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Bear AttacksEssential Alps

Lightweight GearMoving Outside

Across NepalExpeditions

Bear AttacksEssential Alps

Lightweight GearMoving Outside

Across NepalExpeditions

46060_COVER 13/5/04 3:38 pm Page 1

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CONTENTS

14

46

14

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features

14: Bear EssentialsGary Rolfe gives the low down on bears. How tosurvive attacks from grizzly, and even polarbears.

20: Light as AirPaul Deegan sorts through the essentials andstrips his gear down to a minimum to see justhow much weight you can save.

26: Alpine PowerHeading to the Alps? Rich Cross has somealpine tips to make your life easier.

30: Warp SpeedAndy Kirkpatrick's at it again. This timeexperiencing life in the fast lane.

32: Pilgrims TaleBraving Maoist guerrillas to cross Nepal on foot.

38: Collie's CanadaIan Mitchell retraces the footsteps of a pioneer.

40: The BasicsLearning to climb part 2: Heading outside.

44: Slippery SlopeJon Morgan suffers for Britain.

46: One WinterA tale of two Nicks in the dark, cold Peak.

48: Expeditions 2004A roundup of this year's expeditions.

54: Silent VoicesAre women marginalised in climbing literature?

regulars

3: The Issue6: News10: Access News52: Events53: Accident & Emergency62: Last Thoughts

special offers

12: StuffIt's your lucky day - we've got four more tastycompetitions for you to enter.

contents

WELCOME TO ISSUE 34Summit is the membership magazine ofthe British Mountaineering Council. TheBMC promotes the interests of climbers,hill walkers and mountaineers and thefreedom to enjoy their activities. Theprimary work of the BMC is to:

Negotiate access improvements and pro-mote cliff and mountain conservation.Promote and advise on good practice,facilities, training and equipment.Support events and specialist programmesincluding youth and excellence.Provide services and information formembers.

BMC177 - 179 Burton Road,Manchester, M20 2BBTel: 0870 010 4878Fax: 0161 445 4500members@thebmc.co.ukwww.thebmc.co.uk

President: Mark VallanceChief Executive: Dave TurnbullSummit Editor: Alex Messenger

EDITORIALContributions for Summit should be sentto the Editor Alex Messenger at the aboveaddress or alex@thebmc.co.uk. Everycare is taken of materials sent for publi-cation, however these are submitted atthe sender's risk. The views expressedwithin are of the contributors, and notnecessarily the BMC.

PUBLISHINGGill WoottonDisplay AdvertisingJane HarrisClassifiedPaula TaylorTel: 01536 382500Fax: 01536 382501

PUBLISHED & PRINTED BYGreenshires PublishingTelford Way, KetteringNorthants, NN16 8UNTel: 01536 382500

Neither the BMC nor Greenshires Publish-ing accept responsibility for informationsupplied in adverts. Readers are advisedto take reasonable care when respond-ing to adverts.

RISK & RESPONSIBILITYReaders of Summit are reminded thatclimbing, hill walking and mountain-eering are activities with a danger of per-sonal injury or death. Participants inthese activities should be aware of andaccept these risks and be responsible fortheir own actions and involvement.

34

A High Church

Welcome to the summer edition of Summit. The cold days of winterseem to be behind us, and I’m sure you’re looking forward to some great

days out. The hot weather seemed to affect the Annual Gathering weekend too.Gone were the frosty debates, to be replaced with a surprisingly uncontrover-sial AGM.

But there are still some clouds on the horizon, and these were highlighted ina Management Committee meeting prior to the AGM. The Future Policy SteeringGroup has been busy identifying problem areas and suggesting possible changesover the winter, but the interim report presented to ManCom seemed to ignitecontroversy rather than agreement.

Past policy making committees, made up of the “great and the good”, havecarried out their work behind closed doors, but in this new century the processhas been dragged out of the smoky rooms and onto these pages, the web, andopen meetings, allowing many “ordinary” members to air their views. Whichcreates a problem.

It’s a simple fact that you just can’t please everyone all of the time. Thetraditional games of rock climbing, hill walking and mountaineering now jostlefor position with bouldering, indoor climbing and competitions, to give a verybroad church. Satisfying the needs of such a diverse membership will always bea balancing act.

And one of the key problems still to be faced is the relationship betweenIndividual and Club Members. There seems to be general agreement that themembership structure and management structure of the BMC need to be adjustedto accommodate the expansion in Individual membership, but the mechanismstill remains to be decided. This particular cloud needs to be tackled, otherwisethe next AGM might not be so sunny.

Individual members contribute an ever-increasing proportion of BMC funds.They want, and are willing to pay for, the various services that have been introducedsuch as Summit and liability insurance, but they feel disenfranchised and resentclub members getting a cheap deal.

The requirements of Club affiliated members - huts, meets, dinners and lectures,are met to a large extent by their clubs. They rely much less on the BMC forservices and activities though, ironically, they provide the BMC with most of it’svolunteers and elected officials. Why should they pay more for bells and whistlesthey don’t want?

There is a way to square this circle. Individual members should get access toa full range of services, evolving to suit their needs as climbing develops, whilethe Club affiliated members should only get, and pay for those core services thatthey founded the BMC to provide. If they want the bells and whistles they canpay for upgrading to full membership.

Well I’m off to the Dolomites this summer, followed by a week in Cornwall. butI’d like to get feedback, on a postcard. So whether you’re heading to the Alps,learning to lead, or on an overseas trek, enjoy your summer’!

Mark VallanceBMC President

ON THE COVER: ON THE COVER: ON THE COVER: ON THE COVER: ON THE COVER: Jon Cooke enjoying summer on the Left Unconquerable, E1 5b,Stanage..... Credit:Credit:Credit:Credit:Credit: Alex Messenger

(T(T(T(T(TOP):OP):OP):OP):OP): Mark Vallance lays down the facts at the BMC AGM.

foreword

The recent Ordnance Survey Outdoors Showwas the biggest yet, filling five halls at

the NEC in Birmingham. Over 48,000 visi-tors piled in over the three days to samplethe various exhibitions; Canoe ’04, Adven-ture Travel ’04, and of course Climb ’04, withit’s centrepiece being the North Face UIAA-ICC Bouldering World Cup.

Nationally and internationally the com-petition scene is now vibrant. The SpraywayBICC (British Indoor Climbing Champion-ships) and A5 BBC (British Bouldering Cham-pionships) are going from strength tostrength, and the international calendar nowhas 20 World Cups. Climbing is in the WorldGames and World Student Games in 2005,and even the World Firefighter Games thisSeptember (incidentaly any climbing fire-fighters do get in touch!)

The British Team are going particularlywell too, achieving their most consistentresults ever. After a number of third placesover the last few years in the European YouthCups, we’ve had our first ever victory fromTom Bolger in Switzerland. Tom went on tofinish 2nd overall, with teammate JamieCassidy finishing 4th. Then there was LucyCreamer reaching her first ever Difficulty fi-nal at Ratho in November, up against somepretty fierce opposition, with Steve McClure

also getting his best ever World Cup resultwith a 15th on the same weekend.

But it’s the Bouldering team that’s mak-ing everyone sit up and take notice.Malcolm Smith got our first top podium spotback in 2002 and finished second overall,but others in the team are now starting toperform. Various final placings last year(Mark Croxall 6th in France, Andy Earl 10th inthe World Championships in Chamonix) cul-minated with four finalists at Ratho in De-cember.

In the NEC they took the place by stormin front of an enthusiastic home crowd, andthe result was the best overall set of resultsfor the British team ever. A podium place forGareth Parry, 4th for Mark Croxall and 6th forAndy Earl. No momentum was lost when theyheaded on to Erlangen in Germany either,just two weeks later Andy Earl had bagged a4th place and Mark Croxall a 9th.

Part of the reason for this upturn is theimprovements in team structure and re-sources, and now volunteers across the coun-try are helping out on a regular basis. Thishas led to some interesting quirks for a start.30% of BMC affiliated clubs (including stu-dent clubs) now have some kind of involve-ment with competitions, and the biggestgathering of BMC members is no longer the

AGM, but is at the BRYCS (British RegionalYouth Climbing Series) final, when hundredsof parents and competitors converge to cheeron the climbers. But ironically this increasein grassroots support comes at a time whenUKSport have cut the BMC competitionsgrant - who knows what could be achievedwith more funding?

Of course, there will always be those un-sure what to make of competitions, oftenclaiming that competitors are just “plasticpullers”, but the names speak for themselves;Lucy Creamer, Malcolm Smith, Steve McClure,Andy Earl, Gareth Parry. These aren’t a sepa-rate breed, but some of the best climbers wehave - indoors or out. Even Leo Houlding,posterboy for adventure climbing gainedprominence from competing. It would seemthat competition climbing is now very muchpart of the fabric of our sport.

NEXT YEARNEXT YEARNEXT YEARNEXT YEARNEXT YEARThe OS Outdoors Show is on the 18-20th

March next year and it’ll be even better, fea-turing overnight camping, bands andbarbeques for a full weekend festival expe-rience.

BMC support of competition climbing has always been controversial to some. But

years of effort have paid off and the British team is now looking stronger then ever.With increasing numbers competing, is it time to leave any prejudices behind?

Plastic Power

TTTTTOP) OP) OP) OP) OP) Killian Fischhuber (Austria) gets in atangle at Climb '04, before finishing 2nd.Credit: Alex Messenger.

the issue

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6 34

This years AGM and annual gathering cameand went in Bristol in April in a flurry ofmeetings, alcohol, and sunshine. Accord-ing to some observers it was the least con-tentious and friendliest event for years. Thehighpoint was when the floor agreed to anamendment proposed by James Jacksonfrom Bristol University, that student mem-bership fee increases be freezed for a year.

Standing up to the old guard, and tack-ling BMC Treasurer Gordon Adshead by thehorns, Jackson presented a compelling casefor his side. He argued that the problemwas not so much a case of “poor students”,but more pressure from the Student Un-ions. In many cases club affiliation fees arehandled directly by the Union, and if aRepresentative Body’s fees are thought tobe too expensive, they will simply drop out.With Universities increasingly discriminat-ing against adventurous sports clubs, itwould be a bad day for student climbingclubs if this happened, possibly leavingthem high and dry without liability insur-ance, and entangled in a red tape night-mare of safety regulations.

Facing initial resistance, Jackson pressedon, and soon had most of the floor remi-niscing about their days at University, andstating that the BMC needed to send out afirm message of support. This was democ-

Cheddar Summer?Work continues on the Cheddar GorgeClimbing Project, and while the newaccess situation is not yet finalised, asuperb taster on the Sunday of the BMCAGM weekend proved very appetising.Martin Crocker had negotiated accesswith Cheddar Caves and Gorge to someof the proposed cliffs, including Horse-shoe Bend Buttress and High Rock. Lotsof climbers made full use of the glori-ous sunshine and continental atmos-phere to climb the prepared sportsroutes, and it was good to see Sir ChrisBonington in action again on HighRock. The day proved what a great sum-mertime venue Cheddar could be.

But Remember...The BMC South West Area Committeewould like to remind climbers that therecent re-gearing work in the CheddarGorge (required due to prevailing con-ditions) does not set a precedent forchange in the Avon Gorge fixed gearpolicy, or in the BMC fixed equipmentpolicy. The Avon Gorge policy remainsas decided in an open meeting in 2002:For belays reliant on fixed protection,it is acceptable to replace current gearwith bolts if the fixed protection is rot-ten.For fixed gear runner placements withno natural protection available, it isacceptable to replace the fixed gear ona like-for-like basis only.

CRoW Act LatestThe new statutory access rights underthe CRoW Act will be implemented inEngland in a rolling programme, start-ing with the south east and lower northwest in September. Implementation inWales follows and by the end of 2005this process should be complete. Thenext issue of Summit will have a featureon what this will mean to you as aclimber, hillwalker or mountaineer andwhat changes you can expect to see inthe countryside.

Student Stand at AGM

racy in action, and everyone was so pleasedby the result that the AGM even finishedhalf an hour early.

Later in the evening Sir Chris Boningtondid the business as guest speaker at thedinner with some tales about his early Ched-dar exploration days including the first as-cent of Coronation Street. The weekend wasrounded off by up to a hundred climbersdescending on Cheddar Gorge, although anattempt to get the elite team of Boningtonand Derek Walker back on Coronation Streetwas foiled due to in-situ parties. The Gorgehad been opened for climbing for the daythanks to the efforts of Martin Crocker and akeen band of Bristol climbers.

It was a sunny week-end in more waysthan one, and withsuch good vibes,could it be that theBMC is finally back ontrack after a turbu-lent few years?

Bristol student James Jackson tackles BMC and winssubscription freeze at the coolest AGM for many years.

Jackson mak-ing his stand.

In Summit 33 we reported on the work pro-moting rural development. These projectsare now at the end of their implementationstages and already climbers and hillwalkersare benefiting from the improved relation-ships between visitors and local residents.The CHIPs (Climbing Huts InformationProject) folders are now in club huts inSnowdonia, at Plas y Brenin, Pete’s Eats,National Trust offices and bunkhouses andin some privately run accommodation. Tosee the kind of information on offer seewww. thebmc. co . u k /ou tdoo r / ch i p s /index.html. The Lake District Visitor Pay-back Initiative is also complete and infofolders are in club huts in Langdale. Thelocal children have enjoyed lots of out-door activities, and interest is high for moreprojects to happen.

The success of the projects is being moni-tored, but the initial signs are very good. Akey success has been how a relatively smallamount of funding from ACT has pulled inmuch more from sources such as the Na-tional Trust, Lake District National Park,Adfywio, Cumbria County Council and Cum-bria Youth Alliance.

ACT has also partnered the Peak DistrictNational Park in restoring a car parking areabelow Stanage Edge. This has been finishedalready, and the parking at Cabin trackshould blend in sensitively to the landscapeand be a real boon to visitors. A number ofother projects have been completed alreadythis season, including the work needed tofix Rivelin after tree damage (see AccessNews).

Future likely projects include resin repairwork on Southern Sandstone, path work inthe Lakes, updating ‘Heading for the Scot-tish Hills’, and a BUFT project to review pathwork funded in previous years. This is onlypossible due to the support of individualdonors and some very major supporters. In2004 we've secured support from the Cas-tle Climbing Centre, the Climbers’ Club,Mountain Leader Training England and theYorkshire Mountaineering Club, and ClimbRochdale. Other key supporters include BMCGuidebooks, RockFax, Association of Brit-ish Climbing Walls, Lowe Alpine and Cleve-land Mountaineering Club. As ever a bigthank to you to you all, and do please keepsupporting our efforts.

Latest ACTs

latest news

6

Recent Access and Conservation Trust (ACT) news.

734

Black Nick NabbedThe BMC is pleased to announce theappointment of Nick Colton as DeputyCEO. "Black" Nick is most famous for hisascent of the Colton/MacIntyre routeon the Grandes Jorasses, still regardedas one of the hardest ice routes in theAlps. In recent years Nick has focusedon rock climbing and can be foundcrimping down at Broughton Wall mostevenings. He joins the BMC from teach-ing and will take a lead on youth ac-tivities within the BMC.

Sprayway BICCThe Sprayway BICC (British IndoorClimbing Championships) went wellagain this season, with a great depth ofyounger talent. This can only bode wellfor international success in the future,so look out for great things to come.

2004 SERIES CHAMPIONS:Senior Male: Steve McClureSenior Female: Rosie ShawJunior Male: Tom BolgerJunior Female: Katie Hill

Thanks to the venues and all who madethe events possible by belaying, judg-ing, and marshalling. Thanks also toSprayway, Entre-Prises, OTE, High, Awe-some Walls, Edelweiss, Red Chilli, andBentleys Accountants for support.

FUNdamentalsThe BMC HPSG (High Performance Steer-ing Group) will be organising a numberof these workshops again this year.Aimed at those who teach climbing,the workshops proved very successfulin 2003. Email graeme@thebmc.co.ukfor details. Also many thanks to thosethat took part in the HPSG AdolescentInjury Survey. The winners of the prizedraw were Ryan Frost, Ewan Russell,Eleanor Kitchen, Michael Clayton, LianneSmith, and Deb Banerji.

Lakes Access MeetThere was a productive day at the OldDungeon Ghyll Hotel in late March,venue for a day of access and conserva-tion related discussion. The morningsession introduced access reps to theirnew information pack, followed by aworkshop on the CRoW Act. Then it wason to the Lakes Area Meeting, lookingat how climbing and new routeing canco-exist with conservation interests,especially in the light of new wildlifeprotection law. Various speakers gavefood for thought, and it highlightedthe great success of the BMC voluntarybird nesting restriction system, and sug-gested that more work needs to be donein the same vein to protect flora. Thanksto all who helped organise the day es-pecially Dave Bishop, Bill Renshaw, ColinEarnshaw, David Staton and BunnyMcCullough.

This decision follows nearly seven years ofdiscussions between the BMC and the quar-rying company over access, liability andownership, and is a significant step forward.The BMC owns several other sites for climb-ers; Stone Farm Rocks, Aldery Cliff ( EarlSterndale) a small limestone crag nearBuxton, and Craig Bwlch y Moch at Tremadog.We are also involved with the managementof many others such as Harrisons Rocks,Wintours Leap, Cheddar Gorge, and UpperPen Trwyn to name but some.

Assuming the purchase of HorseshoeQuarry goes through, the BMC Peak area willbe establishing a sub-committee to man-age the crag. Ownership by the BMC shouldensure access for climbers to this ever popu-lar Peak District sports climbing venue.

The timing couldn’t be better either, sincefresh from the Staffordshire Grit triumph,the team are hard at work on a new master-piece. This summer will see the release of anew guidebook covering mid-range sportsclimbs in the Peak District.

Lucky HorseshoeThe BMC finally goes ahead with the acquisition of Horseshoe Quarryfrom its current owners, Tarmac.

From Horseshoe to Harpur Hill is aimed atthe growing numbers of sports climbers whooperate in the mid grades i.e. F5 to F7s,and seeks to show the wealth of routes inthis range in the area. Most of the cragscovered are ones that have been developedin the last few years, mainly in abandonedquarries in the region.

Crags covered are Horseshoe Quarry, HallDale Quarry, Cawdor Quarry, Slaley Brook,Lorry Park Quarry, Intake Quarry, Deepdale,Cowdale, Blackwell Holt, Blatant Buttressand Smalldale. It contains almost 600routes, mainly in the F6 range.

It is richly illustrated by colour crag pho-tographs many fine action pictures, anddetailed maps, and based on the same for-mat as the recent BMC Staffordshire guide-book. It is hoped that this guide will ap-pear on the shelves sometime in July orAugust, and will fill a much needed nichein the coverage of Peak District climbing.

