Buachaille Etive Mor’s curved ridge

I’m sure I am not alone when I say that the tales about Buachaille Etive Mor’s curved ridge are enough to scare most hill walkers into opting for the more straight forward path. Now I am here to try and describe the route and reassure those of you reading this that it is not as bad as many tales would lead you to believe.   

Finding curved ridge is relatively easy if you take your time and keep an eye out for a few landmarks. The first landmark to look for is the Water Slab. Approaching from Rannoch Moor, there is a car-park immediately after the Glen Etive turnoff. Years gone by this was the preferred parking point for climbers doing the Rannoch Wall and other climbs in that region path goes out the back of this car-park and heads in a straight line across the River Coupall and directly to the Water Slab. Unfortunately this car park is far from ideal for those that do not wish to do Curved Ridge and descend the same way. The preferred car park is the one a little further up the road at Altnafeadh. From this car park there is a path which leads towards the little white cottage. Follow this path over a bridge, passed the cottage until you reach a fork. Turn left at the fork in the path this path rises gently as it contours around the bottom of Stob Dearg towards Glen Etive. You cross a couple of wet gullies these are not the water slab there is a fool proof way of finding the water slab from this path, remember at the start I mentioned the other car park which had a path leading straight to the water slab well simply keep following the main path until it meets the other one coming up from that car park. 

Path leading towards cottage from Altnafeadh Car park

The fork in the path past the cottage

Heading up the path towards Glen Etive and the water slab

Heading up the path towards Glen Etive and the water slab

The water slab!!

The path leading up from the old climbers car park

Next walk about 10m passed the water slab and head up a wide scree gulley of cream coloured stone. Avoid going left up this gully as this will take you away from where you want to be and make things harder. Keep going up the scree until you find any decent path which goes to the right and back over the top of the Water Slab which by this time is way below where you are keep following this route which should take you steadily up and to the right until you are at a point just below and to the right of the Rannoch Wall which is easily identified as a sheer wall of rock detached from the bulky North Buttress. Curved Ridge is to the immediate left of this. However, you have to bear in mind that you are looking at both the Rannoch Wall and Curved Ridge almost end on and this makes identification more difficult. Now make your way up towards the Rannoch Wall and the route ahead will be clear to see. The rest of the route is clearly marked by shiny rock and crampon scratch marks.

Here are some more photos that I took which should guide you up the ridge.

The route ahead onto the curved ridge

Did I mention follow the scratch marks!

Next stage

Looking down in the direction of where we have come from

Next stage

Once again looking down in the direction of where we have come from

The last wee bit you can actually see the path to the top from this point

My old trusty Blacks tent

Over the past months I have been looking to buy a new tent as the pressure to keep up with the Joneses has been getting to me slightly. For the last 15 years I have been camping in a bright red Blacks 2 man dome weighing in at just over 2KG. I kid you not this tent has been amazing it has been used in temperatures below -5^oC and in winds exceeding 60mph and has survived without so much as a loose thread. Now if my memory serves me right this tent cost around £20 as I said earlier 15 years ago so I’m guessing that equates to something like £30 in today’s money.   

So knowing that I currently have this tent that has served me very well all these years it is hard to decide what to replace it with when most of the reviews I have looked at all comment on the materials being thin and ripping/puncturing early on in their life. Ok I know an additional foot print can be used to protect the ground sheet but does this not raise the question why not make the ground sheet thick enough to start with? I know that the reason for the thin materials is all about saving weight but still does weight saving have to be so drastic that you end up with a tent that does not stand the test of time.

I truly intended to write this post talking about what new tents excite me but ended up rambling on about my old tent. Maybe that tells me something... perhaps I should hold on to my old friend for a little longer until she finally starts to leak or develops some other kind of fault. In the mean time I will continue to look at others with their expensive tents and watch them collapse in high winds or leak from the floor and think to myself that was a good £20 I spent 15 years ago!

Climbing in portugal

I have been lucky enough be have been rock climbing a few times in Portugal. To date the best crags I have been to have been from Lisbon southwards.  The crags in the north of Portugal seem to be climbed less often and so are very dirty and in some cases almost impossible to safely climb.

