Hello ! I'm Aloys, I'm passionate about mountaineering and today I'm going to tell you about the equipment I carry in my bag in the mountains!
I'm a big fan of lightweight, the lighter the bag, the faster you go! We are therefore generally on a very minimalist bag!
How to choose your mountaineering equipment?
A mountaineer's bag is a bit like his house.
It must be light, but above all comfortable.
Preparing your bag is the starting point of your race. This should not be neglected since it has a major role in the success of one's ascent.
Here are some little tips that I have acquired through experience to lighten your bag while still having the necessary mountaineering equipment.
Tip #1 – Go light!
To reduce the weight of your bag you will have to get rid of so-called “comfort” objects, since it is the accumulation of small, light things that end up weighing heavy! This is the case, for example, of changing clothes, etc. a toothbrush or soap. When you go away for two days you can do without it.
Tip #2 – Limit accessories as much as possible
Favor the choice of a bag without accessories because they weigh heavy, are bulky and not always very useful. Do you really need a solar panel on your bag to watch the latest episode of your favorite series on the approach walk?
Tip No. 3 - Balance the bag
Put your bag away and adjust it properly! It may seem silly to some, but a well-balanced bag is theoretically not lighter, but we clearly feel it.
If the tightening is well adjusted at the hips, the shoulders will suffer less.
Storing your bag properly means not putting all the heavy equipment on the right and the light equipment on the left. It is important to always adapt to your race. For example, if you only take out the crampons the next day, you put them in the bottom of the bag, as for the water bottle, it is generally placed on top.
Tip No. 4 – Organize your nutrition
Who says water, says food.
And here again, we try to have the best weight/nutrition ratio possible.
We have rarely seen mountaineers eating light salads on the north face of the Grandes Jorasses.
They will more generally resemble Yannick Seigneur with a good quantity of sausage and foie gras!
Without going to this extreme, we try to have high-calorie foods that don't require too much water. Snickers are super good but you need half a liter of water before you can breathe again!
You also have to think about that to optimize the weight.
And speaking of snickers apart from being high in calories, it has packaging, and packaging is heavy! So we try to have as little as possible, for example by removing the protections and covers that allow us to store the equipment.
Tip No. 5 – Don’t neglect preparing the bag
As said above, preparing the bag is already the start of the race. We try to choose only the appropriate material.
We've all already seen or carried around our latest fashionable gadget with us, but do we really need one?
Do we really need a GPS on the Promenade des Anglais?
A complete hauling kit in the Verdon?
A pair of crampons in the Vercors in the middle of summer?
6L of water for a 1 hour climb?
You have to be as logical as possible about the equipment you are going to use depending on your race. Preparation is an art!
Which backpack for mountaineering?
To start, we're going to talk about the bag itself.
I use the ALPHA FL 30L from ARC'TERYX.
It is solid, it does not absorb water, the bag's closing system is easy and practical to handle, even with mountaineering gloves!
All this for only 635 grams if you don't cut the few centimeters of straps to make it a little lighter.
Then, we are going to put on the only equipment that I consider obligatory for any outing, whether it is for a short long route in the Verdon, a ski descent of the Vallée Blanche, or a short trip to the Grandes Jorasses: the first aid kit, with the minimum necessary to get out of a bad injury.
Inside the backpack: mountain safety equipment
My mountaineering practice is more oriented towards large walls, so I will put in my bag the mountaineering equipment necessary for a rocky or mixed ascent.
The harness
Two things common to both practices is the harness.
Essential safety element, currently I use the “Choucas Pro” from Blue Ice. Versatile in practice, comfortable and once again above all light with 140g for a size M.
Quickdraws
I use the “Nineteen G” from Edelrid.
It is the lightest quickdraw on the market: it is ultra minimalist and therefore ultra light 46gr per quickdraw!
Afterwards, I extend half of my quickdraws with 80cm straps from Beal and adding the carabiners of these same quickdraws.
The ropes
So quickdraws are all well and good, but you have to be able to use them!
For this I will use a double rope, a “Gully” from Béal in 50m with its 7.3mm in diameter and its 36gr per meter, you couldn't get any lighter!
Depending on the difficulty of the race, you may find yourself hoisting the bag. For this, I use a strand entirely in dyneema without sheath, also in 50m. It weighs 15gr/m and 5mm in diameter and can possibly serve as a backup, during a rappelling descent for example if one of the two strands of Gully suffers damage due to falling rocks (or others).
Helmet
Rockfalls are not only on the rope but also on the front! For this we invented the helmet to try to protect ourselves as little as possible. Personally I use a great classic, the “Sirocco” from Petzl.
In case of low light, you can add a headlamp. I use the “Iko Core” from Petzl, also ultra light with only 79gr! It fits perfectly on the Sirocco.
