Hiking, Anyone? You Must Watch This Video.

amirm

Banned
Apr 2, 2010
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Seattle, WA
Man that is crazy. My palms are sweaty from watching it! He must be one of those people with no fear of hight. Precisely the opposite of me!
 

RBFC

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
5,158
46
1,225
Albuquerque, NM
www.fightingconcepts.com
Having rock climbed and ice climbed for over 25 years, I can say a few things about that video.

The photographer has hiked that trail many times before.

1. You can tell in the way that he knows what sections of broken walkway are solid to bear weight without pausing.

2. He also knows that higher walking speed brings gyroscopic stability, helping to prevent loss-of-balance falls.

3. He also forgoes clipping into the belay lines strung along the walls. Similar to the Via Ferrata in the Italian Alps, self-belay with the harness > carabiner setup allows amateurs to negotiate otherwise ridiculous sections of terrain.

Having climbed walls just like those pictured many times, it was actually cool to watch another little taste. By the way, climbing all those years pretty much eliminated my fear of heights.

Here's a clip of the Via Ferrata:


Lee
 

Ron Party

WBF Founding Member
Apr 30, 2010
2,457
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Oakland, CA
I've also been in my share of life threatening situations, not only because of trails like that in the video, but also because of weather. And then of course there is high elevation hiking which may bring altitude sickness even to the best of hikers. When I climbed to the top of Kilimanjaro, on the trail I passed a group coming down which included one person being carried out on a makeshift stretcher. And, finally, there is the unexpected wildlife element, such as the mountain lions when I went backpacking in the Ho rainforest or moose and bear when I went backpacking in Denali Nat'l Park in Alaska.
 

RBFC

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
5,158
46
1,225
Albuquerque, NM
www.fightingconcepts.com
Ice Climbing

Here's a short video clip of some ice pillar climbing. I finally just sold my ice hammers and crampons last year. I moved to the desert 13 years ago, so that should speak to how much fun this sport can be.

Will Gadd, in the video, is a very accomplished ice climber. Climbing "solo", without rope protection, is only reasonable once a good level of proficiency is achieved. I've soloed some ice and it was quite intense.


Lee
 

RBFC

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
5,158
46
1,225
Albuquerque, NM
www.fightingconcepts.com
Here's one more, with the chandelier-style ice stalactites being a particularly interesting challenge. I climbed one pillar that looked like this, and you had to be careful not to strike it too hard. If you did, the entire thing would fall, taking you for a ride of uncertain distance. Near the top, I popped my hammer into a nice spot, only to have ice-cold running water (from behind the ice curtain) shoot through the hole and down my arm and sleeve. Talk about a wake-up! This meant that the entire pillar was not attached to the wall behind it, but was just free-standing.


Lee
 

Ron Party

WBF Founding Member
Apr 30, 2010
2,457
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Oakland, CA
You know, it's those life threatening adventures that make the best stories to tell your grandchildren...that is, of course, assuming you survive!
 

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