Short clips

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

Short Clips Jason Kolaczkowski Short Clips Jason Kolaczkowski

Preview to the Long Term Benefits of Being Empowered During a Climbing Accident or Emergency

Every May, we make videos on the mental side of climbing and adventure in recognition of National Mental Health Awareness Month. In our full video, we get into some of the psychological underpinnings that suggest we should look to empower the victims and participants of any climbing accident and rescue to help in the situation at hand but also better reduce residual PTSD.

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

Our Need for Continuous Learning in Climbing

For May’s Mental Health Awareness Month we get into some of the mental aspects of climbing and adventure. One of the habits that is key to staying and enjoying climbing is continuous learning. Because the tools and techniques we use are constantly evolving, we need to make sure that we evolve with them or we risk using old techniques with new tools in a way that could limit our growth or prove unsafe.

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

Uphill or Downhill Hip? Positioning Our Glacier Travel Rope as a Case Study for Curiosity

We like to recognize Mental Health Awareness Month each May by going into some of the mental aspects of climbing and adventure. We can look at something like, “should I keep my glacier travel rope on my uphill or downhill hip” as a case study on why a curious mindset can sometimes beat an overly assured mindset. There are pros and cons to even something as simple as this decision, and a curious mindset helps us see those tradeoffs.

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

When and How to Use the Plunge Step on the Descent of a Moderate Snow Climb

The plunge step is an age-old technique that still has its place in the mountains and is emblematic of the types of conscious decisions we alpine climbers may need to make even when it seems risks are very low. Here’s what I look for in terms of conditions that may make the plunge step beneficial along with the simple mechanics of the technique.

Read More
Short Clips Jason Kolaczkowski Short Clips Jason Kolaczkowski

Preview to: Using a "Running Belay" to Simul-Climb on a Glacier has Pros and Cons

A “running belay,” a form of simul-climbing that is frequently used on snow climbs and climbs up glaciated peaks, helps mitigate certain risks, but it also adds new risks into the equation. The full video gets into how a running belay is performed and what pros and cons result from employing this climbing tactic so that we can best decide when it may make sense to use.

Read More
Short Clips Jason Kolaczkowski Short Clips Jason Kolaczkowski

Preview to: Spacing, Coils, and Brake Knots to Determine Glacier Travel Climbing Rope Length

Deciding how much climbing rope you need for glacier travel is a product of many factors. The number of teammates, the snow conditions, crevasse sizes, and preferred rescue systems are all inputs into how much space to have between climbers, how much length to keep in spare coils, and whether to have brake knots in the rope. All of that will calculate out to your total rope length. The full video explores some of these considerations.

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

Girth Hitching a Foot Prusik for Climbing Self-Rescue

A number of self-rescue techniques, across all types of climbing, require the use of a foot prusik to temporarily unweight the rope (usually when alternating weighting a waist prusik or other rope progress capture). It is very easy for that foot prusik to slide off of our foot, which slows us down and can be hard to get back in place if we are hanging in space. Simply girth hitching it to our foot can solve this problem.

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

Modern Climbing Ropes Complicate Tried and True Crevasse Rescue Technique

The "self-tending" prusik using a belay device to capture progress on a climbing haul system, often used for crevasse rescue, has become more complicated due to modern ropes. The thinner diameter of these ropes means tighter wraps on the prusik, which - in turn - means those wraps are small enough to get stuck in the device and break the capture system.

Read More