Posts by Roflo
I've recently retired a rope (dynamic) and a harness. They're both in very good shape, but just over 8 years old. Common sense dictates I throw them away, but I wonder if there are other uses I can...
I have a friend who climbs with another group. She recently had her first couple of experiences as lead climber (sport climbing). I'm concerned that she doesn't have the required theory for lead c...
A friend just came back from the beach and he mentioned he decided not to take his bike because he wasn't sure if it would be easy/comfortable to ride it on the sand. We started discussing if it w...
I don't usually care too much about making a pee stop if I'm hiking (I just don't mind). In the last couple of years, however, I've taken on running and have since ran a marathon and a handful of h...
Related: How do I avoid leeches? There's plenty of anecdotal evidence that suggests tobacco is toxic for leeches. However, I couldn't find any sources that mention why (thought I found a promising...
The one way I know to remove the twists from a climbing rope, requires for the rope not to be hanging nor in use in any way. The procedure is quite simple but may require help from your partner: ...
Years ago, after a storm, I found a dead bird with an id ring on its leg. I wanted to find out where to report it, but before I returned with a camera to take a photo, a neighbor decided to dispos...
I started reading Petzl's tech tips for mountaineering. While on the section for Crossing a Bergschrund, specifically in the part for Belaying a leader we have the following warning: Warning: t...
We have a new puppy and can't wait to take him to TGO. Since he's still growing he'll grow out of any harness that fits at the moment. I'm considering tying a harness out of webbing, but all inst...
When reading this question (What is the ecological justification (if any) for bird feeders?) on bird feeders I wondered if there would be an ecological impact on having a bird bath. Especially in ...
According to this page (cache here) it's a Chukar partridge (Alectoris chukar): The Chukar (Alectoris chukar) is a Eurasian upland game bird in the pheasant family Phasianidae of the order Gall...
There are a few reasons you could use a ground anchor, although none of them are optimal solutions: The climber is significantly heavier than you (though in reality you should anchor the belayer ...
Efficiency, mostly The fire should be able to burn very hot. Less fuel is needed (faster cooking). Produces less smoke. Less susceptible to wind. Light is shielded. Easy to cover up to extinguish...
While reading this answer I ended up watching a couple of youtube videos and heard this guy mentioning a "Dakota fire pit". I hadn't heard about it before, but could easily find a few images by se...
Have you tried Google Maps? On the top-left corner there's a blue button to ask for directions: I tried to enter your route and it shows me a seemingly decent route. Just be sure to indicate t...
You should run There's a good video from MinutePhysics that explains it all: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MqYE2UuN24 The short(er) version is that the amount of water you "run into" depends ...
Many questions (and answers) about lightning seem to focus on avoiding being hit directly by lightning but don't consider being close to where it hits the ground. Granted, it may be intentional (ie...
Anyone had similar issues? Several years ago I sprained my ankle. I was lead-climbing a route that was a bit over my technical skills. I was in an overhanging segment above and sideways to my...
While reading this question it stuck me as odd that a fifi hook is mentioned on par with a daisy chain. Not being trained for aid climbing, I'm not sure why I'd want to use a fifi at all. The only...
I was reading this question and the first thing that popped into my head is what do you use to mark the middle of the rope? I was taught not to use any kind of marker on the rope (because there's ...
It's a bit of both. Security When toproping, an experienced belayer should have the necessary training to adjust slack/tension depending on the route itself. For example, to avoid any swings that...
According to Yosemite Park's website, bears have lost fear towards humans and will try to get food from whatever is the easiest way. This usually means that it's easier to break a car's window of ...
I usually do sport-climbing so I've never owned a static rope. However, most rope-related Q&As in TGO.SE don't bother specifying dynamic vs static ropes. I've been told that for rappelling (o...
