Technical Climbing Policies
Club members take a break
The following policies are those of the technical (roped) climbing group of the New Mexico Mountain Club (NMMC) and do not apply to other activities of the NMMC.
A rating is required for participation in top ropes and climbs except for guests as noted below.
Guests may be brought to NMMC outings with the permission of the leader. The person bringing a guest is responsible for controlling the guest's activities and ensuring the guest has the proper knowledge and skills for participation in club activities. Guests are required to sign the release.
Persons regularly participating in NMMC climbing activities are not guests. They will be required to join the NMMC and to sign the release.
Minors may participate in club activities if they have the appropriate rating and permission of a parent or guardian.
Equipment Policy
Ropes and climbing hardware are available to Climbing Leaders leading club activities. Additionally, ice axes, crampons, and helmets are also available to be checked out by NMMC members.
Limited amounts of club equipment can be checked out by leaders for personal use when it does not conflict with club activities. If lost or damaged (in the opinion of the chairperson), the equipment must be replaced by the borrower. A leader allowed to do this must be one who participates in the climbing school and leads club activities. Ropes are not available for this purpose.
Rentals - A rental fee will be charged for the use of consumable equipment. For example a haul bag might be expected to last for four big wall trips. Therefore, the rental fee would be 25% of the new price. The person renting equipment is responsible for repairs if needed and for the remainder of the payout price if in the opinion of the chairperson the equipment is no longer serviceable. Ropes are not normally rented.
Pitons, bolts, and associated hardware may be checked out by leaders, with approval of the chairperson for the purpose of placing permanent anchors on routes where they will promote the safety of others doing the routes. This is intended primarily for rappel anchors and belay stations. It will be kept to a minimum.
Persons rated as climbers may check out a rack for training purposes, such as learning a new skill if they will be practicing under the direct supervision of a leader.
A first aid kit is available to anyone leading a club climbing activity.
Personal gear used and lost on NMMC outings is the responsibility of the user. The club will not replace lost or damaged personal gear unless arrangements have been made in advance. This normally occurs on graduation climbs when we do not have enough lead racks.
Leaders are not held responsible for NMMC equipment lost or damaged on club outings. A reasonable effort to retrieve lost gear (especially high-dollar items) is expected even if it means going back the next week.
Ratings
The New Mexico Mountain Club has several technical rock climbing ratings: Ratings are: Top Rope, Climber, Single-Pitch Leader and Multi-pitch Leader. The reason we have a rating system is safety. It is a good way of assuring to those who climb with the club that the person with them has a level of skill and knowledge and can be trusted to perform at the level of their rating. For ratings to remain active, members must participate in club outings annually. Everyone is encouraged to learn basic first aid.
Top Rope ratings are given to students in the climbing school who are not yet ready for a climber rating or intend only to climb at top ropes, not traditional, multi-pitch climbs. The Top Rope rating form is used to check off a list of specific skills. Top rope ratings are also given to newcomers who complete the rating check off sheet but may not have taken the climbing school.
Maintenance of the Climber rating requires participation in at least two roped climbs or practice sessions per year and a demonstrated awareness of team responsibilities and safety considerations.
A Leader rating is issued to anyone who can a) demonstrate the skills and meet all the requirements listed on the Leader checkoff sheet, b) who passes a written exam on general mountaineering, c) who has climbed with the NMMC for one year and d) who is judged by three Leaders and a Climbing Chairperson to be qualified to lead club outings.
Maintenance of the Leader rating requires continuing climbing activity, including rope leading, practice sessions, instructing, or technical rescue. A Leader is required to have and to maintain a current Red Cross Standard First Aid certificate or have equivalent training from another source.
Anyone having gained equivalent climbing experience elsewhere is asked to contact the Chairperson to obtain the appropriate rating. In general, this will involve a private climb with one or more NMMC members of Leader standing.
The NMMC does not issue ratings for snow and ice climbing.
Safety
Safety is our first consideration! There is no room for big egos on the rock. No one is above being questioned or checked. Climbers are encouraged to check and understand all systems. Our leaders will appreciate the concern for safety; however, we do ask that climbers not make changes to a system without permission of a leader.
Helmets are strongly recommended. Rock fall is one of the main hazards in mountaineering, and additionally, head injuries may occur during a fall. A helmet, while not a guarantee against injury, does add a significant measure of protection. If a person has a Climber or Leader rating, he or she is considered to be aware of the risk and may make a personal decision not to wear a helmet. Some Leaders will require a helmet in any case.
A first aid kit should be taken on all NMMC technical climbs. Individuals may take their personal kit, or one is available to be checked out from the club.
Rope Inspection - In general, ropes are not inspected after every climb. It is possible that the rope you check out might be damaged during previous use or during storage (perlon-eating mice). It is the leader's responsibility to check the lead rope BEFORE the climb. Members of the climbing party should also check the rope they will follow on. This can most easily be done as the rope is trailed out on the first pitch. It is recommended that during top-rope sessions each member of the group inspect his/her rope before setting up the pitch.
First Aid - Completion of American Red Cross Standard First Aid or equivalent training is highly recommended for those who regularly participate in climbing activities of the NMMC.
Basic Climbing School
The NMMC technical climbing group is chartered to teach a basic rock climbing school each spring.
To obtain the rating of Climber, the candidate is required to attend at least three practice sessions and to demonstrate knowledge of basic climbing skills, signal conventions, rope handling, knots, belaying, and rappelling. In addition, he or she must pass a written test covering the fundamentals of mountaineering safety and practice. Completion of all the above does not necessarily guarantee a Climber rating. The Climbing Committee may require additional practice of the basic climbing skills, if deemed necessary.
