Traverse (climbing)

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For other uses, see Traverse.

In climbing and mountaineering, a traverse is a section of a climbing route where the climber moves laterally (or horizontally), as opposed to in an upward direction. The term has broad application in climbing and mountaineering, and its use can range from describing a brief section of lateral movement on a pitch of a climbing route, to large multi-pitch climbing routes that almost entirely consist of lateral movement, such as girdle traverses that span the entire rock face of a crag, and multi-peak traverses that span entire ridges connecting chains of mountain peaks. Long traverses in rock climbing require additional techniques and equipment to manage the risks of the lead climber and the following climber falling and place greater pressure on the abilities of the following climber. Traversing is also a popular training technique in rock climbing, particularly in indoor climbing walls.

In rock climbing[edit]

Some rock climbing routes have traverse sections that move horizontally for a period. There are many reasons for this including avoiding or side-stepping challenges whose grade is too hard (e.g. a major roof or a very 'blank' section of rock), or trying to follow a crack climbing route where a set of cracks run out and the climbers must move horizontally for a period to find the next set of cracks to continue upward. The term 'direttissima' (or 'direct') is used for refinements of climbing routes that dispense with traverses and rise vertically upward in the straightest possible line from the ground to the top.

Traversing uses specific climbing techniques, including 'crossing through', which is more efficient than shuffling, where the limbs are crossed so that the moves are longer and more fluid.[1] On some big wall climbing traverses, such as King Swing on The Nose on El Capitan, the traverse cannot be climbed and is instead crossed using a pendulum or a tension traverse technique.[2] Traversing also requires the following climber to have stronger technical abilities than they would need in normal climbing where the following climber is essentially top roped when belayed by the lead climber.

Long traverses require specific pieces of equipment and protection to handle the resulting 'pendulum falls' where a fallen climber can end so off-route that climbing back up is impossible and they will have to jumar back up to the route using ascenders. In addition, the lead climber will place strong protection both before and after a difficult (or crux) move on a traverse to allow the following climber to remove the first piece of protection before making the difficult move while still having protection against a more significant 'pendulum fall' from the protection that was placed just after the move.[3]

Routes with traverses can be found at most climbing areas and some are famous for their 'girdle traverse', which are very long routes that span the entire rock climbing area or crag.[4] Notable girdle traverses include The Great Wall of China (3,000 metres, 67-pitches, 5.9 R) on the Shawangunks, the Stanage Traverse (circa 5,000 metres but broken up in places, E5 6b) at Stanage Edge, and as of 2024, the world's largest continuous climbing pitch,[5] the El Capitan Girdle Traverse (4,500 metres, 75-pitches, 5.10 A4) on El Capitan in Yosemite.[6][7]

In bouldering[edit]

Traverses are a popular feature of bouldering where there is less focus on moving exclusively upwards.

In mountaineering[edit]

As in rock climbing, mountaineering routes will also use the term 'traverse' to describe sections that require horizontal or lateral movement. However, the term is also used in a broader sense to describe large mountaineering routes that follow high ridges that connect several mountain peaks, a classic example being Peter Croft's Evolution Traverse (VI, 5.9, 8-miles, elevation change of circa 3,500 metres of cumulative elevation gain CAG) in the Evolution Basin of the Sierra Nevada, which crosses nine peaks of over 13,000 feet, and takes circa 1-2 days to complete.[8]

The CAG is a key metric in mountain traverses that gives the amount of vertical climbing required (i.e. a flat ridge across a chain of peaks will have a zero gain outside of the gain to ascend the ridge). The greater the CAG, the less the route is like a traverse and more akin to an enchainment of peaks. Where a mountain traverse does not follow a well-defined ridge, it is also more likely to be an enchainment. A notable example of the distinction is the 'Everest-Lhotse enchainment', which was first done in 2011, but the 'Everest-Lhotse traverse' which in 2024, remained an unsolved problem.[9][10]

Famous mountaineering traverses include the 5 km traverse of the seven main peaks of the Cerro Chaltén Group, which is called The Fitz Roy Traverse if done north-to-south,[11] and the Moonwalk Traverse if done south-to-north,[12] and has over 4,000 metres of CAG.[13] The traverse of the Mazeno Ridge, which is the longest continuous ridge of any of the eight thousander mountains, is also notable.[14][15] The unclimed Everest-Lhotse traverse, and the even harder Everest-Lhotse-Nuptse traverse, have been described in 2024 as some of the outstanding "Holy Grails" of mountaineering.[9][10]

In training[edit]

In climbing, 'traversing along a climbing wall' is often performed as a warm-up exercise.[16]

See also[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Traversing.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Matt Burbach (2005), Gym Climbing, pp. 90–91, ISBN 978-0-89886-742-8
  2. ^ Chelton, Neil (2019). "Pendulums and Tension Traverses". The Trad Climber's Guide To Problem Solving. VDiff Climbing. ISBN 9781795602204. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  3. ^ Jerry Cinnamon (2000), "Traversing", The Complete Climber's Handbook, pp. 138 et seq., ISBN 978-0-07-135755-5
  4. ^ "Girdle Traverse". Collins English Dictionary. 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024. mountaineering: a climb that consists of a complete traverse of a face or crag
  5. ^ "Longest climbing route". Guinness World Records. 2024. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  6. ^ Leavy, Michael (1 July 2022). "Why Go Up When You Could Go Sideways? Here Are 4 Massive Girdle Traverses". Climbing. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  7. ^ Corrigan, Kevin (3 January 2023). "An Ode to Traverses". Climbing. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  8. ^ Samet, Matt (19 September 2019). "Classic Routes: Evolution Traverse (VI 5.9), Sierra Nevada, California". Climbing. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  9. ^ a b Leavy, Michael (2 March 2022). "Are These Two Men Going After the Holy Grail of Himalayan Climbing? The Everest-Lhotse traverse". Climbing. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  10. ^ a b Benevides, Angela (23 May 2023). "David Goettler Summits Everest No-O2; Plus, What Exactly is the Everest-Lhotse Traverse?". ExplorersWeb. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  11. ^ Franz, Derek (15 February 2021). "Interview with Sean Villanueva O'Driscoll about his solo traverse of Patagonia's Fitz Roy massif (the Moonwalk Traverse)". Alpinist. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  12. ^ "The Greatest Alpine Climb Ever Done?". Gripped Magazine. 19 February 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  13. ^ Sterling, Sarah (14 February 2021). "The most impressive traverse ever completed?". British Mountaineering Council. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  14. ^ Bacon, Sean (31 July 2012). "Brits Summit Nanga Parbat via Mazeno Ridge". Climbing. Retrieved 15 May 2024. One of the greatest remaining challenges in the Himalayas, the 13-kilometer Mazeno Ridge traverse crosses eight peaks before reaching the 8,126-meter summit of Nanga Parbat, the ninth highest mountain on Earth
  15. ^ Griffin, Lindsay (2013). "Nanga Parbat (8,125m), Mazeno Ridge history". American Alpine Journal. 55 (87): 282. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  16. ^ S. Peter Lewis, Dan Cauthorn (2000), "Traversing", Climbing, p. 53, ISBN 978-0-89886-682-7

External links[edit]

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