Techniques for Safety and Success
Quick Tips
How-to tips for your outdoor adventures, all in less than 60 seconds
I have no affiliation with the company, but I have been very happy with my purchase of the Culo Clean portable bidet. It’s a low cost, low weight item I have added to my adventures, and you can see the video to find out why. You can find the item, should you want it, here: https://sovrn.co/ph0rir7
Modern expeditions and lengthy backpacking trips often demand high effort and, therefore, massive calorie burning. In order to even come close to putting back the calories I burn on a big outdoor adventure, I make sure to bring some very calorie-dense snacks with me on my trips. As a rule of thumb, I look for some foods that have over 150 Kcal per 30g when considering a food to be particularly calorie-dense.
Most modern belay devices now offer the ability to brake assist, either through camming mechanisms like a GriGri or by pinching the load strand onto the brake strand like an ATC Guide. Should we need a brake assist and do not have a suitable belay device, one option would be to make an auto locking Münter hitch. Here’s how we construct one.
Should we find ourselves belaying or lowering our climbing partner on a Münter hitch, we may also need to lock that partner off as they either come up to the new belay stance or stop their lower, below. One option is to convert our Münter to a clove hitch by following this procedure.
While there are many considerations we climbers must address when we are making a haul system, limiting the loss of mechanical advantage due to friction is often part of that list. The materials, like carabiner types and pulleys, will play a big role in that regard, but also where we position our most efficient materials can also have a big impact.
The “quad” anchor has certain characteristics that many climbers value, but traditional ways of building that anchor rely on having only a two-piece anchor. Well, we can make a quad using three pieces by following the technique in this video.
When making a friction hitch using a rope with the same diameter as the main line, we can add a fifth wrap to the bottom of a standard four-wrap Blake’s Hitch, running the finishing end through the bottom three wraps, as opposed to two. This creates more wraps bending around a two-strand section so that ropes with a wider bend radius, like most climbing ropes, can have that wider, two-strand section to grab.
Clipping the protection while climbing on lead is often when we are most vulnerable. So, we want our quickdraws to clip easily and smoothly. If you are new to climbing and researching what quickdraws to purchase, we want to consider the nose types on the carabiners and the tradeoffs that come with different designs.
When we are making a clip on lead, we are at one of our most risky points of the climb. So, we want to clip as cleanly and quickly as possible. If you are new to climbing and researching what quickdraws to purchase, one consideration that can impact that speed-to-clip are the gate styles on those carabiners. Here are some common gate types and some pros and cons of each.
Lead climbers can be pretty vulnerable when clipping into their protection, as they remove one hand from the wall and introduce slack into the rope. So, clipping efficiently is important for safety. As such, the interaction between carabiner sizes and our clipping preferences should be a consideration when making quickdraw purchases.
Lead climbers can be at their most vulnerable when making a clip into their protection. So, we want to make sure that we are using a method for clipping that makes us feel quick and confident that we can get it done right the first time. Our free hand and the gate direction will dictate available methodologies, but within those constraints there are options.
It doesn’t require any new gear, or even any new knowledge. We can mitigate against some specific risks just by getting proficient at performing the foundational climbing support roles, such as belaying and rappelling, comfortably and competently with either hand.
As we first get into climbing and start making our initial purchases of climbing gear, we may not know what we don’t know. So, when I got asked the question about choosing quickdraw lengths for a first climbing rack, I felt compelled to talk about tradeoffs rather than recommend a particular length.
The Blake’s Hitch has been used for many years by arborists, and is worth knowing as a climber because it allows one to tie a friction hitch with one end of the rope onto itself or with ropes of the same diameter. Here’s how to tie it along with some of its strengths limitations.
My inability to overcome certain lifestyle factors has led me to having tight hips, which directly impacts my climbing. Here are the five stretches I am using regularly to help gain back that necessary mobility.
Older Quick Tips
In certain parts of the world, wildfires are becoming a worsening problem, and the likelihood of being impacted by smoke on our camp, hike, or climb is increasing. Smoke damage to our lungs can be a serious health issue, so we've taken steps to help mitigate that by leveraging a tool that we never used to have a few years ago but which is nearly ubiquitous now.
The Sterling HallowBlock2 is a sewn prusik loop for climbing that does some specific things very well but is limited in a few use cases. Here are some strengths and limitations of this piece of climbing kit.
If we are ascending the rope with old-school techniques, using just prusik cords, we need to remember that modern tools demand we set up the ascension system differently than old tools. So, the mnemonic “waist away,” can help us remember in what order to set up our prusiks on the rope.
Minimalism can mean added safety through simplicity. But when does minimalism go too far? Here we use an example of a foot lock and a single prusik for rope ascension. All you need for this setup is a single sling (or a sling and a carabiner). But it leaves us exposed to lack of redundancy on a friction hitch that can (and has) failed. If we were to choose something so minimal, what might we do to add safety margin to the setup? At what point does having more gear just make sense?
We can take the foundation of a basic Mountaineer’s Coil and turn it into an emergency rescue seat by making just a few modifications, and all of it takes no more than the climbing rope we already have with us.
The Valdotain Tresse, or VT Hitch, is a friction hitch made using an eye-to-eye cord. It has some advantages over other friction hitches, but also some disadvantages. Here is a discussion of those pros and cons as well as a quick tutorial on tying the hitch.
When we tie our expensive gear down to a vehicle or a sled, we want to make sure that it is both secure and easy to get untied. Making a variation on the Trucker’s Hitch by using some climbing knots that are explicitly used to secure loads while being comparatively releasable can ensure that we accomplish both goals.
When we get into winding trad and alpine climbs, carrying a few alpine draws can add flexibility to our climbing rack. But there are also downsides to this tool of which we should be aware.
