Scrambling/Soloing: Where do you draw the line?

[-wren-]

I had an unsavory experience in the Crestones this August that cemented a belief I have held since I started climbing mountains, and I'm hoping it can help open a dialogue on this topic.

Graced with one of my favorite partners on the roster for the weekend - flying through the four great traverses in one summer; he's fit, fast, motivated, funny, my age, and a great friend. We're linking Humboldt and the Crestone Traverse in a day via Crestone Peak's North Buttress. I did the route a year prior and know exactly how I made the summit, but still, I get a weird, visceral gut feeling around 13,600' headed up the Peak. I've never shoved this feeling away before, but I don't want to sabotage the day, especially since I've done the route once already, and in a way my partner has employed me as a routefinding asset. I let him know, but also reassure him that it will go away. Unfortunately, it more or less sticks around until we're back on easy hiking terrain. We had both agreed we would rather climb up and over NE Crestone than traverse around - the year before I had done the contouring traverse around the spire, and I felt that going up and over would be simpler and a bit easier. I felt that the traverse was 5.3, and the pinnacle was supposedly only 5.0. We ended up committing to 50-60 feet of 5.4-5.6 climbing up a flake feature, mostly face moves but some stemming and liebacking. It looked easier from below. We were definitely off route. Topping out, coming out of our hyper-focus bubbles, both of us agreed that the moves were scary and it wasn't an enjoyable experience. I was pissed at myself for not trusting my gut, for not finding the safest way, for being impatient...and I didn't have fun on the consequential terrain below us, which was an honest first. We were both pumped full of adrenaline and a little annoyed with ourselves, but in the end the blunder was all mine and I still feel terrible for making this error with a friend's life on the line. We are both solid climbers at the high 5.10 / low 5.11 grade, but the nature of the conglomerate and the exposure got to both of us.

I have some experience climbing without protection at this grade, but this was just such a stark example of how quickly exposure and position can get into your head. It was on top of NE Crestone, gathering myself, that I confirmed I had never really been in a soloing headspace before this. Every piece of 5th class terrain I had covered without a rope up to this point, I was comfortable onsighting in approach shoes. Never really scared, or feeling like I want a rope. The nature of the climbing we did on NE Crestone made me want a rope, want rock shoes, hesitate, not trust my feet as much - I accidentally broke through the barrier of scrambling into the realm of onsight soloing, and I was in the WRONG headspace for it. In the end it was okay, but not an experience anyone should ever aim to go through. We made some bad decisions, but more importantly I solidified my belief that gut feelings should be trusted for a reason. That feeling is there to let you know when you're about to push so far outside of your comfort zone that you're nearing a possibly traumatic experience. We should have turned around when I got the feeling, or followed the route that I had the year before, but nonetheless we are both alive and felt pretty good on the traverse and descent of the Needle.

IMO, the division between scrambling and soloing has little to do with grades, and lots to do with what terrain you can comfortably onsight in approach shoes, without producing adrenaline. This grade could be anything from 4th class to difficult 5th, depending on the person, position, and conditions. The other argument, of course, is that once you enter 5th class terrain, that is definitively soloing, as you must use your hands for leverage and strategically shift weight between limbs.

[thebeave7]

As one who also solos up to 5.6, I think we all like to talk ourselves into underestimating the consequences of our actions.
If you're climbing without a rope, you're free soloing, sure it might be an easy grade (class 4-5.0), and calling it scrambling may make it feel less risky, but you're still free soloing easy climbing, the risk might be lower, but consequences can still be very high. In short i don't think they are as mutually exclusive terms as we like to treat them.

Its this type of narrative that gets people (esp new and uninitiated) into lots of trouble. Example being the number of people I've seen on the second flatiron with zero climbing experience telling me its just an easy scramble, so I don't need any. If that's the mind set, then people don't fully grasp the consequences of what they're doing, even if a lot of the risk can be mitigated by rock quality, skills and route knowledge (shown by the number of flatiron rescues each year.). As you point out, you can very quickly get into uncomfortable terrain that greatly ups the risk, the key is being aware and willing to say "this isn't right, there's got to be a better way" and to have the skills to down climb back down and do something different. We all too often let our ego take over, and that's what ends up getting us in trouble.

