Felix‭

The US government just shut down, stopping funding for (and thus closing) most National Parks, BLM lands, campgrounds on national lands, etc... What areas are still open?

2 answers  ·  posted 9y ago by Felix‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by System‭

This is sadly a very persistent myth that has been around rock climbing for far too long. Black Diamond says that as long as the gate action is fine and there is no major structural damage, the gea...

posted 9y ago by Felix‭  ·  last activity 3y ago by System‭

First, see my comment above. Get some professional instruction. Seriously. To answer your points directly: Build a snow anchor, then transfer the load to your anchor. Holding your partner's weig...

posted 9y ago by Felix‭  ·  last activity 9y ago by System‭

Petzl does recommend this for the second bolt: Clip the second bolt at waist level; this reduces the amount of rope out and thus helps prevent the climber hitting the ground in case of a fa...

posted 8y ago by Felix‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by System‭

Completely personal preference. The only thing to do are keep it out of the sun (check), dry (check... I hope), and away from corrosives and other sharp things (definitely check). I usually store ...

posted 8y ago by Felix‭

I alternate between the double fisherman's (which everyone has already talked about) and the flat overhand. Lately I've been leaning towards the flat overhand. The benefit of the flat overhand is ...

posted 8y ago by Felix‭

This, probably more than any issue in climbing, has generated more discussion, heated debates, and vitriol (especially on the internet) than any other issue in climbing. Both sides (lower vs. rappe...

posted 8y ago by Felix‭

Coming up with emergency information for a recent trip got me thinking: What information should you leave with your emergency contact? I imagine the answer depends on the length of the trip, remot...

3 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Felix‭  ·  last activity 6y ago by System‭

The American Alpine club publishes this data for North America annually, though it's unlikely to cover all accidents. One of the best visualizations of this data I've found is from Steph Abegg: Mo...

posted 8y ago by Felix‭

This question is the opposite from this one: What would the consequences of using a US two-way radio (GMRS/FRS) in Europe? I know Europe has their own frequency range for two-way radios (PMR), but ...

1 answer  ·  posted 7y ago by Felix‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

I'll address the mountaineering viewpoint (as opposed to the other good answers about the climbing viewpoint). Mountaineering usually involves covering a lot of distance over a bunch of different ...

posted 6y ago by Felix‭

Short roping is an advanced technique, but it is a necessary one to progress quickly and safely in the mountains. As with most techniques, knowing when to apply it just as important (or more) as th...

posted 5y ago by Felix‭

In another question someone posted a photo of a skier going up an apparently extremely steep slope on skins. This slope looks so steep that skinning would be really difficult (especially on an icy...

5 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Felix‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Belay glasses are (in Europe) so common that they are basically now part of the standard gym/crag equipment, just like an autolocking belay device. In some places, it can be rare to see someone wit...

posted 4y ago by Felix‭

You could try adding in a few bouldering sessions if you're mostly doing roped climbs. I find that bouldering strengthens the fingers much more than roped climbing, simply because it's higher-inte...

posted 4y ago by Felix‭