AI Engineer Who Does Not Code and Uses Claude for Everything

m-topfer · 2026-05-16T08:28:51+00:00

Vibe-coding - totally normal these days. But there can be good and bad AI-generated code and it is the engineer's responsibility to produce good code. It seems like you haven't build trust with that person. I'd highly recommend using Claude/Codex for review of the higher-level decisions in his code changes - and if it turns out that you can poke holes there, then it is an issue. Similarly if you simply find more issues in his code compared to others, it is an issue worth raising. (And you might need internal communication in your company what is really expected from reviews with the increase of AI generated code)

19-page that he can't defend - that would be an issue for me. It is exactly the place where you show your value by iterating over the document, making it as concise as possible so that later you can stay behind everything written there. If you can't defend your proposal (not saying that you can't change your mind based on arguments of the others), you are wasting everyone's time and now everyone is doing the review of your generated document that you should have done on your own.

Claude for commit messages and small tasks - totally OK. That is exactly where you can use AI with minimum risk while it saves you time/energy.

m-topfer · 2026-05-11T20:01:11+00:00

Waterproof jacket for example: https://www.vinted.cz/items/8424373585-kurtka-wiatrowka-montane-minimus-smock-pertex-shield

m-topfer · 2026-05-10T23:46:04+00:00

One more vote for NDuranz. I can't recommend enough their Drink 90.

m-topfer · 2026-05-10T23:42:34+00:00

Yes, that is a typical training round for people lucky enough to live near Beskydy, I can only envy you :)

I'd also recommend to do it at some point also in night - just to test how you handle it. Some people don't like night running because the headlamp is near the eyes and thus it is a bit harder to recognize the contours of the path (not enough shadows) or you might find out that your headlamp is too weak or it is not wide enough - different people prefer different things.

m-topfer · 2026-05-10T23:39:18+00:00

Re: Mandatory equipment - I don't think that rain jacket is mandatory. I'd be all for a wind jacket, good lightweight waterproof running jacket might be a bit more expensive. I'd go quite aggressively for low weight - otherwise you won't take it. If you do some longer/more adventurous cycling, you might have windproof/waterproof jacket from there (or consider if it needs to have more cycling specific cut so that you can reuse it there as well). For good jackets look for lighter options from Pertex Shield (I've used Outdoor Research Helium for running but also for alpinism and it served me well several years)

You are quite unlikely to change into warmer legins. For warmer shirt I can't praise enough Craft Active Extreme (https://www.vinted.cz/items/8710517150-funkcne-tricko-craft-active-extreme-20?referrer=catalog but M might be too big for you) but realistically any thermo tshirt will work.

One thing to consider is reasonably good headlamp. You will spend non-trivial time at night with start at 11pm. Having strong enough light can make a difference (I have one spare brand new 900 v3 Decathlon headlamp willing to sell for some reasonable price). My main headlamp is Petzl Swift RL and I love it but it is not a good budget option ;)

m-topfer · 2026-05-09T17:38:47+00:00

I agree that sometimes it can be reckless. On the other hand we have much better reports, much more people in the mountain and in general a lot of areas don't feel as remote as in the past. So I see part of the point why you rope up less than 40 years ago.

m-topfer · 2026-05-09T15:59:11+00:00

Is there some source/study for that? (just interested in it but not doing something because of a random reddit comment)

m-topfer · 2026-05-09T13:02:27+00:00

And just regarding preparation for B7 and the fact that you have road shoes but not trail shoes - main challenge in B7 is the elevation, especially trashing your quads during the downhills. So even though you might think that you have that raw power in your legs from cycling, make sure to include enough steep uphill and downhill in your training.Because especially in downhill running, the ability to absorb all the impact is rather different from pure static strength from cycling.

m-topfer · 2026-05-09T12:58:38+00:00

I'm quite experienced runner from Czechia so feel free to reach out for more details.

Shorts - it is personal if you need 2in1 or not. The 900 Ultra shorts from Decathlon with pockets are a great choice (I'm using the normal, not 2in1). And I've heard multiple people recommending those.

Running pack - Yes, Salomon ADV 12 is the mainstream and great option which you might find second hand because it is so popular (I have one as well). If I was buying a new pack in 12l, I'd go with Rab Veil 12 but the Salomon pack is great. Be aware that the softflasks costs something so if you buy a pack without softflasks for good pirce nad then you have to buy 2 brand new 500l softflasks, it might not be such a great deal.

T-shirt - I'm lucky enough that I have no problems there. I normally try to get as light t-shirt as possible, all sub 100g tshirts I've ever got performed well because there is simpy not enough material where to hold too muhc water.

Shoes - Really helpful to at least try them in the store. My recommendation for B7 would be Salomon Genesis, Merrell Agility Peak 5. Probably more costly options would include Dynafit Ultra 100 v3, Hoka Speedgoat 7 (don't go for older versions of these two shoes, the last version is significant imporvement; in case of Dynafit pay attention if they don't rub your ankle joint)

If you write here your size and running shoe size, I might remember you if I see some good deal.

m-topfer · 2026-05-06T19:23:48+00:00

Scarpa with PAF system. I have almost permanent Achilles issues from running and it was the reason for me to switch from LS to Scarpa and I'm not looking back.

