Front pointing

2025-07-04T14:20:53Z

2001:BB6:5F0C:1500:A998:EAB9:F7AA:2133: ce

{{Short description|Technique in ice climbing and mountaineering}}
{{See also|Self-arrest}}
{{Multiple image|perrow=2|total_width=370 | header=Ice climbers and mountaineers front-pointing
| image1=Crampon.JPG|caption1=On hard ice
| image2=Climbing in Alaska.JPG|caption2=On snow slopes
}}
'''Front-pointing''' (or '''German technique''') is a [[climbing technique|technique]] used in [[mountaineering]] and [[ice climbing]] where a climber embeds, usually by a kicking action, the sharp metal 'front-point(s)' of their modern metal rigid [[crampon]] into the ice or hard packed snow to gain a secure foothold to assist their upward momentum on the [[climbing route]].<ref name=REI/>

Front-pointing places greater strain on the leg muscles than the '''French technique''' where the feet remain flat on the surface using the "duck foot" (feet pointing either side at 90 degrees), or the "flat foot" (moving diagonally up the slope).<ref name=CL1/> For steep slopes of about 45 degrees and upwards, the French technique is less feasible to execute.<ref name=REI>{{cite web | magazine=[[REI]] | title=How to Climb Ice | url=https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/ice-climbing-waterfalls-alpine-walls.html | first=Katrina | last=Bloemsma | date=2024 | accessdate=9 July 2024}}</ref> Some use a hybrid technique, the "pied troisieme" (or the 3 o'clock position), where one crampon (the lower one) is front-pointing while the other crampon is at a 90-degree sideways angle but still flat on the surface and following the French technique;<ref name=REI/> this hybrid technique allows climbers to avoid the strain of full front-pointing when ascending snow slopes that are both long and steep.<ref name=CL1>{{cite web | magazine=[[Climbing (magazine)|Climbing]] | url=https://www.climbing.com/skills/french-technique/ | title=French Technique | first=Dougald | last=McDonald | date=14 January 2013 | accessdate=14 July 2024}}</ref>

[[File:Klim crampons.jpg|thumb|A [[crampon]]'s two 'front points' can be horizontal (l) or vertical (r)]]

Front-pointing is an easy concept but takes experience to apply efficiently and safely.<ref name=UKC1/> Ice climbers need to ensure that when kicking the front-points of their crampons into ice they do not shatter and break the wider surface.<ref name=UKC1/> Novice ice climbers, and particularly those used to [[rock climbing]], tend to raise their heels upward when front-pointing — as rock climbers do on footholds — which can cause the points of the crampon to shear out of the ice; experienced climbers drop their heels slightly.<ref name=UKC1/> While front-pointing encourages a direct upward climbing style, ice climbers need to maintain a resting "triangle position", with the feet apart on either side of their [[centre of gravity]] (COG), and avoid their feet being together right under their COG.<ref name=UKC1>{{cite web | magazine=UKClimbing | url=https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/skills/steep_ice_climbing_technique-4316?ref=grizzliesandavalanches.com | title=Steep Ice Climbing Technique | first=George | last=McEwan | date=6 January 2016 | accessdate=14 July 2024}}</ref>

Front-pointing dates from the early 1930s when [[Grivel (company)|Grivel]] added two front points to their 10-point crampon of the French technique. It came to international prominence when [[Heinrich Harrer]], in his book about the famous 1938 first ascent of the [[Eiger#First ascent of the north face|Eiger north face]], said "I looked back, down our endless ladder of [French technique] steps. Up it, I saw the New Era coming at express speed; there were two men running — I mean running, not climbing — up". The two men were [[Anderl Heckmair]] and [[Ludwig Vörg]], who were front-pointing on the Eiger's second ice field. They joined with Heckmair and [[Fritz Kasparek]] to complete the climb. In the 1960s, Stubai bent the second row of points forward for additional "heel-dropping traction" when front-pointing (see image).<ref>{{cite web | magazine=[[Climbing (magazine)| Climbing]] |url=https://www.climbing.com/gear/history-of-crampons-timeline-no-226/ | date=13 November 2003 | accessdate=14 July 2024 | title=History of Crampons Timeline}}</ref>

==See also==
{{commons category}}
* [[Ice climbing]]
**[[Mixed climbing]]
**[[Dry tooling]]
* [[UIAA Ice Climbing World Championships]]
* [[Glossary of climbing terms]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

===Further reading===
*{{cite book | title=Ice World: Techniques and Experiences of Modern Ice Climbing | date=1996| publisher=[[Mountaineers Books]] | edition=1st | isbn= 978-0898864465 | first=Jeff| last=Lowe| author-link=Jeff Lowe}}
*{{cite book | title=Ice & Mixed Climbing: Modern Technique | date=2003 | publisher=[[Mountaineers Books]] | edition=1st | isbn=978-0898867695 | first=Will | last=Gadd | author-link=Will Gadd}}
*{{cite book | title=Ice & Mixed Climbing: Improve Technique, Safety, and Performance | date=2021 | publisher=[[Mountaineers Books]] | edition=2nd | isbn=978-1680511260 | first=Will | last=Gadd | author-link=Will Gadd}}
*{{cite book | title=How to Ice Climb | date=2021| publisher=Falcon Guides | edition=2nd | isbn=978-0762782772 | first1=Tim |last1=Banfield | first2=Sean | last2=Isaac}}

==External links==
*[https://www.ortovox.com/uk/safety-academy-lab-ice/chapter-2 WALKING TECHNIQUES ON ICE AND FIRN], {{ill|Ortovox|de}} (2024)
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJRVm9BTdXU Alpine & Mountaineering: 3. Kicking Steps - Duck Foot, Flat Foot & Front Pointing], ''Climbing Tech Tips'' (2018)

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[[Category:Ice climbing]]

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Front pointing