Traverse (climbing)

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Alpinist crossing the famous Hinterstoisser traverse on the Eiger north face, 1938 Heckmair Route Hinterstoisserquergang.JPG
Alpinist crossing the famous Hinterstoisser traverse on the Eiger north face, 1938 Heckmair Route

In climbing and mountaineering, a traverse is a section of a climbing route where the climber moves laterally (or horizontally), as opposed to in an upward direction. The term has broad application, and its use can range from describing a brief section of lateral movement on a pitch of a climbing route, to large multi-pitch climbing routes that almost entirely consist of lateral movement such as girdle traverses that span the entire rock face of a crag, to mountain traverses that span entire ridges connecting chains of mountain peaks.

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Long traverses in rock climbing and alpine climbing may require additional climbing techniques (e.g. a pendulum or a tension traverse), and pieces of climbing equipment (e.g. ascenders) to manage the risks of the lead climber and/or the following climber falling far off the main route. Long traverses also place increased pressure on the abilities of the following climber than in a normal climb. Traversing is an even more regular feature in bouldering and is also a popular rock climbing training technique on indoor climbing walls.

Notable traverses include the 4,500-metre El Capitan Girdle Traverse on El Capitan, the world's longest rock climbing route, [lower-alpha 1] the Hinterstoisser traverse on the Eiger, which was the key to the famous 1938 Heckmair Route , and the Fitz Roy traverses (both directions) of the Cerro Chaltén Group, which are considered some of the hardest 'mountain traverses' ever completed. Climbers consider the 'Everest-Lhotse traverse', and the even harder 'Everest-Lhotse-Nuptse traverse', as some of the unfinished "holy grails" of mountaineering.

In rock climbing

The 'following climber' negotiates a traverse section on El Capitan. Peter Stocker in Yosemite.jpg
The 'following climber' negotiates a traverse section on El Capitan.

Some rock climbing routes have traverse sections that move horizontally for a period. There are many reasons for this including avoiding or side-stepping challenges whose grade is too hard (e.g. a major roof or a very 'blank' section of rock), or trying to follow a crack climbing route where a set of cracks run out and the climbers must move horizontally for a period to find the next set of cracks to continue upward. The term 'direttissima' (or 'direct') is used for refinements of climbing routes that dispense with traverses and rise vertically upward in the straightest possible line from the ground to the top. [1]

Traversing uses specific climbing techniques such as 'crimping', 'side-pulls', 'laybacking', 'stemming', and 'cross-throughs' (the limbs are crossed so the moves are longer and fluid). [1] [2] On some big wall climbing traverses, such as King Swing on The Nose on El Capitan, the traverse cannot be climbed and is instead crossed using a 'pendulum' or 'tension traverse' rope technique. [3] Traversing also requires the following climber to have stronger technical abilities than they would normally need on a non-traverse route where the following climber is essentially top roped when belayed by the lead climber. [4] [5]

Long traverses require specific pieces of equipment and protection to handle the resulting 'pendulum falls' where a fallen climber (both the lead and following climber) can end up so far off-route that climbing back up is impossible and they will have to jumar back up to the route using ascenders. In addition, the lead climber will place strong protection both before and after a difficult (or crux) move on a traverse to allow the following climber to remove the first piece of protection before making the difficult move while still having protection against a more significant 'pendulum fall' from the protection that was placed just after the move. [4] [6]

Routes with traverses can be found at most climbing areas and some are famous for their 'girdle traverse', which are very long traverse routes that horizontally span the entire rock climbing area or crag. [7] Notable girdle traverses include The Great Wall of China (3,000 metres, 67-pitches, 5.9 R) on the Shawangunks in New York State, the Stanage Traverse (circa 5,000 metres but broken up in places, E5 6b) at Stanage Edge in England, and as of 2024, the world's largest continuous climbing pitch, [lower-alpha 1] [9] the El Capitan Girdle Traverse (4,500 metres, 75-pitches, 5.10 A4) on El Capitan in Yosemite. [10] [11]