Eric

[seano]

Since difficulty is a continuum, and anything third class or harder can have death-fall consequences, I guess I'd draw the line at onsight versus rehearsed. I've onsighed some stuff that had me pretty focused, in both trail runners and rock shoes, but I consider it all scrambling -- I would feel pretentious calling it "free soloing." I have never been drawn to the kind of thing Honnold does, working a route roped until I have the moves dialed, then going ropeless.

It sounds like you got yourself in a bit over your head, and managed to focus, get serious, and get through it. That happens sometimes. Listening to your gut is good, but not infallible. I had my summer plans ruined when I broke a toe and messed up my shin on non-exposed class 3-4 terrain, after scrambling some much more consequential 5.5-ish stuff that same day. Bad things happen in the mountains, even when you're not operating near your limit.

[-wren-]

Bad things happen in the mountains, even when you're not operating near your limit.

For sure. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about ways to keep myself safer on difficult class 2 and easy class 3 terrain especially as it can be so easy to zone out and go into autopilot. I’d argue that in the process of climbing the CO 13ers it’s more likely you’ll blow it and get injured on terrain like this rather than the more consequential stuff simply because of how much time you spend in it, especially if you’re averaging several peaks per outing. But it’s definitely exhausting to always have the guard completely up on days like that.

[-wren-]

Bad things happen in the mountains, even when you're not operating near your limit.

For sure. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about ways to keep myself safer on difficult class 2 and easy class 3 terrain especially as it can be so easy to zone out and go into autopilot. I’d argue that in the process of climbing the CO 13ers it’s more likely you’ll blow it and get injured on terrain like this rather than the more consequential stuff simply because of how much time you spend in it, especially if you’re averaging several peaks per outing. But it’s definitely exhausting to always have the guard completely up on days like that. I think finding a safe but efficient/reasonable middle ground is a piece of the puzzle that I might not have considered to be as important as it is when I started doing this.

[Gandalf69]

I always thought "soloing" was being solo, that is, alone on the route or mountain...no ropes of course.
As for your experience this year, I think anyone who has gone out on class 3 plus has probably run into dangerous terrain and exposure, and it's ok to be rattled. Mountaineering is not safe. It's hard for me to "draw the line" because most of my climbs/hikes I do alone, but I can relate to being in very sketch terrain very quick like your story.

[sunny1]

Great discussion,and well articulated, Wren.

Since difficulty is a continuum, and anything third class or harder can have death-fall consequences, I guess I'd draw the line at onsight versus rehearsed.

It's absolutely possible to have a fatal fall in less than 3rd class. Completely agree with these comments:

Listening to your gut is good, but not infallible... Bad things happen in the mountains, even when you're not operating near your limit.

I wiped out in wet snow on C2-2+ bouldering on the descent of Mt Alice last October. Hit the left side of my head, sustaining a concussion that has changed my life, completely sidelined me for nearly the past year.
Never expected that in a million years.
My accident was due to fatigue - very little to no sleep the night prior, and the fact that my microspikes were balling up with snow and not getting purchase on the terrain.
And, regrettably, I was not wearing a helmet.
I was fortunate - had I hit the back of my head with that much impact, I may not be here today.
I didn't have any "gut feeling" prior to the incident. Thus, as Seano says, "Bad things happen in the mountains, even when you're not operating near your limit."
Hindsight is 20-20.
My experience would have the line drawn lower than 3rd class. I was with a great partner that day, as well.

[bsiegs]

As one who also solos up to 5.6, I think we all like to talk ourselves into underestimating the consequences of our actions.
If you're climbing without a rope, you're free soloing, sure it might be an easy grade (class 4-5.0), and calling it scrambling may make it feel less risky, but you're still free soloing easy climbing, the risk might be lower, but consequences can still be very high. In short i don't think they are as mutually exclusive terms as we like to treat them.

+1. This is exactly spot on imo.

[daway8]

This is a great discussion to have but I'm not sure there are any one size fits all answers - certainly some common principles that apply across the board but each individual's skill/comfort level varies widely and may even change day by day or moment by moment.

I'm not up to speed on all the terminology distinctions in terms of what counts as soloing, etc but whatever you call it, I've been climbing unroped in 5th class terrain lately and loving it.

The most recent example was going by myself across the Bells Traverse with no protection (though I did wear a helmet). I intentionally ignored the set route and stayed ridge proper for a majority of the way. Not sure what the precise grade was but I'm guessing maybe mid 5th class.

I did this all in my normal hiking boots. I remember at least one spot where I got to the top of a tower and was confronted with a slight bit of an overhang - just enough to make it a little tricky to pop up over the top.

