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Simple demonstration https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVpGFAJmG3g. The trick is to pull the Flint-stick towards you while keeping the scraper stationary. Make sure you are using something dry, tiny,...
I use my hiking boots in combination with clothing. This may sound uncomfortable, and that may be quite subjective, but I sleep fine like this. I stuck my shoes in a plastic back to keep the dirt ...
"Freeing" a route does basically mean to climb a route, which up to then was only aid climbed, in free climbing style for the first time (i.e. using only the natural holds for gripping and stepping...
I recently had this problem with a pack and have experimented by sewing on a layer of velour. It's much softer and padded. However it is also VERY warm, which may defeat the purpose of going shir...
Here's the theory: at noon, if you're in the northern hemisphere, the sun is due south of you. At 6am it's due east of you and at 6pm, due west. (Day length may tweak this a little if you're far en...
For Everyone: micro/mini LED flashlight. I don't care if it's on a keychain, whatever. BIC or similar lighter that works, at least half full. For Your 1st Aid Kit mylar "space blanket" 23 y...
Here are a couple Climb on your Skeleton Overhanging climbing is hard work and tiring. You need to reduce the stress on your muscles by letting your skeleton hold as much of your body weight as p...
I have traveled the back country for 4-6 weeks a year for 30 years, mostly in the Canadian rockies and on the pre-cambrian shield. I've never used water purification, nor did we generally in our g...
If you were a voyageur, among your most important equipment would be your fellow voyageurs and a larger boat so as to hold them all. Assuming you're a little more modern and have a 16 or so foot bo...
I'm guessing by "thinness" you mean the ability to breath air. Couple of things to note here: Your ability to breath decreases as your altitude increases because of a lack of Oxygen. the relative...
These are main things that you would do. For most flow: Paddle upstream: What you'll do most of the time when there isn't much flow. Eddy-hop: Moving between the relatively still/upstream flow...
I'll be sticking to the "Descent and Knee pain" part of the discussion here. Yeah, there is no doubt that a descent definitely makes knee-pain worse. (I am strictly sticking to the point that it...
Your equipment should all come with a Kn rating. this is the force that that piece of gear will hold (often in what direction). So looking at a standard carabiner: This will hold 25Kn when loa...
In a fall, roughly the same load is applied at every point along the rope, at the climber's harness, and at the anchor. "Roughly" means that this is an approximation where rope drag is negligible, ...
What exactly do you want to measure? If you want to estimate shoe usage, it would be better to measure steps, not the distance. If you want to estimate fatigue, than there's a heuristic, you sho...
Bing maps supports topo-maps (in the UK at least and not on the mobile client) via the Ordnance Survey.
Poisonous plants are typically more dangerous when you burn them, at least that's true with plants that have oily toxins (poison ivy/oak). Toxins in plants aren't necessarily vaporized when burned....
I use this for my outdoor activities in general, and not just mountaineering. Not sure who said it first, the quote is attributed to many. "Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention...
If you have the equipment already, I would go back to the book and practice using the equipment. In the US the standard text is Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills; there may be equivalents in ot...
I think this is quite a tricky one. Even when I read the Health & Safety Executive guidance in the UK (a country quite keen on its health and safety rules) it isn't clear: HSE has an 'Are You ...
I have a 17.5' Clipper Tripper, and I live in Southern Alberta, which means I sometimes get caught on the water in Chinook winds (90km/h gusts), I know what it feels like to get tossed around in th...
I have backpacked and camped in the Rocky Mountains most of my life (and also more recently in the Sierra Nevadas) and have never had any issues with bears. I would say that as long as you're not s...
The mountains in the West are larger, higher elevation, and therefore possibly more strenuous than what you're used to. So: extra physical preparation and altitude climatization. Generally the Wes...
But I shall go down from this airy space, this swift white peace, this stinging exultation, And time will close about me, and my soul stir to the rhythm of the daily round. Yet, having known...
I used to do a lot of backpacking with my wife in the backcountry in the Rocky Mountains. The places we hiked were remote - often hours would pass without seeing anybody else. I gave thought to get...
