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Haba Xueshan (Haba Snow Mountain 哈巴雪山) is a commonly summited peak here in Yunnan, China, at the eastern extent of the Himalaya. It's not as high altitude ("only" 5396 m) but it has high prominenc...
Not a direct answer to the question, but something to consider. Reliance cans may be a better purchase, because their taps, while not immune from damage, are easier to repair and improve. This is w...
In Nepal there is Thorong La which is a high altitude pass in the Annapurna that is doable without, in my opinion, much experience. It is fairly popular trek and you will likely encounter organized...
It might be both an obvious choice and not a "real" mountain, but what about Kala Pathar, the "black rock"? It's a 5545 meter hill facing Mt. Everest, and is the final destination of the Everest B...
Gaiters can be used on any shoes... even sandals. Of course their efficacy might be limited. The biggest thing to consider is how low the gaiters ride on the body of the shoe. If you cinch the b...
The only way to judge the depth of water with any certainty is to get in it, swim around, and dive repeatedly to the bottom searching for objects (trees, boulders, the body of the last person who l...
LBell has neatly summarized, that folding leads to smaller pack and stuffing is just faster. I'd like to add some considerations here (being an adept of stuffing). Sometimes you have to fold (and ...
If you are looking for a cooking system for backpacking the Caldera Sidewinder Ti-Tri have the option of using a titanium floor for this exact purpose. In the interest of facilitating Leave No ...
There's two schools of thought here that I know of - the first is to avoid lighting a fire where there's ground you could easily damage, and the second is avoiding the heat getting to the ground. C...
If you absolutely must have a fire, reset your thinking from "fire pit" to "fire mound" Creating a fire mound is a great way to enjoy a back-country fire with little to no impact to the ground / v...
Well, insulating the floor from a campfire, which usually has 900-1200 degrees Celsius and burns for several hours, is quite difficult. The soil itself does a decent job, but of course that's the p...
I'm not sure what you are afraid to destroy with you fire. You should remove any plants around the fireplace anyway. The bigger problems are the remains of the fireplace, such as partially charred ...
Looks like you'll need Newmatic crampons. The Charmoz GTX has a heel bail but no toe bail, which means you will need a strap over the toe. Many crampons today come with a choice of configuration be...
In the article "Is that newfangled cookware safe?" no special mention is made for titanium. Titanium is not commonly found in cookware other than backpacking because it is simply terrible for any c...
Somehow, I can't see a Corgi keeping up. I have a 20-pound terrier mutt. She does great with me trail running at distances of 6-7 miles. After we get home, she runs around the back yard in cir...
That depends entirely on weather conditions and the paths you plan to take. If you stay on cleared roads, your Icetrekkers should be sufficient (and may not even be necessary). The main problem wi...
There are few peaks like : Ekdant - 6128 mtrs (A name for Lord Ganesh), Kartik - 5113 mtrs(named after brother of Lord Ganesh). I had planned for these two on a single trip, though I could not exec...
Figure eight-knots are not directional. Once the knot is properly tied and dressed, it doesn't matter if you passed the rope through from the top or the bottom, it is purely a matter of preference....
I got back into doing outdoors stuff after a seventeen year hiatus. I used to be quite active and have a lot of what was high-endish kit by the standards of the late 80s/early 90s. When I got it al...
This answer may depend on the type of bear, but somehow I doubt it. If you ever visit Yosemite National Park, go to the Happy Isles Visitor Center. They have an old Jeep door on display. The ...
I don't believe such an easy method exists you can keep in your head and calculate. The position of the moon relative to you depends on accurate knowledge of the phase of the moon, time of day, an...
This answer is purely complementary and does not attempt to answer the question directly. Another option for securing a rappel is the fireman's belay. This works on single pitch climbs when someon...
Polypropylene based rain gear is a subject of great debate. It seems to fit some people's needs perfectly while it is terrible for others. Frogg Toggs is one company, I know DriDucks is another. Th...
If the bear already has your food, I would give up. I've been in this situation once when hiking with my father. My father went up to the bear and yelled. The bear reared up and roared, my father r...
Different people have vastly different styles. Some people carry a lot more weight, some a lot less. If you're interested in cutting your pack weight or moving toward a more lightweight or ultralig...
