Newest Posts

You’re rappelling, and unexpectedly come to a damaged section of rope. How would you get past it? Here’s one method. 

Here are some winter-tested tips from Canadian ice climbing expert Will Gadd for keeping your hands (and feet) warm. This is part two of a series of three articles.

Canadian ice climbing expert Will Gadd shares some of his top tips for keeping your hands (and feet) warm. This is part one of a series of three articles.

Do you have a big load that you need to move a short distance? Here's one crafty way to do it: the stirrup hoist. This may not be the most efficient method, but it's quick and simple.

The “Swiss cheese” model is a metaphor for how risk can be reduced through overlapping and redundant safety systems.

Pro climber Brent Barghahn has some impressive free climbing ascents of El Capitan, and definitely knows a thing or two about what to bring on a big wall. Here's a link to his checklist from a helpful blog article he wrote.

Think you're good at solving climbing problems on the fly? See if you can figure out this one!

Need to shorten your connection to the anchor when using a tether? It's common to unclip and reclip your locking carabiner, but this can increase the chances of clipping it incorrectly. Here's a simple and more secure method.

Starting in 1948, the American Alpine Club has published an annual report of climbing related accidents in the US and Canada. What other countries do the same? Here is a summary. If you can add to it, let me know!

Someday, you'll find yourself at a rappel anchor that is Less Than Ideal. Here are some tips to hopefully get you and your partner down in one piece.

Do you enjoy ankle breaking ground fall potential with the crux just before the first bolt? (Smith Rock Oregon, I'm looking at you!)  Cool, neither do I. Enter the frugal climber’s stick clip. All you need is a stick, some tape, and a rock.

The webbing on your cam slings has a lifespan of about 10 years. What do you do then? Ideally, send it to the manufacturer for replacement, but that's not always possible. Here are some DIY options, and a list of all known places you can get replacement cam slings.

Sometimes at a busy anchor, you may have a rope on top of another one, and those two ropes need to trade places. Here's an elegant way to do this: the "revolving door" technique.

Do you have a big load that you need to move a short distance? Here's one crafty way to do it: the big waller's trick of the "far end haul". aka 2:1 redirected haul. (I learned this from big wall expert Mark Hudon, thanks Mark!)

Here's a fast and simple method to build an anchor using the rope, typically on two good bolts. (Alex says it's his favorite, so that's what I'm calling it. =^)

Plodding along on a glacier climb, you get a little careless and CHUNK, your crampon spike goes straight through the middle of the rope in front of you. Does this dangerously compromise the strength of your rope? I tested it with HowNOT2, here are the results.

Can you tie a sling directly to a picket hole? Is it going to be strong enough to catch a fall or use as a anchor in crevasse rescue? I did the testing, and have a broken picket to prove it.

Here’s a DIY gear hack that’s handy when cleaning a traversing aid pitch, or maybe a overhanging sport route. Girth hitch an aid climbing fifi ihook to an adjustable tether. Now you can easily transfer your weight on to the gear, which lets you unclip your quickdraw and/or the rope. Pop the fifi, take an (exciting!) swing, repeat as necessary.

A Klemheist is a useful friction hitch / rope grabber, but DANG, have you ever tried to use it to actually go up to fixed rope? Tied in the normal way, that sucker bites down hard and is really difficult to slide! Here’s a clever variation that gives adequate grab on the rope, and is much easier to slide when you need to move up.

With nothing more than a cordelette and two carabiners, the “alpine block and tackle” creates a bit of mechanical advantage that can help you move a large load a short distance.

Most climbers know that tying any sort of a knot reduces the strength of cord, rope or webbing. But what about tying multiple knots in the same strand? Does that reduce the strength multiple times? What happens when you have a loop of cord tied with a knot, is the strength reduced in that? The Alpine Club of Italy did some testing, here are the answers.

The progress capture on a hauling system does not necessarily need to be on the anchor. If you have it on a fixed strand of rope, you can simplify your rigging, reduce friction, and lower the load on the anchor. Here's one way to set it up for 2:1 crevasse rescue.

Traditional anchor building teaches trying to “equalize” the load. However, with solid bolts or ice screws, it may be faster and more convenient to build what’s called a series anchor, where all the load goes to one component and the other is a backup.

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.

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.

Using a skinny pull cord, in combination with a regular climbing rope, allows full length rappels with reduced gear and pack weight. However, there are some nuances to doing it correctly, efficiently, and with reduced risk. Learn all about it here.

“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.

Here are detailed tips to keep your phone running longer in the backcountry: changing some phone settings, navigation tricks, and cold-weather protection. Yes, your phone can last for many days on one charge!

What are some of the key differences and best uses for the Petzl Nano, Micro, Mini and Pro Traxion progress capture pulleys? Here's an overview of this very handy piece of gear.

British climber Andy Kirkpatrick wrote a great article for his website about climbing photography. I'm sharing it here, lightly edited, with permission.