January 2013 – the Severe climber

Bouldering in Fontainebleau with a Toddler

The woods around Fontainebleau have a reputation as one of the best places in the world to boulder. Thousands of sandstone boulders, with tens of thousands of boulder problems, scattered about a pretty forest that covers some 300 square kilometres. Fontainebleau also has a reputation as being a great place to take kids. That’s a … Read more Bouldering in Fontainebleau with a Toddler

Climbing a Cathedral and Ringing the Bell on the Klettersteig Pfeilspitzwand

A little over half way up the Klettersteig Pfeilspitzwand there is a brass bell hanging from the rock. If you want to ring the bell, then you need to take a detour that traverses the face of the buttress above a sheer drop. There’s a slightly tricky step to negotiate, before you stand on a … Read more Climbing a Cathedral and Ringing the Bell on the Klettersteig Pfeilspitzwand

Via Ferrata Accidents – what you don’t know might hurt you

If someone asked me what causes accidents on via ferrate, I would only be able to make a few informed guesses. This is because there is surprisingly little readily accessible information on why accidents happen on vie ferrate. This concerns me because understanding why the cause of accidents is essential to preventing them. I’d like … Read more Via Ferrata Accidents – what you don’t know might hurt you

A Little Bit of the Eiger – the Rotstock Via Ferrata

“All the Grindelwald via ferrata are closed.” The woman at the tourist information office said these words in a firm, brisk tone that indicated that she didn’t realise that I would find them disappointing. I knew that there was a risk that the long, cold winter might mean that some mountain routes would still be … Read more A Little Bit of the Eiger – the Rotstock Via Ferrata

Be Seen on the Mountain

January 20, 2013August 22, 2016the Severe climber

I couldn’t see where the cries for help were coming from. The rocky hulk of Tryfan was almost black in the twilight and was shrouded in cloud. I could tell the shouts of help were definitely coming from high on Tryfan’s west face, but they were just disembodied voices in the growing dark.

The Moon over the west face of Tryfan in Snowdonia National Park, Wales.

I was in a group that had climb Tryfan earlier in the day before moving on to climb Glyder Fach next door. It was November and we had decided to head down by the Y Gribin ridge as the light dimmed. Cutting cross-country to get back to the cars, we heard cries of “help!” and headed in their direction to see what we could do. Read more →

The Recipe for Rock Climbing Cereal Bars

January 6, 2013August 23, 2016the Severe climber

Guest Blogger: Valerie Van den Hende

There’s no denying it: when I’m on a mountain, I want my calories. On a recent climb, having run out of both food and water, the path down the mountain was occupied with intense fantasies about ice-cream, salty crisps and about as much icy water as my stomach could handle. It’s common sense that when you’re exercising, unless you’re trying to shed the pounds, you need to increase your calorie intake. When it’s exercise over a long period of time such as a day on the hill in winter, obviously you need to carry this food with you to avoid crashing from low blood sugar. But however much some of us would like it, a tub of Ben & Jerry’s just isn’t practical… So the question is, what works best? Read more →