The quad anchor rig offers fast set up, great strength, good load distribution and complete redundancy, all in a light, compact package. Learn all about it here.

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Extending your rappel device away from your harness has a host of benefits . . . and a few problems. Learn multiple ways to rig it, and the pros and cons of each.

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“What's the best way to connect a tether to my harness?” Turns out there’s not one best answer. While some people feel strongly you should always use your tie in points, the truth is that the “best” method depends on a few different factors. Let's take a closer look.

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Looking for a convenient and sturdy place to practice climbing anchors in town? Look no further than the nearest chain link fence.

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The retraced figure 8 is probably the most important knot you'll ever tie, so let’s learn the nuances of tying it correctly, every time. There's more to it than what’s usually taught in books and by many instructors. Learn the tricks to make a perfect figure 8, plus how to do it so it's much easier to untie.

Your belay device is a crucial piece of gear, and you don't want to drop it. Keep the device clipped to your harness pretty much all the time, and only unclip it for a moment when loading and unloading the rope.

Snarled rappel ropes suck! To avoid them, take the time to stack the rope and toss just a weighted end, rather than a large coil. Think of it as “casting” a fishing line; there's a weight on the end, and the line spools cleanly from the reel. Here are some good ways to do this.

Because the rope never touches your carabiner when you use a Grigri (or any similar assisted braking device), you can pretty much use any kind of carabiner you like. In fact, Petzl suggests that you don’t use an HMS carabiner.

A flat overhand bend is a good choice for connecting two ropes for a double strand rappel. Pay attention to the tail length. You want it at about 30 cm, or the length of your forearm; not too short and not too long. Longer is not better, and has been the cause of fatal accidents.

Are you top rope climbing with someone who doesn't know how to clean and lower from an anchor? Here's a simple way to rig a top rope to make cleaning and lowering safe and simple for the last person.

Learning how to place rock gear, and want a little assurance that your pro might be able to take some real force? You can learn a lot without getting more than a foot or two off the ground by bounce testing at your local crag.

A locking quickdraw has a lot of uses beyond beefing up a bolted sport anchor. Learn a few of them here.

There are many variations on anchor building with a cordelette. How about carrying it with no knots at all? Here's how to build a fast, secure anchor with an “open” cordelette.

Yes, every climbing instruction book tells you to use a double fisherman's knot to tie your cordelette into a big loop. Guess what: the overhand knot works fine.

Do those pictures in the rock rescue book of a 5 :1 rescue system leave you scratching your head? Yeah, me too. These posts, written for the math-challenged, takes a deep dive into the theory and application of mechanical advantage systems for climbers.

Meet your new climbing partner, Sticky! Let’s start with the basics, a straight 1:1 pull. Then, we’ll add some components that make it into an MA system with progress capture.

Knowing how to set up a 3:1 mechanical advantage Z drag system is fundamental to rope rescue. However, it's a lot easier to remember if you follow a sequence of steps. Here’s a photo walk through of how to set up a Z drag.

You may have heard rope systems described as either “open” or “closed”. Not very descriptive, is it? If these terms leave you scratching your noggin, this article will help. Hint: closed is good.

Beginning climbers often hear a confusing mish-mash of different advice and rules. Read this Tip to discern what's a definitive rule, and what’s more personal preference.

When learning any climbing skill where a mistake has potentially lethal consequences, it's good to take a very conservative approach. Here's one step-by-step method.

You’ve probably wondered how strong that piece of gear actually is, especially compared to others in the same category. Can you really rappel safely off that micro stopper? How much trust should I put in that single bolt? Most all of that gets answered, right here.

When buying runners, try keep all your single runners one color, and all your double runners another color. This lets you grab the right one with just a quick glance at your harness.

Using a cordelette is standard practice for many climbers when building multi-piece gear anchors. But, there’s a few more tricks than the standard set up that can make your life easier. Learn a few here.

Setting up a top rope anchor from above can place you dangerously close to the cliff edge. Here’s a simple and fast way to safeguard yourself whenever you’re working close to a drop off.

A basic climbing skill is knowing how to rack your cordage In a tidy and fast manner. One great method: Do the Twist. Learn how in this short video.

Cordelettes - If you want to use one, the first choice is diameter and length. There are some standards, but which one you pick might depend on what kind of climbing you’re mostly doing. (If you climb a lot on snow and rock, you might want to get one for each.)

The belayer has a LOT more to do than it may first appear. Do you know all of these duties? Did I leave any out?

There are many approaches to crevasse rescue and many choices for what gear to bring. You need light weight, multifunction, and hopefully have teammates with similar kit to have an effective rescue. Here's my go-to crevasse rescue gear.

Here's a fast, clever and easy-to-remember way to ensure proper spacing between team members when traveling on a glacier. Plus, a diagram and photo to show actual distances for three and four person teams.

CalTopo is a top choice for backcountry mapping software for many reasons. One big one is the ease of printing. Let's have a closer look at some of the print features of CalTopo, some obvious and some a little more hidden.

An “elevation profile” is a sort of sideways look at your route, showing distance and elevation gain on a graph. It's a very handy tool to study your route, and making one with the great mapping software Caltopo takes just a couple of clicks.

Want to learn some snow climbing tips from the guy who founded the American Alpine Institute and former president of the American American Guide Association (AMGA)? We thought so. While these are some great tips for beginners, even you crafty veterans may learn a few new things.

There are some fantastic navigation resources online, but it can be confusing how to use them most effectively and where to get started. Watch this video to see one way to plan a climb, from start to finish.

You want pickets clipped vertically to your gear loops or pack straps, not slung around your neck. Here’s how to rack pickets right.

When does a good belayer not belay? Before their partner has made the first clip. Avoid this common beginner mistake.

Need to contact 911 when you're in the backcountry? Better have a way to tell them where you are. Learn several ways to get your latitude longitude coordinates from your phone.

Want to start leading sport routes? Clipping the rope into a quick draw might seem simple when you watch an expert to do it, but there are some subtleties that aren't immediately obvious. Learn a few of them with this instructional video.

When you finish a single pitch sport route, should the last climber rappel off, or be lowered? The debate on this can get pretty hot and heavy, but the momentum is swinging towards lowering. Read why and learn how here.

Don't let your head get big because you can climb “5.11” in the vanity gym. You may be in for a big surprise your first time outside.

If you already have a PDF file of a map that you’ve made in Caltopo or other mapping software, why not save a copy to your phone? It’s free, fast and weighs 0.00 grams.

You want to avoid having gear dangling below your knees. So, how to rack those 60 and 20 cm slings? Answer: the “alpine quick draw”.

Glissading - You might have learned how to do it on your first day of climbing school. It can be fun, save time, and your quads muscles in certain ideal situation. But there are also a lot of reasons why you may want to avoid it.