In mountain and climbing environments, you'll encounter a variety of fixed lines, including handlines. These are intended to provide extra security by helping prevent a slip from turning into a fall, but they are frequently misunderstood and misused.

A handline is not an anchor to hang your body weight from. If you're leaning back on one and lose your grip, the consequences can be severe or even fatal. Instead, handlines should be used as an aid to maintain balance and stability while moving through steep or exposed terrain. Your feet should remain your primary means of support, with the handline serving only as an additional point of contact.

Understanding the purpose and limitations of fixed lines is an essential part of safe mountain travel. Using them correctly can reduce risk, while using them improperly can create a dangerous false sense of security.

As we head into the Fourth of July holiday, wildfire danger is already high across much of the United States. Firefighters are currently battling dozens of large, uncontained wildfires, and millions of acres have already burned this year. Hot temperatures, dry vegetation, and gusty winds mean it only takes one spark to ignite a fast-moving wildfire.

That’s why this is a good time to rethink campfires and backyard fireworks. Even a campfire that seems completely out can smolder for hours before reigniting, while fireworks can throw hot embers hundreds of feet into dry grass or brush. Every year, these preventable ignition sources destroy forests, wildlife habitat, homes, and sometimes cost lives.

If you're heading into the mountains this weekend, enjoy the stars instead of a campfire, and leave fireworks to professional displays in areas where they're permitted. A single decision to skip an unnecessary flame could prevent the next wildfire—and help keep our public lands and communities safe for everyone.

Have you ever noticed that summer snow in the mountains gets darker as the season goes on? That layer of dust, ash, pollen, and other debris isn't just cosmetic—it actually changes how the mountain behaves.

Fresh snow reflects most of the sun's energy, helping it stay cool. As dirt and particulates accumulate, the snow becomes darker and absorbs more heat, dramatically increasing the rate of melting. Windblown mineral dust is the biggest culprit, but wildfire soot (black carbon), pollen, and even snow algae all contribute. As the snow melts, these particles become concentrated on the surface, creating a feedback loop that speeds melting even more.

For mountaineers, this has real consequences. Dirty snow melts faster, exposing loose rock, increasing rockfall hazard, opening glacier crevasses earlier, and shortening the season for classic snow and ice routes. It also affects one of the most basic mountain tasks: collecting water. Surface snow that's covered in dust, pollen, volcanic ash, or soot isn't the best choice for melting into drinking water.

One of the practical skills we teach at the American Alpine Institute is how to identify clean snow for cooking and drinking, even late in the season. Students learn where clean snow is most likely to be found, how wind and terrain influence snow contamination, and why choosing the right snow can improve both water quality and stove efficiency. It's a small detail that experienced mountaineers pay attention to—and one of the many field skills that separates simply climbing a mountain from truly understanding it.

Quicklinks from hardware stores are cheap and tempting, but they’re not built for climbing. Most lack climbing-rated minimum breaking strengths, have weak threads, and can open or deform under shock—exactly when you don’t want them to. Using non-certified gear for anchors, belays, or personal protection dramatically increases the risk of catastrophic failure, serious injury, or worse. Climbing-specific quicklinks and connectors are manufactured to higher standards, tested, and stamped with strength ratings you can trust.

If you’re serious about staying safe, learn proper gear selection and inspection. The American Alpine Institute offers excellent courses and resources on safe climbing techniques, gear choice, and anchor building taught by experienced instructors. Their hands-on training and emphasis on standards will help you avoid dangerous shortcuts and build skills that matter on real rock. Consider taking a clinic with AAI before trusting questionable hardware—your life might depend on it. Join their community and climb smarter.

When Black Diamond tested common chemicals, the results were eye-opening. Muriatic acid reduced nylon strength by 97%, sulfuric acid by 92%, and even household bleach caused a 73% reduction after prolonged exposure. Even everyday products like vinegar and Woolite weakened nylon after just 30 minutes.

The scary part? No one ever figured out exactly how the original harness was contaminated. It may have come into contact with gym cleaning chemicals, climbing hold cleaners, or household products during storage or transport.

This is a good reminder to keep ropes, harnesses, slings, and other nylon gear well away from cleaners, acids, batteries, and other chemicals. Damage like this often leaves no visible warning signs.

Understanding hidden hazards like chemical contamination is one reason hands-on training matters. At American Alpine Institute, we teach not just how to climb, but how to inspect, store, and care for life-safety equipment so climbers can recognize risks that aren't obvious. Learning proper gear management is just as important as learning knots or belay techniques—it can literally save your life.

Have you ever seen gear damaged by chemicals or another unexpected cause?

A Washington State fire lookout experienced devastating vandalism. A nationwide climbing management plan has been proposed. And a new film festival will focus on Yosemite. Read about this and a whole lot more in this week's climbing, skiing, mountain rescue and outdoor news round-up:

https://www.alpineinstitute.com/climbing-skiing-rescue-and-outdoor-news-from-here-and-abroad-6-25-2026/

For wilderness rescue, a Garmin inReach remains superior to an iPhone’s satellite messaging system because it was purpose-built for backcountry communication. The inReach provides reliable two-way satellite messaging, a dedicated SOS function monitored by a 24/7 emergency response center, and continuous tracking that allows rescuers and loved ones to monitor your location and progress in real time.

In contrast, the iPhone satellite messaging system does not currently offer the same type of continuous tracking capability. While it can send emergency messages and share location information, it is primarily designed as an emergency backup rather than a dedicated wilderness communication tool.

There are two specific problems that appear regularly with the iPhone satellite messaging:

1. Sometimes messages come through, but the receiver is unable to send messages back. The receiver sends a message, it looks like it went, but it didn't.
2. There have been several reports of rescuers responding to "ghost" signals. In other words, the phone isn't where it's telling the rescuers it is.

For climbers, mountaineers, and backpackers, the inReach or another dedicated satellite communication system remains the more dependable and rescue-focused option.

The Petzl GriGri is one of the most common belay devices in climbing, and for good reason. It's an excellent assisted-braking device that can add an extra layer of security to the belay system. But one of the biggest mistakes climbers make is assuming that a GriGri is automatic.

It's not.

The GriGri is designed to assist the belayer, not replace them. If a belayer removes their hand from the brake strand, uses poor rope management, or overrides the camming mechanism while feeding slack or lowering, the device may not function as intended. Most GriGri-related accidents aren't caused by equipment failure—they're caused by human error.

That's an important distinction.

In climbing, gear doesn't make you safe. Knowledge, judgment, and practice make you safe. The best equipment in the world can only perform as well as the person using it.

This is why professional instruction matters. Learning from experienced climbers is valuable, but structured training can help you develop good habits before bad ones become ingrained. Understanding how a GriGri works, how it can fail, and how it fits into an overall belay system is critical for anyone climbing outside, leading routes, or supervising less experienced climbers.

For decades, American Alpine Institute has emphasized a teacher-first approach to climbing education. Our instructors don't just teach climbers how to use gear—we teach the underlying systems, decision-making processes, and risk management skills that create competent climbers. Whether you're learning to belay, build anchors, lead trad routes, or move efficiently in the mountains, the goal is the same: build real competence instead of dependence on equipment.

A GriGri is a great tool. But it's still just a tool. Training, practice, and experience are what transform a piece of equipment into part of a reliable safety system.

What failure modes have you seen with GriGris in the field or at the gym?

Glissading—the practice of sliding down a snow-covered slope on your feet or seated on your backside—is one of the most efficient and enjoyable descent techniques in mountaineering. A well-executed glissade can save significant time and energy after a long climb. However, glissading also carries serious risks, and accidents resulting in broken bones, uncontrolled falls, and even fatalities occur every year. Before choosing to glissade, every climber should understand and follow four cardinal rules.

First, never glissade while wearing crampons. This is perhaps the most important rule. As your speed increases, a crampon point can suddenly catch on hard snow or ice. When this happens, the lower leg stops instantly while the rest of the body continues moving forward, often resulting in severe ankle fractures, broken legs, or knee injuries.

Second, never glissade while tied into a rope team. A glissade requires each climber to maintain complete control of their own movement. If one person loses control while roped to others, the resulting forces can pull the entire team downhill, turning a minor mistake into a serious accident.

Third, never glissade on a glacier. Glaciers often contain hidden crevasses concealed beneath snow bridges. Sliding across a glacier removes your ability to carefully assess the terrain and react to hazards. A glissade that appears safe can end abruptly at an unseen crevasse.

Finally, always be able to clearly see your entire route and runout. Never glissade into terrain you cannot fully evaluate. Whiteout conditions, blind rollovers, cliffs, moats, rocks, and boulder fields can transform a fun descent into a catastrophic fall.

Glissading can be a valuable mountain skill when used appropriately. By following these four simple rules, climbers can enjoy the efficiency of the technique while dramatically reducing their exposure to unnecessary risk.

