UKC

Was looking at a German 'walking' coffee table guidebook the other day and it talked of tackling side summits at grade I or II. How hard would this be, moderate? Easier? Diff? Is a rope necessary? Am I going to die?

In reply to Toerag:

http://cdn.rockfax.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/trad_grade_bold.jpg

According to Rockfax you should be in Mod to Diff territory, so if that's something you'd normally rope (I would) then rope is necessary.

In reply to Toerag:

Looking at your profile: no, you're not going to die on a Grade II.

I don't recall ever seeing anybody use a rope on I/II territory. I is really easy scrambling. II will often have short bits with actual moves you have to think about. The problem is that the routes tend to be long, so you need to be moving quickly, but you'll quite often have short awkward bits in highly exposed, Definitely Do Not Fall situations.

You generally need do be confident with exposed solo scrambling; you certainly can't pitch the whole thing because you'd be way to slow and often the possibilities for placing gear are limited anyway, especially on limestone. Otoh you'll often find the odd peg or bolt on the tricky bits, and if you have a partner who isn't 100% confident then carrying a rope just to secure the odd bit would certainly be a viable option.

For perspective: my mate who does lots of hillwalking and running & is very fit, but hasn't done any climbing since his uni days thirty years ago, soloes II quite casually.

In reply to AlanLittle:


I agree with Alan. UIAA I is scrambling and UIAA easy solo. I remember that I climbed Cima Tosa in the Brenta dolomites eons ago. It's graded UIAA II+, what ever that means. In reality it was walking and then a somewhat exposed 20 or so meter high wall of exposed (easy) solo. Would have been a lot easier, had I not climbed the chimney and got stuck with the hikin' poles on my rucksack.

So for going up, a rope was not needed (was leading VS at that time). But had the exposed section being longer, then a rope and some gear would have been nice, for simul climbing. A rope would have been nice, to get down... but not really needed.

So depending on whom you go with and a bit more about the route, a rope (50m half rope.. or perhaps even shorter, like 30m) might be a nice thing to have. Prolly no need for pitching though.

In reply to Toerag:

Grade II can be anything from a very easy but exposed move to something slightly more technical, but still scrambling. Bare in mind that if we are talking about alpine stuff, things might look very different if conditions are not perfect (wet, high wind, etc.). I would probably take a short rope and some slings just in case.

In reply to Toerag:

Going by your profile,for Grades I and II, the climbing will be well within your capabilities. But, often in the Alps, the exposure is outrageous!