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Home » Recreation And Sports Articles » The Basics Of Mountaineering And Climbing

The Basics of Mountaineering and Climbing

Mountaineering is the sport of hiking and / or climbing to the top of mountains. In America the terms used are usually mountaineering or mountain climbing, while in Europe the term alpinism is also commonly used. While vertical rock climbing and vertical ice climbing may be required to reach the top of a mountain, not all mountains require the same kind of climbing techniques to get to the summit. However, mountain climbing takes advantage of some of the safety techniques that are used for vertical rock climbing and ice climbing, most notably rope harness systems with multiple connection points for holding the weight of the climber in case there is a situation where the ground gives way (or if one of the harness points fails).

There are three basic divisions of the craft of mountain climbing, depending on whether the climber is traveling over rock, snow or ice. Different equipment is used for each of these environments and special techniques have to be used to ensure the safety of the climber and the group. When walking over rock, conditions are usually the safest, although one must be careful of the hazards of falling rocks (caused by the gradual process of erosion of the mountains and the recent weather conditions) and loose rocks or rotten rocks which may give way if the climber is not careful. To survive while climbing over rock, the climber must pay close attention to the condition of any of his / her handholds and footholds, and make sure to transfer weight from one outcropping of stone to another gradually while maintaining multiple connection points.

To walk or climb over parts of a mountain which are covered in ice and snow requires more special equipment than standard rock climbing, most notably crampons: ten or twelve point spikes which are attached to one's boots for increased traction, or snowshoes for gentle snowy slopes. The kind of crampons which are used to walk over icy surfaces are different from those that are used for climbing a sheer vertical surface of ice, as vertical crampons will have spikes on the toes pointing forwards. The ice axe is also used in the process of ascending a snowy / icy area of the peak ' in the beginning stages of climbing a mountain the ice axe can be used as a staff or walking stick, as you move upwards the point of the pick can be used as a dagger or the ice axe can be swung over the head to dig into ice above the user, making it easier to ascend.

It is often safer to climb a mountain as a team. When you climb as a team your entire group can be attached to each other by a single rope line. If one member of the group falls or has an accident the others can come to that person's aid and perform a rescue operation. This is particularly important when climbing on glacial deposits which often contain hidden crevasses. If proper safety precautions are studied, mountain climbing is one of the most exhilarating sports that one can enjoy.

And here is another random article you might be interested in...

How Real PR Works

For some, public relations works well when their news release or special event winds up in the newspaper or on the radio.

For others, public relations works best when it does something positive about the behaviors of outside audiences that affect their operations the most. I like this approach because a business, non-profit or association manager can use the fundamental premise of public relations to deliver key stakeholder behavior change â€" the kind that leads directly to achieving a manager's objectives.

What fundamental premise of public relations am I talking about here, and how can you put it to good use persuading those important outside folks to your way of thinking, then move them to take actions that help your department, division or subsidiary succeed?

"People act on their own perception of the facts before them, which leads to predictable behaviors about which something can be done. When we create, change or reinforce that opinion by reaching, persuading and moving-to-desired-action the very people whose behaviors affect the organization the most, the public relations mission is accomplished."

A simple plan that gets everyone working towards the same external audience behaviors insuring that your public relations effort stays on track.

By the way, I'm talking about changes in behavior like welcome bounces in showroom visits, community leaders beginning to seek you out; membership applications on the rise, customers starting to make repeat purchases; organizations proposing strategic alliances and joint ventures; waves of prospects starting to do business with you; new inquiries about strategic alliances; politicians and legislators starting to view you as a key member of the business, non-profit or association communities; higher employee retention rates and even capital givers or specifying sources beginning to look your way.

Meet with your PR team and take the time to list those outside audiences of yours who behave in ways that help or hinder you in achieving your objectives. Then prioritize them by how badly they impact you, and start working with the target audience that heads your list.

First challenge? You're not certain just how most members of that key outside audience perceive your organization.

Because there's a good chance you can't afford professional survey work, you and your PR colleagues (don't worry, they'll be quite familiar with perception and behavior matters) must monitor those perceptions yourself.

Ask members of that outside audience questions like "Have you ever had contact with anyone from our organization? Was it a satisfactory experience? Are you familiar with our services or products?" Stay alert to negative statements, especially evasive or hesitant replies, and especially for false assumptions, untruths, misconceptions, inaccuracies and potentially damaging rumors. Because experience shows they usually lead to negative behaviors, the objective is to correct any of the above you encounter.

Now, you're ready to select the specific perception to be altered, and that becomes your public relations goal.

Of course a PR goal without a strategy to show you HOW to reach it, is like a cheeseburger without the ketchup. That's why you now pick one of three strategies designed to create perception or opinion where there may be none, or change existing perception, or reinforce it. The challenge here (a small one) is to insure that the goal and its strategy match each other. You wouldn't want to select "change existing perception" when current perception is just right suggesting a "reinforce" strategy.

Flexing your PR muscle, it's your writer's turn to prepare a compelling message carefully designed to alter your key target audience's perception, as called for by your public relations goal.

Remember that it may be advisable to blend in your corrective message with a presentation, or a newsworthy announcement of a new product, service or employee, which may lend more credibility by not overemphasizing the correction.

Clarity is the watchword with regard to what perception needs clarification or correction, and why. Your facts must be truthful and your position must be logically explained and believable if it is to hold the attention of members of that target audience, and actually move perception in your direction. In other words, your message must be compelling.

Now you select your communications tactics, the "beasts of burden" you will harness to carry your persuasive new thoughts to the attention of your outside target audience.

Your potential tactics list is ample, to say the least. It includes letters-to-the-editor, brochures, press releases and speeches. Or, you might select radio and newspaper interviews, personal contacts, facility tours or customer briefings. There are scores available with the only selection requirement being that those you choose have a record of reaching people just like your target audience members.

Before long, questions will be raised as to how much progress is being made. By which time, you'll be hard at work remonitoring target audience member perceptions. Using questions similar to those used during your earlier monitoring session, you will now look carefully for indications that audience perceptions are beginning to move in the direction you have in mind.

By adding more communications tactics, increasing their frequencies or fine tuning your message, you can always move things along at a faster clip.

Leaving tactics to do what they do best, carry messages, what should come first is an aggressive public relations plan like that outlined above that targets key stakeholder behavior change leading directly to achieving your department, division or subsidiary objectives.

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