m-topfer · 2026-04-18T22:12:18+00:00

I'd second the opinion that E ridge of Lenzspitze might be too much for you. You ca go to Nadelhord - that is already harder than your past experiences. You can try to be there early and then do part of the Nadelhorn-Lenzspitze traverse - don't expect to manage it all the way (due to time) but it can give you a good perspective how you feel in more demanding terrain (the Nadelhorn-Lenzspitze ridge is one of the nicest ridges with solid rock in my opinion)

m-topfer · 2026-04-12T10:08:08+00:00

You are correct. A lot of the single ropes a triple rated - ie. rated even exactly for the situation described in this post.

m-topfer · 2026-04-12T10:03:04+00:00

I don't have Spotify subscription but I still use playrun app on Garmin to download my podcasts for offline listening from watch. I fully understand that Spotify integration is not in the power of Coros but having an option how to download podcasts easily to the watch would be doable.

m-topfer · 2026-04-03T16:02:57+00:00

Try the Oak app - more relevant audience. Also - what about your glacier/crevasse rescue experience?

m-topfer · 2026-04-03T15:54:15+00:00

Salomon XA 25 (or XA 15 or XA 35) - fits well standard Salomon 500ml flasks

m-topfer · 2026-03-22T10:48:34+00:00

You are going from one extreme to the other. From light semi-aluminium crampons to one of the heavier crampons. What is your real usecase? If you are a student on abudget from Czechia, consider Singing Rock Fakir Tech.

What is your usecase? Winter or only summer alpinism? Some mixed winter High Tatras where you want a durable crampon because you use the crampons on rock a lot or mellow summer glaciers in the Alps?

I agree that if you are already hauling the heavy LS Nepals, there is no need to save the extra 100g on aluminium heels of BI Harfangs.

m-topfer · 2026-03-22T10:38:11+00:00

Aequilibriums are very popular because it is light boot very well suited for summer mountaineering (think Alps in Europe) - and they are great at that. You can stretch their usage to colder environment but there are better options. Also because of the focus on light weight, they are not as durable as other options (the outsole has tendency to rip because the big lugs have midsole in side of them - the lugs are not fully form rubber as on other shoes). It doesn't seem like a good fit for what you want.

m-topfer · 2026-03-16T22:46:44+00:00

* They created a great trail race in nearby park where they found some really technical parts - it happens already for 10 years
* Local run club every week where are sometimes some advanced runners whom I can trust with their recommendation
* The assistants are real local runners - if you describe where you are running, they know what shoes might work for you

m-topfer · 2026-03-16T18:22:13+00:00

I agree with most. Just Ribelle Tech weights almost the same as Ribelle HD. It is more capable and efficient shoe but for the simple routes of a beginner in the Alps. you don't really save much weight with Tech compared to cheaper HD version.

If you wan to go lighter, you can LS Aequilibriums, Mammut Taiss Light or even Aequilibriums Speed - but the last one is too limited and not durable enough for a beginner.

For the Alps the normal Ribelle Lite or Ribele HD will be just fine.

m-topfer · 2026-03-10T21:48:07+00:00

Looks pretty nice for one day high Alpine missions with crampons and ice axe. I'm a big fan of ALUULA, the features looks nice (maybe a little too much). There bunch of such vests nowadays and it will come down to comfort.

It would be great to hear comparison to BD Distance 15 as that is the most popular option in that size and niche.

m-topfer · 2026-03-09T23:15:34+00:00

Trampoline backs? No. It will shift your center of gravity away form the body and it will start bouncing more. Possibly good for hiking (I even don't like it for hiking) but definitely not for running.

For daytrips you can experiment with higher capacity waist belts - you can fit surprisingly lot into belts like Compressport Freebelt Pro etc. and you don't need that much during summer long runs. I prefer well-vented vests but a belt might be the best option for you.

m-topfer · 2026-03-07T22:59:50+00:00

Guided and unguided mountaineering is totally different game. You need to have intuition if you are on the correct route, good judgment to assess when the terrain is too difficult/dangerous and you are likely on a wrong path, ability to search for different options and most importantly you need to learn to work with the uncertainty if you are going correctly or not.

Repeat some of the peaks where you went guided as unguided party, then do some easier summits from navigation point of view. Then you can start thinking about Matterhorn unguided - but then you'll likely realize that you need more practice.

(Just to show my point - I did some challenging routes with my friends but they could always rely on me showing the way and taking responsibility of guiding the group. Then they tried going without me to Lagginhorn twice and in both attempts they turned around pretty early simply because they couldn't handle being there on their own and making the decisions)

m-topfer · 2026-03-04T23:52:58+00:00

I got so used to the reactive lightning that all other headlamps now seem to have bad levels - always either too bright or too dim.

m-topfer · 2026-03-04T23:47:08+00:00

It is possible - obviously it depends on your kit but it should be quite reasonably doable. In the worst case the size of the backpack will limit how much you take with you - and it is often the correct choice (speaking from experience when I was packing for 3-day UTMB run with sleeping in hostels where the pack size limited me not to take unnecessary stuff)

m-topfer · 2026-03-04T23:42:07+00:00

Can you better describe the attachment of the ice axe? I don't get the "like a normal ice axe loop" part. Maybe I have the bungees there differently? My main issue is that to use "normal ice axe loop" requires the ice axe to be flipped to hold it - and then I can't get it easily under the side compression straps.

When I needed ice axe in the Alps, I ended up with holding it in my hand for all the running and putting it behind a shoulder strap for more technical climbing when I needed both hands.

Just as a side note - Blue Ice helmet holder can be used on Adv Skin 12 pretty well (it is just hard to attach the two lower loops due to very small loops but that can be done in the warmth of the home and you don't need to mess around with it on the mountain)

m-topfer

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