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WCR - Winter Mountaineering

Field trip: Winter Mountaineering & Advanced Crevasse Rescue

WCR - Winter Mountaineering - Mountaineers Seattle Program Center

Load Transfers. Joint session with students of the Leading on Trad course.

Contacts

Rodrigo Toso
Rodrigo Toso
Primary Leader
  • Casual
  • FULL (6 capacity)
  • FULL (6 capacity)
  • Sun, Sep 21, 2025 at 8:07 PM
  • Tue, Mar 3, 2026 at 5:00 PM
  • Cancellation & Refund Policy
  • iCal Google
Objective
The objective of this activity is to get you proficient at safely executing load transfers. We will use releasable belay escapes to get you to master the skill, which is the core of all our rescue courses for glaciers and rock alike :).
Homework
At the very least, please watch these videos: (a) belay escape from your harness and (b) belay escape from an anchor.
A few notes on the videos:
  • Every time I'm transferring loads, I find it useful to ask myself: (1) where's the load; (2) where do I want the load to go; and (3) before transferring the load, where's the backup.
  • Practice the MMO in a variety of rope and belayer positions for proficiency. Rewatch the MMO being tied in the video, minute 9:45 in video (a). In the videos, you might see the components tied far apart (munter->mule->overhand); not a good idea: the munter, the mule, and the overhand should be very close to each other, touching each other really.
  • Bonus: in the first video, can you replace that "temp" prusik (8min50s in the belay escape from your harness video) with something else and avoid using blue carabiner? Do you really need to use the back of the rope for the first load transfer? The second video can help you answer these questions.
If you have the time, I recommend that you watch this video too: A Primer on Climbing Anchors - YouTube.

Seattle Program Center at 1800, Room TBD

Route/Place

Mountaineers Seattle Program Center

Roster
Required Equipment

Required Equipment

Bring your rack except for protection: harness, guide ATC, 5 lockers, 4 non lockers, anchor material, and cordelette; prusik loop is optional. We will be in the basement, so dress accordingly.

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