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Activity for imsodin‭

Type On... Excerpt Status Date
Answer A: Belaying directly off a ground anchor?
Advantages Weight difference This is reduced to whether the belayer has enough strength to control the brake strand (which is almost always the case, only extreme examples like small children are an issue). Belaying traditionally the belayer can be pulled against the wall and/or towards the first e...
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over 7 years ago
Question Releasable knot to attach blocking device in slackline setup
Main specification I need a knot to attach the self blocking non-releasable part of the pulley used to my slackline setup with a small piece of cord. Therefore the knot should be secure for high loads and against accidental releasing. On the other hand it needs to be releasable safely (without finge...
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almost 8 years ago
Answer A: Is the fishermen's greeting "Petri Heil" accepted all around the world?
This answer is based on the meaning of "Petri Heil", I have hardly any first hand knowledge of the use of this phrase. For starters it is certainly restricted to countries where the majority religion is christianity, as "Petri" is a reference to the biblical fisherman Petrus (Luke 5.1-11 and John 21...
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almost 8 years ago
Answer A: Difference when using twin or half ropes
ShemSeger's answer already contains good information and a great self-made illustration. So please read it, I will merely expand on it. Three man parties With single and twin ropes, you need to belay the two seconds separately after each other or attach one in the middle of the rope. With half rope...
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almost 8 years ago
Answer A: How to get drinking water if I am stuck below Matterhorn summit?
The solvay biwak is solely an emergency shelter. There is an emergency radio available. So if you sleep there without declaring an emergency (even if just to inform the authorities) you have to expect to be fined (the locals are very strict and fines not negligible). In August you cannot expect snow...
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almost 8 years ago
Answer A: Difficulty belaying with a Gri Gri
This is a know problem for the GriGri, especially the newer version GriGri2. The GriGri2 is compatible with rope diameters of 8.9-11mm. The old one officially supports 10-11mm diameter, however is often used with thinner ropes as well (on your own risk). So the tendency for the rope to get stuck whil...
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almost 8 years ago
Answer A: How can I tie my laces so they don't come undone?
First of all if you are really interested in tying your shoes, check out Ian's Shoelace Site. All credit for the imagery used here and most of the information given goes to the author Ian Fieggen. For me the requirements to my shoelace knot are the same as yours (and probably most of everyone's): S...
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almost 8 years ago
Answer A: Extending a two bolt anchor with one sling?
Webbing/cord and bolts I always learned that bolts and any kind of webbing or cord is a no-go. Even if the edges are not sharp the webbing/cord is bent around a very small radius which weakens it significantly. Today there is one new option: Kevlar cords. These can be used directly in bolts, as t...
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almost 8 years ago
Answer A: Am I able to "open up" a snake bite and suck the venom out of it?
This is simply a compendium of relevant answers already given. Hopefully someone will come up with an original more detailed answer. This is from an answer by WedaPashi in What are the first aid precautions to be taken in case of a snake bite?. Do not let anyone try to suck the venom out of t...
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almost 8 years ago
Answer A: What are the pros and cons of ice axe leashes?
Notice: I consider this a question about classical mountaineering. The question becomes very debatable if you include steep ice. In short: Do not use hand leashes on mountaineering ice axes: you attach a sharp tool to yourself which has a high chance of serious injury in case of a fall. Safety Whil...
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almost 8 years ago
Answer A: Top Rope Anchors - is a figure-8 on a bight stronger or just easier to untie than an overhand knot?
This answer does not provide much new information to Ben Crowell's and Charlie Brumbaugh's, but I am not entirely in agreement with all their different conclusions. TLDR: In your use case and most use cases strength reduction by a knot is not an issue, so use whatever save knot you are comfortable w...
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almost 8 years ago
Answer A: How to inspect climbing bolts?
To add to a set of already great answers I would like to add two points: Glued bolts and weird old bolts. There are generally two types of bolts used presently: Mechanical and glued bolts. Mechanical bolts are mostly sleeve anchors: When tightening the nut the first time a cone is driven under the s...
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almost 8 years ago
Question Explanation of aid climbing grades
There is already the question Please Explain Rock Climbing Grades however I would like to know about aiding grades. StrongBad's answer to an aid/trad question mentions A0 and C1 grades. Are these two scales or are letters and numbers major and minor grades? Please explain this (these) aid related gr...
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almost 8 years ago
Answer A: How dangerous is it to climb a via ferrata alone?
The overall risk comparison between being alone or in a group can be split into parts: falling: no increased risk This is obviously independent of being in a group or soloing as climbing on a via ferrata is a solo activity. severity of fall: hardly any increased risk The safety device used on via f...
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almost 8 years ago
Answer A: Can you pre-identify the risk of severe Altitude sickness?
I could not find evidence of an existing test and there is no widely accepting known cause. The only risk factor commonly noted is having been previously affected by AMS. Other mentioned risk factors include: anemia preexisting heart or lung disease However I found one article about a study done ...
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almost 8 years ago
Question What does lumen and lux for flashlights/torches actually mean?
Most torches have their brightness specified in lumen, sometimes one also sees a lux number, at times both. While the technical meaning of these units are clear (lumen is luminous intensity per steradian, lux luminous intens. per area, see wikipedia for more details), it is unclear how these numbers ...
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almost 8 years ago
Answer A: Best type of rope for glacier travel?
Mr. Wizards answer provides nice pictures supplied by Beal about what type of ropes can be used on ice/snow and rock. Quick recap: On ice/snow you can use every rope type (single, half and twin) with a single strand. If there is rock involved the single rope can still be used with one strand, while t...
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about 8 years ago
Question Difference when using twin or half ropes
There are three types of ropes according to the UIAA/EN norm for climbing ropes: Single, half and twin. While the distinction between single ropes and the other two is rather obvious (one strand versus two parallel strands) it is not so clear for half and twin ropes. What are the differences between...
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about 8 years ago
Answer A: What equipment is needed for glacier hiking?
As already stated several times: If you know what you need to do on a glacier, you know what material to take. The other way round does not work: Just having the necessary gear will not insure proper crevasse rescue. So your first step is to take a course or find someone experienced to show you. This...
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about 8 years ago
Answer A: How can I tell a &#x201C;trail shoe&#x201D; from a regular sport shoe?
The problem is, that these are a (comparatively) new type of shoes and a hybrid of other types. Therefore there is no clear definition, not even consistent naming. Trail running shoes These are the closest to "normal" sports shoes. They are however very light. The competition shoes have hardly any ...
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about 8 years ago
Answer A: What is this belay/descender device called and how is it used?
This looks very much like a homemade Grigri replication (or a predecessor). I assume from your description that the moving parts both rotate around the visible upper axis (red circle): One is the cover and the upper the block with the hole on the left. The position of the block in the lower part is a...
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about 8 years ago
Answer A: Methods for taping hands, wrists, and fingers for climbing?
One case of taping I personally know to be effective has not yet been addressed. A typical injury in climbing is a lumbrical tear in the most severe case. More likely than a full tear is a strain, which does not even have to involve holding a one finger pocket. A typical symptom is a pronounced pain ...
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about 8 years ago
Answer A: How can I transfer my weight to a toprope anchor at the bolts?
You are clearly overthinking this. Even if your are hanging freely, you should be able to take away your weight from the rope by pulling on gear and unclip the quickdraw (there is nothing that can go wrong, you are on belay). Still there are different ways to do this in a controlled fashion, in pract...
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about 8 years ago
Answer A: Is there a general rule for climbing runout grading?
First of all: Even if in a region/guide the Yosemite Decimal System is used, you cannot be sure that ratings are comparable to other regions/guides using the same system. This varies a lot depending on the local culture and history of climbing. In general the protection rating is not primarily based...
