Climbing Inspiration

I love climbing videos! It keeps me psyched and training hard in the off season. Climbing videos, however, are not cheap. That's why it's so refreshing to see a company like Louder Than Eleven, who offers their quality videos for free. Check out their business model here.

If you haven't seen their latest feature Park Life: Bouldering in Yosemite, do yourself a favor and get on it ASAP!


Park Life - Yosemite Bouldering from Louder Than 11 on Vimeo.

DOWNLOAD THE FULL VIDEO FOR FREE AT:
lt11.com/2012/01/16/park-life-yosemite-bouldering/

Radical Tools

I've been using my Black Diamond Cobras for the last 3 seasons, and I love them. A great all-around tool, but I find it best suited for alpine climbing. For really steep and mixed climbing, I wanted something with a more radical curvature. After reading Dane's review of the Petzl Ergo, I was sold. That was until I saw these...

I would love to get my paws on a pair of these, but at a retail price of $750 (per tool, not the pair), it's a bit unrealistic for me. They also offer an alloy version for $475 per tool. Of course, if they climb as sweet as they look, I might just have to sell my soul...

DMM, manufacturer of some of my favorite gear, is also launching a new line-up of ice tools later this year.


DMM ISPO Munich 2012 from DMM Climbing on Vimeo.

The Ergo's will have to wait until I get to swing some of these new radical tools!

Do Electronic Devices Affect Beacons?

Interesting field test results from skiingthebackcountry.

Part 1:


Part 2:


I don't use a GPS device but a lot of my climbing partners do. It'd be interesting to see a response from BCA.

Read the full article here:
Part 1 & Part 2

Everyone should know how to do this!

Building a multi-piece anchor using the climbing rope (3:57)

from ClimbingLife

Personal Tethers / Personal Anchor Systems

I've been using the Metolius PAS for the last few years, and even though it has served me well, it's starting to look a little frayed. In my search for a replacement tether system, I wanted to find something that could absorb a dynamic fall. While this is not the intended use of a personal tether, I've seen too many climbers leave slack in the PAS, sometimes even positioning themselves above the anchor (yikes!), risking a factor 1-2 fall onto the anchor. Obviously, there are ways to mitigate this risk. I always use the climbing rope clove-hitched to the power point as my main tether, with the PAS as a back-up. However, I was curious if a design exists that can take human error out of the equation. Here are a few options I looked at:

Sterling Chain Reactors - Similar to the PAS design but made with nylon. Apparently this can take 3 factor 2 falls.

Purcell Prusiks - You can build your own Purcell Prusik. How well it can take a dynamic fall will obviously depend on the material. I might try one using 6mm Mammut Pro Cord.

Beal Dynaconnexion - I was about to cut a section out of my old rope to create a dynamic personal tether when I came across this product. 15 factor 2 falls! Just ordered one. We'll see how it performs in the field.