In bouldering

Climber on Rave Heart traverse of The Wheel of Life 8C (V15) boulder Bouldering Hollow Mountain Cave 3.jpg
Climber on Rave Heart traverse of The Wheel of Life 8C  (V15) boulder

Traversing is an even more regular feature of bouldering, where there is less focus on moving exclusively upwards and many bouldering routes will involve a quasi-traverse of diagonal upward movements (e.g. Dreamtime ), or at the more extreme end, traverses across a low roof (e.g. The Wheel of Life ). [11] Long boulder traverses have been described as a "distinct sub-discipline in climbing", [11] and in the famous Fontainebleau bouldering area, specific amendments are made to the Font grade to allow for the increased stamina requirements of traverses (e.g. while a bouldering Font 9A is equivalent to an American V grade of V17, a long boulder traverse of 9A may only have the technical challenge of an American V13 grade). [11]

In mountaineering

Traverses on alpine climbing routes
Tamaras traverse.JPG
Climber on the "Tamaras traverse" of the Bibler-Klewin route (the "Moonflower" buttress) at Grade ED3, on Mount Hunter, Alaska
Traverse Dru.jpg
Climber on a traverse pitch on the Contamine Route (750-metres, grade TD 5c/6a, 22-pitches), South Pillar, Grand Dru, Chamonix

As in rock climbing, mountaineering also uses the term 'traverse' for sections of routes that require horizontal or lateral movement. Traverses are a particular feature in long alpine climbing routes, where —just like in big wall rock climbing—traverses are used to bypass unclimbable sections (i.e. where a direttissima is not yet possible and the climbers need to move laterally to access climbable features). [1] One of the most famous examples is the Hinterstoisser traverse (see image above), a critical 'tension traverse' on the 1938 Heckmair Route (ED2, V−, A0, 60° snow) on the north face of the Eiger. [12]

In mountaineering, the term is also used in a broader sense to describe large mountain routes that follow high ridges that connect several mountain peaks. A classic example of a 'mountain traverse' is Peter Croft's Evolution Traverse (VI, 5.9, 8-miles, over 3,000 metres of cumulative elevation gain CAG) in the Evolution Basin of the Sierra Nevada, which follows a rocky ridge that crosses nine peaks of over 13,000 feet in elevation, and takes circa 1–2 days to complete. [13] Other examples of notable 'mountain traverses' include the Cullin Ridge Traverse in Britain. [14]

The CAG is a key metric of 'mountain traverses' that gives the total amount of vertical climbing required (i.e. a flat ridge across a chain of peaks will have a zero gain outside of the gain to ascend the ridge). The greater the CAG, the less the route is like a traverse and more akin to an enchainment of peaks. Where a mountain traverse does not follow a well-defined ridge, it is also more likely to be an enchainment. A notable example of the distinction is the 'Everest-Lhotse enchainment', which was first completed in 2011 by American guide Michael Horst, [15] but the harder 'Everest-Lhotse traverse' that follows the crest of the sharp rocky ridge connecting the two peaks, remains an unsolved problem in mountaineering. [16] [17]

Mountaineering traverses
Fitz Roy (5455217030).jpg
Seven peaks of the 'Fitz Roy Traverse' / 'Moonwalk Traverse', one of the hardest
Everest-3D-Map-Type-EN.jpg
The "holy grail" of the 'Everest-Lhotse-Nuptse traverse' remains unclimbed

Some of the hardest 'mountaineering traverses' include the 5 km traverse of the seven main peaks of the Cerro Chaltén Group, which is called The Fitz Roy Traverse if done north-to-south, [18] and the Moonwalk Traverse if done south-to-north, [19] and has over 4,000 metres of CAG. [20] The traverse of the Mazeno Ridge, which is the longest continuous ridge of any of the eight thousander mountains, is also notable. [21] [22] The climbers who made the first ascents of these extreme 'mountain traverse' routes won the Piolets d'Or, which is the highest award in mountaineering. The unclimbed 'Everest-Lhotse traverse' and the even harder 'Everest-Lhotse-Nuptse traverse', are described by some as the outstanding "holy grails" of mountaineering. [16] [17]

