Activity for Ben Crowell‭

Type	On...	Excerpt	Status	Date
Answer	—	A: Reliability of snow bollards I'm not super experienced with snow anchors, but basically a snow bollard can be a bomber anchor if the snow is hard -- hard enough that you have to use an ice ax to chop the trench. You can back it up using one or more objects such as ice axes or pickets, to make it more difficult for the anchor to ... (more)	—	almost 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: Is there a technique to snow-shoeing besides "walk on the snow"? If you're not walking on very steep slopes, there is basically no special technique to learn. On steep slopes, you can use many of the same foot techniques as with crampons, and in fact many snowshoes include a type of built-in crampon. Front-pointing doesn't work with snowshoes, however, and I don'... (more)	—	almost 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: Acclimatization strategies The graph looks exactly like a bunch of graphs in House and Johnston, Training for the New Alpinism, pp. 334-337, except for the scale on the time axis. The ones in House and Johnston are for modern climbs that are not done in "siege style." They even have one for Nanga Parbat, which covers a time pe... (more)	—	almost 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: For how long afterwards do we benefit from acclimatization? Altitude acclimatization is not just a single change in your body but a long list of different things that are going on. There is a nice chart on p. 326 of House and Johnston, Training for the New Alpinism, which gives a list of the following adaptations (they label #6 as two items): increased vent... (more)	—	almost 10 years ago
Question	—	Chaining locking carabiners Googling seems to show that the conventional wisdom is that it's not a good idea to chain carabiners together: Another thing to avoid is chaining carabiners together to lengthen a connection in the system. If subjected to a twisting motion they can unclip themselves. S. Peter Lewis, Toproping ... (more)	—	almost 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: Measuring a dangerous snow slope Two other answers have given methods for measuring this on-site. The trouble is that there's a lot of behavioral and sociological research showing that this doesn't really work. Once you get to the location where the activity is planned, you'll tend to go ahead anyway because you feel committed, and ... (more)	—	almost 10 years ago
Question	—	Avoiding building a belay anchor too low down Sometimes when I'm trad climbing it seems really tough to avoid an awkward belay, and a common type of awkwardness is when the belay device ends up too low. Below is a drawing of a situation I was in recently. The tree was small, and I didn't want to depend on it all by itself. To back it up, the ... (more)	—	almost 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: What equipment do I need as a beginner outdoor rock climber? For outdoor single-pitch climbing, a pretty bare minimum is: shoes, harness, belay device, locking carabiner, helmet, nut tool This assumes that you're climbing with someone who owns a rope. Harnesses are pretty generic. Shoes are theoretically not necessary, since people climbed some pretty hard... (more)	—	almost 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to achieve a climbing anchor that can withstand an upward load? Are my fears of the anchor pieces popping out justified? Yes. This is an especially big concern when the climber has already placed the first piece of pro above the anchor, but falls before getting a second piece in. The fall factor can be large, and the direction of pull is up. If you don't hav... (more)	—	about 10 years ago
Question	—	Statistics on types and survivability of anchor failures? The most recent (2013) edition of Climbing Anchors, by Long and Gaines, makes some interesting statements in the preface about catastrophic failures of anchors. Long first says that: when belay anchors fail, it's usually in cases where the gear was placed in a horizontal crack, and the anchor was sub... (more)	—	about 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to make DIY ice axe protectors? For the spike, I usually just take a piece of corrugated cardboard, fold it to double the thickness, punch holes through it, and use some thin cord to tie it through the hole in the spike. This is low-tech and works if I lose my protector while traveling, which is what always happens. No matter where... (more)	—	about 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to belay on top of a pitch There are many different types of belays from above, e.g., you could be belaying for someone on third-class snow, with your dug-in crampons as part of your anchor. In that particular situation, you want to belay off of your body. Belaying off of your body has the disadvantage that if the climber tak... (more)	—	about 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: Why are indoor climbing grades easier? Interesting question. Here's some speculation, but I don't know if I'm right. There has been a clear tendency for climbing grades to inflate over time. You can really see this, for example, if you look at the climbs at Tahquitz Rock that were originally used to define the Yosemite Decimal System. F... (more)	—	about 10 years ago
Question	—	Leader injured during multipitch trad climb, what to do? I've been working on improving my self-rescue skills, but the skills I've learned so far seem to pertain mostly to single-pitch climbing. For example, a lot of people emphasize knowing how to escape a belay, which is fine, but that seems to be mostly applicable to the situation where you're giving so... (more)	—	about 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: Ration or consume water? The usual advice to someone in an emergency situation in the wilderness is to stay put, so that it's easier for rescuers to find you. In this situation, performance isn't an issue. There is a folk belief that "thirst is too late," and that people are commonly dehydrated without knowing it. If you be... (more)	—	about 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: What to look for in a winter skills course? This isn't a complete answer, just an answer about the avalanche stuff, but it's too long to fit in a comment. Research shows that most avalanche training actually is not helpful in reducing people's chances of getting killed. It may even produce a negative effect on safety, because people get a fals... (more)	—	about 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: Black bears and torch lights You don't even need to worry about a bear mugging you while you're hiking. It doesn't happen. Bears want your food. They're going to try to get your food when your food is out of your pack and they can smell it. The