Glissade (climbing)
A glissade is a climbing technique mostly used in mountaineering and alpine climbing where a climber starts a controlled slide down a snow and/or ice slope to speed up their descent. Glissading is ideally done later in the day when the snow is softer.[1][2]
Most glissading is done in a seated position (and ideally with a water-proof durable surface on which to sit and slide),[3] with the legs bent to absorb shocks and bumps, and an ice axe held diagonally across the body to be in a position to perform a self-arrest if the glissade starts to get out of control.[1] Crampons are explicitly not used while glissading as they can cause serious injury.[1] Some climbers can glissade in a standing-up position (also called 'boot-skiing'),[2] which has a greater risk and is unfeasible for longer slides.[1]
As glissading is typically done on the descent of a climb when climbers are tired, it can lead to serious injuries.[4] Glissading with crampons is particularly dangerous and can lead to broken ankles, but tired climbers sometimes forget to take them off.[5] High-speed glissading is also not advised and can make any self-arrest more difficult and also dangerous (e.g. such as dislocated shoulders);[4] it can also result in uncontrolled falls onto more dangerous terrain, and has been known to set off avalanches under certain conditions.[6] Glissading near crevasses (e.g. a glacier or a bergshrund) is also very dangerous, and even more so when attempted as a rope team.[2][4]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Rossiter, Kel (18 May 2016). "Learn This: How to Glissade". Climbing. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
- ^ a b c Bloemsma, Katrina (2024). "Snow Travel Techniques for Mountaineering". REI. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ Gantenbein, Douglas (24 February 2022). "What pants won't shred when I'm glissading down icy slopes?". Outside. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
- ^ a b c Pierson, James (8 June 2015). "How To: Glissade Safely". The Mountaineers. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
- ^ "Fall on Snow - Glissading with Crampons". American Alpine Journal. 11 (69): 42. 2015. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
- ^ Rappold, R. Scott (8 April 2009). "Glissading is fast and fun, but it also can be a shortcut to the emergency room". The Gazette. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
Further reading
[edit]- Thomas, Mike; Chelton, Neil (2020). Glacier Travel and Crevasse Rescue. VDiff Climbing. ISBN 979-8641119205.
- The Mountaineers (2018). Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills (9th ed.). Quiller Publishing. ISBN 978-1846892622.
- Zawaski, Mike (2013). Snow Travel: Climbing, Hiking, and Crossing Over Snow. The Mountaineers. ISBN 978-1594857201.
External links
[edit]- Dangers of Glissading, American Alpine Institute (2015)
- VIDEO: Climber Proves He Doesn't Need Skis With Clever Glissading Hack Powder Magazine (2023)
- How to Glissade, BackPack Magazine (2016)
