Activity for Chris Mendezâ€
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edit | Post #41949 | Initial revision | — | over 4 years ago |
| Edit | Post #41474 | Initial revision | — | over 4 years ago |
| Edit | Post #41473 | Initial revision | — | over 4 years ago |
| Edit | Post #41443 | Initial revision | — | over 4 years ago |
| Edit | Post #40737 | Initial revision | — | over 4 years ago |
| Edit | Post #40343 | Initial revision | — | over 4 years ago |
| Edit | Post #40291 | Initial revision | — | over 4 years ago |
| Edit | Post #40289 | Initial revision | — | over 4 years ago |
| Edit | Post #40288 | Initial revision | — | over 4 years ago |
| Edit | Post #40272 | Initial revision | — | over 4 years ago |
| Edit | Post #40223 | Initial revision | — | over 4 years ago |
| Edit | Post #39795 | Initial revision | — | over 4 years ago |
| Question | — |
How to prevent an autoblock knot from twisting? When tying my autoblock knot my cord keeps twisting, and it does not end up looking nearly this nice: I use a double-fisherman loop of cord that stays permanently tied, and it lays flat. How can I prevent my cord from twisting? Perhaps I should pre-twist my cord to counter the twist that the knot... (more) |
— | over 7 years ago |
| Question | — |
Do I need a hard shell to ski in sunny weather conditions? I'm going skiing for the first time. From what I've read, most everyone uses hard shell jackets and pants for skiing. However, they usually mention something about skiing in bad weather, frigid cold temperatures, long hours in the back country, etc. If I go skiing during sunny weather conditions, is... (more) |
— | almost 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Does resoling change a climbing shoe's fit? If climbing shoes are resoled, will they fit differently afterward? If so, in what way does it change (narrower, shorter, tighter, looser, etc..)? (more) |
— | about 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
What is the working range of TRUBLUE auto belay? The local climbing gym has several TRUBLUE auto belays but one can soon tire of the same routes. Will the auto belay work if one climbs a route next to it? At what angles does it still arrest a fall? I found this mention of belay lanes but it only cites swinging and webbing wear as factors, not pote... (more) |
— | about 8 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Safety in re-slinging old trad gear Testing by the QC Lab at Black Diamond suggests there is a lot more design and consideration going into cam/friend sling design than just knot vs bar tack. Because when the Camalot was loaded during testing, the cable pinches down, and ultimately cut the webbing at loads less than we were happy w... (more) |
— | about 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Belaying directly off a ground anchor? I recently visited a new climbing gym and was instructed to belay directly off a ground anchor without any attachment to my harness. I've been to other gyms that belay with ground anchors but with instruction to also attach the carabiner to the climbing harness. What is the benefit of belaying direc... (more) |
— | about 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
How to rappel with a dog? My wife and I are planning a camping and climbing trip and we would likely need to rappel with our medium-sized (45lbs/20kg) dog. Holding the dog is obviously unacceptable, and using the dog's backpack is also unacceptable due to the flimsiness of the straps and buckles. Simply from a technical pers... (more) |
— | about 8 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: What is this belay/descender device called and how is it used? As the others have said, this appears to be a homemade assisted-braking belay device or homemade descender, similar to a GriGri. The moving lobe inside is meant to grab the rope under upward pressure. More importantly, does the item have a UIAA or EN or CE markings, or any markings at all? I'm guess... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: What is a splice in spools of tubular webbing? Do spools of webbing still have splices? Yes. As Paul's answer pointed out, there was a well-known accident caused by a climber purchasing webbing with a tape splice in the middle. Furthermore, multiple retailers have various warnings that spools may contain up to three sections (ie, two splices) p... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Keeping the things interesting in a small climbing gym Climb easy routes very slowly Try climbing the easy routes slowly to focus on technique. Climbers will often blow through a route by relying on strength and dynamic moves, but moving slowly and deliberately while focusing on foot placement, posture, and balance, will help you find improvements. Movi... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Is there a general rule for climbing runout grading? Climbing route grades in Yosemite Decimal System can be suffixed with an "R" to notify a runout. The Wikipedia entry for a runout is A lengthy distance between two points of protection which in some, but not all, cases might be perceived as frightening or dangerous. May also be used as an adjecti... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Is a single strand of webbing unacceptable for climbing anchors? While browsing the DumbAnchors blog, I came across a post which points out the poor use of a single strand (not a loop) of webbing for building top rope anchors. The blogger doesn't say why these are unacceptable to use, he only points out the mistakes people make. Assuming the other components of ... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Is a barrel knot the same as a double/triple overhand knot? Climbing.com has a video showing how to tie a barrel knot in the end of a rope. To me (and many of you, I suspect) this knot is the very commonly-used double overhand knot. Confused, I looked for other uses of the term barrel knot and found this snippet on the Animated Knots page for a barrel hitc... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Do tent colors have functional purposes? I'm shopping for a new tent and considering a model that comes in two different colors-- bright orange and dark green. Purely-aesthetic preferences aside (ie, like orange more than green), are there any functional or practical differences between a brightly-colored tent and a natural-colored tent? ... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
When is it appropriate to make a cairn? Cairns are small stacks of rocks used to mark trails. These can be especially useful above the tree line where other trail blazes would be inappropriate or unsightly. This answer discourages their use in some circumstances as their use creates paths where there previously were none. In which situat... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
Roof-top tents vs conventional tents? I have noticed a slow but steady rise in the number of campers using roof-top tents like these and those, among many others. What are the advantages and disadvantages of these over conventional ground tents? In what circumstances would someone prefer one versus the other? Note: Assume this type ... (more) |
— | over 8 years ago |
| Question | — |
How can I recognize a game trail? I've been out hiking in wilderness areas when I came across an unmarked trail. It wasn't on a map but it appeared to lead in the direction I wanted to go. I decided not to take it in case it was a game trail leading in the wrong direction. In the future, how can I tell if this is just a game trail o... (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
| Question | — |
What is the different between climb-spec and military-spec webbing? I'm shopping for some 1" tubular webbing. There is climb-spec webbing and military-spec webbing. The military-spec description says Meets industry-standard military specs for breaking strength and resistance to abrasion What exactly is the difference, if any, between these two? When should each... (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
| Question | — |
How tight should I tie hiking boot laces? I was reading another post about properly lacing hiking boots, and while it talks about methods for tying the laces, it doesn't address how tight the laces should be on properly tied hiking boots. So how do I know when the laces are tightened properly? How tight is too tight? (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
| Question | — |
Are pets allowed to thru-hike US National Scenic Trails? In the US, National Scenic Trails span many different land types (state/federal parks, forests, etc). While these all have different rules on pets, I was wondering if the National Trail System designation has special rules. Are pets (particularly dogs, in my case) allowed to thru-hike US National Sc... (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
| Question | — |
What is a safe distance for large, non-predatory wildlife? When visiting areas with free-roaming wildlife such as American Bison and Texas Longhorns, there are numerous signs warning about keeping a safe distance. They don't, however, actually specify the safe distance. While I would normally steer clear (pun intended) of predatory animals such as wolves, ... (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
| Question | — |
What is the best time of day to view Bison in Oklahoma? I'll be visiting Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma which is known, among other things, for having free-roaming American Bison. I've never seen any in the 'wild'. Is there a specific time of day they are most active, and if so, when is that? (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Protection from rain - running vs. walking Theoretically, run. Practically, slowly jog or briskly walk so that you don't slip and fall. The TV series MythBusters initially tested this with artificial rain and found that walking was better due to less surface area in the rain. However, after revisiting in actual rain, they found that running ... (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
| Question | — |
