Cause & Effect Part 1

One type of mountain climbing is ice climbing. Climbers use various sharp tools to moved up the ice. They kick boots outfitted with spikes into the ice. Then they use ice axes to pull themselves up. With these tools they can climb an ice surface that is completely vertical.  CAUSE: Ice is a difficult surface to climb. What is the EFFECT?

• climbers climb only melting ice
• climbers use axes and spiked shoes to climb ice
• climbers throw a rope around icicles and pull themselves up

Mountain climbers must be careful on glaciers. Some glaciers contain crevasses, or gaps, that are hidden  by snow. before climbing, all climbers in the party tie themselves to one long rope. If one climbers falls in a crevasses, the others can pull him or her up.  EFFECT: Climbers can rescue a person with a rope. What was the CAUSE?

• Mountain climbers jump over crevasses
• Mountain climbers do not like to stick together
• all climbers tie themselves to one long rope

Some mountain climbers sleep in tents. Mountain winds may make the tent walls flap loudly or even blow the tent down. other mountain climbers prefer to build a snow cave and sleep inside it in a sleeping bag. It sounds cold, but it is generally warmer than sleeping in a tent! CAUSE: Winds may blow tents down. What is the EFFECT?

• They crawl in it during avalanches
• Some limbers build a snow cave
• They mark their trail with it. 

Mountain climbers avoid areas where rocks or ice might fall on them. Many rocks at the base of a slope or tracks of rolling rocks on a snowy slope are signs that an area is dangerous. Climbers are especially careful during the hottest part of the day, when ice many break free above them. EFFECT: Climbers do not go up a certain part of a mountain. What is the CAUSE?

• They see a cluster of rocks at the base.
• The slope is too slippery
• No one has gone up that way before

Avalanches pose a major risk to mountain climbers. Sometimes loose snow collects on top of snow that is packed down.Even the movement of a person can send that loose snow down the mountain. Some climbers carry shovels in case they need to dig out someone trapped under snow from an avalanche. CAUSE: Loose snow piles on top of hard snow. What is the EFFECT?

• Mountain climbers cannot see the loose snow.
• The loose snow can become an avalanche
• The hard snow melts

One wrong step and mountain climbers could get hurt or even killed. They wear special footwear called crampons, which are metal spikes attached to the soles of boots. As a person walks, the spikes stick into ice. That reduces the chance of slipping. EFFECT: The climber is less likely to fall on ice. What was the CAUSE?

• The climber wears crampons
• The climber wears boots
• The climber wears shoes with flat soles

The higher a person climbs, the less oxygen there is to breathe. Sometimes climbers develop altitude sickness because of this. Symptoms can include a headache, nausea, or pain. Past a certain level on a mountain, climbers breathe from bottled oxygen. CAUSE: Air is thinner at higher altitudes. What was the EFFECT?

• People climb faster
• It does not snow
• Climbers may get sick

In 1786, two Italian men reached the top of Mont Blanc, a peak in the Alps on the border between Italy and France. They were the first known men to do so successfully. Their feat launched what some call the modern age of mountaineering, inspiring others to climb mountains worldwide. EFFECT: People became interested in mountain climbing. What was the CAUSE?

• Someone discovered Mont Blanc
• Two men climbed Mont Blanc
• Mountain climbing shoes were invented in 1786

Mountain climbers created grading systems so other climbers will know how difficult it is to climb a particular mountain> Different countries have different grading systems. Different types of climbing have their own systems. CAUSE: Some people were unprepared for the dangers of mountain climbing. What was the EFFECT?

• Mountain climbers graded mountains on difficulty
• The sport of mountain climbing lost popularity
• They were forbidden from climbing the tallest mountains

In 1865, a British artist named Edward Whymper became the first know person to climb to the peak of the Matterhorn in the Alps. He had failed six times before. As he and his six-man team descended the mountain, four slipped and fell to their deaths. Whymper never forgot them. EFFECT: Edward Whymper always kept the fallen climbers in his mind. What was the CAUSE?

• Whymper did not want to bring so many people with him
• Whymper saw four of his climbing party die
• Whymper was first to reach the top of the Matterhorn