Winter 201356 Irish Mountain Log

Winter campingWinter conditions in our cities are never enjoyable as roads clog up,trams and buses get cancelled, and paths become skating rinks. Itwould be the height of folly to walk down a main street even in a pairof Grivel G12s! However, once temperatures drop and snow falls onhigh ground, those same crampons get sharpened, bulky belay jacketsget stuffed into our rucksacks and we once again contemplatespending a night on the snow in the Reeks, Maumturks, Mournes....

Even during harsh winters like in recent years, it’s rare to find enough snowdepth to dig a snow cave in Ireland. Therefore, if you're thinking of camping outon the hills, you’ll need to carry your own shelter. Here are two options, one avirtual bombproof fortress, the other a light and fast option with enough strengthto withstand winter camping, in a sheltered location, on the Irish hills.

www.mountainhardwear.com4.1kg, �660The Trango has been one of the ‘go-to’expedition tents for over a decade now,and with good reason.

Pros❚ Thanks to the clip system used tosecure the poles, the Trango can be setup in a howling gale without fear of itblowing away, as you can peg down theinner. This one feature has beeninvaluable on numerous winter trips.

❚ Loads of space. It’s possible to sleepthree people in relative comfort in theTrango 2. Many times, two-person tentsseem to be designed for two people withno gear, or for two sleeping on theirsides.

❚ Plenty of storage inside the tent. On amulti-day trip, organisation is important,and with ten large internal pockets, thiswill not be a problem.

❚ Bright colour. This might not seemimportant, but try sleeping in a dark blue

Shelter

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Kieran Creevy has the beta on gear for hillwalkers and climbers

by Kieran Creevy ����

Mountain Hardwear Trango 2

www.mountainsafetyresearch.com1.7kg, �360The Hubba model has, and has had, a fewiterations (Hubba Hubba, Mutha Hubba, HP)and it’s the HP version that would be of mostinterest for the Irish user who wants to go campon the hills here in winter, or is looking for alightweight solo tent that doesn’t feelclaustrophobic.

Pros❚ Light yet strong. A total weight of under 2kgmeans you’ll have both the space and weightlimit to pack more food into your overnightrucksack. This lightness also makes the HubbaHP a great choice for foreign trips. Securityrestrictions aside, you could pack this as acarry-on item.

❚ Easy to set up. Like the Trango above, theHubba HP can be staked out prior to erection.The one linked pole design enables this tent tobe set up by one person in less than fiveminutes.

❚ Space, both storage and sleeping. Having onesizeable porch in a solo tent is a godsend; twois like having jam on both sides of your bread.The second porch doesn’t have an external zipon the fly, but you can slide a pack underneath.This porch is accessible from the inner tent viaa short zip. Both porches are easily big enoughto accommodate a 70-litre pack.

Cons❚ Not designed for heavy snowfall

■ MSR Hubba HP

tent for a week and you’ll soon regretthat decision. The apricot-and-greycolour scheme of the Trango can makeeven a drizzly Scottish winter morninglook brighter – important if you’re goingto get out of bed in time to climb theroute you scoped the day before!

❚ Strength. I’ve spent in excess of twohundred nights in this tent, includingsome in full-on storm conditions, wherethe walls of the tent were being pushedonto my face. In all of this time, theTrango has yet to pop a stitch, leak orbreak.

Cons❚ Weight; at 4.1kg (includingeverything, measured on post officescales) it’s heavier than a few otherdouble-skin winter tents on the market.

❚ Price; �660 is a lot of cash for a tentby any measure, but when a cheaptent breaks at 3,000m and it’sminus 20°C....

Ideal for ❚ Expeditions, alpine winterclimbing, multi-day mountain trips

€360

€660

Winter 201360 Irish Mountain Log

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In winter conditions, your body requires more calories to staywarm. Now, if you’re spending the day lounging around in awell-insulated house, that becomes unnecessary; hence thereason many of us put on weight during the winter. Camping,hiking and climbing in winter, however, is a different story. You

will need to carry more food, and this in turn will require morewater – to aid digestion, hydration and to cook with. You couldcarry the water with you or, if lucky, just melt the snow (avoiding,obviously, the dreaded ‘yellow snow’).

Water and food

www.cascadedesigns.com�160175g (not including gas canister)

Finally, a Reactor stove designed for solo trips. The original stovewas perfect for a team of two, at 1.6 litres in size, but a littlebulky to pack.

Pros❚ Fast. One litre of water boiled in 110 seconds (tested outdoors:400m, +10°C, 30kph wind).

❚ Wide enough to be able to cook porridge without burning.

❚ Less weight. Redesign of the heat exchanger means the1-litre model is almost half the weight of the 1.6-litre version.

Cons❚ It’s about �50 more expensive than its closest competitor.Personally, I think it’s worth the extra cost.

■ MSR Reactor 1L Stove

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€160

X-ray view of closed stoveStove ready to use

Kerry Outdoor Sports opens Killarney storeWatched by almost 100people, Joe Simpson,author of Touching theVoid, cuts the rope toopen Kerry OutdoorSports’ new shop inKillarney on August31st.

Pictured (left to right):Richard Morrison; TimLong; owners of KerryOutdoor Sports SarahSeery, Eileen Daly andAoife Smith; MikeO’Shea; Joe Simpson;Simon O’Shea.

Kerry Outdoor Sportsmay be the only female-owned outdoor shop inEurope.