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
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
“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
Valerie on the bridge on the Via Ferrata Sandro Pertini in the Dolomites, Italy.
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 there to start a conversation about the causes and prevalence of these accidents as a way of improving understanding and helping people safely enjoy vie ferrate. As a starting point, I’ll set out what I know and suspect.
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 →
There are times when there is no doubt that you should tell someone that they’re not properly equipped for a day in the mountains and should turn back. One example of this happened earlier this month when a stag party attempted to climb Snowdon dressed in pyjamas and trainers, in a storm and by the scrambling route of Crib Goch. Unsurprisingly, this stag party got into trouble and had to be talked down by phone by mountain rescue.
A back-clipped quickdraw; a potentially dangerous mistake that is a little too easy to make and to not notice. Would you point this mistake out to someone you didn’t know?
According to the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team, this stag party was just one recent incident of groups heading up Snowdon without suitable clothing and equipment. Although trying to climb a mountain in nightwear is an extreme example, my experience is that it’s not uncommon to come across people hiking, scrambling, rock climbing or doing via ferrata who look like they don’t have the right clothes, equipment or skills. These people can be putting themselves at risk and can take up the valuable time of mountain rescue if they get into trouble. What I wonder is whether there is a moral obligation on all of us to tell these people to turn around or change what they are doing. Read more →