The best Topo Guide I have found for Portugal is Jingo Wobbly Topo-|Guides Portugal http://www.amazon.co.uk/PortugalTopo-Guide . Additionally I have found some other Topo's by searching the internet high and low such as this one

and this website www.topos.pt has some nice topos.

Now a quick list of the crags I have been to and what I thought of them:


Rocha da Pena - The best word to describe this crag is awesome. I love this crag as it has a good selection of climbing grades and lots of them to keep you busy all day.A minimum of a 60m rope should be taken to this crag.

Sintra - A great place to climb with nice cool winds which stop this location from becoming too hot. a word of warning some of the routs are long and so a minimum of a 80m rope may be required so check which routs you might want to climb before heading out and go equipped with the right rope.

Serra Da Azola - An interesting crag (see attached Topo above) and one I intend to explore more. there are lots of good positive holds and nice technical moves on the routes. at the moment I can't say much more but I will write an update once I have explored this crag more. 

A Guide that I have met out in Portugal and that owns a company which offers a wide range of expeditions and climbing sessions can be found at  lifeoutside.pt. they are very helpful and willing to help so if you have any questions about anything give them a shout.

Could Beetroot turn you into a superhero?

First of all I would like to start this article by stating that I went into this experiment as an all out sceptic. I normally need extensive scientific evidence to back up any clam before I will give it a go. It all started about four months ago when I saw on a television program on which a researcher was calming that drinking Beetroot Juice can increases an athlete’s stamina. Shortly after this statement I lunged across the sofa reaching for my tablet to see if I could find any scientific evidence regarding this statement. The Name that seemed be associated with this research is a Dr Stephen Bailey from the university of Exeter. He claims by drinking 0.5 Litre of beetroot juice a day the high levels of nitrite found in beetroot juice reduces the cost of oxygen by up to 10% during exercise which means the energy demand at a particular work rate is lower. Further tests were taken where athletes were asked to exercise to exhaustion, on average the time to exhaustion is extended by between 15 to 20% by drinking 0.5Litre of beetroot juice.
A few days passed and I found myself doing the weekly shop at a well known supermarket where I spotted Beetroot juice on the shelf next to the fruit juices. I pondered over buying a carton for a moment before thinking “hey it’s worth a go just for a bit of fun”. On arriving home I filled up a glass and knocked it back, first impressions were that of confusion it seemed weird to have the taste of something that I associate with a solid food stuff normally found swimming around in a jar of pickle. Second impression was that this is defiantly something I has prepared to try. And so the personal test had started.
Day two I started the day as normal with breakfast with the addition of a glass of beetroot juice followed by my morning visit to the bathroom before heading off out to work. On using the facilities within the bathroom I became aware that my urine was not its normal colour instead it was a strong pink colour. This was aforementioned as a side effect on both the carton of beetroot juice and in some of the documentation that I had found online. After work I went for my usual one hour cycle, I returned home feeling a tired as I would normally feel after the same training exercise without being on beetroot juice but still willing to give this experiment a bit of time I re hydrated with another glass of beetroot juice. I was now hitting the magical 0.5liter daily allowance where I should start to see an effect.
Day three again the same ritual but this time while out for my training cycle I did feel different especially at the hill sections there was just a feeling that I still had a bit more fuel in my tank. But I still did not really acknowledge the effect as this could have simply been down to wind direction or generally having a better day.
Day four once again my normal morning ritual and again while I was out cycling I felt like I had more energy on the hill sections and on returning home I did not feel a tired as I would normally feel. This experiment was looking like it might actually be working.
Day five by this time I’m sure you have gathered I am a creature of habit and follow the same ritual every morning. But this time rather than doing my normal one hour training run I thought I would take my mountain bike for a long cycle 72miles to be exact. Once again while out I felt a noticeable feeling of more energy and by the time I had passed out the west side of Perth I noticed that I was a whole 15min faster than I would normally be. On returning back home my legs did not have that normal wobbly feeling as they would normally have after such a cycle instead they felt relatively normal. The time in which I had completed the cycle route I was a whole 25min faster than I had ever achieved before. It was at this point I was convinced that Beetroot juice does work as a means of improving stamina and I was satisfied that there was some truth in the statements made by Dr Stephen Bailey. I continued to drink beetroot juice for another week before I finally stopped drinking beetroot juice. The main reason that I have not continued for drink beetroot juice is mainly down to the taste, it was a taste that I personally could not get used to long term and latterly did not enjoy drinking. From my experience there is defiantly an effect and that it could be used as a training aid and perhaps as an aid in a competition to try and give you a competitive edge and I highly recommend others to try it but the taste simply was not something I could endure long term.
So coming back to the title of this article could Beetroot turn you into a superhero... well probably not literally unless you call having pink urine a super power but from my experience it does appear to give the feeling of having more energy. I recommend to anyone reading this article that is looking to boost their energy levels while training to give beetroot juice a go, if you can tolerate the taste you might be surprised by the effects.

