Crevasse Rescue

In the past climbers would tie themselves together with a triple braded hemp rope. They were readily available and easy to buy for mountaineers of the time, but lacked many of the important abilities of ropes that facilitated safe mountain travel. Perhaps the largest shortcoming of this equipment was that in the event of a fall the rope could easily break under the load or be severed on sharp alpine ice or rock. This underperforming equipment was then paired with belay techniques that would be overtly “arcane” in modern times. Together this was the dyad that led to the birth of safe mountain travel. From this starting point the technology, equipment, and techniques improved to a modern-day resemblance. Whereas a fall into a crevasse in the 1800’s could easily be a death sentence for the climber, now it could be little more than an annoyance. Make no mistake though, falling into a crevasse can still be a large ordeal for even an experienced mountain guide. By arming yourself with knowledge of multiple rescue systems and the best equipment for extracting yourself or your companion out from the glacier you would help to play the odds in your favor and survive to climb another day.

Equipment for crevasse rescue: Like many outdoor topics you will receive opinions from many different people, there are a lot of ways to accomplish the same task. In this article I’m going to focus mainly on glacier routes that do not have any technical sections in order to climb. That means there should be no vertical ice or rock climbing to achieve the summit. These routes almost entirely exist of walking over snow, ice, and glaciated terrain where the only technical climbing equipment that is carried is for use in the event of a crevasse fall.  

-       Harness: Harnesses made for mountaineering don’t have a lot of bells and whistles, they usually feature two gear loops and that’s it. I like to use one that also has a belay loop to make it easier to clip in and out of the rope. My go to mountaineering harness is the Petzl Altitude.

-       Helmet: If you are in a position when you can hit you head or have a piece of the mountain fall off and hit your head then you want a helmet. I like using a light weight foam style climbing helmet that is big enough for me to fit a hat under. My go-to is the Petzl Sirocco.

-       Ice Axe: Used for arresting yourself if you fall, but more commonly used to catch a team mate that has fallen into the crevasse. I always have one axe with me on the glacier, and every team member should have one so they can assist in arresting a falling team mate. I like to use the Petzl Glacier Leteride.

-       Second ice tool (optional): On late season climbs it isn’t uncommon for me to be on a glacier with two ice axes. One is attached to the back of my pack for nearly the entire climb while the other stays in my hand as my “main axe.” The second tool is mostly for if I happen to fall into the crevasse and I have the ability to climb out. It additionally adds extra tools to the group for any number of other reasons. While my primary tool has an adze on the back, this secondary tool usually has a hammer so I can more easily place pickets. I go with the Petzl Gulley.

-       Rope: The rope you use will depend completely on your objective (mainly when it comes to your descent.) On a non- technical mountaineering route, the rope is used as a safety line between climbers and will only be truly used in the event of a crevasse fall. Since the forces on the rope are different from standard pitched climbing it is common to use a half-rated rope rather than a single rated. I use a rope at least 40m in length, and up to 60m depending on the objective and number of people in my team. I usually use the Sterling Duetto 8.4.  

-       Snow Pickets: I always have at least one picket with me when I’m on a glacier, early season I’ll make sure I have access to two since they are often the only options I have for anchors. If you have three people or more in your group, each person can carry one picket. I like using the SMC pro mid- clip pickets. 

-       Ice Screws: Early season on the glacier I only carry one screw with me, in the spring the glacier has a lot of snow on the surface which obscures the crevasses. This means that most of the time you’ll be placing a picket in case of a crevasse fall. If I’m the one who falls into the crevasse then I can usually place the ice screw into the wall of the crevasse to help ease the load on my companion holding me above. As the season progresses and the snow on the glacier melts away a lot more ice is exposed, I’ll often add another ice screw to my gear so I can build a full anchor out of two ice screws for crevasse rescue. Really late in the season, around September, you can find me on the glacier carrying as much as four! Petzl, Black Diamond, and Blue Ice are companies that all make great ultralight ice screws.    