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about 8 years ago
Answer A: Can I use one helmet for both kayaking and skiing?
As the protection required in these activities differ, there are different standards for helmets: EN 1385 for kayaking and EN 1077 for skiing. There are of course even more norms for other helmets. So technically, you need a helmet that fulfils both these norms. I am not aware of a helmet that has bo...
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about 8 years ago
Answer A: How should I vet belayers? What should I look for?
When it is about new climbing partners you need to be very careful. This is not paranoia, simply necessity as you will be trusting them with your life. In any other situation, you wouldn't take that lightly either. I found none of the options like asking them how often or since when they climb, look...
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about 8 years ago
Answer A: Is a barrel knot the same as a double/triple overhand knot?
Firstly, the knot in the video by climbing.com is not a double overhand knot. They do one additional turn, so I would call it a "triple overhand knot". Now if you google this term you get hits, but only videos/discussions, no entry in animatedknots.com or wikis. So I guess at climbing.com they just m...
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about 8 years ago
Answer A: Is a single strand of webbing unacceptable for climbing anchors?
As with most things in climbing, I myself would not go as far as saying this is generally unacceptable. In multipoint anchors there are often single strand connections between one point and the central point when building a cordelette or equalette. So the question reduces to whether it is (un-)accept...
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about 8 years ago
Answer A: Where does the name Deadman come from in mountaineering gear?
The DMM device you linked to is as far as I know the only product that has this name officially, but a dead man anchor is a general term for what is in mountaineering also called a t-slot anchor. In that case you simply dig a trench at right angle to the direction of pull, bury an object and attach a...
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about 8 years ago
Answer A: How to attach snowboard to backpack during skitour?
There are three important aspects: Maneuverability, exposure to wind and firm attachment. The optimal orientation for all of those is vertical. Most of the board is then covered by the body so there is minimal added wind resistance compared with horizontal mounting, were most of the board sticks out...
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about 8 years ago
Question How to abseil without a descender device?
Lets assume I am abseiling multiple pitches with some tuber device and at some point at a belay I dropped the device. How do I improvise something that does the braking while descending? I still have standard climbing equipment like biners/slings just no braking device. The less equipment needed the ...
(more)
about 8 years ago
Answer A: How to safely train for and grip pockets?
Important disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor, all of the following is based on knowledge acquired from climbing courses and experience. Therefore I will keep it general, but take anything with a grain of salt (as you should with anything considering your health from unknown sources). Hangboarding...
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: Which fingers to use in a 2 finger pocket when rock climbing?
I guess there is no definite answer, but will vary from climber to climber, as I saw both methods applied. I use both depending of the angle of the pocket: I use the two finger so that the middle finger is up top. So in a pocket "descending" towards the right I use the middle and ring finger of the r...
(more)
over 8 years ago
Answer A: Why is it prohibited to sleep in a tent?
The tent just makes your intent obvious: You planned to sleep there from the beginning. And this is what the authorities want to prevent: Camping in the wild. On the other hand many legislations allow for emergency and high altitude bivouacs, which are inevitable. So the gray area developed where peo...
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: Why are eye friction hitches not commonly used in rock climbing?
The main reasons is simplicity and habituation: A prusik made from a loop is easily taught and controlled. This is a point that many experienced climber forget about often: When people start they may struggle on the basic knots. So for the first thing to learn a simplicity is more important than func...
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: How to calculate how much sugar to use as antifreeze in drinking water?
This can be calculated using a property called cryoscopic constant Kf which links the concentration of a solved substance to the freezing point depression Td: Td = m Kf where m is the molality which is the amount of mols of solved substance per kg of solvent (here water). For water Kf is 1.86Kkg/m...
(more)
over 8 years ago
Answer A: Is it safe to drink snow?