In training

In climbing, traversing along a climbing wall is often performed as a warm-up exercise, and to also build finger strength and stamina. [23]

In 1968, a novice British climber named John Syrett, began training obsessively by continually traversing on a low recently built climbing wall in a long corridor of Leeds University—it was one of the first climbing walls ever constructed. [24] On one of his first ventures to outdoor rock climbing, Syrett onsighted Wall of Horrors, which at E3 6a was one of the most intimidating traditional climbing routes in Britain. [23] Several other British climbers would follow Syrett's example so that traversing on small holds (or even on brick walls), became a staple training technique for climbers. [23] [25]

Standard variations include traversing using only side-pulls, or only just two fingers, or only cross-throughs. [26] [27]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 The world's largest vertical climbing route is considered to be the big wall climbing route, The Grande Voyage (1,340 metres, VII 5.10 A4+ WI3), which is on the Great Trango Tower in the Himalayas. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Climbing</span> Activity to ascend a steep object

Climbing is the activity of using one's hands, feet, or other parts of the body to ascend a steep topographical object that can range from the world's tallest mountains to small boulders. Climbing is done for locomotion, sporting recreation, for competition, and is also done in trades that rely on ascension, such as construction and military operations. Climbing is done indoors and outdoors, on natural surfaces, and on artificial surfaces

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountaineering</span> Sport of mountain climbing

Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become sports in their own right. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, and bouldering are also considered variants of mountaineering by some, but are part of a wide group of mountain sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lhotse</span> Eight-thousander and 4th-highest mountain on Earth, located in Nepal and China

Lhotse is the fourth-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest, K2, and Kangchenjunga. At an elevation of 8,516 metres (27,940 ft) above sea level, the main summit is on the border between Tibet Autonomous Region of China and the Khumbu region of Nepal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reinhold Messner</span> Italian mountaineer, adventurer and explorer (born 1944)

Reinhold Andreas Messner is an Italian climber, explorer, and author from the German-speaking province of South Tyrol. He made the first solo ascent of Mount Everest and, along with Peter Habeler, the first ascent of Everest without supplemental oxygen. He was the first person to climb all 14 eight-thousanders, doing so without supplementary oxygen. Messner was the first to cross Antarctica and Greenland with neither snowmobiles nor dog sleds and also crossed the Gobi Desert alone. He is widely considered to be the greatest mountaineer of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anatoli Boukreev</span> Kazakh mountain climber and author (1958–1997)

Anatoli Nikolaevich Boukreev was a Soviet and Kazakh mountaineer who made ascents of 10 of the 14 eight-thousander peaks—those above 8,000 m (26,247 ft)—without supplemental oxygen. From 1989 through 1997, he made 18 successful ascents of peaks above 8,000 m.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free solo climbing</span> Form of climbing without protection

Free solo climbing, or free soloing, is a form of rock climbing where the climbers climb solo without ropes or other protective equipment, using only their climbing shoes and their climbing chalk. Free soloing is the most dangerous form of climbing, and, unlike bouldering, free soloists climb above safe heights, where a fall can be fatal. Though many climbers have free soloed climbing grades they are very comfortable on, only a tiny group free solo regularly, and at grades closer to the limit of their abilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fixed rope</span> Technique in mountaineering

In climbing and mountaineering, a fixed-rope is the practice of installing networks of in-situ anchored static climbing ropes on climbing routes to assist any following climbers to ascend more rapidly—and with less effort—by using mechanical aid devices called ascenders. Fixed ropes also allow climbers to descend rapidly using mechanical devices called descenders. Fixed ropes also help to identify the line of the climbing route in periods of low visibility. The act of ascending a fixed rope is also called jumaring, which is the name of a type of ascender device, or also called jugging in the US.

Thomas Frederic Hornbein was an American mountaineer and anesthesiologist who made the first ascent of Mount Everest via the west ridge; the Hornbein Couloir on Everest was named in his honor. On top of his mountaineering achievements, Hornbein was a professor of anesthesiology and physiology at the University of Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kangshung Face</span> Eastern-facing side of Mount Everest

The Kangshung Face or East Face is the eastern-facing side of Mount Everest, one of the Tibetan sides of the mountain. It is 3,350 metres (11,000 ft) from its base on the Kangshung Glacier to the summit. It is a broad face, topped on the right by the upper Northeast Ridge, and on the left by the Southeast Ridge and the South Col. Most of the upper part of the face is composed of hanging glaciers, while the lower part consists of steep rock buttresses with couloirs between them. The steep southern third of the Kangshung Face also comprises the Northeastern Face of Lhotse; this section may be considered a separate face altogether following the division of the South "Neverest" Buttress up to the South Col. It is considered a dangerous route of ascent, compared to the standard North Col and South Col routes, and it is the most remote face of the mountain, with a longer approach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enchainment</span> Mountaineering term to link up routes

In mountaineering and climbing, enchainment is climbing two or more mountains or climbing routes on a mountain in one outing. Rock climbing two or more routes in this manner are also called a "link up" in the United States. Climbers may do an enchainment of easy routes as a way of training for a more difficult objective, but some enchainments of hard routes are a prize in their own right, a notable example being the great north faces of the Alps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big wall climbing</span> Type of rock climbing

Big wall climbing is a form of rock climbing that takes place on long multi-pitch routes that normally require a full day, if not several days, to ascend. In addition, big wall routes are typically sustained and exposed, where the climbers remain suspended from the rock face, even sleeping hanging from the face, with limited options to sit down or escape unless they abseil back down the whole route, which is a complex and risky action. It is therefore a physically and mentally demanding form of climbing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ueli Steck</span> Swiss mountaineer and rock climber (1976–2017)

Ueli Steck was a Swiss rock climber and alpinist. He was the first to climb Annapurna solo via its South Face, and set speed records on the North Face trilogy in the Alps. He won two Piolet d'Or awards, in 2009 and 2014. Having previously summitted Mount Everest, Steck died on 30 April 2017, after a fall during an acclimatizing climb for an attempt on the Hornbein route on the West Ridge of Everest without supplemental oxygen.

Nicolas Jaeger was a French physician, alpinist, and ski mountaineer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alpine climbing</span> Type of mountaineering

Alpine climbing is a type of mountaineering that involves using any of a broad range of advanced climbing skills, including rock climbing, ice climbing, and/or mixed climbing, to summit typically large routes in an alpine environment. While alpine climbing began in the European Alps, it is used to refer to climbing in any remote mountainous area, including in the Himalayas and in Patagonia. The derived term alpine style refers to the fashion of alpine climbing to be in small lightly equipped teams who carry their own equipment, and do all of the climbing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mazeno Ridge</span> Ridge in the Himalaya range of Asia

The Mazeno Ridge is an arête, a long narrow ridge, and part of the Nanga Parbat massif in Gilgit–Baltistan, Pakistan, in the Himalayan range. The ridge is the longest of any ridge on the eight-thousander peaks in the Himalayas. A series of eight subsidiary peaks form the ridge, the highest being Mazeno Peak at 7,120 metres (23,360 ft). All eight subsidiary peaks have been climbed, but a complete traverse of the ridge and ascent of Nanga Parbat was only successfully achieved in 2012, and as of 2019, no other expedition has reached the summit of Nanga Parbat via the Mazeno Ridge.

Steve Swenson is an American rock climber, mountaineer, and author. Swenson served as the president of the board of directors for the American Alpine Club from 2009 to 2012.

Richard Frank "Rick" Allen was a Scottish mountaineer. Allen summitted six eight-thousanders and was the first British climber atop some of Tajikistan's biggest mountains. He had over 40 years experience climbing in the Himalayas at the time of his death.

Luis Andreas Stitzinger was a German ski mountaineer, alpinist, and mountain guide. Stitzinger was one of the most prominent big mountain skiers of his generation, known for his ten successful summits of eight-thousanders, and ski descents of seven of them.

