Author Archive
Everything You Need to Know About Climbing Helmets
Introduction This month you might have seen the publicity online about the BMC’s fantastic Helmet Campaign. The idea is to raise awareness of the many good reasons to wear a helmet, and perhaps to break down some of the stigma associated with helmets amongst some sectors of the climbing community. So while this article covers [...]
Equipment for Winter Climbing
Introduction Last winter Hot Aches and Mountain Equipment released a great film called The Pinnacle. It shows two top modern climbers (Dave MacLeod and Andy Turner) recreating a series of pioneering ascents on Ben Nevis by Jimmy Marshall and Robin Smith in 1960. The film makes you realise how extraordinary the first ascensionists were, climbing [...]
Clothing for Winter Climbing
At last there’s been major snow in the Highlands! The raw weather of the last 10 days has meant big accumulations in all the climbing areas and although at the time of writing the avalanche hazard is rated Considerable, the forecast is for a good freeze-thaw cycle to settle a more stable snowpack for an [...]
Christmas Gifts For Climbers
It’s only four weeks to Christmas, but what to give the climber who has everything? Well, climbers can never have enough gear so you can’t go wrong with a shiny karabiner, a state-of-the-art cam or a plush new chalk bag. The list below highlights some presents that any climber or mountaineer would love to receive! [...]
Climbing Harness Guide: Evolution, Features and Choosing the Right Harness
In Joe Simpson’s autobiography This Game of Ghosts he gives a tense account of an accident on the Dru in the early 1980s. A bivi ledge collapsed, leaving Simpson and his climbing partner dangling from a dodgy peg and staring at a two thousand foot drop. They spent twelve hours hanging there. “It was not [...]
How To: Indoor Climbing and Training
Winter can be a frustrating time for rock climbers. As the nights begin to draw in and temperatures cool down, it becomes harder to get out on rock as often as you’ve become used to through the summer. For many, the balance between outdoor and indoor climbing will have to shift towards pulling on plastic [...]
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