A snow stake (often called a snow picket) is a long aluminum stake driven or buried into snow to create an anchor point for mountaineering, glacier travel, and crevasse rescue, as well as a heavy-duty stake for securing tents in snow. Placed vertically by driving it in, or horizontally as a buried 'deadman', a well-placed snow stake provides protection and anchoring on snow where rock gear can't be used.
A bivouac (bivy) is a minimal overnight camp made without a full tent — using a bivy sack, a tarp, a snow shelter, or just a sleeping bag in a sheltered spot. Bivouacs may be planned, to save weight and move fast on long routes, or unplanned emergency stops when a party can't reach shelter. They prioritize light weight and speed over comfort.
A Z-pulley (or Z-drag) is a rope hauling system that provides a 3:1 mechanical advantage, rigged in a Z-shaped configuration with pulleys and friction hitches so that pulling three feet of rope raises the load one foot — making it possible for one or two people to haul a fallen climber out of a crevasse. A cornerstone of crevasse rescue, the Z-pulley uses an anchor, a progress-capture prusik, and a hauling prusik, and can be combined for greater advantage.
Postholing is the exhausting experience of sinking deep into soft snow with each step, leaving behind leg-shaped holes like fence post holes. It happens when the snow is too soft or unconsolidated to support your weight, often as snow warms through the day. Beyond being tiring and slow, postholing can be dangerous near hidden obstacles, and it's avoided with flotation (snowshoes or skis) and good timing.
A glissade is a controlled slide down a snow slope, used by mountaineers to descend quickly and efficiently. Typically done sitting (sitting glissade) or standing (standing glissade), it uses an ice axe for braking and control. Glissading saves time and energy on the descent, but carries serious risks — it must never be done with crampons on, on slopes that run out into hazards, or where the snow is too hard or too icy.
A snow anchor is a system for securing climbers to a snow slope — for belaying, crevasse rescue, or rappelling — where there's no rock to use. Types include driven or buried snow pickets, buried 'deadman' anchors (a picket, ice axe, or other object buried horizontally), and snow bollards (a mound carved from the snow itself). Because snow strength varies enormously, the holding power of any snow anchor depends heavily on snow quality and correct construction.
Fixed ropes are ropes anchored (fixed) in place along a route, left there to aid climbers in ascending and descending difficult or dangerous sections. Common on large expedition peaks, fixed ropes let climbers clip in for safety, ascend using mechanical ascenders (jumars), and descend by rappelling, speeding travel and improving safety over repeated trips. Their use, especially heavy fixing on the highest peaks, is debated regarding style, safety, and the nature of the climb.
A summit bid is a focused, committed attempt to reach the summit of a mountain, typically the final push to the top from a high camp on a larger climb. Summit bids are carefully timed around weather windows, acclimatization, and daylight, and usually involve an early (alpine) start, a long demanding day, and a firm turnaround time. Whether a bid succeeds depends on conditions, fitness, and disciplined decision-making as much as reaching the top.
An alpine start is beginning a climb very early — often in the dark, hours before dawn — to take advantage of safer, more favorable conditions in the mountains. Climbers start early to travel on firm, frozen snow before the sun softens it, to beat afternoon thunderstorms and rockfall, to have enough daylight for long routes, and to summit and descend during the safest window. It's a defining habit of mountaineering and alpine climbing.
A moraine is an accumulation of rock, gravel, and sediment (called till) that has been carried and deposited by a glacier. As glaciers flow, they pluck and transport debris, depositing it along their sides, where two glaciers meet, and at their snouts. Moraines form distinctive ridges of loose, often unstable rock that mountaineers frequently cross on the approach to glaciated peaks.
