A knife for alpine routes

It’s a good idea to bring a small knife of some sort for cleaning ancient webbing at rappel stations, avoiding stuck rope epics, and keeping aggressive rock rodents at bay on alpine routes. A tiny lockblade with a blade of 1.5 inches and a serrated edge can weigh just an ounce or so and set you back a mere 4-5 bucks. A few wraps of athletic tape around the whole thing ensures it will never accidentally come open when you are climbing. Also, adding a loop of 2mm cord though a lanyard hole on the handle lets you clip it to your harness. This does not have to be a fancy $$$ blade at all. In Portland, Next Adventure has a nice selection of very modestly priced and small lock blades – and a 10% discount to Mazama members.

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A knife for alpine routes