Posts by Reverend Gonzo
You never want to stop yourself with the crampons because they are liable to catch, flip you over and, at best, put you in a worse situation than before and, at worst, break your legs. Instead you...
I just bought my first pair of mountaineering boots. I know hiking boots need to be properly broken in before taking them on the trail, but what about plastic mountaineering boots? These are extre...
Sometimes when mountaineering, there may be an emergency situation which leaves you in bad weather with no or damaged shelter (such as returning from a summit attempt or after a wild and crazy stor...
When camping in cold weather, some people say it is actually warmer to sleep naked than to sleep with clothes on. Is that true, or is it better to leave warm clothes on while in the bag?
When navigating in the backcountry, you'll usually bring a topographic map that shows the terrain so you can tell if there will be steep slopes or cliffs that might make the route difficult. A sa...
The most common for rock climbing are with fingerboards or campus boards. Without those, you can perform dead hangs on anything you can hold onto, such as pullup bars. To make it a little more dif...
The different types of snowboards are: All-mountain: Versatile snowboards that can be used on all parts of the mountain, including machine-groomed runs, backcountry, and park and pipe. Freestyle:...
When looking at buying climbing ropes, they are rated to a number of "UIAA falls". What does that mean?
As others have mentioned, the best exercise you can get is simply hiking. To train for weight, it's recommended to fill the backpack with water or sand that can be thrown out at the top to prevent ...
Ive heard that climbing Kilimanjaro doesn't require any mountaineering skills and is really just a (very difficult) hike? Is that true? Is there any gear I would need besides traditional hiking eq...
A stopper knot is often used to prevent rope from unexpectedly going throu some hole, such as a belay device. How would I tie a stopper knot?
I have a belay device that looks like: which I used when I am belaying someone who is top roping or leading. However, my rope only goes through one of those slots. What is the purpose of the oth...
I'm planning a whitewater rafting trip, and I'm worried what I should do if the raft flips over. Is there a standard set of procedures I should go through to get back on the raft?
I'm planning a whitewater rafting trip, and I keep reading that different rapids are different classes, and sometimes the same rapid is different classes at different times of the year? What do th...
Since batteries (for cameras, cell phones, etc) will lose charge in cold weather, what can I do to prevent loss of charge, or at least extend the battery life as long as possible?
If someone falls overboard from a sailboat, it is firstly imperative not to lose sight of the person since finding a man in water, especially when there's waves, can be very difficult. What techn...
There may be an emergency situation where I find myself needing to lower myself but with no or damaged equipment. Assuming I only have a rope, can I lower myself to safe ground?
Bowline knots are among the most commonly used knots across many different outdoor activities. It is used to create a fixed loop at the end of a line, while still being easy to tie and untie. How...
In climbing, a double fisherman's knot is used to tie together two separate pieces of rope. How would I tie such a knot?
Following Leave No Trace principles, which the previous party obviously didn't do, it would be better to camp in the new spot, and upon leaving, removing traces that you were there. We've persona...
If I am whitewater or sea kayaking, it is possible that my kayak will get overturned leading to a live or death situation. I've heard that it is possible to roll the kayak so it is right side up a...
If someone from our group is caught in an avalanche, what can I do to rescue them?
Avalanches are extremely dangerous when mountaineering, winter backpacking/camping, or backcountry skiing/snowboarding. What causes them and is there any way I can predict when an avalanche is abo...
Self-arresting is used to stop a mountaineer who has fallen and is sliding down a slope. Ice axes are generally used for self-arrest, but what should a climber do to self arrest if he has lost his...
Prusik knots are useful in emergency situations as they can be used for both climbing up a rope (out of a canyon) or down a rope (rappelling) without someone else providing a fireman's belay. How ...
