Posts tagged mountaineering
I started reading Petzl's tech tips for mountaineering. While on the section for Crossing a Bergschrund, specifically in the part for Belaying a leader we have the following warning: Warning: t...
I'm wondering what general fitness would suffice to hike to the base camp of Everest? Does it requires special fitness regime and focus on main body parts like legs and core strength?
I've come across a lot of articles talking of breathing techniques while running. However, I've not come across any which talks of breathing techniques for tough hikes (tough in terms of inclinatio...
Are there any specifics about how to differentiate a Pass and a Col in terms of mountaineering? For non-mountaineering and non-geographical interests it's all the same.
I'm heading over to Albufeira and I was just wondering if there are any hiking or mountaineering activities, or outdoor landmarks worth seeing in the area (or close by). I don't want to be stuck ...
Would amsteel blue rope be appropriate for use in anchor building for climbing or mountaineering? I expect it's not very abrasion resistant so it wouldn't be good up against some rock or an edge. B...
I don't know how to actually put a title to this one here. But, the question is, Why do those high altitude porters haul heavy stuff (pretty heavy) on their back and with support by means of a st...
I recently was given some old Chouinard hexes my uncle used back in the 70s. They look great, and I see no reason why I can't re-sling them and use them as perfectly safe protection. I've found so...
I'll be backpacking Europe in the winter (snow and rain) and parts of my trip will be outdoors, such as hiking in Dolomites, Italy. For purposes of packing light and risk of losing expensive gear, ...
You know that bleeding lung feeling you get after going out for a long run on a freezing cold night? The one where you can taste blood in the back of your jaw, and begin to wheeze and cough as flui...
So I am going on a 6 days wildness hike. I have a down sleep bag that can comfortably cover up to 3 degrees if I have thermos on. I am considering getting a sleeping bag liner. Main concerns are: ...
There are two (main) types of front points with crampons (that I am aware of): Vertical and horizontal ones. Usually vertical is used for technical mountaineering, ice and mixed climbing and horizo...
I've been an avid lover of the outdoors for all of my life, camping in quite varied terrain, but so far in all these locations I've been able to use the usual LNT cat-hole methods to take care of h...
Time and again I read how climbers feel incredible fatigue on altitudes 7000+ m. Most of us have probably flown in airplanes on altitudes greater than that in pressurized passenger airplanes and di...
In the absence of inversions, going up mountains will bring you into lower temperatures as you get higher. What is the rule of thumb for how the temperature decreases with altitude?
I'm from Munich, Germany. There is a German highest mountain Zugspitze (2.962m) close to the city (2 hours with a train), and I want to climb it in spring. Base camp is 700m high. There are a coup...
I'm particularly curious about their footwear.
Imagine the situation. You are somewhere in the montblanc massif crossing a glacier and you come across a pair of climbers. You/ I are well trained in crevasse rescue, but are not a certified guide...
I'm looking at getting my first set of crampons, for winter Wales/Scotland trekking, with a view of working my way up into the Alps (during summer) eventually. I've been reading that a 10 point C2...
Suppose I am descending the Matterhorn along the Hörnli ridge, and night falls when I am near the Solvay emergency hut (4003 m; safe bivouac is several hours of descent away). In this case, I belie...
What is the technique involved in crevasse rescues? Presuming a group are all moving together on a glacier and the leader of the party has fallen into a crevasse (collapsed snow bridge, etc.). Th...
We are going to Sankri-Har-ki-doon trek. So, from various sources in internet we found a that a forest permit is necessary for the trek. From where should we obtain this ? And is it mandatory to h...
This summer I'm planning to mount my first 4000 m mountain in Switzerland. So far I only got around 3300 meters while hiking and had no problems. However 4000 meter an above is definitively a diffe...
My sister lives at sea level -- Baltimore and Chicago. She is coming to visit me in Denver (5280 ft or 1600m). She wishes to climb Mt Bierstadt (14,065 ft or 4200m) the same day she arrives. I hav...
