Activity for Systemâ€
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Answer | — |
A: How to stop in the middle of a rappel without an autoblock? I'm not sure I'd fancy trusting my life to wrapping the rope around my leg. The conventional way to escape a belay is to tie it off, see here For extra safety you can clip the figure eight onto your harness using a carabiner. (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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A: Is it a pheasant? A grouse? What do I feed it? The photos are a bit blurry but I'm reasonably sure it's a young Grey Partridge Photo source RSPCA has more info on them A medium-sized, plump gamebird with a distinctive orange face. Flies with whirring wings and occasional glides, showing a chestnut tail. It is strictly a ground bird, ne... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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A: How can I be sure that I'm ready to do the Three Peaks Challenge? All 3 main paths up Scafell Pike, Snowdon and Ben Nevis are well marked maintained and straight forward. I'd suggest anyone reasonably fit should be able to do anyone of these (up and down) in 3-4 hours (my fastest time up and down Snowdon is 2 hours). The hardest bit of the 3 peaks is the driving. G... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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What UK mushrooms will kill you? I've recently gotten into foraging for mushrooms locally and have been happily eating field mushrooms and giant puffballs (these are absolutely delicious if you can find them BTW). I was reading a foraging book the other day and it stated that there is only one truly deadly poisonous mushroom in th... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: Should I be scared if a black bear is outside of my tent at night? Making noise is useful when walking in a forest to tell the animals that you're coming. They probably retreat to safe distance when they hear your voice. However, when you're sleeping, you should avoid making sudden moves or sounds. Move slowly and talk calmly if you want to. The animal probably smel... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: Riding a bicycle on the beach? One important thing to bear in mind (and the main reason I've never ridden my mountain bike on the beach) is the effect of sand and salt water on all your parts and the frame itself. The sand is going to clog everything up (bottom bracket, gears and cassette are going to take the brunt of this) and... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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Why can I hear such long distances in the mountains? The other week me and my wife climbed into a Cwm/Corrie/Cirque in the lake district on the side of St Sunday Crag in the UK. I could distinctly hear someone talking. I could basically hear every word. I looked for this person only to realise they we're on the other side of the cwm. I checked my map, ... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: How can I tell how much, if any, rain is in an approaching cloud? There's an assumption here that a cloud is a static thing that fills up and then empties. This isn't the case. A cloud is merely a manifestation of the moisture in the air. The water condenses slightly to form a vapour. It's part of the water cycle. So as it's raining it could also be filling up from... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: How can someone fall 3m to the ground while top-roping & how to prevent it? You failed to specify whether the rope was installed in the gym or you brought your own (and presumably led the pitch) and whether this gym allows leading routes with the installed ropes. If this is purely a top-roping gym with preinstalled ropes, it's quite likely that the ropes are static ropes wh... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: What type of rope should I use to make a 1.5" Gym Climbing rope? I'm guessing you mean a rope like you get in school gyms, not climbing gyms. I wouldn't say any climbing rope is a good choice here. Quite a few problems: Dynamic rope stretches, this is going to make using it hard You'll get nasty rope burn, hemp rope is used for this because it's a lot softer It... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: Where should a person who can't hold a paddle sit in a tandem kayak? Normally 'the skipper' goes in the back. In my experience, steering a double from the front is difficult (practically impossible if only one person in the kayak). Therefore, put the able bodied person in the back. This also has the advantage the 'skipper' can keep an eye on the person in the front.... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: Open-sided tarp in rain Probably the main thing about this answer is I am not prepared to be drawn into a pointless religious debate over whats better. In general, Tents are better at keeping water out but heavier and in some people opinion, more complicated. Tarps are lighter to carry and simple (In theory) to set up, i... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: How to safely rescue someone drowning as an untrained bystander? Never, ever enter the water yourself. The most likely outcome of this is you both drown! Your first thought should always be, "how can I alert the authorities as fast as possible". If you leave the area to do this make a note of exactly where you are first. If you have alerted the authorities (life ... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: Selling older gear - is it likely to be safe? I know lots of people that buy second hand gear, especially cams (they're expensive!). I'm pretty sure you'll find there is a good market on ebay, etc for stuff like this. Climbing.com offers some good advice on what to check: Cams Any bend in a cam’s axle compromises the unit’s s... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: How does water depth affect swimming safety? Why do signs, especially in the UK, say "DANGER: deep water"? In the UK, many of these signs are in old disused and flooded quarries and mines or reservoirs. The issue with any of these sites is they are typically incredibly deep (like 100m) and become deep very fast. I know of at least one reservoir where within 2m of the shore it drops to the point where you ... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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Is it OK to keep a dyneema sling under constant tension (slackline)? The comment on a previous question I posted here: I am not sure whether this biner was aluminum, but it could be, so a warning (please excuse me if the biner is steel): Aluminum biners are not suited for constant high loads (even less if the forces change around a high value). You should al... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: What would be a good knot to tie a clothesline to a tree? What your talking about here is essentially a slip knot. This will tension under load and not slip off. There are several options I'd say: A noose Running bowline Poachers knot A figure of eight with the rope passed though it If you want to tension the line you can use something like a truckers h... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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What would be a good knot to tie a clothesline to a tree? I like the smell of sun-dried clothes/blankets/etc, and I got some line to make a clothesline. I've got a device that you pull the line through and it stays where you pulled it, which will be on the end of the line that's anchored to my great outdoors vehicle. I don't know the name of the device, but... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: Undoing an over tight Clove Hitch? I tried the suggestion by B540Glenn. Unfortunately this resulted in a very broken pencil and not much progress. It did though inspire me! I figured if I had something pencil shaped but stronger this would probably work. Digging though my tool box I came across a nail set: I figured this would be ... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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Is a clove hitch to be distrusted in climbing? Reading the description for a clove hitch on animated knots by Grog (the go to bible of knots IMO) I was surprised to read: Caution: The Clove Hitch was, originally, included here with the intention of condemning it. It does have two giant faults: it slips and, paradoxically, can also bind. I... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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Undoing an over tight Clove Hitch? The weather has been really nice this weekend in North wales so over the weekend I set up a slack line in my back garden to have a play about on! On Sun I went to take it all down. Problem is I attached one end of the line to a carabiner using a clove hitch, it appears this was a big mistake. The hi... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: How unsafe is this belay technique really? Religious wars have been fought for less. Is this safe? Depends on who you ask I'd say. Dodging that bullet, basically this is down to you and your preferences. It's your safety the person is responsible for (presuming your climbing). There is a fair chance that this technique is perfectly safe, bu... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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How can you tie a clove hitch one handed? I was watching a video this am where a guy tied a clove hitch and passed it though a carabiner one handed. This seemed a very handy technique to know. I usually use both hands to tie this, make a loop in one hand, loop in another cross them over pass them into a carabiner. Can someone describe the... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: Which knot is best for connecting loose ends and attaching carabiner? There is no right answer, and we cannot know enough detail to give you the best answer. I would tie the middle of the rope to the carabiner with a clove hitch, rather than a fig8 as you have described. At the other end, the easy and most reliable option is Two fig 8's tied at the correct length ... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: Can you safely use retired ropes for belaying children? TL;DNR: If you have a safety problem climbing with children, it won't be because the rope is a bit old. You need to define what you mean by 'Safely'. I put it that is impossible as it varies for everyone on a daily basis. This makes it one of those unanswerable questions. However, if you rephra... (more) |
— | almost 7 years ago |
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A: Should one remove their boots in an emergency bivvy situation? @Willis has a great answer which I don't entirely agree with. However, I do not believe there is a right answer so am not saying leaving boots on is wrong - its very situation dependent. Generally I would advocate removing boots unless there is good reason not to. Leaving feet in boots means little... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: Device with very accurate GPS location No. GPS is not autonomous. Errors in satellite vehicles can and have propagated to ground stations (I have one on record from a working GPS receiver placing me kilometers from my actual location that coincided with a published failed software update in the satellites). Additionally, selective availa... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: Waterproofing a sleeping bag TL;Dr DWR on sleeping bags is to keep them dry for short periods when they get put on wet grass for a few minutes. Adding DWR to your sleeping bag won't make it waterproof. Waterproofing spray (DWR). Aids water running off it won't make something that fundamentally isn't waterproof suddenly water... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: Is it ok for my climbing shoes/chalk bag to get wet? Is it ok for my climbing shoes to be directly exposed to the rain Mostly fine. A bit of rain is not going damage your shoes. I've gotten mine totally sodden before now. It's also fine to wash them. Trust me you may well want to do this after a couple of months. Just make sure you dry them wel... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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Is a .22 air-rifle powerful enough for a clean kill of a rabbit? Many many years ago me and my brothers used to go rabbit hunting with air-rifles. I was pretty young TBH and the details are not sharp in my mind. It occurred to me that the .22 calibre air-rifle that we we're using at the time wasn't very powerful. Would this even kill a rabbit cleanly? In the UK t... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: If I have extra space in a backpack, am I better packing it short and fat or tall and thin? I prefer to pack tall (not much above shoulders though) and thin for better weight distribution and balance, easier maneuvering though bush and general freedom of movement. I find short and fat tends to put weight too far behind you, and makes the pack unbalanced. It also encourages sloppy packing of... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: Good resources for climbing Libby peters Rock Climbing: Essential Skills & Techniques is the main resource for UK mountain leader qualifications. Covers all the essential skills for rock climbing. This is very much from the ground up, so has knots, belaying technique to placing trad gear and building belays, etc. This... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: Backing up a abseil anchor with a human TL;DR: don't do this; it's incredibly dangerous and stupid. I want to abseil down from my balcony. The guard rail of my balcony feels sturdy, is bolted into multiple different bricks and uses big screws which makes me think that they will also be long So what you're saying is you want to ... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: Aftermarket access panel to clean inside fresh water RV tank? What you propose is widely used where I live - although the tanks tend to be installed under the trailer with an access hatch though the floor, so a bit of leakage is not a major issue. The correct type of hatch should be fine - the screw on lid is pretty secure. A good sealing system compatible... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: How should I plan a backpacking trip with people who have never backpacked before? Oversee their packing or even pack for them. Chances are if they rarely hike they have little if any backpacking gear. Be sure they do get whatever they need. I would take them on a shopping trip (to my garage) and help them pick and adjust the various equipment I would recommend they take. Make sure... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: Why do horses need to wear shoes? Because roads are harder than hooves, and whatever is harder usually wears down whatever is softer. It's also pretty good protection against chipping/splitting that the horse may get from stepping on rocks. (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: I've just been bitten by a rattlesnake; how, exactly, do I "keep calm"? This is a great question. And cobaltduck gave a great answer. I teach martial arts, and often the way we teach to calm the mind is by controlling the breathing. Meditation is always the answer: nothing is gained by panicking. We have many sayings in life, like "Look before you leap", "Think befor... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: Hiking with kids - what are the right distances? I agree with Olin Lathrop, that distance seems too long. In my experience, a base number for children is appx 0.5 mile per age in years, up to around 10 years old. After that, figure about 1 mile per age in years. That's roughly 1km per year, up to 10. Maybe 2km per year after 10. Hoping someone... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: Are there any tips for preventing a vehicle from being broken into while parked at a trailhead? It sounds counter intuitive but leave everything inside the car open, i.e. the boot cover glove box, etc. Make it obvious that there is nothing worth stealing inside (and obviously don't leave anything worth stealing). Don't worry about them stealing your car, this is practically impossible with mo... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: Dealing with anxiety and confidence issues I think you have answered your own question. Find people to hike with. Start by building a good relationship with them, on trails you know you are capable of. Once you have a good relationship and they are understanding, push your limits with these people as support when needed, but at the same time... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: Are there any situations while backpacking that would require a watch? Well, you did say "require" a watch. I've been hiking nigh on 35 years now, and have never had a "need" for a watch. I will say a watch is desirable, but on most of my hikes - whether in groups or solo - I tend not to carry a watch, except for recently when there was a requirement. In that case, w... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: Are there any situations while backpacking that would require a watch? To enforce time constraints on activities: I'll walk until 1 pm, have lunch, and then continue until 4 I'll fish until 10 I'll take a half hour rest until I need to start again While you're outside, it's easy for a task or activity to suck up way more time than you expect, leaving you less ho... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: Are there any situations while backpacking that would require a watch? To know when it's going to get dark! Losing track of time is great unless you're in the wilderness, unclear of your location, and the sun goes down. It's one thing planning on walking in the dark. It's quite another to be caught off guard (maybe even without a torch). I know you can possibly see h... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: How to protect a body in the wilderness? This sounds like a macabre version of one of those teambuilding exercises. As noted above, your emotions will be going haywire and you won't think clearly. You'll probably stay with your fallen friend for some time before you get your thoughts in order. First priority is your safety Second prio... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: Good Hiking Route Planner I don't know anything that will do this for you, but the simple answer is to join up some well established paths, For example the pennine bridle way is 205 miles straight down the centre of the country, if you join this up to the offas dyke path then that's another 177 miles. I'd also utilise the ca... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: How to temporarily mark a trail? One possible solution is to put chalk crosses on waymarkers. These should wash off in a couple of days so cause limited disruption to other users of the trail. Even this though can seem unsightly to some people, so use with caution. (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: Why do my socks roll down towards the toes of my shoes while mountaineeering? Yes, I do. But whereas the other answer suggests to wear ankle or calf socks, I wear socks that go over the calf - to the knee. I tend to wear winter boots 2 sizes too large, and summer hiking boots are 1 size too large. What happens is the socks wear down, so, more movement occurs in the boots. ... (more) |
— | about 7 years ago |
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A: Terms for different parts of a mountain Sorry, no drawings. But the sources have photos of examples, and names of actual locations. You would need a seriously detailed drawing/photo to describe all of these features. Ablation zone - The area of a glacier where yearly melting meets or exceeds the annual snow fall. Reference: Ablation zo... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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A: How to empty bowels before a hike? You can take laxatives, but as mentioned, it can lead to dehydration. You can remedy that by drinking water, which will cause the lesser unpleasantness of having to urinate. The big problem here is that you don't know when the laxative is done working. Residual gurgles in the belly will have to be... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
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A: When should I boil water before distilling it? Distillation of water will not remove all hydrocarbons or chromium-6, without very sophisticated equipment. It can remove arsenic, salt, and other such nasty compounds. Source: 5 Things To Know About Chromium-6 In Drinking Water In practice, large-scale water purification systems expect water to ... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |