Posts tagged mountaineering
I'm looking for a mountaineering school on Rainier or elsewhere in the Cascades that provides sufficient training to climb Elbrus. Glacier travel, crampon use, crevasse rescue, and self arrest are ...
I was watching Everest (2015) on the weekend and was wondering what the mountaineers do for sustenance on the day they attempt to summit. It appeared they left around midnight, aiming for a 2pm su...
What are the advantages / disadvantages of a rock climbing hat made from hard plastic to one made out of carbon fibre? I have done a Google search already, but wanted some pointers with people who...
I've been using microspikes on my hiking boots and find that they aren't up to the challenge of hiking up snowy peaks. I use snowshoes but find some mountains would be better served by crampons and...
It is a common advice to handle your ice axe with the pick facing to the rear. Furthermore, having a single technique of self-arrest aids in training and being prepared for an emergency situation. ...
Being a ski-novice I want to start doing alpine ski tours, that means mountaineering with ski. I don't want the ski to be mainly used in 'downhill powdering'. Because of long uphill sections, weigh...
How to cross a Crevasse when its absolutely unavoidable? What gear/equipment is/are required? What are the things that one should look for when choosing where to cross? Is it the hard ice from whe...
I was just informed that our group is going to have a Gam-off, technically known as a Gamow Bag. While I have never seen one such thing and so I don't have any experience with them, I browsed the ...
Why do mountains like K2, Nanga Parbat and Annapurna (36 successful attempts, 47 failed) have higher fatality rates than, say, Everest or Cho Oyu (79 successful attempts, 28 failed)? (source) Can ...
While reading Hermann Buhl's tour book* of the Nanga Parbat expedition in 1953 (yielding to the first ascent on third of July, Buhl did the final ascent solo) I got curious about the height differe...
While I was re-reading this question where there is a lot discussed about impact of higher altitude on the physiology, acclimatization and things around it. Though, I have had put in an answer in t...
I have a pair of shoes that are really not water-proof. But they are good for not-so-serious treks and have a superb grip over all sorts of terrain in India. The only trouble I seem to have with ...
Considering a high level of fitness, but limited mountaineering skills (some indoor climbing, a few via ferratas and high altitude hikes), what hikes would you recommend as training (and perhaps so...
Since I mostly climb trad style, I don't use quickdraws for leading outside of the gym. I use alpine quick draws (two biners joined by dyneema slings) which offer benefits of adjustable length, red...
There has been a lot of lot of discussion about whether the shoes should have ankle support or not. I have seen the discussions (not just on The Great Outdoors, but elsewhere too) that ankle muscl...
When being the last one to abseil you obviously need to make sure that when you are down, you can retrieve the rope. While the most common way is probably to use twin/half ropes and to put one rope...
i have a bunch of several-feet-length strips of webbing (polypropyrene) and was wondering if tied together, it can maybe be used as a climbing rope?
I'm not sure what kind of climbing ropes they are exactly, but the ones I saw online (a bunch of them...) are usually twice as thick (10mm~) as most paracords (4mm~) yet the paracords claim to have...
I realise that's a pretty big area, but we're going to be there for 6 days and we have a car so we can go prettty much wherever. We're not big on climbing - anything requiring equipment is out, we ...
I've been doing some research on what type of cord to use for resligning some hexes, and I found something very surprising here. Basically, the paper seems to suggest that while the tensile streng...
I am planning for a trek at the Advance Base Camp or if possible up to Camp II of Saser Kangri. The region is so deserted of people and expeditionists/mountaineers that there are usually only two t...
I would like to prepare myself for the climb in the high mountains (for now by "high mountains" I mean elevation 4000 m and more, but eventually eight-thousanders). What can I do to improve my ge...
Let's say I'm walking to the top of a really nice cliff. Take a look at this beauty: And there are some nice cracks to place some protection in, with the slings/rope coming off the cliff, kinda...
I am planning a trip to the Alps, where I'll do some mountaineering, mostly on rocks (little or no ice) at altitudes around 4000 m. I expect to do mostly scrambling, with only a few places per day ...
I've recently taken an interest in both rock climbing and mountaineering. Both require a harness, but is there any difference in the harness used for each activity? I understand that the most basic...
