Alpine climbing () is a type of mountaineering that uses any of a broad range of advanced climbing techniques, including rock climbing, ice climbing, and/or mixed climbing, to summit typically large rock, ice, or snow-covered climbing routes (e.g., multi-pitch or big wall climbs) in mountainous environments. Alpine climbing began in the European Alps, but is now performed in any remote mountainous area, including in the Himalayas and Patagonia. To climb alpine style is to do so in small lightly-equipped teams who carry all their equipment (e.g., no porters are used) and do all of the climbing themselves (e.g., no sherpas or reserve teams).
Alpinists face many additional risks beyond the risks of falling that is associated with the activity of rock and ice climbing. These risks include major rockfalls (common with large sheer rock faces in alpine environments), of avalanches (especially in couloirs), of falling seracs and of falling into crevasses, of violent storms on exposed mountain faces, of altitude effects (dehydration, edema, frostbite), of complex navigation and route finding, of long dangerous abseils, and of the difficulty of rescue or retreat due to the remoteness of the setting. Long routes may require alpinists to move simultaneously to maintain speed (e.g., in simul climbing or as rope teams), which carries its own risks.
The first "golden age" of modern alpine-climbing saw the first free ascents – in summer, in winter, and as solo – of the great north faces of the Alps by pioneers such as Walter Bonatti, Riccardo Cassin and Gaston Rebuffat. Today's subsequent era focuses on the ascents and enchainments of the ice and snow-covered faces and ridges of major Himalayan peaks (e.g., the eight-thousanders, Latok, and The Ogre in Pakistan) and Patagonian peaks (e.g., Cerro Torre Group, Fitz Roy Group in South America) in "alpine style" by pioneers such as Hermann Buhl, Reinhold Messner and Doug Scott, and latterly by alpinists such as Ueli Steck, Mick Fowler, Paul Ramsden, and Marko Prezelj. The annual Piolets d'Or – the "Oscars of mountaineering" – are awarded for the year's best achievements in alpine climbing.
Description
Alpine climbing involves small unsupported teams tackling large multi-pitch (or big wall) climbing routes that can involve various combinations of rock climbing, ice climbing, and mixed climbing, in alpine-type mountain environments. Alpine routes are often long and require a full day of climbing, or even several days. Because of the length of the routes, and the danger of alpine environments (e.g. rockfall, avalanche, altitude, weather, etc.), alpine climbers (or "alpinists") typically try routes that are well within their technical rock, ice, and mixed climbing abilities.
While parts of an alpine route will involve a lead climber tackling difficult rock, ice, or mixed sections while being belayed by a stationary second climber below, parts will involve both climbers moving simultaneously together as a rope team, particularly on large snow slopes or easier rock sections. Simultaneous climbing (or simul climbing) is riskier but is necessary to ensure that the climbers can move quickly through what is often a very dangerous and exposed environment (e.g. rockfall on open ice fields), and complete the long alpine climbing routes in a reasonable timeframe.
Alpine climbing can involve aid climbing, particularly if high up on a route, aid is needed to make progress and avoid a dangerous retreat. It can also involve multiple and complex abseils, either on the descent or in a retreat from a route. Classic alpine climbing routes often take at least a full day of climbing which necessitates the early "alpine start" (and helps to avoid the afternoon rockfalls), and may need a bivouac. It often involves traveling on glaciers and bergschrunds to get to and from the route (and in the dark for "alpine starts").
Due to the greater complexity and risks of alpine climbing, alpinists need to be much more familiar with and confident in each team member's abilities and skill level. Alpine climbing involves exercising judgment and decision-making to adapt to the constantly changing alpine weather and route conditions (e.g. changing snow and ice levels), and where good initial progress can quickly turn into a fight for the team's very survival (e.g. as chronicled during many famous alpine climbs of north-faces, such as in The White Spider that recounts the 1936 Eiger climbing disaster).
Alpine style
The derived term "alpine style" alludes to the fashion of alpine climbing to be in small fast-moving teams – or even as solo climbing – all of whom carry their own equipment (e.g. no porters), and do all of the climbing (e.g. no Sherpas or reserve teams laying down fixed ropes). Alpine-style is the opposite of expedition style (which is sometimes also pejoratively called "siege style" climbing), and is often considered a "purer" form of climbing and mountaineering.
Alpine style also means being lightly equipped; this can mean no supplementary oxygen, no major tenting or overnight equipment, and limited food and fuel supplies. It also means having minimal or no fixed ropes on the route (an important safety feature of expedition-style mountaineering). While these attributes enable alpine climbers to move quickly and take advantage of good conditions and "weather windows", it also makes alpine climbing far more dangerous. In situations where the habitually unstable high-altitude weather turns, alpine climbers will not have the provisions to "sit-out" the storm, and will not have the fixed ropes in place to retreat safely and quickly; such forced retreats in poor conditions are dangerous.
