Mountain Climbing

Troop 60 > Activities > Climbing > Mountaineering > Mountaineering Skills

Mountaineering Skills

Warning: Mountain Climbing requires special training and gear and is inherently dangerous.

We have Skilled and Experienced Youth and Adult Climbers in our Troop. If a climb is considered, a good amount of training must be completed prior to a summit attempt and only a select few Scouts and Adults will be able to attend.

If you are considering a Climb, consider taking a climbing course and using a Guide Service for your big adventure.

Do NOT Attempt Mountain Climbing without properly Trained Instructors and Guides!

Basic Mountaineering Skills

There are a minimum set of basic skills that all participants MUST have prior to climbing. Climb Leaders need a more comprehensive set of skills and experience to lead a climb. The following is a set of resources to help aquint Scouts with various skills needed for climbing. This is NOT a replacement for training from a certified instructor.

Basic Rock Skills

Rope Management
- Climbing Knots & Techniques How to Remember Them | Ep.9 - Hard Is Easy
- How to Coil Climbing Rope - Outdoor Research
- How To Tie The Auto-Block, Prusik And Klemheist Friction Hitches - Outdoor Research
- Knots
  - Animated knots
  - Best Knots for Climbing—The 5 Knots Every Climber Should Know || REI - REI
  - How to Tie Climbing Knots, Hitches and Bends - REI
  - How to tie into the harness with Perfect Figure 8 knot every time - Hard Is Easy
  - How to Tie A Hand Shake Clove - Outdoor Research
Top Rope Belay
- How to Back Up a Beginner's Belay - Outdoor Research
- Rock Climbing: How to Belay - REI
- How to Belay - Top Rope | Ep.10 - Hard Is Easy
- AAC Universal Belay Standard
  - AAC Universal Belay Standard - Part 1 - American Alpine Club
  - AAC Universal Belay Standard Ep. 3 - Details Matter
Anchor Building
- How To Build A Quad Anchor - Outdoor Research
- How to Build Anchors for Climbing - REI
- How to equalize a two point anchor - UKClimbing
- Self-Equalizing Anchor - VIDEORACLES
Anchor Cleaning
- How to Clean Top Rope Anchors - Outdoor Research
- How to Clean Gear From a Trad Climbing Route - Outdoor Research
Rappelling
- Rock Climbing: How to Rappel - REI
- The Extended Rappel with an Autoblock - Seattle Mountaineers
  - How to Extended Rappel - Seattle Mountaineers Web Page
- AAC Know the Ropes: Rappelling -American Alpine Club
  - AAC Rappelling - AAC Webpage
Ability to comfortably climb 5.6 rock at a minimum

Basic Glacier Skills

Crampon use
- Choosing and Fitting Crampons | Episode 2 | MSC Alpine Snow Skills Series - NZ Mountain Safety Council
- Crampon Techniques | Episode 4 | MSC Alpine Snow Skills Series - NZ Mountain Safety Council
- How to Use Crampons - REI
- How to Choose Crampons - REI
- Crampon Care - REI
- How to Sharpen Crampons - REI
- Crampon Techniques - DShutt2012
Ice Axe use
- Ice axe arrest / self arrest - Glenmore Lodge
- How to Use an Ice Axe for Mountaineering - REI
- Walking with an Ice Axe | Episode 1 | MSC Alpine Snow Skills Series - NZ Mountain Safety Council
- How to Self Arrest | Episode 5 | MSC Alpine Snow Skills Series - NZ Mountain Safety Council
- How to Use an Ice Axe for Mountaineering - REI
- How to Choose an Ice Axe - REI
Efficient rope team management
- Snow Travel Techniques for Mountaineering - REI
- Glacier and Roped Travel for Mountaineering - REI
- Spacing
  - How to Rope Up for Glacier Travel - Outdoor Research
- Knots
Crevasse Rescue Techniques
- How to Ascend Climbing Rope - Outdoor Research
- How to Build a Snow Anchor - Outdoor Research
- Snow Anchors for Mountaineering - REI
- How To Build An Ice Anchor - Outdoor Research
- How to Transfer a Fallen Climber's Weight to a Snow Anchor for Crevasse Rescue - Outdoor Research
- How to Back Up a Snow Anchor for Crevasse Rescue - Outdoor Research
- Crevasse Rescue Skills - REI
Avalanche Training
- How to Identify Avalanche Terrain - Outdoor Research
- How to Choose Terrain to Reduce Avalanche Risk - Outdoor Research
- Reducing Risk: How to Recognize Avalanche Terrain - REI
- Avalanches, Part 2: Snow Tests - REI

Advanced techniques are great to learn, but for the most part will be performed by experienced Adult Leads when needed.