-       Slings: I carry two lengths of slings with me on the glacier through the whole season, one double length (also known as a 120cm sling) and one triple length (180cm) sling. I use dyneema for both since it packs down smaller than nylon and doesn’t absorb as much water. I like the Blue Ice Mission slings.

-       6mm Cord: Cord is one of the things mountaineers carry around that has a million uses. Most often I use my cord to equalize the two snow pickets or ice screws together so I can have a bomber anchor to haul my partner up. I like the sterling 5.9 power cord; it comes in packages of 18’ so you don’t have to cut it!

-       Locking Carabiners: Along with cord and your rope, locking carabiners are some of the most versatile and useful tools in the mountains. I like to have three HMS style carabiners on my harness ready to go for anything. The CAMP Nitro is one of the best lockers on the market, but every company makes a version so pick your favorite!  

-       Non- locking Carabiners: Normal carabiners have a lot of uses in climbing systems. They help to link your anchor pieces together and attach other non- critical items together in your rescue haul. Furthermore, you’ll need them to hold all your other gear on your harness while climbing! Just about every climbing company makes a carabiner, I recommended buying small light weight ones, I like the Petzl Ange carabiners. 

-       Progress Capture Pulley: This item is essential when you need to haul your victim out of the crevasse. Never leave home without one! I like the Edelrid Spock.

-       1-2 Prussic Cords: Prussic cords are mainly used as a rappel backup if you need to lower yourself down into the crevasse to assist a wounded teammate, or as a rope grab for part of your hauling system. I personally only bring one and use a Petzl T- block as my rope grab for hauling, but having two with you is both cheaper and more versatile. I personally prefer using about a 45cm length of 6mm sterling brand cord.

-       Belay Device: Perfect for rappelling into the crevasse, or if you need to give a belay to a team mate to cross a spooky section of glacier. It also doubles as a backup progress capture hauling device. My personal favorite device on the market right now is the DMM pivot, but it is important to pair your device to the diameter of the rope you’re using! If I’m using a really small rope (about 7-8mm) then I’ll often opt for a device rated for thinner ropes like the Black Diamond ATC alpine.  

-       T-block (optional): Not a critical piece of equipment, it for sure makes your life easier during a rescue, and helps to make the system more efficient while hauling. The T-block is made by Petzl and at the time of publishing is the only device on the market that works for this purpose. 

-       Pulley (optional): I don’t bring a pulley out on the glacier with me all the time, but I have been known to bring it out when I’m planning to use specific rescue systems. By strategically placing a pully at the point of hauling, the rescuer can increase the efficiently of the entire system by as much as 30 percent!

A common selection of equipment I might use for glacier travel. Left to right top to bottom: Black Diamond ATC alpine guide, Edelrid Spock with CAMP photon locker, Grivel Clepsydra S, CAMP nitro lockers, 18ft of 6mm cord, Black Diamond quad (240cm) sling, SMC pulley, Sterling hollow block, Black Diamond double length (120cm) sling, Petzl Altitude harness. 

Other gear I carry with me on the glacier: Left to right: Two different types of snow pickets- on MSR picket and the other the SMC pro picket that is also a mid-clip. Petzl Ice ultralight screws a 21cm, 17cm, and two 13cm’s. The ice axe above is my main glacier axe with an adze. When the glacier is in late season conditions I also bring out the axe underneath as a second tool.

How long should the rope be?

This is the classic question for any rock climb, mountain climb, tree climb, or mixing it up in the bedroom. Put simply, I have two main criteria about how long my rope should be when on a glacier climb. How many people are going to be on my rope, and what my rescue system is. A bonus consideration is how long are rappels on your descent, but in the world of non- technical glacier climbing you are usually walking down the same glacier you climbed up. A good rule of thumb is to have at least 2 people on a rope team and no more than four folks. Any less and you wouldn’t have any protection from falling into a crevasse, and with more than four folks on your team it can be difficult to coordinate. Most of the time on simple glaciers I can use a 40-meter rope with two people, with three people I usually use a 50m, and with four I use a 60m. This usually gives me plenty of rope between all of the climbers while still having enough on the ends for a rescue. Of course, there are times when I’m climbing a more technical route or I’m on a bigger glacier so I’ll bring a longer rope like a 60m for just me and my partner. In the end you need to match your rope for the objective.

