Activity for Systemâ€
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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A: What is the best mountaineering quote that you have ever read? throw a loaf of bread and a pound of tea in an old sack and jump over the back fence. -Muir on planning a trip One final paragraph of advice: do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am — a reluctant enthusiast... a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yoursel... (more) |
— | about 10 years ago |
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Winter route grades I was recently reading a article: Scottish Winter: Ten Must-do Routes at II and III. When it occurred to me that I had no idea how winter grades work? I understand British trad grades, etc. But what are the grades described in that article and how do they work? (more) |
— | about 10 years ago |
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What is the loop on the finger of my winter gloves for? I have a pair of winter /climbing gloves. Each glove has a small loop on the ring finger, top of the glove. Why? What's it for? (more) |
— | about 10 years ago |
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A: How to overcome the fear of falling in lead climbing Everyone who climbs suffers from this to some degree, so you need to accept that doing this will make you scared. What didn't work for me I've had very similar issues to the one's your describe over the years. I've tried several techniques to help with this with mixed result. From my personal expe... (more) |
— | about 10 years ago |
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A: Methods for taping hands, wrists, and fingers for climbing? This covers the details of taping a wrist after an injury: Basically you want to wrap a stretch bandage around the area first then add support to it using wide athletic/physio tape. If you still want to climb on it (if it's injured you may want to consider resting it to prevent further injury) make ... (more) |
— | about 10 years ago |
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A: What are the advantages of being short when climbing? As a disclaimer I'm 6'3" so this isn't from experience! As a tall climber you're correct, I have a lot of advantages. Reach can be very advantageous, especially on bouldering. In my experience the disadvantages of me being tall (therefore the advantages of being shorter!) are: I have a longer rea... (more) |
— | about 10 years ago |
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Do mountains regularly (for a mountain) change height? a little related to this question: How many "Munro" revisions has there been? Leads me to wonder do mountains change height? or is this because the equipment is more precise these days? I understand that erosion will (very gradually) lower a mountain. I suppose I mean geologically and I ... (more) |
— | about 10 years ago |
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Why are indoor climbing grades easier? This is possibly a little of a generalisation but, why are indoor grades easier than outdoor grades? Having climbed at many many indoor walls (all over the uk) and done multiple outdoor climbs (bouldering and trad) pretty much universally I can climb much higher grades indoors than out. For examp... (more) |
— | about 10 years ago |
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A: Field dressing small game in hot climates Hanging game birds is very common in the UK. All Pheasant shot in the UK are normally hung (whole and unplucked for several days). Pheasant are shot in the autumn here, the temperatures normally being <10C. The idea of hanging is to improve flavour. Game birds can be pretty tastless if not hung o... (more) |
— | about 10 years ago |
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A: How much should my toes hurt in climbing shoes? I think you bought the wrong pair of 5.10s. I've got some Anasazi Whites I specifically bought them for edging. they have a thick(ish) sole area around the rim to provide better support when placing weight on the edges. I would suggest that the Moccasym's are a lot softer and are optimised for s... (more) |
— | about 10 years ago |
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What to look for in a winter skills course? I'm researching winter skills courses for the new year. Most cover all the basics: Self arrest Using crampons and ice axes Avalanche awareness Route planning Is there anything else I should be looking for? They all seem very similar. I'm specifically after something for a Scottish winter with a ... (more) |
— | about 10 years ago |
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A: How to take care of climbing hands? Generally you want your skin to be quite tough (this helps you hold onto small/sharp holds), but not too tough. If you skin get's too thick you get callouses, callouses are thick tough areas of skin. The problem being the skin around the callouse isn't as tough. This means the callouse can be pulle... (more) |
— | about 10 years ago |
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What to look for in an ice axe for use in classic alpine terrain? I'm currently in the process of getting together a winter walking kit. I've got B2 boots and I'm buying suitable crampons. Ice Axes though seems more...confusing. What kind of features should I be looking for? I'm not planning on ice climbing, simply winter use on ridges, mountain tops in Scotland/... (more) |
— | about 10 years ago |
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A: Managing the garbage over a lengthy trek at higher altitudes The first thing you need to ask yourself is why is there so much rubbish? Getting things up and down to Everest base camp is exhausting! The Sherpas (who do the vast majority of the lifting and carrying, and are typically not paid well) have no incentive to carry down things that the majority of the... (more) |
— | about 10 years ago |
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A: Acquiring a Camp Site at the Everest Base Camp Firstly there are 2 Everest base camps, one in Nepal and one in Tibet. I'm guessing you're after the Nepal one. Both are set up on large flat areas at around 17,000 feet. There should be no problems with actual space. The area is large and flat. You may not get the best pitch but you will be able t... (more) |
— | about 10 years ago |
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A: Combine backpack and back protection when snowboarding? I think the answer is, it depends... :) Snowboard back protectors come in several guises, some better than others: Snowboard packs (with protectors) are similar. I would suggest that a protector (stand alone, not built into a pack) is going to offer much better protection than any back pack can... (more) |
— | about 10 years ago |