(T(T(T(T(TOP) OP) OP) OP) OP) Horseshoe Quarry.Credit: Niall Grimes

A new piece of research into the impor-tance of the outdoor adventure industry inNorth West Wales, has just been launched.“The Active Economy” was commissionedby Snowdonia-Active, the outdoor sectorsupport organisation for the Gwynedd, An-glesey and Conwy areas. The study foundthat the adventure tourism industry con-tributes over £140 million per annum tothe North West Wales economy, £60 millionof which is contributed to the economywithin the Snowdonia National Park area.

The industry creates (directly and indirectly)over 8,400 jobs across the area, almost 5,500of which are created within the SnowdoniaNational Park. This equates to almost 6% ofall employment across North West Wales.The work was supported by the Welsh De-velopment Agency, Gwynedd Council, SkillsActive Wales and the Welsh Canoeing Asso-ciation and carried out by Cardiff basedconsultancy firm Newidiem. To view a copyof the research, see www.snowdonia-active.com.

Welsh Adventure worth £140 million

7

ManCom SummaryThe last BMC Management Commitee(ManCom) Meeting was held on 23rd April.

This shortened (two hour) meeting tookplace in Bristol as part of the BMC AGM week-end, attended by 28 people. The main is-sues of debate were Horseshoe Quarry andthe Interim Report from the Future PolicyReview (FPR) Steering Group. After lengthydiscussion it was agreed that the BMC wouldproceed with the acquisition of HorseshoeQuarry from the current owner, Tarmac.

Elsewhere around the country the resur-gence of the SW Committee and work onthe Cheddar Gorge Access Project was wel-

comed by ManCom. Potential access prob-lems at Pant y Ifan, Tremadog were dis-cussed and it was reported that the Staf-fordshire Guidebook had been published.

An interim report was received from FPRSteering Group Chair, Bob Moulton. It wasagreed that this would be discussed fur-ther at Area Meetings. With regard to youthactivities, ManCom also endorsed a deci-sion that, for the time being, BMC volun-teers and staff cannot run outdoor youthactivities and events under the name of theBMC without authorisation from competentparties within the BMC.

New Sponsor for BRYCSWe’re pleased to announce that PerkinsSlade have taken title sponsorship forthe British Regional Youth CompetitionSeries (BRYCS) for a one-year period.Perkins Slade are the brokers for the BMC’sTravel and Activity Insurance and alsoinsure many climbing walls. The previ-ous sponsors urban Rock, had a changeof ownership and were unable to com-mit to the continuation of the arrange-ments. The BMC would like to thankurban Rock for their support over thelast few years, and Perkins Slade for step-ping in at the last minute. The Regionalrounds start in early May, see BMC websitefor details and application forms.

Return to Ben NevisRichard Lamb aims to re-climb TowerRidge on Ben Nevis on 11-13th June, toraise funds for the Limbless Association(LA) and English Federation for Disabil-ity Sport (EFDS). In February 2001 hehad to have his lower-right leg ampu-tated following an accident on the route,and also lost all the fingers and most ofthumb on his right hand, and half hisfingers on his left from frostbite.

After discharge from hospital and sub-sequent recovery, he is now set to returnto Ben Nevis, to complete Tower Ridgeand raise funds for charity. LochaberMountain Rescue Team is supporting theclimb, and he’s supported with gear fromCotswold Outdoor and OSC Ltd. If you’dlike to help support his challenge, findout more at www.dickymintos.plus.com.

Shieldaig RejectedScottish Government Ministers have re-jected a proposed hydroelectric schemein the heart of the Torridon Mountainswithin the Western Ross National Sce-nic Area. The Mountaineering Councilof Scotland campaigned for eight yearsto stop the scheme, and is grateful tothe BMC for support and also to themany individual mountaineers whowrote letters, spoke to politicians andencouraged their friends to do the same.Supporters of the proposed scheme triedto discredit the arguments, but thevoices of those who value the area wereheard and their passion made all thedifference.

Competition WinnersWell done to all the winners from issue33, and thanks for entering. PaulHornbrook and Claire Kestell will be smil-ing at their new Synchronic Sensor Mas-ters. The following will have a new DMMquickdraw; Iain Johnson, Lizzy Hawker,Jenny Measures, Andrew Lawfield, BenVickers, Helen Crisp, Lee Lewis, S. Hunter,Jane Kitching, and Alistair Robinson.And Glenn King, Moira Herring, JohnBrain, Iain Stackhouse, Gerald Moss, AlexNewman, S. Thirsk, A. Simpson, DavidDornan, Kurt Diminieux are now proudowners of the Walkers Companion.

Dave Lucas (above) has just returned froman exploratory rock trip to the Sinai, wherea total of 35 new routes were put up on aHot Rock venture. The Hot Rock trips havesprung out of the World Global Challengetrips, featuring a bundle of climbers in atruck touring the world in search of newrock. Dave’s part on the World Global Chal-lenge was cut drastically short after rockfall in Guatemala on the cliff shown above.The fall may have earnt him a recent spoton the National Geographic channel, but itnearly cost him his leg. With local emer-gency care lacking, and infection setting

in, Dave was pretty glad he had BMC Traveland Activity Insurance. Within days he wasin a UK hospital, and has now become agreat ambassador for the scheme saying,“The BMC Insurance essentially saved myleg”. Now fully healed and the Sinai tripcompleted, the next Hot Rock venture is toSouth America this summer. Seewww.planetfear.com or emaildavelucas@postmaster.co.uk for details.And if you're heading off the beaten track,well come to us first, with our new range ofpolicies you could save in more ways thanone.

Save an arm and a leg..

8

news

10 34

SO

Rivelin RevoltRecent tree damage by climbers threatens access.

Falcon CragThe bird nesting restriction at Falcon Cragin Borrowdale has moved, as the bird hasdecided to nest on the lower crag. The re-striction now covers the ascent/descentgully, and the route Spinup on Lower Fal-con Crag. Upper Falcon Crag is open, butplease abseil off and avoid the gully.

Humphrey HeadThere is a peregrine nesting on HumphreyHead, see the signs there for more details ofwhere the voluntary restriction lies.

Whelter CragThe female of the last pair of Golden Eaglesin England is presumed to have died, andthe male is busy trying to attract a newmate. The continued viability of the terri-tory is on a knife edge, and at the recentMountain Liaison Group the BMC agreed toadvise climbers not to climb on WhelterCrag within the core territory due to theimpact this may have on a potential newmate. This will remain under regular review.

Hoghton QuarryA similar agreement to last year has beensigned with the de Hoghton estate. Thisgives access during 1-31st July, 8.30am and5.30pm, hopefully with one day a weekwhere climbing can extend to 9.00pm.Climbers should be BMC members, and thereare other conditions which can be foundon the news section of the BMC website.

REGIONAL ACCESS DATABASE

For the latest access info onmore than 600 crags inEngland and Wales, onwww.thebmc.co.uk

In recent weeks, blatant damage to treesnear Rivelin edge and concern over erosionto paths has led the landowner to proteststrongly to the BMC. The Peak access repshave done a huge amount of work tosmooth things over with him, and it hasbeen agreed that:

Informal access to the crag for small par-ties can be maintained (NO groups).

ACT will meet the cost of making good thedamage that has been done to trees. Lim-ited clearance of additional trees, with theexception of oaks, has also been agreedwith the landowner where these shade thecrag.

The work will be carried out by the ownerand volunteer help will be sought to re-move and stack the felled wood.

Access to the crag is via the footpath thatstarts opposite the dam road and emergesleft of the pinnacle. Do not wander throughthe woodlands below the crag.

This footpath will be sympathetically de-veloped to preserve surrounding woodlandsand ensure that it is easily visible.

Climbers and boulderers must avoid theedge right of the Altar Crack area and re-spect its integrity as a nature reserve. Fail-ure to do so will jeopardise all access to therest of the crag.

The landowner is a tree surgeon with astrong vision of how this woodland shouldbe managed, and any further damage tothe trees will result in the immediate lossof all access for climbing.

(LEFT) (LEFT) (LEFT) (LEFT) (LEFT) Thea Williams on White Out (E25c) in the summer heat of Rivelin.Credit: Nick Smith.

Goblin CombeThe ‘No Climbing’ sign as you approach theentrance to Goblin Combe continues tocause confusion. North Somerset Council,with BMC support, have acquired the Combeand are very positive on access. However,the sign is not on their land and so it is nota simple matter of them removing it, andthey are working on it. The BMC are workingwith them on a climbing agreement, but inthe meantime you are welcome, thoughgroups are asked to contact the Environ-ment Centre (the old School - 01934833723) to let them know you are visiting.

Range West, PembrokeAfter much work and pressure over the yearsby BMC and climbers, this year will see sitespecific bird nesting restrictions on climb-ing rather than the previous blanket banon access during the nesting months. Asusual you should attend a briefing for theyear (though a briefed climber may take inone unbriefed climber). Remaining brief-ing dates for this year are 29th May (7pm,Castlemartin) and 31st July (Castlemartin,time tbc). A survey of where the birds arenesting will be undertaken, and publicisedon the BMC site in advance of the seasonopening on 29th May.

TremadogAt Craig y Castell there were worries that theconstruction of the new hospital belowTremadog could prevent access to the crag.The BMC are in negotiation with the coun-

NORTH WEST

OTHERWALES

SOUTH WEST

Regional Access DatabaseRAD remains a vital source of up to dateinfo on access to hundreds of crags in Eng-land and Wales. We quickly update anychanges we get to know about but for manysites the info has started to look a bitdated. To counter this the local access rep-resentatives are doing a superb job of up-dating their areas. In addition, the CRoWmapping process generated a host of newcrag data in some regions. So in the nearfuture you'll find that RAD has more up todate, more extensive coverage. Any info yousend us helps keep it that way!

LAKE DISTRICT cil, planners and architects, and an alter-native access route will be incorporated intothe new site. There will be a temporary routeduring building which may be a little cir-cuitous to ensure that no public membersventure onto the site. Please respect thisroute, and report any problems to the BMC.

Not so positive on Pant Ifan where Coun-tryside Council for Wales (CCW) may beforced to enforce the long-term access banhere following legal advice on safety mat-ters. The BMC has pointed out that climberswill always make their own assessmentswhere potential for rockfall exists and isnegotiating to prevent any further bar onaccess.

access news

Staffordshire Grit£17.50The long awaited BMC Staffordshire Gritguide is now well and truly out. The teamhave pulled out all the stops on this one tomake it one of the most impressive guidesfor years. We would say that of course, butdon't just take our word for it, check it outin a climbing shop near you, phone theBMC office, or see www.thebmc.co.uk tograb your copy today.

Pocket Mountains£5.99Pocket Mountains have been very busy,scurrying around north of the border,and have now released three new titlesto complete their Highlands and Is-lands series. Written and researched byNick Williams, the new titles - CentralHighlands, West Highlands and The Is-lands - follow on from the success ofThe Cairngorms, Southern Highlandsand Northern Highlands. Each pocket-sized book features 40 walks which coverall of the Munros in the region as wellas many other great hills. Availablefrom all good outdoors retailers. Formore information check outwww.pocketmountains.com.

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WIN THE SETWIN THE SETWIN THE SETWIN THE SETWIN THE SETTo win a completeset of six pocketmountains booksin an attractivewooden displaystand, just answerthe following ques-tion:

Q. Q. Q. Q. Q. How many Paps are there on Jura?

Answers on a postcard to the BMC Of-fice or email summit@thebmc.co.uk.Winners will be published in Summit 35.Closing date is 01/08/04. Six runnersup will receive the book of their choice- please specify on your entry.

BMC InsuranceIf you're heading off for the summer, don’tforget to pack your BMC insurance. This isespecially important if planning a trip tothe Alps, where rescue, unlike the UK, isnot free. The policies represent excellentvalue for money, and can provide cover forall kinds of sports. BMC Insurance is avail-able instantly online fromwww.thebmc.co.uk or just call the officeon 0870 010 4878 for help.

Owl & The Cragrat£5.95Inspired by a thread onukclimbing.com, this is agreat little book featuring allsorts of poems and songsadapted for climbers. "If Ishould die think only this ofme; that there is some cornerof some...gritstone edge", youget the idea. Anyway, it works - very well.See www.stonegold.co.uk for more details.

WIN ONE OF 10 COPIESWIN ONE OF 10 COPIESWIN ONE OF 10 COPIESWIN ONE OF 10 COPIESWIN ONE OF 10 COPIESTo be entertained for hours just find out:

Q.Q.Q.Q.Q. How many owls does one of the au-thors, Marc Chrysanthou have ?

Email answers to summit@thebmc.co.uk.Closing date is 01/08/04.

Sigg BoxesFrom £15.95Sigg is famous forproducing highquality, light-weight aluminiumdrinks bottles, butthese Swiss perfectionists have turned theirattention to something different for 2004.To cure the perenial problem of squashedsarnies and crushed bananas, they've de-signed two new aluminium lunchboxes,These shiny items come in two sizes, Maxiand Midi depending on how greedy youare. For local stockists call Burton McCallon 0116 234 4646, or see www.sigg.ch formore information.

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Q. Q. Q. Q. Q. In which country are Sigg productsmade?

Answers on a postcard to the BMC Officeor email summit@thebmc.co.uk. Winnerswill be published in Summit 35. Closing dateis 01/08/04.

Expedition handbook£19.99The Royal Geographical Society have fullyrevised and updated their Expedition Hand-book, a tried and trusted companion formany adventurers. Embarking upon scien-tific or adventurous travel, whether it’s tothe Antarctic or the Alps, requires planningand research. How much food should youtake? Who will give you funding? What ill-nesses might you catch? The RGS-IBG Ex-pedition Handbook is a compendium ofeverything anyone needs for safe and suc-cessful expeditions anywhere remote. ISBN1861970447. See www.rgs.org for details.

WIN THIS JACKETWIN THIS JACKETWIN THIS JACKETWIN THIS JACKETWIN THIS JACKETWe’ve got one of these alpine saviours to dishout. It could be yours if you can just tell us:

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Answers on a postcard to the BMC Office or email summit@thebmc.co.uk.Winners will be published in Summit 35. Closing date is 01/08/04.

Rab Latok Alpine Jacket£160If you're heading to the alps this summer, youcould do worse than packing the new Latok Al-pine Jacket. Made from eVENT fabric, the LatokAlpine is a stripped down, lightweight versionof the established Latok jacket and offers greatlevels of breathability and comfort in a fully wa-terproof shell. With a total weight of just 440gPaul Deegan would no doubt approve (see page20), and it's just the job for some speedy alpineascents. For more information and stockists visitwww.rab.uk.com or phone 0114 2757544.

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stuff

12 34

STAFFORDSHIRE GRIT

The Roaches

The definitive climbing guide to routes and bouldering

on Staffordshire grit

34

In the early 1980’s the Canadian government hired him for his track-ing skills to help look into the disappearance of several hikers in histrapping area. He worked alone for weeks then hit the headlines whenhe returned with human heads, hands and other body part remainsfrom bear attacks.

It’s tragic that every year ‘nuisance bears’ become a threat tohumans and are destroyed. And whilst some situations can’t be avoid-ed most can. There are roughly 6,500 grizzlies (brown bears) rangingthe Yukon to the Arctic coast. 10,000 black bears span the BritishColumbia border to the same coast and 15,000 polar bears roam theArctic Ocean within Canada. These polar bears constitute just over halfof the world’s total population. To journey safely I’ve learnt to respectbear behaviour and their habitat.

essentialsOne of the first people to teach me

anything worth knowing about bearswas Trapper Mack. We met in the

Yukon. Isolated, he’d been on his own a very,very long time. I listened to him intently ashe stared at me. I didn’t want to upset thisman. His thick black hair was wild but Isensed he wanted to tell me somethingimportant.

SKILLS

How to handle yourselfin bear countryby Gary Rolfe

Bear

46060_p14_17_BEARS 5/13/04 8:35 AM Page 14

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Black bears spend their entire existence inforests, grizzlies prefer open country andpolar bears follow open water on the ArcticOcean in order to hunt. With varying disposi-tions all bears are unpredictable and when wehumans enter the same habitat, encountersare inevitable. From my experience there areabsolutely no hard and fast rules for gettingout of a collision course with a bear. The beststrategy by far is to try and avoid them. Mostwill attempt to remain elusive but if they’resurprised, defending cubs or guarding foodan encounter can become life threatening.

Grizzlies and black bearsIn the Yukon and Northwest Territories griz-zlies and black bears are generally dormantthroughout the winter months from Octoberto April. Once out of their dens a tremendoussense of smell and hearing enables them tofeed a legendary constant drive for food. Inthe spring they love chomping on freshdeciduous aspen and poplar shoots. TrapperMack still fears the grizzly. He taught me tobe cautious in areas like berry patches wheretheir favourite food grows. Between July andAugust when the blueberries and tundra cran-berries begin to ripen, grizzlies go into astate of frenzied rampage to consume acolossal amount of food. They need 40,000calories daily to lay down enough fat to sur-vive their seven months in hibernation.

Grizzlies thrive in the open tundra andbolting moose or caribou can indicate hunt-ing bears. I watch for high circling ravens oreagles indicating a bear kill. You’ll rarely eversee black bears in barren expanses. Soccerpitch size open sunny glades are theirfavoured territory since denser forest has lit-tle vegetation to feed on. But even if allappears clear I keep a wary eye for sleepingbears. They sometimes nod off after feeding.

Both bear types hunt on the alluvial floodplains for fish and scavenge for carrion. If Isee salmon in a stream I think bear. Spawn-ing periods on rivers will attract them duringJuly to October, and fast torrents of riverwater or windy conditions will drown outnoise increasing the risk of surprising them.

Bright red clusters of soapberries ripen inlate July in the Yukon and for bears they’rerecognised as the top seed along shores andstreams. On approach walks to mountainranges during July or August the Arctic tun-dra is ablaze with a surprising number of stunning looking plants. Flowers such as tiny

Arctic lupins, arnicas, forget-me-nots andvetches mingle with bear favourites like yel-low cloudberries and scarlet cranberries.

Travelling in bear countryI’m constantly aware of the environment. Ifvegetation is closing in, the chance of sur-prising a bear rises. Sometimes you can heara distant clatter through vegetation and birdslift as a bear stumbles through. At othertimes there will be no such warning. I’mrarely without dogs and talk loudly to themor clap hands in areas of limited visibility.