effective countermeasures involve: Making it hard for them to smell your food (e.... (more)	—	about 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: Climbing Kilimanjaro for a newbie I wrote up some notes here that me be helpful. Climbing Kilimanjaro is not a big deal. It doesn't require a lot of stamina or strength, because the need for gradual acclimatization severely limits how far you can go every day. It's not legal to climb without a guide, and when you pay for a guide, you... (more)	—	about 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: What is the name of this knot for tying into a "confidence" rope? The knot in the photo you posted is a double overhand knot. It's often used as half of a double fisherman's bend, and that's essentially how it's being used in the web page. (It will become a double fisherman's bend once the loop of cord is weighted and the two knots collide.) The web page advocates... (more)	—	about 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to tell the time at night What is the simplest way to approximate time after the sun has set? If all you want is a rough approximation, this this is extremely easy. For example, if you wake up in the middle of the night, you may just want to be able to look up and get some idea of how much time has passed and how long it... (more)	—	about 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: How much is a major load? In a fall, roughly the same load is applied at every point along the rope, at the climber's harness, and at the anchor. "Roughly" means that this is an approximation where rope drag is negligible, the mass of the rope is negligible, and we're not taking into account the geometry of a redundant anchor... (more)	—	about 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: Should I bring my dog with us to a Cabin Leaving a dog alone in an apartment for this length of time would be neglectful, even if you were able to provide enough food and water. Your girlfriend's logic doesn't make sense to me. Just having your dog there doesn't imply that the other dog has to be tied up. I would bring a long rope for you... (more)	—	about 10 years ago
Question	—	Shortening a shoulder-length sling to half-length? For trad climbing, I normally carry shoulder-length slings racked on my harness, set up in Alpine draws at 1/3 their full length. When I'm leading and need to extend my protection, I either use them at this length or extend them to their full length. There are some cases, though, where I find that I... (more)	—	about 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: What happens if I inadvertently set off a personal locator beacon? They're not very easy to activate. Here's a video showing how to activate the one I own. It's a multi-step process. You have to flip up a tab (which I think involves cracking a thin plastic connection), use the tab to pull off the cover, unfurl the antenna, and then press the on button, which is hidd... (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Question	—	Applications of a slip knot in climbing? I'm joining a rock climbing club that requires an evaluation test in order to become a member. (I think this is a great idea.) They have a detailed handout listing exactly what you need to know for the test, including a bunch of knots. Most of them I was familiar with, but one knot they listed was th... (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: Most Eco-Friendly way to Identify a Climbing Route How about if you just take photos and post them on mountainproject or summitpost, along with verbal descriptions and UTM coordinates? Physically marking the starts of the routes is not compatible with a leave-no-trace ethic. (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: Which notable/challenging mountains can be ascended with few technical skills? Iztaccihuatl would use about the same skills as Aconcagua, but is lower altitude and can be done in a day, rather than the 2 weeks usually required for Aconcagua. I acclimatized by spending several days hiking on La Malinche. If you're interested in Aconcagua and don't have a lot of high-altitude/sno... (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: How can I tell if I am dehydrated or have low electrolytes (need salt, etc.)? There are a lot of myths about water and dehydration: Drinking Water for Hiking: Myths and Facts. One of these is the belief that people are in danger of being dehydrated without knowing it. Dehydration is a serious medical condition that sets in long after thirst, and thirst is a powerful sensatio... (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: What to look for when purchasing a fixed blade knife This depends a lot on what you plan to do, and I don't think there's any such thing as an all-purpose knife. I mostly use mine when hiking and backpacking, when it would be silly to bring a big, heavy knife that I don't need. For what I do, what works great is a tiny swiss army knife, which I mainly ... (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Question	—	Efficient and reliable method for managing a nut tool while following on a trad climb? When you're following a pitch on a trad climb, what is a good method for racking and handling the nut tool? My goals are to be efficient but not to drop the tool. My current system, which I'm not very happy with, is this. I have the nut tool tied to one end of a 30-cm cord, and on the other end I ha... (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: Making a Make-Shift harness from Tape-Slings There is a description of this in Freedom of the Hills, around p. 149 in the edition I have. They describe it as an emergency alternative to a manufactured harness. Peter Croft also suggests using them intentionally for lightweight climbing, if you don't think the climb requires a harness, but you wi... (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: Legality of parking and setting up camp on side of mountain roads in California near Los Angeles What you want to do seems to be referred to by the Forest Service as "dispersed camping," and you can find a lot of information by googling on that phrase. Different jurisdictions seem to have different rules, but this blog post has a nice attempt to summarize how the rules usually work in national f... (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: Satellite phone payment plans for irregular use It sounds like what you want is a personal locator beacon (PLB). They cost about $250, and there is zero cost after you buy it. It's not a phone. It's just a beacon that broadcasts your position so that a search and rescue team can come and rescue you. They're small and lightweight. Some people use ... (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: What sleeping gear should I use in a lean-to? IMO you totally