I was asked if the very light weight Petzl Tibloc could be used as a rope capture for crevasse rescue systems? The answer is, 'yes,' but not without acknowledging that unweighting a Tibloc can be complicated. The full video walks through one procedure to transfer the load from a Tibloc along with a discussion of how this may complicate crevasse rescue scenarios that need a lower.

When we are rappelling (abseiling) in high winds, yes we have to worry about getting the ropes down the route, but we also need to consider which strand to pull as we take our ropes down after the rappel. If we choose the wrong strand, we might end up with a tangle that can get our ropes stuck and unretrievable.

The Münter hitch can get climbers out of a jam. While I typically am using more modern climbing equipment for various rappelling, belaying, and rescue techniques, I still have used just the rope, a carabiner, and the Münter from time to time and in lots of different ways. The full video goes deep into the Münter by getting into different ways to tie it, different pros and cons of the hitch, and a full walk through and how-to for five types of use cases.

When we are belaying from a Münter, we may have to turn that hitch into a clove once our partner is up and at the anchor. We can do so cleverly with two clips or with one. It is safer to only open the gate once, but that is only if this maybe more complicated method of tying the hitch is done swiftly and correctly each time. Tradeoffs.

Should we happen to have lost our belay device while still needing to climb, we may want to employ an auto-locking hitch to help with belays from the top or pack hauls or the like. The Garda, Lorenzi, and Auto-Locking Münter hitches are all options. The full video goes deep on how to create them, how we might use them, and some pros and cons that come with each.

If we've had the waist strap buckle on our backpack break, we can fix this in a minute using two carabiners we likely already have on our harness. It's enough to get you through the climb, or even the expedition, if you are away from the shops you need to get a replacement buckle.

If you go climbing in the alpine, and particularly in fully wild and maybe even unexplored areas, you are likely to be subjected to rockfall, and that rockfall can become fairly likely. The full video goes deeper into how we assess our terrain for rockfall risk and goes into a number of ways to mitigate that risk and keep our likelihood of getting hit by a rock low enough to feel acceptable.

When we bail from a single protection point on a rock climbing route, we can eliminate unnecessary risk by adding a prusik knot into our lowering procedure. Here's why.

I have been using the Edelrid Pinch break assisting belay device long enough now to have some perspective on the specifications and features that truly distinguish it from the Petzl Grigri. The full video goes more deeply into a comparison. I have come to reach for the Pinch, first, in certain applications, but not for all of my climbing. Here's why.

In today's world of online ordering - or even if we have packaging that gets in the way of actually touching the product - it can be hard to tell if a ferro rod will be a softer material that throws bigger sparks or a harder material that lasts longer. Well, we can get a good clue from the specifications, but we need to do a little thought work, too.

I hear that canister stoves don't work in the cold a lot. But I've also used canister stoves in the cold a lot, and so have many other climbing teams who head to the coldest corners of the globe. However, it could be that there are times that canister stoves make more sense and times liquid-fuel stoves are a better option. The full video goes deep into this test of eight different stoves to shed some light on how the knocks on canister stoves are overstated as well as circumstances where liquid-fuel stoves might make a better choice.

We all look for many different features when we are looking for a climbing harness, and I am no exception. But there is one feature that I find to be a must have on my alpine harnesses that maybe isn't always available when looking for the lightest model or a model for different styles of climbing. I want to make sure I can easily and fully open up the leg loops.

Blue Ice took a really good harness and redesigned and rebuilt it, anyways. The video goes deep into a feature-by-feature analysis to inform if the new version of the Choucas Pro harness is enough of an improvement over the older version to earn a place in your gear closet.

When I did a video about a new type of wrap I was going to try on my ice tools, I got a question asking about why we wrap our ice tools at all. Well, here’s some of the reasons.

Two years ago, I did a video about the potential I saw in 3M Gripping Material as a wrap for ice tools. Two years later, now, I have found one version of the material to be not good enough and another version to be pretty good, but at a cost. The full video gets into all the details.

There is nothing that says you can climb with a backpacking park nor backpack with a climbing pack, but they have differing features for specific reasons. I got asked about why climbing packs have zippered pockets in their hoods (or brains), and it has a lot to do with having a secure place to get to items without having to go through all your items.

After one year of use and one big expedition in Asia, I've learned enough about the Samaya Ultra 60 pack. The full video goes deeper into what I've found to be the pros and cons along with a few modifications I've made to my pack.

Just like there is a difference between climate and weather, there is a difference between today’s weather and weather patterns. When we climb in a new area, understanding that difference, can help us strategize our ascents. Various local communities can be a fountain of information in this regard.

Climbing at three miles (4800 meters) above sea level can be a challenge for out body's physiology. Having access to almost as high of peaks in Colorado, the full video goes into how I spent the final month before my trip to that three-mile altitude to ensure I showed up pre-acclimatized to the altitude along with a discussion about why intermittent trips up to altitude can still help acclimatization.

Getting our tent packed up and stowed away can be very difficult in windy conditions. By being tactical about when we pull  up our last two tent stakes, we can greatly simplify our task.