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 ...
- 9,658
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 ...
- 69.4k
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 ...
- 21.8k
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 ...
- 69.4k
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 ...
- 3,032
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
votes
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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
votes
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
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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 ...
- 7,515
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
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 ...
- 27.3k
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 ...
- 13.3k
20
votes
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 (...
- 1,469
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&...
- 69.4k
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 ...
- 69.4k
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 ...
- 4,114
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 ...
- 5,143
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 ...
- 4,073
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 ...
- 21.8k
17
votes
Mountaineering with a 6-year-old kid in winter
I don't know the route itself, but according to what I read there are two non-technical routes, one from the "Prielschutzhaus" and another from "Welse Huette". The first one includes one steep section ...
- 21.8k
17
votes
Accepted
How high can one go from sea level without having to worry about altitude sickness?
People react differently to altitude, and it is not always those you would predict who have trouble at altitude. Thus, my advice is to take it slower than zero to 9,000 feet in one day unless you ...
- 24k
16
votes
Mountaineering with a 6-year-old kid in winter
The normal track to Großer Priel involves some smaller climbing sections, so even in summer it isn't that easy. Total ascent is around 2000m and about 24 kms, so definitely a serious climb. Do you ...
- 161
15
votes
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First skills to learn for mountaineering
I would put avalanche safety and a wilderness first responder course as my top priorities. They teach you how to not get into trouble and how to help others if you do. Just being able to spot an ...
- 2,138
15
votes
Accepted
Do mountaineers use dynamic climbing when traversing rock/ice?
The problem will be that both the terms/activities "dynamic climbing" and "mountaineering" are quite broad. Strictly speaking the answer is yes: You sometimes use dynamic climbing in mountaineering, ...
- 21.8k
15
votes
Terms for different parts of a mountain
I have come-up with a hand-run sketch, may or may not be accurate. But I have tried to translate the local terms we use, and I have pick-up the terms in English that came closest in terms of meaning.
...
- 31.7k
15
votes
Can I theoritcally climb The Mount Erciyes in the summer?
Categorically, no.
1) As ab2 said, you need experience. You need to learn how much you can do (note that hiking endurance isn't very related to how one performs in sports--my nephew is 10 years ...
- 2,334
15
votes
Accepted
Why do Everest climbers go up, down and up again, instead of acclimatizing by simply staying in a camp longer?
Basically what happens is that the body needs some time to start producing more red blood cells. If you stay at the higher level your body can't cope with the acute lack of oxygen and as a result you ...
- 10.9k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible