My typical rack with ice gear, rock gear, draws and slings |
For sewn product I choose to carry a good amount of slings and quickdraws. Above you can see I keep two cordelettes and two 4 foot slings on me at all times for building anchors of slinging ice/rock. The quickdraws can vary from trip to trip (single pitch or multipitch), but you can see I carry a combination of screamers (Yates), sport draws and alpine draws. I would say anywhere from 10 to 14 draws of some kind will get the job done. For protection I carry a combination of rock gear and ice gear. I always bring at least 6 screws of varying lengths and of course a 22 cm screw for v-thread work. The rock gear is pretty much all Black Diamond with a few Metolius Master Cams thrown in. I carry at least a half rack of stoppers and camming units from .3-3. This changes as well based on the individual climbing objective, but the protection above is a general rack.
The last part of my climbing rack is comprised of necessities and are not an option to leave at home. I always carry a first aid kit for any minor issues. Anything serious is based solely on how fast you can get out of the backcountry. A headlamp, just in case, and a file for sharpening tools, rounds out the essentials.
Haglofs Savage jacket and Mammut Castor pant |
Overall that covers my general setup for ice and mixed climbing. You can always add pieces of gear for a backup, like a shelter, shovel or stove, but this covers any day of climbing in the backcountry where the weather isn't going to get to crazy and the commitment for the climbing is tame. I think this gives a good look at a typical setup and the reasons, benefits and drawbacks to each piece of gear. Feel free to throw in the comments what you think I left out. I know I probably missed a couple things that people will point out. As always you have to evaluate the situation and your own personal goals and then measure those against danger and overall exposure during the day. Climb safe and have fun.
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