SO WHAT DOES “FAST AND LIGHT” MEAN?
What is Fast & Light?
Going Fast and Light is a way to achieve an bjective in the mountains, but it needs to be understood clearly. These questions will make you think about your approach to the mountains and the choice of your technical gear purchases.
Is it a mountaineering fashion? Is it a dangerous and reckless propostion? Or just a logical progression in equipment and mental approach to the sport?
For us the idea and philosophy of “Fast and Light” is about moving quickly in the mountains which means spending less time exposed to the risks of being in the mountains. Also fast travel is an amzing experience, although it mainly depends on your physical condition and your experience of moving in the mountains with a small backpack. Ditching a heavy pack to climb Fast and Light means not only do you gain the benefit of spending less time exposed to objective danger but you also experience the sheer pleasure of moving in the mountains and climbing over terrain with less effort.
However, it also means having a smaller margin of safety should something go wrong. If the weather turns and you don’t have the kit to manage a visicous mountin storm, or if you thought you would be fast enough not to be on the mountain overnight, and you do get benighted without the right gear, then it things get uncomfortable and dangerous. Making the decision to go light means you should be aware of the risks associated with your choice.
Obviously most people find it beneficial to reduce the weight they carry in the mountains. Some weight reductions have little or no downside, while others represent very large compromises in terms of safety. For example, replacing steel with aluminum ice screws can significantly reduce weight without compromising safety and has little impact on performance. However, choosing to leave your bivy gear at home in order to climb a route in one day instead of two will probably work in good weather and good conditions, but you are goal taking a much greater risk. If unforeseen elements, such as climbing slower than planned, forces you to spend the night out, what could have been originally a comfortable bivy, will turn into a serious condition where you risk hypothermia.
To climb fast and light, it is important to remember that the gear you choose depends on the skills and experience acquired during time spent in a high-alpine environment. Best start in a more conventional style, and over time learn how to lighten your pack while maintaining a comfortable margin of safety.
The evolution of climbing gear: lighter weight, better technical performance, and more comfortable.
Climbing and mountaineering gear has changed radically these past decades in terms of weight as in technical performance and comfort.
To go Fast and Light, every gram counts, even for small items. If you compare the weight of two individual carabiners, for example, the difference is minor, but when you multiple dozens of grams saved across your entire kit, it translates to shaving several kilograms off the overall weight of your pack.
Changes in equipment performance have had a direct impact on weight savings on the mountain. For example, the technical innovations in rope production have led to dry treatments that not only improve a rope’s performance but also keep it lighter when in use. It is not absorbing water and weight from snow.
Your choice of gear depends first and foremost on your skill, physical fitness, as well as on your experience in the mountains. The choice to move towards a fast and light approach should be made with the full knowledge of the consequences and tradeoffs. This will allow you to tackle more challenging goals and to improve risk management of objective of hazards such as rock fall or avalanches; however it will reduce the backup options available to you.
Before choosing Fast and Light, ask yourself some questions:
- Is the weather forecasts good and stable?
- Are the conditions good on the objective?
- Is my partner(s) fitness complimentary to my own fitness?
- Will I be within my physical limits?
- What happens if something goes wrong?