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1500 questions
12
votes
3 answers
Should I spray a 'good' raincoat with 'water proof' spray?
I come from a family where outdoors activities include picknick baskets and a time limit of four hours tops. However, my girlfriends family loves taking me on outdoor holidays, the kind where you won't see another human being for a few days. During…
Sanchises
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12
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2 answers
Are static dyneema/spectra ropes suited for use on glaciers?
While Dyneema is in use for cordelettes for quite some time manufacturers started bringing long ropes made of dyneema on the market. The benefits are obvious: Less weight, less volume and no water absorption. The big difference: The rope is static…
imsodin
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12
votes
2 answers
Adjustable mid-line knot?
I'm looking for a knot similar to a sheepshank but adjustable and stable under load on both ends.
Think of two poles that have the two ends of a rope permanently attached to them but you want to shorten the rope in-between like you would do with a…
smossum
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12
votes
1 answer
Bolt Conditions at the New River Gorge
I am getting back into sport climbing and I am planning a trip to the NRG.
I get very nervous about safety issues in regards to climbing, almost to the point where I don't want to start again. One thing that makes me most nervous is bolt and anchor…
Andrew
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12
votes
2 answers
Are manual double-back buckles on harnesses considered obsolete?
My current harness has these single-piece buckles:
(source: http://www.mountaineeringmethodology.com/harness/)
It might be due for replacement in one or two years, and I really like these buckles, since I can completely open all parts of the…
anderas
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12
votes
2 answers
Fixed line: Prusik vs mechanical ascender
The standard mountaineering textbook Freedom of the Hills has a long discussion of fixed lines, and they state simply that you use a mechanical ascender on them. This seems odd to me, since for most mountaineering I would be carrying a pretty light…
user2169
12
votes
2 answers
Should you avoid handling lambs?
On a recent walk we ended up with a lamb following us. I picked it up and took it back to its mother.
As I walked past someone else on the trail shouted that I shouldn't
touch the lambs as "it will follow you now".
I didn't think it was a problem…
user2766
12
votes
3 answers
Is climbing an ambidextrous sport?
We know left-footed football players, we know right-handed and left-handed batmen and bowlers, we know left-handed or right-handed tennis players, and so on..
I know being a right handed guy I could hold a crack better with the right hand, and…
WedaPashi
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12
votes
1 answer
How to calculate the force (kN) generated by a falling climber onto their protection?
What method would I used to calculate the likely force placed on a piece of protection if I were to fall onto it. Using knowledge of my weight, distance between myself and the gear and the amount of rope between myself and the belay.
Scenario, I'm…
aaaaargZombies
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12
votes
3 answers
Delayed muscle ache after boulder session
The last weeks I observed couple times that I am getting stiffness/muscle ache in the upper arms after a boulder session. What's special about this is that it is very delayed. For example I went to the gym yesterday in the evening. Today I had no…
Wills
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12
votes
3 answers
Why should I carry a snow anchor?
I regularly see online that on expeditions snow anchors are strapped to the side of the backpacks. This is typically an item like the upper on following pic:
I never saw this in the Alps by myself. But I also saw it in this video where he shows his…
Wills
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12
votes
4 answers
Uses for different size locking carabiners
What are the advantages/disadvantages and typical use cases for different sizes of locking carabiners?
For example, a Black Diamond RockLock Screwgate vs a Mini Pearabiner Screwgate (or the differently-shaped Black Diamond Positron Screwgate).
I'm…
Chris Mendez
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12
votes
2 answers
How steep of a slope can you skin up in AT gear?
At what pitch does it become more effective to zig-zag up and/or lose the skis entirely?
mattsolar
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12
votes
1 answer
What should I do if I get sprayed by a skunk?
There are times when I just barely miss getting sprayed by a skunk (there are a lot of them in my area). I haven't actually gotten directly sprayed, but I would like to be ready in case that happens. I hear that taking a bath in tomato soup helps,…
J. Musser
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12
votes
2 answers
Acclimatization strategies
While reading Hermann Buhl's tour book* of the Nanga Parbat expedition in 1953 (yielding to the first ascent on third of July, Buhl did the final ascent solo) I got curious about the height difference he made and therefore created following…
Wills
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