Are you wanting to hike to the summit of the Colorado14ers, and are you trying to choose which one to attempt first? Four members of my family have made Mount Sherman their first climb above 14,000 feet, and in this video we talk about the pros and cons of the drive and standard route as viewed through the lens of a new or new-ish 14er climber.

Wanting to know how to climb a 14er? Here is what to know and what to do for acclimatization. Your body needs to adapt to receiving 43% of the oxygen per breath that you would get a sea level. You can apply these tips to better hydrate, climb, and schedule your pre-hike routine, tilting the odds of a summit in your favor.

Wanting to climb to the summit of a 14er? Here is a practical approach to selecting a Colorado 14er or California 14er peak and route; planning your departure, hiking, and turn around times; factoring weather into your planning; and other safety considerations.

Wanting to hike to the summit of a 14er? Here is a loadout of the equipment I take on a typical summer climb to above fourteen thousand feet.

Wanting to hike to the summit of a 14er? Here is how you can approach getting your body ready to carry you to the summit.

Twin brothers Connor and Kade, just after turning six, wanted to climb their first 14er, that's a mountain that stands more than 14,000 feet (or 4267 meters) tall. It was winter time when they set the goal. So over the spring, they were working out and going on runs. Come summer, they needed to to build up their acclimatization and performance at altitude, so they built up to their first 14er by summiting a few 13ers, Mount Sniktau and Dyer Mountain. Then it was time for the attempt at their goal: 14,036' (4278m) Mount Sherman. This is a short film chronicling the three climbs.

If you are going to hike with your kids, they are going to need shoes that can handle everything that you will throw at them. Over several years, we've had multiple pairs of the Adidas Terrex AX2R CF Kids Hiking Shoes for our two boys. This video reviews these shoes after quite a bit of use and abuse so that you can better decide if these might be right for your child.

Over several years, we've had multiple pairs of the La Sportiva Stickit Kids Climbing Shoes for our two boys. We offer our thoughts on the shoes' pros and cons so that you can better decide if these might be right for your child.

During a climbing rescue, the standard practice of using the "pick off" technique may not work if there is a large weight difference between - say - a child climber and the adult belayer. So, if you are going to be climbing with kids, you should know how to transfer a child to a second rope, in order to move them off of the wall safely, should they get injured and need to come down.

Being able to rescue a climber requires a series of skills. The first of these skills you will need to apply is "escaping the belay." As a belayer, you can't help your injured lead climber or go get help if you can't get out of the system. This video shows how to escape the belay in a way that maintains the safety of your team.

Being able to rescue a climber who is injured on a rock climb requires a series of skills. One of those skills is being able to ascend the rope. Another is being able to transition from ascending to descending in a way that keeps the everyone safe. This video shows how to make those transitions based on the type of equipment you are using.

Being able to ascend a climbing rope is a necessary skill to make you and your climbing partners self-sufficient and able to deal with emergencies. When you are trad climbing, alpine climbing, or even sport climbing, injuries can happen. If you are rock climbing, and the climber gets injured above the belay, you may have to ascend the rope to assist them (yes, even when top roping). So, you better know how to do it.

Rock climbing with younger kids can be complicated. We want to share our love of climbing, but the regular routine we have to pack the usual gear and head to the usual crag may not be right for setting up our kids for a joyful and successful day.

We've learned some lessons along the way; so, this video shares the climbing tips and tricks for we employ with our kids that have helped us ensure that our kids have positive experiences and want to keep coming back.

Whether you are trad climbing or sport climbing, lead climbing or top roping, it's all about climbing safety and climbing fun!

It's hard to find kids' outdoor gear and clothing that can perform, hold up to their hard use, and allow your kids to grow. After one year of climbing, hiking, backpacking, and camping with our twin boys, we are providing this review of what has proven to be a stellar pant. It's one that we won't hesitate to buy, again.

So you've been raining for your big objective: a big route to climb, a trail to thru-hike, or a peak to summit. But then life gets in the way with injury, work, or other obligations.

How do we get back on track and back into our fitness routine safely and effectively?

This video covers four strategies our family employs to get us back into the swing of things when we run into common barriers to our training.

This is the third video in our fitness series. We've covered eight principles for establishing a fitness mentality, and we've talked about establishing a base fitness that provides the foundation for working hard and making gains.

Do you have an outdoor goal? A peak to summit, a big route to climb, a trail to hike? Or maybe you just have a particular fitness goal: a one-armed pullup or a three hundred pound squat.

Before you get into the specific mountaineering training, or alpine climbing training, or hiking training routines, you need to start with "base fitness," a total-body level of fitness that prepares you to put in the heavier work you may need to get you to your goals.

This video covers the different aspects of total-body fitness that you need to understand and train before you get into your more advanced routines.

Fitness is necessary for us to safely pursue our outdoor adventures, but it also a necessary part of of day-to-day health and lives. And there is never a bad time to start a lifetime relationship with fitness. But how do you start yourself or your kids down that path? We share eight principles that help us make fitness and exercise something we want to do rather than have to do. And once you enjoy training your body (and mind), then from there the sky can be the limit!

Ice Axes can be setup to meet the disparate needs of thru-hiking, peak bagging, and technical climbing in the alpine, and the right modifications can make a big difference in the safety margin you can add to your trip. This video covers some of the simplest ways climbers and hikers customize their ice axes, and we talk about the tradeoffs of those setups so that you can make the right changes to your ice axe so that it works best for you.

Ice Axes serve two main functions: to keep you from falling, using "self belay" techniques, and to stop your fall from shooting you down the slope by using "self arrest" techniques. In this video, we cover the basics of self belay for winter travel, talking about the different ways to use an ice axe in combination with our feet, depending upon our footwear and snow conditions.

Ice Axes serve two main functions: to keep you from falling, using "self belay" techniques, and to stop your fall from shooting you down the slope by using "self arrest" techniques. In this video, we cover the basics of self belay for winter travel, talking about the different ways to use an ice axe in combination with our feet, depending upon our footwear and snow conditions.