We’ve had a run of poor weather over the last few weeks, but yesterday it finally cleared up for a spell. After brunch, five of us headed out to explore Orca Crevasse – around 6km off base.
Whilst it’s great to get some recreation, winter trips like this also serve as a training opportunity: it’s good to practice basic crevasse rescue techniques in a benign environment before doing it for real.
Update: A few more photos of the trip:
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Setting anchors
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Malcy poses inbetween setting anchors to abseil off.
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Kitting up
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Sabrina, Callum, and Gail getting ready with Orca in the background.
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Crevasse hunting
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Malcy goes hunting for the entrance to Orca Crevasse.
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Abseil
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Callum abseils a short pitch down to the crevasse entrance.
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Into the crevasse
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Malcy gives a last minute briefing before descending into the crevasse.
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Sabrina in Orca Crevasse
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Sabrina approaches the bottom of the crevasse.
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Looking up
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Sunlight filters down through the crevasse roof.
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Icicles
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Callum looks at the myriad of different ice formations in the crevasse.
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Anchors
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Our rope for getting in and out of the crevasse is secured by two ice screws, and backed up to a further anchor above.