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1500 questions
14
votes
4 answers

Rock Climbing falling.Turning upside down

What are the chances of falling and turning upside down, with your head down. Is the gear special from preventing such falls?
Jam
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14
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8 answers

How to freeze a water container without deforming it?

I like to take a frozen Nalgene bottle of water to my Bikram Yoga class. The problem is, every bottle I have used so far becomes deformed and, as can be seen in the picture below, the bottom bulges out making it difficult or impossible for it to…
amphibient
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14
votes
1 answer

Using the Yosemite Decimal System, how difficult is Everest?

I've often heard that it is the altitude and exposure that makes Everest most challenging, but technically speaking, it's not a very challenging climb at all. Supposedly, if base camp for Everest were at sea level, then summitting Everest, for the…
ShemSeger
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14
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20 answers

What is the best mountaineering quote that you have ever read?

Being a techie, I once came across this hilarious post on StackOVerflow: What is the best comment in the source code you have ever encountered? In the similar bar of questions, which one or many a people may find off-topic (or not a real question)…
WedaPashi
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14
votes
1 answer

How to prepare for a long rocky alpine route, which is unusual for me?

I would like to prepare for a long route (700 m altitude gain, 12-16 hours, including descent, with alpine start), one like which I have never [successfully] climbed before. It involves many sections of roped climbing, mixed with longer sections of…
anatolyg
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14
votes
5 answers

Why would I want a pressurized hydration pack?

I saw an ad today for a pressurized hydration pack. My first thought was "why?". I can't imagine a scenario where this would not lead to (a) more weight, or (b) greater risk of failure... neither of which I'd care for. What are the pros and cons…
Russell Steen
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14
votes
1 answer

Managing the garbage over a lengthy trek at higher altitudes

Following the thread about Everest Base Camp related questions, its almost a globally known fact that the Everest Base Camp is very much crowded and consequently very much into garbage disposal problems. Various sources talk about the issue: …
WedaPashi
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14
votes
3 answers

What to do if a team member falls sick?

Recently I fell ill whilst car camping and it made me consider the situations when not around amenities. In addition to this I recently was part of a four man, one dog team climbing Snowdon and one of us fell ill with a severe migraine, and we…
Aravona
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14
votes
2 answers

How do you decide on a climbing grade?

Rock climbing and bouldering tours are classified e.g. Sierra from 5.2 to 5.15c or Fontainbleau 2 to 8c+. As you advance in your climbing experience you achieve higher grades and learn new movements, new aspects of already known skills and new…
Jon
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14
votes
1 answer

Camping on a uninhabited island in Sweden's skärgård near Gothenburg

The Swedish skärgård located just west of Gothenburg is a beautiful place. I have travelled there a couple of times, taking the bus-ferries around between the islands. There are quite a lot of uninhabited islands, with some grass and rocks, and…
14
votes
2 answers

Dealing with large runouts during sport climbing

I was doing a sport climb recently where there was a pretty good distance between bolts, resulting in long rope runouts. Falling before the next bolt could easily cause a person to deck on a ledge. Luckily, no one fell at this point, but it was very…
shimizu
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14
votes
4 answers

How to arrange 2 Prusiks when ascending a rope?

If I want to ascend a rope with minimal equipment, I use 2 Prusiks: one tied to my harness, and the second one for my foot. However, there are two ways to arrange the Prusiks on the rope - the foot below the chest, and the opposite way. The first…
anatolyg
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14
votes
2 answers

Semi-static rope 24 hour rule

It is said that a semi-static rope should be submerged for 24 hours before first use. Why is this, and is this before every first use ?
Nick
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14
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4 answers

Fitness for surfing?

What exercises can I do at home to get fit for surfing? I would like to improve my fitness so that when I travel to a surf break I'll be able to enjoy myself rather than just being exhausted.
WW.
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14
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1 answer

How can I make Tyvek less noisy?

So I've made myself a handy dandy tent footprint out of Tyvek. It's durable, packs easy, cheap to replace.... and NOISY. My entire camping group has complained that it wakes them up when I roll over at night. Is there a way to "wear it in" so that…
Russell Steen
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