Posts by ShemSeger
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 ...
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 i...
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 du...
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 eve...
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...
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 o...
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 ...
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...
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 bindin...
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 ...
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 ultrali...
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...
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 ch...
The best way to land after bailing off a boulder is controlled, on your feet, and in the middle of the pad. Apart from that your landing isn't any different than it would be in any other activity w...
Get a proper backpack for a DSLR. I literally carry my DSLR backpack everywhere. It's basically my man-purse. The model I have has a camera pocket on the side, which I can access quickly by dropp...
The most likely cause of death would be a crash landing. When geese come in for a landing after a long flight they are exhausted and look for lakes or ponds to land on because they can glide in o...
Rocky Mountain Canadian here, The easiest way to identify good boots for ice is to simply feel the rubber on the soles. The softer and the stickier the rubber on the soles of the boots, the better...
You have to chip it. Primitive hand axes were very slowly and carefully shaped using another stone to chip away at the tool bit by bit until the desired shape was achieved. They were then sharpened...
There are several symptoms that could indicate an animal may have rabies–they have already been shared in other answers to this question–but the only way to know for certain if an animal is actuall...
Gojo Pumice Hand Cleaner. If you've worked with grease, grime, or in a coal mine then you know what pumice hand cleaner is, it has silica sand in it to help scour away the gunk. You use it without...
They fly on the wing currents produced by the birds in front of them. It's similar to drafting someone in front of you while cycling or racing. The leader is breaking trail, and the followers are b...
What you want to learn to tie is a Kiwi Coil. A kiwi coil is an alpine coil you manage and wear while still tied into the end of your rope. Tie in as you normally would while climbing or glacier...
Lots of people will double up twist-lock carabiners for various reasons, and it is considered an acceptable method of protection by many, although in my opinion it is very unnecessary (related: Is ...
I had a friend who lost a significant amount of weight from bouldering and climbing. What was remarkable about his weight loss is that as he began to shed pounds, his climbing strength and abilitie...
I think there's simply more to climb on El Cap. A quick look at the list of established climbs in Yosemite (http://www.yosemitebigwall.com/routes-by-difficulty) reveals that there are way more rout...
