Category: CRITICAL THINKING
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FUTURISTIC SHELTERs FOR FUTURISTIC PLACES
ACTUAL DETAILS WILL HAVE TO WAIT TILL AFTER WINTER, BUT WHAT WE WANTED WAS A SHELTER THAT WOULD COVER 3 CLIMBERS, THAT WEIGHED UNDER 300g, COULD COPE WITH HIMALAYAN STORMS, WAS VISIBLE FROM 5km AWAY, THAT RIGS EASILY AND IS IDIOT-PROOF TO HANDLE, AND COULD BE USED AS A SNOW HAMMOCK BOTH AS ITSELF AND…
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THE 10 ESSENTIALS* OF HIGH ALTITUDE ALPINE CLIMBING
AS ALWAYS, NONE OF THIS MEANS ANYTHING WITHOUT REAL WORLD USE AND GOING THROUGH THE GRINDER OF RAW EXPERIENCE. ALPINISM HAS DIFFERENT EXPRESSIONS AND DIFFERS BETWEEN HOW IT READS ON PAPER AND HOW IT PLAYS OUT, AND THOUGH WE MAY NOT BE SURE WHAT IT'S DEFINED BY, WE KNOW WHAT IT ISN'T.
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HEAT EXCHANGER POTS FOR HIGH ALTITUDE
FOR HIGH ALTITUDE COOKING & MELTING A LOT OF NOISE IS MADE ABOUT THE STOVE, WHICH THOUGH IMPERATIVE IS ONLY HALF THE SYSTEM. THE BEST STOVE UNDER WRONG POT WILL STILL SEE UNBURNED GAS WASTING AWAY, AND A SYSTEM BURNING INEFFICENTLY WITH YOUR PRECIOUS FUEL.
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THE TRADITION OF NO TRADITION
ABSENCE OF TRADITION WE SEE AS THE BEST WAY FORWARD IN ALPINE CLIMBING, BY SHRUGGING OFF INDUSTRIES AND COMMENTATORS THAT ARE ALL TOO WILLING TO DO THE THINKING FOR YOU. WE THINK THE GREAT TRADITION OF CLIMBING HAS ACTUALLY BEEN THE TRADITION TO CAST OFF THE TRADITIONS OF BEFORE, AND THAT THAT TAKES LOCATIONS AND…
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IRIDIUM SYSTEM BLOCKED IN CHINA
DUE TO THE TRADE WAR BETWEEN THE US AND CHINA, AMONG OTHER THINGS THEY HAVE ADDED CHINA TO THE BLACKLIST THAT ALSO INCLUDES THE USUAL SUSPECTS LIKE IRAN, NORTH KOREA AND CUBA AND STRANGELY, INDIA (BUT INTERESTINGLY NOT RUSSIA....). THIS MEANS IF YOUR BEACON OR ALERT DEVICE USES IRIDIUM IT WON'T WORK WHICH IS A…
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COLDER, HIGHER, FASTER: CLIMBING TO COUNTER CLIMATE, INDUSTRY & STYLE
WE PRESENT WHAT WE ALWAYS HAVE, WHICH IS TO PUSH INTO THE FUTURE COMBINING THE BEST OF THE WHAT'S GONE BEFORE AND WHAT'S GOING ON RIGHT NOW. WE SEE EXPEDITION CLIMBING AS A LIVING, BREATHING THING WITH IT'S BEST DAYS AHEAD OF US, AND THE PROBLEMS OF THE INDUSTRY BEING THE SIGNS IT'S TIME TO…
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CHINA FOR CLIMBERS
IN CHINA 'MOUNTAINS' IS A VAST THING, ENCOMPASSING AS MUCH AS THE REST OF ASIAS MOUNTAINS PUT TOGETHER. IT GEOGRAPHCALLY COVERS HALF A DOZEN PROVINCES, DOZENS OF ETHNIC GROUPS AND THOUSANDS OF OBJECTIVES, AND TAKES US TO THE BORDERS OF NINE OTHER COUNTRIES. THIS IS NO SMALL OR NICHE THING, AND OUR LITTLE COMPANY COVERS…
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INSULATION CONSTRUCTION METHODS FOR HIGH ALTITUDE
AS WE GEAR UP FOR OUR RETURN TO HIGH ALTITUDE WINTER CLIMBING IN TIBET WE HAVE BEEN REAPRAISING THE INSULATION OPTIONS OUR CLIMBERS ARE WEARING. THIS IS POINT OF REAL INNOVATION TO THE DEGREE WE HAVE ABANDONED OUR EARLIER RECOMMENDATIONS, AND FOUND LIGHTER, MORE VERSATILE AND WARMER OPTIONS BY COMBINING VARIOUS METHODS OF CONSTRUCTION. WE
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INSULATED CLOTHING FOR 6000-7000m WINTER ASCENTS*
INSULATED CLOTHING IS CURRENTLY A REAL AREA OF INNOVATION. AS CONDITIONS FALTER IN THE TRADITIONAL SEASONS FOR THE HIMALAYA AND KARAKORAM, WINTER BECOMES MORE AND MORE OUR FOCUS, WITH DEVELOPMENTS IN CLOTHING MATCHING PERFECTLY WITH COLD ASCENTS IN TIBET AND XINJIANG. WE HAVE BEEN ADAMANT ABOUT INSULATION SYSTEMS BEFORE, BEING IN A NICHE WHERE THE
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OFF-SEASON TRAINING
CLIMBING SEASON, HOWEVER YOU DEFINE IT, COMES FAST, IS INTENSE, THEN IS ALWAYS GONE TOO SOON. A WELL PLANNED SEASON IS SPENT DOING WHAT YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR, AND RARELY HAS THE TIME TO WORK OUT STUFF THAT NEEDS REPETITION AND PRACTICE TO BE EFFECTIVE. FOR US THE ‘ON’ SEASON IS AUTUMN AND WINTER, WITH
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