Lowering a pack using rope

Hi Steve

Sorry, but I have no idea what is meant by '3rd (or 5th) class terrain'. We don't use the terms here in Oz. Got any good references to educate me?

Was this backpacking? Sure was. In our sandstone country we can often have to negotiate small sandstone cliffs just to get along a spur or down to water. It would not be uncommon to have to negotiate over 100 m of cliff lines this way.

But the only point I am trying to make here is that *it all depends on your local terrain*.

In harder terrain we sometimes have to abseil to get down with any reasonable speed and safety. We find it is easy and faster to handle the pack separately.

Cheers

>(This was unroped.)

Wow, Roger! In the states, we call that free-soloing. :)

Sorry, but I have no idea what is meant by ‘3rd (or 5th) class terrain’. We don’t use the terms here in Oz. Got any good references to educate me?

Here’s a brief description

Or even briefer:
class 1-4 … if you fall you might need first aid
class 5 … if you fall you might well receive last aid

Interesting for sure, that you deal with this terrain under the "backpacking" heading. A quick description of classes brings 1-3 into the realm of getting harder and harder to get down, up or through, usually defined by more and more vertical, and then at 4th class a beginner, and even some experienced climbers, would feel more comfortable with a rope for safety reasons, and 5th class is when a rope and the protection of belay and what not is considered necessary.
We scramble lots of 3rd class terrain in the states, but once it gets to the point where a slip on vertical would mean injury, thats pretty extreme!
I still have a hard time considering this "backpacking" and would feel like its a ticket to trouble for a lot of people who would look at that pic and think thats what "we" do… A more thorough description of the intended adventure would be better for context purposes, and again, IMO we are far past the stage of "lowering a pack over some steep section"… I think thats one of the reasons we have a basic grading system in place for trails, climbs, and assorted adventures. To help prepare for what might be encountered.
Either way, its all good, I just didn't understand the context in which the lowereing was being called into play.

Well Steve you may also want to consider backpacking in winter conditions where with drifting the trails may get in the 60 degree range. I know I run into slopes like this all the time on the Superior Hiking Trail, and I'm only in Minnesota!

I don't think that wanting to lower a pack or pulk down a steep slope instead of hiking it down with snowshoes on is out of the realm of backpacking.

Thanks Jim.

Hum, well, yeah, I guess it depends on the person. We certainly do call it bushwalking, but some of it would be 4.x stuff.

We often do it unroped (because we can) but I ALWAYS carry some rope, even if only 20 m of 4 mm. We will use it without hesitation too.

Cheers

I don't know Jim, falling on fourth class terrain may require a bit more than first aid. . .

4th class terrain

Chad,

Just a shot in the dark here… but is that the 4th class section of the approach to the ACC hut on Castle Mountain in the Canadian Rockies?

John

Yup!

Ha ha – cool. Thought it looked familiar.

Brings back nightmares of loose rock, lightening storms, downpours, and the coppery taste of fear in my mouth – and that was only on the approach hike.