Any alpine scramblers out there?

funkycamper

I'm currently taking a class through The Mountaineers on alpine scrambling which is, basically, in-between hiking and mountaineering. (Planning to take mountaineering in the future, too.) Does anybody else out there do this? Any tips, cool stories to share, warnings, gear suggestions, whatever?

Cyclingbonnie

I had never heard the term, Alpine Scrambler, so I went and looked for a definition. Looks like I do that LOL. My hiking generally doesn't take that intense of a direction, but occasionally it does. I volunteer with the Forest Service ever so often to do population counts of endangered or watch listed species. In our area we have a very endangered population of the Northern Flying Squirrel. The forest service has placed nesting boxes on the slopes that are the perfect nesting area for the Northern Flying Squirrel. In January we climb these slopes through snow, Rhododendron thickets (thankfully the altitude is too high for brambles), and short rock faces (some minor bouldering technique but nothing huge). Have never had to use ropes on these excursions, but definitely use poles and we carry a rope-climbing ladder. The main reason is to climb the trees that have the nesting boxes, but occasionally we use them to help some people over the rocks. I'm rather fond of MSR equipment.

funkycamper

What an interesting thing to do! I'm hoping to participate in a marmont population count someday.

robinaddison

What an interesting thing to do! I'm hoping to participate in a marmont population count someday.

Round where I hike regularly, I don't know if I could ever count that high lol!

rockieschick

I'm a scrambler

moustache_flavored_lube

Scrambling is the most fun type of climbing IMHO. I get out as often as possible

SRH7

Hope I'm not too late - just spotted the date of the original post. I love scrambling and most of my hikes include it.

Quick tips:

* Include some squats and stomach crunches in your routine away from hiking. They will help with your balance and keep your knees in good shape. Lifting some weights for upper body strength will also help.

* To prevent falling over, when I'm going up I put the weight on the front of my feet, going down I put my weight on my heels. Using the sharp edge of the heel of your boots on the way down will help stop you sliding.

* For rock faces (as opposed to scree) I find slimmer boots work better for getting good toe holds (so I use my light weight Asolos rather than my heavy winter Meindls).

* Where I hike (Lake District, Peak District and Yorkshire Dales in the UK) the routes get very busy. I've learned to ignore the 18-year-old lads bounding up behind. Trying to rush can be really unsafe. Instead I let them past if it's safe to do so, if not they just have to wait until I've got to the top/bottom!

* Take your time. Not only is it safer but you get to enjoy it for a little bit longer. All too often I get to the end of a scramble and wish it would go on for another hundred feet!

* Have a drink/snack before you head up/down. Scrambles often take longer than you expect and you don't want wobbly legs midway.

* Don't be afraid to change your route half way through the scramble. I've done it countless times where you set off up a rock face then realise there is an easier or more interesting route 20ft to one side. It's fine to go back down a little then back up. Scrambling is less about where you're getting to and more about enjoying it in itself.

Let us know how you get on (and here is a pic of one of my favourite mountains for scrambling on - Bow Fell).

dazdarren

I used to do some scrambling when I was living in Calgary, Alberta Canada and spending all of my free time in the mountains. My scrambling experience is fairly limited but it is fun and definitely takes a hike in the mountains to a new dimension.

funkycamper

Thanks for the replies and sorry I haven't popped in here in awhile. SRH7, your tips are very helpful.

Wow, scrambling is harder than I thought it was going to be. I thought since I regularly ride 50+ miles and have done several century rides that I was in better shape than I am. I'm finding that I have a lot of problems on the steep. Even though I have been weight lifting for awhile, my posterior chain just isn't strong enough to give me good push, lift-off, whatever you wanna call it, on steep inclines. My pace slows to a crawl once I get past a certain steepness of slope. This is really hampering my progress and I am going to have to repeat the course (for free) in order to get my certification.

We have done several snow scrambles. I snowshoe fine on relatively level but, as stated, once it gets steep, I suck and can't keep up with the rest of the group. I'm also struggling with ice ax arrests so need to work more on them.

I'm going on my first rock scramble this weekend where we'll also be working more on rappelling. I hope I do better at it than I have been with the snow scrambling.

I've started working with a personal trainer to target my weak posterior chain with hopes that will help. Even though I've been doing a lot of hiking on the hills in my area while carrying a loaded pack, we don't have any hills close by that are as steep as those found on the mountains so, while it helps, it doesn't seem to be enough to get me where I need to be.

Any tips?