Glacier progression and roping techniques: what you need to know

A perfect knowledge of glacier progression techniques is essential for moving through this type of terrain. Due to the presence of crevasses, good equipment is required to enhance the experience. One of the most important aspects when hiking on glaciers is the roping, as this allows all the climbers to be united in order not to get lost and above all, not to make false steps. The guide is in charge of checking the terrain and pointing out to everyone where they should go.

Apart from this, in order to execute glacier progression techniques correctly, it is assumed that all climbers will carry crampons and at least one ice axe. These help the mountaineer to move more easily and above all, protect him from accidents. So if you don't have this equipment yet, go and get it as soon as possible.

Likewise, roping allows mountaineers to help themselves in case of an accident during the ascent or descent of mountains. So if you still have doubts about how to do a good roping, we invite you to take a look at the information below.

Glacier progression techniques and roping: factors to consider

• First of all, it should be kept in mind that 3 people are ideal for effective roping, because while one of them can do the belaying, the other partner could assist in the self-rescue. However, it is possible to rope safely with only two people.
• Secondly, there is the size and thickness of the rope, because from this you can get an idea of the strength of the rope and thus choose a number of people. In general, experts recommend getting a rope with a minimum length of 40 metres and a thickness of 9 millimetres to make the roping safer.
• Thirdly, it is necessary to have a good amount of extra equipment to help others in case of falls or accidents. The most important items here are carabiners and ropes for self-locking or the machard knot.

Glacier progression and roping techniques: how to rope properly

This process outlines what needs to be done to rope a 2-person team. At the end of this section, we will explain how to add a partner to the team. 

Divide the rope into 3 parts

To start, you need to take the rope, place it on the ground in a Z-shape, with a partner at each bend in the rope. These will be the stringing places.

Then you need to make sure that the rope has the same length at the ends and that it is a bit longer than the middle part. Then you can proceed to take the parts where curves are formed to start tying the knots and join the participants together.

Join the rope with a knot at 8

These should be 8 knots that will be attached to the carabiner on the ventral ring. Make sure that this carabiner has a safety catch; otherwise, you will have to use 2 counter-locking carabiners. 

Keep in mind that the distance between one person and another should be at least 12 metres, as participants will be able to move around more freely, and in case they are forced to join another participant there will be enough space to do so.

Make the self-locking knot

Next, you need to proceed to make the self-locking knots. For this you need to take a lanyard to make a machard knot and attach it to a second locking carabiner attached to the belay ring.

To tie this knot you will need a 50-70 centimetre long cord. The advantage of this knot is that the cord will be able to slide along the rope without any problems, but in the event of a fall, the pull will block the knot and it will not continue to slide along the rope. 

This knot will be very important in the event of a fall, as it will immediately meet the first knot that was tied for the belay ring. This will create the blockage so that the body is secured and the participants can more easily rescue their partner.

Coil up the leftover rope

Once the 2 partners have their autoblock and are attached to the rope, each can roll up the excess rope and carry it in the backpack or on a shoulder strap.

To coil the rope, hold part of the rope with one hand at your waist and, with your free hand, pass it behind your neck, then through your other hand and repeat the procedure until all the free rope is coiled. Finally, tie a knot so that the rope remains tightly coiled and can be used quickly in case of emergency.

If you decide to carry the rope on a shoulder strap, you should put it on after loading the backpack. 

What to do if there are 3 people in the team?

If the rope is a 2-person rope, the process is finished; if it is a 3-person rope, then it remains to add a partner to the rope. This third partner would be roped right in the middle of the roping rope. 

There are 2 options for adding an additional climber to the team:

• with the same roping rope, tie a 20-25 centimetre 8-knot and attach the free end of the knot to the carabiner of the new partner's belay ring.
• with a lanyard, tie a prusik knot. This knot is self-locking and the free part must be attached to the carabiner of the partner's ventral ring.

In both cases, the third partner can move without obstructing or tensioning the roping rope, giving the remaining climbers the rope necessary to overcome the obstacles ahead. 

