Short clips

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

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

Dropped Your Belay Device? The Auto-Locking Münter Hitch May Save Your Climb!

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.

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

Should We Place Our Pulley Near the Load or Near the Haul of our Climbing Haul System?

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.

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

The Five-Three Blake's Hitch for Ropes with a Wider Bend Radius

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.

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

Quickdraw Carabiner Gates for New Climbers

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.

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

Considering Quickdraw Carabiner Sizes for New Climbers

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.

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

Four Methods for Clipping a Quickdraw While Climbing on Lead

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.

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Short Clips, Quick Tips (06) Jason Kolaczkowski Short Clips, Quick Tips (06) Jason Kolaczkowski

N95 Masks for Backcountry Smoke on Your Camp, Hike, or Climb

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.

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Short Clips, Quick Tips (06) Jason Kolaczkowski Short Clips, Quick Tips (06) Jason Kolaczkowski

Foot Lock Climbing Rope Ascension Case Study: Just Because We Can Doesn't Mean We Should

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?

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Short Clips, Quick Tips (06) Jason Kolaczkowski Short Clips, Quick Tips (06) Jason Kolaczkowski

A Climbing Knot Variation on the Trucker's Hitch to Ensure Ease of Untying

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.

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