Glissade (climbing)
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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 surface on which to sit), 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.[3] Glissading with crampons is dangerous (e.g. can lead to broken ankles) but tired climbers sometimes forget to take them off.[4] High-speed glissading is also not advised and can make any self-arrest more difficult and also dangerous (e.g. can lead to dislocated shoulders).[3] 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][3]
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.
- ^ 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.
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)
