Activity for Systemâ€
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question | — |
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) |
— | over 9 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) |
— | over 9 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) |
— | over 9 years ago |
| Answer | — |
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) |
— | over 9 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) |
— | over 9 years ago |
| Answer | — |
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) |
— | over 9 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) |
— | over 9 years ago |
| Answer | — |
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) |
— | over 9 years ago |
| Answer | — |
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) |
— | over 9 years ago |
| Answer | — |
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) |
— | over 9 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) |
— | over 9 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 9 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 9 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 9 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 9 years ago |
| Answer | — |
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 9 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 9 years ago |
| Question | — |
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 9 years ago |
| Question | — |
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 9 years ago |
| Question | — |
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 9 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 9 years ago |
| Answer | — |
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 9 years ago |
| Question | — |
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 9 years ago |
| Question | — |
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 9 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 9 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 9 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 9 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 9 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 9 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 9 years ago |
| Answer | — |
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 9 years ago |
| Question | — |
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 9 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 9 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 9 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 9 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 9 years ago |
| Question | — |
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 9 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 9 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 9 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 9 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 9 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 9 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 9 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) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: What are good items to leave in a geocache? All under £3: What about a Spork everyone should have a spork.... Vango eye light £3 bargain Vango mug (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: How to avoid pendulum descent when belaying? I'm presuming your on an overhanging wall here as if you can touch the wall you should walk down preventing this issue. It's very common to twist and spin a little when being lowered off overhanging terrain so don't worry about it! Keep calm and relax. If you tense up and try and correct any spi... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: How do you flavour your water on camping trips? Propel Zero powder packs is what I use on backpacking trips once I make camp. During each day of hiking I only drink water and obtain needed nutrition through food. After I finish for the day I will drink 16 or 20 ounces of water flavored with one Propel Zero packet while I rest and setup camp or my ... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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What is a bloquers? Simple question, which has been prompted from this answer. What is a bloquers? I'm guessing it's some kind of prussik and it's a French term. But I'm not familiar with it. A quick google search returned no results. (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: Disposal of Gore-Tex or other membrane products Goretex, generally consists of three chemicals. The outer The outer (wear resistant part) is simply nylon or polyester. This is typically non-hazardous and can be disposed as any other plastic (bearing in mind the long periods of time this is likely going to take to decompose) The inner This i... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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Are there B2 alpine boot brands in the UK besides La Sportiva and Scarpa? I'm looking at buying some B2 rated alpine/winter boots for use with Crampons, etc. I'm trying to avoid paying full price for them (searching ebay, looking for special offers, etc.) as they are prohibitively expensive (£300+). In the main UK sites selling this kind of stuff only seem to offer t... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |