59
votes
Accepted
Impact of throwing away fruit waste on a peak > 3200 m above a glacier
The problem with food waste at that elevation is that there is very little soil to bury things and that decomposition happens much slower at those altitudes.
Sometimes there are still marmots/pikas ...
- 69.4k
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
45
votes
Impact of throwing away fruit waste on a peak > 3200 m above a glacier
My viewpoint: If it is unlikely to be seen before natural processes take care of it then disposal in the wilderness isn't unreasonable. Thus, below timberline, outside Jasper National Park, walking ...
- 12.1k
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
30
votes
How dangerous is it to rummage the ground in the mountains of Nevada desert with venomous creatures out there?
Is it "severely dangerous"? Maybe
Is there risk? Absolutely
I'm going to say first off that you seem like you have little to no hiking/outdoor experience, and whatever answers me or other users give ...
- 511
25
votes
Accepted
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 ...
- 21.5k
24
votes
Accepted
How can I protect myself in case of a human attack like the murders of the hikers Jespersen and Ueland in Morocco?
What mistakes did these girls make during their camping trip?
I don't know that they made any glaring mistakes. The only caution I would note (and you'll see that it's of limited value in this ...
- 482
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 ...
- 27.5k
19
votes
Accepted
How to begin trail / fell running?
A few random tips from many years of mountain running:
There is no shame in walking part or all the way up a long hill. The best runners in the world do it.
Pick destinations that excite you, even ...
19
votes
How can I protect myself in case of a human attack like the murders of the hikers Jespersen and Ueland in Morocco?
The way to protect yourself against attacks like this is to greatly reduce the probability of being attacked. Granted, you can be attacked anywhere (Yosemite, the Appalachian Trail) for any reason or ...
- 24.3k
16
votes
Why can I hear such long distances in the mountains?
Sound reflected by concave surfaces will concentrate in a narrow area rather like light passing through a convex lens. You were probably at one of the focal points for the sound being reflected in the ...
- 6,005
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.
...
- 31.8k
14
votes
How dangerous is it to rummage the ground in the mountains of Nevada desert with venomous creatures out there?
About the only real danger of the ones you mentioned is a scorpion under a rock you just picked up. They do hide in crevasses under rocks during the day. Just be aware that there might be a scorpion ...
- 21.5k
13
votes
Is it dangerous to rope together on an ascent of hard packed ice?
It look like they are "moving together". Very common in alpine ascents when moving over easier ground where it would take too long to pitch the climb (fixed belay). The leader would run out around 10-...
- 131
13
votes
Austria: 1:25000 paper and other maps
The official Austrian topographic office Bundesamt für Eich- und Vermessungswesen does not generally have true 1:25,000 maps. It does sell maps at those scales, but those are actually ...
- 27.5k
12
votes
Accepted
Strategy to ascend steep scree slope
Climbing scree is a skill all on it's own. The trick is to have good balance and have a good feel for the ground, and gradually transfer your weight from one foot to the other, almost like walking on ...
- 53.7k
11
votes
Accepted
How do people deal with sweating and 'feeling hot' at high altitude climbs (above 5500m)?
Layering and wicking.
Back to layering and wicking in a minute, but first note that 3,000 meters (9,842 feet) isn't really all that high compared to what you are aiming for, which is above 5,500 ...
- 24.3k
11
votes
How can I protect myself in case of a human attack like the murders of the hikers Jespersen and Ueland in Morocco?
I'd like to first say that I'm not sure that these suggestions would have helped the hikers described in the post. Here are some suggestions which may help to avoid human threats.
Camp relatively ...
- 453
11
votes
Accepted
Luzern: Walking from Pilatus Kulm to Frakigaudi Toboggan
I have done this hike, up one path and down the other:
I would class them both as T3 (challenging mountain hike) on the official hiking scale (explanation). You will definitely need hiking boots with ...
- 126
10
votes
Is it dangerous to rope together on an ascent of hard packed ice?
It's impossible to say from a photograph whether something is "safe" or not. Many factors come into play, including the experience level of the climbers concerned. For all we know, they may have ...
- 4,799
10
votes
Accepted
What makes some of the lakes in the Himalayas saline?
In all of these cases it's because they are Endorheic, which is a fancy way of saying that they have inputs but no outputs. The salt that is carried down by the precipitation is trapped in the lake ...
- 69.4k
10
votes
What is the highest "hikeable" mountain in the world?
It’s probably not THE highest, but Kilimanjaro at 5895 meters is a pretty famous one that doesn’t require any particular skill, just basic conditioning.
That said, I am reading 'climbing' as the ...
- 2,270
9
votes
Is it dangerous to rope together on an ascent of hard packed ice?
As mentioned by others: It is impossible to definitely judge the situation from just the photo, and that's all we have. As far as I see, there is no protection between the roped climbers here. So my ...
- 21.8k
9
votes
How to begin trail / fell running?
In general there is nothing better than what you said: Go select a hill and start running. If you have (possibly experienced) company all the better. There is one point that you should keep in mind ...
- 21.8k
9
votes
How to begin trail / fell running?
Adding on to the other excellent answers, here would be a few of my additional tips:
Try to pay more attention to the difficulty of a hiking trail before committing to running it. Consider working ...
- 4,242
9
votes
How do people deal with sweating and 'feeling hot' at high altitude climbs (above 5500m)?
If you feel hot, then remove some clothes. Going without a tee-shirt in -10C or lower is quite practical if you are working hard.
There are caveats:
Firstly, be prepared to put the clothes back on ...
8
votes
Are there fish in lakes with a lots of glacial flour?
Oh there are lots of fish in there.
I grew up only 70km from the glacier that feeds the Elk River, and I've spent a lot of time up at the lakes just below the glacier. In the winter, the water is ...
- 53.7k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible