Recommend me a snow anchor and attachment device

[Stuart Murphy]

What general types of stakes do people favour for use in snow… fabric anchors like this http://www.exped.com/australia/en/product-category/tents/snow-and-sand-anchor or snow pegs like this http://www.bogong.com.au/mont-snow-peg-300mm.html … and why?

Also, does anyone know where I can buy something like the clips Hilleberg uses on their snow pegs?
(Or alternatively a very light carabiner type thing that won’t cost the earth, will be strong enough and won’t abrade line and is easy to connect disconnect every now and then)?

For the purposes of this discussion, let's assume soft to hard snow that may freeze overnight (I ive in Australia :))

[David Thomas]

I construct "deadman" anchors in sand or snow. Some have held thousands of pounds of force – boats against the current – when you bury a log pretty deeply. Here's a pic:

But that one is done wrong, especially for snow, because the sling materials would be stuck if the stick freezes in place. Instead, make a single loop of small line that doesn't wrap around the stick. And place the knot of the loop above the snow. Then you can untie the knot and pull the line out while leaving the stick in place. You can also use rocks in sand, but when snow camping, the rocks are usually pretty far down and often frozen in place.

Then your anchor can be incredibly strong and weigh only as much as the light line if you use sticks or small logs on site.

[Justin Baker]

As a super newbie snow camper, my concern with that method is finding sticks to bury and digging holes when the weather is super terrible and I'm getting dangerously cold and I need the shelter up asap.

[r m]

That's a good idea tying the anchor such that you don't have to dig it out to retrieve your guy line (…had to dig mine out with an ice axe a few days ago).

I've got the Hilleberg snow stakes, and they're generally left at home due to weight. Generally when I'm camping above the snow line in kozi it'll be in one of the outcrops of trees in an attempt to avoid tent destroying winds, so dead branches and/or whatever kit we're not using get used.

I've been meaning to try my hand at making some anchors out of cuben (edited).

[Philip Tschersich]

Something that weighs almost nothing and holds great is very small stuff sacks (ditty bags). Like around 1 liter or less. Fill it with snow (stuff it), put a girth hitch of line around it, and bury it. When you dig them out they are less susceptible to damage because they are soft. Silnylon is a nice material because snow doesn't stick to it readily. They are also easier to pack than many snow flukes/stakes and can double as…. Wait for it… Stuff sacks during the day!

I bury one in this video at about 4:20 in: Crossing Kodiak Island

[chris smead]

I like my Lawson Ti snow anchors.
A bit pricey, but work well and lighter than the SMC's.
I bring the bare minimum, and just use half buried snow shoes, ice axe, and/or snow claw to anchor the remaining points. (Haven't totally convinced myself the snow claw is worth it btw)

[DGoggins]

I've heard of just using grocery store plastic bags as anchors….what about those?

[David Thomas]

>"grocery store plastic bags as anchors"

They win for low weight and cost (if you're not going to harvest local sticks). But it's hard to be LNT when they freeze into the snow bank. And the bag-string junction is problematic. A little loop of clothe or thin nylon strap will result in a higher tension before failure.

In countries like Zimbabwe where 30% of the economy is based on the re-use of "disposable" plastic grocery bags, they hand out little plastic handles which are smaller, thinner and lighter than these:

You can definitely haul more weight and therefore have a stronger anchor if you use such a handle. But a 3" x 18" strip of really light nylon taffeta might also be a good transition between the bag handle and the tent guy line.

[Author]

Posts