DavidR‭

I've heard rumors of studies that show that trekking poles reduce the force on your legs during a hike (by transferring it to your arms). The only reference to a study I could find was this one, b...

posted 11y ago by DavidR‭  ·  last activity 11y ago by System‭

This is a common question for beginners to ask. Climbing feels overwhelmingly strenuous when you're starting out. There are a variety of exercises that are recommended to strengthen your fingers,...

posted 12y ago by DavidR‭  ·  last activity 12y ago by System‭

Its not a piece of equipment, but if you're transitioning to climbing out doors, you probably want to have some training in how to rig a toprope, and / or how to lead. Climbing guidebooks that adv...

posted 12y ago by DavidR‭  ·  last activity 12y ago by System‭

You mention that they're newer boots in your post. You could also wear them enough to make sure you've broken them in BEFORE your big hiking trip. Wear them to work (if you can get away with it)....

posted 12y ago by DavidR‭

One other difference - in the winter, your food and water can freeze during the day. Make sure that your lunch (or anything else you'd eat without cooking) is something that you can actually chew ...

posted 12y ago by DavidR‭

I think you understand this, but just for the record: The recommendation is to learn how to use an autoblock correctly, and to make sure that the loops of the autoblock won't get caught in the bel...

posted 11y ago by DavidR‭

The Ethic So, the ethic among experienced climbers is to not toprope on the base of a popular multipitch route. In addition to the safety issues you point out, its just not fair to the people who...

posted 11y ago by DavidR‭  ·  last activity 11y ago by System‭

Maybe? It may depend on where you're getting the blisters. A lot of the blisters that I get from hiking boots are on my heels, or on the sides of my toes. I don't think that barefoot walking wou...

posted 11y ago by DavidR‭

I've seen this kind of behavior. I think there's a tendency for people to want to continue to do things the way they're used to doing them, and the way they were originally trained. It can be a l...

posted 11y ago by DavidR‭  ·  last activity 9y ago by System‭

Muir Valley is a privately owned area, so presumably the coins are acceptable to the retired couple that owns it. Don't know about Ontario, but in the US (the Red River Gorge aside) most climbing ...

posted 10y ago by DavidR‭

It depends. If you're in a climbing gym, or some scenario where you're belaying someone on toprope on a route that's less than 50' tall, runs straight up-and-down ( so there's no chance for the ...

posted 11y ago by DavidR‭  ·  last activity 11y ago by System‭

The best way, when it works It usually works to grab the whole mass of coils, and flip them over when handing them to the second. When you're doing this, care has to be taken that you don't wrap ...

posted 11y ago by DavidR‭  ·  last activity 11y ago by System‭

I've never done it personally, but you can weave an old rope into a rug. There are several patterns on the Internet. Here's one if them: So You Want to Make a Rope Rug Eh! With an old harness, ...

posted 11y ago by DavidR‭  ·  last activity 8y ago by System‭

Knee and Anlke pain In your question, you mention that you have recently been experiencing knee and ankle pain from hiking. Reading it again, it sounds like you're almost trying to find the "righ...

posted 11y ago by DavidR‭

Scar Tissue You would need to strike a balance between doing enough damage to build callouses, and not doing so much damage that you cut yourself (and build scar tissue). Scar tissue is weaker th...

posted 11y ago by DavidR‭  ·  last activity 11y ago by System‭