Although the UIAA always recommends tying the rope directly into the harness—without a carabiner—you commonly see climbers in France, Austria, and Germany using carabiners to attach the rope to the harness, even on challenging alpine climbs. In Switzerland, however, mountain guides never use carabiners, not even on easy alpine routes like Breithorn and Allalinhorn. Why is the UIAA recommendation not followed outside Switzerland? And is it really true that carabiners are never used for tying in within Switzerland?
I will publish the responses I receive from Swiss mountain guides and mountaineering schools here. I am also trying to gather answers from guides in Germany and Austria.
It is obviously safer to tie the rope directly into the harness. Why this is not common practice outside Switzerland, I cannot say. Each situation must be assessed individually. However, even in Switzerland, there are certain situations where tying in with a carabiner is used.
You could learn more details about this at one of our Fels und Eis courses offered by the Swiss Alpine Club (SAC).
The situation you describe only becomes relevant when tying in at the middle of the rope. According to official teaching, there are two possible methods for this, which you can find at this link (excerpt from our official guide).
Tying in with just one carabiner is usually due to “laziness,” convenience, or a lack of proper equipment. Why use two carabiners? A single carabiner is a weak point, and the screw-lock can loosen due to vibrations while walking. Of course, many things would have to go wrong for this to become an issue, but the risk exists…
This is a frequently discussed topic among mountain guides. I cannot give you a definitive answer—ask them directly. The method with two crossed carabiners is something we also use, but only in exceptional situations.
Why things are done differently outside Switzerland, we cannot say 😊. The best way to find out would be to ask the mountain guide associations of those countries directly.
As for Switzerland, the reason for this practice is best explained by the Swiss Mountain Guides Association.
On glacier tours, even in Switzerland, tying in with two carabiners (opposed and reversed) is sometimes practiced. See the book Ausbildung Bergsport Sommer, SAC, p. 183.
However, tying the rope directly into the harness has clear advantages:
Many people attach the carabiner to the harness, but it’s not a good practice… They probably just don’t know how to tie the knots correctly to tie in without a carabiner.
Ignorance! When you ask someone why they tied in like that, you won’t get an intelligent answer. The gate of the carabiner is the most critical weak point. No sane person goes on a tour with a carabiner in their harness.
It’s nonsense to tie in with a carabiner! And that idea of using two crossed carabiners from the Swiss Alpine Club manual is an invention of people who sit in offices and write books. Ask them how much time they actually spend in the mountains versus in their offices!