Climb a Waterfall This Winter

Climbing is often an extreme sport by most people except those who could do it as. Ice climbing is definitely an extreme sport.

You can climb a waterfall? Yes! This is ultimately what ice climbing is all about. Despite the similarities in the rock seems obvious, ice climbing is actually very different. Various techniques and devices used, not to mention the landinvolved.

The first thing to know about ice climbing is you need to be mentally prepared. Mentally, you are climbing on ice, which can take a while to get your head around. You need to read up on ice and then climb with someone familiar with the nature of the different types of ice and how they can be climbed. Having a large sheet of ice calve off the wall in front of you can be shear terror the first time it happens.

The The second thing for you to learn more about climbing is huge. It 'difficult. Much more difficult to climb in my opinion. Before putting on something more equipment, because you want to stay warm. The biggest problem, however, the cold. Your body will keep the blood vessels contract core organs warm. Your hands may be a bit 'stiff, which makes the climb much more difficult. Frankly, it's the greatest training I ever had. I am in goodshape and slept for about 18 hours after my first sizeable climb.

So, how do you start? As strange as it sounds, a good place to practice is on a steep hill like one you might find in your neighborhood. You are looking for something with a 45 grade or so. You can practice your technique and get a feel for what is involved. If you "fall", you just slide down the hill. It is similar to bouldering in rock climbing.

As you can guess, there are few hills that have a nice sheet of ice from top to bottom. Hello mother nature! If you find one located near a hose, you can spray it down. People will think you are insane, but ice freezes and builds up quickly.

Ice climbing tends to be one of those things you love or hate. I love the actually climbing, but it really kicks your butt. It is definitely worth trying once, so go for it!

How High is Mount Everest?

We all know that Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world but over the years it has been measured many times using the latest available technology at the time giving slightly different results. In 1856 Andrew Waugh declared Peak XV as it was called in those days to be 29,002 feet high based on his computations and observations through Great Trigonometric Survey.

The height of the Mount Everest as mentioned in the article is 8, 848 which has been recognized officially in both China and Nepal. After many years of calculation and measurements, on the 9th October 2005 the State Bureau of Surveying and Chinese Academy of Sciences made an official announcement that the height of Mount Everest was actually 29,017.16 feet or 8,844.43 meters with accuracy of ±0.69 feet (0.21 meters).

It was claimed to be the most precise measurement ever taken. This height is based on the top of the rock on the summit of Mount Everest and does not include the ice and snow which covers it. They also measured the ice and snow depth of 11 feet which increases the net height to 8,848 meters. The ice and snow thickness can vary over time and it is not possible to find out the precise height of snow cap.

The elevation of Mount Everest as 29, 029 feet was found out during 1955, by Indian survey with the use of theodolites that was accurate. It was then reassured by Chinese measurement during the year 1975 which also stated the height as 8,848.13 meters. In both measurements, the snow cap was considered and they did not measure the rock head. An American Expedition was conducted during the month of May in 1999, headed by Bradford Washington, who grounded a GPS unit to the top most bed rock. The elevation till rock head was found to be 29, 035 feet (8, 850 meters) and the snow cap elevation was found to be 3 feet (1 meter) higher with the help of this GPS device. Though it was recognized by Nepal officially, it is quoted widely. Geoid casts of uncertainty doubt upon precision of results claimed by surveys conducted during year 2005 and 1999.

It is considered that tectonic plates of the regions are incrementing the height of region as they move the summit in north east direction. There are suggestions that rate of increase is 4 millimeters per year in upward direction and 3 to 6 millimeters in northeast direction and there is another theory suggesting lateral movement of 27 millimeters an year.

Today the height of 29,029ft (8,848m) is officially recognized as the correct elevation by Nepal, China and many from around the world.

Rock Climbing

My friends and I went rock climbing during the summer and it was the highlight of the entire summer for me. At the start, I thought to myself, what's the big deal about climbing a bunch of rocks. I never realized that it could turn out to be such a satisfying experience.

My friends say that there are several kinds of climbing ranging from recreational climbing to adventurous and sport climbing. All of them involve the use of one's hands and feet to move up a steep object. I suppose rock climbing started from the pursuit of mountaineering since they both involve climbing up a steep rocky surface wit the use of ropes and other climbing equipment and protective gear.

After reading up on the topic, I discovered that there are two basic types of rock climbing. These are free climbing, which involves the use of ropes and other gear strictly for safety purposes in case you fall, and aid climbing, which involves using equipment to create a passage on a piece of rock in order to be able to move forward.

History tells us that man has been climbing up mountains strictly for recreational purposes since the 16th century. Previously, mountain climbers did not use a rope and this became a regular practice in climbing only in the middle of the 17th century. At that time, mountain climbers usually employed professional guides to help them in their journey. The role at the time was that the leader (the guy who climbs up the rope first) must not fall. The practice of threading ropes through iron safety rings embedded into the rock began in the early 1900s.

There are several types of climbing. These include Traditional climbing (or "Trad climbing" which uses removable and fixed protection); Sport climbing (involves the use of pre-placed bolts for protection); Bouldering (climbing small rocks without a rope); Aid climbing (using equipment to climb instead of hands and feet); Ice climbing (traditional climbing on ice-covered slopes or frozen waterfalls), Top rope climbing (having a safety line that is always above the climber); Indoor climbing (involves bouldering, top roping, and lead climbing); Alpine climbing (involves rock and ice climbing as a part of mountaineering); Free solo climbing (solitary climbing on exposed rock without protective gear) and Roped solo climbing (solitary climbing using ropes).

Rock Climbing - Safety Tips and Techniques

In the United States, rock climbing has become a popular sport and more and more people are starting to take interest in it. A little more than 100,000 recreational athletes are now involved with this thrilling sport and that number is growing fast. It almost goes without saying that rock climbing is a dangerous sport and safety is an important issue. The sport involves a lot of rock climbing gear and a lot of things could go wrong if you don't know what you are doing. Obviously, the higher you decide to climb, the greater the risk will be.

If you are just starting to rock climb, there are some important safety rules that one must know before they even look at a mountain. First off, a person must be in moderately good to excellent physical health before trying to rock climb. Physical conditioning is a very important part of rock climbing and the more fit you are, the safer your climb will be. Also, you must have the right gear which will also reduce the danger of getting injured. Expert climbers recommend 5.11 Tactical gear because it is amazingly durable and easy to use. It is also recommended that a rock climber should wear a durable multi-purpose belt to insure the safety of the climber. One from Bianchi Holsters will be a great safety precaution tool to consider purchasing.

Although serious rock climbing injuries do occur rarely, they are usually due to carelessness and over-exertion of the body. The areas that are most vulnerable to injury include wrists, hands and elbows. Overstressing the hands and fingers can cause ruptures in tendons. Shoulders are also at risk because one armed holds, a common technique used for rock climbing, can cause torn rotator cuffs. These injuries sound scary, but they are easily preventable if one utilizes caution. Beginning climbers should develop a routine of intense stretching before trying to conquer a rock face as well as a ten minute warm up period to loosen up muscles. Squeezing a tennis ball or using rubber bands to strengthen hands and fingers are also great ideas to help prevent injuries.
It's not only necessary for a climber to buy the right gear, like 5.11 tactical pants, one should check their gear frequently just in case knots are loose or equipment is worn.

It's important to do all these things before attempting to rock climb. Safety isn't a joke when it comes to hanging a few hundred feet above the ground.

High and Dry - Stubai Glacier's Guaranteed Snow

With a highest lifted point of 3333 metres, Stubai Glacier has height on its side. Even in a lean year, Stubai will have plenty of snow. The resort's "snow guarantee" says it offers the most reliable snow conditions from October to June.

The bulk of the resort sits above the treeline, where off-piste lines are easy to scope and find. The place is dripping are beautiful couloirs and cliffs.

Many of the locals avoid Stubai in the winter, because it is so high and cold, so it's not particularly crowded. Many of those who do make it up to the resort prefer to stay warm in the plastic "bubble" bars littered around the slopes.

The area is massive and the views from the top are expansive. Stubai has a high-alpine feel, with jagged slabs of granite and glacier ice.

Serviced by a network of 25 high-speed lifts that carry 36,000 people per hour to 110km of trails, Stubai is Austria's largest glacier resort. There is a good mix of novice, intermediate and expert terrain with good access to the backcountry. Other facilities include a 20m artificial ice climbing tower, a cross country ski track, and a permanent race course.

One of the best things about the resort is that you can use Innsbruck as a base. With 117,000 people and a university, Innsbruck is more than a ski town. There are nightclubs, cinemas and nice restaurants amongst the quaint streets of the old city. And at the end of each street is a view of the stunning snow-capped peaks that frame the city.

Free snow buses take visitors from the central city to any of the seven resorts in easy reach of Innsbruck.

Rock Climbing Gear Packages

There are quite a few different rock climbing gear package available. You can browse the rock climbing gear package and decide which one is the right one for you and the type of climbing you do best.

You can purchase a Big Air Package from Black Diamond. This features a belay device that is easy to use. It is reliable for the beginner as well as the veteran. It has Airlock2 biners that are easily manipulated with just one hand and the square hinge end will hold your belay loop in place. This rock climbing gear package is not expensive.

You may want the Intro Mountaineer Package that is a rock climbing gear package for ice climbing. You get a contact strap crampon, a Yates ice axe leash, and a mountain ice axe. This rock climbing gear package is priced in the moderate range.

Black Diamond features the perfect rock climbing gear starter package. It comes with the ultra comfortable Momentum AL harness, an ATC belay device, Airlock 2 screwgate biner, a medium BD chalk bag and a grab bag of Franklin chalk. The Momentum AL is a great all around, all season harness that has adjustable leg loops with a new bullhorn shaped waistbelt for extra comfort. Your Franklin chalk is made especially for rock climbing.