Glacier progression techniques and roping: other factors to consider

• To begin with, make sure that when walking the rope has a certain tension, but not too much. Under no circumstances should the rope drag in the snow, but it should not have enough tension to hinder the movement of each team member.
• It is necessary to maintain a certain distance between the members of the team. If it consists of 2 people, then the distance between each person should be 10-15 metres; if it consists of 3 people, then it should be 10-12 metres.
• One of the essential glacier progression techniques is how to prepare for a crevasse jump. It is always necessary to negotiate this obstacle perpendicularly. This may mean moving the team laterally to be in the best position to negotiate this obstacle. The aim of this safety measure is that a partner has to exert as little force as possible if he or she needs to break the fall of the person crossing the crevasse.

How to rope: roping as a safety technique in mountaineering

Saber how to string The correct technique is one of the main and fundamental safety techniques for traverses on glaciers. Generally, glaciers are not terrain on which it is difficult to advance; the problem they present for climbers is that there are crevasses into which it is possible to fall.

The most compromising situation arises when a climber inadvertently breaks an ice bridge and falls through a crevasse. However, if the group has roped up correctly, then the companions will be able to carry out a rescue manoeuvre.

In this article we will present some fundamental notions for correct and safe stringing.

How to rope up: the basics for a 2-person roped team

When preparing a team, it is essential that the rope separating the two climbers is of adequate distance. This will depend on the type of terrain and crevasses. However, if the separation between the two climbers is too short and one of them falls into a crevasse, the other climber will also be pulled into the fall.

The important thing, however, is that the rope connecting the members of the team should be shorter than the spare rope. The reason for this is simple: if the partner fell into a crevasse and needs to be rescued, it is this spare rope that will be available for the rescue, by preparing a hoist to lift the fallen climber.

For progression on glacier terrain, several roping systems are available. However, regardless of the type of roping system used, the traction must be on the ventral ring knot, not on the shoulder or trunk.

The third fundamental factor when making a two-person rope is the tension level of the rope used. Generally, the rope should always be elevated so that it is not dragging on the snow and, if a partner falls into a crevasse, the rope tension limits the loss of level. This will also reduce the time and effort required to reinstate the fallen climber.

How to rope up: preparing for a glacier crossing

In the following, we will describe how each climber should attach to the rope used for roping. The first step is to make a figure-eight knot at one end of the rope and attach this knot to your harness with a locking carabiner.

There are only 2 precautions to be taken with this knot:

• Firstly, the opening of the knot should be completely reduced in size.
• The amount of excess rope should preferably be more than four fingers' length. This is necessary so that even if the rope is pulled violently, the knot will not come undone.

How to string: the self-locking knot

In preparation for a possible fall of our partner, it is necessary to attach the harness to the lanyard using a lanyard. The lanyard must be attached to the rope with a self-locking knot and to the harness with a locking carabiner.

This type of knot is an excellent safety tool for climbers, because if it receives a very strong pull, such as that produced by a fall, it will close suddenly. The recommended knot is a bi-directional Machard. This is said to be a bi-directional knot because when pulling in either direction, forward or backward, the knot can lock.

This line should always remain slack during our movements, so that we can later use it to transfer the load to it when rescuing a partner.

How to rope up: mountain roping techniques for 3-person ropes

Traverses that warrant the inclusion of a larger number of trained climbers are more likely to be safer and more stable for the survival of the team. Thus, a 3-person team is safer than a 2-person team because, if one climber falls into a crevasse, the second partner can be engaged in belaying and the third can assist in the rescue manoeuvre. This can be even more important if the fallen climber is unable to help because he has been knocked unconscious during the fall.

The general rules for this type of case are based on the distance separating one team member from another, which, in the case of a 3-person team, must be more than 10 metres apart.

In this case, some of the same principles outlined above apply:

• the distance between each member of the rope must not be too short in order to avoid dragging partners in the event of a fall
• the distance of spare rope at both ends must be greater than the distance between the climbers at the ends of the rope.

For a 3-person team, it is necessary to follow the same guidelines as for a 2-person team. The third member of the team then joins in at the centre of the rope. He is attached to the roping rope with a cord and a bidirectional pusik knot. In this way, he can move forward or backward without hindering the manoeuvres of the teammates at the ends of the rope.

Other precautions for roping and glacier crossings

• It is necessary to insist on the same point: whenever you are hiking on a mountain with snow or ice, you should always carry ice axes and crampons are essential equipment for safe climbing.
• Apart from the rope, the rope and the carabiners with which we will secure ourselves to the rope, it is necessary to carry ice screws, blockers and other carabiners. These additional materials may be needed for a rescue manoeuvre in the event of a teammate falling into a crevasse.