Activity for ShemSeger‭

Type	On...	Excerpt	Status	Date
Answer	—	A: Climbing outdoors makes the skin of my palm red and sensitive Outdoor rock is more abrasive and wears your skin off much faster than the plastic holds in the gym. For example: The rock I climb mostly is considered to be the oldest stone in the Canadian rockies. It is old, weathered, and in places feels like holding onto sharks teeth or a saw blade. It makes you... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to repair a jacket whose pocket zip has detached from shell? Sew it back on and tape the seam. Stitching GoreTEX is the same as stitching any other material, the difference is you want to use Tenara thread, and you waterproof the seams on the inside of the garment after by ironing on GoreTEX seam tape. You can get any seamstress to repair your zipper, they'l... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: What attributes should I look for in an inexpensive multi-purpose folding bike? If you're cost motivated, then you don't need to look at anything else other than the price tag. Cheap bikes are cheap, so it doesn't really matter what they come with as long as they work. If you're really concerned about quality, then don't buy cheap. If you want to shop around for something decent... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: What are the benefits of saving bats? Bats eat hundreds of mosquitos per bat every night, which is amazing for human peoples and the principle reason people hang up special made bat houses. Bat guano (poop) also creates habitats for other species. There are entire ecosystems in caves that exist only because of bats. In those ecosystems b... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to keep socks from wicking rain off pants into boots GoreTex Gaiters are what I've always worn, and I've never had a problem with wet socks before. The GoreTex is nice and light, and breathes so you don't overheat or get very clammy underneath. You can get different sizes of gaiters from gaiters that barely cover you ankles to gaiters that go all the w... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is a type of walking trailer a good alternative to a heavy backpack in off-road conditions? I made a hiking "wheelbarrow" out of an old external frame backpack by bolting a pair of swoop handle bars to the top, and a Monty BMX wheel to the bottom. It was pretty awesome, I made it for an older gentleman who wanted to come backpacking with us but had a bad back, so couldn't carry a pack. He h... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Are there any reliable plants to use for navigation? No, plants cannot be relied on globally for directions. But they can give you hints sometimes. The only thing plants can tell you is in which direction the sun typically shines from. This isn't especially useful to you all the time when navigating, because in most situations you don't have to ask th... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Timing on building a small log cabin A lot of timber gets harvested in the winter, especially now that you can harvest timber from the comfort of the heated cab of a harvester. Falling trees in the winter does the least amount of damage to the trees, the ground, and surrounding vegetation, it also makes it easier to haul the logs out be... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Can I use SteriGENE broad spectrum disinfectant on abseil rope? I visit a lot of caves in the Canadian Rockies, and there are similar concerns with transporting microorganisms from cave to cave, as well as diseases such as white nose syndrome in bats. For the amount of organisms you're going to pick up on your nylon rope, it should be sufficient to clean your rop... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Why would porcupines sleep on the ground during the day? Porcupines are den animals, and rarely venture far from their dens. Trees are where they find food, but they seek shelter in little hidey-holes wherever they can find them. Most of the time, their dens are on or near the ground. They'll den in hollowed out logs, stumps, gaps in rocks, etc. Sleeping i... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to permanently label Nalgene bottles? I mark all my stuff with an engraver. All my Nalgenes have my name engraved right on the front under the Nalgene logo. You could engrave whatever you want on the front then do marker over top. The marker may rub off the smooth plastic, but not so much out of the engraving. Even if all the ink washes ... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Hot water system as a heater for car camping? Hot water bottles work great for keeping you warm at night in your sleeping bag. They shouldn't be relied on for warmth though, if you're consistently cold then you should get a warmer bag, or learn how to set up a proper sleep system. Hot water bottles are great for getting your bag warm for you whe... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Two kids sharing a sleeping bag Not a bad idea. I happen to have a 5 and 3 year old. I can think of reasons for not letting them sleep in the same sleeping bag, but none of them are because it wouldn't work in theory. If your two kids would actually sleep together in one bag, then I'd say it's a great idea. They'll stay warmer at ... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Can a person picky about water taste use a hydration bladder? I'm pretty picky about the taste of my water, I grew up high enough in the mountains that our tap water wasn't chemically treated, they simply filtered the spring water coming out of the mountains, and let gravity bring it the rest of the way into our homes. The first time I tried bottled water I tho... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is it possible to acclimatize to a cold weather in a short time? This will depend a lot on the individual. Some people may be able to acclimatize quickly, others will not. In parts of Western Canada the temperature is regularly +30°C in the Summer and -30°C in the winter, so the people here have to adapt to both extremes every year. How effectively y... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Are there any exercises that will strengthen my back to prepare for a day hike? Core exercises. Your abs are the bowstring to your back, if you have weak abs, you'll feel it in your back first. Wearing a heavy bag puts added stress on you back, which engages you abs, but we as homo-sapiens are lazy by nature (which is why we evolved to walk upright), so when we put extra stres... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to prevent metal eyelets from rusting? I think the simplest solution would be to wear ankle-high gaiters and salt the gaiters instead of your boots. This way you will get even added protection from the gaiter, and spare your expensive boot from the inevitable abuses of applying chemical treatments. click image You could also try using ... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Does it really matter which snow shoe goes on which foot? Most styles of snowshoes are symmetrical, and will work on either foot, but some bindings are designed to be right or left handed, meaning that they are easier to operate with one hand or the other. Lace up bindings can be worn on either foot without any problem, but snowshoes equipped with buckles... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Origin of the "bell curve" for rock climbing route setting A bell curve simply measures your median level of climbing ability in your gym. The "science" behind it is simply to cater to your customers, you need to set routes to attract the biggest demographic to your gym, which for most gyms is in the easy to intermediate range. At my local wall, one of the ... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Question	—	Can skunk spray be fatal to geese or other animals? This question comes from a circle of thought processes, so bear with me a moment... The skunks are waking up from hibernation, and after smelling so many sprays, one can't help but wonder (theoretically) what would happen if skunks were to suddenly go extinct? While discussing this with an animal co... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is amsteel blue appropriate for a use as a runner? Amsteel blue is a dyneema cord that size-for-size is just as strong as steel cable. It'll hold. In terms of abrasion resistance, dyneema happens to be superior to nylon rope when it comes to wear and tear. There are two factors to consider when using dyneema: It has a lower melting point than nylon... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: What is the best way to figure out the size/volume of an old pack? There's zero industry standardization for calculating the volume of a bag, and there are numerous factors that affect the total volume - like how many pockets/compartments are in the bag and, and the overall non-uniform shape of the bag. Most companies just do an approximation by stuffing a bag full... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: What is the rather large bug with a green body, black stripe down the middle, 8 orange legs , two large antenna and large chompers? That is a camel spider, they became famous on social media when the US invaded Iraq in the middle east where they are more common, and the troops started taking pictures and sending them home. Apparently they are also found in the SW USA, which I didn't know. Good news is they aren't venomous, they j... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: What is bog shoeing? Modern bog shoes are special footwear made for bog walking, or bogshoeing. Bogshoeing is essentially snowshoeing through marshlands. It's popular in Finland, and Estonia where they have large bogs that comprise over 20% of the country's area. Traversing these bogs is difficult or impossible without ... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Question	—	What is bog shoeing? This question asks about bog-crossing grades of difficulty, and special equipment like bog shoes. What are bog shoes? (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: What's a good resource for learning to tie knots for climbing? Animated Knots By Grog Arguably the best resource online for knot tying is Animated Knots by Grog, it's used by virtually every avid knot tyer I've known. They have excellent step-by-step animations for tying hundreds of common knots for rock climbing, sailing, rescue work, fishing, etc. There are a... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Question	—	What's a good resource for learning to tie knots for climbing? If I wanted to learn how to tie certain knots, or learn about new knots and what they're used for, what are some good resources to look up? (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to tie a super eight / double figure eight / bunny ear knot? See: Double Figure 8 Loop ("Bunny Ears") The Double figure eight is tied like a figure eight on a bight, except instead of finishing the knot by pulling the bight through the loop, fold your bight into a second bight, pull the second bight part way through the loop, then loop the end of your first b... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Question	—	What makes shoelaces so special? The laces on my hiking boots broke years ago, and instead of going out of my way to buy a replacement pair, I replaced them with some lengths of paracord I had kicking around, albeit with the intent of eventually getting proper laces. I never got around to it, and the bright yellow and pink cords are... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: How can you regain your feet when you lose an edge snowboarding on steep terrain? You aren't going to get an edge while you're scraping down the slope. What you need to do is get your board pointed down the slope so you can turn and cut a new edge. You will gain some speed attempting this, but essentially what you need to do is get up and get your board under control before you ca... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Crossing small corners of a glacier when hiking in summer I traversed my first glacier when I was 5 years old in Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park. For the most part, if you're following an established trail, then you likely aren't going to be venturing far enough onto the glacier to be met with any serious danger. The crossings will likely be like hiking in ... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: What everyday tasks can be adapted in a way that helps build muscles and technique for bouldering? When I started bouldering hard I would crimp and pinch everything: open doors by pinching the knobs with you finger tips; pick up things by crimping them on the edges (even if you can get a full open hand hold on it); hang of the trim of door frames; lean off what ever you're standing next to by your... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to defend against getting lyme disease? The best defense against ticks are your clothes. Ticks hang out on the ends of branches and blades of grass with their arms in he air waiting to hook onto anything that has blood to pass by. After they hook onto someone/something, they climb up until they find a nice spot to dig in, like under your s... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Question	—	Seagulls flocking by night? I just went outside (11:30pm) and could hear seagulls screaming/cawing overhead. I looked in the direction of where the sound was coming from and could see a couple hundred of them being illuminated by the lights of the buildings as they flew overhead. It's winter, it's still snowing, I'm just outsid... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: How can I prepare my body for a relatively hard hike? The mountain you're planning to hike is similar in size to the mountains I climb in the Canadian Rockies. I grew up climbing mountains, but I've never been one for training, especially running. If I was you I'd just go climb the mountain. When I was in University I led a group of guys on a multi-da... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Protecting climbing skins without a protective mesh What you did is not uncommon. Randonee racers fold their skins in half and stick them to themselves all the time. The mesh cheat sheets work great at prolonging the life of the glue on your skins, but they aren't 100% necessary. I ski with people who for years have only ever stuck their skins to them... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: When a sailing ship is pursuing another upwind, why does the distance gained to windward matter so much? For the same reason it matters in any other chase: distance gained in a pursuit brings you closer to the objective. Sailing upwind is like climbing up hill, it's slower going as opposed to being on flat ground or going down hill. Small gains upwind at slower speeds are as the book indicates: they c... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is it feasible that a black bear could kill a man with a single swat? Depends on the size of the bear. Black bears vary in size, small female bears can weigh in under 100 lbs, which makes them about the same size as a large dog. But big black bears can weigh in at more than 600 lbs. The largest black bear on record was in New Brunswick in Canada, and is estimated to ... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: What are the steps in the PBUS method of belaying? A good "how-to" on top rope belaying is given on the Expedition Backcountry Adventures Blog: Start Position 1. Pull ('P'bus) As the climber moves up the rock, you need to pull in the extra rope (slack) to keep the rope taught. Do this by pulling down on the climber’s si... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Question	—	How to mitigate injury when falling into a crevasse? I've imagined this scenario many times: you break through a snow bridge and fall into a hidden crevasse, how should you react? The fear is, if you're wearing crampons, your foot may snag the ice during the fall, in which case you're likely to break your ankle and get flipped upside down (upside down ... (more)	—	over 6 years ago
Answer	—	A: Escaping tree well Getting trapped in a tree-well is equally as dangerous as getting buried by an avalanche. In fact, it's claimed that tree-wells account for 20% of all ski deaths. Every professional guide I've ever skied with has warned that tree wells are just as deadly as avalanches. You need to treat tree-wells w... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to make rock climbing more challenging without changing to a more difficult route? The most common way to add difficulty to a climbing route is to climb it without using all the available features in the rock. There's a popular top roping crag in Waterton Lakes National Park that sees a lot of traffic. To mix things up a bit, the locals will climb the routes without using specific ... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to repair top section of tent pole Aluminum poles will typically break in the fashion you describe when they aren't fully inserted into their fittings. There are easy patches for breaks in the middle of a pole (just slide a sleeve of longer diameter tube over the break area), but unfortunately, aluminum poles aren't easily repaired, e... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to safely descend a slope in high winds? One technique I found that worked was to get low and lead with my feet. When a gust came along, instead of pushing into the wind, I'd try to duck under the gust and reach forward with me feet. All the while I was trying to keep my ax plunged into the snow behind me, which wasn't easy for moving becau... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Question	—	How to safely descend a slope in high winds? I went ice climbing the other day at an exposed climb in gale force winds. This place is notorious for wind, and the gusts we were getting that day felt like they were up to the 80-90km gusts range. It was a full on Chinook. It wasn't bad when you were on the ice hanging on to your tools, but on the... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: Are AT skis unsuited for downhill skiing at a resort? There's nothing wrong with using your AT gear at a resort. Actually, to a degree, your gear will probably see less wear on a resort than during traditional AT use. When climbing hills, your bindings and boots will see on the average a few thousand steps each day. That's thousands of actuations of th... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: Does warming an enclosed area with an open flame provide help with drying wet fabric? Yes. It's a known fact that warm air can hold more moisture than cool air. Put a wet garment in a warm dry room and it will dry faster than in a cool dry room. It's called relative humidity, the warmer the air, the more moisture it will hold. In an enclosed area, a warmer room will dry out a garm... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: What are "minimalist shoes"? Minimalist shoes or "barefoot" shoes are shoes that provide your feet with some form of protection, but get you as close to a barefoot experience as possible. The styles range from simple ultralight sneakers, to thin almost slipper like shoes, all the way down to stick on shoes: image source ima... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is it unhealthy to wear minimal footwear? The answer to this question will vary on your level of foot strength and the terrain. Human beings did pretty well for thousands of years without supportive footwear, but when they started walking on hard stone and climbing rocky mountains they quickly discovered their feet weren't suited for it. Yo... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago
Answer	—	A: Are there any concrete techniques for down climbing? Down climbing is always harder than climbing up, and more dangerous as well. Most serious injuries on mountains occur during the descent. The technique to down climbing a boulder problem is to choose your route down before you climb up. Before you ascend anything you should always be thinking abou... (more)	—	almost 7 years ago

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