Minors sixteen years or older may attend the school with permission of their parent or guardian and approval of the Chairperson.
All rappels are to be belayed during the school and graduation climbs.
Students must tie climbing ropes into their harnesses (i.e., no carabiner clip-ins).
Natural anchors (trees, boulders, etc.) are to be used whenever possible and use of artificial protection should be avoided.
Outings
The leader is responsible for the safety of the party. The leader must accept the basic responsibility for the group and know that the members will look to him or her for stability and guidance in a crisis and be prepared to act accordingly. The leader is expected to be knowledgeable and to exercise sound judgment in making decisions. He or she is not bound by rules or recommendations that seem inappropriate under the circumstances.
Designated leaders have full authority over route selection, changes in objectives, use of equipment, and rope order. They may limit numbers of participants on any climb and reject any individual, regardless of rating, whom they consider a hazard to safety.
The leader is expected to submit a trip report with a list of participants to the Climbing Chairperson. A written report is preferred, but a phone call will be accepted. Any unusual circumstances (injuries, damaged ropes, lost equipment, etc.) should be reported.
On multipitch climbs of four or more pitches, it is recommended that the leader have a second person capable of lead climbing and taking over in event of injury to the leader.
Participants should follow the Climber's Code.
A CLIMBING CODE
- A climbing party of three is the minimum unless adequate prearranged support is available. On glaciers, two rope teams are recommended.
- Rope up on all exposed places and for all glacier travel.
- Anchor all belays.
- Keep the party together, and obey the leader or majority rule.
- Never climb beyond your ability and knowledge.
- Never let judgment be overruled by desire when choosing the route or turning back.
- Carry at all times the clothing, food, and equipment necessary.
- Leave the trip schedule with a responsible person.
- Follow the precepts of sound mountaineering as set forth in textbooks of recognized merit.
- Behave at all times in a manner that will not reflect unfavorably upon mountaineering.
PROCEDURES
CHAIRPERSON'S RESPONSIBILITIES
- Publish a quarterly climbing and top rope schedule.
- Run the annual Basic Rock Climbing School and Rescue Practice.
- Run the fall leadership class.
- Represent the climbing organization at the monthly meetings.
- Sit on the Board of Directors and attend Board meetings as required (usually quarterly).
- Call and chair meetings of the climbing committees as required for conducting climbing business.
- Develop new leaders and find a new climbing chairperson.
- Maintain a record of climbers, their ratings, and First Aid currency dates.
Equipment
The Technical Climbing Committee is responsible for the maintenance and safe storage of technical climbing equipment. The provider, usually one of the chairpersons, shall not be held liable in case of loss or damage to the equipment due to fire, theft, or vandalism.
Rock Climbs
A list of rock climbing outings must be gathered and submitted to the person doing the bulletin by the date given in the previous bulletin. This means calling the leaders on the phone (they rarely call you). Try to fill up both weekend days with climbs. After the climbing school, climbs in the 5.6 range are the most popular and tend to solidify a person's interest in climbing.
Climbs can be led at any time, but usually there are few in the colder months. Often there will be week long trips in the warm months and a meeting in March to discuss a trip to Yosemite is becoming a tradition.
Top Ropes
Top ropes go on all year. They are usually on Sunday outside of daylight savings time and on Tuesday evenings during daylight savings time.
Daylight savings time is from the first Sunday in April until the last Sunday in October.
Safety
There are no "procedures" for safety, but the climbing chairperson has some responsibility to keep it in peoples’ minds. This means pointing it out if someone is careless with their belay hand. It means not giving a rating to someone who might be a safety hazard and it might mean removing the rating of someone who disregards safe practices after being asked to make corrections. In the later case it might be appropriate to involve one of the committees.
Basic Climbing School
General
Signup for the climbing school is at the February meeting. At this time students are expected to pay the enrollment fee and will be given a packet of information to study.
The climbing school is normally held from mid April to mid May.
A rescue practice session is scheduled for the Saturday following the end of the climbing school. It is sponsored by the NMMC and conducted with the assistance of Albuquerque Mountain Rescue Council. The following topics are covered: Scree evacuation, high angle rescue systems, and self rescue techniques.
The climbing school packet will include a release of liability which the person must sign and return at the first lecture session. If anyone objects to signing the release a refund will be given.
A schedule of school activities will be mailed to each leader and he/she is requested to advise the chairman of dates they can participate. This should be done in early March. Enclosing a stamped self addressed envelope ensures a good response.
Leader handouts describing what to teach should be given out prior to each session.
Groups should be assigned and equipment divided before each session.
Generally, thirty students may be accepted for the climbing school. Some standbys should also be taken as there are usually some dropouts.
Climbing Committee
Two committees are available to advise and assist the climbing chairpersons in executing their responsibilities to the NMMC and the climbing community.
The Climbing committee, composed of all climbing leaders, generally meets two or more times a year. In the spring a meeting is held to review the climbing school and approve student ratings. In the fall a meeting is held to review the past year, make recommendations for the coming year, and approve the selection of a new chairman.
The climbers steering committee is a smaller group consisting of the chairpersons and four or five leaders selected by the chair. It meets at the discretion of the chair to advise on special issues such as allocation of funds and changes to policies and procedures, or other issues where experienced council is appropriate.