When conditions get so bad that simply building and taking down an anchor can be a challenge, using a setup that only uses easy-to-undo hitches, rather than full knots, may make a lot of sense. Here are two variations of one such anchor set up.
For May’s Mental Health Awareness Month we get into some of the mental aspects of climbing and adventure. I certainly have my preferred gear and techniques, but I find it is important to check my own biases and complacency by remembering that there are no pieces of gear or system techniques that remove all risks.
For May’s Mental Health Awareness Month we get into some of the mental aspects of climbing and adventure. When we are climbing near our limit, we are likely to experience quite a bit of frustration and failure. Keeping in mind the incremental progress we make on our way to being a better climber and help remind us that we actually do experience many successes.
For May’s Mental Health Awareness Month we get into some of the mental aspects of climbing and adventure. I am constantly reminded by my young kids that being curious about the world and less dogmatic about our own "knowledge" can be a gift in many aspects of climbing and life.
For May’s Mental Health Awareness Month we get into some of the mental aspects of climbing and adventure. One of the habits that is key to staying and enjoying climbing is continuous learning. Because the tools and techniques we use are constantly evolving, we need to make sure that we evolve with them or we risk using old techniques with new tools in a way that could limit our growth or prove unsafe.
We like to recognize Mental Health Awareness Month each May by going into some of the mental aspects of climbing and adventure. We can look at something like, “should I keep my glacier travel rope on my uphill or downhill hip” as a case study on why a curious mindset can sometimes beat an overly assured mindset. There are pros and cons to even something as simple as this decision, and a curious mindset helps us see those tradeoffs.
It's definitely a low risk activity compared to other situations on a big, glaciated peak. But it costs us very little in terms of time or energy to probe our camp for potential crevasse danger with a bit more safety in mind. Here's some technique tips.
The plunge step is an age-old technique that still has its place in the mountains and is emblematic of the types of conscious decisions we alpine climbers may need to make even when it seems risks are very low. Here’s what I look for in terms of conditions that may make the plunge step beneficial along with the simple mechanics of the technique.
The rest step is a simple tool in the alpinist’s tool box. Despite its simplicity, it can be the most effective thing we can do to modulate our energy expenditure so that we can save it for when we need it most
When we are using our mountaineering ice axe in "cane" position, we want to keep it in our uphill hand. Here is why.
The Garda hitch allows us to capture progress of the climbing rope through a haul system with only two, identical, snapgate carabiners. It's a good technique to have in case of emergencies, but it comes with some major downsides that limit the times I might want to use it.
A number of self-rescue techniques, across all types of climbing, require the use of a foot prusik to temporarily unweight the rope (usually when alternating weighting a waist prusik or other rope progress capture). It is very easy for that foot prusik to slide off of our foot, which slows us down and can be hard to get back in place if we are hanging in space. Simply girth hitching it to our foot can solve this problem.
The "self-tending" prusik using a belay device to capture progress on a climbing haul system, often used for crevasse rescue, has become more complicated due to modern ropes. The thinner diameter of these ropes means tighter wraps on the prusik, which - in turn - means those wraps are small enough to get stuck in the device and break the capture system.
Maybe you want to keep crampon straps longer, either because - like my kids - your feet are still growing, or you have both small and large boots that need different strap lengths, or you want to be able to lend out the crampons to anyone with feet bigger than yours. Regardless of reason, here is a solution to keep those straps out of the way if you do decide to keep a little extra length.
As the seasons change in the alpine, so do our climbing equipment needs. Maybe an overlooked item that works slightly less well in extreme cold are standard locking carabiners. By swapping out a few standard lockers for double-gate carabiners, I can have a few carabiners that will prove more resistant to freezing.
Thin and light, modern climbing slings and cord can be very difficult to untie when taking on heavy loads or becoming wet. Here's how using a particular type of carabiner can help solve that problem in the right circumstances.
My go-to "catastrophe" knot, the knot that is my safety backup, when ascending a climbing rope is the clove hitch. Here's why.
Note: It does weaken the sling, but not to the point that it cannot take the loads we produce in climbing scenarios. We can never perfectly equalize our anchor points when making a climbing anchor, but sometimes we will want to make an adjustment to the length of one leg of an anchor to fix an obvious lack of equalization. Here's a quick way to do it that requires no more material than you've already put into the anchor.
There are a pair of gloves that alpinists are turning to for their mountain ascents and ice climbs. Can you believe they are a third to a fifth of the cost of other climbing gloves!? Here they are, and here is what I love about them.
Last week we made a simple “bucket seat belay” on a snow climb. If we want additional security, we may also wish to construct a back anchor for the belay. However, there are a few elements to that anchor we want to incorporate in order to avoid a few potential problems.
Older Quick Tips
Not every climbing scenario demands robust anchors. Moderate snow slopes are a classic example. We won’t suffer the same fall forces as a vertical fall, but we can encounter tricky conditions, such as overly hard or overly soft snow, that make falls a legitimate risk. Maybe the fastest way to add security in these circumstances is to make a simple “bucket seat belay.”
When the risks associated with dropping an ice tool goes up, we often will add a leashes on our alpine climbs. But alpine leashes can result in tangled and twisted leashes that may make our climbs more dangerous. Here's how I try to more rigidly attach spinner leashes to my harness so that the risk of twisted leashes is reduced.
They are thinner, so they are both lighter and easier to drill into the ice. They have three teeth instead of four, which helps with starting an ice screw placement. But they are also wider, which has a number of advantages when placing ice screws or making v-threads or a-threads on our ice climbs and rappels. Here are some of those advantages.
Ice screws can get stuck while we turn them into the ice flow. This can add time, burn through energy, and even throw you off balance at the exact point you are wanting to add protection from a fall. Aluminum screws are particularly bad for this. You can reduce the stickiness by running a silicone gun and reel cloth through the screw a few times a season.
Ice climbing tools allow us to carry an ergonomic climbing hold all the way up the ice flow. But the delicacy of the ice also demands care and understanding. We want to be considerate of directions of pull in order to keep our tools sitting in place. When we decide to use the upper grips on our ice tools, we may be impacting those force vectors.
Whether on a climbing expedition, a backpacking trip, or a thru hike, when I am on an extended adventure, I like to use a three sock rotation to ensure I can handle some common eventualities. The video shares how that three sock system helps me take care of my feet.
With my alpine climbing, backpacking, and camping gear, I will try to make sure I am bringing the right tools for the job. In the winter, that includes bringing items to keep my feet warm while around camp. But the terrain I am on will often dictate the type of "camp booties" I decide to bring.
Broader surface area on the sides of our camping air mattresses make it easier to get cold air to impact the outer material of the mattress. That can impact how cold we feel while sleeping on them. Here's a simple thing we can do about it.
Winter alpine climbing, backpacking, and hiking is complicated by needing to keep many different items warm, such as your stove fuel, sunscreen, batteries, and the like. Having clothing layers with drop pockets can go a long way to helping you manage that gear, your water, and your food to make sure it doesn't freeze in challenging conditions.
Alpine climbing, backpacking, and camping in the winter requires a lot of gear. So, if we could find a way to keep all of our cold-sensitive items warm overnight, for only two ounces (60 grams) of weight, would we do it? Well, getting a sleeping bag that is one size longer than you need might be that solution.
Gloved hands can struggle with zippers. That's why most cold weather climbing and mountaineering jackets have zipper pulls attached. If you should have one break or go missing while on the mountain, a simple fix may be at hand in your repair kit.
While most tents come with installed guy line tensioners, so do not and these plastic pieces could break in the field. Either way, knowing how to tie a Taut Line Hitch could help keep your tent secure in demanding conditions. Here is how to tie the hitch.
The added weight from heavier winter boots and ice-biting crampons can really affect energy output as "a pound on your feet equals five pounds on your back." So, I incorporate ankle weights into my training before the snow and ice alpine climbing seasons begin.
Skiers, Climbers, and Snowmobilers all concern themselves with avalanche dangers and, therefore, avalanche rescue procedures. Well, a recent study has suggested that heated gloves, other heated clothing, and maybe all electronic devices need to be turned off and managed in the event of needing to conduct an avalanche search with beacons.
Most modern headlamps for camping, hiking, and climbing have a red-light feature. Why's it there? Why would we use it? Well, take a look; let's all be kind to our tentmates ;)
The Connecticut Tree Hitch can be set up quickly and with minimal material, making it a very efficient climbing anchor choice. However, being a single-point anchor, making a mistake when setting it up could end up with severe consequences. Here is one potential error to watch out for.
Rock climbing rescue techniques often demand releasable knots as part of their procedures. Two knots that we may be called upon to tie are the Mule Overhand around a belay carabiner and the Münter Mule Overhand. Here's how to tie them.
Rock climbing in the cold temperatures of winter usually means better friction, but it also means struggling to keep your body, hands, and feet warm enough. Here are a few tips that may help with that struggle.
For whatever reason, I had a mental block when remembering how to orient the load strand of the climbing rope through the Petzl Micro Traxion until I made explicit the position of the cam relative to the rope. But, that's not the first time I've had a problem like this.
Once we've arrived at our good belay stance, if we choose to build an anchor with sewn slings or runners, we need to manage the stiff section where the material is sewn together (called the "bar tack"). If we don't it can get in the way of any knot tying we might want to do. Here is the simple solution I go to, most.
The Half Gibbs Offset Bend can join two ropes of unequal diameter, and is easy to untie after loading. It is also less prone to rolling than a Flat Overhand Bend. All of this makes it a good solution for joining two climbing ropes (or a climbing rope and a skinnier tagline) for rappels (abseils). But, can you tie it on the tenth rappel, in the dark, and hypoxic? Here is how we tie this knot.
Like top rope belaying has the pull-brake-under-slide method of managing your hands and the climbing rope to maximize safety, so is there a preferred technique when using a terrain feature as the friction add on a belay. Here's how to do it.
Another method of climbing with a shortened rope is to carry the excess line in your pack. If you are going to do that, it is important that you stack the rope carefully to avoid having it tangle as you pull out extra as it's needed. Here's how I ensure that rope stacks neatly inside my pack.
It isn't really practical to coil your climbing rope this way out in the field, but you certainly could start your day with the Bird's Nest Coil, which lets you feed out rope free of any tangles or snags. Here's how to make the coil.
On multi-pitch climbs, being able to manage the rope when block leading (having the same leader lead multiple pitches in a row) requires a little rope management. Here's how we perform the "pancake flip," to facilitate better pitch transitions while on the ascent.
I am often climbing in a team of three, so we needed a way to rappel (abseil) that was safe and efficient. Here is how we pre-rig our rappel setup so that we increase speed while also increasing safety.
On a multi-pitch climb, if you drop a piece of gear you simply have to do without it for - what could be - quite a bit more climbing. Climbing gear that we call upon as we do lots of different important tasks, like our belay device, becomes even more crucial to keep hold of. Here is how we remove our belay devices from the rope to reduce the likelihood of dropping it.
The single question I have probably been asked the most is if it is "better" to use an overhand on a bight or a figure eight on a bight in many climbing applications. Like all things in climbing, "it depends." Here are some of the considerations that run through my mind when deciding which knot to use.
