Activity for Ben Crowell‭

Type	On...	Excerpt	Status	Date
Question	—	What fall factor will cause me to hit the deck with a typical dynamic rope? Say I'm leading on a single-pitch climb, or the first pitch of a multi-pitch. The maximum fall factor I could theoretically have without hitting the deck is 1, but that's with a static rope, which of course I wouldn't use in this situation. This raises the question of what is the maximum fall factor ... (more)	—	about 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: John Muir's Gear List John Muir is said to have traveled for weeks in the back country, but he never took any food with him, [...] Not true. There is a nice article here by John Huber about what Muir ate while on trips. Mainly bread. He dried it so that it wouldn't get moldy. He also often brought tea and sugar with ... (more)	—	about 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: Please Explain Rock Climbing Grades The WP article is pretty good, but SE is meant to be standalone, so I'll try to give my interpretation of the American system, the Yosemite Decimal System. This system is for free climbing (mountaineering, trad climbing, sport climbing, and gym climbing). It doesn't cover aid climbing or bouldering. ... (more)	—	about 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: Knot for Joining the ropes of different thicknesses If I was going to rappel on it, and the bulk of the knot wasn't an issue, I would tie a figure-eight in a bight of one piece of rope, then attach the other rope to it using a rewoven figure-eight. This way the knots that had to hold in order to keep me from getting killed would be two almost independ... (more)	—	about 11 years ago
Question	—	Sleeping solutions when camping with dogs? My dog enjoys hiking. I haven't taken her on any overnight trips yet, but would like to try some summer/fall backcountry camping with her (i.e., what I think Europeans call wild camping -- not car camping). The wilderness areas near our home (Los Angeles) are mountainous, so it will be cold at night,... (more)	—	about 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: Backup prusik for Abseiling: Where does it go? Freedom of the Hills has a chapter on rappelling that includes a detailed discussion of this topic. Tie it "uphill" from the belay device or "downhill"? Downhill. If the Prusik is downhill from the ATC, then the Prusik only ever has to supply enough force to brake you on the brake strand. This... (more)	—	about 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: Splitting up weight hiking as a couple/mixed gender group Different people have vastly different styles. Some people carry a lot more weight, some a lot less. If you're interested in cutting your pack weight or moving toward a more lightweight or ultralight style, a good web site to check out is http://backpackinglight.com . I think many people do use perc... (more)	—	about 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: How safe is it for women to hike alone? Roland Muser wrote a book, Long-Distance Hiking: Lessons from the Appalachian Trail, based on surveys of 136 long-distance hikers, each of whom spent 3-6 months on the trail. Some relevant quotes (p. 133): Two or three hikers had run-ins with local inhabitants, and some reported uncomfortable hit... (more)	—	about 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: What to do when a black bear got a hold of an open bear can? If the bear already has your food, I would give up. I've been in this situation once when hiking with my father. My father went up to the bear and yelled. The bear reared up and roared, my father ran like hell, and the bear went back to eating our box of crackers. This seems to match up with what I'v... (more)	—	about 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: Dog Breeds for Backpacking and Trail Running Somehow, I can't see a Corgi keeping up. I have a 20-pound terrier mutt. She does great with me trail running at distances of 6-7 miles. After we get home, she runs around the back yard in circles like a rocket. Dogs are just much more efficient runners than humans, especially in cool weather. A... (more)	—	about 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: At what point do I need snow goggles or glacier glasses when hiking? I'll be backpacking Europe in the winter (snow and rain) and parts of my trip will be outdoors, such as hiking in Dolomites, Italy. I won't be doing any mountaineering or ice climbing [...] I'm having a hard time decoding this. In US English, "backpacking" means backcountry hiking, but I gu... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: Are trekking poles proven to be helpful? Here are some scientific papers, with my brief summaries. Saunders MJ ; Hipp GR ; Wenos DL ; Deaton ML, "Trekking poles increase physiological responses to hiking without increased perceived exertion," J Strength Cond Res 2008 Sep; 22(5): 1468-74 Using trekking poles caused them to burn ... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: Are water purification tablets safe? If I am using a water-pump filter. Is it necessary to combine this with a water purification tablet? As discussed in this answer and at greater length here, the need to treat backcountry water before drinking it is largely a myth. Neither the filter nor the tablets are needed. You're better off ... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: Should a carabiner ever be clipped to the tie-in loops and should anything other than a carabiner ever attach to the belay loop? I'd like to point out something not addressed in AlanL and DavidR's answers. There doesn't seem to be any allowance made in STW's friend's procedure for a safety backup for the rappel, e.g., in case rockfall causes you to lose your grip on the brake strand. The standard technique for this, described ... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: How dangerous is it to fall 3 meters when lead climbing? How dangerous is it to fall 3 meters when lead climbing? This depends a lot on the fall factor. Counterintuitively, the fall factor is higher, indicating a more dangerous fall, when you are near the beginning of a pitch. This is because there's less rope out, so there's less stretchiness. As St... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: What are the minimum set of shoes required for hiking outdoors Lightweight nylon mesh running shoes are great for hiking in dry conditions. You will be more efficient hiking in them than in heavy boots. However, if there are places where you have to slog through lots puddles, shallow streams, etc., you may have problems. You can take your shoes off and do creek... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: PLB, SPOT, and similar services; is there any relevant difference in reliability? A SPOT will only work if you can see the sky. If you're in a deep canyon where there's not simultaneous line of sight to enough GPS satellites, it won't work. PLB's these days all include GPS, but GPS isn't needed in order to make the device work. There seems to be some anecdotal evidence in real-wo... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: Whats the best way to abseil off a ledge with the anchor at foot level? Some rappels are simply awkward to start. The awkwardness isn't the most important issue in and of itself, but you want to avoid a situation in which the start is so messy that you get banged around, it causes you to lose your grip on your brake hand, and you fall to your death. To prevent this, you ... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: What is the safest way to purify water? There is typically no need to purify water collected from natural sources in the wilderness. For example, in a survey of 69 sites in the U.S Sierra Nevada, every site had concentrations of Giardia cysts much too low to make anyone sick.[Rockwell 2002] The perception that backcountry water is unsafe t... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: How to select a good GPS receiver? I haven't seen any evidence that one brand or model of handheld GPS unit differs from any other model in its random or systematic errors. As far as I understand, the errors are determined by (1) the geometry of the satellites currently in the visible part of the sky from your location, and (2) the ph... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: Selecting backpacking cooking pot – teflon, aluminum, steel, titanium, or cast iron? Freezer bag cooking eliminates the hassle and environmental impact of washing your pot and dishes. You simply boil the water in the pot, then pour it into the ziplock freezer bag where the ingredients are. You eat out of the bag, so you don't need to carry separate dishes that are heavy and have to b... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: What is the best way to cross streams while backpacking? Everybody's method is going to be somewhat different, because they're using different footwear and other equipment (such as poles vs no poles). Plan ahead and get information on what water levels are likely to be like given the time of year and the amount of snow this year. If a certain hike is like... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: What is considered a water source, and why is it recommended to camp so far from them? There are a couple of reasons for this, as I understand it: Your wastes (soap, Giardia in your poop, DEET, ...) will contaminate the water. Lakeshores in high-altitude areas tend to be very delicate. People do a lot of ecological damage by pitching their tents right there. Unlike high-altitude area... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: Can I get away with less advanced food storing methods if backpacking in areas where meeting bears is unlikely? "Unlikely" is not the same as "won't happen." You're going to the White Mountains in California, so call the ranger station in Bishop and ask them. They will probably tell you that bears do exist there, so the probability is not zero. "It seems quite difficult to me to keep food at least 15 feet abo... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: Should food be in a bear bag/canister even when I'm hiking? Bear populations, bear problems, and aggressive bears are distributed extremely unevenly in California wilderness areas. There are dense populations of problem animals in a few small areas such as Yosemite Valley and Little Yosemite. These are areas with a lot of humans packed into a small space. You... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: PLB or satphone rental in the USA from National Forest offices or ranger stations? No, you can't rent that kind of equipment at a Park Service ranger station. They only rent out bear canisters, and even that is only at certain locations (e.g., Yosemite Valley). If you want a Spot or a PLB, you just need to buy one. (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: What's the problem with electrolyte imbalance and how do I mitigate it? So-called "sports drinks" such as Gatorade are miracles of modern marketing, surpassed only by bottled water. They are expensive and contain large amounts of sugar. If you're hiking long distances in high temperatures (say 40 C or 105 F), then you have a long list of hazards to worry about, one of w... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: Dealing with wildlife in the desert of California/Nevada in general and in the White Mountains in particular Bears in California are a huge problem in certain highly impacted areas such as Yosemite Valley. They are almost not a problem at all in less traveled areas such as the White Mountains. Rattlesnakes are fairly common. Keep your eyes open and don't step on one that's basking in the sun on the trail. ... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: FiveFingers or hiking boots? The options you're proposing are VFFs or hiking boots. There are lots of other options. What I use most of the time here in California is running shoes. They work great when conditions aren't snowy or wet. The weight is much less than the weight of hiking boots, but if I step on a sharp-edged rock, ... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: Different kinds of Down: comparing insulation Fill power doesn't measure crush resistance. It measures the inverse of density, in units of cubic centimeters per gram or cubic inches per ounce. Insulation doesn't depend on fill power. Insulation simply depends on thickness. However, a higher fill power allows you to achieve a greater thickness w... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: What is the most efficient food to take a for a 12-15 day hiking trip? Lots of people have posted answers saying what they like to eat. However, the OP asked a very specific question, which was: "What is the most efficient food to take a for a 12-15 day hiking trip? [...] Assume I have no taste at all and don't care about eating the same tasteless thing every day if nec... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: Avalanche forecast in North America? Basically the answer to your question is no, unless you're in very specific areas doing very specific activities. US wilderness areas are much bigger, much less accessible, and much less populated and developed than the Alps. You can get information, but it typically won't be very informative about s... (more)	—	over 11 years ago
Answer	—	A: How thin is "too thin" for tent guylines? I use 1 mm dacron cordage from Oware. I use a tarp with loops (not grommets), and have never had a problem with the cordage cutting through anything. The knots I usually use are square knots, figure eights, and tautline hitches. The tautline hitches have a tendency to slip gradually, but not necessar... (more)	—	over 11 years ago

• ← Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• Next →