Types of routes
Alpine climbing encompasses a broad range of climbing routes, not all of which reach the peak of the mountain. They are typically long multi-pitch routes with a mixture of rock, ice and/or snow surfaces. The most straightforward route to the peak is often the easiest and thus the busiest, is called the voie normale. These routes generally follow a ridge that rises at a less steeper angle then other options to the top (e.g., the Hörnli Ridge on the Matterhorn), or an easier angled slope that rises to a col that can then follow a summit-ridge to the top (e.g., the Boccalatte-Pointe Walker route on the Grandes Jorasses).
After the first ascent, climbers will look to ascend via the main ridges and the main faces of the mountain. While face-routes are typically more severe due to their greater steepness, there are many notable ridge-routes that are equally serious undertakings due to their length and complexity (e.g., Everest's North East Ridge, Nanga Parbat's Mazeno Ridge or the Compressor Route on Cerro Torre's South East Ridge ). Climbers will also look to climb prominent features on the faces such as couloirs (e.g., the SuperCouloir), and ribs, spurs or pillars of rock (e.g., the Bonatti Pillar or the Walker Spur).
In alpine climbing, north-face routes are often the most challenging as their northerly aspect means that that they are more ice-covered and avalanche prone all year round, and they are hit by more serious weather systems than the other faces (e.g, the famous 1938 Heckmair Route on the Eiger). The Great north faces of the Alps are considered major testpieces for alpine climbers. Major alpine climbing peaks will have many routes on all their faces, some following different crack systems or physical features, and others being harder technical refinements of earlier routes such as direttissimas.
Equipment
While alpine climbers are lightly equipped due to the fact that they must carry all of their equipment while climbing, the range of climbing equipment needed can be considerable due to the diverse range of climbing techniques required on major alpine routes, and the harsh conditions encountered.
Rock-climbing equipment: Routes with rock climbing require the equipment needed for traditional climbing. Alpinists may hammer in bolts or pitons while climbing the route in order to give additional protection in the manner of a sport climbing route (i.e. where traditional climbing protection is not usable). Use of climbing helmets is common given the danger of rockfall on alpine-type routes. Ice climbing equipment: Routes involving ice or snow require the equipment needed for ice climbing or mixed climbing. In particular, ice axes, ice screws, and crampons will be required, as well as some of the broader tools needed for climbing in snow conditions such as avalanche equipment and snow belay systems. Alpine climbers may have to change from their heavy rigid ice climbing boots into soft rubber-soled rock climbing shoes while on the route. Big wall climbing equipment: Routes involving a large number of vertical rock pitches, may also require the additional equipment typical in big wall climbing, such as portaledges, bivouac sacks, and haul bags, as well as the specialized equipment for extensive and heavy-duty abseiling; and also elements of aid climbing equipment to ensure progress can still be made where free climbing is not possible.
Risks
Alpinists face a number of additional risks to the risks of rock climbing, ice climbing, and mixed climbing, making it one of the most dangerous forms of climbing. In 2019, Francis Sanzaro writing in the New York Times said of modern alpinism: "The routes are becoming more technically demanding, in more remote areas, and the method of "light and fast" — minimal gear, no fixed ropes, doing the route in a single push — is now regarded as the best style. These trends, and others, have made the sport of alpine climbing very, very dangerous". In 2021, the New York Times called the Piolets d'Or, alpine climbing's most important award, "A Climbing Award That May Be a Winner's Last", due to the number of fatalities of past winners.
Additional risks faced by alpinists to the risks of rock climbing, ice climbing, and mixed climbing, are:
Rockfall. Alpine-type rock faces are in a perpetual state of erosion, which leads to periods of significant rockfall on various routes. The action of these rockfalls can be amplified by the couloirs that some alpine routes ascend. Climate change has increased this risk even further.
Avalanche. Similarly to rockfall, alpinists face the risk of avalanches whose effects are also amplified by the couloirs some alpine routes ascend. In addition to encountering avalanches while on exposed alpine faces, they also encounter this risk when traveling to and from the routes. Alpinists such as David Lama, Jess Roskelley, Hansjörg Auer, and Marc-André Leclerc have been killed in such a fashion. Abseils. The completion of alpine climbs, or a retreat mid-route, can involve lengthy and complicated abseils for the descent. Descending major routes can require more than 20 abseils, carried out by tired climbers and often in poor conditions. A failure of any of these abseils can be fatal. The famous 1978 retreat from Latok I required 85 abseils; in 1977, Doug Scott famously broke both legs abseiling down Ogre I, but survived. Altitude. Alpine climbing is done at higher altitudes, and modern alpine climbing in the Himalayas and Patagonia is done at very high altitudes, including in the death zone. As alpinists need to carry their equipment, supplementary oxygen is usually not employed. High altitude not only brings the specific medical risks of AMS and edema but also increases the effects of dehydration and fatigue, and thus can lead to poor decision making that can have fatal consequences.