Food

Everyone's favourite subject here I will share any interesting findings related to food.

Walking and Rock Climbing Abroad

On this page I will illustrate and provide information on my adventures abroad.

Other UK Walks

On this page I will illustrate other UK walks I have done.

Munro Bagging

On this page I will illustrate my Munro bagging adventures and routes using photos and maybe some words.

Reviews Page

On this page I will review mountaineering gear and anything else I feel is relevant

sleeping bags for winter camping or sleeping on Kilimanjaro

People often find getting a new sleeping bag a confusing and stressful task, I have been asked loads of times about sleeping bags and to be honest there is no right or wrong answer as it is a very personal thing. There are however a few things we can do to make a sleeping bag work in just about any conditions. when I have been camping at altitude for instance on Kilimanjaro or on the cairngorm plateau in winter my base sleeping bag is a Rab Alpine 600 which I find to be warm enough in almost every condition that I have found myself in. should I find myself feeling cold I top up my bad by pulling my down jacket inside and using it as a floating blanket inside my sleeping bag. My partner prefers to use a synthetic 3 season bag with a light 1 season bag inside she will argue that not only is this a cheaper option but reduces dead air spaces within the bag. My opinion although she is right I feel the increased weight penalty of carrying two synthetic bags around is not justifiable when there are lighter options. I am not being obsessive about weight for nothing as you will read shortly.

Something that a lot of people don't give sufficient thought about in my opinion is their sleeping mattress. I always use a Thermorest Trail Pro the extra thickness gives much better insulation from the cold ground than thinner mattress and it levels out little humps and bumps that little bit better. unfortunately there is a small weight penalty for the extra thickness but I argue if you are going to all the bother of insulating above what is the point of having a cold back! there has been a few arguments at night between my partner and I as she try's to steal my mattress during the night as she has been suffering from the cold due to the conductive properties of the ground through a thinner mattress. The temperatures have used this setup range from -18C in Scotland to -20C on Kilimanjaro.

Something that I always do and others have laughed at me for this but before I go to bed I run round the tent a few times just to get some heat up but not enough to start sweating just as if you do this you will quickly warm up when you get into your sleeping bag.

I will stop there as I fear I might make more questions than answers

Kilimanjaro kit list

I have been asked loads of times since I went up Kilimanjaro about my kit list and it surprises me how people try to take clothing for every eventuality when a few key items are all you need. Layering is the key to warmth and light weight travel for example rather than taking three different gloves of varying warmth just take an merino wool pair and a set of synthetic fill gloves- the merino wool gloves for the cool stages, synthetic fill gloves for cold stages and for the extremely cold stages (summit night) wear the merino gloves under your synthetic gloves. A similar concept can be applied to jackets, trousers, feet etc.

here is a copy of my kit list:

1.       1xMountain equipment classic lightline Down jacket (only used on summit night over Rab Photon Jacket)

2.       1x Rab Photon Hoodie Jacket (Primaloft) (used a lot around camp and as a mid layer on summit night)

3.       1x Rab Latok Alpine jacket (used a lot over base layer to block out rain)

