New answers tagged mountaineering
1
You are right that leaving the boots to air out periodically is the best solution, but not always doable.
Changing sweaty socks is a good way to get boots to smell less. Socks are easier to carry multiple pairs of, and to clean and dry out. Since socks are the first layer in contact with sweaty feet, clean socks usually imply less-smelly boots.
On longer ...
1
I use lysol disinfectant spray on my climbing shoes every once in a while. It works quite well.
However, since you say you want to avoid chemicals, you may want to try cedar shoe / boot trees. The 'natural' chemicals in cedar wood are antifungal / antibacterial and it emits it's own aroma to help cut through the smell. I wouldn't say this is the 'best way', ...
3
This kind of device is rarely used in sports as it is only useful when used with fixed ropes. You mentioned crevasses: The rope is not fixed here and you are tied in, so it is hard to image how such a fall arrestor would help.
However, one kind of climbing frequently uses vertical fixed (steel) lines: Via Ferratas! In typical Via Ferrata kits, shock ...
7
Professional use
These devices are intended for professional rope work. When doing rope access work, there are typically two ropes involved. One is the working line which is loaded with the worker's weight. The second rope is a backup line which is only loaded in case the working line fails. An arrester device is running along on the backup rope and moving ...
4
The correct answer for sure is "it depends on the exact model" but that is quite useless ;)
As far as I can see all the airbag vests deploy over your whole shoulder area. This is definitely not suited for backpacks.
For some avalanche backpacks it is possible to have one airbag unit and multiple matching packs, e.g. Ortovox. I have not done this myself as ...
1
I went ahead and fished out my copy of Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills, which happens to be the 50th anniversary 8th edition.
The reason there isn't much detail in the list you quote is that it's in the primer chapter. In chapter 17, Glacier travel and crevasse rescue (p.375), you have to go to the Fundamentals of glacier travel (pp.381-382) in the ...
2
A bit later it states that during glacier travel, there should be a minimum of two rope teams.
Is there any explanation why there should be 2 teams? The only case where this makes really sense is that a whole team falls into a crevasse. This must not happen under any circumstances.
If the idea is that a second team can start the rescue immediately, this ...
2
Abandon the trip if...
someone in the group demonstrates behavior that threatens the group,
someone in the group is found to be lying about their status.
First involved dangerous brandishing of a gun - I like guns but he was being irresponsible. Second involved people saying they were warm and dry when they weren't, up until they were dangerously wet and ...
3
You are not going to like the answer, but a 5 member team should recruit a 6th person. I think 3 people per rope is ideal. 4 people always seems like too many and 2 people makes stopping a fall really hard. A one person rope team is not a rope team.
The way I would break things down:
1 person - Find more people to climb with
2 people - If you are both ...
0
For Switzerland I suggest contacting your local section of the Swiss Alpine Club (or you might directly sign up for it).
They have sections all over Switzerland in all major cities (and many many smaller towns and regions also) and have been one of the cornerstones of Swiss mountaineering for more than a century.
You'll find like-minded people to join you ...
0
For France and Switzerland, you can try category "Partenaires : Alpinisme, cascade de glace" (mountaineering & icefall) on camptocamp.org forums.
It's mainly a french-speaking forum, so you should get better results if you post in this category. There is also an english section for mountaineering, but it's less active.
0
You can find mountaineering partners on the summitpost forums. For Europe, try this forum topic from that website.
6
Full body harnesses are not used because of:
Weight (for obvious reasons)
Bulk (Getting all gear to your climbing
desintation can be a chore. Everything else being equal, a more
packable harness is preferred)
Freedom of movement (a full body
harness hinders arm movements)
Clothing (Taking a jacket on and off
with a body harness is a mess)
Instead, ...
2
It wasn't alpine but I'll throw out one that surprised me:
The party was at about 11,000' and cleared a ridgeline that had been shielding them from the worst of the wind, at that point it was so ferocious that a 90-pound female (small, Asian, not a weakling) was struggling too much with it and could barely progress.
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