Glissade
A glissade is a controlled sliding descent, either on a climber’s feet or backside, down a snow slope, snowfield, or couloir in the mountains. The climber uses the sharp pick end of an ice axe to control the speed of the descent. The faster a climber slides, the more likely he will lose control of the glissade. Glissading is a quick way to descend snow. Dangers of glissading include losing control; smashing into rocks in the snowfield or at the base; crossing ice patches where the pick doesn’t dig in; and the possibility of unstable snow and avalanche.