4.       1x Rab alpine 600 sleeping bag (kept me very warm every night)

5.       1x Berghaus waterproof over trousers

6.       1x RAB Icefall Gauntlet gloves (used on summit night)

7.       1x Mountain equipment wool hat (used a lot at night around camp and on summit night)

8.       1x Columbia Roc II Booney sun hat (used on higher slopes when sunny)

9.       1x Bloc Cat. 3 sunglasses

10.    5x thin inner socks

11.    3x thick wool socks

12.    3x pants

13.    2x Icebreaker 150

14.    1x Icebreaker 260

15.    1x Helly Hansen Prowool trouser Baselayer (only used on summit night)

16.    2x bear Grylls/ craghopper walking trousers

17.    1x craghopper lined walking trousers (only used on summit night)

18.    Asolo Imperial Gv boots

19.    1x Gelert Hot Pad Hand Warmer Twin Pack (used inside my gloves on summit night)

20.    1x High five, Zero Highs electrolyte sports drink tablets

21.    1x 1L Sigg alu bottle with neoprene cover

22.    1x 2L cammelbak classic

23.    1x berghaus freeflow 36 +8 backpack

24.    1x pair of Leki walking poles

25.    2x packs of Life systems Chlorine Dioxide tablets (I treated all water I drank)

26.    1x Petzl Charlet Tikka 2 Plus head torch plus extra batteries

27.    1x tooth brush

28.    1x tooth paste

29.    2x packs of baby wipes

30.    1x 100ml dry wash hand cleaner

31.    5x 250mg Diamox tablets (half a tablet in the morning half in the evening)

32.    1x camera plus extra batteries

33.    Selection of dry bags

34.    1x 90L north face duffel bag

35.    1x The North Face Base Camp Seat Companion wallet

36.    1x spare boot laces (also handy to make a washing line to dry clothes at night)

37.    1x first aid kit (selection of plasters for blisters and cuts, bandage, zinc tape, paracetamol, Imodium, scissors, antiseptic cream and gaffa tape)

38.    1x bottle of factor 25 sun cream

39.    3x packets of jelly babies

40.    12x whole grain bars

41.    1x small padlock

42.    $150 US dollers for tips and spending money

43.    3x zip lock freezer bags (to store passport, insurance papers, mobile phone etc)

 

44.    1x thermorest trail pro (only needed if you are staying in tents as huts have mattresses although this should be checked with your travel guide)

 

Total weight 13.5kg

I also recommend for people going to high altitude to have a quick read of this booklet

http://www.medex.org.uk/v26%20booklet.pdf

Grivel Air Tech Classic

The Grivel Air Tech Classic is a 12 point crampon that comes with antibott plates. These crampons are made from chromolly steel which makes them both strong and light weighing in at around 888g. I have been using these crampons for three years now and I can’t fault them they are quick and easy to pop on and are wearing very well considering they occasionally hit off rocks. This crampon retails for around £135 but I have seen them for £90 in sales and on line so keep your eyes peeled and snap up a bargain. The Air Tech is easily sharpened when you lose a point and easily disassembled to aid drying and oiling before popping into storage.  

At the start of this season I bought a pair of Grivel Monta Rosa for my partner and she has been more than happy with them they retail at around £60-£80 and come equipped with antibott plates apart from only having 10 points there are only very subtle differences such as thinner straps and being made from carbon steel. After one season the Monta Rosa crampon seems to be wearing well and my partner has reported that they give good performance.

At half the price of the air tech this might be a consideration if all you intend to do is gentile climbing although if you are like me and look for a little more than traction on gentle slopes the Air Tech is for you and will give years of good performance.

Asolo Sherpa GV

The Asolo Sherpa GV boot a B2 boot with a lot to offer and can be found at very competitive prices when compared to boots of the same standard. The Sherpa comes with Water-resistant Perwanger leather which is between 2.2-2.4mm thick, a Gore-Tex lining and an Asolo/Vibram Ascent sole with PU attachments for semi-automatic crampons. The upper part of this boot is made from one piece of leather that helps to ensure the boot remains waterproof and hard wearing. A double tongue helps with ensuring that this boot gives maximum comfort all day.

