What equipment is essential for self-arrest on a mountain?

• A. A GPS device.
• B. A rope and harness.
• C. Crampons and an ice axe.
• D. An umbrella for shade.

Answer: (C)

Self-arrest is the skill of stopping a slide on snow or ice by using a tool to grip the surface and arrest momentum. The essential gear is an ice axe, because you plant the pick into the snow and leverage the shaft to halt your descent. Crampons add crucial bite and stability, giving you better traction and control on icy or hard-packed slopes, which makes the arrest more effective and helps prevent a secondary slip of the feet. Put together, the ice axe and crampons cover the core needs for stopping a fall on mountain snow or ice.

A GPS device doesn’t help you halt a slide, and a rope and harness are for roped travel or rescue scenarios, not the act of self-arrest itself. An umbrella has no relevance to mountain safety.