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Steps may, of course, be cut straight up a slope with more difficulty; this, however, subjects the belayer to the minor hazard of falling ice chips and the major hazard of a falling leader, who would probably sweep him out of his belay position. The leader may use tension when cutting down a slope; his reach will still be too limited for him to cut the steps excessively far apart. The devices to keep him from slipping—the ice ax, nail patterns, crampons, ice pitons, ropes, carabiners— have become rather highly developed. How to use these tools properly on steep ice and snow seems to have been an elusive problem and for a while the techniques in use were apt to be inadequately formulated even though used on actual climbs. In the Northwest where the glaciers are more readily accessible for the weekend practice session, belay experience has progressed to the point where choice of the best belay technique can be made and detailed with some degree of confidence. Mere discussion of these techniques is not enough; the climber who belays successfully on ice and snow is the one who has thoroughly practiced the use of the belaying tools and knows their limitations well. For a more detailed discussion of the techniques that |
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