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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Climbing for Two: to climb or not to climb?
One of our first considerations when thinking about trying for a family was would I have to stop climbing? There seems to be a lot of conflicting advice (and some rather strong opposing views) on the internet on the subject of rock climbing during pregnancy. General medical opinion appears to be that any activity where falling is likely should be avoided, as well as contact sports, anything that could result in even mild abdominal trauma and loaded twisting movements. The reasons for this are obvious – clearly I wouldn’t want to cause any physical damage to either myself or our baby, but on the other hand, there are definite benefits from climbing, both physical and psychological. And if pregnancy yoga is safe, then surely some aspects of rock climbing (or ‘yoga going upwards’ as I like to call it) could be ok? Continue reading Climbing for Two: to climb or not to climb?
Wire and War – the top five vie ferrate for WW1 history
Vie ferrate have much of their origins in war. As the Italians and Austrians fought a war of attrition in the passes, summits and ridges of the Dolomites, they built vie ferrate to help the movement of troops and supplies. Now these routes are a major leisure activity, with climbers clipping to metal cables fixed to mountainsides to protect them as they climb ladders and scramble over rock. Via ferrata are an incredibly fun way to explore the mountains and in the Dolomites they also provide one of the best ways of learning about an aspect of World War 1 of which many people are unaware. Continue reading Wire and War – the top five vie ferrate for WW1 history
Outdoor Gear Competition Nut
I love entering competitions for rock climbing and hiking gear. I like the possibility, no matter how small, that I might be lucky enough to win shiny new stuff. It allows me to daydream that the latest, most technologically advanced piece of kit that I can’t really justify buying or else couldn’t afford might be mine. Wanting new outdoor gear is like lusting after the latest smart phone or must have gadget. Competitions provide me with a chance to have this gear and I enter as many competitions as I can. Continue reading Outdoor Gear Competition Nut
Further Recalled
Today a group of manufacturers have issued new recalls on via ferrata lanyards. This is the second wave of recalls of this type of equipment in the last six months and relates to a different type of lanyards than in the first wave. The statements issued by the UIAA (the International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation) and the manufacturers are clear that the issues with these particular lanyards are potentially fatal. Continue reading Further Recalled
Wire in the Lakes – the Honister Slate Mine Via Ferrata
The UK’s first via ferrata is one of the Lake District’s biggest attractions but has also been one of its biggest sources of controversy in the last few years. How might these controversies, and the quality of the climb, affect your decision to pay to climb this via ferrata? Continue reading Wire in the Lakes – the Honister Slate Mine Via Ferrata
the Severe climber 