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.

As new materials are developed into climbing tools, and as my needs on my climbs have evolved, I've changed up some elements of my standard climbing rack. The full video goes deeper into some soft goods (slings, prusiks, and cords) that I have begun carrying on all my climbs including some pros and cons.

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.

For nearly four years, I have been taking the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Prism pack for most of my alpine climbs, whether that be on rock, snow, or ice. After that long of throwing the pack on my back, the full video provides some of the pros and cons that I've experienced while using it.

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.

Ever hear climbers talk about “insecure climbing” and the fear that brings to them? Well imagine feeling insecure at every step up a rock face. This is what a scramble, which should be a fun romp, can feel like in the wrong footwear. Scrambles are examples of where approach shoes can really make a difference in our enjoyment of the outdoors. The full video gets into how their specific features combine to make such a big difference.

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.

Over the years, and even decades, of my climbing career, I’ve noticed an increase in the frequency of smoke from wildfires impacting my - and my family’s - outdoor activities. We now factor in smoke and wildfires into our climbing, hiking, and climbing planning process just like we would with weather. The full video goes deeper into some resources we use for that planning.

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.

If we feel the need to get down from a climb quickly, we may be tempted to employ a counterbalance rappel. That rappel technique does allow two rappels, simultaneously, so it is faster, but it adds risks that we need to mitigate. The full video offers six tips that will mitigate those risks.

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.

While on rappel (or abseil), for several reasons we could end up with a rope that is too short to make it to our next safe rappel anchor using a standard two-strand rappel on a doubled-over rope. If we end up in that situation, we need a procedure to deal with things in a safe way. The full video offers such a procedure.

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?

In some circumstances, attaching two ropes together and lowering a first climber down on a single strand may be the safest way to descend a climbing route. If we do so, we need to be able to pass the rope-joining knot through the lowering system safely and efficiently. The full video provides two methods for doing so.

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.

There are many ways to coil our climbing ropes. Just like climbing knots, though, each coil method has its own benefits and drawbacks. The full video shares four different ways to coil a climbing rope along with a description of some circumstances when one coil method might prove a better option.

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.

If we are belaying a climber from the top on a multipitch climb, and if that second climber is unable to make a hard move, we can help them past the point where they are stuck by using a haul assist. The full video demonstrates four haul assists, from least complex (with limited assistance gained) to more complex and robust.

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.

If we have a climbing rope loaded below us (maybe a climber is unconscious and weighting the rope), we may not be able to attach our rappel device, or even if our device was attached before the rope got loaded, being on a "fireman's belay" might keep us from moving down. The full video shares how we can descend a rope when it is pulled tight below us.