T
he Sherpa can be compared with Britain’s favourite winter boot the Scarpa Manta which sports similar features but there are two points that I feel gives the Sherpa the edge over the Manta and they are the presence of a Gore-Tex lining and that the Sherpa can generally be found at a £40 lower price.

The Sherpa’s toe structure is more designed for climbing which some might find makes the boot feel unstable when walking. Personally I have not found this but I have heard others report this feeling.

So to conclude this is another great offering from Asolo for the winter walker that wants a boot to use in winter conditions and a boot I look forward to many years of service from.

Berghaus Freeflow 35+8 rucksack

The Berghaus 35 + 8 Freeflow rucksack is a great all round rucksack I have had this one for 3 years now and it has been used most days I have used this bag mountain biking, walking out in the hills and to carry my climbing rack. This bag comes with the Freeflow system which makes the back section of the bag very breathable by allowing air to flow freely between the bag and the users back.

This rucksack comes equipped with the usual compression straps and wand pockets the newer versions have a slightly different way of attaching walking poles and ice axes which from what I can see will work just as effectively as the Velcro loops used on this bag. This bag also has its own rain cover which is stored in a small pocket above the carry loop. The rain cover gives good performance and is easily attached when needed. I have a tendency to run quite hot when cycling or when out walking so sweat between my back and by rucksack has been a problem with previous and other rucksacks but the freeflow system as used in this rucksack have completely stopped this problem. The freeflow system is not without its problems because of the shape of the bag the transport of long straight objects such as tent poles cannot be carried inside the bag. The way I have gotten around this in the past is to attach them to the outside of the bag either using the walking pole attachments or by threading threw the compression straps and sitting the ends of the poles into a wand pocket. The pocket in the front with the waterproof zip is big enough to carry a OS map which is handy and saves time compared to looking for a map in the main compartment. There is also a hydration pocket on this rucksack which allows a hydration pack to be attached if desired.  

This has to be my favourite rucksack to date and it will be a sad day when I have to retire it but by the looks of things that won’t be for many years.

Tiso Ice Axe

The Tiso Ice axe is a general purpose B (basic) rated walking axe that is available in five different lengths 50, 55, 60, 65 and 70cm. The Tiso axe comes equipped with a Grivel Nepal head which is a carbon-steel head which features a classically inclined pick with teeth along half its length which is hot, drop forged in one piece, then the stamped shovel is welded to it. There is also a rubber grip at the end of the shaft which aids grip and a lengthy leash. The 70cm axe weights in at 475g and comes with rubber point guards. This axe is very similar to the Grivel Nepal S.A. with the only differences that I can see being the different leash and shaft colouring. The Tiso Ice axe retails at £60 which is £15 cheaper than the comparable Grivel Nepal S.A. which retails at £75.

I have used this axe for two seasons now and have found it to be more than adequate for most hill walkers the only problems I have had are related to the leach. For me the leach is slightly too short for my liking and the buckle what attaches the leach to the head of the axe has released itself on a few occasions due to the shortness of the webbing going through the buckle.

Casio SGW-300HB-3AVER thermometer, altimeter & barometer watch

This watch packs lots of interesting features as listed below:

Altimeter - A pressure sensor detects changes in the air pressure and converts the result into an altitude up to 10,000 m.

Thermometer - A sensor measures the ambient temperature around the watch and displays it in °C (-10°C /+60°C)

LED Light - A Light-emitting diode (LED) is used to illuminate the watch face.

5 Daily Alarms - The daily alarm reminds you about recurring events with an acoustic signal at the time you have set. You can also activate hourly time signals (each hour). This model has 5 independent alarms.

Barometer - A built-in pressure sensor measures barometric pressure, which is shown on the display.

Countdown Timer - A stopwatch that counts backwards: When 0 minutes, 0 seconds is reached, the timer emits a 10-second signal tone.

Low Temperature Resistant - The timekeeping module is designed for operation at very low temperatures. The value indicates the lowest temperature at which the module will operate.

