Posts by Michael Borgwardt
One key aspect that has not been mentioned: routefinding indors is almost trivial, outdoors it becomes a real challenge and makes climbing a much more creative experience. In the gym, hold color (...
If you understand what you're doing and why, do what is safe. First of all (probably obvious): you should never fall on a via ferrata, so don't do anything risky. Second: even a 10m + lanyard fal...
I'd like to address the safety angle specifically: the main things you need to concerned about being alone in the mountains in winter are: Sudden drastic weather changes Avalanches Being stuck in...
There are some things that can prevent the skin from tearing off and getting the so-called "flappers": First, learn to control your center of gravity and your contact points with the wall so that ...
There are many aspects to a climbing route's difficulty, so it is fundamentally questionable to lump it all into one number, and is really only accepted because most climbers don't have a huge imba...
In addition to what the other answer says, a fire burning near a crag could weaken bolts; so if there is fire damage anywhere nearby, the bolts should be considered suspect and replaced (at least t...
I wouldn't count on this working dependably, especially with shoes. The problem is that a microwave works by directly heating up certain molecules, most importantly water. And the energy from the m...
When it's beyond the lifetime recommended by the manufacturer. When you see abrasion or damage that is more than superficial on any of the load-bearing components. This means you have to inspect y...
9 Out of 10 Climbers Make the Same Mistakes, by DaveMcLeod focuses very much on one thing: how to get better at climbing, mostly from a mental and organizational point of view. The author sometimes...
What you can do before a given climb is to warm up, which may involve climbing something easier. I've definitely noticed that I pump out more quickly if I hop directly on a route at my limit, compa...
You can also train endurance at the bouldering gym (at least when it's not too crowded) by doing "4x4" exercises: Do 4 relatively easy bouldering problems back-to-back without any pause between t...
A 2/3 weight ratio is definitely at the absolut top of what is routinely manageable for lead climbing, and I would not recommend that for novices. Additional weights are an option, but 10 pounds w...
Bacteria and fungi can only grow in water, not in the fuel itself. If a fuel tank is unused and resting for a longer time, the small water content in the fuel can separate at the bottom and provide...
Climbing shoes need to be extremely tight* because they frequently have to support a lot of weight on extremely tiny footholds, often on the tip of the toes: Any free space inside the shoe could...
There are a number of studies cited in this forum thread. Subjects were filmed at 60 Hz while on an inversion platform that suddenly inverted the right ankle 35 degrees . We measured 5 trials o...
I like the idea of glasses that change from sunglasses to indoor Photochromic lenses are a lot less useful than most people think when they hear about the concept. The main problem is that the...
The main problems caused by onesided training are reduced movement range, bad posture and lack of stability (which increases the risk of acute injuries). Anyone who has done any kind of intense s...
It depends very much on the specific geography. But the idea of "whirlpools" that suck down people or entire ships, never to be seen again (which I suspect is what fascinates you) is largely a myth...
The only thing this 30+ years old piece of climbing history should be connected to is a fixture to mount it in a frame or display case.
First of all, stop strenuous activity. If possible, get back into a warmer environment. If not, breathe through your nose as much as possible. This can also be used as a preventative measure. Hyd...
They protect the paws from injury or already injured paws from getting worse (and having bandages ripped off). Things they protect from include: rough terrain - sharp rocks, etc. chemicals like s...
You shouldn't rappel directly off a hanger if any of these is true: The rope does not easily fit through the hole (with room to spare) The hole's edges are not smoothly rounded The material that ...
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...
The job of a spotter is to prevent the climber from landing on their head and (if possible) ensure they land on their feet and on the crashpad. This may involve moving the crashpad (which should co...
How many days is "multiple"? In what environment? Can you sleep out in the open or do you need a tent? Can you share the tent with other people? Do you need to bring all food? Water (then you're sc...