Depending on their fare, fresh bear turdcan vary from resembling human faeces with

fur and twigs to looking like messy tar. Rippedup tree stumps or rotten logs with claw marksare ominous bear signs too. I don’t approachfresh piles of soil or branches either, sincebears protect fresh kills. It’s also a bad ideato investigate bad smells since they cacheand protect surplus food in shallow graves.

If I see a feeding bear I try detouringdown wind undetected. I realise this isn’talways possible so I let the bear know I’mthere by moving upwind. They then usuallystand on their hind legs and sway nosing theair. I’ve inadvertently walked into a situationand had bears stand up only feet away. It canbe unnerving. It’s a good idea to speak slowlyenabling the bear to identify you as a human.At this they usually clear off, sometimes not.

(MAIN) Gary with his dogs share theCanadian Arctic Ocean with 15,000hunting polar bears. All credit: GaryRolfe

(FAR LEFT) Shot by a Gwitch’in Indianfriend of Gary’s this black bear tried torip off the roof of his log cabin while hewas inside.

(LEFT) With paws the size of a man’schest polar bears are capable of takingoff a human head with a single blow

(ABOVE RIGHT) Bear country

Ripped up tree stumps orrotten logs with claw marks

are ominous bear signs

46060_p14_16_BEARS 5/12/04 2:48 PM Page 15

Aggressive bears chomp their jaws andturn sideways to display their size. The bestthing then is to talk in a calm non-aggressivemanner, avoid eye contact and back away,very slowly. If this happens to you don’t run.Trust me, you’ll never make it. Black bears, allcubs and some grizzlies are excellent treeclimbers too.

Responses vary. A bear may move down-wind, walk slowly to you or charge. Most griz-zly and black bear charges are bluff. Theysimply veer off at the last second. If you’rewithout bear deterrents and being mauled,curl into a foetal ball face down to protectyour guts and clasp your hands behind yourhead. Practise with your backpack as this willhelp protect your back too. It’s then vital toremain motionless. Most people survive.

Cubs complicate things. If I see them Iback away slowly and make a huge detour. Inever ever come between a sow and cubs. Ifyou do, the sow will head straight for you andboy she’ll be mad. As she gets closer avoideye contact and start talking calmly. At thesame time back up, ever so slowly. If shecharges assume the mentioned curled upposition and remain totally motionless.

Man killersOld, wounded or yearling males unable to laydown enough fat for winter display no fearand will follow you. Early bears out of hiber-nation are bad news too. They may stalk ahuman being as potential prey. It’s best tostand still. If it carefully circles, be prepared,since from a fast walk they will attack. Ifyou’re armed be prepared to shoot, if not youcould be very unlucky.

Other considerationsThink before making camp and avoid setting-up near fresh signs of bears. Place tents in aline rather than a semicircle to give any bearan open escape. It’s vital to organise a cleancamp by keeping gear and tents free fromfood odours. Do this by cooking at least 200metres away and downwind from where youintend sleeping a safe night. A designated toi-let should be 200 metres away from sleepingareas too. It’s debatable if menstruatingwomen actually attract bears, but all thewomen I’ve travelled with in bear countrytake the Pill continually to stop their periodsor use tampons rather than external protec-tion. All sanitary materials should be burnt.

It’s a good idea to cook in a set of clothesseparate from those you sleep in. Make sureall food and toothpaste is sealed into airtightcontainers. Freeze dried or dehydrated food isbest as it’s fairly odourless. Leave the garlicsausage at home. Like all true omnivoresbears are infamous for eating petrol cans, soavoid wearing unnecessary artificial smellslike deodorants. In Yosemite National Park

law requires proper storage of “food”. By thisthey mean anything that smells like food toa bear, irrespective of packaging. Items likesoap, your lipstick and if you’re driving,engine oil are all on the menu for bears.

A few designated wilderness campsitehotspots like those found in the LittleYosemite Valley and popular trailheads pro-vide static food lockers, but check first, don’tassume their availability. It’s no good storingfood in vehicles either. Windscreens don’tdeter bears. With power tools for paws, bearsfist windscreens as if they were made of clingfilm. In Yosemite you’ll also be breaking thelaw by storing food in a vehicle. You’re bestusing your own ‘kegs’. And if this all seemstoo much hassle, motivate yourself by imag-ining your bear shredded tent with you quak-ing inside.

Never store food in your tent, that’s simplyasking for trouble. Burying food is futile. Thecounter-balance method, bagged food hungfrom a tree, is permitted in some NationalParks. To do it, find a tree with a branch fourmetres long and five metres off the ground.Ideally the branch must be able to supportthe weight of your food but not that of a cub.Split food equally in two and throw a ropeover the tree branch. Then tie one end of therope to one of your food and hoist it up tothe branch. On tiptoe tie with a loop theother end of the rope to the other half. Makethis as high as you can. With a trekking polepush the second stuff sack until both halves

are roughly the same height off the ground.Both must be high enough off the groundwhere at least you can’t reach them. This isone place where Velcro attached bear bells toyour rope could warn you of trouble. In someareas of the Sierras’ you’ll be breaking the lawby doing this, so check out legalities other-wise this could mean a double blow.

Minimising odours attractive to bears is asure way to reduce unnecessary confrontation.You can lock six days food into a single hard-shell Model 812 Backpackers’ Cache withoutfuss. These neat ‘kegs’ can be fastened to abackpack, pack animal or hand carried.Another storage option is the blue rigid plas-tic barrel with watertight lid secured with ametal band clamp often used by paddlers.They come in two sizes. The 30-litre size willsecure food for small groups for 4 days.Stuffed with grub the 60-litre is a decentweight to burden anyone with, though youcan get padded harness carry systems. Thesebarrels are good for storing cooking clothesand kitchen paraphernalia too. The only drawback with them is that metal band clamp.Bears tend to use this to grip and separate.

Polar bearsThe entire Arctic coast is a hunting groundfor lone males at any time of the year. Of allbears, it eats meat exclusively. Males will tryeating their offspring by separating cubsfrom their mother. They’re top of the food

16 34

SKILLS

(ABOVE) Torrents of water drown noise increasing the risk of surprising bears.

Never store food in your tent,that’s simply asking for trouble

46060_p14_16_BEARS 5/12/04 2:49 PM Page 16

chain and fear nothing. Females emerge fromtheir dens by May with usually two cubs andare extremely dangerous.

During the summer what they don’t kill,they supplement with carrion. Beachedwhales are vulnerable and as expert long dis-tance swimmers these bears will kill belugaby launching themselves from ice floes asthese whales emerge to breathe. Polar bearsprotect critical space around themselves. Thisspace varies in size from animal to animal,but whatever invades that area they seek toeliminate.

I look out for their kills and determinemale footprints from protective females withcubs. I also watch for stalking bears attack-ing from downwind. In poor light they appearyellow. In bright light they blend in perfect-ly to their white surroundings. On a bearingI’ve headed for prominent far off snow cov-

ered sea ice only to look away and see itmove, on all fours. In chronic visibility theonly warning signs are from my dogs.

Most polar bears remain with a kill untilit’s totally eaten. When food is plentifulthey’ll feed off grim stuff like seal fat andmove on leaving behind an almighty bloodymess. They don’t cache food like grizzlies orblack bears. Scavengers such as Arctic foxesthen busy themselves like beggars with min-imal effort. Polar bears don’t do anythingunless they really want to, and one chargingat full tilt on all fours is rarely a bluff.

Now the only solution is shoot to kill. Bylaw killing a polar bear in Canada must bereported to the Department of RenewableResources. They’ll then fly in to the incident.A life threatening explanation is required foryour actions.

DeterrentsThere’s absolutely no point being armed tothe teeth. Firearms demand respect and car-rying one is a decision not to be taken light-ly. Leave well alone unless you’re planning tobe alone hundreds of miles from civilisationin known bear country during their activemonths. If you will be carrying a firearm, andwould like to learn more about how to defendyourself from a bear attack, then see theSummit section on the BMC website for anaddition to this article. Take the trouble tofind out the legalities in National Parks too.They all vary. Here are other options.

Bear spraysThe most important effect a commercial bearpepper spray has is temporary asphyxiation.These sprays are measured in Scoville Units,a heat measurement indicating the irritant’sintense heat capacity on exposed skin. Ifaimed into the eyes, nose and mouth a spraywill stop a charging grizzly or black bearalthough it’s a matter of luck as to whetherthe bear is inhaling or has its mouth openwhen the spray hits. The ones with an oilrather than water based propellant linger inthe air and a fog spray is more effective thana straight stream. I’ve seen them availablewith an added red dye to improve accuracy. Ifyou’re in a group I’d suggest everyone carry acan. They can be carried in a holster on thehip. I favour a military style chest rig. Don’tstuff sprays deep inside a backpack. Nolicence is necessary for possession but you’llhave to sign a notice to prove you’ve madethe purchase and how many.

Bear sprays are limited because of theirshort effective range of eight metres so it’simportant to practice by firing three shortbursts while stepping away from an imagi-nary bear. Consider wind direction before fir-ing and if you get a dose yourself don’t gohysterical, stay calm, move to fresh air, don’trub your eyes and if you wear contact lensesremove them. Flush your eyes with water andsymptoms will disappear within an hour. It’sworth noting that commercial bear sprays areintended for grizzlies and black bears and notpolar bears.

Bangers and bellsA pencil-sized launcher with rim fire screw-inflares will fire 50 metres into the sky andburns red, green or white for 5 seconds. Bearbangers can be fired from one of these too.But be warned, they’re not accurate and aremore likely to provoke an already miffed bear.Throw bear bangers, also known as thunder-flashes, in front of a bear. A salvo detonatingbehind will either be ignored or bring a bearcloser. I don’t bother with these as deterrents.

Bear bells come in various sizes. Attachedto a dog’s collar, a set of panniers or yourbackpack they make a cheery jingle but havea deterrent value of zero. Clapping, talkingloudly or rattling stones in a can are as goodas anything to avoid surprising a bear inrestricted visibility areas. Some canoeists useair-horns.

Dangerous goodsIn Canada and the US bear sprays and thun-der-flashes require no documentation for pos-session. You won’t need a license to purchasethem either but they’re considered potentiallydangerous goods under all airline luggagejurisdiction. They cannot legally be packedon board any regular international and inter-nal commercial flights. It’s best to purchaseexplosive and potentially dangerous neces-saries within the host country ahead of time.It’s also best to seek specific assurance thatthese critical items can be purchased withinthe Province or State you wish to journey.Once in, chartered flights and bush pilots toobscure destinations expect to see bearsprays secure. Then when you’re dropped off,the rest is up to you. ||

1734

Gary’s website: www.garyrolfe.comBear proof barrels: www.backpackerscache.com

Barrel harness systems: www.rutabaga.com

Bear sprays: www.guardalaska.com

Dog panniers: www.canine-spirit.com

Chest rigs: www.arktisltd.co.uk

Useful websitesBear bells makea cheery jingle,

but have adeterrent value

of zero

(ABOVE) Pingo models the latestfashion in bear bells.

(BELOW) Boiling water instantlyfreezes then falls as ice in thegreat white north.

Gary Rolfe is one of the few peopleconsistently and successfully to makesolo expeditions on the Arctic Oceanwith huskies. You can read moreabout how he survives in extremecold in Issue 33. Look out for the next issue whenGary covers the use of technology indemanding environments, includingsections on IT, photography, rescuebeacons and radios.

46060_p14_17_BEARS 5/13/04 8:36 AM Page 17

On my early expeditions, I prided myself on theamount of gear that I could carry. 30kg ruck-

sacks at 6000m in Nepal? No problem. A double loadin order to help a tired trekker whilst leading groupsin Europe? No sweat. Volunteering to carry the sparemaps and satellite telephone? Naturally. Packing extraclothing, food and fuel just in case? Of course.

This sort of masochistic behaviour continued until thelate 1990s when the pain in my back, neck and shoulders(caused in no small part by the ridiculous weights I hadstruggled with for over a decade) began to prevent mefrom undertaking certain trips.

To start with I simply avoided tackling any treks orclimbs that required me to shoulder a heavy load. Butafter a while I missed the attraction of long expeditions.The start of a cure came with a combination of intensephysiotherapy, osteopathy, sports massage and Pilates.But I soon came to realise that making significant inroadsinto reducing the weight of my gear was also going to bea key ingredient of a long-term successful remedy.

I began by deciding what was essential to success onany given trek or climb, and what wasn’t. For example, Iearn part of my living from taking photographs on trips,so I was reluctant to shelve the bullet-proof SLR that Iusually carry. Lightweight SLRs abound but the lack of ametal chassis make them vulnerable to abuse. However,carrying one general-purpose lens rather than two spe-cialist lenses was an obvious way to save weight. Onother occasions, just taking a high-quality 35mm com-pact camera has proved to be a viable alternative.

Likewise, trekking poles. There are plenty of ultralightpoles on the market, but I found that the lightest mod-els tend to bend under pressure. And I remain suspiciousof models with internal telescopic adjusters after anexperience with a pair in the Andes.

These two examples got me thinking that lightweightgear choices would have to be balanced by reliabilityconsiderations. If a piece of equipment is worth takingthen it must be capable of doing the job required of it.

Ultimately, gluing myself to only packing essentialitems seemed the way to go. Whilst this sort of philoso-phy usually figures somewhere in most mountain trav-ellers’ minds, how often do we bend the rule in order totake a piece of kit simply because it’s an old favourite orin order to cover a scenario that is unlikely to arise in thefirst place? With a trip to the Alps in the summer of 2003in the offing, I decided to put my new-found hardcoreattitude to the test. (It should be noted that the unusu-ally high temperatures I encountered prevented full-blown tests on all of the gear described below.)

Looking into the individual weights of products, twothings quickly became apparent. Firstly, that many moreoutdoor companies have in the past five years embracedthe superlight approach to outdoor gear, and secondlythat lightweight materials are very much stronger, warmerand more durable than they were even two or three yearsago. Of course, no-one is pretending that ultralight fab-rics are going to be as durable as their heavyweightbrethren, which conspiracy theorists would argue playsinto the hands of the manufacturers who produce thegear! So at some point everyone has to decide what pricethey are prepared to pay for a lighter rucksack and con-tents. If your philosophy or budget dictates that morethan occasional replacement of key items is not an option,you might decide to read what follows with caution.

(LEFT) Paul Deegan descending from the Chalet deLoriaz. Credit: Andy Miles

Forced bycircumstanceto reduce the weightof his summeralpine rucksack, Paul Deeganexamines the virtuesof some modernultralight outdoorclothing andequipment ”

Lighterthan

EQUIPMENT

“

Forced bycircumstanceto reduce the weightof his summeralpine rucksack, Paul Deeganexamines the virtuesof some modernultralight outdoorclothing andequipment

46060_p20_23_LIGHTER_AIR 5/13/04 8:38 AM Page 20

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Shave & Save ClothingTo hut or not to hut?Sleeping in an alpine hut prior to tacklingthe route of your choice will inevitably blowa sizeable hole in your budget. However, theadvantages are multitudinous, not least theelimination of any need to carry sleeping orcooking equipment beyond that which youdecide is essential from a safety point-of-view on the route itself. Even if you purchasethe lightest sleeping bag and stove on themarket, the weight saving is still going to beconsiderable.

Potential weight saving: 1.5 to 3kg + fuelIf you decide that huts are not for you (or

there are simply no huts on the route thatyou are attempting) then there are plenty ofultralight sleeping and cooking products tochoose from.

Sleeping bagsGram for gram, down remains the warmestinsulation, although in the sometimes dampenvironment of the Alps, synthetic can winout in terms of performance in wet conditions.Ones to look out for:Mountain Hardwear Phantom 32(down, 600g) rated to 0°CThe North Face Propel (synthetic, 481g)rated to +4°C

On test: Marmot Hydrogen (595g)An outrageously light bag designed to keep

the user warm to freezing point or there-abouts (depending on your consti-

tution), the Hydrogen usesdown taken from mature EastEuropean geese to deliver an

incredibly high warmth-to-weight ratio. Toastierthan the overall weight would suggest, I found thatsub-zero nights out in the Hydrogen (with a foammat and inside an Outdoor Designs Alpine Bivi,below) were not just bearable but comfortable.

Bivi bagsIn dry, cold conditions I no longer botherwith a bivi bag as the weatherproof fibresused on sleeping bags outers are so efficient.However, in the Alps I still feel that somekind of waterproof-breathable shell is prettymuch de-rigeur. There are plenty of differentmaterials on the market which all claim to behighly breathable and also waterproof. Mypreference is for a simple design with theminimum number of entry/exit zips.One to look out for:Mountain Hardwear Conduit SL Bivy (510g)

On test: Outdoor Designs Alpine Bivi (630g)Outdoor Designs was the first company tomake use of W. L. Gore’s latest Gore-Tex®

fabric, which is air permeable. This allowsthe whole bag to be zipped shut without any

risk to the user. If you can handle the potentialfor claustrophobia, then being able to completelyseal up the shelter will raise the internal temper-ature, maximising the performance of your sleep-ing bag. Not necessarily the easiest bag to get inand out of, but of course a longer zip (available intheir Assault model, 780g) means more weight…

Stove and cook setPressurised gas stoves continue to shrink insize and improve in performance. However,the lightest type (which screw onto the topof the cylinder) are not as stable as designsthat have their own legs. So when using thistype of stove more care is required, especial-ly if you are using a large pot. When it comesto pans, stainless steel is a definite no-gofrom a weight point-of-view, which leavesaluminium (light, cheap and cheerful) ortitanium (even lighter but also expensive).Potential weight saving on a pot and stove:up to 400gOnes to look out for:Outdoor Designs Camp 3 Titaniumstove (92g)MSR PocketRocket stove (86g)

On test: MSR Titan 2 litre pot (185g)Bringing reality to the oft-used phrase “light as afeather” comes this offeringfrom Mountain Safety

Research. Having acci-dentally thrown the pan

down 20 feet of sharp rocksduring testing I can attest to its durability; itdented but did not puncture.

RucksackThe weight of some so-called alpine ruck-sacks made by established manufacturers canbe disgracefully high. One well-known 45litre rucksack that I came across during thecourse of my research weighed an astounding2.2kg. To put this into perspective, that’s theequivalent of one litre of performance-enhancing water tied up in unnecessary nylonand stitching. My ideal is a rucksack thatweighs no more than 10% of the total weightI plan to carry. To achieve this, avoid all bells,whistles and thick fabrics. Removable alu-minium staves or foam back systems canreduce the weight of the rucksack even fur-ther, though at some cost to comfort andsupport for the spine.

