Answer:
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Explanation:
Self-arrest in snow
Often to speed up your climb, it is possible to advance through easier snowy terrain without a rope belay. If you’re not belayed with rope, self-arrest is the only way of stopping a fall in the snow. But even if you start belaying with the rope, you still practice self-arrest in case of a fall so that you can at least reduce the subsequent catching impact on the rope. You therefore have two objectives with self-arrest: 1) if possible, to stop a fall, 2) to slow a fall. The actual braking is accomplished either with hands and feet, or with an object. The standard and most ideal aid for self-arrest in snow is an ice axe, but if you don’t have one available you can less effectively use telescoping hiking poles, for example, or in emergencies it is also possible to reach for the handle of an avalanche shovel, snow picket, longer snow piton, or in the absolute greatest emergency it is better than nothing to use a suitably shaped sharp rock.
Self-arrest without an ice axe
Braking a fall with empty hands is no joke, particularly on a firn slope, and it can happen that you will be unable to stop yourself. For this reason it is fitting to warn that movement on snow slopes without an ice axe or any other self-arrest device is not appropriate, and it is always necessary to consider well whether the conditions (the grade of the slope, its length, the character of the slope landing and the path to it) are such that the given approach is justifiable. Without an ice axe you should move only along slight slopes with potentially safe landings.
The actual self-arrest can be carried out by digging your hands and feet into the snow. In order for them to dig in strongly enough, they must be applied in a direction leading into the snow layer, which can be accomplished by raising the body above the surface of the snow (as if performing a pushup). Tip: bring gloves with you; that is, have them ready even in summer and put them on when entering a firn slope.
Otherwise, it would be a mistake to remain with your body lying on the ground, as the hands and feet are then oriented parallel to the surface, and therefore slide along it and do not dig into the snow adequately.
Self-arrest with ice axe
A classic hiking ice axe (approx. 70 cm long) with a head and adze is sufficient for self-arrest. A short ice axe can also be used well for self-arrest, which actually holds better and can be better handled when braking a fall. In firn snow the head of the ice axe should be used for self-arrest; in soft snow the adze should be used. Of course, if there is a layer of hard snow under the layer of soft snow which you will dig through to when braking a fall, then it is essential to brake with the head of the ice axe. When moving through snow, always have your gloves on! Very hard firn snow in particular is like sandpaper and when trying to brake on it can cut your bare hands to ribbons, even to the bone.