Advanced Rock Skills

Lead Climb Belay
Lead Climbing
- All climbers should have an understanding of this basic skill
- In Scouting America, lead climbing is conducted in Ventureers but NOT in Troops
- Lead climbs if needed must be performed by experienced adults
- Lead Climbing: How to Place Trad Gear - REI
How NOT to use a GriGri
- What happens if you Don't Hold the Rope with GriGri? -Hard Is Easy
- I had a Near Fatal Incident - GriGri Slipping -Hard Is Easy
- Coach Nearly Kills Pro Climber – GriGri Incident Analysis -Hard Is Easy
- The World's Worst Belayer - Bad belaying techniques - Petzl Sport
Belay Escape
- Climbing tips: ESCAPE BELAY! (Part 1: Tying off your belay device) - Obsession Climbing
- How to go Hands-free While Belaying - Outdoor Research
- How to tie off a belay plate - Steve Long
  - Tying off a belay device ("belay plate") on the spine of the carabiner
- Basic & Intermediate Outdoor Climbing: 14. How To Tie The Munter Hitch | Climbing Tech Tips - Climbing Tech Tips
  - Belay and tie-off with Munter
- Belay Escape - Rob Busack
  - Fully escaping a belay using the rope
Belay From Above
- How To Set Up A Top Managed Belay Site - Outdoor Research
- How To Belay from Above - Outdoor Research
- How to Belay From Above with a Grigri - Outdoor Research
- How to Belay with a Munter Hitch - Outdoor Research
Rappel
- How To Set Up A Rappel - Outdoor Research
- How To Throw Rappel Ropes - Outdoor Research
- How to Set Up a Tag Line for Rappelling - Outdoor Research
- How To Set Up A Rappel Extension - Outdoor Research
- How to Set Up a Simul-Rappel - Outdoor Research
- How to Set Up an Improvised Rappel - Outdoor Research
- Doug Robinson shows us How NOT 2 rappel - HowNOT2
Rope Management
- How to Coil and Carry a Rope to Avoid Triggering Rock Fall While Alpine Climbing - Outdoor Research
- How to Lap Coil Your Rope at the Anchor - Outdoor Research
- How to go Hands-free While Belaying - Outdoor Research
- How to Turn a Munter Hitch Into a Clove Hitch - Outdoor Research
Anchors
- How to Set Up a Top Rope Anchor on Two Bolts - Outdoor Research
- How To Build A Three Piece Anchor - Outdoor Research
- How To Build An Anchor With Two Slings And Three Pieces - Outdoor Research
- How to Place Cams - Outdoor Research
- How to Clean Top Rope Anchors - Outdoor Research
- How to Stick Clip the First Bolt - Outdoor Research
- How to Set Up an Anchor Using a Master Carabiner - Outdoor Research
- Gear
Rescue
- How To Raise A Climber From Above Using A 3:1 System - Outdoor Research
- How To Lower A Climber From A Loaded Auto-Locking Device - Outdoor Research

Advanced Glacier Skills

Crevasse Rescue
- How to Rappel Into and Ascend Out of a Crevasse - Outdoor Research
- How to Haul a Climber Out of a Crevasse - Outdoor Research
- Mountaineers:
  - Drawings of a Crevasse Rescue Set-Up - Deling Ren
  - Snow Anchors
  - Roping up Glacier
  - Anchor set up and transferring the Load to an Anchor
  - Backing up a Picket Anchor
  - Approaching and Preparing the Lip of the Crevasse
  - Crevasse Rescue: Rappel and Reascend
    - Note: different rope ascending technique
  - Crevasse Rescue: Hauling
    - Note: a Prusik can be used in place of a Micro Traxion