In the rucksack: Alpine rock climbing at grades up to AD

In the camptocamp guidebook, the field describing gear specific to a particular route or tour is does not include the gear that is considered standard for the particular activity or type of route. You will find below a list of such usual gear for moderate snow, ice and mixed climbs.

The lists were established for:

• Routes that are in good condition.
• For people with adequate experience and expertise for the route’s level of difficulty.
• For people who follow French-alpine traditions. Other regions, within or beyond the Alps, might have other traditions and use other techniques or gear. Do not hesitate to improve this article by indicating how things are done elsewhere.

Usual gear

Individual

• Clothing, warm hat, gloves and gaiters
• Sun glasses, sun screen, individual first-aid kit, toilet paper.
• Headlamp with new or spare batteries
• Harness
• Crampons with anti-bott
• One classic ice-axe
• Helmet
• Knife
• 3 locking carabiners, 1 belay/abseiling device and 1 auto-blocking device if an abseil is planned
• Boots
• Rock climbing boots for comfort. It is often possible, and advisable, to keep to classic mountaineering boots.
• Food for the tour, water.

Collective

• 5 extendable quickdraws (15cm – 60cm)
• 5 120cm slings with 5 free carabiners
• 5 passive protection devices (nuts, hexentrics) of various sizes, and possible a selection of camming devices (Black Diamond Camalot sizes #1, #0.5 et #0.4).
• 5m of 7mm cord to set up (or re-rig) abseil anchors.
• Dynamic rope. The rope length, generally between 35 and 50m, and the type or rope (single or double) will depend on the route. Except when an abseil is planned, a 30m single rope is enough for most routes.
• Small collective first-aid kit, space blanket.
• Navigation: altimeter, compass, map, possibly a GPS.
• Tools for signalling you need help: radio, mobile phone, mirror, whistle, flare...
• Spare pair of sun glasses

If there is a glacier approach or snow, then all or part of the gear usually required for moderate snow, ice and mixed routes between F and PD+ might have to be taken. A small ice-tool / hammer (i.e. third hand models) can help usefully replace a proper ice-axe and act as a piton hammer.

Example of route-specific gear

• Length of the rope, possible need for an abseil. It is important to mention if you are referring to the length of the rope or the length of the abseil. If possible, indicate if the abseil is compulsory or optional. There is no point in systematically indicating 2×50 m double ropes when the longest abseil is much shorter.
• Specific rock protection devices, detailing the brands and models or, better still, the width of the corresponding cracks, in cm).
• Hammer and pitons. Detail which type (knifblade, lost arrow,...), number and how important they are (is it just in case or do climbers actually have to use pitons)? You can also indicate whether hard or soft metal pitons are most appropriate.