Potential weight saving: up to 1.5kg on a50 litre rucksack.Ones to look out for:Berghaus Crag, 45+10 litres (920g stripped)GoLite Gust Pack, 59 + 17 litres (570g)Lowe Alpine Lepton, 45 litres (1.06kg)

On test: Osprey Aether 45 (850g)Conforming to the modernapproach of a lid-less ruck-sack, the Aether features aroll-type closure and a single45 litre compartment whichis available in multiple backlengths. During the test, Ifound that the Aether wasable to swallow loads of up

to 12kg; above this andthings started to become

less stable, although bear-ing in mind the 10% rule described above that dis-covery was hardly surprising.

A whole article in itself, the potential sav-ings from clothing are almost limitless.You now need very little in the way ofbulky clothing to provide adequate or evensuperlative protection from rain, wind, sunand snow. Here we touch on a few keyareas.

Waterproof-BreathableJacketsOnes to look out for:Berghaus PacLite Smock (275g)Sprayway Women's Viper Jacket (360g)The North Face Men’s Prophecy PacLiteJacket (412g)

On test: Mountain Equipment Firefly (390g)In order to appreciate the light-ness of this jacket, it is impor-tant to bear in mind that there

are still garments out therethat offer similar perform-

ance but weigh threetimes as much. Thatequates to morethan half a kilo of

fabric deadwood.That said, the ultra-

thin fabric used in theFirefly took some get-

ting used to. The water-resistant zips are easy to operate whilst wearinggloves; the hood accommodates a helmet.

Mid-layers andwindproof shellsOnes to look out for:Lowe Alpine Women’s DryPhase Pull-On(270g)Patagonia Dragonfly Pullover (85g)

On test: Marmot DriClime Windshirt (283g)Marmot shift this product

by the lorry load, and amate of mine abso-lutely swears by his.There’s no doubtthat it delivers ahigh level of windresistance and not a

little warmth for atiny weight and pricepenalty. However, onreflection, I often found

myself getting so hot that on balance I now preferto keep my windproof layer and lightweight insu-lating layer separate for maximum versatility.There is a weight penalty to be paid for adoptingmy approach and so it is very much a case of “Youpays your money and takes your choice.” As withthe Firefly jacket, I was impressed by the appar-ently flimsy fabric’s durability when it came intocontact with rough surfaces.

LegwearCombined with a pair of shorts for a cooloption on hot walk-ins, a single pair ofstretch pants is likely to suffice for mostalpine situations. If you hit rain then yes,

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waterproofs are still needed. But even thesecan be featherweight affairs rather thanheavy reinforced models, providing you don’tmind patching the odd crampon hole.Ones to look out for:

Mountain Equipment G2 Pants (480g)Patagonia Women’s Stretch Element Pants (610g)Berghaus PacLite Pants (185g)

On test: Mammut Champ Pants(590g – medium)This was the first time I had wornthis type of stretch pant. Comfort-

able, sufficiently wind and showerresistant, and with useful knee articu-

lation for climbing and scrambling sit-uations. The thigh pocket was pretty

useful too.

Duvet jacketsArguably redundant in the Alps in the sum-mer, the weight of some duvets have shrunkso much that they are now a much warmeralternative to a second mid-layer for unsea-sonally low temperatures or whilst stoppingfor a brew whilst climbing at night.Ones to look out for:Mountain Equipment Dewline, 567gPatagonia Women’s Down Vest, 326g

On test: Mountain Hardwear Phantom Jacket (400g)

This is the business. The fabricis so light that you can almostsee the high-grade down. Butdon’t be deceived; the fabricis tear resistant and the cut

of the jacket delivers instantwarmth around the kidneys and

lower back.

BootsA walking trip can succeed or fail on thequality of your footwear, so boot and cram-pon choice will be one of the most importantpurchases you'll make before an alpine trip.

Massive advances in boot technology,together with an apparent change in thealpine climate we’ve come to expect in sum-mer, has made plastic boots all but redun-dant. Modern lightweight alpine boots arestiff enough to take crampons, although theirsynthetic fabric uppers do make them looklike they’ve walked off the set of Blake’sSeven. Nevertheless, if a pound on your footis worth five in your pack, then you can morethan quadruple the statistical weight savingsindicated here.Potential weight saving: over a kilo.Ones to look out for:Scarpa Freney XT (1.85kg)

On test: La Sportiva Trango S (1.20kg)Increasingly popular with instruc-tors, the Trango S is ideal forthe generally dry conditionsfound in the Alps insummer (Scottishwinter bogtrottingwouldbe anothermatter entirely). The synthetic fabrics seemed tomake my feet feel hotter and more sweaty thanall-leather versions, but these boots were preciseand extremely versatile. The lightweight construc-tion speaks for itself, although I did notice a fairamount of wear and tear to the Trango (especiallythe important heel area where the crampon bind-ing clips to the boot) after just a few weeks. Takecare when fitting crampons; in an ideal world, onewould buy the crampons at the same time as theboots to ensure a perfect match.

RopesAnother potentially big saving is possible ifyou plump for a slimmer rope. There are obvi-ous considerations here in terms of abrasionresistance. But again, if you are willing toreplace your rope on a regular basis (which isno bad thing in any case) then your spinewill thank you.

Potential weight saving: Over 400g on a 60m double rope

On test: Beal Ice Line (42g per metre)Quite possibly the lightest double rope onthe market. The Double Dry finish shookoff glacial puddles like water off a duck’sback.

Non-technical axesFor some reason (probably cost), relativelyheavy walking axes continue to be manufac-tured. But surely not for much longer. Afford-able lightweight metals are quickly overtakingtraditional tools.Potential weight saving: up to 300g

On test: DMM Vapour (440g)

No widgets, no gadgets, noth-ing to go wrong. A joy to hold

and yes the curved shaft reallydoes work. Just like your Dad’s

trusted axe of the 1960s. Only a lot,lot lighter.

On test: Grivel Air TechEvolution (485g)

I’ve been using the original Air Tech axefor years; the Evolution now puts a deftbend in the UIAA-approved lightweightshaft and this did seem to furtherimprove the axe’s versatility. Itretains the reassurance of aforged steel head for maximumstrength.

Note: Unless you are attempting technicalroutes which require a second full-size tool,then Grivel also make a short hammer (theBlack Three Degree, 480g) that doubles upvery nicely as an emergency tool or as a sec-ond axe for short pitches of steep ice.

Non-technical cramponsAs it is for axes, so it is for crampons. Do youreally need 12 points of contact? On straight-forward ground, 10 points might well proveto be sufficient, especially if you have small-er feet. Then there is the choice of metal.Many alpinists steer clear of lightweight alu-minium and titanium because of concernsover strength and durability on rock and incritical situations. But people who want apair of crampons for occasional use on snow(for example glacier walking) might want toconsider them.Potential weight saving: up to 300gOnes to look out for: Grivel G10 Light (670g)Salewa Titan Ultra Walk (600g)

EQUIPMENT

(ABOVE) Everything weighs something. Leave the newspapers and iPod in the valley!Credit: Paul Deegan

Equipment

46060_p20_23_LIGHTER_AIR 5/13/04 8:39 AM Page 22

On test: Grivel G10New Matic (820g)

On easy ground, I frankly didn’t missthe extra points. The steel G10 is available

with four different types of binding, and for 2004comes supplied with flex bars for a better fit oncrampon-compatible boots that retain some flexin their soles.

HelmetsA flick through almost any outdoor magazinewill show editorial and advertising photo-graphs that reinforce the image that wearinga helmet isn’t cool. But then, neither ismonths spent in a hospital after a rock punc-tures your skull. The latest designs of climb-ing helmet which deliver sufficient protectionfrom alpine stonefall really do weigh next tonothing and don’t look bad either. ’Noughsaid.Potential weight saving: up to 300g

On test: Petzl Elios (330g)Surprisingly light for the protec-tion it affords. Whilst the Eliosmight not have quite as many

venting holes as other models(although venting was still found tobe adequate), the comfortable cra-dle made fitting a cinch.

HeadtorchImprovements in LED technology continue toreduce the size and weight of torches. Thelatest generation of LED bulbs which are juststarting to emerge on the market are said torival the brightness of some halogen bulbs.Ones to look out for:Black Diamond Zenix (90g)

On test: Petzl Tikka Plus (42g)Uprated version of thehighly successful Tikka,the Tikka Plus possesses a

fourth bulb for extra light,and a clever hinge which allows the

beam to be tilted up and down. Just a smidgenheavier than the original Tikka (34g).

& foodWaterOf course, water weighs the same whicheverway you mix it. Adding a sports drink powderto it will improve gastric emptying or carbo-hydrate intake (depending on the amountsadded) but that won’t do anything to lessenthe amount of water that needs to be carried.And inevitably you always need more liquidthan you can shoulder. However, a little bitof research on the route will let you knowwhere it is possible to re-fill your bottles,which might help to reduce the number oflitres you need to set off from the valley flooror cable car with. And of course if you havemade weight savings elsewhere, then youmight be able to justify that extra litre ofwater which will improve your mental andphysical performance, helping you to finishthe route in better condition than would oth-erwise be possible.Weight saving: 1kg per litre that can be col-lected en route.

FoodIf you are staying in a hut and buying into ameal programme, then you will save a signif-icant amount of weight for every day spenton the hill. You’ll probably eat better in a huttoo as there always seems to be second help-ings knocking around.Weight saving: 750g+ every day

weightsavings?From karabiners to harnesses, there are sub-stantial weight savings to be made across theboard. Making a game of it with your climb-ing partner helps. So does thinking laterally.Looking at how experts in other outdoor dis-ciplines tackle weight reduction can also giveclues. As a writer, I thought carrying a SpacePen was always the way forward: it is com-pact and able to write upside down as well ason a variety of surfaces. However, whilstlooking over the gear being taken to theSouth Pole by explorer Pen Hadow I foundthat he had shed the fashionable (but rela-tively heavy) metal casing of the Space Penand only taken the guts of the device in theform of a refill cartridge. Obvious to somemaybe, but completely overlooked by me. Iwish you luck in your search for furtherweight savings.

By employing the lightweight options out-lined here, and using my loaf to prune itemsthat weren’t absolutely essential, I personal-ly saved nearly four kilos when compared tomy regular alpine kit (including shared biviitems). In effect, this allowed me to carry allmy food and fuel for a two-day route – aswell as a full two litre hydration bladder – forfree. Some saving. In addition, I reduced theweight of my boots and crampons by anotherkilo. ||

OtherWater

With thanks to Andy Miles for his assistance in the Alps and comments on the PetzlElios, and Sheridan at Snow & Rock for help on the La Sportiva Trango S boots

(BELOW LEFT) Lightweight and free! Credit: Paul Deegan(BELOW) A lightweight ascent doesn’t always mean a light weight! Credit: Paul Deegan

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SKILLS

AlpinePOWER

Cheap flights, increased knowledge and good equipmenthave made the alpine experience safer, more pleasurableand easier to access than ever before, with aresultant increase in popularity. However Britsvisiting the Alps for the first time are oftenblown away by the scale, intimidatedby the unfamiliar hazards, and theirskills caught lacking. But justwhy do we have troubleadjusting to this newenvironment?

By RICH CROSS

Alan Mullin on the Frendo Spur. Credit: Ian Parnell

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THE DIFFERENCECompared to our 3/400m long mountaineer-ing routes the Alps can seem enormous onfirst acquaintance, with some routes exceed-ing 1500m or even 2000m. This coupled withaltitude, glaciers, stone fall and violent elec-trical storms, presents an unfamiliar environ-ment with hazards lurking around everycorner. Understanding these hazards andminimising risk as you journey through thistesting environment is the art of safe alpineclimbing.

PREPARATIONThere are many skills you can practice in theUK to help you prepare for that first alpineseason. Rock climbing skills, as well as snowand ice skills are directly transferable fromthe crags and mountainsof the UK. Scotland is agreat learning and test-ing ground where youcan learn to crampon(remember your first lineof defence against simpleaccidents is good foot-work), and to use an axefor self-arrest, climbingand belaying. More spe-cific skills such as using aprussic knot, which is thebasic building block forescaping a crevasse fall orhoisting someone elseout, can easily be prac-tised on small crags.

PLANNINGSuccessful climbing in theAlps requires you to workto a timetable and useevery part of the day pro-ductively. Using maps andguidebooks to create arealistic plan for the daywill hopefully prevent abone-chilling bivouac,and see you back in thevalley for tea and medals.Seeking up to date infor-mation about your routeis also crucial as the Alpsare in a constant state offlux, with glacial reces-sion and rock fall causingdrastic change even over the course of oneseason. The local guides bureau is an excel-lent places to gain information, as are yourfellow climbers.

ALPINE HAZARDSThe altitude is a real threat to any climberarriving fresh from the UK. The affects can befelt usually from 2000/2500m upwards andby 3500m it can be totally debilitating. Com-mon effects are a lack of appetite, headache,nausea, lethargy and generally feeling on“death’s door”. It’s crucial to acclimatisegradually at the start of any trip by sleepingand climbing at progressively greaterheights, for example a trip to climb MontBlanc should include at least a four day

build-up before you go to 4800m. More infor-mation on altitude and mountain medicinecan be found on the BMC website.

The alpine environment is often extreme,with temperatures that can vary between–10°C at night and +30°C during the after-noon on open glaciers. This heat can causewet snow avalanches on any steep slope thatcatches the mid morning or afternoon sun,and the same process can loosen the cement-ing effect of the snow on loose rock debris,creating large stone falls. The sun can beequally damaging to the skin, the importanceof good sun block and eye protection is alltoo often underestimated, just recently Iheard a scary statistic stating that 80% ofGerman Mountain Guides had some instanceof facial skin cancer.

Falling into crevasses is another new prob-lem to consider as many alpine excursionsinvolve glacier travel at some point, and ser-acs (large ice cliffs that form when a glacierplunges over a rock face) can fall down at anytime of the day or night, their stability beinglargely down to gravity. Lastly but by nomeans least, the weather can be especiallysavage, with afternoon lightning storms cost-ing many lives. The traditional Scottish ethosof climbing in the harshest weather is onetechnique to avoid transferring out here.

APPROACHES, HUTS & BIVOUACSFor the climber the great thing about mostalpine bases (apart from the bars and fastfood) is their ski infrastructure. This means

cable cars can often be taken to within min-utes of your alpine hut, cutting out hours ofpainful slog on humid alpine hillsides. Mosthuts require some walking however as theyare often tucked high amongst the cliffs, butpaths are usually well maintained and mayeven involve exposed ladders or cablewaysbolted onto steep cliff faces.

Huts are a fantastic resource, managed bytheir nation’s alpine club, and allow you toget an early start on your chosen route with-out carrying heavy bivvy gear and lots offood. They can vary from small bivvy shedswith no facilities all the way up to largemountain hotels complete with showers andsingle rooms. The average hut will have sim-ple dormitory beds, and a guardian who pro-vides a simple three course evening meal and

breakfast, alternativelyyou can often bring andcook your own food. Halfboard in a hut costsaround £25 per night.

Camping is an optionfor those on a budget butyou need to be sensitiveand pitch up at least afew hundred metres fromthe nearest hut. Also beaware that camping isactually forbiddenbetween sunrise and sun-set so make sure youdecamp and hide yourgear during the day.Bivouacs are the answerfor those seeking theultimate alpine experi-ence and can often be thehighlight of the trip on acrisp starry night. Manybivvy sites can be foundin natural caves or underboulders but commonlyyou will find yourselflying on a patch of gravelon a glacial moraine.Keep gear as light as pos-sible, most people makedo with a Gore-Tex bivvybag and a two seasonsleeping bag or downjacket - take a look atPaul Deegan’s article onpage 20 for some tips on

how to save weight.

GLACIER TRAVELCrossing glaciers safely requires the party tobe roped together, and the more people inthe party the safer you will be. As a party oftwo you need a minimum of 12-15m of ropebetween you, the excess being carried incoils around the shoulders and tied off atyour harness. Whilst travelling the ropeshould be snug between each person to pre-vent any fall building up momentum, and cre-vasses should be crossed at right anglesrather than obliquely, for similar reasons. Themost experienced route finder will usually gofirst to pick a safe line (prevention is betterthan cure), but if they accidentally 'find a

(ABOVE) Alan Mullin on the Frendo Spur. Credit: Ian Parnell

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SKILLS

slot' the fall should be held by dropping tothe ground and getting some purchase withthe axe. Next there are three options:

If there are other people around just shoutfor help and with some extra manpower youcan often pull someone out of a hole withoutany fuss.

If the victim isn’t hurt then they can oftenclimb/prussic out of the slot by using theperson on top as a dead weight anchor.

If the person below is hurt then you needto perform a rescue. Firstly by creating abelay using your axe or ice screws, and secur-ing the rope to it. Next you need to create amechanical advantage by engineering a hoistsystem, this is done using the spare ropearound your shoulders and a special arrange-ment of prussic knots.

Crevasse rescue is a complicated businessand easy to get wrong, especially under thepressure of a real situation. It is important toread around the subject, practice lots andpreferably seek some professional training.Summit 22 has a detailed article on this (alsoavailable online as a pdf).

GOING UPIn the UK most climbers either solo or usethe traditional system of climbing in pairsdoing alternate leads every pitch. However inthe Alps there’s a lot of exposed but straight-forward ground on many routes that’s notsafe to solo yet not practical to pitchbecause it would take too long. This is wherethe technique of “moving together” becomesessential to ensure safe but speedy move-ment, and avoid that miserable unplannedbivvy. In a similar way to crevasse travel, thespare rope is taken as coils around the shoul-ders and tied off to the harness. Bothclimbers move together with the rope snugbetween them, the leader placing protectionand the second removing it, and obviously itscrucial to always have at least one good run-ner on the rope. On rocky ridges with plentyof spikes and opportunities to place runnersyou can move with only 10 or so metresbetween climbers, but on smoother terrainmore rope will be needed to reach betweenrunner placements. Having this length cor-rect is crucial, as is being able to adjust itquickly, as too much rope can mean poorcommunication, rope drag and may cause therope to dislodge loose rocks, whilst too littlecan often compromise safety. Moving togeth-er safely and efficiently is a completelyessential alpine skill and can be practised onthe great ridges of the British Isles; goodexamples of things to try are Cneifion Arêtein Cwm Idwal (North Wales) and Tower Ridgeon Ben Nevis.

GOING DOWNThe descent is often the most trying part ofany alpine day and tired bodies and brainscan easily cause accidents. Many descentswill involve down climbing intricate groundthat can be intimidating and hard to readfrom above, and will certainly require you tokeep the rope on. Moving together can beapplied in the same way as in ascent, with

the front person placing gear to protect theparty. This can feel a little weird at first asthe 'second' feels very exposed, and shouldtherefore be the stronger climber of the pair.At some point on descent it may get toosteep to down climb safely and then is thetime to go into full-blown abseiling mode. Onstandard descents from classic routes therewill usually be an in-situ abseil anchor whenit becomes necessary to do so, and this will

usually be a collection of bolts/pegs or a rockspike threaded with an array of tape or cord.Its always worth checking the condition of allcomponents of an in-situ anchor, and if indoubt back the system up with a good nutand replace the cord with some of your own7mm thick accessory rope. Its crucial to havea clean, efficient and speedy system in placein the UK before you head to the Alps assometimes a descent may involve manyabseils. Using a prussic to back up yourabseil device and having a clear communica-tion system are all part of the deal, and willultimately save your life one day.

GOOD LUCK OUT THERE!This has been a whistle stop tour through themany areas of knowledge you should be seek-ing to develop as an alpinist. It can't beexhaustive in a single article but it has hope-fully highlighted some important points andsurvival skills. If on your next Alpine tripthings don’t go your way and despondencysets in, remember that there is no such thingas wasted time in the mountains, the learn-ing process is constant and experience isoften hard won. Also remember that curiousalpine reward, that of retrospective pleasure.As an alpinist you will undoubtedly suffer,but when back down in the valley, face burntand legs weak, it will all have been worth it,and more. ||

(ABOVE) Sarah Adcock encountering some typically alpine rocky terrain. Credit: Ian Parnell

46060_p26_29_Alps 5/12/04 2:10 PM Page 28

Rich Cross is an IFMGA MountainGuide, and is part of Alpine GuidesInternational, a small guiding companywith Alun Powell, Twid Turner andJon Morgan.

See www.alpine-guides.com for detailsof forthcoming trips and guiding services.

ACCIDENT AND RESCUEIf you’re rescued by helicopter and hos-pitalised in Switzerland the bill can cometo hundreds of thousands of pounds, andeven a minor stay in hospital can be verypricey. Wherever you plan to climb itscrucial to have a good travel insurancepolicy that covers rescue, hospitalisationand repatriation.

The BMC provide a very comprehensiveAlpine policy from just £52 for 17 days.

Andy Kirkpatrick on the Dru Glacier. Credit: Ian Parnell

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30 34

Now when someone like the great Ro-lando Garibotti asks you if you fancy doingan easy ultra classic US multi pitch 5.6, it’slike Steve McClure asking if you fancy pop-ping out to do a Diff on the Idwal slabs.And the word ‘fun’ tagged on to the endshould be translated as “it’s ludicrously easyfor me because I’m superhuman so let’s doit in a style that makes it seem much, muchharder.” And for Rolo fun meant speed.

Anyone who reads High’s Mountain Infowill know that Rolo is the darkest horse onthe planet, a climber who’s made an art outof trumping the big stars of climbing andanti spraying, i.e. not telling a soul whathe’s been up.

His few ascents that have leaked out intothe public domain include a one-day as-cent of the Infinite Spur on Foraker in Alaska(an 9000 foot Alaskan grade 6, knockingten days of the first ascenionists time), ul-tra fast ascents in Canada and Patagonia, aGrand traverse of the Tetons, and speedrecords on El Cap.

So essentially the man’s a superhumanspeed demon, and when someone like thatasks a fat bloke from Hull if they fancy nip-ping up a classic six pitch route, it’s likeMichel Schumacher asking if you fancy aspin out to the shops for some milk – youknow you’re going to crap yourself and feeltotally humiliated - I jumped at the chance.

“Do you want to come Ian?” asked Roloto Parnell, who was sat typing out an arti-cle on how to climb trees or something forOTE. Ian’s no fool, he passed saying heneeded to do finish his work. “You won’tneed a harness,” said Rolo as I packed myharness, “or boots, or chalk bag.”

“I’d better just in case,” I replied, think-ing ‘just in case I’m as crap and unfit as Ithink I am’. “Maybe I should take a rope?”he said. “Yes, I think maybe that would benice” I replied, imagining Schumacher say-ing to his terrified passenger “Oh yes I tookthe seat belts out last week.”

We duly arrived in the car park and Rolodonned his harness and grabbed a rope fromthe back of his truck. Now when I say rope,what I mean is lace, as it looked like he’dbrought along a length of red shoe lace -the type of stuff you buy off a roll in aclimbing shop. His skimpy rack consistedof three ascenders and that was it. ‘We’llput our stuff on here,” he explained, “thenwe can just take it easy and jog up to theroute,” and proceeded to sprint up the steepapproach trail as if chased by a bear.

A minute later we were below the route, ahuge six-pitch slab very similar to Etive. Snowclung to big sections of it, and damp streakstestified to an unsettling lack of friction.Rolo grabbed the rope, tied on and simplymuttered, “I’ll climb the first three pitchesin one, so don’t bother belaying, just payout the rope’, and with that he literally ranup the cliff. In his trainers.

Now you’d think that I had it easy, juststand there until the rope went tight thenclimb. Unfortunately I’d underestimatedRolo’s speed and with only one boot on Iwas shocked to see just how fast the mancould move, staring dumfounded as the roperan out. Within 30 seconds all the ropewas gone and I was away, both shoelacesstill untied.

Climbing slabs like this is easy when you’rea friction fan and know all the holds and

Fast living in the land of the free

“Do you want to go climb-

ing, I think we have time

before it gets dark?” asked

Rolo, “we can just go and

climb the First Flatiron, it’s

a freaking classic. It will be

fun.”

nubbins, but if not, you need a minute ortwo to work out each piece of the jigsaw.But aware that we were moving together,and that Rolo had no gear, all I could do isjust peddle my way up – literally some times.Within two feet I’d slipped, only stoppingby jumping up.

It was like a joke, moving so fast Icouldn’t even see the rock, my hands andfeet shooting out faster then I could think.I got to the first belay and found a Tiblocproviding some small level of protectionon the shoe lace, but before I had chanceto even unclip it, the rope was pulling againand I had a split second to snatch it off thebelay and carry on.

Seven minutes later I was 500 feet off thedeck at the third belay trying my hardest notto puke up as I tried to unclip the jumars. Rolowas sat gazing out over Boulder, “It’s a greatview from here isn’t it Andy?” he sighed, look-ing as if he’d just awoken from a little nap. “Y-y-yess,” I stuttered, pretending to admire theview, blinded by my crossed eyed, heart pound-ing pain. With only 30 seconds rest Rolo stoodup. “Enough rest, I go” and he was off.

Only fifteen minutes had passed and wewere at the top, a 1000-foot, six pitch 5.6below us. I swore I could see steam risingfrom Rolo’s Nikes. “I love it up here, it’s justso peaceful” he said, blue eyes shining, thebreeze blowing through his raven black hair,the sun reflecting off his tanned chiselledgood looks. For a second I swore he wasgoing to start singing, and I bet he’s agreat singer. But all I could hear was myheart thumping. I needed sugar. And a toi-let. “It’s a few more pitches along the ridgethen and an abseil and then we can jogback to the car –won’t take long”. Eyescoming back into focus, I didn’t doubt it.

Less then an hour since we’d left thehouse we were back. Ian sat at the compu-ter only a chapter into his article. “No luck?”he grinned, “maybe we can all go and do ittomorrow.”�

Warp Speed

30 34

ANDY KIRKPATRICK

TREKKING

Pilgrim’s46060_p32_34_Pilgrims Tale 5/12/04 2:11 PM Page 32

Up and down on a 1000Km unsupported trekacross the Nepal Himalaya. By Lin and Rick Singh.

It all began when we saw a docu-mentary about a man who crossedTibet in two years on a pilgrim-

age, praying full length on the ground allthe way to Lhasa. And whilst prostratingdidn’t appeal, the thought of crossing acountry on foot did.

We decided to walk across the NepalHimalaya, unsupported by porters, to expe-rience the cultural differences between thetribes of Nepal and to witness just how thepresent political climate in the country isaffecting its people. Crossing the more pop-ular tourist trekking routes, we would alsobe venturing into those areas rarely, if ever,receiving foreign visitors.

I first met Rick in 1999, when trekking inthe Annapurna region, and his many years of

experience as a guide in the Himalayas laterled us to form a UK based company leadingHimalayan charity treks. Through this wehave raised a considerable sum for bothBritish and Himalayan charities, includingthe International Porter Protection Group.IPPG were able to utilise these funds tolaunch their health post at Macchermo inthe Everest region last year and we werekeen to visit the area during our trek.

Nepal has two trekking seasons when theweather is mainly dry and clear. These areOctober and November once the monsoonhas passed, and March and April before itbegins again. We decided to begin in lateOctober, after leading a fund raising groupto Annapurna Base Camp. Having plannedour route, it became clear that it would benecessary to cross from west to east, begin-ning at Dhaulagiri and finishing in the ArunValley to ensure that as far as possible, wewould be able to cross the high passesbefore the weather turned against us. As wewere carrying all our own gear, we took onlythe essentials, which in spite of our ruthlesspacking, weighed 34 kilos in total. Luckily,we had been able to borrow a good deal ofequipment and the most essential item, ourLightwave G1 expedition tent which served

us faithfully throughout the trek, had beenkindly donated to us by Crux in the UK.

So, having camped the previous night ina friend’s garden in Pokhara, we caught thelocal bus to Beni on 20th October 2003 tobegin our trek. Since 1996, Maoists in Nepalhave been waging war against the state.Although thousands have lost their lives onboth sides, tourists have never been subjectto attack. The Maoists have however, seenfit to extract a ‘donation’ to their cause ofvarious amounts of money, depending uponthe nationality of the donor. As a result ofthe insurgency, bus travel throughout Nepalis disrupted by strikes and by police andarmy patrols who check for arms and explo-sives. As usual, our bus stopped every fewkilometres, at which point all the passen-gers collected their bags, goats, children,chickens and other possessions, disem-barked, walked through the check post andboarded the bus again. As the majority ofthe luggage is transported on the roof ofthe bus, which never received even themost cursory glance, I remain somewhatunconvinced as to the effectiveness of thisprocedure. That night, spent camping besidethe river, was the first of many on which welay on our backs with our heads out thetent, looking up to see stars of startlingbrilliance, undimmed by the light of humanhabitation.

The initial section of our journey took usaround the Annapurna Circuit near the bor-der of Tibet, with a side trip to climb up tothe Dhaulagiri Icefall, our official startingpoint. Most trekkers walk the Circuit in ananticlockwise direction, to allow effectiveacclimatisation before crossing Thorung Laat 5416 metres. Our west to east routenecessitated a crossing from the Hindushrine at Muktinath, where an ascent of1300 metres must be made in one day,owing to the lack of a water supply on thatside of the pass. The Kali Ghandaki valley,between Dhaulagiri and Annapurna One, isthe world’s deepest gorge and, is subject toextreme winds. With our faces covered byscarves like two bandits, we spent severaldays passing mani walls piled with carved

prayer stones, each one a work of art.Porters and mule trains carried goods downthe valley and trekkers all headed in theopposite direction to us. Each day we wouldstop by the river to cook noodles for lunchon our stove and snack on apples andboiled eggs bought along the way. In theevening we would find a lodge run by thelocal Thakali people, often inexplicably witha picture of Tower Bridge on the wall, andeat the Nepali staple meal of dal bhat(lentils and rice) with vegetables.

The scenery along the border with thekingdom of Mustang is breathtaking. It iswild country, reminiscent of the towering,stark rocks and desert scenery of the west-ern USA. In fact Manang is so much like atown in a Hollywood western, complete withhorses galloping up the main street, thatyou wouldn’t be surprised to see Clint East-wood striding along in a poncho. Onceacross Thorung La, we followed theMarsyangdi Valley through forests andGurung settlements to the greenery of loweraltitudes. Main bridges washed away by themonsoon floods had been replaced byhair-raising makeshift ones and it was alsonecessary to follow many narrow trailsacross steep landslides. I have a less than

tale

Rick with his 22 kilo load near Everest

Prayer stones at Manang, Annapurna region

Pangboche village at the foot of Ama Dablam

Climbing Kala Pathar with Pumori beyond

46060_p32_34_Pilgrims Tale 5/12/04 2:11 PM Page 33

34 34

TREKKING

perfect sense of balance and find negotiatingthe landslides to be particularly taxing. Rickstrides across confidently, whilst I edge alongbehind like Bambi on ice.

In Besisahar, our much awaited telephonecalls home were abandoned because theMaoists had blown up the communicationstower. Instead, we headed for Langtang viaGorkha, site of the ancient palace of Nepalikings. It was harvest time and we experi-enced rural Nepal in all its glory as familiesworked in the fields and teams of buffalosploughed the soil, their owners singing thesame haunting melody repeated from villageto village. Away from tourist facilities andoverlooked by the mighty Ganesh Himal, weate our daily dal bhat in the kitchens of localfamilies who befriended us in the open wel-coming way of Nepalis and questioned uswith obvious curiosity as to our venture. Weoften slept in the loft or on the floor of localhomes and schoolhouses, besieged by goatsand chickens. This was particularly true ofremote Tamang villages where like PiedPipers, we attracted a following of childrenand our presence warranted inspection by theentire population. Our digital camera was ahuge hit every time and curiosity wouldalways overcome natural shyness of strangers.

In these rural areas we were able to seethe reality behind the ‘Peoples War’ waged bythe Maoists. Lodge and shop owners areweary of Maoists eating food and taking sup-plies without paying and families are fright-ened because their sons are forcibly recruitedto the cause. The Annapurna ConservationArea Project, an organisation which is dedi-cated to promoting eco friendly tourism andthe financing of self help projects for localsin the region has been forced to close it’srural outposts because of Maoists attacks. Asalways however, there are two sides to astory. In one village, where buildings were

scrawled with anti-royal slogans and graffitiproclaiming ‘Death to Americans’, we stoppedto eat with a family whose son had been aMaoist killed by the army. They told us thatthe strong Maoist presence in their area haddriven out the government officials who hadpreviously demanded illegal payments fromall the locals. Most Nepalis in rural areas livehand to mouth and deprivation, along with alack of government stability has led toincreased support for the Maoist cause. Thisvillage, flying the communist flag, turned outto be one of the friendliest places in whichwe stayed.

In the context of the above, I was partic-ularly quick to correct local people whopointed at me and loudly pronounced me tobe American. One old man, having learnedthat I was from England and not sent by theevil Mr Bush, told those around him that itwould explain why my hair wasn’t blonde!

Before reaching the Langtang Valley, wespent the night in one village which althoughabsolutely filthy - remember that there are no

toilets in most rural settlements and often norunning water - was full of beautifully carvedand decorated houses. One woman, wearingthe large traditional Tamang earrings, told usthat she had been married at the age of tenand had her first child at twelve. She wasconcerned for her own daughter, who now atage ten herself, was under pressure from thecommunity to marry.

A few days previously, we had spent timeunraveling the complex relationships in onefamily of a husband, three wives and severalchildren. All seemed to live together harmo-niously, although the husband had marriedthe second wife when the first had failed tobear a child. When the second wife also didnot produce offspring, he married her sister,at which time all three wives became preg-nant! There would seem to be a moral here onthe virtue of patience.

From Langtang we headed through pineforests to the sacred lakes at Gosainkund andover Laurabina La to the Sherpa villages ofHelambu. We were back on the beaten trackhere and saw our first tourists for severalweeks. The panoramic view of the Himalayasfrom below Gosainkund allowed us to seenearly all the way to our starting point at

Dhaulagiri. At Christmas we took a break tomake use of much needed hot showers andlaundry facilities in Kathmandu, but in thefirst week of January we were back on thetrail to Everest via the Sherpa villages of SoluKhumbu. The majority of visitors to Everestare on a tight time schedule and therefore flydirectly to Lukla, but the trail from Jiri toNamche Bazaar is beautiful and in Januarynecessitates the crossing of a couple of snowcovered passes. The famous ThyangbocheMonastery in the snow is a truly memorablesight. From Namche, it was thick snow all theway to Kala Pathar for excellent views ofEverest, Nuptse, the Khumbu Glacier andKhumbu Icefall. The region has very few vis-itors in mid winter because of the extremecold, but we had no hesitation in also visit-ing the lakes at Gokyo, making use of ice axeand crampons along the way.

The final section of our trek took us overthree passes to the Arun Valley, coveringground that was first seen by Nepal’s originalwestern trekker, the legendary Bill Tilman. We

encountered several groups of armed Maoistsalong this trail who, a week later attemptedto take over the town of Bhojpur anddestroyed all communications to the town.The Arun Valley is one of the most scenicareas of the country. Populated by Sherpaand Rai communities, it receives a fraction ofthe visitors who flock to the neighbouringKhumbu and the local people were among themost welcoming of the entire trek.

We completed our journey on 21st Febru-ary 2004 at Legua Ghat, the beginning of therough road to Hille that leads onward toKathmandu. After such a large amount ofpreparation and anticipation, followed by themost amazing trekking experience of a life-time, we were somewhat disoriented. Whatdid we do before we had to get up in themorning, load our rucksacks and walk thewhole day? We racked our brains to remem-ber.

Aha! That was the answer, time for abeer. ||

For further details on arranging aHimalayan trek in Nepal, Darjeeling orSikkim with Lin and Rick, please emailbluesagetrekking@yahoo.co.uk

Tamang woman near Haku, Ganesh Himal

Gurung woman making raksi, the local fiery spirit

Lin and Rick at the Climbers’ Memorial near Everest

46060_p32_34_Pilgrims Tale 5/13/04 9:16 AM Page 34

I meanwhile, was lagging behind this“epitome of a Victorian Gentleman”, so

decided to rectify the situation with a tripto the Rockies to experience some more ofCollie’s exploits. To help with the quest, Iteamed up with Chic Scott, a local moun-taineer and historical aficionado, whom I’dpreviously introduced to the delights ofthe Sligachan Hotel, and Collie’s activitieson Skye.

Our first port of call was Mount Athabasca.Collie had climbed on-sight to the summitin 1898, in an early display of “alpine style”,and I’m told the route is still a testpiece fortrainee mountain guides, and his descentnow the standard ascent. But the variablehand of Rocky Mountain weather had otherplans, and after several fruitless days weturned our attention elsewhere, to AbbotsPass. Heavy snowfall put paid to that, andI was beginning to fear our mission wasover before it had begun.

