Hiking, Scrambling, Mountaineering, and Climbing

cheers, just got a pair of dragons!

if anyone's in need of a size guide EpicTV has a tool to give an estimate based on your current shoes example .

Thanks, just got a couple pairs. Can also get 15% cashback if you’re a new m&m customer on topcashback. PM if anyone wants a referral.

I'm just back from Glencoe, got up to about 900m and at that point it was impossible to stand and we were on our hands and knees. It got exponentially stronger too so just 15m lower it was 'fine'

Insane winds today. Would have been pretty dangerous on the Munros?

At 900m it was dangerous and we just turned around and walked back to the car. Just below that it was windy but fine for walking

I had my first experience ice climbing last week. 5 of us went with a guide for the day and it was so much fun! By the afternoon I was confident enough in my skill to ask the guide if I could lead a pitch. He let me, and it felt pretty sketchy until half way up the pitch he appeared next to me having just soloed up the 5m to the ledge I was at. Placing the screws is fun, although I was close to dropping almost every single one trying to get them started. Balancing the pressure and screwing is more difficult than I had expected. Here's a pic the guide took, worth paying him just for making me look good! Definitely re-ignited the drive to do more climbing outside this summer, hopefully I can get a few decent multipitch routes done.

1 Attachment

Awesome, ice climbing always sounds incredibly sketchy to me

Looks ace, where did you do it? Glencoe?

No, just down the road from where I live in Switzerland.

It always did to me too, but actually felt surprisingly solid once you trust the gear. Hanging on an axe feels badass, as well as having pointy spikes on your toes.

Did you find it unnerving how quickly ice screws loosen up and start to wobble out?

The first time I used them it gave me the fear! On a glacier in summer, you can only really trust one for 20 minutes if it's not buried in snow to keep it cool!

Or does that even happen in winter of the temps are low enough? Maybe not!

This forum thread suggests it only happens on sunny or warmer days. https://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/winter_climbing/ice_screws_'melting_out'_on_sunny_days-432580

For those who are unfamiliar, if you fix an ice screw when it's sunny or the air temperature is close to or above freezing, it immediately starts to melt out. In August 2020, with air temps of about 2 or 3 degrees, we only had 20 minutes before screws could no longer take weight. Clearly less of an issue in winter.

I didn't notice that specifically, as we were just on a single pitch and anchoring on fixed gear at the top, so screws only stayed in whilst the pitch was led and then a top rope established.
But I tried placing a screw into an old hole and immediately noticed how loose it was and realised on my own, without having to ask the guide, that it was a very bad idea.
The guide only told me off once, and that was for using both hands to place a screw when I was stood on a very secure ledge. He said that no matter how secure your feet feel, you should always keep a hand on just in case you slip or wobble. You don't want to end up without your axes, and it's harder to grab them in a panic than a normal rock hold.

I was amazed at the variety of ice even in a small section of wall. Having 'granita' i.e. ice where water is running over the top so it's quite soft, is great for getting tools placed securely, but blocks up screws really easily. More 'cauliflowered' ice makes it difficult to place your feet securely because crampon spikes are quite short, but can be quite nice for axe placements. I learnt so much in one day, I want to get back out and put it to use so it's properly embedded in my brain and I don't just forget.

I was amazed at the variety of ice even in a small section of wall.

I find it really grounding when trying a new flavour of mountain sport. So much specialist knowledge required for each. The depth of understanding that one person can have about vertical ice is something that is hard to understand until you've seen the knowledge in action! Same can be said for the true snow heads who understand the crystals in the snowpack like its basic maths.

Nikwax and Paramo founder Nick Brown hands company to its employees

Nice gesture if a little warm and odd colour scheme...

Super cool @chiroshi - I am way too much of a scaredy cat to try ice climbing. I mean, I've never even tried climbing in the dry but that is very badass.

Are you wearing ski boots? What was it like climbing in those?

Are you wearing ski boots?

B3's for C3 crampons surely?

Shrug. Looks like there's ski boot buckles on the outside of them. And you can get ski boot crampons hence the question.

FYI I have no idea what I'm talking about.

I guess. Solid unflexible sole shared I think?

I'm not a skier but if there are bindings that share/duplicate a ski and C3 crampon design I'd not be unsurprised.

Given that dry tooling has taken off, I wouldn't be suprised if something like ice climbing in ski boots becomes a thing at some point!

Speaking of climbing. How does one recommend I begin? With a climbing class or with a bouldering class? REI run climbing classes which sound fun, but not sure if it makes more sense to learn about using your body etc via bouldering first? There's a shit load of good climbing centers here.

A mix of both? Most indoor walls have bouldering/climbing/auto-belay.

I joined my local outdoors group and the local climbing wall knew him so were happy to let him teach me to tie in/belay/ 'be safe' rather than their own instructor.

I'd get friendly with people you can meet regularly and climb with. You need to develop trust with the person on the other end of the rope.

I was wearing Dalbello Lupo ski boots. They’re nice in that you can remove the tongues so the range of motion is pretty good. Not ideal as you lose a bit of flexibility but as pointed out, you need rigid soles for fitting crampons. I don’t have mountaineering boots, so ski boots are a second best option.