As the weather warms and camping season approaches, keep in mind this simple tip that can keep your kids or any shorter campers warm by adjusting a sleeping bag to be right-sized for them - without spending money.

The same mental checklist you use to make a "Magic X" anchor with a double runner doesn't guarantee safety when using a quad runner. Know how a Magic X with a quad runner can fail, and know how to replace it with a "Quad Anchor" that still has a sliding master point but is bomber!

Take care of your gear that takes care of you. It isn't the flashy part of alpine climbing and mountaineering, but it's necessary and important. Keeping rust off of your gear can extend the life of your ice axe, ice tools, and crampons as well as give you more confidence in your climbing equipment so that you can focus on climbing your best.

Ice Axes serve two main functions: to keep you from falling, using "self belay" techniques, and to stop your fall from shooting you down the slope by using "self arrest" techniques. In this clip, we cover the basic of self arrest that you can then learn to apply to four different sliding positions.

Don't waste time taking your backpack on and off every time you need your ice axe or need to put it away. Here are four methods for stowing your axe that can be interchanged based on how long you will need to stow your axe versus how often you will need o use it.

Ice Axes serve two main functions: to keep you from falling, using "self belay" techniques, and to stop your fall from shooting you down the slope by using "self arrest" techniques. In this clip, we talk about the foundation of uphill travel on snow: walking "in balance." In the full video, we cover the basics of self belay for winter travel, talking about the different ways to use an ice axe in combination with our feet, depending upon our footwear and snow conditions.

I took one of my twin boys on a snow-filled, winter day hike. I helped him take the next step in his progression by showing him how to use some new winter hiking gear. We went over the basics of using an ice axe, which he has been itching to do!