Time was running out when Chic pickedme up at the Chateau Lake Louise belowMount Victoria, there were just four daysleft before my plane home. But we wereoptimistic - the weather had turned in ourfavour. Like us, Collie had set out from thevery same hotel here in 1897 after his firstascents of Victoria and neighbouring Lefroy,to head north to Bow Lake. However in histime the hotel was a four-room log cabin,now it’s a 500-room 5 star luxury hotel.Another slight difference was that, in 1897,

though the Canadian Pacific Railway hadbeen blasted westwards through the Rockiesto Vancouver, there was no road north ofLake Louise. To reach Bow Lake, Collie andhis party had to hack their way throughvirgin forest, swamps and rotting vegeta-tion for three days. We simply had theIcefields Parkway, taking us the 40 or sokilometers in about as many minutes.

Collie took a horse-team of outfitters withhim, carrying supplies and laying the campsalong the way. This was led by the legen-dary Bill Peyto, a real Wild West character,and it was found that whenever Peyto gotproblematic, the answer was to feed himwith whiskey. Chic seemed less problematic,but had a similar taste in whiskey, so I kepthim fed.

His rusty beat-up Chevy, which causedmany a raised eyebrow at the Lake LouiseChateau, was not comparable to the horsesunder Peyto’s charge but his outfitting skillswere easily up to scratch, and his knowl-edge of Canadian mountain history is sec-ond to none. In fact his book, Pushing theLimits, the Story of Canadian Mountaineer-ing, is a classic, and should be read by any-one with the intention of visiting.

Collie’s party camped at Bow Lake, belowthe Wapta Icefield, originally intending toclimb the sharp peak visible from the lake -Mount St.Nicholas. There were no trails ofcourse, so they sailed across the lake, andfound their way through the alluvial outflow

The careers of Norman Collie, the

great Anglo-Scottish mountaineer,

and of myself share something. We

both started on small hills in rural

Aberdeenshire, he on the Hill

o’Fare and myself on nearby

Bennachie. Thereafter, though I

have done some of Collie’s climbs

on Skye, our trajectories – sadly -

diverge somewhat. He went on to

excel at everything he touched;

science, exploration, climbing,

writing, photography, and art, in-

cluding the first ascents of many

Canadian Peaks.

COLLIE'S CANADABy Ian Mitchell

HERITAGE

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PROFILE

Natalija Perlova (UKR) focussed at the WorldCup final, Ratho. Credit: Messenger.

to the Bow Glacier, and ascended this to gainthe icefield. Once there, they noticed a higherpeak, subsequently named Mount Gordon,further over the icefield, and changed theirplans to make that their target.

This peak was our goal as well, thoughwe had an easier day on the approach. Agood track now follows the lakeside,through the glacial debris, avoiding theBow glacier (which has massively retreatedin 100 years) and makes its way up a narrowcanyon which would have been almost im-passable in Collie’s day. After a freezing rivercrossing, the comforts of the Bow Hut werereached, another benefit of following overa hundred years later.

Mount Gordon is a straightforward ascent,but Chic’s concern was the icefield and itscrevasses. Collie’s party were heading backafter their ascent when one of the party,Charles Thomson, fell head first, unroped,into a crevasse. “Someone must go down tohim” was the conclusion. Collie as the light-est man, at the end of two full rope run outs,climbed down and managed to attach therope round one of Thomson’s arms, and themen emerged unscathed but almost hypo-thermic. Collie recalled, “We were both of usnearly frozen and wet to the skin, for ice-cold water was slowly dripping the wholetime onto us, and I had gone into the cre-vasse very scantily clad.”

These were some of Collie footsteps Iwasn’t so keen on following so we set out

from the hut wearing snowshoes, and ropedtogether with jumars and etriers attachedjust in case. We were lucky in that the vis-ibility was good, high winds had swept mostof the new snow from the crevasses, leavingthem clear. And these are big holes, the icebeing upwards of 400 feet thick; globalwarming has some way to go here.

But as we summitted in a cold thick fog,it occurred to me that retracing our stepsmight not be as easy as it seemed. Chiccame into his own, and with a set of backbearings and a knowledge of the mountainborn of double figure ascents of it, led off,with the occasional mutter to me to keep atight rope. We cautiously wound our wayback, and after a while the mist tuggedaway and we caught a view of the entireicefield, over 500 square kilometers of it,with the peak we had climbed unseen nowvisible behind us, and away to the north,the larger bulk of Mount Collie itself.

From then on it was a scamper (if you canscamper in snowshoes) back to the Bow Hutand the celebratory consumption of the lastof the whiskey. Raising a small glass to Col-lie, who’d have still had to fight his wayback to Bow Lake right now. But that wouldhave been the least of his worries I figured,since whilst I was wincing at an eight hourreturn flight, the man himself would havehad a week on the Canadian Pacific acrossCanada, then a good few weeks on the shiphome. Now that's dedication.�

Further InformationFurther InformationFurther InformationFurther InformationFurther InformationThe ascent of Mt Gordon is described inSummits and Icefields by Chic Scott (RockyMountain Books) 2003 Vol 1: The Rockies.

LEFT)LEFT)LEFT)LEFT)LEFT) Memory of Banff 1897: Peter Sarbach,George P. Baker and J. Norman Collie atBanff Springs Hotel. Credit: V701/LC-9Wilson family fonds, Whyte Museum of theCanadian Rockies.(T(T(T(T(TOP) OP) OP) OP) OP) Ian Mitchell with Mount Collie be-hind. Credit: Chic Scott.

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GEARWEEKENDSUP

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Gear up, have fun and save money with these and manymore amazing offers in May and June at Snow+Rocksuperstores across the country.

Also get some expert climbing tips on our mobile climbingwall, learn to use a G.P.S. and talk to a team of experts onhand to answer questions about gear and clothing.

* Offers are only available at the specific dates and stores shown. All offers were correct at time of going topress and are subject to availability.

BoulderingBouldering is one of the easiest aspects ofclimbing to transfer to the outdoors. I mean,crank on sloper indoors, crank on sloper out-doors – how different can it be? Well, not very,but for the unwary beanie clad boulderer thereare still a few potential pitfalls.

Real boulders present challenges and haz-ards that demand awareness and a differentapproach from their artificial counterparts.The ground surrounding and beneath boul-ders is generally uneven and much less for-giving than indoors, and there may well beprotruding rocks that could easily causeinjury in the event of a fall. Many boulderersnow carry a padded mat to reduce these dan-gers, but don’t over-estimate the effective-ness of this cushioning. It’s still very easy toturn an ankle or wrist, especially on a care-lessly positioned mat, or just plain miss themat entirely! Mats should be placed underthe point where a fall is most likely and/orwould have serious consequences. An atten-tive spotter, ready to protect the climber’s

back and head or to absorb some of theimpact from an awkward landing is alwayshighly recommended. And if you’re sharing amat, beware eagerly nabbing it whilst some-body is still climbing above.

But mats or no mats, treat the conse-quences of a slip or fall with respect anddon’t lose sight of this in your desire to getthe tick. Some problems lure the unwaryclimber far from the ground or deliver a head-first ejection, and even experienced climberscan be surprised in this way.

On to the cragIf routes are more your thing then singlepitch crags are a great way to learn thebasics in a relatively controlled environment,and provide most people’s first taste of lifeoutside. “Single pitch” means that the climbis short enough to be completed in one ropelength (pitch), so there’s no need to set up abelay part way up the route. Choose a smalloutcrop, ideally less than half the length of a

2BASICS: heading outside

Had your appetite whetted by indoorwalls? Looking at the great outdoors,but don’t know where to start?

Welcome to the second session on learningto climb, this time venturing out onto theboulders and single pitch crags.

SKILLS

By Steve Long

(CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT) Amanda James on Sunset Crack,Froggatt. A popular first lead.

Andy Higginson slapping around atBurbage.

Not all sports routes are hard! VickyBarrett tackles a lower grade testpiece atSmith Rocks, USA.

Learning to place gear is essential. All credit: Alex Messenger

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typical climbing rope in height (i.e. less than25 metres high). This makes communicationstraightforward, and means that the climbercan be lowered back to the ground from anypoint on the route in case of difficulty.Climbs with a complex (e.g. tidal) approachor no easy descent from the top are unsuit-able at this stage.

Sport climbsOn the continent, many climbs are protectedwith bolts, just like indoors, so at the startthere are fewer new skills to learn. HoweverBritain has a long tradition of preserving anatural protection ethic, so relatively fewcrags are equipped with bolts and lower-offpoints, and those that exist are usually fea-tureless, steep and hard.

But for some climbers, sport climbs willprovide a handy transition between indoorsand natural routes, especially if you happento live near one of the lower grade sportclimb honeypots such as Portland.

Seeing a line of bolts, it’s tempting just tojump on the route, after all, that’s what you’ddo indoors? But unlike inside, no one is ulti-mately responsible for the state of the bolts,and even on BMC managed crags such as PenTrwyn near Llandudno, only the top lower offsare checked periodically. There is simply noguarantee that the bolt you’re about to clipis still solid.

Treat all fixed gear, including bolts with ahealthy degree of scepticism. Is it attachedto solid rock or have cracks appeared? Whatdoes the bolt hanger look like – is it thin andrusty? On some routes you may alsoencounter pitons or “pegs”. These are similarto bolts but hammered into natural cracksand holes, held in place by friction not glue.They can easily deteriorate over time, so yourdegree of trust should be relative to howsecure the piton appears. Bad signs are copi-ous amounts of rust, cracks in the metal(especially the “eye”), and if the head of a

peg isn't butted tightly up against the rock,treat it with a degree of suspicion relative tothe amount of metal left protruding. Somefixed gear may have tape slings attached –check these for fraying or UV deteriorationand replace if in doubt.

After clipping any piton or bolt I wouldrecommend giving the quickdraw a sharp tugin the direction of anticipated loading andwatching for any movement, rotation orother signs of frailty. But whenever testing arunner this way, be sure to keep a good gripon the rock in case it does fail!

Sport climbs rarely have a simple attach-ment karabiner at the top. Even those that domay present problems as the gates quicklyseize shut through corrosion on our dampisle. So it’s more usual to find a sealed ring ortwo, through which it is necessary to threadthe rope before being lowered to the ground.

Whilst you could just simply clip in with aquickdraw, untie the rope, then tie back afterthreading, this is not ideal. For a short peri-od you are at the mercy of a single point ofcontact at the belay, and are very stuck if youdrop the rope! A safer method is to thread

1 The climber secures him or herselfto the anchors with the belayerkeeping them on belay throughout.

2 A bight of rope is threadedthrough the anchor.

3 A figure of eight knot is then putonto this bight and attached to theharness via a screwgate.

4 The slack is then taken in bythe belayer and the original endof the rope untied from theclimber’s harness.

LOWERING OFF:

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the rope through the rings and tie back in, allbefore unfastening your original attachment.

Clip in to one or both anchors with quick-draws or a sling and feed a loop of ropethrough the lower off points. Tie a knot inthe loop and clip this onto your harnessattachment point with a screwgate karabiner.The original rope tied to your harness cannow be unfastened, so that the rope nowpasses from the belayer, through the anchorand into the new knot. Pull the long end ofspare rope through the anchors to allow avisual check of the attachment. The belayercan now take in any slack rope, until theleader unclips the extender(s) from theanchors and is lowered to the ground. Neverallow yourself to be lowered on a ropethreaded directly through a tape anchor. Thetape would wear through virtually instantly,with obvious consequences.

Trad climbsMost British crags are climbed using naturalprotection (gear). This means that the natu-ral features of cracks, spikes or threads onthe route are utilised to protect the climb. Ahundred years ago this meant threadingslings round pebbles, or hoping to encounternatural spikes, but these days climbers havea whole arsenal of weapons at their disposal.From wafer thin micro-wires to huge cam-ming devices, if there’s a natural feature tobe exploited, there’s usually something to fit.

But placing gear and understanding theadvantages and limitations of each piece andit’s placement is a dark art requiring practiceand patience to master. In the early daysyou’ll need to enlist the support of a moreexperienced mentor, and spend time experi-menting with practice placements whilstsafely on the ground. Your first encounterwith gear placements will probably be remov-ing them as you follow the climb after a moreexperienced leader, or perhaps when helpingto set up a top rope.

Top ropingTop roping will be a familiar system for any-body who has already used ropes at the wall.

Essentially the rope is threaded through areliable anchor at the top of the pitch, sothat two strands of rope hang down theapproximate line of the climb. One end isattached to the climber while the belayeruses the other end.

It’s easy to appreciate that the choice oftop anchors is a vital one. Usually, two ormore anchors are linked together to equalisethe load and provide a backup in case of fail-ure. The simplest anchors are trees, boulders,or a natural rock spike, but although theymay look solid initially, never blindly trustthem.

Start with a visual check. How big is theanchor? Thin trees and tiny boulders couldwell be unseated if subjected to loading. Adetached boulder might be precariously bal-anced or perched on a slope. Sometimes evenvery large boulders can be moved suprisinglyeasily, and boulders that have been used foryears become unseated after rain or frost.Watch out for rounded or “whaleback” boul-ders since slings just ride up and flip offunder load. This sort of boulder can only beused if undercut at its base, and the slingshould be carefully placed. To reduce leverageplace it as close to ground level as practical,and test by running the sling back and forthin your hands in the anticipated direction ofloading. If in doubt, look elsewhere.

Rock spikes should be tested for soundness;any cracks should be viewed with suspicion,and the edges should be checked for friability.Give a potential spike a tug in the intended

direction of loading, and a hard knock withfist or foot, watching for any signs of move-ment. Again if in doubt, move on.

Sometimes you’ll be able to find a naturalthread, and pass a sling through a gap, or round a chockstone to find a quick and easyanchor capable of withstanding loading frommany directions. But again check for stabili-ty, and make sure it really is a rock thread,and the sling is not just being held in placeby some dried mud.

Placing GearBut often there will be no convenient tree orspike, and you’ll have use gear to create theanchors. Natural protection falls into twobroad categories; static and camming. Staticprotection is simply wedged into a constric-tion, whilst camming devices actively converttheir loading into sideways pressure to holdthem into a crack, even a perfectly parallelone with smooth sides.

Static placementsFor small to medium cracks, wedge-shapedchocks (aka nuts, wires) such as Rocks, Wall-nuts etc. can be used. These are usuallyattached to a swaged wire loop, althoughsome larger sizes do come on cord. Prior to usethe attachment loop should be checked fordamage, and wires with broken or rustystrands should be binned. Some very tiny wiresare available, such as “zero’s” or RP’s. Onharder climbs these are used for protection,but they have a very low breaking strain and

Climbers making a transition from sportand indoor climbs to traditional climbs

are often confused by the different grading system. Trad climbs use an adjectivaldescription of the overall commitment and challenge, coupled with a technicalgrade of the most difficult move. This allows quite subtle information about thenature of the climbing to be conveyed. Sports grades usually use the French system,however, since sports grades do not allow the luxury of an adjective, the gradeoften attempts to cover factors such as effort as well as technicality. In the earlydays it’s best to adopt a very conservative approach since the endless variety ofholds and features outdoors can make everything feel much harder.

UK Adjectival UK Technical French UIAA (alpine) USA AustralianGrade Grade (approx) Equivalent Grade Equivalent EquivalentModerate 1 I, II 5.1, 5.2 4, 5Difficult 1, 2, 2+ II, III 5.2, 5.3 5, 6, 7Very Difficult 2, 2+, 3– III, III+ 5.2, 5.3, 5.4 6, 7, 8Hard Very Difficult 2+, 3–, 3, 3+ III+, IV, IV+ 5.4, 5.5, 5.6 8, 9, 10Mild Severe 3–, 3, 3+ IV, IV+ 5.5, 5.6 10, 11Severe 3, 3+, 4 IV, IV+, V– 5.5, 5.6, 5.7 10, 11, 12Hard Severe 3, 3+, 4, 4+ IV+, V–, V 5.6, 5.7 12, 13Mild Very Severe 4a, 4b, 4c 3+, 4, 4+ IV+, V–, V 5.6, 5.7 12, 13, 14Very Severe 4a, 4b, 4c 4, 4+, 5 V–, V, V+ 5.7, 5.8 13, 14, 15Hard Very Severe 4c, 5a, 5b 4+, 5, 5+, 6a V+, VI-, VI 5.8, 5.9 15, 16, 17, 18E1 5a, 5b, 5c 5+, 6a, 6a+ VI, VI+ 5.9, 5.10a 18, 19, 20E2 5b, 5c, 6a 6a+, 6b, 6b+ VI+, VII–, VII 5.10b, 5.10c 19, 20, 21E3 5c, 6a 6b, 6b+, 6c VII, VII+ 5.10d, 5.11a, 5.11b 20, 21, 22E4 6a, 6b 6c, 6c+, 7a VII+, VIII–, VIII 5.11b, 5.11c, 5.11d 22, 23E5 6a, 6b 6c 7a, 7a+, 7b VIII, VIII+, IX– 5.11d, 5.12a, 5.12b 23, 24, 25E6 6b, 6c 7b, 7b+, 7c, 7c+ IX–, IX, IX+ 5.12b, 5.12c, 25, 26, 27, 28

5.12d, 5.13aE7 6c, 7a 7c+, 8a, 8a+ IX+, X–, X 5.13a, 5.13b, 5.13c 28, 29, 30E8 6c, 7a 8a+, 8b, 8b+ X, X+ 5.13c, 5.13d, 5.14a 30, 31, 32

(ABOVE) Unknown Climbers onSuspension Flake, Vs 4c, Hound Tor.Credit: Stuart Littlefair

SKILLS

I THINK IT’S VS 7b!

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Steve Long works for Plas y Brenin, theNational Mountain Centre. PyB runs a fullprogramme of courses to suit all levels ofability, from indoor climbers progressingto climbing outside right through to bigwall climbing. For more information seewww.pyb.co.uk.

are best left in the shop when starting out.For protecting larger cracks an assortment ofhexagonal shaped tubes are available, with acord or a tape loop. These “hexes” are oftenmoulded into an offset shape, allowing theskilled user to introduce a degree of rotationwhen loaded, giving a camming effect.

For static placements, tapered or keyhole-shaped cracks are usually required, allowingthe metal to be inserted and slid down intothe constriction. The best placements retainthe wedge in place even if subjected to pullsfrom a range of directions. Removing suchgear afterwards can be quite difficult, andjudicious use of a metal “nut key” might beneeded to prise a stubborn placement out.

Camming placementsMany cracks have parallel sides, and this iswhere camming devices come into play.Spring loaded camming devices were invent-ed in the 70’s and now are available in abewildering range of sizes to suit all situa-tions. However they are relatively priceyitems and tricky to place securely, so don’trush out and buy a full set just yet.The craft of placing reliable natural protec-tion equipment requires considerable practiceand experience, so novices should take greatcare, particularly when setting up belayanchors for top roping, where equipment fail-ure could well be catastrophic. Initially, onlyvery substantial boulders, trees and spikesshould be used as testing them is relativelyintuitive, and an experienced mentor shouldbe on hand to check your work.

