Short clips
Trailers to full length videos and stand-alone quick tips; everything we make that is under 60 seconds
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.
Converting a Climber's Münter Hitch to a Clove Hitch
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.
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.
How to Make a "Quad" Climbing Anchor on Three Pieces of Climbing Protection
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.
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.
Quickdraw Carabiner Nose Types for New Climbers
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.
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.
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.
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.
Practicing Climbing Skills with Both Hands
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.
What Quickdraw Lengths Do I Need for My Climbing Rack?
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.
Blake's Hitch for Rock Climbers: Pros and Cons and How to Tie This Friction Hitch
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.
Five Hip Stretches for Climbing Flexibility and Mobility
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.
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.
Use Cases and Limits of the Sterling HallowBlock 2 Sewn Climbing Prusik Loop
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.
Setting Our Prusik Cords Correctly for Ascending the Climbing Rope
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.
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?
Tying a Rescue Seat from a Mountaineer's Coil for Climbing Team Self-Rescue
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.
Some Pros and Cons and How to Tie the Valdotain Tresse, or VT Hitch, for Climbing
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.
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.