For your own safety, take training from a qualified instructor or certified guide.
Hikers, backpackers and climbers that reach higher elevations will eventually find themselves on snow and ice fields. This is particularly true in the Sierra Nevada, particularly in heavy snow years. Snow can cover loose scree, talus and bushes making travel easier.
However, slipping on snow or ice can be a hazard. Glissading, or sliding down a moderate slope while under control, is a wonderful way to loose major elevation in minutes. Remember, however, that soft snow can turn to ice, if a route goes into a shaded area, turning a fun glissade into an injury accident.
While this material applies to winter backcountry travel, the emphasis here is on snow slopes found in spring and summer.
Search and Rescue Team members have to deal with potential dangerous snow and ice in order to reach and help a victim.
Changing weather and changing temperatures during the day can change snow from hard to soft to ice during the day and as night approaches - resulting in extremely dangerous conditions.
Travel across a steep hard snow slope with a thousand feet of slope exposure, is like walking along the very edge of a cliff, with a thousand feet straight down. A climber falling down a snow slope is slowed only by the nominal friction of clothing and equipment, little different from falling straight off a cliff of like elevation. Hit a bump or catch a crampon and the hapless climber is tumbling or cart wheeling toward rocks, trees or flat terrain below. Broken bones and dislocations and death are likely. The climber and Rescue Team member must respect the hidden danger of easily climbed snow slopes.
The following material is intended to help you deal with these hazards. Proper training with experienced guides or Rescue Team leaders is important to YOUR safety.
Crossing Snowfields
Ice Axe Self Arrest
Not Everyone Agrees
When doing a Self Arrest, there is some debate on whether you should put your feet up or not. The concern -- as the guide in the video points out -- is that if you put your feet down and your crampon points catch, that you might flip head-over-heels. On the other hand, it might stop you more quickly.
There is some controversy about whether to use a leash on an ice axe or not. Even among professional guides in the same organization there are different opinions.
Many people like wrist-leashes because they limit the possibility of dropping the axe. There are two downsides to the constant use of a leash.
First, it adds time to a turn, because the axe must be on the uphill side of your body. Moving the wrist-leash from one hand to the other many hundreds of times throughout the day adds time to the clock. The solution to this is to use a long enough leash that it doesn't have to be moved from one hand to the other when the ice axe is switched.
Second, if you fall and lose control of the axe, it may become a liability. The last thing that you want in a fall is to be punctured by the axe.
Some people are very adamant about wanting to use a wrist-leash while climbing for fear of dropping the axe. But really, how common is it for a climber to drop an axe? Not common at all. An ice axe is like a mountaineer's weapon. How many soldiers in the heat of battle drop their weapons? While mountain climbing is definitely not as intense as a war, it can be a dangerous pursuit and most climbers are unlikely to drop the most important tool they carry.
Encountering snowfields in the midst of a Sierra spring or summer adds alpine flavor and adventure to any hiking trip. Snow can also add a bit of risk, however.
The first safety technique is "Don't Fall". Don't put yourself or your friends in a hazardous position. Go around the snow slope if possible. Watch out for changing snow conditions. Soft snow in the sun can turn to ice in a shaded area. Morning snow will likely be harder than afternoon snow that has been warmed and softened by the sun. A thin layer of snow can cover ice. Be prepared!
Kicking Steps: So, how do we get up and down snowfields? Heavy boots are all you need for your feet, if the snow is soft. Going uphill, kick a step into the slope, and immediately stand on the step. A swing of the leg is all it takes on soft snow; harder snow requires more of a kick.
Tip: This hurts in light hiking shoes. A step deep enough to accommodate the ball of your foot is about right.
Plunge-Stepping: Going downhill, try "plunge-stepping." Take aggressive strides downhill, allowing your full weight to come down on your heel with each step. You'll dig into the snow well enough to create a secure foothold. Try to be assertive with these strides; plunge-stepping can be a little scary, but if you hold back, you may strike a glancing blow with your heel and slip.
