Key takeaways
- A snow stake (picket) is an aluminum stake used as a snow anchor and a heavy-duty tent stake.
- It can be driven in vertically or buried horizontally as a 'deadman' for maximum holding power.
- It provides protection and anchors for glacier travel and crevasse rescue where rock gear won't work.
- Its holding strength depends entirely on snow quality and correct placement.
This is general educational information, not training. Snow anchoring is a skilled, high-consequence technique — learn it from qualified instructors.
What a snow stake is
A snow stake — usually called a snow picket — is a long aluminum stake used to create an anchor in snow, and as a heavy-duty tent stake for snow camping. It provides protection and anchoring for glacier travel, crevasse rescue, and snow-slope belays where rock gear like cams and nuts simply can’t be used.
How it’s placed
- Vertical (driven): hammered into firm snow at a slight angle against the load, clipped near the surface — quick, best in dense snow.
- Horizontal (deadman): buried in a trench perpendicular to the load — much stronger in softer snow.
Needing an anchor on a snow slope where there’s no rock, a mountaineer buries a picket horizontally as a deadman in a slot trench, clips the rope to its center, and tests it — getting far more holding power than driving it straight into the soft snow would.
Strength depends on the snow
A snow stake’s holding power depends entirely on snow quality and placement. Firm snow holds a driven picket well; soft snow demands a buried deadman, which is usually far stronger. Because snow varies, climbers assess conditions and often back up or equalize snow anchors, sometimes alongside a snow bollard.
The bottom line
A snow stake (picket) is the mountaineer's anchor for snow — driven in vertically or buried as a deadman to protect glacier travel, crevasse rescue, and snow slopes where rock gear is useless. Its strength lives and dies by snow quality and placement, so reading the snow and choosing the right method (often a buried deadman) is what makes it trustworthy.
Frequently asked questions
What is a snow stake?
A snow stake, or snow picket, is a long aluminum stake used in mountaineering to create anchors in snow — for glacier travel, crevasse rescue, belaying on snow slopes, and securing tents in snow. It works where rock protection like cams and nuts can't, providing a hold in the snow itself.
How do you place a snow stake?
There are two main methods. Vertically, you drive the picket into firm snow at a slight angle against the load and clip in near the surface. Horizontally, you bury it in a trench perpendicular to the load as a 'deadman', which generally provides much greater holding power in softer snow. The right method depends on the snow conditions.
How strong is a snow stake anchor?
It depends entirely on the snow. In firm, dense snow a well-placed picket can be a strong anchor; in soft or unconsolidated snow its holding power drops, and a buried deadman placement is usually far stronger than a driven vertical one. Because snow varies, mountaineers assess conditions and often back up or equalize snow anchors.
Sources
- Snow anchors & glacier travel — American Alpine Club
- Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills — The Mountaineers