A great value in rock climbing gear package is the Mountain Gear Essentials Sport Package. This value rock climbing gear package will please novices and veteran climbers alike. It includes rope, a rope bag, and twelve quickdraws all for one great price.

You can purchase rrock climbing gear package from Black Diamond made especially for women. It is called the Primrose Package-Women's. It is the ideal rock climbing gear package to start with. It features the ultra comfortable Primrose harness, an ATC belay device an Airlock2 screwgate biner, medium BD chalk bag and Franklin chalk as well. The primrose harness was made especially for women so it is high performance and super comfortable and the legs loop harness is adjustable for the perfect fit.

You can find a lot of great deals for a rock climbing gear package when you search online. Don't pay more for your equipment then you have to.

Rock Climbing History - The Story of Climbing Improvement

You may not be interested in a rock climbing history lesson; you may simply think, "I just want to get better!" But the great thing about history is this: every mistake has been made before, not just once, but again and again. So it makes sense to learn from what didn't work - and what has worked for other climbers.

Rock climbers have always wanted to get better. In the late 1950s/early 1960s, John Gill was light years better than his contemporaries. However Gill was a lonely visionary. This is not to imply any disrespect; far from it. But his methods didn't reach a wider audience. He felt that gymnastic prowess could translate into dramatically improved rock climbing performance. Back in 1967, in Ireland, a 14 year old boy (me!) pondered the same argument. Of course, I'd never heard of Gill. People thought he was mad; people thought I was mad. (Perhaps we both were!) He trained on specific problems and traverses. I trained on specific problems and traverses on, of all places, the walls of a disused country cottage. It was out of bounds but within sight of my boarding school. If I'd been seen, I'd have been expelled. It added spice!

By the late 1960s/early 1970s, the rock climbing standard had gone up to 5.11 in the US and the then HXS (about E3) in the UK. Although climbers did a bit of bouldering, they didn't really train in the modern sense. But then came a breakthrough. In the UK, the charismatic John Syrett went from beginner status to frighteningly good in about a year - climbing almost exclusively at a 4 metre high wall at Leeds University - primeval by modern standards. Brick edges, polished holds, no mats, and an unforgiving landing. At the Leeds wall, there was always the disturbing feeling that you could split your head open. It was rumored that people had.

But it worked. John did the second ascent of the infamous 'Wall of Horrors' at Almscliffe. E3/5.11 sounds pretty tame, doesn't it? Well John did it with protection that we would now find laughable and, believe you me, that wall was shrouded in reputation. It had waited 10 years for a repeat - and not for want of suitors.

John was a climbing genius - sporadic but, at his best, a genius. His amazing breakthrough was noted by a guy called Pete Livesey, who wasn't a climbing genius but probably was a genius at nabbing anything that worked. Pete had been a national level athlete, running a mile in 4 minutes 1 second - tantalizingly just outside the magical barrier. He'd been an elite white water canoeist and a top caver. But he'd always been stopped from being the best by lack of natural ability. With rock climbing, he realized that the athletic curve wasn't that high; training (even without natural ability) could push it much higher.

Pete pushed hard - from E3 to E5, i.e. 5.11 to 5.12. Doesn't sound impressive? Well consider this: Pete could climb British 6b with or without protection. To him, 5.12, 5.12 R and 5.12X were all pretty much the same. Gulp!

After Pete came his protegee, Ron Fawcett, and, after him, Jerry Moffatt and Ben Moon. Jerry got into training big time and got seriously injured by over training/ inappropriate training (a lesson to us all.) So did his mate, Andy Pollitt, who did the then hardest climb in Australia, 'Punks in the Gym', 5.14a, after many (20?) days.

Probably the next big advance was made by the underrated Mark Leach, with his 46 day siege of 'Cry Freedom', one of the first routes of F8b+/5.14a in the UK. (It's now thought to be F8c/5.14b.) Leach trained for his projects on them, much as Chris Sharma seems to do today. Interestingly, towards the end of his career, Leach came to the conclusion that it might be better (and more time-effective) to train for projects well away from the projects - typically on climbing walls/cellars/boards. People began to create simulations of specific routes/cruxes and found that it was motivating to go on routes knowing that you'd cranked much harder (but similar) moves in training. This 'climb hard, train even harder' approach was taken to its logical extension by the late Wulfgang Gullich on the campus board moves he developed specifically for the first ascent of 'Action Direte', the world's first F9a, 5.14d.

That's a brief (as brief as it gets!) history of climbing improvement. You may not want to climb 5.14 - or 5.13 - or even 5.12. But the lessons are clear to all of us. Climbing training has pushed the limits from 5.10 to 5.15. Climbing training can be on projects or off them, or - probably best - a combination. And, perhaps most importantly, it's essential not to get injured by inappropriate training or overtraining. As Gullich said, " Anybody can get strong. The trick is to get strong and not become injured!"