Climbing

Climbers’ Work Wear: What Features Check the Boxes for You?

If clothes make the man – or woman, as the case may be – then what does that say about the choices in work wear made by climbers? Every piece of clothing a climber puts on must be functional in the extreme, so consequently, the choices he or she makes in work wear often reflect […]

Climbing SRS: How Do You Take Your Anchors?

How do you take your anchors? Up? On the rocks? Dirty? With a twist? Shaken, not stirred? I prefer mine twisted, backed up, with a loop. Excuse the puns, but as a 007 fan, I couldn’t resist. (Photo 1) This article will take a look at the minimum requirements for a base anchor in a […]

Progressive Aerial Rescue: Is It an Afterthought?

We’ve been shorting ourselves. When it comes to aerial-rescue training, we, as an industry, have been spending too much time on the same few points while overlooking numerous critical points in the overall incident. We tend to approach the rescue with the mindset of “down to ground as soon as possible,” and then call it […]

Face Shields and Eye Protection: Why the Disconnect?

Back when I was getting started in the industry, I was cutting a fallen honey-locust tree by a community pool. As inexperienced people often do, I pinched the saw. Then, also as inexperienced people do, I went full throttle on the trigger while yanking the handle back and forth to try to free it. The […]

Conditioning Warm-Ups for Climbers: Preparing for the Jerks and Jolts of Climbing Life

I’m thinking, “One more leafy branch to cut before I can start chunking the large sections of limb back to the trunk. The branch is just at the full extension of my reach. I probably could reposition myself for better leverage, but then I would just return to this spot after that cut. I don’t […]

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