Hiking, Scrambling, Mountaineering, and Climbing

damn. glad you're ok.

I would really recommend a Petzl Ride axe if you go anywhere near snow. It weighs almost nothing and pairs nicely with lightweight crampons. fits beautifully in a HMG 2400 front pocket.

in 2019 it saved me from breaking both my legs.

Thanks guys. In all honesty, it has scared me a lot and I shan't be hiking in the snow any time soon - because in reality, it's not hiking anymore, it's mountaineering and while I have a lot of snow experience from skiing, I don't have wilderness snow experience. I wouldn't even consider going back out there until I am way more equipped and have taken mountaineering classes/am with a guide.

Oof, that sounds (and looks) fucking gnarly and terrifying. I did a winter skills course about ten years ago, one lad doing it just could not get the ice axe arrest at all. Like he just could not get the coordination right. Over and over the instructor worked with him one on one, trying to get him to turn onto the axe. Couldn't do it.

At the end of the day we were walking back down the mountain down some very icy steps all still had crampons and axe in hand, this guy actually slipped off the path and started to slide on his back down the hill to the side of the path, heading for a drop off. He got his axe in and turned onto it, managed to save himself, when it really fucking mattered he did it. Never forget that, the guy was in total shock, could have been a really nasty situation.

I had a similar issue too. Knee pain brought on by walking, particularly descents, but also walking up stairs became very painful. Also diagnosed as tight IT pulling my patella out of line. Also helped a lot by physio and stretching. However as far as footwear goes I now only wear shoes with decent arch support which normally means throwing my own insole in. If I wear vans, sandals etc for a day then my knees are in agony by the end of it. I haven't looked into the 'science' of barefoot style shoes, but I would imagine speaking to a specialist who can analyse your gait etc would be more useful than just buying new shoes semi-blind.

Thanks dude, I'll certainly look into this. I have flat feet so despite YouTube telling me barefoot shoes can 'fix' this, I won't be rushing into anything. Cheers

Sensible approach. If there is one thing I have learned about niggles over the years, its that equipment is rarely the root cause and therefore rarely the solution.

Can confirm these are fantastic for those with wider feet. Did the Five Sisters ridge in Glen Shiel wearing them in October, they were perfect for 99% of it, descent path was v muddy and I did slip once but apart from that so much nicer than boots.

What's the sizing like on these out of interest? Usual size or half a size up?

No, I use Altra's. Found Innov8 were too narrow for my feet, though I know a lot of people rate their trail shoes for grip and durability.

True to size I say. I wear a 10.5 in basically every shoe, including cycling shoes. I dunno what you have to compare them to, but I wear a 10.5 USA MiUSA NB 99* and also take a 10.5 in the Altra.

Good to know, ta. I'm normally a 10.5 on average

Oh and I should add - even though my feet are like planks, I take a standard width Altra. It's my toe box that needs the width and boy are they wide. All 10.5, but the NB are actually a 10.5EE. And the Altra's are still wider in the toe box than those. And as wide as Crocs. So good.

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So I don't have particularly wide feet but apparently the toes being able to splay is what promotes foot strength. Or something!

I hear good things about Altras, Inov8 a good fit for me, skinny feet but allowing toes room upfront.

Gnarly. Glad you’re not only alive but intact.

IANAD, but from personal experience deep scabs on hands hurt like a mf when they get dry. Particularly if the wound edges are dry and cracking with movement, it’s like being cut with a scalpel. I’ve had good results lessening this pain with sterile ointment, keeping sharp hard edges moist.

Thanks. Yes, I thought at first that letting them dry out was the right thing to do, but upon further reading, keeping it moist and covered was right, otherwise I couldn't bend my thumbs and if I did by accident, as you say, it was like being cut with a scalpel. I also had to keep them elevated for the first week and a half at all times - including trying to while asleep. I was walking around like a T-Rex - ha. Otherwise blood would flow to them and they'd just throb like a motherfucker.

Sounds awful.

I wouldn't want to see what somebody would look like after sliding down a few hundred meters of glacier!

Anyone got a length of retired (ie too many falls) climbing rope they'd be happy to part with? I'm looking for something as a training lead for my dog.

would also love some, can collect in london area

You could always ask a local gym, they replace their fixed ropes quite often and I’m sure they’d be happy to give you a length. (Health and safety jobsworths notwithstanding)

Ooh, will check. I might have some longer lengths of half rope ready to be repurposed. They've taken a hammering (getting soaked and shocked/ dragged over sharp ice during crevasse rescue training) but will be fine for dog leads.

Just read a fact that blew my mind a bit. It was in an article talking about K2 with Reinhold Messner.

Apparently you could fit 84 Matterhorns into K2. Is it just me, or is that sort of scale literally impossible to imagine?

Totally impossible to imagine. I don’t think heli shots, drone shots, photos can do the scale of these mountains justice. That’s wild.

GoOutdoors sell it by length.

Cheap climbing shoes
https://www.mandmdirect.com/02/fts/?search=five+ten