Stopwatch - Accurate measurement of elapsed time with a touch of a button, 1/100th Sec stopwatch

Water Resistant - 100 Metre / 10 Bar, 10 Bar Water Resistant means that the module is also suitable for swimming or snorkelling

World Time - Displays the current time in major cities and specific areas around the world.

Unfortunately I have found the data from the Altimeter to be less than accurate for instance while standing on a bridge over a river which one mile downstream opens out into an estuary the watch shows  -120m above sea level, at my house where I know to be around 60m above sea level the watch reads 5m and today as I sit at my desk it reads  -45m which shows inconsistency in the readings. Unless my house is unknowingly sinking into the ground these readings are wrong. I have zeroed the watch while standing at sea level but this makes no difference to the accuracy of the readings. The thermometer seems to be reasonably accurate if you take readings without the watch being on your wrist and having been left to cool down for 20 – 30 min as described in the owner’s manual.  I have no way to test the accuracy of the barometer but I fear this setting may suffer from the same inaccuracy problems. The other settings such as the stopwatch and five individual alarms are easy to use. The display is clearly visible from all angles and in all light conditions even when using the LED light. To conclude this is a good watch if you need a waterproof watch that looks impressive but the poor accuracy and impracticality of having to remove the watch and wait up to 30 min for it to cool down before taking temperature readings makes this watch less than ideal for practical use out in the hills.

RAB Latok Alpine Jacket

The Rab Latok Alpine Jacket is a mid weight breathable waterproof jacket. This jacket is a no nonsense waterproof aimed at alpine climbers and mountaineers although is equally at home on a wet and windy Munro.

This jacket is made from three layer event fabric which is extremely breathable and water proof. I have used gore tex based jackets for many years before purchasing this jacket and I find the event fabric to be far more breathable. I have heard reports of some people having leaking problems with event fabric but to date I have had no problems. As with all almost all Rab jackets the hood rolls away and is held in place with a Velcro strap. The whole jacket weighs in at 520g and retails at around £200. From My experience of this jacket I find it to be a good fit and very comfortable to wear the only problem I had with it was one of the small plastic toggles from the elastic hood pinged off and was lost somewhere in the hills which may have been my fault but Rab customer services popped two new ones in the post to me which arrived within two days free of charge (great customer service guys).

Mountain Equipment Lightline Down Jacket

The ME Lightline down jacket is aimed at those looking for a down jacket for general mountain use, Alpine climbing and ski touring. This jacket is filled with 316g (size L) of 90/10 pure down offering a fill power of 675+ (EU rating). The hood is attached with poppers so can be easily removed, the hoot also has a wire reinforced peak. The jacket comes equipped with its own stuff sac and has a pack weight of around 770g. There are two hand warmer pockets with zip entry and cuffs are equipped with elastic and one handed Velcro closure adjustment. DriLite loft keeps this jacket wind proof and water resistant (light shower proof).

I have had this jacket since August and have worn it in various conditions (suitable for a down Jacket) and temperatures while walking in high altitude (5,895 meters) and while out doing night photography and have found it to be a very warm jacket. I would say this is an ideal jacket for walking in cold dry conditions or as a backup jacket in your pack to pull out when you reach the summits of hills to keep warm while you take in the views. I purchased this jacket for £100 which in my opinion was £100 well spent.

Mountain Equipment Guide Gloves

The ME Guide gloves are designed to be a general mountain and ski glove. The come equipped with Drilite extreme waterproof lining, a tough nylon outer shell, cowhide leather palm, soft nose wipe, elastic wrist leash, single handed drawcord closure and a fiber pile and fleece lining.

I have used these gloves in various conditions and have found them to be not especially warm this is not helped by the fact that I have been finding that my hands get wet inside the gloves. I have not managed to establish whether this is caused by poor breathability or waterproofing of the Drilite membrane or rain water is entering the glove from another location. These gloves are comfy to wear due to their pre curved design and soft lining I feel these gloves would be ideal for autumn and spring hill walking but something a little warmer would be needed for winter months.