Author: the Severe climber

I'm Robin and I'm a keen rock climber and hiker. I blog at the http://thesevereclimber.com about rock climbing, via ferrata, hiking and other mountain adventures.
Hiking

There and Back Again – Countisbury to Heddon’s Mouth and back

After probably the wettest winter on record in the UK I thought I might have another walk sealed in my waterproofs as gusts of wind made me zig-zag like a drunkard as I walked over the hills.  Instead, the sun shone on my visit to Exmoor and I wore a T-shirt most of the time.  I walked along stunning coastline and through beautiful woods of ghostly trees yet to come into bud. Continue reading There and Back Again – Countisbury to Heddon’s Mouth and back

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Gear, Rock climbing

A Better Balm – review of hand balms for rock climbers

Chalky hand

A rock climber’s hands can get some rough treatment.  Pushed and twisted into cracks, grazed on course rock, cut and ripped on edges, worn down until the finger tips split and dried out by chalk and the elements.  The results of this harsh treatment can be irritating and painful as well as impairing climbing performance.  To help climbers keep their hands in working condition manufacturers from major companies to people working out of their kitchen have produced balms for climbers’ hands that aim to moisturise, revitalise and help skin heal. Continue reading “A Better Balm – review of hand balms for rock climbers”

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Gear, Hiking, Mountaineering, Rock climbing

Woolly Hats for Big Heads

One size does not always fit all.  My larger than average head means that I have quite a bit of trouble finding any hats that fit.  This can be a problem as a woolly hat is essential for keeping my head warm on cold, windy mountains (particularly as I increasingly have less hair to do this job).  I don’t think that I’m the only person in this situation as people keep coming to an earlier post of mine via Google searches for climbing helmets for people with bigger or extra large heads.  So, for those of us blessed with a generous cranium and a love of the mountains, here are my reviews of some of the woolly hats for hiking and climbing that I’ve found fit my head. Continue reading Woolly Hats for Big Heads

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Gear, Hiking, Mountaineering, Rock climbing

Ropes into Rugs and Other Ways to Recycle and Reuse Outdoor Gear

Lurking under my bed, buried in a drawer, shut in a box or in the dark in my wardrobe.  These are the places where my unused outdoor gear lives.   These are the bits of hiking and climbing gear, clothing and equipment that have been superseded when I upgraded to new, better kit, no longer work as well as they should, never really fitted me that well or were retired because they too old to be safe any more.  Now they take up space in my small London flat and provide a home for dust bunnies.  I’ve decided that they need to go. Continue reading Ropes into Rugs and Other Ways to Recycle and Reuse Outdoor Gear

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Rock climbing

Baby Hits The Wall

Like all new parents, my wife and I are trying to work out how to manage our lives now that we have a baby.  Even seemingly simple tasks, like going to the shops or visiting relatives, now feel like a major logistical undertaking.  Resuming our regular trips to our local climbing wall felt like a particular challenge.  Such a trip would involve ensuring baby Leo is happy and safe in an environment not designed for babies while, at the same time, ensuring both Valerie and I enough of a chance to climb. Continue reading Baby Hits The Wall

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Rock climbing, What they don't tell you in the guidebook

What They Don’t Tell You In the Guidebook – Wobblestone Crack

Well, the clue is in the name.  You can’t really start out on this climb unaware that some bit of rock is going to wobble when you hold on to it.  However, some of the wobbly rocks are more obvious than others and the guidebook doesn’t mention the most important of them. Continue reading What They Don’t Tell You In the Guidebook – Wobblestone Crack

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Rock climbing

Yorkshire Grit

he greatness of Yorkshire has been getting serious recognition recently.  In August, Yorkshire was bestowed the accolade of being Europe’s Leading Destination 2013 at the World Travel Awards.  Yorkshire will host the opening stages of the 2014 Tour de France and the route through this iconic English region was announced in October.  October also saw Lonely Planet declaring Yorkshire the third best region in the world to visit.  For me, a big part of Yorkshire’s greatness is the beauty of the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors, with their wealth of amazing walking and climbing. Continue reading Yorkshire Grit

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Rock climbing

Climbing for Two: climb when ready

Bump is due any day now, and Robin has been reminding me that it would be a good time for me to tell you about my experiences before life is filled with nappies and puke, and my brain can no longer string together a meaningful sentence.  Personally, I think my brain reached that stage a while ago, so there may have been some hefty editing to this post on my behalf by well-meaning relatives… Continue reading Climbing for Two: climb when ready

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Hiking

Walking the rim of the Creux du Van

Approach Creux du Van from behind and it’ll surprise you.  Walk over Le Soliat from the south and it looks like the rest of the Jura – a pretty landscape of rounded mountains covered in woods and meadows with the odd bit of limestone sticking out of them.  But as you walk towards the northern side of the mountain, a crescent moon of rock appears, dropping roughly 150 metres deep and stretching around 1,400 metres wide in-front of you. Continue reading Walking the rim of the Creux du Van

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Via ferrata

Via Ferrata on the Edge

Murren is a pretty village of wooden chalets and hotels perching on slopes covered in woods and meadows.  In the summer, men farm the meadows for hay accompanied by the clanking of cowbells.  Tourists sit in cafes or wander streets kept quiet by a ban on all but electric vehicles.  The Eiger, Monch and outlying peaks of the Jungfrau across the valley provide a dramatic horizon of dark rock and bright snow.  Standing in its centre it’s easy to not realise that this quiet Swiss village comes to an abrupt halt at sheer limestone cliffs that drop hundreds of metres to the bottom of the narrow Lauterbrunnen Valley. Continue reading Via Ferrata on the Edge

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Via ferrata, What they don't tell you in the guidebook

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 impassable with snow that the hot July sun had not yet melted.  I had started to accept that this might be quite a high risk when I had seen snow clinging to slopes and hiding in gullies as I looked out of the train window on the way in to Grindelwald. Continue reading A Little Bit of the Eiger – the Rotstock Via Ferrata

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Gear, Hiking, Mountaineering

Review of Rab’s Neostretch Gaiters

I’ve got mixed feelings about gaiters.  They’re brilliant for keeping snow and water out of your boots, but they can make for lower legs that are hot and damp with the sweat the gaiters haven’t allowed to escape.  This is a particular problem on those days in the mountains when it’s warm, but gaiters are still needed.  Even if rain isn’t forecast and the sun shines warmly, gaiters can be essential because of the risk of putting your foot into a bog or slipping when crossing a stream.  In Alpine conditions you can be toasted while on a sun-baked glacier and have to wear gaiters to cope with the snow on the peaks you’re going to climb.  Rab hold out the promise that their NeoStretch Gaiters will make life more comfortable in such situations by combining one of the new breed of highly breathable fabrics and Rab’s usual, excellent design work. Continue reading Review of Rab’s Neostretch Gaiters

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Hiking

Bias Can Get You Lost

I like to think that I’m a rational person and that I make reasoned decisions on the basis of a considered weighing up of all the information.  This is important, as sound decision-making is vital for the safety of me and other people in the mountain sports that I do.  The truth is that I am as vulnerable as everyone else to my decision-making being distorted by biases that lead to less than rational thinking. Continue reading Bias Can Get You Lost

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