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Every full length (longer than 60 seconds) video and accompanying blog post

Build Your Own Pulk Sled to Access Winter Camps or Big Mountain Climbing Objectives

Winter climbing trips are often extended from one to two day affairs, or even longer. Trailhead access can be further away as only main roads remain open. And then approach hikes take longer due to difficult conditions, as well. If we need more time out in the backcountry, and now need to set camps, we may want to haul, rather than carry in all that bulky, winter gear. Here is how to build a Pulk Sled that is light and efficient enough for those local trips but also robust enough to stand up to expedition rigors.

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How-To (06) Jason Kolaczkowski How-To (06) Jason Kolaczkowski

Backcountry Luxury: Making a Kitchen at Your Snow Camp Using a Pyramid Tent

If I'm going to be winter camping, on snow, in the same place for a while - think an expedition basecamp or a long-weekend outing - I will often make a dedicated kitchen in camp. With appropriate snow depth, a pyramid tent kitchen is my preferred version to make because it grants shelter, mobility, and better ergonomics. Here is more on why, and a lot more on how, I build them.

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Hyperlite Mountain Gear Prism Pack Review After 4 Years of Use

For nearly four years, I have been taking the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Prism pack for most of my alpine climbs, whether that be on rock, snow, or ice. After that long of throwing the pack on my back, here are some of the pros and cons that I've experienced while using it.

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How-To (06) Jason Kolaczkowski How-To (06) Jason Kolaczkowski

Why and How We Add Wildfire Smoke Conditions to Our Camping, Hiking, and Climbing Trips

Over the years, and even decades, of my climbing career, I’ve noticed an increase in the frequency of smoke from wildfires impacting my - and my family’s - outdoor activities. We now factor in smoke and wildfires into our climbing, hiking, and climbing planning process just like we would with weather. Here, we go deeper into some resources we use for that planning.

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Family Dynamics, How-To (06) Jason Kolaczkowski Family Dynamics, How-To (06) Jason Kolaczkowski

What is Complexity Rationing and How Can It Be Applied in Climbing?

Every May, we make videos on the mental side of climbing and adventure in recognition of National Mental Health Awareness Month. This video is about how the unknowns increase in complex environments thus increasing our risk. Reducing complexity, not of systems but of the number of times we go into truly highly complex environments, may be one way to reduce our overall risk across a lifetime of climbing

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Family Dynamics, How-To (05) Jason Kolaczkowski Family Dynamics, How-To (05) Jason Kolaczkowski

The Long Term Benefits of Being Empowered During a Climbing Accident or Emergency

Every May, we make videos on the mental side of climbing and adventure in recognition of National Mental Health Awareness Month. In this video, we get into some of the psychological underpinnings that suggest we should look to empower the victims and participants of any climbing accident and rescue to help in the situation at hand but also better reduce residual PTSD.

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Choosing Between Single- and Double-Boots for Alpine Climbing and Mountaineering

Just like understanding the tradeoffs between single- and double-walled tents, it is equally important to understand the basic differences in single- and double-boots when we head up for an alpine climb or mountaineering attempt. While the differences between specific boots will be varied, there are some general differences between boots with and without removable liners that I keep in mind when selecting a boot for a climbing adventure. Here is what I consider when deciding what to put on my feet.

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Split Finger Gloves/Mittens for Hiking, Backpacking, & Mountaineering

For over a decade, I've been using the same split finger gloves (or split finger mittens) as a compromise between the warmth of a mitten and the dexterity of a glove. They aren't right for every trip but I can use them in a surprising amount of situations. Here's a video on some of the pros and cons and how I choose when to use them.

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Review of the Enlightened Equipment Accomplice 2-Person Quilt: Backpacking & Alpine Climbing

Famed high altitude mountaineer Ed Viesturs has used two-person quilts on the highest mountains in the world. Backpackers often use quilts, now, as a matter of course. So, my family has been using the two-person Enlightened Equipment Accomplice sleeping quilt for backpacking and for alpine climbing, both to add warmth (body heat of a second person) and cut weight (less per-person weight). This video offers a product review.