Mountaineering Basics: The Plunge Step
Cutting steps in snow and ice. If kicking steps in the snow doesn't work because the snow is too hard or is icy, cutting steps with your ice axe is the next alternative. Unless you are a trained ice climber, cutting steps should be limited to hard snow condition when you don't have crampons.
Using crampons. If the snow is really hard, crampons are the ticket. There are an increasing number of light, albeit light-duty, crampons available that are perfect for hiking. Avoid the little instep crampons that people use to walk on icy driveways.
Walking in crampons is easy and fun; just add a little "stomp" to your step, and try to drive all of the bottom points into the snow. Remember that if the snow becomes soft, you will actually be better off with bare boots.
If you are confronted by substantial snow at a pass or on a peak scramble, you can often time things to take advantage of the two techniques. Get a dawn start, and feel like Superman going uphill in your crampons; then, after you top out and the snow softens with the warming day, take 'em off and plunge step down.
If you are not prepared to do a snow crossing, take the time to traverse around the hazard, or seek a safe alternate route to your destination. Don't take any snow crossing lightly; a slide of 15 feet can cause serious injury. Signs of previous travel do not make the crossing safe.
So what do you do if you do fall. It's called an Ice Axe Self Arrest. While the video provides excellent instruction, you need to practice on low-angle slopes so that when you are on high-angle slopes it comes as second nature. Practice is best done with a knowledgeable experienced person or guide.
Start off by using your Ice Axe as a cane. Carry it on the up-hill side with the pick pointed into the slope. The cane position is the most stable walking position and it provides the most security. Hiking poles/ski poles are NOT suitable for doing a Self Arrest.
When you practice self-arrest, always wear a helmet and do not attach the leash of the axe to yourself. Always practice in a place where there is a good run-out. And be conservative in your practice of the head-first/stomach technique as this is a very easy one to get hurt practicing.
An ice axe is an essential safety tool for hiking and climbing over snow - winter or summer. With proper instruction, it is easy to learn the basics and serves as a foundation for all subsequent hiking and mountaineering skills.
If you're new to hiking and climbing over snow, the first thing you need to understand is the difference between a regular, or basic ice axe, and a technical ice axe. Technical ice axes are used almost exclusively for climbing high angle ice. They're much shorter than a regular ice axe, tend to have picks that are oriented at a much more acute angle, and are almost always used with leashes.
A basic ice axe is designed to be used as a balance and safety tool when walking up or descending steep snow slopes, as a self-arrest tool for stopping an expected fall and down slope slide, a brake when glissading (sliding downhill on your butt), and as a retrievable snow anchor when you need to rappel down a pitch but don't have a good natural feature to tie onto.
They differ from technical ice axes in the following ways: they are longer, may or may not be used with leashes, and have a much less acute angle between the pick and the axe handle. Another big difference between a regular ice axe and a technical ice axe is its strength rating. A basic rating, denoted by a capital B with a circle around it means that the axe meets specific CE and UIAA norms for strength and durability, suitable for a buried snow anchor or self-arrest. A technical rating, denoted by a capital T with a circle around it means that the axe meets higher strength standards, suitable for use in vertical ice climbing or anything the requires hanging and holding your weight. These rating are usually stamped into the handle or head of an axe. Avoid ice axes that do not meet CE and UIAA standards.
Learning how to properly use a ice axe, particularly for self-arrest, requires instruction and lots of practice. It's a basic skill for all over snow hiking and climbing but it is easy to learn the basics and steadily improve.
Remember, learning how to use an ice axe properly requires that you receive proper instruction, wear appropriate safety gear including a climbing helmet, and that you always practice with someone else to be safe.
Snow and Ice Anchors
Survival Lab: Make a Snow Anchor by Backpacker Magazine.
A stuff sack filled with snow was demonstrated to be the most reliable/strongest anchor.
Building a snow bollard