Last week we made a simple “bucket seat belay” on a snow climb. If we want additional security, we may also wish to construct a back anchor for the belay. However, there are a few elements to that anchor we want to incorporate in order to avoid a few potential problems.

Snow is a highly variable climbing medium, which can make building climbing anchors a challenge. Most often, we use snow pickets. But, what if we don't have pickets with us? The full video provides a few options if we need to make due for a rappel but which would never be my first choice if pickets are available.

Not every climbing scenario demands robust anchors. Moderate snow slopes are a classic example. We won’t suffer the same fall forces as a vertical fall, but we can encounter tricky conditions, such as overly hard or overly soft snow, that make falls a legitimate risk. Maybe the fastest way to add security in these circumstances is to make a simple “bucket seat belay.”

Snow can be soft, dusty, wet, or rock hard. Because of the variability of snow conditions, building climbing anchors into the snow can be challenging. The full video gets into how to choose between and then build a few anchor types using snow pickets, the most common tool we see on show climbs outside of our ice axes and crampons.

When the risks associated with dropping an ice tool goes up, we often will add a leashes on our alpine climbs. But alpine leashes can result in tangled and twisted leashes that may make our climbs more dangerous. Here's how I try to more rigidly attach spinner leashes to my harness so that the risk of twisted leashes is reduced.

Climbing over ice bulges can be the most risky part of an ice climb. More suspect ice and more challenging physics with our ice tools and crampons make these transitions from vertical to low-angle ice moments where we need increased understanding and concentration. The full video shares why these moves are risky and how we can mitigate those risks.

They are thinner, so they are both lighter and easier to drill into the ice. They have three teeth instead of four, which helps with starting an ice screw placement. But they are also wider, which has a number of advantages when placing ice screws or making v-threads or a-threads on our ice climbs and rappels. Here are some of those advantages.

Rappelling (abseiling) from the top of an ice climb on a multi-pitch route has a few additional considerations when compared to doing the same on rock. The full video goes through the process of transitioning from one rappel to the next to ensure we manage ice fall, the rope, and climber safety.

Ice screws can get stuck while we turn them into the ice flow. This can add time, burn through energy, and even throw you off balance at the exact point you are wanting to add protection from a fall. Aluminum screws are particularly bad for this. You can reduce the stickiness by running a silicone gun and reel cloth through the screw a few times a season.

To manage ice climbing more safely, we need to be able to place ice protection, usually an ice screw, efficiently and securely. Both our ability to assess ice quality and use solid technique are key to placing strong ice screws. The full video demonstrates how I approach placing solid ice screws.

Ice climbing tools allow us to carry an ergonomic climbing hold all the way up the ice flow. But the delicacy of the ice also demands care and understanding. We want to be considerate of directions of pull in order to keep our tools sitting in place. When we decide to use the upper grips on our ice tools, we may be impacting those force vectors.

An obscure material was developed by 3M, with an unusually high friction coefficient when two strips of it come into contact. It is purported to perform well when both wet and cold. It is available with an adhesive backing and also on a glove. So, could wearing the glove and wrapping an ice tool with the adhesive prove to provide superior grip when ice climbing? The full video introduces this material I am going to try out for this ice climbing season.

Whether on a climbing expedition, a backpacking trip, or a thru hike, when I am on an extended adventure, I like to use a three sock rotation to ensure I can handle some common eventualities. The video shares how that three sock system helps me take care of my feet.

When it comes to camping in the deep cold, staying warm is the ultimate goal. But did you know that organizing your gear in your tent can make a huge difference? The full video shares some tips on gear organization to maximize heat retention.

With my alpine climbing, backpacking, and camping gear, I will try to make sure I am bringing the right tools for the job. In the winter, that includes bringing items to keep my feet warm while around camp. But the terrain I am on will often dictate the type of "camp booties" I decide to bring.

Just like understanding the tradeoffs between single- and double-walled tents, it is equally important to understand the basic differences in single- and double-boots when we head up for an alpine climb or mountaineering attempt. While the differences between specific boots will be varied, there are some general differences between boots with and without removable liners that I keep in mind when selecting a boot for a climbing adventure. The full video gets into what I consider when deciding what to put on my feet.

Broader surface area on the sides of our camping air mattresses make it easier to get cold air to impact the outer material of the mattress. That can impact how cold we feel while sleeping on them. Here's a simple thing we can do about it.

For over a decade, I've been using the same split finger gloves (or split finger mittens) as a compromise between the warmth of a mitten and the dexterity of a glove. They aren't right for every trip, but I can use them in a surprising amount of situations. The full video gets into some of the pros and cons and how I choose when to use them.

Winter alpine climbing, backpacking, and hiking is complicated by needing to keep many different items warm, such as your stove fuel, sunscreen, batteries, and the like. Having clothing layers with drop pockets can go a long way to helping you manage that gear, your water, and your food to make sure it doesn't freeze in challenging conditions.

Famed high altitude mountaineer Ed Viesturs has used two-person quilts on the highest mountains in the world. Backpackers often use quilts, now, as a matter of course. So, my family has been using the two-person Enlightened Equipment Accomplice sleeping quilt for backpacking and for alpine climbing, both to add warmth (body heat of a second person) and cut weight (less per-person weight). The full video offers a product review.