Running belays -  The better way to rack pickets

Here’s a series of tips related to the often used running belay technique.

What snow climber has not cursed the cowbells of the clanking pickets, dangling off an ill-placed runner around your neck, threatening to trip you up at each step!  How about a better way to carry them?  Here’s the best way I’ve found to rack pickets - you can carry eight like this with them out of the way and easily accessible.

First, girth hitch a two-foot runner through the top hole on a two-foot picket.  Clip a biner to the runner (light wiregate preferred).  Next, clip this biner to the third hole down from the top of the picket, and finally clip the biner to your gear loop, either on your harness or on your pack waist belt.  By clipping the third hole, the picket rides high enough not to trip you, but stays oriented vertically.  This works well for the leader and maybe even better for the second, who needs to rack the gear fast and be sure it stays out of the way when they are moving fast and protected by a top rope.