Older Quick Tips
Smaller pieces of climbing gear become easier items to drop, and that risk only increases when we are wearing gloves. Tethers can be helpful and even more so with carabiners specifically designed to keep the tethers out of the way of the gate opening.
Little things add up to big risks when we are climbing in vertical environments. One part of my pre-climb safety check includes making sure I have my shirt tucked in so that I can better manage my gear.
Proper care of climbing gear doesn't always mean just keeping it in working order. For soft goods, sometimes proper care means tracking how old the equipment is. Soft goods can deteriorate even without use, and with use they wear down even faster. So, we need to know when those goods should no longer be used even if they aren't visibly damaged.
I'm certainly going to have quickdraws with me if I'm on a technical rock or ice climb. But I make sure to carry an extra that never gets racked onto a standard gear placement. Having an extra quickdraw provides versatility to help me deal with myriad contingencies in the mountains and one a climb.
We can join two climbing ropes using the flat overhand bend. Learn how to tie this knot, learn some of its advantages, and some of the constraints on using the knot by checking out this video.
It's a little thing, but getting both myself - and especially my kids - to transition into rappel systems faster can add up over many pitches. So, anything we can do to make it less likely to faff with ropes, our devices, or other gear, we'll take. Setting our third hand, autoblock hitch helps us manage the ropes and thread our rappel device more easily.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and so we are adding to our series of videos on some of the mental aspects of climbing and other outdoor adventures. My climbing mentors often talked to me about the Law of Plus One for expedition success. What is it and how does it help team dynamics?
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and so we are adding to our series of videos on some of the mental aspects of climbing and other outdoor adventures. When does self-reliance become deflection? We all need help sometimes, and our teams need to know where things stand. There is no easy answer, but we can often recognize the line once we've crossed it.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and so we are adding to our series of videos on some of the mental aspects of outdoor adventures. Climbing involves complex movements that are hard to completely mimic in a gym environment. But there is one important feature a gym has that a mountain doesn't.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and so we are adding to our series of videos on some of the mental aspects of outdoor adventures. We train our minds and bodies with performance signals in most sports: think a basketball player that dribbles the ball a set number of times before shooting a foul shot. That can be harder to do in climbing when we face complex environments that are hardly ever the same. But there are some things we can still borrow from sports routines that can help our climbing performance mindset.
Rock climbing shoes may not exactly be your most comfortable footwear even after breaking them in. Before you've broken them in, they can be downright painful. Here's a trick that some high-level, professional climbers have been using to make the break in process much quicker and pain free
We build lots of safety systems in climbing, and gear advancements have improved our ability to make these systems both quicker and with more security. But sometimes we may run out of the best tools to do a job and need to rely upon serviceable tools. One such scenario is using opposite and opposed carabiners to mimic the security of a locking carabiner. Here’s how and why we do it.
As I keep saying, all things in mountaineering, backpacking, and camping have pros and cons. There are no perfect solutions or perfect gear. In this quick tip, we talk about how tents with tent poles designed to be pitched from the inside can be great in some circumstances but a problem in others. Perhaps this will be a consideration for you as you plan gear for your next trip.
Ferro rods are an alternative fire starting method that may be easier to use in difficult and cold conditions. Here are a few of the reasons I take a ferro rod with me when I'm on multiday climbs or camps in the mountains.
Lots of clothing, rigid gear, and stiff boots make life in a tent in the cold more complicated. Digging a simple pit at the door of your tent can make your winter camping or mountaineering experience a little easier.
Sublimation of snow (moving from solid directly to gas) not only smells bad, but also robs you of the water you are trying to make (you can't drink a gas). Here's the easy fix to avoid sublimation when turning snow into drinking water when alpine climbing or winter camping.
We can conform snow to meet our backpacking, alpine climbing, and winter camping campsite needs. One of things we need is a firmer surface to hold in tent stakes and support us as we sleep. The lowest-cost way to do that is to make sure you stomp out your tent platform as soon as you arrive, giving the snow time to set.
Reusing those plastic bottles from a beverage purchase may leach BPA into your water (maybe a topic for another video). But I also know from many conversations that some people will do it anyway because it can save money and weight and they don't do it that often. Well, for those of you who are willing to accept the risk, there is also a practical consideration: the lips on the mouths of those water bottles can melt when pouring boiling water making them unable to be closed. So, you can take this simple, light, piece of gear to avoid at least that problem when backpacking or camping in the winter.
Some climbers have moved away from using the Prusik hitch to the Klemheist hitch as a friction hitch on the rope because they are easier to tie (especially with gloves). Although a Klemheist can have varying degrees of bite on the rope in different directions of pull, unlike a Prusik. That has led to the question: "What if I accidently tie a Klemheist backwards?" As long as you dress it, the "backwards" Klemheist becomes a Hedden hitch, and is still effective.
Should you damage your climbing harness, you can improvise a new one with a sling, a few carabiners, and the climbing rope. Here's one solution for a harness that will provide both seat and leg support.
Anytime you need to stay upright while using a vertical rope - including crevasse rescues to rock rescues - you may want a chest harness. Here are two options using a simple 120cm sling and a single carabiner, and a quick discussion of their pros and cons.
If you need to be able to come out of the rope easily, like during a crevasse rescue, you may tie a Kiwi Coil one way. If you need to temporarily shorten and then lengthen the rope, you may tie a Kiwi Coil another way. If you are going to stay tied in all day, like for mixed alpine climbing, you may want to tie a Kiwi Coil this way.
When on a rope team and needing to pass your knot through a piece of protection, like during a running belay, you want to be as safe and efficient as possible. Here's one technique to accomplish those two goals.