As already explained in the other questions, the primary concern is possible contamination. For fresh snow and far from civilization this is very easy to identify: White is good: yellow, brown, ... not so :) Close to roads/industry there might be a non-visible contamination but unlikely to be harmful...
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: What is the most effective means of melting snow with body heat for drinking?
Physically there are two ways for you to heat up the snow: by heat conduction and by heat radiation. Conduction means you place it somewhere close to your body. It does not matter whether this is directly in your mouth or on your belly, you will lose the same amount of energy. The only option to heat...
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: Hypothermia Prevention - Post Ice Water Fall
I try to address the situation you are asking about, even though I think you already did a good job so this may not be overly helpful/new. Additionally in one of your referenced answers that is actually about rescuing someone out of the water, there is already a great answer by D.Lambert on what to d...
(more)
over 8 years ago
Question How fast do you lose heat in cold water immersion?
This question was prompted by PaulD's question about hypothermia prevention after a falling into icy water. A subsequent answer by Roddy stated that the immediate danger of cold water immersion is not hypothermia, as it takes quite long to lower the central body temperature. This statement caused som...
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: What are the different stages of frostbite?
First I will describe the stages of frostbite focusing on how to detect them and what are the implications of each. Secondly I will address handling frostbite. Classification Stages of frostbite are divided into two classes: Damage to the skin (first and second stage) and damage including deeper ti...
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over 8 years ago
Question Where do you place ice screws?
There was a question about when a placed ice screw is not reliable. Now I want to know where to best place an ice screw in advance. So what are features of the ice I should look for or avoid when choosing an ice screw placement?
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: Under what circumstances would you not use a recently planted ice screw?
I will only focus on signs to assess the quality of a placed ice screw. There are many factors that influence the outcome like the location, temperature, ... but they deserve an answer of their own. The most important thing is, that the screw is placed all the way in solid ice. On the surface you ca...
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: I never adjust for true north. Is this bad practice?
This depends highly on your location. Contrary to popular belief, the difference between the magnetic pole and the geographic pole is not the only reason for declination. As a matter of fact, the magnetic poles are simply defined as the points where the magnetic field points vertically. This is not t...
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: How do I know when to choose between a Klemheist or prussik knot?
As already stated, these are very similar knots regarding their use. So there is not much that differentiates them from each other, or to other friction hitches. The advantage of the prusik is the "clean" design: All strands are neatly position parallel to themselves, so it is easily inspected for co...
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: What style crampon should I use for my hiking boots and how do I adjust them?
Compatibility I am not familiar with the rating system (B0-3, C0-2) mentioned in other answer, but the compatibility of boots and crampons boils down to two questions: Do the boots have a welt/lip in the front and/or back? This defines the choice of attachment system that is suitable. Most hiking ...
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: When/Where do foxes attack humans?
TLDR: Foxes do not attack humans. So you can go there day and night. To me this sounds more like a spooking story than reality. Foxes hunt very small animals, humans are way too big for them. Anyway, in their natural habitat they are extremely shy and will run away from you most likely before you a...
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: What is the correct ice axe grip when descending?
TLDR As long as you can walk normally (using the whole foot not just the toe area) always hold your axe at its head with the blade pointing backwards. More information This depends on the situation you are in. The text from Grivel seems to be a oversimplification. There is not just one technique f...
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: Which ski binding for alpine touring?
There are two basic designs for bindings for ski-touring: tech/Pin bindings and frame bindings. All examples given are not a generally representative sample as they base on my experience here in Switzerland, where Diamir and Dynafit dominate the market with a recent increase in marker bindings (but m...
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over 8 years ago
Answer A: What are the dangers of descending/rappeling very quickly?
First some general dangers not related to melting: Burning your hands braking on the rope (can also happen with semiautomatic descenders like a grigri due to reflex) Uncontrolled impact on the rock Without a backup knot (e.g. prusik) and with a passive descender (e.g. tuber, eight) you may let go o...
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over 8 years ago