don't need a tent. Plenty of people, including me, prefer to sleep out under the stars even if there's no hut. It can be difficult to sleep with a wind blowing across one's face, but that won't be happening inside the hut. It's also off the ground, so you won't be losing heat into the... (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: Hiking possibilities near Silicon Valley Maybe Pinnacles National Park. Or if you go across the Golden Gate, Point Reyes is gorgeous. Watch out, because some of the trails in the more remote central coast backcountry areas have not seen any maintenance for a long time, partly due to government budget cuts. I tried to do a long-distance tri... (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: What rope to chose to hold my body weight from a monkey fist knot Any 8-10 mm nylon rope will hold many, many times more than your body weight. Climbing ropes are designed to hold dynamic falls, not just static body weight. You could easily get away with 6 mm accessory cord, which is a lot cheaper than a climbing rope. It holds about 700 kg. (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: What wild animals are there in California that can be dangerous or create hassles, and how do I avoid problems with them? American black bears They are somewhat common in some wilderness areas of California, mostly in the mountains. In their natural state, black bears are thinly populated on the landscape because it takes a large area to support one, and they are also shy of humans. Black bears are not very large; fema... (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Question	—	What wild animals are there in California that can be dangerous or create hassles, and how do I avoid problems with them? What wild animals are there in California that can be dangerous or create hassles, and how do I avoid problems with them? (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: Hiking and wild sleeping in California wilderness The US doesn't have anything like the Scandinavian right to roam (Swedish allemansrätten, etc.). Private land is usually fenced, and it's against the law to enter private land while hiking without the landowner's permission. The US term for wild camping is "backcountry camping" or "backpacking,... (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: Fatigue on high altitudes Welcome to outdoors.SE! Most of us have probably flown in airplanes on altitudes greater than that in pressurized passenger airplanes and didn't feel any fatigue at all. I think you gave a partial answer to your own question here. The plane is pressurized. The cabin pressure in a passenger jet ... (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: Why shouldn't I buy an ultra light tent? I see an ultralight tent as an expensive piece of backpacking equipment, with the alternative being a tarp. Compared to the tarp, the tent is slightly heaver, much more expensive, easier to set up, and keeps out bugs. I'm ready to buy one but hang on, why do they still make regular tents? What's ... (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Question	—	"Tag line"/"pull cord" for multipitch trad: what kind and when needed? I normally climb with a single 10 mm x 60 m rope. On some multipitch trad climbs, I don't expect to have to rappel off, but I might have to in an emergency. Many people carry a special-purpose 6 mm rope for this purpose, referred to as a "tag line" or "pull cord." They can then do a full 60 m single-... (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: Camping with a dog for the first time You could think through some of the possible problems based on your knowledge of the area: roads with fast traffic; cattle that could hurt the dog; livestock such as chickens that the dog could kill; other dogs that live there and would be defending their territory. If none of these seems like a real... (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: Chacos: Toe strap or no toe strap? I have a pair with the big-toe strap, and they're very comfortable when I wear them with toe socks. When I first got them, I tried wearing them barefoot, and found that I could only walk a few miles before I started to get blisters. The blisters weren't at the big-toe strap, they were where the other... (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: "Used" top rope when bouldering This question has some information about when to retire a rope. The core of a rope doesn't become weak from top-roping or from sustaining lead falls with a small fall factor. It becomes weak from sustaining multiple lead falls with very large fall factors, approaching 2. The only way to get a fall fa... (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: Does drinking tea cause problems at altitude? The idea that caffeinated drinks dehydrate you or "don't count" toward your body's water requirement is a myth. Laboratory studies have shown that caffeinated soda is just as hydrating as water, i.e., the diuretic effect of the caffeine is too small to measure.[Grandjean 2000] Even in the case of cof... (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: How high to climb before clipping on a sport climb? You certainly don't want to climb so high that your hips are above the clip before you do the clip. Your arms aren't long enough to reach down that far. When leading trad, I would typically prefer to place the piece right in front of my face, so that I can carefully look at the placement and get it ... (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Question	—	How high to climb before clipping on a sport climb? The guy who taught me to lead sport in the gym suggested that when I'm going for a clip, I position my body so that the clip is somewhere between my hips and my chest. He claimed it was a bad thing when most people reached up high to clip. This question is about whether this advice is right, and if s... (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: When climbing, how far should the tie-in knot be from the harness? Others might be able to give a more authoritative answer to this, or relate personal experiences where too much distance was a problem. However, I think there would be a clear problem if you were trying to lead climb with the figure-eight knot tied too far from your body. Imagine the situation where ... (more)	—	over 10 years ago
Answer	—	A: What is the point of hiking boots, versus any comfortable walking shoes? Big, heavy "waffle stomper" boots are mainly a relic of the past, along with wool knickers and steel canteens. For most conditions, modern running shoes work far better. Any weight on your feet cuts down on your efficiency much more than a similar amount of weight on your back. Also, the heavier your... (more)	—	over 10 years ago

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