Light & Fast Alpinism- Michigan Ice Fest 2018

Light and Fast Alpinism

Written by Alexander L. Kwapis Photos by Dennis Fiore and Alexander L. Kwapis

What I learned during my all day CAMP USA presented Light and Fast Alpinism clinic at the 2018 Michigan Ice Festival. The course was taught by seasoned athletes Nate Smith and Ben Erdmann. Normally CAMP USA presents this technical field clinic as a two day course but for the Michigan Ice Festival it was a one day compressed class.

Besides watching ice climbers the day before this class was truly my introduction into ice climbing. And thankfully it was described as a course for everyone from beginner mountaineers to experienced alpinists. As a backpacker that has drank more than his fair share of lightweight backpacking koolaid I was all for starting off my ice climbing career from the point of view of being as light and fast as possible. I liked how they equatited being fast to safety and being light to having more energy.

Bag Dissection

Bring Only What You Need

After everyone had all our gear we went around the room and got to know one another a bit. Then we jumped right into dissecting the contents of Nate’s backpack to better understand what you should and shouldn’t be carrying in your pack to the summit. I was totally aligned with Nate and Ben as they then went on to explain how everything should fit inside your pack. To have helmets and crampons or what have you hanging out of your pack is more than messy they can swing around and hit people or trees and cause hang-ups as you are trying to move quickly.

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First Aid for Light & Fast – Nate Smith is currently credentialed as an Aspirant Alpine & Ski Guide with aspirations of completing his full IFMGA in the future. At the time, he was partnered with Mountain Education & Development Alliance (MED Alliance) “We believe that outdoor recreation can provide some of the most meaningful educational experiences and that these opportunities should be made accessible to anyone who wishes to learn more. “ To read more – https://www.mountained.com/who-we-are

During this one day class, Nate discussed rescue practices and first aid as applied to Mountaineering.

He had a Three Day First Aid Guide Kit readily available.

More on this when we get his direct quotes.

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““On Belay!”, “Belay On!””

After the bag review we loaded into a transport van and headed out to Pictured Rocks National Park. The roads are seasonal up there so we then had to transfer to a six person Kawasaki Mule with snow tracks that also pulled a six person sled behind it. After a breezy forty five minute ride we made it to the trailhead for the Potato Patch. A cliff face that featured both a frozen waterfall fall column with a flowing waterfall at its core and a ice cliff face. This allowed us to experience a couple different types of ice and allowed for a protected ice cave to teach in.

Ben tossed down two ropes and we got to work. “On Belay!”, “Belay On!” rang out as our class of nine made quick work of the ice. Nate and Ben were there giving encouragement and lessons along the way as teachable moments presented themselves.

After a few climbs we got together and discussed different types of gear that can help you move quickly and safely up and down the mountain. Everything from the different types of carabiners and quickdraws to use and when to the merits of hydrophobic rope and different rope types and thicknesses depending on the climb you are doing. It was some eye opening stuff for an inexperienced climber, for sure. But, it seemed equally helpful for the more experienced ice climbers in the group including one gentlemen that has summited Everest. Just like with lightweight backpacking your entire kit has to work together. Carry complimentary gear and gear that is specific for the job at hand but also make sure you have gear that can serve multiple functions and then look for places to make substantial cuts in what you have.

“Light is Right”

Next we were on to learning about ice screws and the proper anchoring techniques using the ice screws. We also learned V thread anchors which just goes to show how strong ice is. If you want to see what I am talking about check out this video that demonstrates V thread anchors. After practicing placing ice screws while hanging off an ice axe I really had a new respect for ice climbers.

Later, Nate really hit home why the Light and Fast method makes such as difference. Imagine you are doing a a nine pitch climb and after you climb each pitch you fumble around for ten minutes with anchoring and ropes and who is climbing next and what have you. That’s an hour and a half of standing on ledges being unproductive. Now, imagine that you also waste ten minutes after each rapple as you move back down the mountain. That’s another ninety minutes. In total you spent three hours of your climb/repel standing around. Okay, now imagine if you can cut that ledge time as you move up and down to just five minutes. You just saved an hour and a half. This can be the difference between success and failure or at least the difference between repelling down in the dark if nothing else.

Then we packed it all up and headed back out to the four track and headed back to basecamp. The advantage I am sure with the two day course is way more hands on time putting into practice the things you have learn and also we didn’t so much get to the Fitness aspects of the normal two day CAMP USA Light and Fast Alpinism course. And I would be interested in learning more about preparation and planning so that I could better understand route logistics and wayfinding. I think I see another Light and Fast Alpinism class in my future. I got so much out of it I dont know why I wouldnt.

loading the Kawasaki four track and heading home

#alpinism #lightandfastalpinism #climbing #iceclimbing #lightweight