For those of you using the Guide mode on multi pitch routes. The advantages are numerous, but you need to make sure you are up to scratch with what to do in an emergency. Being “outside the system” is an…
A Safer Mountain
Khumbu Climbing Center (KCC) found its home high in the Himalayas of Nepal. KCC aims to keep climbers safer by advocating responsible climbing practices; for two weeks in the winter season Nepali climbers retreat to KCC where they learn technical…
Abseil Knots, Chapter 2 – The Video
Wild Country and Climbing Magazine have produced a series of ‘How To’ videos designed to demonstrate basic climbing skills and techniques. In this video Julie Ellison, Climbing Magazine Gear Editor, shows which knots are best for rappelling. Julie shows how…
Abseil Knots Explained, Chapter 1
by Jack Geldard – Consulting Editor 03/Oct/2016 for UKC Following recent online discussion stemming from a Rock & Ice article about appropriate abseil knots – and some confusion over certain types of knot and their nicknames – we asked Jack…
How to choose a rope for climbing and mountaineering
Learn about the different kinds of climbing and mountaineering ropes and the safety standards regulating their use. As with most safety equipment, the correct use of climbing rope is made clear by the certified standards it complies to. It is…
Why you should Call or Text 112 in case of Emergency
In 1991, the EU adopted a policy of a single emergency services number which would operate for free on any phone, landline or mobile including foreign mobiles. Though many of the 80 countries including all of the EU and beyond…
What is the Safest Rappel Knot?
The following article is courtesy of Kolin Powick (Rock and Ice Magazine) I was climbing in Yosemite last summer and, while at a belay, was talking to a party from Bozeman, Montana. They noticed all the proto gear on my rack…
The Skinny on Super Light Ropes
By Duane Raleigh You don’t have to have an apple konk you on the head to realize that as climbers our greatest enemy is gravity, and that gravity’s minion is weight. Defeating gravity by getting lighter, both in terms of ourselves…
Fall Factors Explained
By Duane Raleigh Falling is the opposite of climbing, which can explain why we apply every membrane between our ears toward getting up the rock, but dedicate precious little to hurtling down it. Falling, it seems, isn’t just to be…
Common Belay Screw-ups and What To Do About Them
By Duane Raleigh, with Alison Osius Original article from Rock and Ice Here. IN 1980 MY COLLEGE ROOMMATE, Mark Herndon, fell 100 feet on a two-pitch route. I was belaying from a stance at the end of the first pitch,…