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

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

Mulit-Pitch Climbing Safety: Extending a Belay Away from the Anchor in an Exposed Position

In Marc Chauvin and Rob Coppolillo’s book “The Mountain Guide Manual,” they discuss various systems designed to speed parties along technical terrain, including options for improving communication. When in blocky terrain, where a lead climber at a belay stance may not normally be able to see or clearly communicate with a following climber, they provide this option for safely moving the belay back from the anchor when in an exposed position so as to keep both the leader and the follower secure, and with better line of sight and communication, throughout the process.

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

Turn Your Climbing Rope into a Rescue Stretcher in Minutes

In Ian Nicholson’s excellent book “Climbing Self-Rescue,” he provides a description of this stretcher you can make even if you have no additional materials other than the climbing rope that you already have with you. When we are climbing fast and light and aren’t taking trekking poles, skis, or other solid objects with us, this is a handy technique to have available should an accident occur.

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

Ascending a Vertical Fixed Line Using Nothing But that Climbing Rope

I was asked if I could think of a way to ascend a single-strand, fixed climbing rope, using nothing but that rope. Well, I thought of one. Here's a video on the mental approach I took to solving the problem, along with a step-by-step guide. It serves no practical purpose, but it might be an interesting look at how we can take knowledge of system components and build a whole new system.

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

Want a Skinny, Light Tag Line on Your Rappel from a Climb? Consider These Risks, First

The proliferation of new light-but-strong materials has led to some questions about just how skinny and light a tag line (a static rope used just to retrieve your main rope) can be when used for a rappel (abseil). Well, there are some considerations that we need to keep in mind if we decide to save weight by going super light with a tag line. Here, we get into the risks we add as well as how to mitigate them.

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

The "Double Fix" Knot Pass Technique on Rappel (Abseil)

If we have a single point of damage on our climbing rope and need to rappel (abseil), two climbers can work as a team and use two different instances of fixing the rope to perform two different single-strand rappels. We then avoid having to use time-consuming knot passing techniques by avoiding, rather than passing, that knot. Here's how we do it.

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

It's More Than You Think! Why Modern Tools Help Ascending the Climbing Rope

It used to be the case that ascending the climbing rope was done using two soft goods wrapped around the rope with two friction hitches. That method requires that we put the waist prusik further up the rope than the leg loop. But modern tools have inverted that configuration. The major benefit of that setup is more than efficiency of ascent; it's much simpler to overcome a lip of rock or ice, now. Here's why.

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

Six Climbing Friction Hitches and Their Pros and Cons

We use friction hitches in many different circumstances in climbing. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of different hitches can help us select the right hitch for the right situation. Here are six hitches that I turn to most frequently along with a discussion of their pros and cons so that we can better match a hitch to a need.

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

What is End Roping in Climbing? When Can We Use It and How Do We Do It Safely?

End Roping is a technique that allows us to move a climbing party of three quickly through moderate terrain without the fuss of more complicated rope systems. But there are risk mitigations we should implement to set the system up and there are circumstances when it would not make a safe option. Here's some information on when and how to employ an end roping system.

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

Improve Climber Communication with Extended Master Points On Moderate Terrain

The kind of blocky, ledgy terrain that we often see on moderate climbs presents both ample natural protection points as well as communication and rope abrasion challenges. Well, we can use the former to help mitigate against the later. Here are a few different methods for extending a belay stance and master point out when faced with a comparatively safe, but large and communication hindering, ledge.

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

Six Tips for a Safer Counterbalance Rappel

If we feel the need to get down from a climb quickly, we may be tempted to employ a counterbalance rappel. That rappel technique does allow two rappels, simultaneously, so it is faster, but it adds risks that we need to mitigate. Here are six tips that will mitigate those risks.

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

Descending a Taut Climbing Rope: Moving Down on Friction Hitches

If we have a climbing rope loaded below us (maybe a climber is unconscious and weighting the rope), we may not be able to attach our rappel device, or even if our device was attached before the rope got loaded, being on a "fireman's belay" might keep us from moving down. Here is how we can descend a rope when it is pulled tight below us.

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

Teaching New Climbers the Climbing Project Mindset

We introduced our kids to "projecting" a climbing route when they first started confronting routes they had considerable difficulty with. While there are many tactics that can help, we began their education by focusing on the climb at three levels of progressive detail and then setting a mindset that helped redefine success criteria based on which level of detail we were focused on for a particular attempt.

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

Learning to Lead Belay Takes More Than Learning the Mechanics

There is a lot of time and attention spent on climbing well and the climbing mindset, but what about the belayer? Particularly when on lead, belaying a climber can also be stressful, especially for those just starting out. How do we create a safe place to learn in a situation where mistakes aren’t normally acceptable? Here’s how we approached getting our new climbers (our kids) to lead belay.

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How-To (05) Jason Kolaczkowski How-To (05) Jason Kolaczkowski

Crossing Crevasses Safely: Three Techniques

When a crevasse is unavoidable and must be crossed on your glaciated mountain climb, the technique you and your team employ will often be dictated by circumstances. This video gets into three different procedures to be chosen and applied based on terrain slopes and crevasse sizes.

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