08/08/2026
A little mountain safety tip from our members!
☀️ Summer Heat vs. Mountain Realities
It’s mid-summer on the Peninsula, and the weather is making for fantastic alpine hiking and climbing. However, as the snow melts, it creates a very specific, tempting, and highly dangerous trap.
Picture this: You’re heading up one of our beautiful local alpine objectives, like The Brothers or Mount Stone. You didn’t bring crampons or an ice axe, and the lingering snow ahead looks steep and sketchy. Then, you spot what looks like a perfect dirt-and-rock "sidewalk" running right between the snowpack and the rock wall. It looks like the ultimate way to bypass the snow.
It’s not.
🛑 The Trap: Using Moats to Circumvent Snowfields
Hikers and climbers often choose the moat because they are afraid of sliding on the open snow—frequently because they didn’t bring traction devices (like crampons or microspikes) and an ice axe. They trade a highly visible slide hazard for a less obvious, but far more dangerous, terrain trap.
Why It’s So Dangerous:
- The Overhanging Guillotine: Walking in a moat means walking right under a massive, heavy lip of melting snow. The warmth radiating from your body or an accidental bump from your backpack can trigger a localized collapse, burying you instantly.
- The Vise Effect: If you slip inside a narrow moat constriction, you won't slide to safety. If the gap pinches inward beneath you, you will become tightly wedged like a cork in a bottle.
- The Firing Line: As the weather warms, rockfall hazards skyrocket. A moat acts as a natural funnel for all the surrounding loose rock and ice peeling off the cliffs above. Walking in it puts you directly in the bowling alley.
🛡️ Our Recommendations for a Safe Summer
Avoid Walking in Moats: If a route requires crossing snow and you lack adequate traction, an ice axe, or the skills to self-arrest, the moat is not a viable alternative. The safest choice is to turn around. The mountain will be there next weekend.
Travel With Partners (We Can’t Stress This Enough): If you fall into a deep moat or a gully well, your chances of self-rescue are very low. In controlled safety studies conducted by the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA), 90% of participants placed in deep snow terrain traps failed to self-extricate without outside help. You need a partner who can immediately rescue you with a lightweight crevasse-rescue kit (that you’ve practiced using), or clear a line of sight to the sky to call emergency services.
We want you to enjoy the high country, but no summit is worth not coming home safe. Climb safely, know your gear limits, and enjoy everything the Olympic Mountains have to offer!
