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Every full length (longer than 60 seconds) video and accompanying blog post
Can You Acclimatize at Home? Using a Hypoxic Tent for the Himalayas
My family and I used a normobaric (no different air pressure, just reduced oxygen percentage) hypoxic tent to help us pre-acclimatize prior to an expedition to the Indian Himalaya. Before using it, we already knew that it could help us achieve some necessary adaptations, but not all of them, and so could not be the only component of our acclimatization and performance plan. Here's what we learned from and how we applied the medical literature.
Why I Added This Solar Panel to My Safety Kit
When we think about modern weather forecasting, modern communication devices, including phones, radios, and satellite communicators, electrical power has become more than a luxury, it has become part of our safety chain. Yes, we need to be skilled enough to survive without it, but it's hard to argue that we wouldn't be safer with it. Having reliable and productive solar panel is now a major part of my expedition equipment. Here, I review the Cruxley Field Goods Danger Cat 50 solar panel.
Extended vs Direct Rappel: Which Setup Wins?
In many parts of the world, tethering our rappel device and extending it away from us has become the norm. In other parts of the world, it is not. So, let's take a look at the pros and cons of extending a rappel device to dig behind those differences.
Testing The Myth: Does Extending Your Rappel Device Make Your Pack Feel Lighter?
A disagreement about if extending a rappel device away from us while on rappel makes it easier to hold ourselves up while wearing a heavy pack moved into a discussion about pivot points and centers of mass, and it got me thinking more deeply testing this theory and understanding the results. This answer may surprise you!
Clove Hitch vs PAS: What Every Climber Needs to Know
Another discussion that seems to get climbers strangely combative is the decision to clove hitch into an anchor or to use a personal anchor system, or PAS. Well, like most things, there are tradeoffs. Let's get into several of those tradeoffs which might tilt you to using one or the other system in a given situation.
Why You Should Switch to Rope Anchors (or Not!)
Climbers seem to get overly heated up when talking about things like using the rope to make our anchors or using slings, runners, or cords. Well, like most things, there are tradeoffs. Let's get into several of those tradeoffs along with some of the uses cases where I might use one solution over another.
Watch This Before Building Your Next Haul System
When we build a climbing haul system, we will not be able to escape at least some friction in that system. A major point of friction will be at the progress capture connection, which helps hold the load strand so that we don't accidentally let back out any of the rope we've hauled in. Here's a comparison across different progress capture options to help inform which are more or less efficient.
The 4 Plaquette Tie-Off Techniques That Keep Climbers Safe
There are times we want to tie off a belay to keep our climber temporarily safe as we go hands free. Here are four different methods for tying off a tube-style plaquette device along with how those methods compare across certain scenarios.
Heavy Load or Icy- or Thin-Line Rappels Need This Friction Hack
Icy climbing ropes. Thin ropes. Extra weight on the rappel. There are multiple reasons why we might want to add additional friction into our rappel (abseil) system. Here are three options for when we are rappelling on a plaquette (tube-style with guide mode option) device.
Pick-Off Descent Positions: Find What Fits Your Situation
One of the standard rescue procedures in a single pitch scenario is the pick off, and it begins with the belayer ascending the belay strand to meet the climber that is on the wall. Once we get to the climber, potentially their size and their injuries might dictate how to position them as we head down. Here are three options.
Fixed Lines and Climber Load Transfers | A Single Pitch Rescue Scenario
One of the standard rescue procedures in a single pitch scenario is the pick off, and it begins with the belayer ascending the belay strand to meet the climber that is on the wall. Well, when we have a significantly lighter climber than we have a belayer, that ascension cannot happen. Here's how I worked around this issue when I was routinely climbing with climbers who were lighter than I am.
Injured Climber? Let's Escape the Belay
One of the standard rescue procedures in a single pitch scenario is the pick off, and it begins with the belayer ascending the belay strand to meet the climber that is on the wall. Well, when we have a significantly lighter climber than we have a belayer, that ascension cannot happen. Here's an alternative first step that frees us from the belay so that we can get help or get another rope in place to get us to our climber in need.
Your Weight Difference Is Blocking the Pick Off Rescue
One of the standard rescue procedures in a single pitch scenario is the pick off, and it begins with the belayer ascending the belay strand to meet the climber that is on the wall. Well, when we have a significantly lighter climber than we have a belayer, that ascension cannot happen. Here's how we can identify if we will potentially have an issue.
Plaquette Pick Off Rescue Explained | Single Pitch Technique
In a single pitch scenario, with a belay coming from the ground either to a leader or a top roping climber, we can still end up with an injured climber on the wall who needs medical attention or assistance getting down. The pick off gets us up to the climber and gets both of us back down again. Here is the procedure when using a tube-style plaquette belay device.
Grigri Pick Off Rescue Technique
In a single pitch scenario, with a belay coming from the ground either to a leader or a top roping climber, we can still end up with an injured climber on the wall who needs medical attention or assistance getting down. The pick off gets us up to the climber and gets both of us back down again. Here is the procedure when using a Grigri or similar assisted braking belay device.
Multi-Pitch Routes Demand Better Rope Decisions. Here's Why.
Climbing in a team of two is quite often done on a standard, single rope. But when we are climbing multi-pitch routes with certain risks, there may be times when twin ropes or half ropes may help mitigate those risks. And certain alpine or mountaineering objectives may emphasize weight and rope management characteristics. Here's how I go about assessing the climb and matching it to a rope system.
Team of Three Climbing: Single vs. Half vs. Twin Ropes
When I go out climbing with my twin boys, climbing as a team of three, I need to match my climbing rope choice to the risks of the particular climb. Here's how I go about assessing the climb and matching it to a rope system.
Single vs Half vs Twin Ropes | Which One to Choose?
We often carefully choose the right rack, the right shoes, and the right clothing for our climbs. Well, we also want to choose the right rope. Here's some tradeoffs to consider when selecting a single rope, half ropes, twin ropes, or a single rope with a tagline for our route and objective.
Single vs Half vs Twin Ropes | Which One to Choose?
We often carefully choose the right rack, the right shoes, and the right clothing for our climbs. Well, we also want to choose the right rope. Here's some tradeoffs to consider when selecting a single rope, half ropes, twin ropes, or a single rope with a tagline for our route and objective.
Climbers Get This Wrong About Rope Specifications
Climbing rope manufacturers publish a lot of numbers that describe how the rope will perform out in the field. But the numbers don't actually tell as straight forward of a story as we may wish. Here's how we interpret those numbers and how they tell a story about the types of climbing risks one rope may mitigate better than another.