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In country plagued by mosquitoes, no-see-ums, black-flies, and other blood-sucking bugs, people MUST live within "bubbles" of fine-mesh net. The bloodsucking insects are so annoying that they reg...
Generally speaking fear is an appropriate and healthy response to many of the situations you will find yourself in while rock climbing. Learning how to control, overcome, and even benefit from that...
Basically, "spotting" someone means making sure that they safely land on the pad with their feet first to prevent injuries in case of a fall. This means several distinct tasks: Moving a falling ...
Anyone had similar issues? Several years ago I sprained my ankle. I was lead-climbing a route that was a bit over my technical skills. I was in an overhanging segment above and sideways to my...
In most parts of the world going through a working train tunnel on foot is illegal, in all parts of the world it verges on suicidal. I can imagine there are places in the world where, there are no...
It is not the sling that is the issue, its using the sling to form a hanging belay. Using a hanging belay allows the climber to sit down and have a rest at any location on the wall (i.e. its no d...
In some parts of France (Particularly the Fontainebleau forest) they use a substance called POF. POF is basically tree sap, they harvest it and carry it around in bags, dabbing it onto holds, etc...
A few years back at my University climbing gym, someone posted a study performed on chalking your hands while climbing. Basically, it was discovered that there was actually a measurable decrease in...
A Knot is a knot and its usually not something to get tied up in knots about. An simple overhand is a better knot in tape, purely because a Fig8 is impossible to lie neatly. As far as the question...
To answer your question, "Which two handed fly casting style should I learn?" the answer is all of them. After you've learned every style then you'll know which one suits your needs best in any sit...
There really is no good replacement for chalk but natural conditions and some tricks can help to make it easier to climb without chalk. Some areas in Germany have very strict (Elbsandstein - no c...
As mentioned in comments, this option to coil a rope will get you some twists in it. So I do not recommend it for longer ropes (i.e. your climbing ropes), as twists are very inconvenient when belay...
There's a lot of answers on this page that wrong and could lead to life threatening anaphylaxis. Given the risks involved here, I'll be providing quotes from physicians throughout. Don't pull it o...
Another good cast for small streams with lots of bushes is the water haul, described in this blog post at Gink and Gasoline. It basically uses the water tension to load the rod, like the roll cast,...
The answers is to simply get a proper 4 season tent designed for camping in the winter. There's a reason why 4 season tents are different than 3 season tents, and that reason is because the weather...
If it is load bearing, then hell no. This is a mess of cross- and ring-loading, which will break the biners. If it is just a material storage placement, then it is simply confusing. And of what I k...
I couldn't have come up with a better example of "how carabiners should never be used" if I tried! In fact, the most likely explanation for that picture is either such a deliberate bad example, o...
There isn't much difference in the two "acclimatization" options. In neither option do you get more than a start on acclimatization. In both options, you serve notice on your body to get ready. O...
If you are going to live in the tent, get a canvas wall tent and a stove. It will be much more livable over the long term even if it costs a bit more up front. I found a lot of information about an...
A rolled up sleeping pad is generally pretty lightweight, meaning the "you could misbalance your pack and strain your back" concern is probably one you can ignore. People try not put them inside be...
There exit various kinds of head or even upper body mosquito nets. You can put one over your head and the sleeping bag opening to hold them away. If you are anyway carrying a tent, I think this is...
I couldn't find an authoritative reference to state that a snake wouldn't do that. The main climbing snake in Texas is the Rat Snake. While one of those could climb into your hammock to cuddle, I d...
A knife is just a tool, and will generally reflect the owner's practical needs, and/or aesthetic tastes. Plus there are those who have been carrying the same knife for X years, and don't care to re...
To the question of whether you should run from a pack of dogs that may be aggressive, the answer is an unqualified NO!. As to what you should do, the answer is a bit more complicated. In the vast...
Concerning using hiking shoes on asphalt: it certainly can be done and is a much better option than the other way around (i.e. taking a business shoe on a mountain hike). Hiking shoes are a bit sti...
