Fear and Strength in Via Ferrata

Byrichard
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Fear and Strength in Via Ferrata play an important role. Fear drains us of energy. In Rock climbing this is fine. If you run out of energy you abseil down and you call it a day. In Via Ferrata when you run out of energy you are stuck on a rock face and people usually do not have the required safety equipment to help you out of the situation. It is for this reason that we read so frequently about rescues on via ferratas. I read that at fort l’écluse there have been four rescues this year, at Saillon there have been a few and in Bellevaux there may have been as many as ten.

The point of via ferratas is that anyone can practice them. In theory once you get the harness, the y-combinator and helmet you are ready to climb. In practice you need to take several things in to account. Via Ferrata are graded according to three factors. These are Equipment, Height off the ground and physicality.

Some via ferrata are well equipped and some leave you to improvise hand holds and foot holds on the cliff face. You also need to trust your own equipment. This does take some time.

Height makes us afraid and our fear tenses the body. When the body is tense it uses a lot of energy. You stay closer to the rock and you use your arms to raise yourself whilst staying as close to the rock as possible.

Through practice I have seen my confidence grow and in the process my technique has evolved and adapted. I often keep my arms straight and pivot about my hand as I push upwards with my legs. In so doing I climb fast and without burning energy. I can save energy because my fear has faded over the years. Whilst a beginner will try to keep their centre of gravity as close as possible to the rock I do the opposite. I swing out and up with every step. It means that I save energy for the overhangs.

Two days ago someone who was afraid, who had far less experience was using his arms rather than his legs. Arms have tiny muscles compared to legs so they tire much sooner. In rock climbing if you make mistake you can usually be lowered back to the ground and within a minute or two the incident is over. In Via ferrata you do not have this luxury.

In Via Ferrata when you start to get tired you need to continue. If you can’t continue then there are three options. The first is to call in a helicopter to take you off the cliff, the second is for a mountain response team to come and assist you and the third option is self rescue. For the latter I mean a group rescue.

In the first two cases these are trained professionals who will resolve the incident relatively quickly. Always climb with people more experienced than you as they can help you.

In one rescue scenario a person ran out of strength and let go just metres from the end. In this case knots were put in a rope so that the person could climb the rope as if it was a ladder. In another case a rope was used as a counter-weight where the distressed climber had to climb and two of us were supporting the weight as we were given slack. This is not ideal as it requires a lot of strength if the person being helped is exhausted.

In the third case a rope and pulley system was used. In this case the force exerted was tripled and the rope was longer. It took just one person for this rescue. When we saw with what ease someone could be rescued we decided we needed the same equipment and to get proper training.

Via Ferrata is a fun and exciting sport that brings you to beautiful landscapes and it is easy to assume that you can make it from point A to point B. People should take the time to assess their level of strength and stamina before starting. They should also rest when they have the opportunity. The problem with fear is that it is a positive feedback loop. The more afraid you are and the more your muscles tense, the tenser you are the more tired you are and the more afraid you are. Knowing when to take a mental and physical break in via ferrata is essential. Take breaks to drink and eat something before you get tired. Clear your mind and relax before you continue. It is better to take twice the recommended time than to run out of energy half way through a Via Ferrata.

 

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La Via Ferrata Farinet
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La Via Ferrata Farinet

Byrichard

Plaque describing Farinet
Plaque describing Farinet


For a week or two in April the weather was nice but since then the weather has been bad. We had new snow, high winds and rain. Yesterday rain was announced yet again for parts of Switzerland but luckily only clouds were announced for Saillon where the Via Farinetta is. I expected it to be cold and grey but practicable.


We had moments of sunshine and the weather was even pleasant. As a result of all the rain and snow the waterfalls were full of water, to the point of growing with water and spraying the first part of the Via Ferrata.