A small selection of ropes for glacier travel. Left to right: 40m 8.4mm Sterling Duetto – rated as a half and twin rope, 50m Mammut Sender alpine 8.7, and 60m Mammut Sender Alpine – both of the Mammut ropes are rated as single, half, and twin.

How far apart should I space my team?

            Often after folks as me the first question of how long the rope should be, they also ask about how far to space your teammates on the rope. This is entirely dependent on the terrain, and how big the glaciers are. Down in the lower 48, the glaciers are smaller than up in Canada, and they get even bigger the farther north you go. The larger the glacier, the larger the crevasses, and the more space you need between folks in your rope team. A good rule of thumb for the lower 48 is to take the number of people on your team and subtract that from ten. The result of that equation is how many arm lengths you measure in the rope to space your teammates. If you have four people on your team, then you put 6 arm lengths between all the people for a glacier in mainland America. Use that equation as a starting point, then add more into it when you move to the great north for your Denali trip!

Attaching yourself to the rope:

            I could write an entire separate article about why we attach ourselves to the rope the way we do. Climbing (like many other things) used to have much of its protocol based around “gut instincts.” Over the years the application of science has amended many practices to better allow climbers to stay safe in the mountains. The standard practice of the day is to tie some sort of knot (the three most common are the overhand on a bight, figure eight on a bight, or a butterfly- for the climber’s that are between other climbers and not on the end of the rope.) Clip these knots to your belay loop with either a locking carabiner and a non- locking carabiner, two locking carabiners, or a single fixed loop triple action belay locker. Examples of a fixed loop triple action belay locker include: the DMM Ceros Locksafe, Grivel Clepsydra or the Clepsydra S, and the Black Diamond GridLock Magnetron.

Three examples of knots to tie into the rope and acceptable ways to clip into the rope. Top: Figure 8 on a bight with one locking carabiner and one non-locking carabiner opposite and apposed – it is worth having two carabiners of roughly the same size. Middle: overhand on a bight with two locking carabiners opposite and apposed. Bottom: Butterfly knot with one triple action directional locking carabiner – Very specific setup but one that only requires one locker to be fully secure.

Middle: overhand on a bight with two locking carabiners opposite and apposed.

Bottom: Butterfly knot with one triple action directional locking carabiner – Very specific setup but one that only requires one locker to be fully secure.

Ascending out of a crevasse:

            Self-evacuation is the climber’s first line of defense after falling into a crevasse. If the climber is able to extract themselves out of the crevasse, then the rescue system is greatly simplified. It is for this reason why some mountaineers prefer to have prussic cords pre-rigged on the rope leading from their harnesses just in case they fall into a crevasse. I find this practice to be quite annoying, and in many cases to cause more problems than they solve. The chances of falling in a crevasse are too low to warrant a permanently rigged system, additionally the prussic loops get in the way of running protection and can get caught in your crampons when they inevitably come loose on the rope.

            Instead have your ascending gear ready to go on your harness, if needed it’s right there on your gear loop and you have an easy clean setup hanging on your harness all the way up and down the glacier.

            A simple way to ascend out of the crevasse is to use your two prussic loops to tie two prussic hitches around the rope above you. Then take your double sling and thread it through your belay loop and clip both of the ends to the prussic that is higher on the rope (the sling should be half its original length). Next take your triple length sling and attach it to the lower prussic loop, pass your foot through the other end of the triple sling. The lower prussic loop is now your foot strap and the upper prussic is your waist strap. Stand on the foot loop and slide the waste loop as high as you can get it, then sit on the waste strap and move your foot strap up until it’s just below the waste strap. Continue this process until you reach the top of the crevasse.

