Snow Travel: Skills for Climbing, Hiking, and Moving Over Snow

by Mike Zawaski

Overview

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* A must-have guide for those extending their hiking season during spring and fall months, looking for additional information on safe snow hiking
* Features 50 black & white photos and 15 illustrations
* An easy-to-use guide for safe travel over snow for all outdoor recreationists

Knowing how to travel on snow is an essential skill for many hikers, climbers, peak baggers, and skiers/snowboarders. Snow Travel: Skills for Climbing, Hiking, and Moving Across Snow (Mountaineers Outdoor Experts Series) is a comprehensive how-to book covering all the essential techniques for kicking steps, using crampons, and using an ice ax for going up, traversing, resting, and descending snow. Author Mike Zawaski, a longtime climber and instructor with the Colorado Outward Bound School brings a whole new level of detail to the art and skill of kicking steps and using your ice ax to help you travel safely and efficiently on snow.

You will find detailed descriptions of techniques not found together in other books including: climbing over a lip, the decision-making process, how to choose a route, snow hazards, putting on and removing skis on a steep slope, self-arresting with ski poles, and much more.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781594857218
Publisher:	Mountaineers Books, The
Publication date:	12/27/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
File size:	28 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

MIKE ZAWASKI has been climbing mountains for 20 years and has made ascents of snowy peaks in Alaska, Peru, Mexico, and on all types of snow across the United States. He has taught mountaineering courses for Outward Bound for over 15 years, worked in mountain rescue with Yosemite Search and Rescue, and taught for the Wilderness Medicine Institute of NOLS. An instructor of astronomy, geology, and outdoor education at Front Range Community College, Zawaski is also the founder of The Observant Naturalist, a science education nonprofit. He lives in Boulder, Colorado.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 9

Introduction 10

Environmental Considerations and the Leave No Trace (LNT) Ethic 12

Chapter 1 Gear

Dressing and Packing for Success 19

The Ice Ax 25

Crampons 31

Ski Poles and Trekking Poles 34

Avalanche Equipment 35

Chapter 2 Getting Started: Ascending

Slope Ratings and Difficulty Levels 40

The Fall Line 41

Daily and Seasonal Changes in the Snowpack 43

Climbing Techniques 50

Transition Zones 66

Energy Conservation and Routefinding Skills 67

Chapter 3 Using Your Ice Ax

Carrying Your Ice Ax 72

Using the Spike as a Point of Balance or Support 77

Techniques that Drive the Pick into the Snow for Balance or Support 85

Swinging Techniques 90

Cutting or Chopping Steps and Platforms 91

Climbing With Two Axes 96

Climbing Over a Lip 97

Chapter 4 Descending

Descending Over an Edge 102

Chopping Steps 104

Downhill Step Techniques 105

Crampons: Techniques for Descending 110

Glissading 114

Chapter 5 Self-Arresting

The Basics of Self-Arresting 123

Self-Arresting While Wearing Crampons 130

Self-Arresting While Wearing a Backpack 130

Self-Arresting Using Ski Poles 131

Chapter 6 Traversing, Resting, and Other Skills

Traversing 134

Resting 136

Other Skills 138

Planning Your Snow Climb 142

Communication on the Mountain 143

Additional Considerations for Skiers and Snowboarders 145

Chapter 7 Hazards and How to Avoid Them

Elephant Traps 160

Snow Gators 161

Avalanches 162

Cornices 166

Snowbridges over Creek Crossings 168

Rockfall 168

Crevasses 169

Whiteouts 171

Thunderstorms 171

Sunburn 172

Hypothermia 172

Frostbite 173

Trench Foot 173

Plan Your Day To Avoid Hazards 174

Appendix: Teaching a Snow Travel 101 Class 175

Glossary 179

Resources 183

Index 185