I am looking at the things that I should have with me when I am climbing higher altitudes. I came across this meds one should always have along: Dexamethasone. Dexamethasone is used in the treat...
I was wondering if there was a website where I could find the different kinds of statistics of accidents in the mountains. I know that Dragon 06 (rescue service of Alpes-Maritimes) posted some numb...
I've been reading this book about mountain scrambling in Washington State, U.S., and at some points it mentions the idea of using a hand line on some more exposed routes to give something to hold o...
"Should one be shaving on a lengthy high altitude trek?" shall be the question that I'd like to ask to great mountaineers with wisdom in high-altitude mountaineering. If you have observed, there ar...
When crossing a glacier (or other mountaineering activity for that matter) I've heard that roping everyone together without having a fixed anchor is falling out of fashion since more often than not...
I've seen people using a ropes "alpine style" in the past but I'm not sure on the specifics. By alpine style I mean where the rope is coiled around the body and attached to a second of third perso...
Anyone know a good method of finding Aconcagua guides that will work with a pair solo outside of an organised group? Most guides I've seen online so far take groups & use a lot of porters. We'r...
Warm-up routines are very important for most of the activities that involve rapid and/or vigorous body movements. Trekking too is not an exception to that. I am planning for a trek which goes thro...
I am going to buy sunglasses. Here is how and where I am going to use them: mountain trekking - with altitude mostly below 2000, however I will use them in the following months on higher mountain...
I was recently browsing around a well known outdoor shop when I noticed a confusing array of insole products. They seemed to be a very confusing array of entirely different looking insoles all co...
This question reffers to "single" alpine climbing boots used for mountaineering with a stiff 3/4 to full shank, not heavy duty backpacking boots or "double" (plastic) boots. I have owned two pairs ...
By technical skills I am specifically referring to advanced ropework and rock climbing skills. I understand that Aconcagua is achievable with good fitness, equipment, self-awareness, medical skill...
Reading this answer and especially the comments leads me to questions: Should one use Aspirin in high altitudes? Should one use it as a precaution or only when actually getting headache or othe...
I recently started to write a little tour book. The main reason for this was, I was told some guides want to see this as requirement to take you along. Is this true? If so, for which tours/organ...
I'm currently in the US for an internship and the idea of climbing Mt. Whitney appeals to me. I know you need a permit, but there is a good chance on getting one spontaneously. I know about proper...
In many of the mountaineering expedition books that I've read, there are references to cutting of snow steps on slopes. What is the advantage of cutting snow steps? Why not use crampons and do a ...
I'm not from the mountains. Every time I go into the mountains I lose all depth perception. I can't tell by looking if a peak is 100 meters or a 1,000 meters above me. I have to stare hard and lo...
Is having color vision deficiency a problem for mountaineering ? Can one so, pursue mountaineering as a career ? Do professional mountaineering schools and expeditions accept climbers with color vi...
I currently use La Sportiva WildCat Trail Running Shoes size 43 for trail running/light hiking and Nepal EVO's size 44 for Ice Climbing and Alpine adventures. The Nepal EVO's fit me perfectly with...
I'm planning a mountain hiking trip and one of the issues is that the trails that we're following will almost certainly be covered in ice. There are two of us and we'll both be wearing shoe tractio...
I just bought my first pair of mountaineering boots. I know hiking boots need to be properly broken in before taking them on the trail, but what about plastic mountaineering boots? These are extre...
Is there a good resource for quickly identifying peaks that are visible on the summit of a north-american peak? Currently I use a topographical map and painstakingly identify each individual peak....
I'm planning to head to the Alps this summer to walk the Haute Route from Chamonix to Zermatt. Does anyhow know how far in advance I need to book the huts? Months, weeks or just a few days? Also t...
If mountain rescue teams in the UK were searching for a walker or climbing caught in an avalanche, would they start with a transceiver search? given that transceivers are infrequently carried by wa...
I will be walking up Snowdon in Wales, 1085m, this February and am looking for advice on what jacket and trousers to get. Weather supposedly is windy, may be snow-covered and probably wet. Should ...