This BBC news article Mount Everest: Altitude sickness claims third death in four days caught my attention. From what I understand the best cure for Altitude sickness is to get lower, fast. This...
I will be going above 15000 feet (4500 meters) on a trip next month, and I've heard people will often get altitude sickness. Is there anything I can do beforehand to prevent sickness or take while ...
I know the theory behind effects of high altitudes on the human body is not entirely understood and because of cross-influence it is a difficult topic. It's not an exact science. Having said that ...
I'm training to climb large mountains. What kind of ascent should I train for at altitude. Let's say above 12000 feet and carrying up to 60 lbs?
Why are climbing shoes a slightly tighter than the regular mountaineering shoes?
I own Haglöfs Grepp Glove which are quite thin but have a Windstopper membrane. I like those gloves because they offer great grip. But I am also a bit confused because I got really cold fingers on ...
We all know when people run out of O2 up there, trouble follows. Is there a breathing technique to get more mileage out of bottled oxygen? Let's stick to the basic scenario of the need of bottled...
I have Scarpa Charmoz GTX Women boots for mountaineering (upper than 4000 m) in Iran. I want to find a good pair of crampons for them. I cannot choose automatic crampons but somebody says I can use...
How should one carry crampons when not actually using it, but knowing that they are going to be needed in the further stage of the expedition. Further clarification: Suppose I am gonna need to hav...
Here's a scenario I was faced with recently. We do a climb that involves going up to a mountain hut and sleeping there the night before summit day. There is no snow at the hut to melt for drinking ...
Sea water does not freeze until about −2 °C (28 °F) if you add more salt you can lower the freeze point to -21°C. We know from How much sea water can I safely drink? that drinking salt water is ...
I've heard from a tour leader that you shouldn't drink tea in high altitude because it makes you thirsty and cause problem in blood circulation. Is this true? Should'nt we drink tea in high altitude?
Forecasts for the mountains generally seem to be somewhere between useless and unreliable. Afternoon thunderstorms, clouds that come out of nowhere, unexpected rain showers, etc... Anyone who has s...
Following the thread about Everest Base Camp related questions, its almost a globally known fact that the Everest Base Camp is very much crowded and consequently very much into garbage disposal pro...
I am looking for sustainable alternatives for carrying out human waste. WAG bags, though convenient, sadly have to end up in land-fills. I am looking for a system where the non-biodegrading compone...
Petzl have a diagram on their website for what they call a Double Mariner. It's identified on the site as having a 7:1 mechanical advantage, but I can only see it as having a 5:1. Can somebody con...
Sometimes when mountaineering, there may be an emergency situation which leaves you in bad weather with no or damaged shelter (such as returning from a summit attempt or after a wild and crazy stor...
Why is a Deadman called so? Where does the name come from?
I'm planning a trip climbing in the Tatras this summer. I was planning on basing myself at Zakopane (seem's the be a good availability of accommodation, etc.). I mentioned this on a climbing forum ...
Earlier last month I witnessed someone fell a tree in the Eagles Nest Wilderness while I was on a backpack trip. Its quite obvious that you're not supposed to cut down trees in a national forest, i...
Is there a graphic representation of the terms used in mountaineering literature which narrates different aspects/parts of a mountain? While reading any expedition report, climbing detail we come ...
Edward Whymper is most known for his sweeping ascent of the Matterhorn 150 years ago. You can read about the competition with J.A. Carrel and the struggle to find a path to the top in the famous bo...
I have eagerly consumed many accounts of early mountaineering expeditions in which the mountaineers always eagerly consumed Kendal Mint Cake (KMC). I got the impression that they would have found i...
Sometimes, one needs to get up for an alpine start i.e. really, really early, and yet not have a functioning alarm. Cell phones have a tendency to lose the correct time when shut off and then turne...
Sometimes climbers/mountaineers will say that they are getting an alpine start. What does this mean and why would they want to do this?
I want to climb a mountain with my daughter. There is a glacier on the route that we should cross. Other routes take much longer or are technically more difficult. The glacier does not have many ...
