On multi-pitch climbs, being able to manage the rope when block leading (having the same leader lead multiple pitches in a row) requires a little rope management. Here's how we perform the "pancake flip," to facilitate better pitch transitions while on the ascent.

We've done a few series on techniques I think are important for any climber taking on multi-pitch routes but especially for a climber out with children. Well, it was time to put those skills to practice as we broke from climbing with two adults per kid and tried out two kids with one adult. The full, three minute short film shares our beautiful afternoon out on the rock.

I am often climbing in a team of three, so we needed a way to rappel (abseil) that was safe and efficient. Here is how we pre-rig our rappel setup so that we increase speed while also increasing safety.

There are a few reasons why a climbing team may choose to lower the first climber down rather than have them rappel. There are times you might need to perform a short lower during the climb up but also might use lowers for entire sections of the descent. For different needs, different lowering techniques might be appropriate. The full video demonstrates three different ways.

On a multi-pitch climb, if you drop a piece of gear you simply have to do without it for - what could be - quite a bit more climbing. Climbing gear that we call upon as we do lots of different important tasks, like our belay device, becomes even more crucial to keep hold of. Here is how we remove our belay devices from the rope to reduce the likelihood of dropping it.

As my climbing objectives got more technical, so did the probability of me needing to perform many rappels (abseils) down large faces to get off a route. The full video shares the procedure I was taught when using two climbing ropes along with how the procedure may change if using a single rope or a single rope with a tagline.

The single question I have probably been asked the most is if it is "better" to use an overhand on a bight or a figure eight on a bight in many climbing applications. Like all things in climbing, "it depends." Here are some of the considerations that run through my mind when deciding which knot to use.

I've instructed a lot of new climbers, but teaching your kids to climb puts what works and what doesn't into stark relief. The full video goes into why and how I approached teaching rappelling to my kids, helping them overcome the natural fear that comes from easing yourself over a cliff.

Smaller pieces of climbing gear become easier items to drop, and that risk only increases when we are wearing gloves. Tethers can be helpful and even more so with carabiners specifically designed to keep the tethers out of the way of the gate opening.

Cleanly throwing your ropes down a pitch for a rappel can mean the difference between a safe and efficient retreat from a face and a potential epic (or worse). If you have increasing winds or terrain below you that is likely to catch a thrown rope, you may need to use different techniques for getting the ropes down. The full video provides three ways we get our rappel ropes to the bottom to deal with increasingly severe challenges to a clean toss.

Little things add up to big risks when we are climbing in vertical environments. One part of my pre-climb safety check includes making sure I have my shirt tucked in so that I can better manage my gear.

Our home wall overhangs at thirty degrees. After graduating from jugs, the boys wanted a challenge and so asked for me to set a route on twenty millimeter edges. When the route proved too difficult for them to make easy progress, rather than ask me to change it, they asked for a training plan and expressed a desire to learn how to project a route. Eventually, they were able to climb the route on lead. This full movie documents the eight months they spent training and working the route.

Proper care of climbing gear doesn't always mean just keeping it in working order. For soft goods, sometimes proper care means tracking how old the equipment is. Soft goods can deteriorate even without use, and with use they wear down even faster. So, we need to know when those goods should no longer be used even if they aren't visibly damaged.

When climbing multiple pitches, you may end up having to perform multiple rappels. That adds in risks such as rappelling off route, past the anchor, or getting ropes stuck as you pull them. Any of these scenarios may demand that you ascend the rappelling ropes. The full video demonstrates how to switch from rappelling to ascending when you are using two strands on rappel.

I'm certainly going to have quickdraws with me if I'm on a technical rock or ice climb. But I make sure to carry an extra that never gets racked onto a standard gear placement. Having an extra quickdraw provides versatility to help me deal with myriad contingencies in the mountains and one a climb.

You've run out of anchor gear, or you have damaged ropes, or you need to stay tied into the climbing rope, or... or... or; there are some compelling reasons to use an equivocation hitch for a rappel, and it can be done safely with a single rope or with doubles or with a tagline, but you better construct it correctly. The full video goes deep into setting this up and when you might want to use it.

We can join two climbing ropes using the flat overhand bend. Learn how to tie this knot, learn some of its advantages, and some of the constraints on using the knot by checking out this video.

If you ever have to retreat from a multi-pitch climb, you may want to rappel (or abseil) full rope lengths to reduce the total number of rappels you need to do. That's why having taglines or sets of double or twin ropes often make a lot of sense for big climbs. The full video explores the pros and cons of these rope choices in terms of use and demands they make of our anchors and systems.

It's a little thing, but getting both myself - and especially my kids - to transition into rappel systems faster can add up over many pitches. So, anything we can do to make it less likely to faff with ropes, our devices, or other gear, we'll take. Setting our third hand, autoblock hitch helps us manage the ropes and thread our rappel device more easily.

It's Mental Health Awareness Month so we are discussing some of the mental aspects of adventuring. Climbing is dangerous. I think it can be done safely, but that shouldn't be read as "perfectly safe." This is especially true of alpine and high altitude climbing, which are my preferred styles and which come with more complex, objective dangers. So, I think a lot about how to keep my personal risk profile manageable, and the full video shares that one way I do it is to diversify my outdoor activities.