GEAR – Self Arrest Grips

          In the beginning, when a skier fell on a steep descent, if was frequently followed by the big slide. Then, because of this painful and sometimes fatal activity, self-arrest grips were developed. Think you don’t need a pair? Well, consider this. During the late spring, some of the best ski descents are bagged due to the enormous amount of big faces that offer excellent corn skiing (the snow made for our fragile egos). Yet, there is a caveat. You need to climb these big faces or bowls in the early hours of the day, while the snow is still hard, in order to reach the summit of your descent before it thaws beyond perfect corn. Ascending these frozen faces without a way to stop sliding, if you fall, typically does not end well. Hence, the self-arrest grip suddenly appears very useful. Below is an excerpt from our book, A Weekend Warrior’s Guide to Expert Skiing, which will give you the low-down on this valuable tool.  

            The first self-arrest grip I saw was developed more than two decades ago by ski equipment icon, Paul Ramer. It is pictured in Figure 18.1 on the right side, and although today’s modern versions vary, the principle remains the same. There is some sort of blade attached to the grip of your ski pole, and when you fall, the blade is thrust into the snow and dragged down the slope, biting into the surface until you come to a stop. Without self-arrest grips, in many steep descents you will fall and slide until hitting immovable objects (usually rocks) or until you reach the bottom of the slope. Long falls on steep terrain most often result in minor to severe injury or death.

            These bladed grips can save lives and reduce injury, but you should never depend on them as a guarantee you won’t get hurt when skiing steep slopes. The grips allow you to relax more, and concentrate on the task at hand instead of being engulfed in fear.

            It is this notion of self-arrest grips alleviating fear that reminds me of a recent incident I witnessed in the Alps a few winters ago. During the trip, a few of us hired a guide and boarded a helicopter bound for a high plateau, at 14,500 feet above sea level in the Alps. Our goal was to ski down the glaciers to the village, about 8500 vertical feet below us. Everyone was having a good time until we came upon a narrow constriction filled with just a few meters of ice. Just below it skiing looked good again, and we decided to side step down this few feet of ice with our skis on. It seemed unnecessary to rope up for safety. However, this icy section was about 45-degrees steep, so the guide went first as a confidence builder for the rest of us. Just after him a second skier started to descend, wanting the guide to stay close below and offer moral support. Then it happened; the second skier started to get anxious and slipped on the ice, falling into the guide. They slid together for a short distance before the guide was able to stop.

Figure 18.1 Self-Arrest Grips. When the going gets tough you can’t live without them! Many steep descents in the USA and Europe carry with them the moniker “If you fall, you die.” But, not with grips this arresting.

           The anxious skier was not so lucky, and plummeted 1500 vertical feet to the valley floor. This person received cuts and bruises, was knocked unconscious, and suffered some abrasions, but lived through the fall to ski another day. In the Alps, a fall of that distance usually ends in death. But amazingly, this skier launched off a snow ramp and flew over many meters of rock debris before landing safely on the other side in the snow. Self-arrest grips probably would have given the skier enough confidence to side step down the short icy section, knowing a fall would only result in a few feet of sliding, as compared to a 1500 vertical foot screamer.
            These special grips are not just a tool for the backcountry, and can be very useful inside ski area boundaries as well. I have personally witnessed serious falls on black diamond and double black diamond runs that resulted in people sliding from 500 to 1000 vertical feet, and sustaining injuries that could have been avoided if they were able to arrest their slide with this type of grip. When using these grips, be aware that you can injure yourself on the blades, so it is imperative you practice using them before it gets serious. If you are going to practice stopping yourself with these grips, be sure to practice on a slope that loses its steepness in a very short distance and has a safe run out at the bottom. The slope must not have rocks, trees, or obstacles in general that you could hit. Be sure to have someone with experience show you how to employ these grips.
Self-arrest grips will never be a substitute for good ski technique, but they do add a margin of safety.
            Skiing the steeps is an adventure, but I am not encouraging you to go looking for steep skiing, with or without these special grips. You need to decide for yourself when it is your time to go in search of this scarier and more dangerous type of skiing.