Snow Anchors.

Got this from Andrew Mclean's Blog Straightchuter.com

I thought I knew how to place pickets until I read this. Very good! A must read for all the ski-mountaineers and glacier rescue specialists out there. This study and report was prompted by the recent death of 4 climbers in NZ when a picket failed.

www.alpineclub.org.nz/documents/activiti...0anchor%20report.pdf

Here is another good report presented by Art Fortini at ITRS with similar results if I remember correctly.

www.mra.org/services/grants/documents/FortiniSNOWANCHORS3B.pdf

We have been using the vertical mid clip for most applications at Tacoma Mountain Rescue for a few years now. Its much easier to place and get out when your done than the T anchor. Its still best to know lots of techniques and what there pro's and con's are and select the best for the circumstances.

Ski's are plenty strong if you pad the metal edges. However I'd volunteer using somebody else's.

Never liked pickets myself.

I had a great convo with a climbing ranger on Baker a few years ago and he taught me a trick with pickets...cut them in half and make 2 "wickets" is what he called them. Instead of then placing them vertically into the snow pack, they would be placed horizontally, utilizing the center hole as the anchor point. I thought this was an excellent idea and cut my pickets. I tried to draw a very rudimentary side view, but I think it illustrates the basic idea...I'm not a professional.

Sounds interesting...the "wicket" trick.

If I understand correctly...you place the two wickets apart from each other...and then tie them together to equalize and form a power point?

I did some testing last spring; not very encouraging! (cut and paste from earlier thread).

Tonight at Alpental a friend and I did some on-snow picket testing with skis. All the tests were done with a 24" MSR Coyote (no cable, just runners), a 10.5mm rope, and the rope was (unrealistically) tied directly to the anchor. Snow conditions were 3-4" of wet corn/slush, and then more consolidated snow below that, on a slope (Sessel) of 15-20 degrees. Speed at impact with anchor felt like ~25 mph(?).

Test 1: Vertical placement, top clip, hammered straight into the snow. Skied 30m of rope. Slight tug on harness, followed by explosive anchor failure, with picket landing ~10 feet from where I stopped downslope, pulling the entire coiled rope with it. FAIL.

Test 2: Vertical placement, top clip, ~15 degrees back from horizontal, placed below slush level. Skied 15m of rope, with the same results as above. FAIL.

Test 3: Vertical placement, middle ("Sierra" style) clip, ~15 degrees from horizontal, below slush level. A slot for the runner was excavated, and then snow was replaced and compacted. Skied 15m of rope. FAIL.

Test 4: Horizontal "deadman" placement, ~2' down, with a trench for runner. 15m of rope skied. Anchor INTACT.

I don't have any way to easily estimate the forces involved, but might sacrifice a Screamer if I do it again. The forces were all directed down, and should have pulled the anchor deeper in the snowpack, but they simply ripped straight out through the slope.