References

  1. 1 2 3 The Mountaineers (2018). Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills (9th ed.). Quiller Publishing. pp. 234–236. ISBN   978-1846892622.
  2. ↑ Matt Burbach (2005), Gym Climbing, The Mountaineers Books, pp. 90–91, ISBN   978-0-89886-742-8
  3. ↑ Chelton, Neil (2019). "Pendulums and Tension Traverses". The Trad Climber's Guide To Problem Solving. VDiff Climbing. ISBN   9781795602204 . Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  4. 1 2 Peter, Libby (24 May 2010). "Happy Traversing for Leader and Second". UKClimbing. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  5. ↑ The Mountaineers (2018). Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills (9th ed.). Quiller Publishing. pp. 306–307. ISBN   978-1846892622.
  6. ↑ The Mountaineers (2018). Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills (9th ed.). Quiller Publishing. pp. 268–269. ISBN   978-1846892622.
  7. ↑ "Girdle Traverse". Collins English Dictionary . 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024. mountaineering: a climb that consists of a complete traverse of a face or crag
  8. ↑ Lucas, James (16 August 2016). "Great Trango Tower: The Biggest Big Wall". Climbing. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  9. ↑ "Longest climbing route". Guinness World Records . 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  10. ↑ Leavy, Michael (1 July 2022). "Why Go Up When You Could Go Sideways? Here Are 4 Massive Girdle Traverses". Climbing . Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Corrigan, Kevin (3 January 2023). "An Ode to Traverses". Climbing . Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  12. ↑ "Eiger speed record by Dani Arnold". PlanetMountain. 24 April 2011. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  13. ↑ Samet, Matt (19 September 2019). "Classic Routes: Evolution Traverse (VI 5.9), Sierra Nevada, California". Climbing . Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  14. ↑ Lambert, Eric (7 May 2008). "New Cuillin Traverse record". Alpinist . Retrieved 15 May 2024. The [traverse] has long been considered one of Britain's greatest alpine challenges
  15. ↑ Schwartz, Dan (19 March 2011). "Everest and Lhotse in 21 Hours". Alpinist . Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  16. 1 2 Leavy, Michael (2 March 2022). "Are These Two Men Going After the Holy Grail of Himalayan Climbing? The Everest-Lhotse traverse". Climbing . Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  17. 1 2 Benevides, Angela (23 May 2023). "David Goettler Summits Everest No-O2; Plus, What Exactly is the Everest-Lhotse Traverse?". ExplorersWeb. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  18. ↑ Franz, Derek (15 February 2021). "Interview with Sean Villanueva O'Driscoll about his solo traverse of Patagonia's Fitz Roy massif (the Moonwalk Traverse)". Alpinist . Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  19. ↑ "The Greatest Alpine Climb Ever Done?". Gripped Magazine. 19 February 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  20. ↑ Sterling, Sarah (14 February 2021). "The most impressive traverse ever completed?". British Mountaineering Council . Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  21. ↑ Bacon, Sean (31 July 2012). "Brits Summit Nanga Parbat via Mazeno Ridge". Climbing . Retrieved 15 May 2024. One of the greatest remaining challenges in the Himalayas, the 13-kilometer Mazeno Ridge traverse crosses eight peaks before reaching the 8,126-meter summit of Nanga Parbat, the ninth highest mountain on Earth
  22. ↑ Griffin, Lindsay (2013). "Nanga Parbat (8,125m), Mazeno Ridge history". American Alpine Journal . 55 (87): 282. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  23. 1 2 3 Ward, Mick (26 January 2011). "Wall Warriors! A history of training for climbing" . Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  24. ↑ Ward, Mick (30 January 2018). "How the Leeds Wall Changed Climbing History". UKClimbing. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  25. ↑ Osius, Alison (18 June 2024). "A Short History of the Climbing Gym". Climbing . Retrieved 28 September 2024.
  26. ↑ Horst, Eric (July 2016). Training for Climbing: The Definitive Guide to Improving Your Performance. Falcon Guides. p. 75. ISBN   978-1493017614.
  27. ↑ Elison, Julie (20 June 2023). "Summer Slump? These 13 On-the-wall Workouts Will Prepare You for Sending Season". Climbing . Retrieved 15 May 2024.

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