. Usually, if the second falls while simul-climbing on steep snow the leader will be pulled down also. This means that if anyone in the party falls (not just the leader), a relatively high force will be placed on the protection anchors. Given the inherent low strength of most snow anchors, this is a very serious fall. The other problem with simul-climbing is the amount of gear needed. If a party is going to simul-climb any real distance on a steep snow slope it will need considerably more gear than a party that is pitching it out.

The goal then is to be able to climb with nearly the same security and reduced equipment of the standard 5th class system with the speed of simul-climbing. This will require a team approach where the strengths and weaknesses of the party members and the inherent strengths and weaknesses of the positions on the rope are all taken into account.

The pertinent individual skills that need to be assessed are; leading skills, self-arrest skills, anchor building skills, and the ability to climb with a pack. These all need to be considered when deciding who takes the lead and who follows. The leader will need to be a solid climber because should the leader fall, that fall will shock load the anchors or protection. The leader must also be capable of building snow anchors. This can be a time consuming and strenuous process in certain types of snow. The second doesn't need to have the climbing and anchor building skills of the leader, but should be able to climb quickly while carrying a sizeable pack. The consequences of a fall by the second should not be great and removal of snow anchors is much simpler and less work than placing them.

If we assume that the party will be carrying significant sized packs, we can use this team approach to shift the pack weight to the second(s), leaving the leader with a lighter pack. This will allow the leader to move with more confidence and therefore quicker. The leader will be able to work quickly in building anchors by being less encumbered by a large pack. The second(s) on the other hand will have heavier packs, but will feel more comfortable climbing because of the lowered consequences of a fall.

While climbing, the leader should be aware that the rope often provides minimal protection. Leading on snow usually involves long run outs because it is time consuming and awkward to place good snow protection. The climbing technique the leader uses will need to take this into account. If in fact the slope is too steep to self-arrest, then the leader should use his or her ice axe as protection prior to making a move. In soft snow this can be accomplished by plunging the shaft of the axe in then moving up. Realistically though, if the snow is that soft the falling hazard may not be significant unless the snow is very steep. On a harder snow surface the leader can begin using the pick of the axe as a dagger. By holding the adze of the axe in the palm of his or her hand, the pick can be stabbed into the slope at about chest level and the leader can then climb up, in effect mantling on the axe. As the snow gets steeper or harder the leader can begin to swing the axe into the slope. Eventually, two tools may be needed. When the leader uses two tools he or she can start by placing one axe and climbing as high on it as he or she is comfortable, then place the second axe and repeat. By using this technique the leader is climbing on only one tool at a time, but by alternating them the leader is never at a point when the pick of an axe is not in place. Remember, your axes are your anchors.

Thinking of the pick of the axe as protection may seem odd to some. In reality, it is no different than relying on the self-arrest. In the self-arrest the climber intends on imbedding the pick after he or she falls. As the slope becomes steeper, the only difference is that the leader places the pick in anticipation of a fall. When using your ice axe in this way a good wrist loop is essential. In effect, the wrist loop becomes your attachment to your protection.

When the second(s) climb they don't need to worry about the falling hazard because the rope system is very capable of stopping the fall of a second. The second(s) therefore can (and should) climb steeper slopes than the leader without swinging their axes. In essence, they end up walking up the slope with the appropriate cramponing technique using their axe as a cane. This increases their efficiency and makes it easier when climbing with a pack. Seconds should strive to move quickly as this is a key to the overall efficiency of the party with this technique of climbing snow slopes.

When dealing with more than one second there is no need for multiple ropes. A good technique is to tie one second into the end of the rope and place the other second about 20 feet up, clipped into a cow's tail. It is important that the lower climber does not climb up faster than the first second on the cow's tail. This would generate slack between the two followers that could create a significant shock load on the belay anchor.

With good climbing and leading skills, efficient anchor building skills, and an effective team approach, the standard 5th class method of snow climbing can provide more security than simul-climbing with only a small sacrifice in overall time.