The concept of an auto belay system has never done much to excite me, and after reading this article, you can rest assured that I’ll be climbing with a partner for the foreseeable future.
In 2005, Michael Livingston, fell from a climbing wall when an auto belay device failed to catch him.  The fall resulted in [...]

In an ideal world I’d use a pack for a few years before reviewing, after all, its those later years that really  separate the good packs from the great.  But as we all know this isn’t an ideal world, products and companies can undergo significant change over the course of only a year or two, [...]

I’ve been back from Oregon for a few days now and have a bunch of posts in the toaster-oven just waiting to cook all the way through.  We’ll start out with some hot appetizers to prime the appetite and move from there as a I gain time and motivation.
After watching Thai Airways maul my backpack [...]

In about 36 hours I’ll be hopping on a flight to Portland, OR for an end of the summer escape to the blissful northwest.  Considering that this will be my first major trip report for this blog, I took a look back on the Colorado diaries for some guidance, and guidance I did receive.  Let’s [...]

Time and time again the same excuse gets tossed my direction, “if you guys would just stay local then I’d make it out climbing more.” The real problem with this excuse is the disparate definitions of “local.” To some this means staying in the state of Pennsylvania, others cap it at a 3 hour drive, [...]

Lake Minnewaska - A friendly woman with questionable intentions at the Mohonk Preserve Visitor Center pointed us towards this alpine lake.  Circled by sheer cliffs, rockfalls, and dense forest, this spot easily won the the natural beauty category.   Unfortunately for those of you who like to have fun in beautiful natural settings,  the State [...]

Climb With the Crimps has reached the terrible twos (months).   The most notable symptom is a complete failure to post anything in a timely manner.  Hopefully this phase will pass (possibly with this ungodly heat) but its always so hard to tell if its just a slow spot, or the beginning of the end.
However, If [...]

A recent study published by Researchers at Nationwide Childrens Hospital showed a 63% increase in climbing related injuries between 1990 and 2007.  The study provided insight into what demographics were most likely to suffer injuries (20-39 age group accounted for 56% of recorded injuries, 72% male) while also identifying the most common area of injury [...]

(5.3; 2 Pitches, 150ft)
You’ll probably hit more traffic on Betty then you did on your drive to the Gunks, but don’t let that take this route off your to-do list.  Climb a one foot wide crack up the first half of the first pitch to a ledge.  From there to the belay ledge the [...]

Climbing is a sport of tradition, and with this comes some fundamental tenants that are often taught and rarely questioned. These rules were established for a reason, to mitigate risk, but with constantly evolving climbing technology, is it possible that some no longer apply, or worse yet, increase the risk of an accident?