While I typically do ensure that I have tent stakes with me for my winter camping and alpine climbing trips, it's good to know what makes good winter tent stakes so that you can improvise one, if need be.
I carry chemical warmers in my first aid kit for cold weather climbing, hiking, and camping excursions. But I only buy the toe warmers, not the hand warmers. Here's why.
When we are out climbing, hiking, or camping in cold temperatures, we need to layer well. And our layers need space between them to insulate. That means our liner gloves need to strike a balance between cold protection and being thin enough to work with your outer gloves, too.
Steep snow climbing up often means steep snow descents. When heading downhill, the snow conditions often dictate what types of steps will keep you upright and more secure. Here we talk about the Plunge Step for use on soft snow.
Climbers new to climbing on snow or on mixed terrain are likely to experience calf fatigue. When we are in the alpine, the consequences of a calf muscle giving out can be very high. So, make sure you get off of your front points whenever you can to maximize the benefits of your resting position.
Older Quick Tips
It seems like a little thing, but after you've taken 40,000 steps, the energy you save (or lose) by making efficient (or inefficient) kicks into snow can mean the difference between successfully climbing and reaching the summit or not. Here's how we approach kicking steps while mountaineering.
If you are new to winter climbing, you might be wondering what type of crampon front points will work best for you. Here are the rules of thumb regarding which crampon front point types work best for which types of climbing.
The Petzl Gully Ice Axe was designed for the steep couloirs and the demands for light weight gear required by ski mountaineering. But those same characteristics make it an excellent fit for kids.
Climbing skills come gradually and with repeated experience. Taking our kids out climbing emphasizes the incremental nature of taking on more and more responsibility in a vertical environment. But mental approaches, behaviors, and some habits don't require nuanced rope skills or body movement. As our kids started with the complexities of multi-pitch climbing, we found a way they could contribute to the team's efficiency while staying within their skill set.
Tying a one-handed clove hitch is a necessary climbing skill. But like any skill, it needs to be applied at the right times and in the right way. Here's one - very common - scenario in which climbers may consider ways to avoid laying the second climber's rope over the carabiner as a first move of tying this hitch.
Different body types. Different lengths of reach. So, different sling lengths are needed to make extensions for rappelling (abseiling). Here are a few things I consider when ensuring I have the right length of sling available on my harness in case I need to rappel.
Putting different foam compounds into climbing helmets creates different pros and cons for those helmets. Here is a rundown of how two of the most common foam types, EPP and EPS, may impact your decision when selecting a climbing helmet.
There is actually more to putting on a climbing helmet than just putting it on your head. It needs to remains as stable as possible through your movement but also should you receive an impact. Here's how to ensure a proper fit.
For those of us with little crusher rock climbing kids, one of the things to think about as they challenge themselves on new routes and develop new skills is that our equipment was designed for our adult-sized bodies. But with careful consideration, we can put together the right combinations of equipment to have it work well for them. Here is an example with quickdraws.
Making upward progress when rock climbing on a hard sport route often means efficiency and conserving energy. One of the places you can lose energy needlessly is with sloppy technique as you clip your draws. Here is how to assess and apply which technique and hand positions to use for maximum efficiency.
The sticky rubber on rock climbing shoes can get polished, which reduces its grip. When you get shiny, polished sections on your climbing shoes, you can briefly scuff them with sandpaper to restore their stickiness.
Overhanging climbing routes, bad climbing holds, or underdeveloped upper body or grip strength can all cause your hands and arms to give out when rock climbing. The "drop knee" technique can shift a lot of the burden to our stronger, lower body muscles and help keep our hips close to the wall. Here's how you perform the technique.
Any time you are belaying from the ground, whether that be the first pitch of a multi-pitch climb or if you are out trying single-pitch traditional or sport climbing, you can think about using better belaying footwork, if you have the space, to make managing rope slack much easier as well as making is safer for your climber. Here's how.
For climbers just starting out, learning the foundations of solid belay technique is imperative. While different nuances and whole other techniques can be used in different situations as you gain experience, the Pull Brake Under Slide climbing belay method is the foundational method to use whenever your climber is above you.
When you are alpine climbing or mountaineering it is easy to make the mistake of being at a rest, coiling the rope to shorten it for the next section of terrain, and only after getting retied in realizing you forgot to have your pack on as you made your coils. Here's how you can get your pack on without recoiling and still managing to keep your rucksack under the rope.
When you need a secure climbing knot in the middle of a rope that is also easy to untie after weighting, an alpine butterfly knot makes a good choice. Take a look at this quick climbing tip to see under what circumstances you might use this knot as well as see one way to tie it (even in mittens).
Climbing helmets need to fit properly to keep you safe, but they also lack sun protection for your face. You can add different garments under your helmet, but you also need to avoid the pain that can come with bunched fabric pressed down on your head. So, here's what I use to add some shade to my face without creating safety or pain issues when I climb with a helmet in the hot months.
Climbing in the alpine sometimes means putting on your harness in strange or even less secure stances. So, I always look for this feature in every alpine harness I am going to use. It makes the act of putting my harness on safer despite any awkward position I might be in.
Alpine routes can be transient, changing with conditions or even breaking off features with rock fall. So, when I am out on an alpine scramble, and on terrain that I don't anticipate having full pitches of climbing, I still bring a 30 meter rope. Here's why.
We get up very early before we go hiking, backpacking, or climbing on the peaks. We call getting up and moving before the sun an "alpine start." Here's why we do it.
I once had a student sheepishly ask me about underwear management on extended trips into the mountains or the backcountry on backpacking, climbing, or camping trips. If you have resources to rotate and wash them, the number you need is simple. How often to rotate them is more complicated, dependent upon the weather and your activity levels. But here are some rules of thumb.