The BelayFor back up purposes it’s normal to use twoor more anchors for a belay, ideally using dif-ferent blocks or crack systems. But these dif-ferent anchors all need to be linked together,which can cause a headache. There are manyways to link anchors together; the simplestand most effective methods require a longsling or spare rope which is tied into all the

anchors to create an attachment loop thatpulls equally on each anchor when loaded.This means that the individual anchors sharethe load – the various loops should feed intothe main knot within an angle of around45–90° for optimum strength and stability.

Once the anchors have been equalised inthis way, a screwgate karabiner or two can beclipped into the main attachment loop andthe rope can be threaded through for top rop-ing. If you intend to position the belayer atthe foot of the climb like at the wall thentake care to protect the top of the crag (andyour rope) from erosion by friction. A simpleway to achieve this is to make the mainattachment loop long enough to extendbeyond the crag top, or use a sling to extendthe loop over the edge. This is particularlyimportant for softer rocks such as sandstone,

and for crags such as Harrison’s Rocks codesof practice have been drawn up to protect thecrag environment.

Lead ClimbingLead climbing on traditional climbs is formany people what it’s really all about. Andwhen you’ve got the right skills and confi-dence, it allows you to head up into somepretty special places. But getting to this stagetakes time, so practice those gear placementsat ground level and stay tuned for the next inthe series – Learning to Lead. ||

Diagram from the forthcomingMLTUK book Rock Climbing

EQUALISED BELAY:

Crags and boulders are subject tonatural erosion and prone to looseholds and stonefall. The only personresponsible for checking that aparticular route or descent is safe isyou. Holds may be wet or dirty,obscured by vegetation or evendisintegrate. Detached rocks can alsobe dislodged by other climbers orperhaps wildlife, and can present aserious threat. Climbs with loose exitsdemand great steadiness or are bestavoided altogether, and you shouldremain alert at all times to the risk ofrocks or even equipment beingdropped from above. Wearing aclimbing helmet is always a sensibleprecaution and with the developmentof effective lightweight helmets, this isno longer a chore.

NATURAL DANGERS

1 Look for placements that don’t widen in front or behind the cams, any movement or rotation may result in failure.

2 Minimise rotation by positioning the cam unit’s stem in line with the anticipated pull.

3 Camming units tend to “walk” further into a crack when a cycle of rotation and

release is caused by rope drag. In extreme casesyou will lose your cam.

4 Spring-loaded cams used as running belays are usually best extended using a sling to

reduce or eliminate the rotational effect of ropedrag

5 Cams are best avoided as anchors for top-roping belay systems as the cycle of strain

and release can also cause the unit to “walk” intoa less secure part of the crack.

6 Practice placing and removing cam units at ground level.

7 For shallow horizontal placements, flexible shafts reduce leverage and are a much

stronger solution.

8 Optimum placement is within the central area of the cams’ range of movements.

If over or under cammed, the placement ismechanically weaker, but annoyingly can be muchharder to remove by hand.

9 Difficult placements often require judicious use of a nut key to extract them from the

rock. Often this involves hooking the trigger baron both sides of the stem and pulling whilesimultaneously pushing the stem head further in.This is as difficult as it sounds, so practice atground level.

(ABOVE) A well equalised belay forRachel South. Credit: Alex Messenger

CAM TIPS:

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46060_p40_43_HowtoclimbNEW 5/13/04 4:08 PM Page 43

No matter, already a big gap had opened up. The top nations,France, Italy, Switzerland and Spain were rapidly disappearing

out of sight. Not far behind were Slovakia, Slovenia, Austria, CzechRepublic and USA. This was the second ever World Championshipsin Ski Mountaineering, held in Baquira-Beret in the Spanish Pyr-enees, and there were 29 nations competing including unlikelyoddities such as Mongolia, Eritrea, and the good old UK.

It felt like a physiology experiment designed to test who’d gotthe biggest lungs and highest tolerance to pain. And this first racewas a mere warm up, just 950m of vertical gain, like skiing up a redrun. It turned out to be enjoyably painful and addictive, yet by thetime I crossed the line after 40 minutes of beasting, the winner waslooking relaxed and fresh, having got there nearly ten minutes ago.

Ski mountaineering allows you to explore the winter hills in ahighly efficient manner. To go up you just stick reusable skins onthe base of your skis, they prevent you from sliding back on slopes

JON MORGAN SUFFERS FOR HIS COUNTRY AT THE ISMCSKI MOUNTAINEERING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS.SLOPE

S L I P P E R Y

I felt rather inadequately dressed in aborrowed snot-green catsuit at -19C on themorning of the first race.Herd mentality and the perishing coldensured that everyone legged it off at thestart at an unsustainable pace. But withinminutes even the continental uber-athleteswere forced to a walk.

up to about 20 degrees. Steeper than that and you need to zig zag,doing uphill kick turns to change direction - an acquired skill. Theskis don’t need to be special but light ones make it easier. Thebindings, however, need to articulate at the toe, to allow a naturalwalking action, and also have to clamp down at the heel for thedescent. And occasionally on icy slopes harscheisen’s (ski cram-pons) are put on to prevent sliding sideways.

Almost unknown in Britain, ski mountaineering racing is verypopular in Europe, and several manufacturers produce gear specifi-cally designed for racing. Scarpa produce the F1, a lime green bootworn by most competitors. It’s unique in that it bends at the toe,like a telemark boot, allowing a natural walking action, but stillclamps down at the heel for the descents. It also has a single clipthat simultaneously tightens the boot and locks a spindle into therear of the shell to put you into downhill mode. And they weighless than 1.5kg each before you start cutting bits off.

44 34

SKI

The Author:The Author:The Author:The Author:The Author: After working as a doctor in Sheffield, John Morgantrained to be a mountain guide. He now lives in Chamonix withhis wife Caroline and 2.5 kids. His developing taste in ski-moun-taineering was helped by reading a “Wanted- competitors to rep-resent Britain!” snippet in Summit, and off he headed accompa-nied by Nick Wallis, Roly Sinker, and Nigel Mockeridge. They baggeda respectable 17th place for Britain out of 29 countries.

(LEFT) (LEFT) (LEFT) (LEFT) (LEFT) Catsuited competitors on the start line. Credit: Nick Wallis.(LEFT BO(LEFT BO(LEFT BO(LEFT BO(LEFT BOTTTTTTTTTTOM) OM) OM) OM) OM) The work had only just begun! Credit: Jon Morgan.

Weight saving on any moving parts is of paramount importanceand the Italians in particular seem adept at removing all but thebarest components. They cut things off, pepper the boots withholes, shave the sole down, remove any clips and replace withgaffer tape. Most racers remove the tongues altogether and managewithout. One guy actually managed to shave 400g off each boot-very impressive since they’re the lightest on the market anyway.

The bindings, Dynafit Tourtech for all the serious competitors,are designed in conjunction with the boots, and superlight skis ofless than a kilo are standard for this game. To complete the packageoversized cross country ski poles provide an advantage since theyallow some of the gruelling effort to be shared by your arms.

The second day of the racing was a team event, in pairs, andinvolved five ascents and five descents, each a total of 2100m.There were two sections of portage, carrying skis on your sack, thefirst up a steep slope, the second along an exposed ridge. But thebulk of time and effort in this game is always skinning uphill onprepared tracks, and there are often two tracks in parallel to allowovertaking. A lot of crucial time is gained or lost by the transitions.At the top of the climbs you have to rip the skins off with elasticcord whilst keeping skis on, stuff them down your suit, crank upboots, change binding mode to downhill and go. And at thebottom, reverse it. The top guys can do these transitions in as littleas 25 seconds! The downhill sections are very variable; 40 degreecouloirs, dense forest, icy traverses, flat skating sections. It’s flaggedand marshalled off piste, so no route finding problems, but oftenyou’re pressured by others, and from within, into straight linenailing it on slopes you’d feel a lot happier turning on.

We spent a rest day hacking off more bits off our boots, then itwas the individual event. It followed a similar course to the teamevent, but only 1700m of ascent and descent. A few overeagercontinentals jumped the gun and led to a false start, but an irateskidoo-driving official herded them back. Then we were go, on arefrozen start that saw a Japanese, an Eritrean, then finally a Brithurtle all the way back down one of the steeper sections.

Things were going OK for the first half. My benchmark was thetop female competitors - I could just about hold my own goingup, but they would nab 30 seconds off me at the top with theirswift transitions. I’d chase them on the downhill and almost catchup until the next change-over. This was the pattern until disasterstruck. At the bottom of the second descent, as a result ofoverenthusiastic trimming, I couldn’t disengage my left boot fromthe downhill position. Several minutes were lost while I foughtwith the boot. I managed a temporary fix, but not before hordes ofskiers came streaming past me.

The next climb and descent saw me frantically trying to overtakethem, but on the final climb things looked bad. My skins wouldn’tstick, nor my boot go into uphill mode again. Making the decisionnot to lose any more time, the ascent was skinned in a painfullyforward downhill mode, and then, at last, the final descent of950m, over in blurred orgy of excitement, adrenaline and ischae-mic thigh pain.

We all came to the event to compete and to learn. And while wewere no threat to the top dogs, it was a fantastic experience, andI’d like to think that more Brits could take it up. We have somegreat skiers and a host of whippet-lean fell runners, and a combina-tion of the two is ideal. Plus the UIAA and the ISMC (InternationalSki Mountaineering Council) have put a formal bid to the IOC(International Olympic Committee) for ski mountaineering to be-come an Olympic sport. If ratified, to be decided in 2006, then itwill become an Olympic sport in 2010. So if you fancy the chanceto represent Britain, then get those skins on!�

34

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You can take the man from the projectbut can you take the project from the

man? Another Saturday, another trip toRubicon. Surely Water Cum Jolly comes sec-ond only to Ashby de la Zouche in thegentrification stakes? By then, however,gentrification was far from my mind. A se-ries of rapid successes had lured me into anattempt on the gold standard 8a grade. Yetthis time, when it really mattered, successwas taunting, elusive.

So it was with surprise, perhaps disquiet,that I was confronted by the familiar visageof The Sissy garlanded by quickdraws, anin-situ rope and an in-situ team. Micheleand I tramped across the mud beneathRubicon and introduced ourselves. TwoNicks – previously unknown to me. Big Nickand Little Nick, we christened them. BigNick (Bond) was tallish, gaunt and intense.Little Nick was about my size, with a shockof black hair and an air of contemplation.

We swapped beta on the route. They werestill exploring, whereas I was fully au fait

with The Sissy’s discreet charms. Big Nicklooked a tad dubious as I explained aboutthe crimp, the rockover, the two fingerpocket, the snatch, the flag, the finger shuf-fle. Perhaps a demonstration was in order.Dutifully I followed the sequence to thefinger shuffle where mine, as ever, opened.A quick plop, then back on to pull throughto the lower-off. “Bloody hell,” said Big Nick,“you look close to getting it.”

But, over the next few weekends, I cameno closer to getting it. Big Nick improved.But Little Nick was a dark horse. Lack ofreach, which had made an adjoining routeproblematic, didn’t matter on The Sissy.Steel fingers did matter, as he pulled ontiny, sharp holds with a smoothness Icouldn’t muster. Incessant chatter filledthe sanity breaks between redpoints. LittleNick’s confession that he was trying to getback into climbing after a long layoff madea mockery of my panels and plyometrics.

Back on the route, things were goingbadly - for me anyway. “You were our hero

"Afterwards it seemed a

surreal meld of dream and

nightmare, a lost story

perhaps, from Edgar Allen

Poe. Had I nodded off by

the fire and imagined the

whole bizarre episode?

But no, it happened all

right, on a dark winter’s

night that would endure in

memory."

ONE NIGHT

By Mick Ward

PEOPLE

46 3446

at first,” Big Nick cheerfully confided, “butyou’ve fallen from grace.” My rueful reply…“I was always rubbish; you just didn’t seeit.”

As October drifted into wild November, itbecame a race to complete the route beforethe weather broke. Sometimes, withMichele, there were four of us, sometimesthree, sometimes just Little Nick and me.We were equally driven. And we came close,tantalisingly close. Twice Nick pulledthrough the crux, only to be hampered bymy tired, tardy belaying. Once I fought pastthe crux and, disbelievingly, blew theredpoint within spitting distance of easyground.

A final dank, winter’s afternoon, WaterCum Jolly shorn of its hordes of hikers, justSeb Grieve bouldering and laughing at us.Agonisingly cold. Gentle feathers of snowswirling all around. Reluctantly strippingoff layer after layer of clothing for theredpoint. Sharp, greasy crimps biting intonumb, swollen fingers. Inevitable out-

comes. The line blurring between determi-nation and obsession.

A muttered farewell as Seb vanished intoflurries of thick snowflakes. A final manicgiggle, “Don’t leave it too late!”

Over an hour later, having reluctantlyaccepted the impossibility of climbing atsuch a grade in such conditions, we arrivedback at the cars, soaked through, only todiscover that all ways out were uphill, cov-ered in snow and equally impassable.

Snowed in – at Water Cum Jolly, of allplaces! Who could believe it? At first, wedidn’t as we shoved and revved and sworeand the cars skidded and slipped back downagain. Dejected, we trudged up the hill tothe Monsal Head, a welcoming beacon inthe darkness. Inside, the giddiness of pintshitting empty stomachs. Phone lines weredown and mobiles were still playthings forYuppies. We were expected in Manchesterand Sheffield. Our grim obsession to get upthe route transformed into an equally grimobsession to escape the trap.

Big Nick had suffered badly with cold,wet and wind. He was shivering uncontrol-lably, seeming dangerously close to hypo-thermia. Somewhere in the preceding hours,we’d crossed an invisible boundary, aban-doning the whinges of sport climbing for adeeper mountaineering stoicism. Mountain-eering in Water Cum Jolly? The stuff offarce! Yet if Big Nick had left the pub, he’dhave been a corpse. Terrified, we made himstay.

Outside once again, mercifully the snowhad stopped. How to escape? A decisionwas quickly reached: we would scoop par-allel trenches for tyres in the snow, all theway we’d come, from Water Cum Jolly upthe hill to the Monsal Head. Our tools aborrowed coal shovel and poker.

Over the next few hours, the night as-sumed a surreal, phantasmagoric quality, anorgy of shovelling and scraping. I did myshare but Nick was like a man possessed. Heseemed in his element, snow and hardship.Odd for a sport climber.

We paused, grunted. Light glinted offthe shovel. Two near-perfectly parallel linescut all the way up the hill. We grinned fool-ishly at our handiwork, relieved. Back inthe pub, the tools of the job were returnedto a bemused landlord, and a revived BigNick collected. A final plod down a nowvery familiar hill was followed by skidding,spluttering ascents back up it. Parting atthe main road, watching the dim red lightsdisappearing into the darkness, somethingwas niggling at me. Little Nick. And hisstrange enthusiasm for shovelling snow. �

Mick Mick Mick Mick Mick ruefully reports that he never did tickit, but Nick Colton (aka Little Nick, akaBlack Nick) made it to the chains of his first8a, Unleashing the Wild Physique in theSpring. Apparently he's been around for awhile and done a bit, but is now happiestshovelling his intray at the BMC, as thenew Deputy CEO.

(LEFT) (LEFT) (LEFT) (LEFT) (LEFT) Winter Peak. Don't get stuck out therenow. Credit: Messenger.

4734

48 34

Olga Bibik from Russia, at the WorldBouldering Cup 2001.Credit: Alderson.

SOUTH AMERICA

Four Go Free on FitzroyTwid Turner and co. had hoped to make thefirst ascent of a 1300m free climb on the NEside of Fitzroy. As it turned out, due to theweather they spent four weeks perfectingthe art of snowholing! The route was laterclimbed by an Argentinean-Italian team.

Torre Egger FreestyleBen Bransby teamed up with Swiss andAmerican climbers to make the third overalland first complete free ascent of the Slovakroute on Fitzroy, an impressive new line onDesmochada and a new route on the WestFace of St Exupery. All in good style andduring a unusually fine spell of weather inFebruary. Good effort.

Return to Cerro TorreThe mystery of the Maestri Egger Route re-mains intact with Leo Houlding and KevinThaw defeated in their latest attempt atthis historic line. Atrocious weather pre-vented them ever really attempting the

route but that is unlikely to prevent Leofrom wanting to go back again next year!

Cerro TorreDave Hesleden and Simon Richardson hopedto link the Marsigny-Parkin route ‘LosTiempos Perdidos’ to the Col of Hope withthe Ferrari West Face to the summit. Ham-pered by appalling weather they only man-aged one day of climbing on the lower WestFace (see pic) which they described as “themost exhilarating and awe inspiring day’sclimbing either of us had ever experienced”.Quite something for a team with over 40collective years of alpine experience.

Chacraraju Este En Los AndesNick Bullock and Al Powell plan to makethe first ascent of the East Face ofChacraraju in the Cordillera Blanca. They planto follow a shallow corner directly up themiddle of the face starting from the samepoint as the Slovenian 1993 attempt.

Cordillera BlancaMike Pescod leads a four-man team to at-tempt unclimbed lines from both the popu-

lar Santa Cruz Valley and also the rarely vis-ited Cancaraca Grande Valley. The peaks theyhave identified are between 5500 and6200m.

AguileraDavid Hillebrandt leads a return trip by boatto Patagonia to attempt this well-knownobjective. Given their knowledge from lastyear, Cerro Aguilera at 2438m, should notpresent great technical difficulties but willthe weather cooperate?

UCL Quimsa CruzInformation about first ascents in the Bo-livian Cordillerra Quimsa Cruz is fairly mud-dled with several first ascents possibly hav-ing been claimed for the same peak underdifferent names. This six-person team fromUCL led by Sarah Griffin hope to make moresense of what’s been done in the area andadd some first ascents of their own.

The BMC (through funding from UK Sport) and the Mount

Everest Foundation continue to provide support to expedi-

tions climbing new routes and visiting unexplored moun-

tainous regions. So what's planned for 2004?

EXPEDITIONS 2004

(ABOVE) (ABOVE) (ABOVE) (ABOVE) (ABOVE) Gunnbjornsfjeld, 3710m, Green-land - the highest peak in the Arctic. Credit:Graham Elson / Mountain Visions.

4934

Anglo-Scottish VilcanotaThe Vilcanota is one of the more remote ar-eas of the Cordillera. David Wilkinson leads afour-man team hoping to make the first as-cent of the West Face of Colque Cruz I(6100m) and also other peaks in the 5700-6000m range in the area. The climbing islikely to be typical Andean snow/ice/mixed.

Scottish Cordillera HuayhuashIain Rudkin leads a team of six, who hopeto climb a new route on the West Face ofNevado Rondoy (5879m) to the right ofthe Czech direct route. They also hope toattempt other new routes in the area.

ArtesonrajuNeal Crampton and Clare Fennel head tothe Cordillera Blanca. Of particular interestare the NW Face of Artesonraju (6025m),the South Face of Pucajirca (5900m) andthe SW Face on Santa Cruz (6259m).

Fin Del MundoThe area around Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuegois well explored in summer, however winterclimbing in the area is in its infancy. ColinWells leads a team of four hoping to climbthe South Face of Monte Vinciguerra(1450m) and other routes in the area. It isexpected that weather and conditions willbe very similar to Scotland in winter.

CANADA & ALASKA

Dusk Till DawnStuart McAleese, Twid Turner and DaiLampard attempt the SW ridge of MiddleTriple Peak (2693m) in the remote KichatnaSpires. Unable to land beneath their pro-posed line on the Sunshine Glacier the teamwill have to cross a col from the ShadowsGlacier, then traverse back over the moun-tain, making this a very committing line.

Mount DickeyA previously attempted, and very ephem-eral ice line to the right of Blood from aStone on the 1600m East Face of Mount

(ABOVE) (ABOVE) (ABOVE) (ABOVE) (ABOVE) Dave Hesleden on approachslopes to the bottom of the West Face ofCerro Torre. Credit: Simon Richardson.

5134

CHANGES IN BMC / MEF EXPEDITION FUNDING

ing to make the first ascent of the Baron.It’s going to be busy in there this summer!

CHINA

QionglaiTom Chamberlain and friends hope to com-plete a major new route up the North Faceor West Ridge of Siguniang, situated in theSichuan Province of China.

Gongga EastAngela Benham and friends intend to carryout exploration in West Sichuan and makethe first ascent of Gongga East (6618m). Ifthis proves impractical they have variousback up options including Mount Zhushangat 6410m.

West SichuanMartin Scott leads a four-man team to at-tempt Haizi Shan (5844m), in West Sichuan.In addition they hope to carry out explora-tion of the other mountains in the area, allunclimbed and in territory not visited byWestern Mountaineers.

Chomo LhariJulie-Ann Clyma and Roger Payne againhope to make the first ascent of the NWRidge of Chomo Lhari (7314m) in YadongCounty in the far South of Tibet. Permitdifficulties prevented them reaching themountain at all last year.

Nganglong KangriContinuing his exploration of remote areasof Tibet, John Town heads a three-man teamto Rotuk County in the far West hoping tomake the first ascent of Nganglong Kangriat 6596m.

Xiashe North FaceA five-person team led by Ed Douglas plansto visit Qionglai Shan in West Sichuan toexplore and make the first ascent of the1200m North Face of Xiashe (5833m).

Big Wall of ChinaJohn Arran leads a four-person team toSiguniang National Park in Sichuan Prov-ince with the aim of making first ascents ofbig walls and rock spires in the area.

KajaquioA beautiful unclimbed and unattemptedpeak in the Nyainqentanghla East Range.Mick Fowler leads what will be a very ex-ploratory trip hoping to make an ascent ofthe NE face of Kajaquio (6447m).

OMAN

Western Hajar TraverseGeoff Hornby and friends succeeded in theirhighly original plan of traversing the West-ern Hajar Mountains in Oman climbing fivenew routes along the way! One each onJabal Kawr, Jabal Manzoob, Jabal Asait,Jabal Asala and Jabal Misfah, each 300-500m long. Jeep support was used betweenthe mountains.

IRAN

Anglo-Iranian Big WallA lot of rock awaits exploration in Iran.Anne Arran leads a team of four who hopeto explore some of these possibilities andproduce some hard free big wall routes. Theyintend to team up with local climbers onceout in Iran.�

BMC grants are only made possible throughfunding from UK Sport. To meet the criteriafor consideration for a BMC award teamsmust be attempting innovative ascents inremote mountain environments in ‘good’style. Most expeditions will also be consid-ered for the Mount Everest Foundation(MEF) award. The MEF’s criteria is slightlydifferent to that of the BMC’s. Their mainconcern is the exploratory nature of theexpedition rather than the technical diffi-culty.

HOW TO APPLY FOR BOTH BMC & MEFApplications for BMC and MEF grants aremade at the same time, and initial BMCscreening takes place as part of the MEFprocess. To qualify for MEF consideration,application forms must be submitted be-fore 31st August or 31st December in theyear prior to the expedition.

HOW TO APPLY FOR BMC ONLYThe BMC understands that it is not alwaysbe possible to meet these deadlines and

will accept direct applications up till No-vember 1st or March 1st. Expeditions ap-plying directly to the BMC in this way willnot be eligible for MEF funding and shouldbe aware that they can only be assessed onthe information they provide on paper.

LAST MINUTE BMC ONLYIn addition, a small amount of funding maybe available for a few last-minute trips thatmeet BMC criteria but cannot comply withthe schedules above.

If applying for BMC funding only, send yourapplication forms direct to the BMC office.

FURTHER INFORMATIONFor further information and applicationforms for BMC/MEF awards contact:

Bill Ruthven, Gowrie, Cardwell Close, Warton,Preston, PR4 1SH, or visit www.mef.org.

The application deadline for 2005 expedi-tions is 31st December 2004.

52 34

Perkins Slade BRYCSMay - JulyThe Perkins Slade BRYCS (British RegionalYouth Climbing Series) runs throughout thesummer, split into ten geographical regions,with the final at Ratho on 25th Sept. Fordates and application forms, see the BMCwebsite, and for all the latest results seewww.indoorsout.co.uk.

Nepal Himalayan Festival5-6th June, ManchesterDoug Scott is guest speaker at the 3rd NepalHimalayan Festival in Manchester. Organ-ized by the Nepalese Association in the UKand hosted by Manchester City Council inthe Town Hall, the festival will feature allsorts of Nepalese talks, arts and food. Lookslike it could be a good way to start plan-ning a trip. For more information seewww.himalayanyeti.org.uk.

Rockhoppers Club

50th Anniversary19th June, London Rowing ClubRockhoppers Mountaineering Club are cel-ebrating 50 years in existence with a reun-ion party at the London Rowing Club inPutney. This lively event is to be attendedby 150 current and former members, includ-

ing some of the original members from 1954.If you were once a member and fancy com-ing along, see www.rockhoppers.org.uk oremail warwick@kingmaker.demon.co.uk.

Diabetics Alpine Meet15th - 19th Sept, VallouiseNikki Wallis and Jerry Gore are organising a"Mountains for Active Diabetics" alpine meetand seminar for those interested in diabe-tes and outdoor sports. Featuring guestssuch as Herbert Hausmann, the first personwith diabetes to complete the Marathondes Sables, and Will Cross, leader of 2004Everest diabetic expedition, this could beof interest to all active diabetics. For moreinformation see www.mountain-mad.org.

BMC Huts Seminar2nd October, Plas y BreninThe fourth annual BMC Hut Seminar will beheld at Plas y Brenin on Saturday 2 Octoberat 3.30pm. The seminar will discuss build-ing and planning regulations, energy effi-ciency, hut management and maintenanceplans, changes in the law affecting hutoperations and schemes for increasing visi-tor numbers to huts. Anyone involved withmanaging or planning a club hut is en-couraged to attend. The seminar, which in-cludes a hot supper at 7.30pm, is free. De-tails from office or website.

BMC Student Seminar9-10th October, Plas y BreninSupported by the Mountain Training TrustThe 2004 Student Safety and Good Prac-tice Seminar is designed for student-basedwalking and climbing clubs, and gives sen-ior post holders the opportunity to improvetheir club practices. The focus is on devel-oping skills needed to safely introduce nov-ices to the sports of mountaineering andclimbing, whilst also offering a chance tocrank up personal climbing, walking ormountaineering skills. The programme is alively mix of lectures, discussions, hands-on workshops and slide shows.

The practical workshops are run by Plas yBrenin instructors and a host of highly quali-fied volunteers. Activities range from in-door climbing, single pitch rock climbingand multi-pitch climbing, scrambling andhazard awareness to hill walking, naviga-tion and fun bouldering and orienteeringcompetitions. Places are limited and allo-cated on a first come first served basis (al-though priority will be given to clubs whohave not previously attended). Further de-tails and registration forms are availablefrom the website or office, or emailana@thebmc.co.uk.

See www.thebmc.co.uk for moreevents.

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5334

AGM

SUDDEN FAILURE?Every year the BMC Technical Committee re-ceives a number of axes with snapped picksand crampons with snapped points, almostalways a result of fatigue failure. With mod-ern quality control standards, people arevery surprised when it happens, but it’s alla question of loading.

If a load lower than the stipulated fail-ure load is repeatedly applied to a piece ofequipment, then it may eventually fail. Eachload application is known as a cycle andthe lower the load the more cycles are re-quired to cause failure. Equipment designtakes fatigue into account, and in mostcases many thousands of cycles are requiredbefore fatigue failure, well beyond the ex-pected lifetime of the product.

However with exceptionally heavy or ab-normal use (for example strenuous torquingof ice axes in cracks or badly fitted cram-pons) too many cycles may have been ac-cumulated and failure is near. Cracks in thehighest stressed areas will then be formingand growing and a single further load cycleis sufficient to cause complete failure.

SPOT THE SIGNSExamine your axes and crampons closelyprior to use and search for fatigue cracks, asmall magnifying lens will make this easier.

In crampons the highest stressed areasare likely to be at the base of the frontpoints and where there is considerable an-gle change, such as where points meet theframe. In ice axes the most likely high stresslocation is at the base of the teeth on thepick a few cm from the end. Remember thatmost manufacturers consider torquing tobe outside the design specification for anice tool, and this will make failure morelikely. To tackle this some now produce ex-tra strong torquing picks, but their thick-ness will give reduced performance on ice.

It’s a fact of life that ice axes and crampons do occasionallybreak.The loads put on them during winter and alpine climbing,especially modern mixed climbing are considerable, and overtime fatigue cracks can develop in the metal, possibly leadingto sudden failure.

(RIGHT)(RIGHT)(RIGHT)(RIGHT)(RIGHT) The front section of an axe pickthat snapped en-route in Scotland. Afatigue crack can clearly be seen, easilypicked up with a 10x magnifying glass. Theaxe was over ten years old and had seenconsiderable use. A quick visual inspec-tion prior to use had not given the ownerany cause for concern.

a&e: mountain fatigue

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These questions have been in existence since Maria Paradis firstmade it to the summit of Mont Blanc in 1808. Their contextmay have changed, but the core issues are still the same;

climbing and climbing literature remain male dominated. Femalemountaineering literature may have a rich history with many re-markable women giving a feminine voice to the genre, but this is avoice scarcely heard.

The pioneering female mountaineers felt that they were ren-dered invisible by the mental and physical constraints placed uponthem, which is evident in the literature they left behind. Moun-taineering women from the 1800s and mid 1900s existed in aliminal space where they were neither viewed as properly feminine,nor as proper mountaineers. Each woman chose to cope with thatin her own way, but many turned to the secretive freedom of the actof writing. They understood the constraints of the literature andmany found ways to circumvent the male editors. Mrs. HenryFreshfield, in 1861, chose to publish Alpine Byways with the au-thor listed simply as “a lady.” The actual woman is invisible in

Alpine Byways, only aspects of the climbing are visible allowingthe physical woman to remain in the marginal state.

Are present day female mountaineers still struggling to moveout of that liminality? In Summit issue 10, Penny Clay brings upthe idea of the Invisible Women Syndrome. The Syndrome is ex-plained by the simple equation: 1 woman + 1 woman = 1 man. Claydefined the Syndrome as, “a gender specific phenomenon, whichoperates within a patriarchal system to deny the existence of womenand their achievements.” Climbing in a mixed group, or manless, isan individual choice and one that becomes complicated in light ofClay’s article where she describes the continual question from menand women, “Do you need someone to climb with?” even thoughshe is standing right next to her female climbing partner.

Perhaps, “Do you need someone to climb with?” has replacedthe Victorian query, “Should women climb mountains?” Are bothquestions still asked today? The notion then becomes, how domountaineering women stop males from assuming that womenneed men in order to climb? These ideas also prompt the questionof whether women should publish their climbing experiences. Ifthe constraint that women can’t climb has been destroyed, havenew constraints been created in its place, such as, ‘should mothersclimb mountains’?

Members of the 1998 BMC International Women’s Meet were awareof these questions and the existence of the Invisible Woman Syn-drome and idealistically declared climbing to be a legitimate ac-tivity for women regardless of constraints, such as age, maritalstatus, family or career responsibilities. They called for women tostart writing and publishing their climbing experiences hopingthat would help dissolve the male dominance. But despite theseefforts, the Syndrome has prevailed and the climbing communitystill struggles with the above questions.

So how can women dispel the Invisible Woman Syndrome?Should they merely climb to disprove the myth? Or is it imperativethat they record their experiences with written accounts? In herarticle Penny Clay states that she climbs with female friends tobring the Syndrome to an end and jokes about the effectiveness ofwriting, “And a it’s far more enjoyable way of dispelling the Invis-ible Woman Syndrome than simply writing about it.” If Clay trulybelieved this statement, then why did she write the article for BMC?The majority of women do choose to climb instead of write. Thecommon comment being, “I would rather put my energy into climb-ing rather than taking the time to write about it.” The problem isthat if no women write about their experiences, men will alwaysdominate the literature and the Syndrome will continue in thewritten record.

Presently there is only one emergent all female climbing maga-zine, She Sends, where the target audience is fellow women, al-though they are aware that their overall audience includes men.Lizzy Scully, She Sends editor, is overwhelmed with submissions forpublication. Another alternative for publication are the club jour-nals. Why is the female voice nearly nonexistent in the club jour-nals and magazines? The majority of club members are male so theprimary audience for the journals is male. Do women alter theirexperiences when publishing for male majority magazine readers?If so, does that alteration then reinforce the Invisible WomanSyndrome?

If women are allowed to climb to the best of their ability and areable to accurately publish their experience, are women now visibleas women, not just as climbers? Is female mountaineering litera-ture moving in a new direction fueled by the need to dismiss theInvisible Woman Syndrome? Surely women ought to become vis-ible both on the crags and in the literature. Continued explorationof the questions brought up here could bring about the revolutionthe BMC Women’s Meet so ardently called for in their 1998 summitmeeting.�

Kaydee SummersKaydee SummersKaydee SummersKaydee SummersKaydee Summers is a PhD student in Mountaineering Literatureat the University of Leeds. She is working on a thesis about wom-en’s climbing writing and would appreciate any thoughts on thesubject. Contact her at: kaydees@davidbowie.com. For details ofShe Sends magazine see www.shesends.com.

(LEFT) (LEFT) (LEFT) (LEFT) (LEFT) Women climbing together, are they invisible? Well, thesetwo don't look it. Credit: Alex Messenger.

SILENTVOICES

Should women climb mountains without men? Is it

right that women with children climb mountains? Can

women both climb intensely and write actively? Are

women climbing writers constrained to this day?

By Kaydee Summers.

CULTURE

RIGHTS of PASSAGE

Following an ‘incident’ on Clapham Common, Ron Davies in hisresignation speech talked of being the product of many factors.And in my case climbing has played a massive part in making mewho I am and shaping my political views, which have, in turnresulted in the opinions I hold regarding climbing.

Of course during this formative process I have, in both life and inclimbing, made mistakes. I’ve been rescued from Pebble Mill, re-treated from the Cromlech in a blizzard, and made more seriouserrors of judgement. Yes, it’s true. In addition to a teenage flirta-tion with the Labour Party I’ve top roped routes.

That was a long time ago and I’ve long since seen the error of myways, the scars of these earlier misdemeanours are now vestigial. Iknew at the time that it was wrong (the top roping not theflirtation with the Left), that I was propagating a shallow imageand living a lie. I knew that it was sinful and it devalued what Iheld dear.

So why didn’t I wait until I was good enough to do the routesonsight? To accept the challenge, take the risk and be prepared topay “the price of admission” if all went wrong? It’s hard to say now,but being brutally honest it was because I wanted something thatthat was out of reach, some forbidden fruit, to be not what I wasbut what I aspired to be.

As time passed I gradually accepted the challenge, took the riskand accepted a price may need to be paid. Top roping was leftbehind with other childish things and having picked up the gauntletand committed to the task at hand I know that the taste of successwill be even sweeter for doing so. When I do top out I drink deeplyfrom the cup of success, drain it to the dregs and savour theintoxicating effects spreading through my body.

So, do you fancy a drink? Do you crave that nectar; whether itflows from snatching victory from the jaws of the Hallamshire Infir-mary or enjoying an easy day out with your mates. Or are youcontent with something else? An ersatz brew, a substitute, a paleimitation, a drink as satisfying as a lukewarm shandy on a hotsummer day?

If you want a shandy, go for a walk, a bike ride, play chess. If youdo, you’re not a lesser person. However, if you want a proper drinkyou’ll have to be prepared to pay for it, to climb on sight and leavetop roping behind. If you want to climb technically harder gobouldering. If you don’t want bold routes climb well-protectedones. If you don’t want to accept the risk, don’t climb.

I can think of no grit crag, and lets face it it’s grit that bears thescars of this scourge, that doesn’t have routes of all grades that canbe adequately protected with modern gear. So don’t sell yourselfshort, accept your limitations, choose a route and go for the onsight.You are doing something special, something that very few peoplecould or would do.

This isn’t about elitism, climbing alone puts you in an elite. JoePublic wouldn’t contemplate leading a V Diff let alone a HVS. Evenamongst climbers it isn’t about elitism, the same principles applyas much to an E6 as to a Mod. It’s about something special. Climb-ing is special; the rewards from climbing are special, and I for onewould like to see it remain special.

And when you top out, whether you’ve had a steady day on along V Diff or had a moment of madness onsighting your first E5,drink deeply and savour the taste and then I’ll buy you another.

Some things are worth fighting for, some traditions are worthprotecting. Heritage once gone cannot be replaced, and unlesshalted and reversed, the pernicious scourge of top roping willmean that future generations will just not have the opportunitiesthat we’ve had, or enjoy the experiences that have made us who weare.�

Everything has a political angle, even climb-

ing. And when we climb, even if ethics take

the place of politics, we're still expressing

our political views.

By Thomas O'Rourke

(T(T(T(T(TOP)OP)OP)OP)OP) Toby Benham fancying a proper drink, but paying the priceon Avoiding the Traitors, E7 6c, Bamford. Credit: Alex Messenger.

LAST THOUGHTS