UKC

Approaching the col between La Vierge and the rocky shoulder of the north ridge of Le Petit Flambeau, planning to do the entire north ridge of Le Petit Flambeau, I fell about 6-8m down a crevasse today. No injuries, and my companion was able to hoik me out in no time, but wanted to warn people that it was there. The crevassed area was beneath the shortcut to skip the rocky section.

Surface conditions were soft snow, and my crevasse didn't look obviously like a snow bridge.

From inside the crevasse, it was 2-3 foot wide, and carried on a long way in front and below me. The angle of the crevasse was oblique to the path - perhaps 45 degrees to the path. The snow bridge that I bust through was perhaps 1-2 foot of soft snow-the icy layer stopped before I got to the remainder of the bridge.

Talking to a guide about this later on, he told me he's been through his first crevasse in 15 years guiding this season (similar story-no real sign above ground, for a massive hole), and he feels that this year is particularly bad for crevasses, with lots of soft snow bridges and not much freezing temperatures to form them up.

Hope this info's helpful!

In reply to ged3000:
Thanks and incredibly timely for me as our family wanderings often include that area

13 year olds often don't see the point of being roped up on a flat surface; your anecdote is a good one to discuss (i'm printing it out now)

Helbronner is a bit surreal anyway when you're followed across a reasonably sizable crevasse by someone wearing high heels...

BTW can you tell us a bit on this "my companion was able to hoik me out in no time" as it's good to know what techniques work in the real world; "6-8m" was quite a long way to fall

Pete

In reply to PeterBlackler:

Thanks Pete!

So, we're not that experienced in terms of glacier travel, but had supplemented previous courses (Johnathan Conville Trust, glenmore lodge, and NZ alpine club) with the Alun Richardson Alpinism book and the Peter Cliff Alpinism book, and the BMCs Alpine Essentials DVD. Bit of reading, watching and chatting in the UK, and then we got all the gear out and set up all the rescue belays together in the tent yesterday.

There were two of us on the rope (no knots), about 10 meters between us, and the rope was kissing the snow (same setup as the BMC DVD). There were open crevasses in the region, but no markers on the surface within a good 10-20 meters of where I was. Soft snow, slight gradient.

The crevasse was at a slight angle-say 80 degrees- so I slid down. I landed on a spur of ice just wide enough to put both feet on, at about the same time that my (smaller, slightly uphill) buddy caught my weight. By the time she'd dug in an axe anchor (as per the guidebooks), I'd put in an ice screw, and was secured with a sling. We then used the assisted rescue technique from the guidebooks-my buddy used her rucksack to secure the edge and chucked me the rope from her coils with a screw gate karibiner - which was the perfect length (how we measured my depth). She then hauled on the rope she'd chucked down to me as I climbed up using crampons and an axe to assist. The snow bridge was a challenge-I came up under it because my original rope had cut in a good meter, but a bit of adrenaline and bashing it with an axe soon sorted that out.

I came out on the wrong side of the crevasse, thanks to the angle, and it took us a while to catch our breath, and get our gear sorted out for the big leap of faith back over my hole. Total time in the crevasse, probably about half an hour?

In reply to ged3000:

hmmm...a quite alarming display of prior preparation and competency...not sure we can have that round here

I'd say well done to you both, she especially

Brings to mind that it's fine for alpine routes to be graded as "Facile" or PD but that doesn't necessarily describe the care and attention needed to be in that environment is the first place

Best regards, Pete

Lack of overnight re-freezing of the ice/snow seems like a likely causal factor. Mainly due to warm temperatures, but cloudy sky during the night is also a factor.

In reply to ged3000:

Impressive - well done! Out of interest do you think she would have got you out if you hadn't been on a ledge?

In reply to MG:

I certainly hope so! My buddy describes the fall as feeling okay to stop with an ice axe arrest, and she must've nearly stopped me for me not to have come a cropper on the ledge I landed on...

Once I'd stopped, everything felt achieveavle, I guess. Having not been hurt, I'm sure I could have helped her haul me up using the assisted rescue loop, even if I had been floating on the end of my rope. It'd just have been decidedly less pleasant for both of us!