Finding purified water is easy on winter and alpine climbs and hikes when you are boiling snow melt, but larger particles like pine nettles can still infest your water despite boiling. Your kitchen cabinets already hold an affordable solution.
My family gets outdoors a lot for climbing, backpacking, and hiking and we use hydration pack systems when the weather is right. The convenience of having water accessible helps us drink more. But hydration packs are hard to keep from molding. That's where the Bōn Dry hydration pack dryer comes in to play. I've never had to replace any of my families' hydration systems since I started using it.
Being outdoors with my kids for climbing, backpacking, and hiking is a blast, but getting them to do some of "the small things" on a consistent basis can be a challenge. Staying hydrated is one of those things. Having water always accessible with a water bladder system can help, but I need to make sure I have the right water bladder for their little bodies and little equipment.
When we head outdoors for climbing, hiking, or backpacking, we always try to dress for conditions. But one part of our kit that maybe we haven't thought about is any rings we might usually have on. A metal ring can be a hazard when there are opportunities to either catch it on something or if the environment is cold. It's a lesson I've had to relate to many the adult climbing student.
Many climbers, mountaineers, hikers, and backpackers wear a watch. Often times, it doubles as their GPS. But once we add the necessary gloves and jackets for cold days in the alpine, that watch can be in our way. Here's how it keep my watch from getting caught in my clothing while also keeping it available as I need it.
The double fisherman's knot is the standard for joining two ends of cord, most frequently to make a cordellete or prussik loop. But beyond climbing applications, there is a whole bunch of uses for this handy knot for camping a backpacking, as well. Here's how to tie one.
On some routes, I know I am going to need to be able to access a radio or a GPS device or satellite communicator more frequently. Maybe winds or terrain will make it hard to talk with my climbing partner. Maybe it's a new area and I'm unfamiliar with the landscape. Maybe it's a big expedition, and I need to be able to stay in regular contact with a team that is spread out all over the mountain. If I need to keep the device available, I want it out of the way, high on my shoulder, when not in use; but I also need to be sure it's secure and still attached when I am using it. Here is how I rig a device to my backpack when facing these types of situations.
Older Quick Tips
Avalanche accident studies have shown that the number one subjective hazard (hazards inside or our heads) that contribute to accidents is the desire to not "take a zero" on the day. Have gotten up too early, driven too far, etc. to bail on marginal conditions. Well, having a backup plan gets you out of that conundrum. You don't have to choose between all of the fun and none of the fun. Some of the fun can do in a pinch.
We are continuing Mental Health Awareness Month with videos about the mental aspects of outdoor adventuring. In this video we talk about recasting bail days as successful days when we are out climbing, mountaineering, or hiking.
We know that stretching helps with muscle restoration and that flexibility is necessary for hiking, climbing, and mountaineering performance, but did you know stretching also releases hormones that are fundamental to maintaining good mental health?
In gravity fighting sports, there can be a tendency to want to reduce one's weight in order to improve strength-to-weight ratio. While that might work in the short run, it isn't sustainable. You need both calories and proper nutrition to perform when in the outdoors. As we begin Mental Health Awareness Month, let’s remember that the consequences of obsessive weight cutting aren't worth the benefits.
When we travel for hiking, climbing, and mountaineering, we have a little less than a 1% chance that a checked bag will get lost, damaged, or delayed. Compounded across multiple bags for multiple people, and you can quickly end up with a much higher likelihood of a baggage handling error. So, here is one tip to help you avoid having partial systems and incomplete gear should you run into one of those baggage problems.
When we travel for hiking, climbing, and mountaineering, some of what we need to take with us are longer items that don't fit well in most luggage. Here are the typical airline dimensions you need to know and a recommendation on having at least one of these types of duffel bags.
When we travel for hiking, climbing, and mountaineering, we often need to take sharp objects with us. The baggage handling process can make it easy for those sharp gear to puncture our bags. Here's the admittedly simple solution to the problem.
It's a simple thing, but a) we don't always follow it, and b) people just starting out need to know it. Your plan shouldn't stay with you. We should all be telling a trusted person our itinerary and route before every trip into the backcountry. It will dramatically improve the odds of you receiving help should you need it.
Staying hydrated is important when you are on the move in the backcountry, whether hiking, backpacking, or mountaineering; it impacts your ability to exercise for the duration and also affects your acclimatization to higher altitudes. But your body can't absorb the water you drink if you drink too much to fast. So, how often and how much should you be drinking water in the ideal?
Being at altitude suppresses your appetite. But your body needs more calories when you are up high. So, adding a caloric mix to your water is a good way to over come calorie depravation when you find it is difficult to eat enough.
The water you need to bring on an outdoors adventure is a product of the activity - like a backpacking trip, a hike, or a mountain climb - how hard you are working, and the climate. But climate is also determined by altitude and higher altitudes demand more water. Find out how much more in this video.
There is a lot that goes into your consumption rate of fuel for your camping stove: altitude, air temperature, temperature of your water, moisture content of the surrounding snow, the stove efficiency, itself, burner size, wind speed, the list goes on and on. So, here is a rule of thumb for taking the right amount of fuel with you when you will be melting snow for water on your expedition.
The consequences of a lead climber fall when ice climbing are simply too high to let ego get in the way of safety. When you need to take a rest, and you can find good ice, go ahead and take that rest. Here's how.
If you have big, double boots for cold mountaineering as well as shoulder-season alpine climbing boots that are considerably smaller, you will have extra strap material from your crampon attachments whenever you put those crampons on your smaller boots. Here's what I do with that extra tail to keep it securely out of my way.
