68
votes
Accepted
Mountaineering with a 6-year-old kid in winter
Other people have addressed several concerns that I would have bringing a young child into the mountains during the winter. One concern that I haven't seen addressed is; what if something happens to ...
- 9,678
46
votes
Is it dangerous to rope together on an ascent of hard packed ice?
If the snow was hard packed enough that a self arrest is not possible, and there are no intermediate anchors, then if one person falls, they can take the whole team down with them.
If that was the ...
- 69.2k
39
votes
Accepted
Should one attempt to rescue a stranger from a crevasse or wait for mountain rescue?
Yes, you absolutely should rescue the climber when the situation allows.
The reason that matters most is suspension trauma: Prolonged motionless hanging in a harness can lead to loss of consciousness ...
- 21.7k
36
votes
What do mountaineers eat and drink on the day of an Everest summit?
Hot soup mostly, it does depend on the individual diets of the climbers, not everybody eats the same thing, but most carry hot soup with them.
Despite the massive amounts of energy needed to summit ...
- 53.5k
34
votes
Can you get permanent brain damage by spending a day at 10,000ft (~3000m) altitude?
TLDR: Yes, it can happen at that altitude, but the odds are extremely low.
Long answer
High-altitude cerebral edema has happened at lower than 10,000 ft.
The condition is seldom seen below 3,000 ...
- 69.2k
29
votes
Accepted
What is "Isolation" and "Prominence" in mountain terms?
Isolation and prominence are the two key criteria to classify a peak as an independent mountain.
To understand the meaning I like the visualization from the German Wiki where
"Dominanz" means ...
- 12.2k
27
votes
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Summitting Breithorn in the winter?
I do not have much alpine experience
Climbing the Breithorn in the winter is a much different matter than in the spring or summer. Any 4,000 meter peak in the alps is subject to arctic weather ...
- 3,034
25
votes
Mountaineering with a 6-year-old kid in winter
You know that there is a lot of snow already in those heights in Austria? Even in 1500m people not used to it will get problems. Please have a look at webcams and detailed descriptions of the route ...
- 12.2k
25
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What is the difference between a Pass and a Col?
Both words refer to the same topography, which is a saddle point. The land goes up in two opposite directions, and down in the two other opposite directions.
To me at least, a col is just this basic ...
- 21.4k
24
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Mountaineering with a 6-year-old kid in winter
Due to the small volume of the body - risk of rapid hypothermia in children is very high. Do not risk it in the winter.
- 341
24
votes
Do I need a rope on the Großglockner?
The Großglockner is one of the most popular high peaks in the Alps. This means that in the summit area, especially between the Kleinglockner and the Großglockner there is a lot of traffic in both ...
- 7,020
23
votes
What is Fast Packing?
Fastpacking is lightweight or ultralight mountain travel with the aim of covering big distances over extended trips. Base weights would typically range between 8lbs-15lbs (3.5-7kg) or even less, so ...
- 11.7k
22
votes
Accepted
Is it dangerous to rope together on an ascent of hard packed ice?
The most common options coming to my mind are:
Securing from anchors and building e.g. one rope-party with 2 and one with 3 members
This is slow but very safe. You do it in steep and/or difficult ...
- 12.2k
21
votes
Accepted
Rapelling an overhang
I was thinking about this question while rappelling over an overhang this evening with my little girl and payed attention to exactly what I do:
Plant your feet on the edge of the overhang, keep your ...
- 53.5k
21
votes
What is the difference between a Pass and a Col?
Pass and col are synonymous. Col is French whereas the word pass has entered the Germanic languages (German word is Pass). The word col entered English usage because of anglophone mountaineers in ...
- 27.1k
21
votes
Accepted
Are there any general rules of thumb for route finding up a mountain without any trails?
I'll try to give a fairly generic answer to this broad question...
Avoid Dangers
This is obvious really, but first and foremost you'll want to avoid any kind of routes which lead you close to ...
- 12.7k
20
votes
Accepted
What do mountaineers eat and drink on the day of an Everest summit?
In 1996, they seemed to enjoy chocolate bars and candies.
From some of the accounts of the infamous 1996 season related by the 2015 movie, apart for the classic soup, tea and fluids, we can consider "...
- 316
20
votes
Accepted
Where does the name Deadman come from in mountaineering gear?
imsodin's explanation (it's a heavy object you bury in the ground, like a dead body) seems very plausible. Just to add some history to it, here's the earliest use of the term listed in the Oxford ...
- 3,752
20
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Mountaineering with a 6-year-old kid in winter
In short - No, do not take your 6 y.o. daughter on that mountain in winter in one week's time.
There'll be plenty of opportunities for parent-daughter bonding in the future in less extreme and more ...
- 303
20
votes
Should one attempt to rescue a stranger from a crevasse or wait for mountain rescue?
Additionally to @imsodins brilliant answer, I'd say the same applies to almost any mountain rescue situation:
if you are able to contribute to the situation while maintaining your own safety, do it (...
- 1,451
20
votes
Accepted
What is the relationship between altitude gain and temperature decrease when mountaineering?
The answer is that it depends on the moisture held in the air
moist air changes at a rate of 3° Fahrenheit per 1000 ft of vertical / 0.6° Celsius per 100m.
dry air changes at a rate of 5.4&...
- 69.2k
20
votes
Accepted
Why is the "alpine style" of climbing not as popular in the Himalayas?
TLDR: Because its much harder that way and the extra altitude of the Himalayas makes it that much more difficult.
Alpine style refers to mountaineering in a self-sufficient manner, thereby carrying ...
- 69.2k
20
votes
Accepted
Are snow shoes useful in mountaineering?
Yes, snowshoes can be very useful when mountaineering. The ideal conditions for their use are lots of snow and fairly gentle slopes. The deeper the snow, the greater the advantage snowshoes have over ...
- 4,088
18
votes
Accepted
Why are climbing shoes usually a slightly tighter than the usual mountaineering shoes?
Climbing shoes need to be extremely tight* because they frequently have to support a lot of weight on extremely tiny footholds, often on the tip of the toes:
Any free space inside the shoe could ...
- 5,153
18
votes
Correct technique to traverse exposed sandy rock slope
You are correct that it is called scree. Depending on the incline and rock makeup it can be either relatively easy or almost impassable to cross. If you are traversing you want to pick a straight line ...
- 4,043
17
votes
Is there any practical use for a grappling hook?
You wouldn't want to use one to climb. My favourite quote I found on the Internet:
Here's my advice on climbing with grappling hooks: don't climb with grappling hooks. Real climbers never use them,...
- 24.9k
17
votes
What are the pros and cons of ice axe leashes?
Notice: I consider this a question about classical mountaineering. The question becomes very debatable if you include steep ice.
In short:
Do not use hand leashes on mountaineering ice axes: you ...
- 21.7k
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