What are the dangers of descending/rappeling very quickly? Sometimes when descending with a GriGri, I get the urge to pull hard and zip down the line. Safe reasoning returns and I continue descending with a safe, steady pace. However, I would like to know what sort of dangers exist from descending very quickly, whether using a GriGri or any other descender. ... (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: What type of seabed attracts speckled trout? It depends on the location and temperature of the water. Generally, speckled trout can be found in shallow bays and estuaries near grass flats and oyster beds. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department suggests: shallower bays and estuaries with oyster beds and seagrass beds that attract prey species... (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
| Question | — |
Can Manila rope be straightened/relaxed? I've got some 1/4 inch Manila rope that's really, really curly. It ends up very tangled and difficult to manage. Is there a way to straighten or relax it? (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
| Question | — |
Is soda can fishing actually effective? While out fishing on a popular gulf coast pier, I've seen some people pull in fish left and right using only a crumpled soda can as a lure tied to a hook and line. Meanwhile, I was using normal bait and tackle and left empty-handed. Is this soda can technique actually effective or is it just luck (c... (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
| Question | — |
Drift fishing vs anchor fishing? When bay/inshore fishing from a boat, one can drift fish (where you let the tide carry your boat) and anchor fish (where you anchor your boat to one spot). Besides the obvious, what are the differences between the two? Or put differently, when would you choose one method over the other? (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
| Question | — |
What type of seabed attracts speckled trout? What type of seabed should I be fishing on when trying to catch speckled trout along the Texas Gulf Coast? (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
| Question | — |
Why are these acceptable and safe anchors? Everyone knows redundancy is chief when building climbing anchors. However, I have seen several types of anchors that don't appear to be fully redundant due to a single ring providing the master point. Why are these acceptable and safe anchors? (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
| Question | — |
How to visually identify a rap hanger? If I'm out on the rock and I come across a pair of hangers, how can I tell the difference between rap hangers (the kind you can directly thread rope through to rappel) and regular hangers (the kind that you must clip a carabiner or quick link into)? I would be specifically looking for the rap hangers... (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Any dangerous animals attracted to fire? Though not necessarily attracted to fire, I found several anecdotal references to bears simply ignoring camp fires and wandering into camps. Other accounts differ on the effectiveness. It sounds like animals are more scared by smoke than just fire, but I can't really find a consensus. It appears the... (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
| Answer | — |
A: Can urinating around camp attract wildlife? According to Backpacker, and the National Park Service, peeing attracts some large predators because animals like the salty taste: ...urinate well away from camp on rock, sandy areas, or duff. Animals are attracted to salts in urine... I would argue, therefore, that urinating around your campsi... (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
| Question | — |
Efficient technique for handling trad gear? I have been practicing trad climbing and I've run into some difficulty managing and handling the gear. Specifically, I'm awkwardly taking cams off my gear loops, fiddling with them, and finally placing them in the crack. To summarize my basic technique: Grab the carabiner of the cam with my hand an... (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
| Question | — |
Is the keeper wire loop on a tubular belay device necessary? The Reverso 4, ATC Guide, and others all have a keeper wire loop for carrying. However, the wire seems unnecessary -- one could simply cut it off and carry the device using the large hanging eye or rope eye. Is the keeper wire necessary or is this a bad idea? (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
| Question | — |
What is the technique for fishing with live croaker bait? I've heard good things about fishing the Texas gulf coast with live croaker bait. What is the technique for fishing with this bait? Specifically, where should one hook the bait and what technique is used for fishing with it? (more) |
— | almost 9 years ago |
| Question | — |
Can nylon ropes fail from bend fatigue? Everyone knows that bending a paperclip back and forth will eventually cause it to break. This is due to a process called fatigue. And while this answer discusses the elastic limits for fatigue, I don't know if that directly applies to the bending of the rope/cord through knots and movement over part... (more) |
— | about 9 years ago |
| Question | — |
When are the best times/months to catch speckled trout on the US Gulf Coast? I would like to go fishing for speckled trout (proper name spotted seatrout) along the US Gulf Coast, specifically near Galveston Bay and Trinity Bay. What months are the best times to catch speckled trout? (more) |
— | about 9 years ago |