The biomechanics of winter climbing are different and strain different muscles due to the equipment we have to wear. If you are into ice climbing, alpinism, or mountaineering, don't let your calves be the muscle endurance shortcoming that keeps you from the top.
When I'm done with a winter trip, maybe a little wet and a little cold, I want to get out of the wet gear and into some dry things. That's where this very cheap piece of equipment comes in, making it easy to store my wet things. It's big enough and tough enough to handle climbing equipment, axes and crampons, snowshoes, and boots for the whole family.
Cold weather brings condensation inside your tent, and condensation brings frozen water to your sleeping bag. The more days you are out, the more of a problem this becomes. Airing your bag out in the sun can evaporate the moisture and keep your bag lofted and insulating well.
Having done a full video on attempting to avoid getting cold hands in the first place, what can you do if you end up with cold hands, regardless? Here are four ways to get your hands warm, and you can actually do all four together, if need be. My family and I use these techniques regularly on our hikes, climbs, and backpacking trips in the wilderness.
Too much snow can damage a tent be overweighting the tent poles. But getting snow off your tent can damage it, too, if you aren't careful. See why I put duct tape on my snow shovel so that I can better clear snow off my tent when winter camping.
As I teach my kids how to enjoy winter in the backcountry, I have to remind them that stepping out into the cold is supposed to feel cold. And it is a good tip for anyone new to winter adventures: When you are pursuing activities like summit hikes, long backpacking trips, and mountaineering routes, you are going to generate some heat. Your layers need to make sense for what you will feel when working hard, not when standing at the trailhead.
There are legitimate reasons to prefer not bringing a GPS device with you in the backcountry. Costs may be prohibitive. You may prefer map and compass. You may only take short trips out. But if you do anything that is multi-day, GPS devices make the most weight-efficient electronic option. It's more than just gross weight that should be considered, but weight per hour of use. Once you start getting other devices up to the same battery life by bringing battery banks with you, that supposed weight disadvantage starts to disappear.
Often times rock climbers wrap their runners and cords very tightly to keep them out of their way when racking them on their harness. But if you get into alpine climbing or mountaineering in the cold environments, that kind of thing can be difficult to tie and untie with gloves. Here's how I find the balance between racking in a glove friendly way but which could be too loose and a trip hazard versus racking very tightly but in a way that is difficult to manage while gloves are on.
Sleeping bags can be expensive, and we should take care of that investment. The simplest thing you can do to help keep your sleeping bag lofting and in excellent shape is to not store it in a compression sack when you aren't using it out in the field. Hanging in it our using its non-compression storage bag are better options, if you have the space.
If you are hiking, backpacking, or climbing in winter, those ultralight storm pants that weigh a few grams are missing one key feature: a full side zip up the outside of the legs. If you have big boots and sharp traction devices on those boots, a full zip becomes indispensable. That way you can avoid shredding those pants or else having to remove your spikes every time the storm shell comes on.
The cold makes it harder to bring in oxygen and have that oxygen circulate around your body. Whether you hike, climb, backpack, exercise, or just camp, this can put unnecessary strain on your heart and lungs. Scientists have found that a heat exchange mask can help avoid these issues. I've been using one on my mountaineering and climbing expeditions for years. It's helped me keep cold-induced asthma under control as well as helped my non-asthmatic friends perform at their best when we are in extreme conditions.
You are hiking, backpacking, or climbing in the cold and your multiday trip would be easier with the convenience of a canister stove - if only they didn't fail in cold weather! Well, they don't have to fail. Mountaineers have been using canister stoves in high, extremely cold places for years. And this simple, no-cost solution can be applied to anyone who wants to camp cook with canister fuel.
The key to keeping the snow out of your boots is already on your pants. You can use the grommets on the hem to cinch your pants down when facing deep powder or post-holing when out on a climb or hike in the winter. Here's how.
When the temperatures drop, losing an outer glove or mitt could lead to serious damage to your fingers and hand. Yet, sometimes you need to be able to take off that outer glove for improved dexterity or to better feel the terrain. If you gloves don't come with a factory installed leash, you can create a do-it-yourself option.
Older Quick Tips
I love hiking, backpacking, climbing, and camping in the "shoulder seasons" of fall and spring. There are usually amazing colors and smaller (or no) crowds. But the variable conditions can make layering a challenge. It's cool one moment, warm the next. That's why I like to wear a neck gaiter when I'm out during those times. It's a simple piece of gear that is versatile enough to work in the ever-changing conditions that I will be facing.
Snow and ice climbing season is here! Time to get that gear ready and we need to make sure it stays in top shape all season. This quick tip shows you how to file your crampons to get quality edges and points. Plus, a quick reminder on how not to sharpen them.
For climbers, and particularly those who are alpine climbing or mountaineering, it has become much more common practice to "extend your rappel device" by leashing it to your harness and allowing it to extend up towards your head. In this video, we quickly cover some of the benefits of rappelling with an extended device, benefits which can add up to improve your safety margin while on rappel.
For alpine climbing in winter and snow conditions, you can improve the safety and efficiency of your team by "improving your steps." That is, making sure that each climber on your team is using the same steps in the boot track in order to consolidate the snow and improve the stability of each foot placement.
When hiking down hills or mountain sides, it's easy to slip and fall. And our natural reaction to those slips - to lean back and to shorten our steps - actually makes it even more likely that we slip more! Here's a body position and movement technique to make your footing more secure when moving downhill, whether mountaineering, climbing 14ers returning from a technical climb, going for a thru hike, backpacking, or trekking.
With cold weather it's easy to forget the need for sun protection, and it's even easier to forget the need to protect yourself from not just the sun overhead but also the UV reflections from the snow, that strike you from below. Just a reminder to protect yourself given this dynamic.
