I’m doing my first solo climb on mount Dana this weekend the route is all ice now. Have done other solo climbs but this seems a bit more real to me. Any suggestions?

In theory it seems quite simple, I have been up three times with my partner. However, as many times before I do a climb I start thinking about all the scary stuff.

Don't fall.

You are already answering your own question. I think it's important that you do it or don't do it based on your own counsel. Don't ask us!

I'm not asking if I should do it or not do it. That wasn't my question

mvs wrote:You are already answering your own question. I think it's important that you do it or don't do it based on your own counsel. Don't ask us!

The following stuff has kept me alive and availed me many successful trips, SOLO, in the past 25 years! Ironically, I am out the door to do one after I write this...


-DO NOT attempt any goals that are not well within your comfort zone and current climbing ability range for your first solo gig! Plan for a challenge that will lead you and end in a successful trip. This may entail something at least two grades below your current abilities.

-Leave a full itinerary with a topo map of your trip with someone close and then DO NOT deviate from it.

-Readdress your thought process to think positive things about the climb prior to your departure.

-On the approach and during the climb, focus on the task at hand and filter out any "noise" that is not condusive to your success. Remain confident, but, if during your climb, that sixth sense kicks in and tells you to back off because something just doesn't feel right... DO SO without any guilt!

-Have fun and stay alive... the rock/ice ain't going anywhere and you can always return another day to climb again!

am in the middle of reading Twight's book 'Kiss or Kill' (for like the 10th time) and the biggest thing that has kept him alive during all of his EXTREME solos. He has no ego and no problem with turning around if the conditions are not right or if he gets spooked. and the above comment is key. Don't climb up, if you cant reverse the same climb. Dana is pretty straight forward, but it is a long straight slide down to the grinder at the bottom if you have any issues.....

Good Luck, climb safe!

J

I've soloed the Dana Couloir several times. I've brought a light harness, some slings and a couple of screws in case I got tired and wanted to rest.

Get an early start so you are not behind other parties - a chunk of ice could ruin your day.

Rockfall is also a concern - steer clear of the sides of the couloir, especially if they appear dirty.

Conserve energy and milk any rests you find.

Look at the sky carefully before starting up. If it looks like it will rain while you are on it, I'd go do something else.

Make sure your health and/or life insurance is paid up

As stated already stated:

* be positive & confident

* don't let useless internal dialogue f$%# with your head (on the approach or while on it)

* don't let your ego determine what you do

* wear a helmet

* bring a harness, some slings, & some screws for security

* don't slip

Also, have your French technique (i.e. flat-footing) down, so you can conserve as much energy as possible.

This is a great trip report posted over on Supertopo. Pretty much says it all.

Dingus Milktoast wrote:When I've soloed haard water ice I wear a harness and thread one or two daisies so they're ready to clip into the tools. This affords me the confidence to stop and wiggle a shell out of the pack for example, with some additional security.

Wear a helmet.

Don't climb under or past and over other parties (both sins I have committed). You get bombed or you do the bombing on folks who were ostensibly there first, not cool.

My bro kevin on North Peak

Be comfortable with your rest-steps and confident your cramps won't twist off.

And of course you are 100% reliant on your gear, sometimes with only a 1/4 inch of steel betwixt you and your maker


Kevin doing this magic


One of the most anxiety-filled climbs I ever did was this same couloir on a cold fall day.... the ice on the upper half of the route dinner plated badly - every single throw of the tools or kick of the points dislodged a plate sized saucer. I had to climb the steeper right side of the gully as a roped party was on the left side, a party which I in turn bombed badly.

I was glad to be done that day.

Cheers
DMT

Those are great pics Dingus, but a lot of that looks like neve, not ice. Which is great for soloing, because it's like climbing styrofoam.

Soloing is, for me, the greatest test of one's mental fortitude in the wilderness. To me, that mental challenge feels more spectacular than a greater physical challenge with a partner.

Do not be complacent.

Be deliberate with EVERY move. Do not overbash a placement, but test every stick and fully trust it.

Remember the things you can't control - rock/ice fall, weather... minimize that to the utmost, if a rock or chunk of ice hits you you are going for a long ride.

If you don't have leashes, get tethers. Using a harness and having a sling ready with a screw is a nice touch... I don't tend to do that because it kind off breaks the focus I get into when soloing. Use natural rests for rests - if you find yourself in situations where you need to place a screw to rest then solo something easier.

It is ok to feel nervous about it now and before the climb - that will allow you to not underestimate the gravity of the solo and help you focus.
But when you are in the business you just have to tell those voices to shut the f*$% up and get on with it.

If you have done a climb before you have an advantage - you can repeatedly remind yourself that you have done it and CAN do it.

If you're going to solo something harder than what you've done before, only go with something that's a little harder. Don't push it too fast. For instance, if after some practice you feel you're now okay to solo 5.2, don't jump straight to 5.6.

The Chief wrote:The following stuff has kept me alive and availed me many successful trips, SOLO, in the past 25 years! Ironically, I am out the door to do one after I write this...


-DO NOT attempt any goals that are not well within your comfort zone and current climbing ability range for your first solo gig! Plan for a challenge that will lead you and end in a successful trip. This may entail something at least two grades below your current abilities.

-Leave a full itinerary with a topo map of your trip with someone close and then DO NOT deviate from it.

-Readdress your thought process to think positive things about the climb prior to your departure.

-On the approach and during the climb, focus on the task at hand and filter out any "noise" that is not condusive to your success. Remain confident, but, if during your climb, that sixth sense kicks in and tells you to back off because something just doesn't feel right... DO SO without any guilt!

-Have fun and stay alive... the rock/ice ain't going anywhere and you can always return another day to climb again!

Thanks for the input Chief, and everyone. Climbing solo has always been an interesting dilemma for me. It seems to be the polar opposite of the discussion about paying to be guided up a mountain. Both issues seem to draw a strong reaction from people.

The sane way to solo something, I suppose, is to solo something you've climbed before. Although I have to say there's something about an on-sight solo that I find really compelling. One of my best climbing days ever was spent last spring when I walked up to a crag in Little Cottonwood I had never been to before and soloed a bunch of moderate routes. 20-some pitches of 5.fun climbing before lunch is a lot of fun. Serious fun, but still fun.

Andinistaloco wrote:If you're going to solo something harder than what you've done before, only go with something that's a little harder. Don't push it too fast. For instance, if after some practice you feel you're now okay to solo 5.2, don't jump straight to 5.6.

I think that's great advice. The first time I (knowingly) soloed something technical, it was 5.4 on a big mountain, and I wasn't quite ready for that. When I got to the 5.4 areas, which were also wet from the previous night's rains, I thought I was going to kill myself. I found my way up because I'm stubborn (or stupid), but I learned something (I think). Previously, I'd done single moves of 5.4 or harder, but never a sustained Class 5 pitch with the exposure it often entails. Since then, I've practiced soloing the 5.0-5.5 stuff at my local crags, learning what moves and what types of climbs (cracks, faces, etc.) I am and am not comfortable doing.