Activity for ShemSegerâ€
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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A: How long should you leave a synthetic sleeping bag compressed? You shouldn't leave your sleeping bag compressed any longer than you need to. Store it out of it's bag on a shelf, hanging up, or in a large breathable storage bag. Only stuff it into it's stuff sack or a compression bag when you're packing it. If you store it compressed it will lose loft, which is w... (more) |
— | over 9 years ago |
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A: Pressing the knee while ascending Pressing on your knees will relieve some of the stress on your muscles, giving you additional endurance on a climb, but it puts unnatural stress on the joint. Without going too deep into the specifics of the anatomy, you have four muscles in your "quad" that attach to your patella, which is attache... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: Ice Axes - Ice blade or Mix blade? Ice blades are designed for penetration, mixed blades are modified to help you also get a good bite on rock without doing to much damage to your tips. Will Gadd–who is considered to be the best ice and mixed climber in the world (watch him climb the hardest mixed climb ever here)–has ... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: What are the measurements on this slope angle tool? Source: John Baldwin: Slope Angles from Map Contours View this page for a refresher on how to do the maths to calculate slope on a topographic map. (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: Relative abraision resistance of Dyneema slings vs an average dynamic climbing rope Out of all the products that are out there for climbing, Dyneema is considered to be the most abrasion resistant. That means that it is the least likely to be cut on a sharp edge, in fact Dyneema is used to make cut-resistant gloves, but that does not mean it's impossible to cut. Dyneema Propertie... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: water knot vs figure 8 follow through vs X for rock climbing anchor - What is easiest to untie? A water knot is the best knot for joining two ends of webbing, I wouldn't recommend any other knot except for maybe the beer knot, but that's certainly not going to save you any time. You don't need to tie back up knots either, webbing doesn't slip like rope does, in fact I've never known webbing to ... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: Bag technique for washing clothes while backpacking? After googling, "wash clothes in a bag" I discovered that there are actually special washboard bags that you can buy specifically for washing clothes while you're backpacking/traveling (see the Scrubba below). They provide instructions on their website on how to use the bag, but Im pretty confiden... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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Bag technique for washing clothes while backpacking? Related: What size dry bag is best for keeping and washing clothes? Washing clothes on long hikes After reading the first question above, I'm wondering to myself, is there an effective "bag method" for washing clothes while backpacking? I've never washed my clothes in a bag before, but I'm imaging s... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: Cycling in Ontario — do I need to worry about permission to access logging roads? The answer is usually no, but there may be some restrictions depending on exactly where you're going. Most logging roads are on crown land. The use of forest roads is managed through road abandonment, road decommissioning (making it impassable) and road access controls (i.e. signage, gates, etc.). I... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: NNN (front clip) vs. telemark style bindings for backcountry XC skis It isn't the bindings that give you the control you're looking for as much as it is the boot. What you're looking at here is the crossover from old-school to new-school technology. Telemarks with the toe bails and heel cables have been around forever. The cables reduce heel friction, and do offer mo... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: How to straighten a bent tent pole Aluminum has a crystal structure and can be hardened using a process called "work hardening." Long story short, you've hardened your pole by causing dislocation movements in the crystal structure of the aluminum. If you compare your bent pole to your other poles, you'll notice that it doesn't flex as... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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Minimum safe rappel rope diameters? 9mm is considered minimum for a vertical rappel with a nylon or polyester kernmantle rope, 6mm with high strength aramid, but what if your rappel isn't vertical? What's the minimum safe rope diameter for rappelling a slippery slope that may be 60° or less? I'm asking because we plan on going h... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: Uses for different size locking carabiners The number one reason for having different sizes of carabiners is for working with different sizes of ropes. Size is one of many differing factors in the design of locking carabiners, there are also different shapes and different profiles, each carabiner design is intended for offering the best perf... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: What kind of underwear inside union suit in winter? 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 you warm. The classic "Union Suit" that your suit is modelled after was developed as, and is still worn ... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: Avoiding 4WD-areas in Iceland I think your best bet would be to look at their other National Parks, Vatnajökull is the biggest (It covers 13% of Iceland), but apparently Snæfellsjökull National Park is Iceland's main attraction: Like Rory said in his answer, you're likely going to have to 4x4 to the end of t... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: What should I do if I get sprayed by a skunk? The magic skunk-smell-be-gone recipe: In a plastic bucket, mix well the following ingredients: 1 quart of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide 1/4 cup of baking soda 1 to 2 teaspoons liquid soap First thing you want to do is get as much of the skunk goo off of you as you can. Using paper towel, tissues, or a ra... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: How do I know when my snowboard edges need to be serviced? If it ain't broke don't fix it. These's only one real guideline for sharpening anything, and that is to sharpen things when they get dull. If your edges aren't dull, or dinged, or rusty, then they likely don't need to be serviced. Inspect your bases and edges for any nicks or gouges regularly, ... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: What knot is this one? What are its purposes? Slip knot It's undoubtably a slip knot that's been tied off with a half hitch. some of the knots look different because some are tied off right-handed while others are left-handed. Compare the image below to the second image in the question: I think I even know why that knot was used in that dis... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: Preventing hand blisters while paddling Yes, there are paddling specific gloves and they work amazingly well. You can buy neoprene gloves which provide varying levels of insulation for cold water, which is pretty much necessary for paddling in places like the Canadian Rockies where all the creeks and streams are mostly Glacier ice runoff. ... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: Waxing cross-country skis Waxing skis is an art, it can get very complex and precise, you can get a kickwax for every 3 degrees of temperature change, but you only really need to be precise if you're super serious into it and do competition skiing. You only need an iron for hot-waxing, and that's typically for skate skiing, ... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: Is there a more practical type of cord to carry than "550 paracord"? Masons Line Paracord's biggest selling point is that it's strong enough to hold your body weight. That's great and all, but honestly, it's very rare to get caught in a situation where you're forced to use a rappel. The most common situation is when parachuters get caught in trees, but in those situa... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: Does cotton really kill? Cotton does not kill, hypothermia does, It just happens to be a lot easier to get hypothermia when you wear cotton, not because it doesn't insulate you as well as other materials, it just doesn't insulate you as well when it is wet. One thing that I think a lot of people don't know is that during t... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: What are practical uses of paracord survival bracelets? The whole point of the paracord bracelets is having paracord on your person when you need it. Paracord has many, many applications in survival situations. You can use it like you said as backup boot lace, you can tie it into a sling for hunting: You can use it to attach your knife to a pole to ... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: How to stay hydrated with minimum water usage How much water you need depends on how big you are, how fit you are, where you are and what you're doing. For example, on Mount Everest, the average person needs to drink 4-5L of water each day just so that their body can function properly. You lose water through your breath, perspiration, urine and... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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V-threads (Abalakov): How many holes are too many? V-threads, or Abalakov threads (after the inventor Vitaly Abalakov), can be tricky to make (especially left handed in the dark...), but when you miss the mark on your first attempt, or second attempt, or third... at what point do you abandon your anchor and try again somewhere else? How far apart sho... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: If you are buried in an avalanche will you survive? Only 1 out of 10 survive Avalanches If you are completely buried in an avalanche the odds of survival are slim, unless you wear a transceiver (beacon), and you have partners that escaped the avalanche who have the right gear (beacon receivers, probes, and shovels) as well as the experience from prac... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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Why all the different accessory cord diameters? It's easy to get overwhelmed with all the different types and diameters of accessory cords. I usually always get 7mm for making my prusiks and cordalettes, but I've often wondered who uses the smaller diameter stuff? I naturally assume smaller cord is used for friction knots on smaller ropes, but ho... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: Quality/robustness of avalanche shovels No there isn't. But it would be kinda nice if there was... A shovel is a shovel, they aren't a piece of fall protection or something that your life depends on. Someone elses life may depend on your shovel, in which case it is important to ensure that the shovel you carry will preform when you need ... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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What crampon front-point setup options are specific for various types of ice climbing? Is it a matter of personal preference, or are there advantages to using different front-point setups on your crampons specific to what you are climbing? For example, I'm still just getting into ice climbing and I have a pair of DMM Terminator crampons, which can be setup a variety of ways; dual fron... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: Where in the US can I find green mountains to hike like in Scotland, such as Dalveen Pass? You can find grassy mountains in Colorado in the Guanella Pass, but you may find that the air is a bit thinner up there than it is in Scotland: Guanella Pass Another place you'll find mountains very similar to the the Scottish mountains is in Newfoundland Canada: Grand Codroy Valley (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: Ski set that does both downhill and backcountry? AT (Alpine Touring, aka-randonnee) is quickly rising to be the most popular form of downhill skiing. There are still those die-hard telemarkers that will never switch, and they will out distance you on the flats, but hands down AT is best for back country downhill. Buying skis is like buying shoes ... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: What is the purpose of the shoulder strap upper adjustment? Stabilizer/Load-lifter/Load-adjuster... Straps Those are stabilizer straps, also known as load lifter or load adjuster straps. You typically have another set of stabilizer straps on your waist belt as well. These straps essentially prevent your bag from flopping around on your back and help balance ... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: Gear storage: what gear that can be safely stocked outside? All mountaineering gear comes with proper storage instructions. Most gear is best stored in a dry, cool, dark place. Humidity will rust your screws, crampons and axes. That box will effectively turn into an oven unless your balcony is on the shady side of your building. Garden closets are for storing... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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River crossing in winter? So we were out looking for some new ice to climb today and discovered this short pitch of ice: There's only one problem: The ice is on the wrong side of a rather wide creek. The nearest crossings are pretty far away, and the approach from either direction would not be easy (steep cut banks, cli... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: What are safe/effective leaves from around the world for use in tidying up your backside after answering the call of nature? Thimbleberry leaves are my favourite (Rubus spectabilis), They're all over the place in the Kootenays in British Columbia (Southern Canadian Rockies). They're soft and they're about the size of your hand or bigger. The berries are very tasty too, so you you can have a peachy-fuzz-tart-raspberry snack... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: What can I do to keep my hands warm while using touchscreens in the winter? Several people have already mentioned getting special gloves that have "flippable" finger tips, but no one has specifically mentioned sensory gloves which can be a little bit different than gloves that just flip their tips. In addition to flip-tips they also have a little hole that you can touch thro... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: Winter Slackline solutions There are lots of options for buying indoor slack line setups, or if you're confident in your engineering abilities, you can build one yourself, I would NOT recommend trying to anchor a slack line to anything in your house, unless you are willing to drill holes in the concrete foundation in your base... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: What's the most remote place in the contiguous US? Most of the "untouched" places left in North America are that way for a reason, no one wants to touch them. There are loads of barren desserts in Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona that people don't bother going to because it's dead, there's nothing there but heat sand and rocks. The easiest way t... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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Dropping gear: Where did the hairline/micro fracture urban legend come from? In an answer given to this question: Micro-Fractures in Climbing Equipments, it's stated that dropping gear causing micro fractures is a persistent myth, quoting Black Diamond's statement: Q. Is it okay to use carabiners that have been dropped? A. Unfortunately, the only way to know if “... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: How can I tell if Chinese rock climbing gear is reliable? TL;DR: Look for manufacturer standards associations (UIAA, CE, ISO): Climbing Gear Strength Rating and Testing Standards The general rule of thumb about gear in Rock Climbing is when you have any doubt about any piece of gear, don't use it. That being said there are a couple of things to go off ... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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Which is better, a single fisherman's knot or a double? I ask this question based on the fact that tensile strength tests show that putting a double fisherman's knot in kernmantle rope makes it more likely for the rope to snap than a rope tied with a single fisherman's. Knots weaken kernmantle rope, a lot in fact. Polymeric fibres are extremely strong al... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: Is it ok to use rolled aluminum descending rings in permanent anchors? No It is not ok to use that type of descending ring for fixed anchors. SMC Descending Rings are a one-piece aluminum ring which are intended to be placed at the top of a pull down rappel in place of a carabiner in order to facilitate recovery of ropes. SMC issues the following for care, maintenanc... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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Is it ok to use rolled aluminum descending rings in permanent anchors? Rolled aluminum descending rings like the SMC Descending ring are light (11g) and cheap ($3) which makes them great for carrying and leaving behind on long descents, but in my mind they are disposable pro, you use them once for retrieving your rope after a rappel and then then leave them to rot. Mo... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: Should I be using Dyneema slings for lead climbing anchors? Either will work, but Dyneema and Nylon have different properties that can make them more or less advantageous in certain situations. Dyneema is obviously a lot lighter than nylon, which gives it a lot of it's appeal for alpine climbers, it is also more abrasion resistant, in fact the material is a... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: Tent placement? High and Dry Find a flat area. Make sure that flat area won't pool with water if it rains. There's really not much else you need to be concerned about in a well forested area except for critters, which everyone knows Australia has in abundance - all sorts of little deadly creatures that could ea... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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Big Wall Climbing Portaledge Toilet Etiquette? So I was watching this video, and got to the part where this guy and girl are discussing and demonstrating whose method of peeing off the portaledge is scariest. Then I of course thought to myself, "What if there was some unseen person down below?" I don't even want to imagine what it'd be like to be... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: What should one do when get a cramp while swimming? Survival Float. A survival float-also know as a deadman float or jellyfish float–is when you relax your body, over-inflate your lungs, and try to stay afloat using natural buoyancy by either laying out on your back or your front. On your front you obviously need to come up for air regularly, ... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: How to check if a fence or cable has electricity without having special tools? TL;DR - First try to identify if the wire is supposed to carry electricity (insulators on posts/wire goes to an electrical box/posted warning signs/ect...). There's really not much you can do to check the wire for current without a device aside from listening to it, touching it (potentially dangerous... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: Avoiding building a belay anchor too low down I don't know what the rules are where you climb, but those kinds of situations–where you find a bomber belay point (comfy ledge), but no suitable anchor points–are where I'm temped to bolt an anchor or two. I like to keep a couple pieces of hardware on me specifically for when I need to... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |
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A: How to freeze a water container without deforming it? Don't fill the container You can't win in a battle against the laws of physics. Water expands when it freezes, so you need to leave some room in your bottle for it to expand into. What I find works best is to fill your bottle just over half, then freeze it on its side. This will give the ice more ro... (more) |
— | almost 10 years ago |