A snow stake is a flat aluminium stake driven into or buried in snow to build an anchor where there is no rock or ice. Used as a vertical placement or a horizontal buried 'deadman', its holding power depends on the snow's firmness. It's a staple of the snow-anchor toolkit alongside the picket.
A bivouac, or bivy, is a minimalist overnight stop on a mountain, often unplanned, using little or no shelter beyond a bivy sack or improvised cover. Alpinists deliberately bivy to climb light and fast on long routes, while an unplanned 'forced bivy' is an emergency when a party is caught out overnight.
A Z-pulley, or Z-drag, is a rope hauling system that creates roughly a 3:1 mechanical advantage by routing the rope through anchors and pulleys in a Z shape. It is the standard system for hauling a climber out of a crevasse, letting a small team lift a heavy load with a fraction of the force.
Postholing is sinking deep into soft snow with each step, leaving holes like postholes, because the snow won't support your weight. It's exhausting and slow, and is the problem snowshoes and skis solve. Snow tends to firm up overnight, so an early alpine start often avoids the postholing that afternoon softening brings.
Glissading is descending a snow slope quickly and deliberately by sliding — on your feet (standing glissade) or seated — using an ice axe to control speed and stop. It is a fast, fun way down, but glissading with crampons on is dangerous (catching a point can break a leg), and runout hazards must be checked first.
A snow anchor is a point of attachment built in snow to hold a climber, belay, or rappel, since snow offers no cracks for rock gear. Methods include buried 'deadman' anchors like a picket, snow stake, or buried ice axe, and the snow bollard carved from the snow itself. Their strength depends entirely on snow quality.
Fixed ropes are ropes anchored in place along a route, left for climbers to clip into or ascend with mechanical ascenders. Common on big expedition peaks and steep snow, they speed travel and add security on terrain that would be slow or dangerous to climb unroped — but they rely on the ropes and anchors being sound.
A summit bid (or summit push) is the attempt to reach the top of a mountain, typically the final, committing stage of an expedition launched from a high camp. Summit bids are timed for a weather window and good conditions, and require turnaround discipline — committing to descend if the climb runs late or conditions deteriorate.
An alpine start is beginning a climb very early — often well before dawn — to take advantage of cold, stable conditions and to leave a safety margin for the descent. Frozen snow is firmer and safer in the early hours, rockfall and avalanche risk is lower, and an early start means finishing before afternoon storms.
A moraine is a ridge or deposit of rock and debris left behind by a glacier. Lateral moraines run along a glacier's sides and terminal moraines mark its furthest advance. Mountaineers often follow or cross moraines to access glaciers, where the loose, rubbly ground can be unstable and tiring.