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Posted: Tue May 04, 2010 5:52 pm
by krampus
I agree with jay. I doubt he was rapping off of his sheep shank. But rap was still pretty bad ass.

Posted: Tue May 04, 2010 6:48 pm
by neuroshock
Xtant wrote:I've never heard it called a kamikaze knot. Sheep shank. It's a good knot to know. It can also be used to isolate part of a damaged rope.
Just for the sake of my curiosity, why would someone use a sheep shank to isolate a damaged part of rope instead of using an alpine butterfly? Any advantages/disadvantages?

Posted: Tue May 04, 2010 7:17 pm
by Jay
neuroshock wrote: Just for the sake of my curiosity, why would someone use a sheep shank to isolate a damaged part of rope instead of using an alpine butterfly? Any advantages/disadvantages?
The sheepshank works well to isolate a longer section of damaged line, like if you had a 2-3 foot section that had been badly abraded. It also keeps the damaged section relatively parallel with the rest of the line, as opposed to an alpine butterfly, which will produce a giant loop. This can be especially important in sailing, where free hanging loops can equal death by drowning or hanging.

Posted: Tue May 04, 2010 9:47 pm
by Rollo
this guy is a fake that is gonna get a bunch of gumby's killed... i bet the "scorpions" he ate were "wax".

Posted: Tue May 04, 2010 11:10 pm
by ynot
I don't think he faked climbing Everest. Even if the TV show is staged ,he's got bigger nads than the rest of us.

Posted: Wed May 05, 2010 1:08 am
by cliftongifford
1994-1997
Served with the British SAS (21 SAS). Passed UK Special Forces Selection, serving as a sabre soldier, trained in unarmed combat, desert and winter warfare, combat survival, medics, parachuting, signals, evasive driving, climbing and explosives. Served in North Africa twice. In late 1996 Bear broke his back in a free fall parachuting accident in southern Africa.

1997
Youngest British climber to reach the summit of Mt. Ama Dablam, Himalaya, (once described by Sir Edmund Hillary as 'unclimbable'.)

1998
Youngest British climber to reach the summit of Mt. Everest . (In aid of SSAFA Forces Help, the Tri-Services Charity.)

He's also a black belt in karate and is the youngest ever Cheif Scout at age 35.

Posted: Wed May 05, 2010 5:14 pm
by Xtant
He's a fake ass wanna be. Forget his accomplishments. His show is fake. We all know it is. lol

Seriously, guys. His show is for entertainment. The information he has, techniques he uses, and situations he finds himself in are staged, but it is still good information if you ever found yourself in survival mode. That being said...the odds of it ever happening to you are slim to none. If you were in that situation, sure...tie yourself a sheepshank, cut it, and rappel on.

If his show gets anybody killed, it'll be some retard that's tempted Darwin one too many times, anyway...

Posted: Wed May 05, 2010 6:13 pm
by Jay
Xtant wrote:He's a fake ass wanna be. Forget his accomplishments.
I'm not sure you can entirely write off his accomplishments that easily.

In addition to being the youngest Briton to climb Everest AND Ama Dablam- both of which he did within 2 years of crushing three vertebrae in his lower back in a fucking FREEFALL parachute accident, he led a team on the first unassisted crossing of the North Atlantic in a rigid inflatable boat. (basically a Zodiac)

If he's a fake ass wanna be, what exactly does one have to do to be legit? Murder pirates with a can of silly string? Anally rape polar bears? By these standards, the only humans who may have ever lived who weren't wannabees were Teddy Roosevelt and Earnest Hemingway.

And maybe Optimus Prime.

Posted: Wed May 05, 2010 6:22 pm
by mike_a_lafontaine
Xtant wrote: but it is still good information if you ever found yourself in survival mode.
Actually, not all of it is. Some of the stuff he does is foolish to do if you are in a survival situation. Like the video that started this thread...he prefaces his situation with, " I could probably find another way if I kept going..." well, if you were trying to survive, would it be better to try to find a safer route? Or use a sketchy rope and start rapping where, as he put it, "a fall would be certain death"? I've seen another episode where he jumps into a freezing river with class III rapids because he thought it would save effort to let the river do the work for him, even though it is basic survival knowledge that staying dry is paramount.

Les Stroud would kick Bear Grylls ass. Maybe not in a fist fight, then my money would be on Bear, but actually surviving, my money would be on Les.

Posted: Wed May 05, 2010 6:29 pm
by ahab
mike_a_lafontaine wrote:Les Stroud would kick Bear Grylls ass.
umm, no.

here are the top 10 reasons why i disagree.

1) les stroud is canadian

i rest my case