General Q&A about the great outdoors and outdoor pursuits.
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I tried surfing for the first time recently on a yellow foam longboard, the type typically used for teaching as it is less likely to damage you if it hits you on the head ;) I started out just try...
I'm looking at buying my first pair of snowboard boots. I'm heading to Scotland and the Alps (Portes Du Soleil) this winter. I ride about "Red" level runs with my girlfriend (who'c onsideribly be...
I went hiking this weekend in a national forest on trails that see little use. In parts there were many spiderwebs crossing the trail - sometimes full webs (which I could usually, but not always, c...
I've been using an AustriAlpin autolock carabiner with my Gri Gri 2 for around 9 months, a few times a week (1 to 3 times). It's a very solid, robust and big carabiner, which means that's not too s...
For me, every bite by mosquito results in heavy itching and the blister, which size is dependent on how long the mosquito was sucking the blood, in worst cases even 1 cm in diameter. If I would sta...
There is a video here. Basically I won't say I'm planning to do the same thing but would like to find out more behind how he did it. Someone told me the suction cups were intended for construct...
Is there a camping stove that works with fuel you are allowed to take on a plane? Often I fly somewhere without possibility to buy any fuel for my stove after landing. In those cases I take an Esb...
In addition to getting the current weather report on the day of a hike, how does one find out if the trails are currently in good shape and what kind of gear may be necessary that day (i.e. crampon...
My Coleman anti-shock hiking pole came apart in two pieces, and I can't get the two pieces back together so they don't slide apart again. Any suggestions how they can be stabilized so it can be used?
If one doesn't have much opportunity to go shoot over the winter, how can they maintain their muscles? Which exercises are suitable? What equipment might be handy?
I recently bought a 70 meter climbing rope from REI because it was a great price on the outlet. Last weekend I used it for the first time in the Texas hill country, where 99% of routes need a rope ...
This, I believe, most of outdoor people once in a while do have to deal with: Rashes between thighs, around the groin. This may really screw the entire trip and make it annoyingly miserable to walk...
A lot of manufacturer (and archers) state that feathers are better in all respects. For example a quote from Trueflight: Using feathers results in higher arrow velocities, greater stability, ...
I keep encountering this issue during summer, when wearing short trousers or a skirt while hiking: my boots get filled up with small rocks and stones, and I must stop from time to time to empty the...
In an answer given to this question: Micro-Fractures in Climbing Equipments, it's stated that dropping gear causing micro fractures is a persistent myth, quoting Black Diamond's statement: Q. I...
I accidentally filled my Primus Powerlighter with the liquid lighter fuel rather than gas lighter fuel. (How) can I correct this mistake, or is my lighter now ruined? It was about 30–40% full and...
I recently visited a new climbing gym and was instructed to belay directly off a ground anchor without any attachment to my harness. I've been to other gyms that belay with ground anchors but with ...
I've been to US regional parks a few times and managed to get a grill and picnic table for free, without reservation. At the same time, when I look up park websites, for example Cabin John Regiona...
If someone falls overboard from a sailboat, it is firstly imperative not to lose sight of the person since finding a man in water, especially when there's waves, can be very difficult. What techn...
I'm going to the Rockies (trails in Jasper and Banff). Would it be safe for me to cook food while on the trail? Won't bears be attracted towards the smell of the food?
Headed to Denver,CO (mid-february) for a couple of weeks and looking to shed some fat through a weekend trip to Rocky Mountain National Park. I am looking for a hike with an elevation gain of 4000-...
How safe is it to use a chest harness without a sit harness? I ask this question because of an experience I had while on holiday. A couple of years ago I was in China and hiked/climbed HuaShan (se...
I've seen a few of these comparisons around but I've always struggled to make sense of them. At the moment I do quite a lot of Alpine style routes (lowish grade (HS), long multi pitch routes, typ...
When setting up belay there are many ways to connect the anchors. One way is called equalette and is supposed to adapt to a certain extent to the direction of pull. How is such an equalette constr...
Rolled aluminum descending rings like the SMC Descending ring are light (11g) and cheap ($3) which makes them great for carrying and leaving behind on long descents, but in my mind they are disposa...
V-threads, or Abalakov threads (after the inventor Vitaly Abalakov), can be tricky to make (especially left handed in the dark...), but when you miss the mark on your first attempt, or second attem...
I have the John Long book on climbing anchors and also a couple of others that describe the subject more briefly (Pesterfield, Traditional Lead Climbing, and Freedom of the Hills). When it comes to...
I regularly see online that on expeditions snow anchors are strapped to the side of the backpacks. This is typically an item like the upper on following pic: I never saw this in the Alps by myse...
I have climbed for a long time, but I want to switch to cordelette anchors for speed on multipitch. My main concern is in redundancy with the cordelette. I mentally check the anchor for any proble...
I'm going to the crag with some friends in a few days and I plan to lead the first route, clip into a quickdraw on one of the anchor bolts and build a top rope anchor on the bolts. I've been practi...
I was just looking at an article about an expedition on Eiger. I came across this picture. Is this setup right? For more info on the expedition: http://www.markseaton.com/stories/eiger.htm Ku...
The Association of Canadian Mountain Guides demonstrate Fixed-Point belay systems in this video. Fixed-point belay systems as demonstrated make no effort to equalise the loading on the two anchor...
Sometimes when I'm trad climbing it seems really tough to avoid an awkward belay, and a common type of awkwardness is when the belay device ends up too low. Below is a drawing of a situation I was ...
So I've been thinking about developing some canyons around here for canyoneering, but while scrambling up Red Rocks Canyon in Waterton and looking at all the large logs jammed rather high up in the...
Everyone knows redundancy is chief when building climbing anchors. However, I have seen several types of anchors that don't appear to be fully redundant due to a single ring providing the master po...
I took some kids out climbing last night at a small crag popular for top roping, but I wasn't too impressed with their choice of anchor placements, or lack of additional hardware considering their ...
I've been learning to build basic TR anchors; a sling clipped to two bolts with a master point in the loop of a figure-eight on a bight. While learning this I struggled to get a tidy figure-eight ...
We are making our own dehydrated meals with mylar bags and oxygen absorbers. This is very cost effective, but less so if you need to spend lots of money for one of the specialty tools for sealing ...
There are one or two other posts on cookware, which covers those made of titanium, but this post is in regards to its interactions with the human body. I haven't been able to find any academic/peer...
My wife and I are planning a camping and climbing trip and we would likely need to rappel with our medium-sized (45lbs/20kg) dog. Holding the dog is obviously unacceptable, and using the dog's back...
I am heading to Acadia, Maine this week for a one week camping, fishing, kayaking and hiking. I've been there once but just for couple hours. Any recommendations for fishing spots in the island? I ...
While reading this answer I ended up watching a couple of youtube videos and heard this guy mentioning a "Dakota fire pit". I hadn't heard about it before, but could easily find a few images by se...
My wife and I, are going to a a location full of beaches. My wife is 4 months pregnant and she wants to do a para-sailing session. They take off from the beach, fly over the sea for 5 minutes and...
Considering the following options: watertight: because caves are often wet or muddy stiff sole: to provide more grip and protection from the rocky bottom. durability What is better, a rubber bo...
I have been looking around and I see some claims of 15 to 30 minutes. Googling 'snake bite fastest time to death' brings back many different answers. In one place I see Black Mamba with 30 minute...
Reading the instructions here about making my own sleeping bag/top quilt and it got me thinking, if I can make a temporary seal on one end (Velcro, buttons, zips, etc) I could vary the amount of st...
I've recognized this a few times in Texas. Trees were more or less "professionally" painted purple. It appeared totally random to me but was too frequent to just take it as a plain tag from the own...
I've recently watched a commercial videos for a broadhead model. A guy brought down a massive moose bull with a compound bow. Despite going down really fast, the bull does something which I've neve...
A friend of mine loves to brag about his Mount Everest experiences. He's a great climber and adventurer but sometimes I think he might exaggerate his stories a little ;). However, lately he came up...
I am looking for a GPS device for road cycling (road navigation and gpx tracking) and mountaineering (topo maps, compass, barometric elevation / pressure). I am finding no products explicitly marke...