I had made sure up to then to be sure I was following the "don't climb up what you can't climb down" rule so I knew I could back down if needed. But I was in a good headspace and also obeying the 3 points of contact rule and was able to slowly and calmly analyze the situation and find solid, secure holds that allowed me to safely top out.

The terrain was such that a fall would have 100% been fatal and even recovery of my body might not have been very viable. That was in the back of my mind but I had confidence (perhaps overconfidence?) in my ability to stay safe by utilizing the climbing principles mentioned and the abilities I've slowly grown over the years.

But there were one or two other spots where I briefly started to leave that focused headspace and began to feel uneasy and had the first twinges of feeling the urge to act quickly to get myself out of a tricky spot.

In each case, I immediately ceased all motion and focused all attention on getting myself back into the right headspace, reminding myself to only make sure, deliberate, solid moves. After a couple deep breaths and a quick analysis of the situation I either found a good way forward or backed down and took a different line. Then I was right back to thoroughly enjoying the whole experience.

To me it seems the most important thing about climbing (beyond of course building up the necessary basic climbing skills to negotiate class 5) is being able to stay in that right headspace. If I'm focused and deliberate and not rushing then I can negotiate all sorts of wild terrain

But if I press forward while I'm stressed out that's when serious trouble is about to occur. I won't even pretend to be even 1/100th of the climber that Honnold is, but one key takeaway I got from Free Solo is that the headspace you're in on a given day (or at a given moment) is extremely important.

If your mental game is off at any point then it doesn't matter who you are or how skilled you are - you're flirting with disaster if you push forward while not in the right headspace.

[terrysrunning]

In case anyone wasn't convinced how subjective this distinction is, I have this screenshot I had taken a few months ago from Alex Honnold's Instagram. Gotta love a nice enjoyable 13 pitch 5.11 scramble! So fun you gotta stop and take a few pics, apparently!
For me, the distinction is simple. When I'm enjoying myself, I'm scrambling. When I get scared, it's free solo-ing
For real, though, I think it's obvious that technically you could call anything 3rd class and up solo-ing if you want, but most would laugh at you. 5th class and up it's a little harder to argue, but most of us know up to 5.3-4ish is within anyone's skill and you'd have to really screw up to fall. You'd sound silly if you went around telling people you "free solo-d the 2nd Flatiron". Technically free solo-ing for sure, but doesn't feel that way to most who have any experience. 5.6-7 and up I think most outside Alex Honnold recognize that it's solo-ing, even if they're scrambling it.

Screenshot_20220627-002533_Instagram.jpg (173.59 KiB) Viewed 737 times

[ekalina]

I probably don't have any great answers for you, but I appreciate you sharing your experience and being open to discussing it. There is a surprisingly fine line between pushing oneself in the mountains in a way that builds confidence and skills and crossing the edge into what can be a dangerous, adrenaline-riddled experience. I have been there at times (on much easier terrain than you) and recall a similar reaction.

I find that these experiences teach us a great deal about ourselves and our motivations in the mountains if we are willing to be introspective. They help sharpen our sense of where the edge is and how to know when we might be crossing it. And I agree with previous comments that anyone who spends enough time climbing peaks is eventually going to find themselves in an uncomfortable situation, even if they aren't looking for it.

While it is good to reflect on what went wrong and how to prevent it in the future, it's also worth considering what you did right - e.g., having 5.10/5.11 climbing experience was probably key to getting out of this situation safely. You also went with a partner who was able to get through it with you. I would keep practicing/doing those things, along with any others that contributed to your safety. It is good to avoid biting off more than we can/want to chew. But we should also admit that we all make occasional mistakes, and the outcome will usually be better if we have a contingency plan and the skills/equipment to execute it.

[seano]

I’d argue that in the process of climbing the CO 13ers it’s more likely you’ll blow it and get injured on terrain like this rather than the more consequential stuff simply because of how much time you spend in it, especially if you’re averaging several peaks per outing. But it’s definitely exhausting to always have the guard completely up on days like that.

Agreed. My recent injury came at the end of a day full of managing objective hazards and technical difficulties (https://www.drdirtbag.com/2022/07/17/br ... ey-ridges/), and perhaps I was a bit too careless on easier terrain. But doing something like the 13ers involves so much mileage on easier terrain that some low-probability event will lay you low. Heck, I got a black eye running down a trail after doing Granite...