Posts by Wills
I would like to do a winter bivouac but have no gear for it yet. Especially the choice of a bivi pack is really tough for me because I'd prefer to be able to use it also in summer as a rescue item ...
Neglecting the wind (advection) the tarp shouldn't make any noticeable difference. I doubt you could measure even one Kelvin difference. Even a tent isn't providing a lot of warmth during night bu...
While searching for a sleeping bag I was told that goose down is clearly superior to duck down in terms of quality. I guess that means e.g. the fill power (measured in cuin). What exactly are the d...
Consider we are trying to pre-acclimate for an expedition in Himalaya to shorten the actual timespan on site. As an example, I am expecting a benefit if I go in the Alps for several days above 400...
As far as I know canoeing is the generic term which contains e.g. canadians and kayaks. What do I have to look for as an absolute water sports beginner in terms of: costs knowledge (eskimo roll a...
The linked topic of @Eyal is a good starting point to get an idea what to expect on those kind of hut treks. I would recommend to get information from online trip reports like on the site you linke...
Yesterday I was hiking in partly deep snow where postholing was inevitable. I had no problems until one moment when I was getting cramps in the femoral. Luckily it was close to the end of my tour a...
I am searching for a down sleeping bag and found two alternatives. They are from one manufacturer so data should be comparable. bag ("A"): T_limit = -13°C weight = 1000g filled with 600g of 85...
I usually sharp my crampons when I am expecting icy conditions, that means glare ice. Especially when you go steep and need front point technique, you need to rely on those points - all your bodys ...
It's not really about the tent, it is about planned "bivouacs" (that means you plan to sleep outdoors) and emergency bivouacs where the latter of course aren't forbidden. That means if you carry a...
In southern Germany there are a lot of steep hills which don't have too much rock but mainly grass. Therefore people are "grass climbing" mountains, there is even a grass climbing grade for it. ...
Depends on the situation and therefore the gear you have along and the environment you are in. For example if you are on an alpine tour, you can do similar as we did this year in a bivouac: try ...
Isolation and prominence are the two key criteria to classify a peak as an independent mountain. To understand the meaning I like the visualization from the German Wiki where "Dominanz" means i...
Yes and don't even think about leaving your fleece at home... Even if you are moving fast and therefore producing a lot of warmth by the exercise there is always the possibility to get into bad wea...
You can't really force anybody to like anything. When you try so you will most likely discourage them even more. What you can try to do is convice them to give it a shot (what you did) and prepare ...
I can't speak for the Scottish winter and there definitely are differences to the Alps. But still I can give you an overview what is important to learn if you are going to do alpine summer tours in...
International standard and very easy to remember is the Y or N signal. If you want to communicate more than that, your signals should be easy and self-explaining. If you are e.g. climbing and it...
While reading this article about mountaineering boots I found following quote by Ian Nicholson quite interesting: "When climbing in a double boot, bring the liner in your sleeping bag at night ...
The last weeks I observed couple times that I am getting stiffness/muscle ache in the upper arms after a boulder session. What's special about this is that it is very delayed. For example I went to...
I just saw a documentary where they investigated lakes inside of glaciers. They rapelled in big crevasses and even dived in those sometimes huge water reservoirs. The scientist had a regular looki...
Always drinking pure water can be boring and tasteless, especially when you have to filtrate it or use sterilizer/purification tabs which might cause the water to taste really bad. What are easy (...
Like being said you could also ask if price scales with quality. That's not true in general as we all know. What hasn't been said is that there are big differences in terms of labor conditions, su...
First of all, I will just spread some ideas. I never did a winter bivi by myself. Please don't blindly trust my words. But... because I am interested in the idea and like to do something similar i...
Some general rules: layer system also for the hands is a good idea but those gardening gloves won't work pretty well better use inner liner gloves (wool or even a softshell glove) and a warm mitt...
The repetition of the really great alpine routes seemed to us much more interesting than discovering obscure little climbs in remote corners. Like ugly girls, many of the ridges and faces which ...