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A: How to go about a long traverse with just Undercut holds? How can I practice specifically for traverses? A lot of climbing gyms (especially bouldering ones) have traversing walls. If you can find one of these practice there. Or find a boulder that you can circuit climb (climb in a circle around the bottom). How should I go about a traverse wi... (more) |
— | about 10 years ago |
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A: Understanding/comparing via ferrata grades? So I'm reading that you already understand the grades as weda has posted them. Now how would higher grades correspond to fitness and experience? Skills != grade != fitness. Grade is equal to difficulty and is subjective so this type of comparison never works. Some explanation on why this doesn... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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A: Climbing Kilimanjaro for a newbie Killamanjaro has relatively simple terrain. The main issue with climbing it is it's height (it's nearly 6000m/20,000feet). You will need to acclimatise correctly. It will take several days to do this so you will need to spend some time on the mountain (this won't be a day hike!) Most people who cl... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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A: What makes certain mountains more dangerous than others? Several things kill people on mountains, many of these are within the individuals control (ensuring they have the right kit, etc.) I'm going to ignore these because all things being equal these should be relatively static (i.e. the mountain itself doesn't make a person more or less well prepared) So... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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What is the name of this knot for tying into a "confidence" rope? I came across this tutorial. But I don't recognise the knot. Can anyone tell me the name of this knot? Is this the correct knot for this use? Any alternatives techniques for this or am I good with this one? (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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A: Is "altitude" an absolute measure of air "thinness"? 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 amount of Oxygen in the air is static (there is almost exactly the same percentage of oxygen 23% at 10,... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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A: What are common climbing techniques for strongly overhanging walls and roofs? 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 possible. Keep your arms straight and your muscles relaxed, don't try and hold yourself against the face.... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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How do you locate the "North Star"? What if it's night and you want to find north? How do you locate the North Star in the night sky? (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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How do I find north using a watch? I've heard this is possible but I'm not sure on the details. Can someone elaborate? (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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Leading an inexperienced group I'm taking a handful (5) work colleagues up a mountain this weekend (Tryfan in Snowdonia). The mountain is a Grade 1 scramble route so it's not overly simple. The group is very inexperienced. I've taken inexperienced people up said mountain a couple of times but never such a large group. I've ma... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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How do I balance the muscle usage and strength of my body when long-distance hiking? When hiking for a long distance, my legs and lower body get used wonderfully. They become really strong, lean, and exactly what I want with my lower body in general. But one burns a lot of calories when long-distance hiking, and if the upper body is not used enough, it will lose important muscle mas... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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A: How to go about replacing sport climbing bolts? In the UK this is controlled/coordinated by the BMC. They publish an extensive guide on how and when to do this Bolt Guidance Document. There is also a working group, coordinator and they even pay for new bolts. There are lot's of issues around this, the document goes into a lot of detail these. Th... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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What do the climbing terms "Redpoint", "Pinkpoint", "Flash" and "Onsight" mean? In climbing what do the terms Redpoint, Pinkpoint, Flash and Onsight mean? Where does it come from? (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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Lighting a fire using a flint and steel On the spur of the moment I bought a flint and steel. This was mainly because it seems manly and cool. My main problem is I really struggle to light a fire with the thing and normally give up and use a lighter instead. Can someone give me some pointers to lighting a fire successfully using a flint a... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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A: Can you boil an egg in dirty water? First things first. You do not need to purify all water sources. Just because it is not out of a tap does not make it immediately dirty. Most fresh wilderness water (providing it isn't stagnant, etc.) is fine for drinking. You should be familiar with the source of the water. Just because the river ... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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A: How to effectively dry/clean the inside of water bladders? Drain all the water out of the tube Remove the tube from the bladder and the bite valve and hang it up Bend a metal coat hanger in half (make sure no sharp edges are exposed) push the coat hanger into the bladder and hang the coat hanger up You can also buy airers but the coat hanger works just as... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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A: How much is a major load? 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 loaded correctly (from the base to the top) 9Kn when loaded correctly but with the gate open and 7Kn when l... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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Using a rope "Alpine Style"/Moving together I've seen people using a ropes "alpine style" in the past but I'm not sure on the specifics. By alpine style I mean where the rope is coiled around the body and attached to a second of third person. Anchors may or may not be used but typically the people move together. The idea being that all people... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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A: Looking for a Topographical map resource? Bing maps supports topo-maps (in the UK at least and not on the mobile client) via the Ordnance Survey. (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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Measuring actual distance walked on a map (Allowing for changes in height) Following on from this question: How many calories does hiking burn? So in the same journey my girlfriends tracking app said we'd travelled 20km. Now this was based on us travelling on the flat, but we hadn't we'd also travelled upwards about 1Km too. So how far had we actually walked? I had a tho... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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A: How to safely mark a rope You can buy specialist markers. They're designed to not impact the rope strength. Always use a specially designed rope marker as there is a comprehensive list of things to keep away from your rope and marker pen is one of them. The solvents can break down the nylon rope fibres making your rope po... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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What to look for in an insole? I was recently browsing around a well known outdoor shop when I noticed a confusing array of insole products. They seemed to be a very confusing array of entirely different looking insoles all coming with various claims on their benefits. What are the important factors that I should be looking f... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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How many calories does hiking burn? My girlfriend and I went for a walk on Sun. We climbed 3 peaks in Snowdonia. My girlfriend had one of them Nike tracking apps running on her phone all the while. In the end it gave us these stats: Distance: 20Km (as the crow flies) Time: 8 hours Calories: 4000 The calories though were based on us ... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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A: What are common rock-climbing footwork mistakes and how I can spot them? a common footwork mistake is not keeping it still! I see this all the time with people starting in bouldering, their footwork can be indecisive. You need to pick how and where you want to place your foot and do it. Don't keep moving it around, unless you plan to do this. Use the correct parts of yo... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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A: How do you decide on a climbing grade? Where does the route setter know from which movements capabilities and skills are assigned to each grade? He doesn't. Skills != grade. Grade is a measure of difficulty. You may find you prefer a particular type of climbing (say slabs or ones involving dynamic moves, etc). you have good skill... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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A: Is it possible to 'moisture trap' from trees while thru-hiking? Tree's generate water as part of the respiration process (not to be confused with photosynthesis which is different). This happens at night and day. This is relatively static day or night. Photosynthesis alters dependant on sunlight, respiration (being the process of producing energy) does not. ... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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Is it possible to 'moisture trap' from trees while thru-hiking? I'm toying with the idea of collecting water from tree leaf transpiration, while hiking: Obviously, vegetation with larger leaf surface area (and certain types) would be better than others. But is it useless to try and collect water from trees during the night? Do trees not transpire as near as m... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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A: Is there a best practices guide online for rock climbing safety? Does a best practices guide for climbing safely exist online? To learn safety you need a practical introduction by someone you're sure knows what they're talking about. Techniques can vary considerably between country and country and climbing techniques, e.g. it's common to use two half ropes in... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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A: Does garlic balance your blood pressure on long walks? Does garlic balance your blood pressure on long walks? Garlic is proven to lower blood pressure. Not balance it. Though this study also suggests that the this reduction was not large enough to be statistically significant. So no garlic does not balance blood pressure, neither does it (scientifi... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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A: Is Paradoxical Undressing a stage beyond Hypothermia? Erm yes and no. With moderate hypothermia you loose rational judegment and do unrational things, like remove your clothes. But removing your clothes is not a stage of hypothermia as such. The symptoms of hypothermia are: Mild hypothermia The symptoms of hypothermia can vary depending on how... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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A: Dealing with large runouts during sport climbing Your options are limited and I think you've mentioned most of the only possibilities. Depending on where the belay is and presuming it's at ground level you could get your belayer to run backwards as you fall or jump down off a small rock to take in the slack quickly (you've already mentioned these... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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A: What foods are unsafe to cook over an open fire? Pork should be cooked to a minimum of 63 °C or 145 °F. This is regardless of what type of pork it is. Providing that you heat all (including the center) the pork to this temperature or above, you will be fine and will not get ill. Ideally you should also let the food rest once cooked. Thi... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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A: Adjusting the Torso setting for the backpack Back length The first one to get right is the back length; loosen everything off (so you can wear it but nothing is tight) and put the pack on and see how it sits. You want the waist straps to sit just above your hips. If they don't adjust the back length (up or down). Once this is set don't alter i... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |
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A: Do alpine boots hurt when walking (not climbing)? Imsodin's answer is good and covers a lot of good points. One thing that is relevant here is Alpine boots come in 3 grades (to match the grades of crampons). You need to pick the right boot grade for the job you want it to do. Some trade off comfort (when walking) for ability when climbing. B1 B1 o... (more) |
— | over 10 years ago |