A large volume of water filling the waterfall
A large volume of water filling the waterfall


As this Via Ferrata is in a gorge communicating with the people you are climbing with requires speaking loudly. Now is a good time to see the waterfalls and gorge when they are nicely filled with water.


As I have written about this via Ferrata before I will not go on. What is interesting is that there are now four or five Via Ferrata groups, of which three for those living between Switzerland and France. You have the Via Ferrata Suisse Romand Group, the Via Ferrata Geneve/Annemasse group, the Via Ferrata de France group and the Via Ferrata d’Europe group.


This is excellent because it means that we are now a community of hundreds of enthusiasts connected by Facebook groups and this can be extended to Whatsapp groups. It means that if you have a desire to climb you can suggest a time and place and people can say “yes” or stay silent. ;-). Sometimes they say “nope, some of us have jobs” but not to me as I haven’t asked to do things during the week.


What’s more, this community is not English speaking “expats”. It is made up of locals and migrants. For years social media was about having conversations online but not being able to meet in person unless one caught the train, plane or went on a road trip. Facebook and other social networks have now reached critical mass, at last. This means that we can say “I want to climb” and then you do.


It makes meeting people possible once again. So far I’ve met two new people via the Via Ferrata group and I want to meet many more. It’s nice to be part of a nice big, open community once again. This summer I expect to participate in a few activities with these groups, as soon as the mediocre weather gives way to nice weather.

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Via Ferrata Jacques Revaclier

Byrichard

The Via Ferrata Jacques Revaclier is located on the Salève a short drive from Vitam Parc and within easy driving distance of Geneva and Nyon. The Via Ferrata requires scrambling over a few metres of rock to get to the start.





This via Ferrata has two parkings. The first of these is for the Abbaye de Pomier and the second is for the “promeneurs”. If the abbaye parking is empty use this one because you may hit the bottom of your car on the dirt track heaving up to the hiking parking.


The hiker parking
The hiker parking


This via ferrata goes sideways rather than up and requires you to go down and then up, and then across. You walk under the rock formation pictured below and then get to a section where you are more exposed to seeing the landscape and the landscape below. If you’re used to via ferrata then this is the moment you will enjoy and if you are new to via ferrata then this is the moment that will either convince you of your love for the sport, or to try something tamer next.


Nice rock
Nice rock


When you get to the end of the via ferrata you will come into a cluster of trees and you are meant to follow the red paint back to the path down. This is not well marked so requires some tracking skills. I created a GPS track of this trip. Keep in mind that later in the season the track should be clearer. At the start of the season teams of volunteers have usually not cleared these paths.





Beginners can try this via ferrata but be aware that the last part may be a challenge for beginners so prepare them for the last section. It’s short and easy to surmount but be wary of it.


360 photos of Via Ferrata
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360 photos of Via Ferrata

Byrichard

Yesterday I was up above Leysin climbing the Tour D’Aï via Ferrata. It was an opportunity for me to take 360 photos of Via Ferrata. The beauty of panoramic pictures is that they provide you 360° of vision both vertically and horizontally. It means that you can get a sense of size and scale. You can look at the person exploring the via ferrata and how precarious their situation is as easily as you can admire the beauty of the landscape.

[vrview img=”https://www.main-vision.com/richard/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/R0011307_20160701130638.jpg” pimg=”https://www.main-vision.com/richard/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/R0011307_20160701130638.jpg” width=”500″ height=”400″ ]

Another great aspect to 360° photos is that you can show specific bits of via ferrata and show where the challenging bits are. “Here is where the via ferrata is overhanging” so that you can assess whether you have the strength and courage to try that section or “Here is how high up you are” and so you get a sense of whether you would be paralysed with fear or enjoy yourself.

[vrview img=”https://www.main-vision.com/richard/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/R0011321_20160701133926.jpg” pimg=”https://www.main-vision.com/richard/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/R0011321_20160701133926.jpg” width=”500″ height=”400″ ]

Most via ferrata are like the one that you see in these images. You have what I call staples, pedals and occasionally direct contact with the rocks. In other places you have spikes or you have to pull yourself up along the cable. With these images you see how well equipped the via ferrata is and you are not going in to the unknown. This is good when taking less experienced people.

A side effect of 360 pictures is that you capture a self portrait of yourself in situ over and over again. It is by nature of the medium rather than desire.

The Klettersteig Rider 3.0
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The Klettersteig Rider 3.0

Byrichard

The Klettersteig Rider 3.0 is a dual system via ferrata kit. It has a carabiner like standard via ferrata kits have and a “rider” system. The “rider” system fixes to the via ferrata cable and progresses with you. As you get to a part where you need to switch you move the rider system up first and then you move the carabiner. 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmmXodEZQxo


What I like about this system is that if you slip or lose grip of the rungs for any reason you will only fall the length of the connector rather than the length from where you are to the most recent pig tail. This reduces the fall distance by a considerable amount. 


The Via Ferrata where I would most like such a system is Leukerbad. On the Leukerbad Via Ferrata when you get to the last third there are few handholds so you rely on finger and arm strength to progress and you get tired. With this system you would relieve that strain to some extent. It would make me feel more at ease. 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXR1a-sFeS0


At 229 CHF from at least one online shop this kit is expensive. You can get Via Ferrata sets for between 60-115 CHF as a beginner. This kit is interesting for people who, like me, have practised Via Ferrata for years and use their kits every weekend in summer. Via Ferrata sets can last for years so if you estimate that you will use it from 3-5 years the price is acceptable. 


An alternative is the Austrialpin Hydra via ferrata set. It’s 60 CHF cheaper but you only block on the cable when you need a rest rather than continuously. The third option, and the most used option is a sling with a carabiner. This is also the cheapest option.  

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The Fitbit Charge HR

Byrichard

The Fitbit Charge HR is one of the better heart rate and step counting solutions out at the moment. It allows you to keep track of your steps and heart rate twenty four hours a day for a little less than a week between charges.

It is a wrist worn activity tracker that detects whether you are walking, running or climbing up a hill. I tested it over a period of weeks while hiking, doing via ferrata, cycling and sleeping. As a result of the test environment I was informed by the device that I had gone up 250+ floors in a single day. That’s when I was playing on a via ferrata or two.

I also tested it while I was sleeping. It automatically goes in to sleep mode so there is no chance of you forgetting. As it tracked my heart rate while I was sleeping I saw that my resting heart rate could be 47 beats per minute. As I challenged myself with a 1000m hill climb on a bike followed by via ferrata and hiking my body became fatigued and this was reflected in my higher resting heart rate. It went up by four or five heart beats per minute.

When I was using the Fitbit Charge HR I had it automatically tracking my heart rate but you can choose whether it is on/off or automatic. I kept it on automatic. When you take off the tracker the two green led lights stop blinking automatically after a few seconds.

I liked having the Fitbit Charge HR for a few weeks and liked that it tracked my heart rate and showed me how many floors I went up. As I spend a lot of time in the mountains though the results were skewed. The biggest weakness with the Fitbit Charge HR has to do with the regionalisation efforts by Fitbit. I live in Switzerland and until recently I had the site in English. For a few weeks I have had to switch languages between french and English several times. I wrote a tweet to get a response but they asked me to send an e-mail. I sent an e-mail detailing the problem and then they asked me to detail what the problem was. The problem is that I am in the French speaking part of Switzerland, my laptop and phone are set to English and the app and website default to German. Due to their regionalisation efforts when I sold the device as planned I did not replace it and went back to using the Fitbit flex. As both straps for the Fitbit flex broke I carry the sensor in my pocket.

As a point of reference my primary fitness tracker is the Suunto Ambit 3. When I cycle, swim, do via ferratas or hike that is the device that is tracking my progress and overall fitness level. I also pair it with Strava.

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