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Canister Stoves in Summer Conditions: How Many Days Before Heavier, Efficient Stoves Make Sense?

If we are out on a backpacking trip or an alpine climb, we are already counting ounces. More efficient canister stoves tend to be heavier. So, how many days of fuel use need to happen before that efficiency and saved fuel pays off when compared to carrying a lighter, less efficient stove with, therefore, more fuel? We did a first test in summer conditions.

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Should I Use a Single-Walled or Double-Walled Tent for My Camping, Backpacking, and Climbing Trips?

Camping comfortably can mean the difference between being restored every night of our camping, backpacking, or alpine climbing adventure, and reaching our goal, or slowly getting drained to the point where we have to quit. One of the first things to consider about our camp strategy is whether to take a single-walled or double-walled tent. Here are some of the pros and cons of each.

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Reviewing the Deuter Climber 22L Kids' Pack After 3 Years of Hiking, Backpacking, & Climbing

Our boys, now age 8, have been using the Deuter Climber 22 Liter Kid's backpack for over three years. It's been the pack they take on just about every hiking, backpacking, camping, and climbing adventure. So, with that much wear and trust put into the backpack, we thought it would be worth a review. Here's what we dislike, like, and love about this pack.

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Camping, Backpacking, Summer, Apex Trips Jason Kolaczkowski Camping, Backpacking, Summer, Apex Trips Jason Kolaczkowski

Passing Through: Four Days, Four Passes, and a Family of Four Backpacking on the Colorado Trail

I don't feel like my family and I should be pushing our limits with hard climbing all of the time. We had previously done a video about learning to find satisfaction with some of the less demanding forms of adventure so that our risk profiles aren't always high. Well, exposing the boys to backpacking was one of those experiences we wanted them to try and see if they enjoy. We made a short film about it.

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How-To (04), Family Dynamics Jason Kolaczkowski How-To (04), Family Dynamics Jason Kolaczkowski

Reframing Adventure to Help Me Balance Risks in Life and Climbing

It's Mental Health Awareness Month so we are discussing some of the mental aspects of adventuring. Climbing is dangerous. I think it can be done safely, but that shouldn't be read as "perfectly safe." This is especially true of alpine and high altitude climbing, which are my preferred styles and which come with more complex, objective dangers. So, I think a lot about how to keep my personal risk profile manageable, and one way I do that is to diversify my outdoor activities.

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How-To (04), Family Dynamics Jason Kolaczkowski How-To (04), Family Dynamics Jason Kolaczkowski

What Stands Out About the Climbing Partners I Turn to Again and Again?

It's Mental Health Awareness Month so we are discussing some of the mental aspects of adventuring. When my climbing partners and I climb for similar reasons, there are a host of advantages. This often overlooked factor in finding compatible climbing partners that stands out, to me, as the most distinguishing factor between a good climbing partner and a great one.

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How-To (04), Family Dynamics Jason Kolaczkowski How-To (04), Family Dynamics Jason Kolaczkowski

How the Feedback Trap Hampers Risk Management in Climbing and Outdoor Adventures

It's Mental Health Awareness Month so we are discussing some of the mental aspects of adventuring. We've all heard, "climbing is an inherently risky activity," and we do our best to understand and manage those risks. But we also sometimes don't notice when we've "gotten lucky," How do we assess our climbs when we can't always really know how far away or close we were to disaster?

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How-To (04), Family Dynamics Jason Kolaczkowski How-To (04), Family Dynamics Jason Kolaczkowski

Teaching Kids Risk Assessment for Climbing and for Life

It's Mental Health Awareness Month so let's get into some of the mental aspects of adventuring. A good part of our channel is about helping get whole families - and that includes the kids - into the outdoors. That brings risk. But learning to assess risky adventures, like climbing, can translate to day-to-day life. This video offers a simple framework to help us talk with our kids about risk.

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