Short clips

Trailers to full length videos and stand-alone quick tips; everything we make that is under 60 seconds

Make Overnight Camping Trips MORE Comfortable With This Pillow Setup

A video can introduce concepts and even provide tutorials, but it cannot cover all of the variable situations and context of outdoor environments. Learn about something here, but then seek qualified instruction to master it.

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Short Clips, Quick Tips (08) Jason Kolaczkowski Short Clips, Quick Tips (08) Jason Kolaczkowski

Cost EFFECTIVE Pick Guards for Your Ice Axes and Ice Tools!

We have a lot of climbers in our family, and therefore a lot of ice axes and ice tools. We want to be able to keep our sharpened picks in good condition and also want to keep those picks from damaging other gear while in transit. So, we make our own pick guards. We find this solution to be more cost effective and provide better protection than the commercially available solutions.

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Short Clips, Quick Tips (08) Jason Kolaczkowski Short Clips, Quick Tips (08) Jason Kolaczkowski

High Altitude Climber's Gear to Protect Against EXTREME UV Exposure

When we get to higher altitudes, the thinner air means less diffusion of UV rays, and the bright snow below us means those UV rays bounce back at us from below. It is as if we are walking in a radiating dish. So, we need to be careful about sun protection and exposed skin. Here are a few pieces of equipment I use to help guard what my other clothing cannot: my face.

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Short Clips, Quick Tips (08) Jason Kolaczkowski Short Clips, Quick Tips (08) Jason Kolaczkowski

Managing Climbing Rope Slack for FAST Rappel Transitions

Speed is safety in the mountains. We want to maintain current security, but not at the price of future security. So, if we have opportunities to have our climbing team work and make progress simultaneously we will make that happen if the risks aren’t too high. Efficiently getting through a rappel transition is one example, and it can be the little things that make the difference - like giving slack to the following climber on rappel as soon as safely possible.

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Short Clips, Quick Tips (07) Jason Kolaczkowski Short Clips, Quick Tips (07) Jason Kolaczkowski

Anchor Knots Weaken Climbing Slings but We Can Mitigate That

@HowNOT2 makes outstanding gear testing videos and have opened a highly responsive and well stocked gear shop. You should check it out. One of their major video themes is testing soft goods when configured in anchor configurations. While knowing how a specific configuration will rate in strength is important, understanding why can help you make dynamic choices in the field.

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Short Clips, Quick Tips (07) Jason Kolaczkowski Short Clips, Quick Tips (07) Jason Kolaczkowski

The Banshee Belay Anchor for Vertically Staggered Hardware or Ice Screws

When we can anticipate the fixed hardware at the anchor stations of a climb, or if we have flexibility in placing good ice screws as we see fit, it is possible to pre-rig our anchor material and use it at the anchors as we move up the route. For vertically staggered anchors, the banshee belay is a good option. Here is how we can make and employ one.

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Short Clips, Quick Tips (07) Jason Kolaczkowski Short Clips, Quick Tips (07) Jason Kolaczkowski

Clipping the Top Shelf of a Climbing Anchor is Done Differently for Different Anchor Types

Using the shelf, that area of anchor leg strands above a master point knot, has benefits and tradeoffs. But if we are going to use it, we want to make sure we are clipping it in the right way for the type of anchor we’ve made, or we could end up adding in risks that we could easily avoid.

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Short Clips, Quick Tips (07) Jason Kolaczkowski Short Clips, Quick Tips (07) Jason Kolaczkowski

Choose the Right Carabiner to Safely Belay with Your Petzl GriGri

The Petzl GriGri belay device is now seen almost everywhere climbing happens. But, like any piece of equipment, it has ways that it can be used more or less safely. One key to using the GriGri as safely as possible is to make sure we choose the right carabiner to use with it, as certain carabiners can create risks that can be easily avoided.

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Why I Carry 3M Nexcare Skin Crack Care Glue in My Winter Climbing First Aid Kit

As a reminder, I do not have any product sponsors. If I talk about a product, it’s because I have spent my own money on it. Here’s a little item I now keep in my winter first aid kit because super glue in an open wound stings and this does not.

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Short Clips, Quick Tips (07) Jason Kolaczkowski Short Clips, Quick Tips (07) Jason Kolaczkowski

Is the Water Bottle You Take Hiking, Backpacking, or Climbing Harming Your Health?

We are learning more about the potential health downsides stemming from the ubiquitous plastic water bottles that so many hikers, backpackers, and climbers use. New technology is allowing new, and more complete, measurements of how much plastic is degrading into the water we drink from them. The science is evolving and scientific studies are starting to triangulate around the potential health impacts. So, I’m watching this evolve and reconsidering my use of these normally standard pieces of adventure equipment.

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Short Clips, Quick Tips (07) Jason Kolaczkowski Short Clips, Quick Tips (07) Jason Kolaczkowski

A Better Clean for a Better Hike, Climb, or Backpack: Why I Like the CuloClean Bidet

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

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