SummitPost.org

Does anyone have recommendation on hauling sleds in a two man rope team glacier travel on Denali? What is the best way to rig the sleds? Does the second person carry a sled or not advisable? And if yes, is there any way to tether it to the rope?
Thank you,
Gina

Gina,
Not sure if this is really helpful, but here goes..
Full sled rig setup can be a little hard to describe. A picture can be a thousand words. Have you read this post?:

Expedition Sled Rigging
http://blog.alpineinstitute.com/2008/01 ... gging.html

Also, Andy Selter's Glacier Travel & Crevasse Rescue, Chapter 5, Skiing & Hauling Sleds has a brief overview of a standard rig setup as well.

Update: FWIW, Ben did a good job here of describing the how to pack/setup the typical KIA freebie sled. It may give you some ideas.
Denali - Sled Rigging
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8oM_OxmuTE

He doesn't cover the connection to the backpack. This may vary depending on the configuration/design of your backpack. One method is to run the backpack "anchor" cord through/behind the hip belt insert/tunnel (if your pack has a removable hip belt).. As shown here:

Pulling an Expedition Sled
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_lKrsO8ZTY

Two sleds or one for a two-person team? Don't know your plan/logistics or experience, but if you are using the KIA freebies for the West Buttress, IMO one sled probably not enough to carry all your gear for two peeps. If you are bringing your own larger sled, obviously that is your call..

Hopefully others will jump in here.

So, Jesus did an excellent job of including the relevant books and articles. I think Andy Selters' book is really an invaluable resource for glacier travel and rescue in general, as well as describes the set up for attaching the sled to your pack and the back of the sled to the rope with a small Prusik, so the thing doesn't fall on top of in a crevasse fall.

Some thoughts, from several AK Range trips, all with sleds.

#1. Your sled wants to kill you. Deal with it.

#2. Unless you spend big $$ on an expedition sled, the kiddie one will roll, hang down while side hilling, and run you over on the way down. We used sleds for only two days, to the 11k camp, then we made double carries to 14k and 17k. This reduces the amount of time hauling sleds. Hauling around Windy Corner with a full sled would suuuuuuuuuuuuck.

#3. Think about how you will escape the pack and the sled in case of a crevasse fall. Use a system that connects the sled to the pack, so in a crevasse fall you can clip the entire thing to your rope and Prusik out. Andy Selters does a good job describing this.

Thanks EB,
Your comments and insights are always appreciated.
FWIW, inevitably the next question that arises is how to transition to crevasse rescue on a two-person rope team.
I found this this video that shows one method for transition (sans sleds). It doesn't have a lot of closeups for the rig, but may be useful for those doing research:

2 Person Rope Team Crevasse Rescue
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oY-uviiyEMc

My partner, a wily, fully certified IFMGA guide with a dozen antartica trips under this belts, insisted we travel on the Ruth Gorge glaciers tied together on a line with butterfly knots. This was genius, as said partner fell all the way into a crevasse, while on skis. The knot did its job and held my partner's entire weight, making it easy to build an anchor from my skis so that I could drag up his skis and back pack, which allowed him to Prusik out unencumbered.

Also, immediately agree where the latrine is when you roll into camp.

My partner, a wily, fully certified IFMGA guide with a dozen Antarctica trips under this belts, insisted we travel on the Ruth Gorge glaciers tied together on a line with butterfly knots. This was genius, as said partner fell all the way into a crevasse, while on skis. The knot did its job and held my partner's entire weight, making it easy to build an anchor from my skis so that I could drag up his skis and backpack, which allowed him to Prusik out unencumbered.

Also, immediately agree where the latrine is when you roll into camp.

Thanks for sharing.