The National Geographic Adventure Travel blog interviews the First Ascent team about the technology behind their Everest filmmaking.

weather permitting, mountaineers Ed Viesturs, Peter Whittaker, and other members of the First Ascent team will take on the summit of Everest. And even though we have not yet donned our down jackets, we’ve been there every step of the wayâ??through the avalanches, illnesses, and one of the largest storms of the season. This is thanks to the daily, three-minute video dispatches produced right from the world’s tallest mountain. The carefully choreographed process begins with the video getting back up on an Apple MacBook Pro from high on the mountain. It’s then carried on solid state memory cards down to Base Camp. Once there, the footage is loaded on to another MacBook Pro and edited for public viewing in Final Cut Pro

(via TUAW)

The post The Technology Behind Filming an Everest Ascent first appeared on All Climbing.

Rehearse the climb. If youâ??re trying do a winter ascent of a line that climbs a summer route then climb the route in summer at least once. Getting off route in winter will waste time and saps your momentum. Iâ??ve failed more than once after a slowing of upward movement turned into full blown retreat.

The post How to Succeed on Winter Alpine Routes first appeared on All Climbing.

In what is truly a great example of using new media tools for expedition reporting, Andy Kirkpatrick is blogging and posting updates to Twitter on his solo ascent of the North Face of the Eiger.

Unfortunately, as of yesterday, it looks like he is retreating:

Starting this morning I put my solo belay device upside down. I didnâ??t even have the energy to sort my rack and in my mind the eiger stretched on to heaven.
Trying to solo the eiger has required all the skills and tricks i have. But finally it comes down to knowing when youâ??re beat. Its time to bail.

Regardless, thanks Andy for sharing your adventure with us. I hope we can look forward to more climbers using innovative ways of keeping us posted and engaged from a distance.

(via @tysontitensor)

The post Andy Kirkpatrick Blogs and Twitters His Eiger Climb first appeared on All Climbing.

What better way is there to climb a fantastic peak and help kids at the same time?

You can join Climbing For Kids and kill two birds with one stone. You can
climb your choice of one of the 5 greatest peaks in North America and give
inner-city kids the chance to go camping in the outdoors. On top of that, you
will also receive $1,500 worth of FREE, brand-new gear. Our 2009 season will
take climbers on life-changing ascents up your choice of peak: Rainier,
Whitney, Shasta, the Grand Teton, or Mexicoâ??s Pico de Orizaba. In return,
climbers agree to fundraise on behalf of the Bay Area Wilderness Training
(BAWT), helping us raise more than $200,000. Go ahead and visit https://www.altitude-sports.com/collections/footwear-men-running-shoes to find the best camping gear.

BAWTâ??s mission is to provide Bay Area youth service organizations with
professional wilderness leadership training and access to free, quality outdoor
equipment, thus helping these adult leaders safely lead youth in exploring the
power and beauty of Californiaâ??s wilderness. Since 1999, BAWT has served
more than 7,000 youth, and every youth leader we train takes an average of 17
youth into the wilderness. Last year alone over 2,500 kids went on trips
thanks to BAWT programs.

You can find all the details at Climbing For Kids.

The post Climbing for Kids first appeared on All Climbing.

The American Alpine Institute has posted a great video illustrating the prusik knot.

Alpinists keep a variety of technical tools in their back-pockets. One of the most important tools is the prusik hitch. The prusik hitch is most commonly used for crevasse rescue systems on a glacier, for rock rescue systems, and for climbing fixed lines.

In addition to their stated uses, I would add that my two most common uses have been to back up a rappel and to ascend a rope after a sketchy (and usually ill-advised) rappel.

Trust me, make sure you learn it!

The post How to make a prusik knot first appeared on All Climbing.

The post Climbing Video: Interview with Reinhold Messner first appeared on All Climbing.

Good coverage and insight can be found at The Adventure Blog and The New York Times.

The post Sir Edmund Hillary dies at age 88 first appeared on All Climbing.

A full schedule of classes include beginning through advanced ice climbing, snowshoe mountaineering, and avalanche fundamentals.

The post 12th Annual Mountainfest in the Adirondacks first appeared on All Climbing.

Recent customer experience has shown that the front points of SARKEN crampons are susceptible to premature wearout following heavy use. This means cracking of the metal forefoot near the front point(s), followed by possible breakage if usage continues.

Petzl has stopped sales and production of these crampons and is recalling all SARKEN crampon models because we feel that the potential lifetime of the crampons should be longer than user experience has demonstrated.

If you own these crampons, Petzl has instructions on their website.

The post Petzl Charlet Sarken Crampon Recall first appeared on All Climbing.