Mountaineering shoes and crampons
Now let's talk about shoes.
For summer mountaineering I wear my “Véloce GTX” from Dolomite, of which I am a huge fan.
If I had to choose three words to describe it: light, versatile and precise.
Despite its lightness (540g for a size 42), this mountaineering shoe still allows you to climb and put your feet down!
And with these ultra light shoes, I use “Leopard Flexlock” crampons from Petzl, ultra light too, and perfect for approaches on snow and not having too much weight in the bag afterwards!
Concerning the winter season, I use “Phamtom Tech” mountaineering shoes from Scarpa, a warm but light model, they are the perfect compromise for being quick and efficient without ever being cold.
With these shoes, I use “Dart” crampons from Petzl. Single point for ice climbing and dual point if necessary in a snow corridor, and without ever lacking bite!
Climbing shoes: (optional equipment depending on your type of race)
The eternal dilemma of the mountaineer setting out for a ridge race, the question of knowing whether to settle for "big" shoes (meaning large alpine shoes) or whether to take slippers, to be more comfortable in climbing steps... at the risk of adding to the equipment list.
The choice depends on several criteria: the difficulty and continuity of the passages to be crossed, the level of climbing required on the course, and your comfort in the mountains.
It's up to you to choose based on your habit and the timing of your race!
By the way, on rock I use “Edge” lace-up climbing shoes from Simond.
Basic belay equipment
Afterwards we find all the classic belay equipment:
- carabiners: for this I use the “Attache” from Petzl. Lightweight, with a large opening, perfect for building a relay.
- a belay system: for a certain comfort and not to push the vice of light to the extreme, we will do without belaying with a half cab or with a minimalist wooden plate. Here I use the classic reverso from Petzl with which I have been accustomed since I was little.
- straps: I also use “Pur’anneau” from Petzl while adapting the sizes to the terrain I am going to go to.
Specific belay equipment for ice
For the necessary ice equipment, you need a spit and an ice axe.
The ice screws I use are the “Laser speed light” from Petzl.
They are light and have superb grip on ice despite their ultra light weight!
For the ice ax I use the “Viper” from Black Diamond. Versatile is the best term to define it.
Specific belay equipment for rock
For rock I use jammers, “Camalots C4 Ultra light” from Black Diamond for large sizes, and “Alien” from Alien for small sizes.
I also have pitons of all kinds, it all depends on the rock!
And for the end of the list: tips, diet and hydration of course!
And of course, I especially don't forget the guidebook which I print in paper format and not just on the phone!! We will be careful to protect it from water!
Then we have in our bag we also have something to drink and eat, I tend to take a little water and look carefully at my route to know if I will have enough to fill my bottle along the way. For water, I use a basic plastic bottle with a wide cap preferably. A bottle of Ice Tea does the trick: it will be easier to take water on a glacier.
Being a fan of fast and light, I don't take a stove and I eat cold in the mountains.
I also eat little or nothing, for example for a race like the Eperon Walker, or the Devies Gervasutti in Ailefroide, I take a 200g pack of Haribo smurfs.
How to dress for mountaineering?
My ideal outfit for going to the high mountains
What is the difference between mountaineering and rock climbing?
Mountaineering and rock climbing are vertical activities that involve climbing rock faces. However, there are important differences between these two disciplines.
Climbing
Climbing is an activity consisting of climbing on rocks or artificial walls, in designated areas, outdoors or indoors. The 2 major disciplines of sport climbing are difficulty and bouldering.
Bouldering is practiced on low walls, without a rope or harness. Climbers use climbing shoes and crash mats to protect themselves in the event of a fall. We focus on technique, strength and agility, rather than height or speed.
Difficulty climbing, for its part, is practiced at height, generally on cliffs or artificial walls. Climbers use a rope and a harness to protect themselves in the event of a fall. The routes being longer in difficulty, this adds height and endurance parameters compared to bouldering.
Mountaineering
Mountaineering, on the other hand, is a more comprehensive activity that includes not only climbing, but also high mountain walking, glacier hiking, ice waterfall climbing, the use of mountaineering equipment such as ice axes and crampons, and sometimes even abseiling.
In other words, mountaineering is a more comprehensive activity that involves more diverse skills and equipment than rock climbing.
The first ascents are generally made up of short runs to validate the physical condition and technique of the new mountaineer.
Mountaineering is a mountain activity that involves climbing peaks, glaciers or steep rock faces. Requiring great endurance, good physical condition and solid experience in the mountain environment, mountaineers use specialized equipment, such as mountaineering shoes, harnesses, carabiners and crampons, to move around in the mountains in complete safety.
In summary, climbing is a discipline that makes up mountaineering. Climbing equipment (slippers, harness and rope) does not allow you to cross steep massifs while climbing.