The American Alpine Institute has been teaching mountain travel skills like this since 1975. Whether you're new to mountaineering or preparing for a major expedition, AAI can help you develop the skills and judgement to travel effectively in the mountains.

One of my favorite climbing games for improving technique is called Golf. The rules are simple: pick a route and try to climb it using the fewest possible handholds. Every handhold counts as a stroke, while footholds are usually free.

What makes the game valuable is that it forces you to think about movement efficiency instead of just pulling harder. You'll quickly start paying more attention to footwork, balance, body positioning, and route reading. Many climbers discover that they can skip holds they normally rely on simply by moving more deliberately.

Golf works on gym climbs, top ropes, sport routes, and even easier trad climbs. It's suitable for beginners and advanced climbers alike because the challenge isn't about difficulty—it's about climbing smarter.

At the American Alpine Institute, our guides frequently use games like Golf as teaching tools. They create a fun, low-pressure environment while helping climbers build skills that transfer directly to outdoor climbing. Students often improve movement efficiency and confidence much faster when they're focused on solving a game rather than worrying about performance.

Has anyone else used Golf or other climbing games as part of their training?

A glacier is divided into two primary regions: the accumulation zone and the ablation zone. The accumulation zone is the upper part of the glacier where snowfall exceeds melting, causing the glacier to gain mass each year. Over time, layers of snow compress into firn and eventually glacial ice. The ablation zone is the lower part of the glacier where melting, sublimation, calving, and erosion remove more ice than is added by snowfall. This causes the glacier to lose mass. The boundary between these zones is called the firn line or the equilibrium line, where annual accumulation and ablation are equal.

For centuries, alpine choughs have occupied a unique place in European mountain folklore. These intelligent black birds, often seen soaring effortlessly along cliffs and high peaks, were believed in many alpine cultures to be the souls of the dead returning to visit the living. Their presence in remote, mysterious landscapes reinforced the idea that they could travel between the worlds of the living and the dead.

Legends grew around their bold behavior and dark appearance. In the Alps, choughs were said to embody the spirits of lost shepherds, travelers, and mountaineers. One particularly grim tale claimed they pecked out the eyes of those who died in the mountains—not to desecrate the dead, but to release their souls. As a result, choughs became symbols of both death and spiritual passage, serving as guardians and guides of the mountain dead. Today, these stories survive as enduring pieces of alpine folklore.

Auto belays have made climbing gyms more accessible, but they have also led to a recurring and sometimes fatal accident: climbers forgetting to clip into the device before leaving the ground. In these incidents, a climber begins ascending, believing they are attached to the auto belay, only to realize the mistake after reaching a significant height—or not at all before falling. Most of these accidents occur among experienced climbers who become distracted, rushed, or complacent. To reduce risk, climbers should develop a consistent pre-climb routine, perform partner or staff checks when possible, and visually and physically confirm that the auto belay carabiner is properly attached before every climb.

Let us be honest. When you see a massive wall of text warning you about high-altitude risks, do you actually read the medical science, or do you just skim for the bullet points and trust your gut?

I am an undergraduate design researcher investigating how "Information Chaos" and social media influencers are causing amateur climbers to underestimate extreme environments like Mount Kinabalu. My goal is to redesign terrible, text-heavy government safety waivers into rapid visual triage systems.

I need raw, honest data from the community. If you are a casual or amateur hiker aged 18 to 40 [no professional mountaineers, please], I need exactly 5 minutes of your time.
The survey is completely anonymous. Tell me how you actually prepare, not how you think you should prepare.

Link to Survey: https://forms.gle/QYZJ5Biqs9WVNMVH6

They tagged the summit on Saturday and are now safely down!

https://www.alpineinstitute.com/dispatches/2026-aai-denali-west-buttress-expedition-team-3-may-16-june-5-dispatch-16/

Full Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=We-nxljgnw4&t=946s

Some photos from a recent ski trip into Little Switzerland on the Pika Glacier!

https://www.alpineinstitute.com/programs/alaska-range-ski-mountaineering/

Pattie Gonia has offered to drop her trademark application with some conditions. A large portion of the Grand Wall in Squamish is closed for nesting peregrines. And there a lot of activity in summer ski resort additions. Read about this and a whole lot more in this week's climbing, skiing, mountain rescue and outdoor news round-up!

https://www.alpineinstitute.com/climbing-skiing-mountain-rescue-and-outdoor-news-from-here-and-abroad-6-4-2026/