Great video of Steve House doing mixed climbing- free solo!

http://www.alpinist.com/doc/web11s/wfeature-steve-house

Dean Potter,Steph Davis and now ...Alex Honnold free solo.

Climbing without the Fear gene!
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/adventure/adventure-featured/adv-beyond-the-edge-honnold.html

Some training inspiration

http://youtu.be/bGTQ0KIbeVw

How to make an alpine quickdraw

Neat video on how to use a gear sling to make a quickdraw that has options to be adjusted different lengths in a jiffy.

http://alpineinstitute.blogspot.com/2010/03/alpine-quickdraw.html

Into the life of Mugs Stump,pioneer mountaineer.

 Mugs Stump like many mountaineers before him and many mountaineers after him, will stand apart  as part of a breed that is difficult to comprehend.
And for the average person, quite mad.
For the average person all that they cannot do, is mad.

On the list of  mad mountaineers ,Mugs Stump was as mad as they come.


http://www.thecleanestline.com/2009/02/the-dream-a-journey-of-the-spirit-with-mugs-stump.html

50 yrs of mountaineering featureing most of the greatest climbers,ever.

 Very inspiring video. It will help you see the mountains clearer and answer the question- "why do I climb? "

http://www.ukclimbing.com/news/item.php?id=63787

Top 10 ascents of 2011

Monumental climbing by all those who made the list and probably many who didn't make it. Congratulations!

http://rockandice.com/component/content/article/1732-top-10-ascents-of-2011

The most compete climber of our times - Adam Ondra

 In this video the legendary Alex Huber  shares why he thinks that Adam Ondra is the most complete climber of our times and how Adam is going to push climbing to the next level.

http://vimeo.com/33704646

Some scary mixed climbing.

 What's the margin of error possible when doing routes like this? Very small indeed. Are they crazy? Probably a little but what they have lots of is -ability.

Steph Davis says' the risk factor is relative to your ability.'  The reason she is always laughing and smiling in her free solo climbing videos!

http://vimeo.com/33005769

Gymming for fitness?

Here is a great article on what going to the gym helps you do and more importantly help you not do!

http://www.mensjournal.com/everything-you-know-about-fitness-is-a-lie/2

Using Quickdraws safely.

Wrong clipping a quick draw can be fatal. We can make mistakes when we are are stretched and desperate to clip quickly.
Getting into a stable position  before you  clip is vital- it will prevent a nasty accident.
There are other things to keep in mind about using quickdraws and DMM has some sterling suggestions. Climb safe!

http://dmmclimbing.com/knowledge/carabiners-and-potential-rope-damage/

Are you an Alpinist ?

This excellent post troubled me as I failed to make the grade.
What separates an Alpinist from... uhhh!, a mountaineer (ouch!)?
Find out.

http://raphaelslawinski.blogspot.com/2010/12/faux-alpinism.html

Even super stars have bad days!

 Peaks and valleys in performance are rare, for superstar climbers like Adam Ondra. But give him a break he is still human, well almost.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ez6IzYJ8Occ

High tech fabrics in activewear.

The Polartec Neo Shell is creating waves and couple of the major clothing brands have already released their first models.Mammut,Westcomb. and The North Face notably. Here is a look at the company and its offerings .

http://www.polartec.com/

Dropping weight will zoom your performance in nearly any sport and save money!

" Weight-conscious road bikers will shell out thousands of dollars for carbon-fiber road bikes that are merely a pound (or less) lighter than their cheaper aluminum counterparts. I always laugh at the irony of seeing old, fat, bulbous-shaped rich guys, who are crammed into spandex, riding the lightest $10,000 road bikes on the market. Apparently, it’s easier to drop 10 G’s than drop a pound off themselves. " 

- Rock and Ice Senior Editor Andrew Bisharat

Another good climbing blog to follow!

Lots of good reviews and informed opinion - eveningsends.com

Best of Gear!

Enduring gear that outlasts fashion- here is a review from  Climbing  Magazine. Check it out.
http://www.climbing.com/print/equipment/the_best_of_gear_hall_of_famers/

Buying climbing clothing?

All that fantastic advertising pushes us towards the 'latest' 'best','award winning' gear.A lot of which might be quite unsuitable for our purpose.

I bought a thick fleece jacket the other day because it looked capable and was from a big brand name. Froze! within minutes of stepping out of the store. Was it a lousy jacket? No it wasn't. It just wasn't meant to be worn in windy conditions.

Which brings us to its 'CFM' rating. Cubic Feet per Minute per Square Meter. Which in laypersons language means how 'wind proof ' is the fabric?

The struggle in the active wear/ outdoor wear market is getting the right combinations of lightness/insulation/abrasion resistance/breathability/ stretchability/waterproofing...etc at a great price! Don't envy their challenge.

I remedied the wind proofing problem by slipping on a super thin wind-shirt on top of the fleece. Wonders! Warm and cozy within seconds as the fleece did its insulating job and the wind shirt did its wind blocking one.

  For more in depth information on how to match your clothing with your requirement , follow the link below.
http://www.verber.com/mark/outdoors/stash/patagonia-testing.html

How to get off the mountain

 I came across a post at my all time favourite blog -  http://coldthistle.blogspot.com/ on what some macho guys do to get off a mountain, when things go wrong.
I then followed the thread to read comments on that post from the Ice Master himself, Will Gadd - http://willgadd.com/?p=600
My learning- spend as much time on how to 'get off ' the mountain as you do to 'get on' it.
Will Gadd spells it out so I won't repeat it.

News and lessons from the climbing world.

There is a lot happening in the climbing world,great stuff that we might miss out on.

To be the best you want to be, it helps to know more: - about things to do and not to do; gear that may work better for you; and most importantly lessons from our fellow climbers.

All the great stuff I come across I will share with you, see if it works for you.

Cheers!