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.