Store-bought ice axe leashes can be expensive. And their lack of fall-rated materials mean you can't safely use the leashes as part of an anchor set-up or as part of a rescue system, like for a crevasse fall. Here is a quick and easy alternative that costs you no more than the price of a triple-length runner and no more time than the time it takes to tie three knots.
Snow and ice climbing season is fast approaching! Time to get that gear ready for use. This quick tip shows you how to file the pick of your ice axe (or ice tool) to get a quality edge and point. Plus, a quick reminder on how not to sharpen your axe.
If you don't like trekking poles while hiking, that's fine. But if you don't like trekking poles because gripping them tires out your hands, then learn how to relax those hands when on mild terrain without ever losing control of your trekking poles.
Want to shorten your breaks while on the hike, climb, or a 14er summit attempt? Or do you just want to make sure that you eat several times a day so that you keep your energy from flagging? Well, keep your trail food at the ready, and you can do both more easily.
Ice and snow traction for your feet, like the kind you can get with Kahtoola MICROspikes and High Stream Gear Ice Cleats for Kids, don't need to be a one season help. These can help you on steeper ground of compacted dirt and gravel. Try them out on your next Colorado 14er or 13er, or any hike with steeper slopes.
Hiking or climbing at altitude, like you find on 14ers or even taller mountains, is bad on your throat. The air has less moisture, you are breathing harder, and it isn't unusual to develop a cough. To keep my throat from getting too sore, I like to pop a Jolly Rancher Hard Candy in my mouth every hour or so. This keeps me from getting to raw and raspy, and really any hard candy will do.
The Surgeon's Shoelace Bow Knot adds an extra wrap to the starting hitch as well as an extra wrap to the bow hitch. The result is more friction, keeping the knot tied throughout your hike while remaining easy to untie at the end of a long day.
If you are pushing your current boundaries on summit hikes or mountaineering - or maybe you are getting into Colorado 14ers or will be attempting your first 14er - you are going to get tired legs. One way to mitigate that muscle fatigue is to change the orientation of your steps every so often, to stress different muscles. Your toes don't always need to point where you are headed, and the crossover step can be very helpful for changing things up.
Any piece of gear that you can make multipurpose will save you weight. Any rock climbing - sport climbing, trad climbing, top roping, and multi-pitch - is an opportunity to cut weight by replacing the belt of your chalk bag with some tech cord. Now you've got a working piece of rock climbing gear that can be used for anchors, prussiks, autoblocks, or myriad other needs should those needs arise.
The Bowline Knot works exceptionally well for attaching an anchor to a fixed point like a tree or a boulder. Here is how to tie this knot that is useful in rock climbing, trad climbing, and alpine climbing situations. In fact, it is even useful for making a back anchor when sport climbing or on top rope.
A Double Figure 8 Loop - AKA a Bunny Ears knot - is excellent when fixing a rope on two anchor points. Learn how to tie and adjust this climbing knot to ensure that you equalize your climbing anchor on the direction of pull.
An Autoblock hitch is often used to back up a rappel so that you are safe if you should accidently let go of the rope due to an injury, rock fall, or the like. Learn how to tie this climbing hitch so that your rappel system remains redundant whether trad climbing, sport climbing, ice climbing, or mountaineering.
This quick tip goes over how to build a "quad" climbing anchor. Using a "quad runner" - or a 240cm sling - you can build a self-equalizing anchor that is great for meandering routes or meandering climbers. (Kids often get off route due to difficulty reaching all of the standard holds.) This is also an anchor you can tie on the ground and rack on your harness, making for easy install when you know you'll have double bolts at the top of a route.
Here's three different ways to tie a clove hitch depending upon what you are tying your rope or cord to: a fixed object with an open end (like a tent stake), a fixed object with no open end (like a tree), or the one-handed version to a carabiner as used in lead climbing.
As the weather warms and camping season approaches, keep in mind this simple tip that can keep your kids or any shorter campers warm by adjusting a sleeping bag to be right-sized for them - without spending money.
The same mental checklist you use to make a "Magic X" anchor with a double runner doesn't guarantee safety when using a quad runner. Know how a Magic X with a quad runner can fail, and know how to replace it with a "Quad Anchor" that still has a sliding master point but is bomber!
Take care of your gear that takes care of you. It isn't the flashy part of alpine climbing and mountaineering, but it's necessary and important. Keeping rust off of your gear can extend the life of your ice axe, ice tools, and crampons as well as give you more confidence in your climbing equipment so that you can focus on climbing your best.
Ice Axes serve two main functions: to keep you from falling, using "self belay" techniques, and to stop your fall from shooting you down the slope by using "self arrest" techniques. In this clip, we cover the basic of self arrest that you can then learn to apply to four different sliding positions.
Don't waste time taking your backpack on and off every time you need your ice axe or need to put it away. Here are four methods for stowing your axe that can be interchanged based on how long you will need to stow your axe versus how often you will need o use it.
Ice Axes serve two main functions: to keep you from falling, using "self belay" techniques, and to stop your fall from shooting you down the slope by using "self arrest" techniques. In this clip, we talk about the foundation of uphill travel on snow: walking "in balance." In the full video, we cover the basics of self belay for winter travel, talking about the different ways to use an ice axe in combination with our feet, depending upon our footwear and snow conditions.
I took one of my twin boys on a snow-filled, winter day hike. I helped him take the next step in his progression by showing him how to use some new winter hiking gear. We went over the basics of using an ice axe, which he has been itching to do!
If we only eat when we are hungry and drink when we are thirsty, we might not be taking in enough food or water to keep our energy up and to fend off dehydration. Here's why we try to eat and drink frequently and on a regular schedule.