            If you’re like me and only carry one prussic loop there are other options: I personally prefer using my progress capture pulley as my waste prussic and my T- block as my foot prussic. Both the devices work well to ascend a rope and they’re more efficient than setting up the first method.      

Two examples of improvised ascending set ups for if you fall into a crevasse. Top: Two prussic hitches on the rope, top one is for the waste and bottom one is for the foot loop to set up in. Bottom: other option for ascending out of a crevasse using more modern tools, waste is attached to the lower piece which is usually your progress capture pulley. The top piece is usually the T-block and is used for the foot loop. Notice the foot loop in both pictures has a knot lower down. This is used to shorten the foot loop for smaller climbers.

Bottom: other option for ascending out of a crevasse using more modern tools, waste is attached to the lower piece which is usually your progress capture pulley. The top piece is usually the T-block and is used for the foot loop. Notice the foot loop in both pictures has a knot lower down. This is used to shorten the foot loop for smaller climbers.

3:1 Haul system:

            If the climber is injured or unconscious then it is time for the team on the surface to start hauling them out. The end goal is for the team to haul the climber out by using as little mechanical advantage as possible. As the team adds more advantage to the system, they add more time spent pulling rope through and re-setting the haul than actually making headway on hauling the climber up. For example, if a team were to use a 9:1 haul system, the team has to pull about 9 feet of rope for the climber to rise 1 foot. If you need to haul your climber up 10 feet, the team will have to pull 90 feet of rope! In addition, adding more mechanical advantage will add more force onto the anchor which may not be ideal. I’ve been able to pull a person out of a crevasse on my own with a 2:1 mechanical advantage before, and it was easily the fastest crevasse rescue I’ve ever done.

            A simple 3:1 haul is a perfect start to hauling a victim out of a crevasse, it’s easy to make, doesn’t take up too much rope, and you can easily add more equipment to increase the mechanical advantage if you need to.  

            Start with attaching your rope to the anchor using your progress capture pulley, one side will be going down to the victim in the crevasse, and the other side will go to the extra rescue rope on the surface. Take the extra rescue rope and string that parallel with the victim’s rope, attach either a prussic loop or your T- block to the victim’s strand on the surface and clip the extra rope to that with a carabiner. If you pull back towards your anchor, you now have a 3:1 mechanical advantage. 

Standard 3:1 haul set up. The victim is at the figure 8 knot at the bottom of the picture. The rope leading off screen on the top is where the rescuer is pulling.

6:1 Haul system:        

            If your 3:1 haul proves not quite enough to get your buddy out of the crevasse then it’s time to add a little more pulling power. Luckily by adding your 6mm cord into the system you can double your mechanical advantage!

            Start by tying two overhand knots in both ends of your cord, then clip one knot to your anchor masterpoint (the same place where you have your progress capture pulley.) Next tie a clove hitch onto the strand coming out of your 3:1 haul and clip a carabiner to it. Finally take the cord and string it through that carabiner and pull on the cord. This will create a 6:1 mechanical advantage which in 99% of cases will be more than enough to pull your friend out of the crevasse.

Standard 6:1 haul: The only addition to the 3:1 haul is the green cord attached to the same anchor point at the progress capture leading down to the clove hitch carabiner on the original pull strand. The victim is still at the figure 8 knot and the rescuer pulls on the cord instead of the rope.

Conclusion: Crevasse rescue is an essential skill to have for anyone traveling in the mountains. There are many different techniques and styles that play into a rescue and the true test of the mountain person is to have all the base skills dialed so they can use them to improvise around a situation in order to have the desired outcome while losing as little time as possible. This article touched on some basic aspects of crevasse rescue but is by no means an all-inclusive resource! The best thing to do is to take a class taught by a qualified professional to cover all the skills and possibilities of any situation, and to put those skills to use in a real-world environment. This article is to help lay down the foundation of understanding and to act as a supplement to a full crevasse rescue class.