The Flat Overhand Bend, also called the Offset Overhand Bend, has gotten a bit of a bad reputation, sometimes being called the European Death Knot. But reputable organizations, like the American Mountain Guides Association, actually recommend this knot for double-strand rappels. So, what are the pros and cons of this knot, how do we tie it, when can we use it, and for what applications might it not be as good of choice?

When we have a damaged section of our rope and need to rappel (abseil) off the route, we can either go through a procedure to pass the knot while on a double-strand rappel, or we can switch to a single-strand rappel and avoid the knot pass altogether. But our setups into a single-strand rappel come with tradeoffs. Here are four methods along with some pros and cons for each.

Because our entire family of four are climbers (to varying degrees), we have climbed as a team of four, on occasion. This is an unusual occurrence for most climbers, but for families with two kids of similar age, it happens fairly regularly. The same methods that can efficiently get a family of four up a multi-pitch route can get any other four-person team up a route when splitting the team into two twosomes is not an option.

Given how often I and my twin sons climb together, we've had to get fairly efficient at belay stance transitions. One such transition that (hopefully) happens almost every climb is the transition from climbing to rappelling down the route. If we can make these transitions fast and safe, we save time to climb more or more readily beat the weather or darkness setting in. Here is one climbing-to-rappelling transition that works for a team of three.

My twin boys are new multi-pitch climbing leaders. That means they need to trust each other and I need to trust them, as well. How did I enter them into this new climbing discipline? Well, some of the work around exposure to, practice of, and eventual attempts at leading multi-pitch are relevant to any new multi-pitch leader.

With twin boys, this dad spends a lot of time climbing in a team of three, and we most frequently use double ropes. Double rope systems can create tangles that can dramatically slow the team's progress. So, here are three techniques that help us avoid or quickly resolve rope management issues before those issues get too severe.

I was asked if a tandem rappel could be done instead of a counterbalanced rappel because a tandem rappel is safer. In some circumstances, particularly in rescues, tandem rappels are used. But, while generally safer than a counterbalanced rappel, there are still too many safety and efficiency downsides for it to be a standard rappelling technique outside of emergency situations.

When we get into uncertain alpine terrain, things can change quickly. Terrain features can change, snow and ice coverage can change, and weather is more dynamic. Any of these changes could confront us with a pitch that might be too hard to climb given our current footwear and carried equipment. Rather than turn around, this improvised gear and movement sequence may help us continue on our climb.

Like most things in climbing, what is "safer" depends on circumstance. In this case, we are looking at rope blocking options: knot blocks, carabiner blocks, and the Reepschnür hitch (and some of the modifications to it) in order to explore the security at the rappel (abseil) anchor point versus ease of retrieving our rope.

The short answer is, "no, you cannot make the perfect crevasse rescue anchor." The inherent tradeoffs between speed and anchor strength and adaptability mean that we have a series of risk-mitigating decisions we need to make before we ever start hauling our climbing partner out of the crevasse. Let's take a look at those tradeoffs so that we can make the best choices we can should we ever really need to make them.

When we want to change lead climbers on a glacier, we have to do so in a way that still protects the team from crevasse falls. Here are three methods for getting a trailing climber into the lead position.

A 6-to-1 crevasse rescue system, or a "z-haul" on the back of a "drop loop," is a flexible system that can mitigate many of the problems that arrive in various crevasse rescue scenarios. In this video, we demonstrate setting up and using the base system given a team of three climbers.

We have fallen into a crevasse that is overhanging. We are free hanging, unable to touch the wall. We are tight against our knot, so have little rope slack to work with. What do we do first, to stabilize our situation, and then how do we ascend the rope to self-extract?

If we have a climbing partner injured on rappel (abseil) who is weighting the rope, how can we get quickly down to them to render aid? Here is a method that has evolved over time.

New climbers, and even some experienced climbers, can improve both efficiency and safety by learning how to tie a high-quality figure eight retrace knot regardless of changing rope diameters. Here's a step-by-step process to get a knot that meets all the best-practice criteria, a breakdown of those criteria so we understand why they are important, and a walkthrough of a final knot check we should perform every time we tie in.

When I am out climbing, there are times when I might choose to lower a first climber down a pitch rather than have the climber rappel. Here are five circumstances that I have faced, personally, and have at least sometimes decided to lower that first climber.

Context is key. The systems we choose to employ on our climbs will be more or less effective depending upon the specific circumstances we face. So, I am hesitant to use the words "always" and "never" when it comes to climbing techniques. For example, here are four exceptions to the notion that we always belay a leader from the harness and a follower from the anchor.

The La Sportiva G Summit Boots are designed to be worn as either a single boot or a double boot with a removable liner. So, is it one boot that can serve all your needs? Warm enough for cold, high-altitude climbing? Light and maneuverable enough for technical climbing? How's the durability? What about the fit? Lets find out.

When winter sets in, the cold, the gloves, and the snow and ice all make tying and - particularly - untying weighted climbing knots more difficult. So, easier-to-knots to untie can make transitions in and out of systems faster. Here's three ways that I start using a bowline on a bight when wet, winter weather shows up in the mountains.

While the "backside clove hitch" method of connecting to the anchor is getting more and more popular for ascending routes, we can extend that same thinking to a multi-pitch rappel. The method was developed to address the problem with managing knots in the ends of our rope, as we need to remove them to pull the rope but need to add back for the next rappel, which creates opportunities for mistakes. Here's how it works.