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Well, the primary difference is that once you've used your ice axe as an anchor, you can't use it to climb with. Also, two anchors is almost always better than one, especially in snow. You never ...
When you are facing a serious sweating problem, maybe your overall setup is too warm. What layers/jackets do you wear above the one-suite-fleece? I am thinking of a very thin layer which is highly ...
Not Cotton Related: Does cotton really kill? Any active base layer will suffice as long as it is not cotton. Cotton is great for keeping you cool, but terrible for wicking moisture and keeping yo...
You should have some deterrents, such as bear spray or air-horn. Wolves will generally not harm you though they can often approach you (at least here in BC) and in this instance, the recommended ad...
Paul and Kevin are correct here - any corrective lens has to alter what your eye sees. Your brain very rapidly corrects (a few minutes) but it is a basic function of optical physics that is unavoid...
In additions to other answers, I build my own stakes for about $10 each and happily leave them behind when rappelling off routes if no other options exist. Leaving your ice Axe, pack, hammer etc be...
Steamboat has some very nice tree skiing. In general open tree skiing in Colorado involves finding an aspen or similar hardwood grove and those don't occur at the very highest elevations. So as a r...
People do not realize that their public water are delivered by iron pipes buried 20 to 80 years ago. I was an engineering student and if you cut those pipes you will see rust around the pipes. So p...
I would guess it's a carbide lamp as it was in former times used by mining workers and is still used in speleology (caving) sometimes. The basic working principle is a box with carbide and a water...
Background Due to the very nature of light and lenses it is impossible to not have depth perception change when looking through a lens. The light will pass through the first surface of the lens, ...
I think I've gone straight up 30° on good snow, maybe steeper for short bits. This would be on old Diamir bindings and fairly stiff alpine boots. As Dakatine mentioned, not all snow is equal, powd...
cfi's answer describes the classic situation, but if you have a skegg, you can have the front person steer (it can be wired to the front). I've been regularly paddling in a touring K2 regularly f...
Yes, shoe size plays a role which is quite important. But for beginners I would suggest to think more about foot technique than caring about the best possible gear. For climbing shoe sizes I give ...
Typically a small biner is fine. The larger ones are useful in a number of scenarios though, for example rigging a belay where you have multiple anchors each tied into your carabiner, the bigger bi...
The bigger carabiners will work better for a double rope rappel or for belaying two ropes if you're into that kind of thing. Bigger is easier to attach to your harness if you don't have belay loo...
I don't know of a source for Europe, but The American Alpine Club published "Accidents in North American Mountaineering" annually. Published annually since 1948, Accidents in North American Mo...
If you're not concerned about bears, I would (ironically) suggest using an Ursack. The Ursack is a kevlar bag that is "bear resistant" but not legally approved for use in many areas which require b...
There probably is a point where not having a toe-crunched fit would make a difference, but it's not V3. Climbing shoes do wear out relatively quickly. The difference in the sharpness of the rubbe...
This depends on the actual type of clothing and mostly on the wind speed. The wind evaporates moisture from the body. Since evaporation is a cooling process and absorbs latent heat away from th...
Obviously there's a good case for considering the wear and tear on the belay loop and harness itself. Consider the case of Todd Skinner: http://www.climbing.com/climber/loss-of-a-legend/ They ...
There is no way to prevent asbestos fibers from entering your lungs except by certain facial masks with specialized air filters. An ordinary surgical mask will NOT work. The fibers are too small.
This seems a bit low to me, but there are lots of other factors to consider. The main ones are temperature and exertion/walking speed. Different people also definitely need different amounts of wat...
I found this interesting article on the topic of cold weather and hydration. http://www.unh.edu/news/news_releases/2005/january/sk_050128cold.html In cold weather you lose significant moisture ju...
No, 100 ml per hour is way too little in many circumstances. That would mean only 1 l over a 10 hour hike. Anyone that's been on a 10 hour hike, even not in particularly hot or dry weather, can t...
The single point setup was developed to aid in very high technical levels of mixed climbing. Dual points can make it hard to keep the crampon on small rock holds. Also in certain kinds of ice, the...
