Avalanche Safety: How to Avoid Getting Buried
American Alpine Institute
From the December 2005 edition of AAI’s E-newsletter Snow avalanches occur tens of thousands of times each year throughout the… Read More
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AAI's website articles take a deep dive into topics important to climbers, skiers, and general outdoor enthusiasts, with an emphasis on skills, route information, and trip reports.
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- Ask a Guide Letters (22)
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How to Select an Alpine Rack
American Alpine Institute
...or subtract gear, reflecting the characteristics of my climbing objective. Below is a discussion of each of the components of… Read More
Footwear for Mountaineering and Climbing
American Alpine Institute
...medium mountaineering; glacier climbing; scrambling routes in the mountains; and multi-day outings where your feed need to be warm, relatively… Read More
Glove Systems for Mountaineering and Alpine Climbing
American Alpine Institute
...Mountaineering While climbing, skiing, and mountaineering in the winter, your hands are gloved almost 100% of the time. Snow tends… Read More
Is Back-Clipping a Real Danger?
American Alpine Institute
Question: From the May 2006 edition of AAI’s E-newsletter I have always thought that improperly clipping the rope thru pro… Read More
Ice Screw Placement on Multi-Pitch Climbs
American Alpine Institute
Question: From the April 2008 edition of AAI’s E-newsletter On a multi-pitch ice route, when would the lead climber place… Read More
Ice Axes and Tools for Alpine Climbing
American Alpine Institute
Question: From the December 2005 edition of AAI’s E-newsletter On a technically oriented alpine climb involving a good amount of… Read More
How to Train for an Expedition
American Alpine Institute
Question: From the February 2011 edition of AAI’s E-newsletter I’m planning on a climbing trip to Alaska this spring, and… Read More
How to Avoid Dropping Ice Screws
American Alpine Institute
Question: When climbing ice and removing ice screws I’m always afraid of dropping the screws, especially when wearing heavy gloves.… Read More
Cordellettes vs. Slings
American Alpine Institute
Question: From the November 2007 edition of AAI’s E-newsletter I have started to use cordellettes for building anchors and like… Read More
Belay Station Management and Efficient Transitions
American Alpine Institute
Question: From the December 2005 edition of AAI’s E-newsletter My partner and I seem to waste a lot of time… Read More
“Ask a Guide” Letters
American Alpine Institute
Got a question about climbing? We want to hear it! Our top guide answers technical questions about rock, alpine, ski,… Read More
Climbing Efficiently with Large Groups
American Alpine Institute
...four. However, the Underhill Route, like most other alpine rock routes, has lots of fourth class and low fifth class,… Read More
Rope Soloing: Is it Strictly for Idiots?
American Alpine Institute
...I think gear, per se, rarely fails when used properly, but that we often make some sort of human error… Read More
Locating Crevasses on a Glacier
American Alpine Institute
Question: From the July 2006 edition of AAI’s E-newsletter How do I know where the crevasses are on glaciers? –… Read More
Lightweight Winter Emergency Gear
American Alpine Institute
...in the Catskills and Adirondacks (mostly day hikes). Even in the winter, the trails are essentially non-technical, but often require… Read More
What’s the Best AT Backcountry Ski Setup?
American Alpine Institute
...means that you and your friend can’t switch skis for fun or, heaven forbid, for a rescue. Unfortunately, you can’t… Read More
Tying into a Climbing Harness: Long Tail or Backup Knot?
American Alpine Institute
Question: From the May 2006 edition of AAI’s E-newsletter I have a question regarding standard for the tie-in knot: Is… Read More
Top-Roping: Extending Anchors
American Alpine Institute
Question: From the September 2006 edition of AAI’s E-newsletter Recently I have run into more than a few anchors in… Read More
Speaking Up About Unsafe Climbing
American Alpine Institute
Question: From the November 2007 edition of AAI’s E-newsletter Sometimes when I am rock climbing at the local crag I… Read More
Ski Mountaineering: Whippet or Ice Axe?
American Alpine Institute
Question: From the January 2007 edition of AAI’s E-newsletter I am looking to get out in backcountry skiing more, and… Read More
Simul-Climbing: Managing Danger from Falls
American Alpine Institute
...limiters and allowing backwards movement, which would still keep the climbing team attached to the mountain in case of a… Read More
Selecting a Rope for Alpine Climbing
American Alpine Institute
...some glaciated routes in the North Cascades. If I am planning to move together with my partners on the route… Read More
Roping up for Glacier Travel
American Alpine Institute
...luck with your climb. Having the two climbers tied in with figure 8’s with the excess coils around the chests… Read More
