You are reading a single comment by @frankenbike and its replies.
Click here to read the full conversation.
-
Cheers, might get some of those then... Maybe with poles and an axe they're enough for the walks I'm interested in
We saw some folks similarly underprepared, one guy in skinny jeans and a girl with basically a handbag for a rucksack. They were sensible and turned back before it got too hairy.
We also saw tracks where someone without crampons/ice axe had slid right down to the bottom of that very steep snowy slope we were traversing in my pictures. There were footprints back onto the path lower down so they made it out fine but it must have been a massive slide, maybe 100m vertical!
Happened here
1 Attachment
-
frankenbike
There were maybe 3 or 4 sections yesterday where we really could have done with crampons. It wasn't impossible, where we were there were no big run offs and if you'd slipped you wouldn't fall far. We just took our time. Worst bit really was where previously on the way up it was very very hard packed snow and solid ice, it turned very slushy as the sun was on it.
I do have C1 crampons for my B1 winter boots but unless I know its going to be severe winter weather, I use the Kahtoolah Microspikes instead. I was wearing trail shoes for most of it then swapped to Vivo Barefoot boots and was fine.
There was however a young lad going up Ben Lawers on his hands and knees. Wearing slip on Vans, a cheap woolie jumper and some shitty gloves. We were like er no get yourself back down this fucking hill. He was like nah I'll be alright. We were like OK, your life whatever. We spoke to two guys who were coming down, all the gear, proper equipped etc. Mentioned this kid, saying even if he manages to get up , he'll never get down again. They were like, right we'll speak to him. We didn't see him so assume they told him to go down. Absolutely insane.