Backcountry.com copywriter Andy Anderson stoked to have a good tape job on the 155-foot-long Lite Not Solid (5.10d)
The difference between a good tape glove for crack climbing and a bad one can be fairly minor … or it can cost you a send. Good tape gloves save your hands and let you get away with a bit of thrutching when things get desperate. Bad tape gloves can be worse than wearing nothing at all. I’ve had tape gloves ball up and keep me from putting my hands in a crack, I’ve had them come off on the fifth pitch of an 18-pitch route, and I’ve even seen a friend who went with the old-school full-wrap method accidentally clip his tape glove (with his hand in it) to a piece of gear. Needless to say, that one took some doing to get out of.
A good tape glove should be thin enough that it doesn’t really change your hand size, it should be durable enough to last 20+ pitches, and it should leave your palm completely clear of any tape. There are several “perfect” tape gloves out there, but this one is my favorite.
Put some thought and effort into your bike trail features
Good bike trails don’t build themselves. They take a lot of planning, time, and effort to create. Too many bikers are satisfied to simply ride existing trails, never thinking of how they got there in the first place. All too often I hear a rider complain about a jump or a berm or a section of trail that kills the flow, but that rider never thinks of picking up a shovel and fixing the problem. If a section of trail needs some love, get out there with tools, and fix it up. If some friends are building a new bike trail, go help them out for a few days. If there isn’t a trail around your home that has the type or riding you like to do, then step up, and build it yourself. Just make sure you do it right. You don’t want to put in weeks of effort only to find that your trail isn’t that good, or worse, creates access issues for everyone. Read More …
Hiking on hot days stresses your body. High exertion and temperatures boost your core body temp, and your heart beats quickly to circulate blood next to your skin’s surface to cool you down. This robs your muscles of the blood they need, so your heart needs to crank even harder to keep them firing. If the humidity is high, your sweat can’t evaporate, further stressing your body.
Before: A gape-tastic climber breaking the hell out of rule #7
A friend of mine recently started climbing and fell in love with it right away. Now he can’t get enough. Good on ya mate! On about his second day of climbing he turned to another friend and said “alright dude, what do I need to know to keep from looking like a total gaper when I’m climbing?” My friend came up with a list of things not to do. Here are a few of the highlights…
Looking down from the hanging belay at the top of pitch 13 on the Lotus Flower Tower. Only five more to go.
Hanging belays look great in photos, but let’s face it, the novelty disappears pretty quickly. After a half hour of hanging in your harness, your legs go numb, your kidneys throb, and your patience of your partner’s slow, methodical technique begins to wear thin. There are a few things that you can do to reduce the suck, so before you go get on something with pitch after pitch of steepness and no ledges in sight, make sure your bag of tricks is nice and full.
Pick up any freeride DVD out there, and you’ll see the biggest and most technical tricks being executed with a level of fluidity that borders on perfection. The stuff at the absolute limits of a pretty talented freerider looks like absolute child’s play when executed by the world’s best.
It’s pretty tempting to hop on your bike after the end credits, head to the dirt jumps, and throw down something that you just witnessed for the fist time. Later that day, while you’re downing painkillers like it’s your job, you may wonder how the pros go out and stick tricks so easily. The truth is that they practice like mad, bringing each trick through a progression of low- to high-commitment settings until they finally bring it to dirt. If you want to learn something new and stay in one piece, take the trick through the paces. Here’s how: Read More …
Summer is officially here, and what better place is there to be than standing in front of a hot grill or over open coals? Well, actually, we can think of several places: climbing multiple pitches up a new route, bombing down in full armor on fat tires, or paddling in chilly runoff, for example.
How about a compromise? We’ll all step up to the fiery grill if it involves creating a delicious dinner of grilled meat, fruit, and vegetables. Yeah, compromise is pretty easy when it involves refreshing food that doesn’t steal precious stomach space reserved for a few cold brews, deliciously crisp vino, or your favorite stiff-one at the end of a hot day. Read More …
You head back to camp after a good, long day of gettin’ after it and pull an icy cold beer from the cooler to celebrate. Suddenly, and not without a small measure of panic, you realize you forgot your bottle opener. Before you resort to breaking the neck off your Polygamy Porter with a rock and risk drinking down busted glass with your brew, open your eyes and look for some other alternatives. There are plenty of items in camp that will help you get access to a cold one. Depending on your chosen activity, you may have nearly limitless options.
Waterfall Hunting: going outdoors with the goal of finding new waterfalls, photographing them, and enjoying the rare opportunity to swim beneath them.
For thousands of years, people around the world have been traveling to waterfalls to experience the mesmerizing sight and sound of falling water. Every waterfall is different but still conjures the same deep-down sense that the land is a treasure to be preserved but at the same time also shared. Read More …
Grizzly bears will also usually move along if they sense a human nearby. Try to make your presence known as often as possible when you travel through grizzly territory. Human noises work best, so try to keep a conversation going, or shout “Hey, bear! Coming through!” if you see signs of a bear in your vicinity.
When surprised, grizzlies attack more often than black bears, but the same “threat” mentality applies. Back away, speaking in a strong but soothing voice, showing the bear that you mean it no harm. Read More …
Make noise while you hike. Most mountain lions will leave if they hear people coming.
If you see a mountain lion, do not run. Running will stimulate the “chase and attack” instinct, and four powerful legs outrun two human ones.
Do not approach the lion. Give it a way to escape. Most mountain lions will avoid confrontation (unless they have cubs with them or are very hungry).
Maintain eye contact and face the mountain lion. Make yourself appear larger by raising your arms, opening your jacket, or holding your backpack over your head.
