Crampon advice
Jeff Wiley
I'm thinking of escaping to the mountains for Christmas. It's been a
pretty crappy year - wife left me in September, now I've just learned
I'm going to be made redundant in the new year, so I could do with
some solitude and time to think, get away from it all... I've decided
to head to the Cairngorns tomorrow and camp out and do some walking
till new year.
Obviously I'll buy a compass in case I need it. I walk most weekends
on the South Downs, but don't really have much experience walking in
snow. Would crampons be useful? Do they come in different sizes? Any
advice on what to get appreciated, and any other suggestions for gear
(I'm going to head to Argos late this afternoon, so before then would
be good)
Thanks & merry Xmas to those as are looking forward to it :-/
~Jeff
nm...@cam.ac.uk
I very, VERY strongly advise you to choose another location. I am
experienced and have kit suitable for -10 Celsius at night, despite
my poor ability to take cold. All I would need to buy is some warm
gloves and a balaclava. I wouldn't even contemplate going near the
Cairngorms at this time of year with the sort of weather we are
having. There are regular posters here who might, but they all have
a lot more relevant experience than I do. And Argos isn't exactly
a supplier of equipment for bad conditions.
There are lots of less lethal locations where you will see nobody,
such as the fairly low and flat ground between Helmsdale and Thurso.
Or Rannoch Moor, or even the Lowlands (e.g. Galloway Forest).
Crampons are irrelevant for snow, and are needed only for ice.
Regards,
Nick Maclaren.
Theo
"Jeff Wiley" <jeff....@suremail.info> schreef in bericht
news:cec7e4c7-88cd-4b0b...@m25g2000yqc.googlegroups.com...
I'm heading for the Sahara tomorrow. Do I need a compass ? Would an Irn Bru
be usefull ?
Theo
Mike
Sorry to hear all your bad news .... forget the mountains and try more
alcohol .. works for me :-)
Trust me ... I am a Doctor.
Mike P
Mike Clark
nm...@cam.ac.uk wrote:
> In article <cec7e4c7-88cd-4b0b...@m25g2000yqc.googlegroups.com>,
> Jeff Wiley <jeff....@suremail.info> wrote:
> >
> > I'm thinking of escaping to the mountains for Christmas. It's been a
> > pretty crappy year - wife left me in September, now I've just
> > learned I'm going to be made redundant in the new year, so I could
> > do with some solitude and time to think, get away from it all...
> > I've decided to head to the Cairngorns tomorrow and camp out and do
> > some walking till new year.
> >
> > Obviously I'll buy a compass in case I need it. I walk most weekends
> > on the South Downs, but don't really have much experience walking in
> > snow. Would crampons be useful? Do they come in different sizes? Any
> > advice on what to get appreciated, and any other suggestions for
> > gear (I'm going to head to Argos late this afternoon, so before then
> > would be good)
This is either a naive poster or it's an attempted wind-up!
>
> I very, VERY strongly advise you to choose another location.
I definitely agree with that suggestion. Camping out in the winter in
Scotland, particularly the Cairngorms with little previous experience of
winter mountaineering is probably not a good idea. Given the questions
about crampons it suggests to me that the poster also probably has no or
little knowledge of the use of an ice-axe. Essentially at this time of
year in mountainous areas in Scotland I'd be carrying an ice-axe and
crampons (and in my case possibly touring skis), together with bivvy
gear.
> I am experienced and have kit suitable for -10 Celsius at night,
> despite my poor ability to take cold. All I would need to buy is some
> warm gloves and a balaclava. I wouldn't even contemplate going near
> the Cairngorms at this time of year with the sort of weather we are
> having. There are regular posters here who might, but they all have a
> lot more relevant experience than I do. And Argos isn't exactly a
> supplier of equipment for bad conditions.
>
> There are lots of less lethal locations where you will see nobody,
> such as the fairly low and flat ground between Helmsdale and Thurso.
> Or Rannoch Moor, or even the Lowlands (e.g. Galloway Forest).
There is also plenty of good winter walking in areas such as the Lake
District and it needn't involve any serious high level stuff if the
weather conditions are poor.
>
> Crampons are irrelevant for snow, and are needed only for ice.
>
That makes much of my use of crampons irrelevant then! There is a whole
range of conditions you can encounter in the winter mountains between
soft powder snow at one extreme and blue ice at the other. Crampons work
well on firm snow ("neve"), as well as on a firm/breakable crust caused
by thaw and freeze cycles of the top layer of snow. I've got several
pairs of crampons and they are good for different uses. My lightweight
alloy crampons that I tend to carry when ski-touring do not cope well
with pure ice but are fine for steep firm snow-slopes. In scotland I've
often found that my crampons work very well on steep frozen turf whether
covered with snow or not.
Mike
--
o/ \\ // |\ ,_ o Mike Clark
<\__,\\ // __o | \ / /\, "A mountain climbing, cycling, skiing,
"> || _`\<,_ |__\ \> | caving, antibody engineer and
` || (_)/ (_) | \corn computer user"
Tom Crispin
<jeff....@suremail.info> wrote:
The Cairngorm Plateau was where I had my first winter hillwalking
experiences. Crampons and an ice axe are certainly necessary for
winter hillwalking in the Cairngorms, but make sure you get a walking
axe and crampons, not technical ones.
If you are camping on the plateau I suggest you invest in at least six
ice screws plus snow pegs and take a good mountaineering tent and a 4
season sleeping bag. I once camped close to the summit of Aonach Mor
in February, I was glad of a decent tent and an excellent sleeping
bag. Nevertheless, it was close to a sleepless night and I doubt I
would have had any sleep at all if I hadn't had the tent firmly
anchored with good pegs and screws.
Dave
"Theo" <invalid@nospam> wrote in message
news:8e6f0$4b3205ae$5357b2a5$47...@cache100.multikabel.net...
SNIP
> I'm heading for the Sahara tomorrow. Do I need a compass ? Would an Irn
> Bru be usefull ?
>
You may struggle getting it through security unless you put it in hold
luggage. :-)
Dave
Peter Clinch
> Obviously I'll buy a compass in case I need it. I walk most weekends
> on the South Downs, but don't really have much experience walking in
> snow. Would crampons be useful? Do they come in different sizes? Any
> advice on what to get appreciated, and any other suggestions for gear
> (I'm going to head to Argos late this afternoon, so before then would
> be good)
Sounds like a bit of a wind up, but if not then only stick to Plan
A if you've decided it's so bad you want to end it all. Note the
lack of smileys in this message, it's quite deliberate.
Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net p.j.c...@dundee.ac.uk http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
IanT
"Jeff Wiley" <jeff....@suremail.info> wrote in message
news:cec7e4c7-88cd-4b0b...@m25g2000yqc.googlegroups.com...
> Hi
>
> I'm thinking of escaping to the mountains for Christmas. It's been a
> pretty crappy year - wife left me in September, now I've just learned
> I'm going to be made redundant in the new year, so I could do with
> some solitude and time to think, get away from it all... I've decided
> to head to the Cairngorns tomorrow and camp out and do some walking
> till new year.
>
will solve anything. You might get hypothermia!
Think about it - are you better off without your wife and glad to see the
back of her and are you that bothered. Put all your effort in to finding a
new job and stick two fingers up to your ex-wife and ex-employer.
> Obviously I'll buy a compass in case I need it. I walk most weekends
> on the South Downs, but don't really have much experience walking in
> snow. Would crampons be useful? Do they come in different sizes? Any
> advice on what to get appreciated, and any other suggestions for gear
> (I'm going to head to Argos late this afternoon, so before then would
> be good)
>
> Thanks & merry Xmas to those as are looking forward to it :-/
>
> ~Jeff
Well Happy christmas to you too, it's very over rated and nothing to do
with religion now. It's about getting 3 cases of beer for �10 at Tesco,
stuffing yourself silly on a dead bird and spending money on presents
for people you hate and probably never see much during the year. My
local town council will not even put decorations in the town centre
as a minority group of economic migrants make a big protest about it
rather than clearing off to live in a country they feel more comfortable in.
Seriously, I do wish you luck with finding a new job.
Jhimmy
"Jeff Wiley" <jeff....@suremail.info> wrote in message
news:cec7e4c7-88cd-4b0b...@m25g2000yqc.googlegroups.com...
You'll find it exhilerating. The dangers are enormous but are surmountable
with courage and determination. Skill can only be gleemed by experience and
in many cases tragedy. To find the right path is to climb one's self to a
higher plain is an achievement to be proud. Never mind others laughing at
you in the face of adversity. Take one day at a time. One step gets you
closer to your goal. Good luck on your adventure to Argos, it's mad out
there in them car parks.
Jhimmy
Paul J. Keenan
> Would crampons be useful? Do they come in different sizes? Any advice on
> what to get appreciated, and any other suggestions for gear (I'm going
> to head to Argos late this afternoon, so before then would be good)
I often shop at Argos specifically because of their extensive range of
crampons.
--
pjk
Hiking Holty
And quaility sleeping bags :)
Dont do it mate
Go and find solitude in the Lake District to sort your mind out. use
YHA so you stay safe, if possible.
Merry Christmas
Surfer!
<cec7e4c7-88cd-4b0b...@m25g2000yqc.googlegroups.com>,
Jeff Wiley <jeff....@suremail.info> writes
I guess you want to end it all... I'm not sure freezing to death would
be my choice though.
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/he/aviemore_latest_weather.html
http://www.phy.hw.ac.uk/resrev/aws/awsgraph.htm
--
Surfer!
sandy saunders
> pretty crappy year - wife left me in September, now I've just learned
> I'm going to be made redundant in the new year, so I could do with
> some solitude and time to think, get away from it all... I've decided
> to head to the Cairngorns tomorrow and camp out and do some walking
> till new year.
Sounds a bit sad about your pre-cChristams bad news ..... but the news could
we even worse if you go ahead with your plan.
The scottish highlands are no place to be camping/walking at this time of
year based on your 'stated' expereince.
> Obviously I'll buy a compass in case I need it. I walk most weekends
> on the South Downs, but don't really have much experience walking in
> snow. Would crampons be useful? Do they come in different sizes? Any
> advice on what to get appreciated, and any other suggestions for gear
> (I'm going to head to Argos late this afternoon, so before then would
> be good)
Compass is great .... but you need to know what to do with it, as with
crampons. However, doubt that you will get Crampons from Argos!!!!!
Sounds a great idea Jeff ............ but stick to the South Downs for the
moment. Try wild camping at Newhouse Farm at East Dean, West Sussex. No
need for compass, crampons etc, and a reasonable tent/sleeping bag should
do. Water tap at a trough, any hole for a toilet in the woods, and
campfires are encouraged. Great location ....... and safer than the
Cairngorms!
--
Sandy Saunders @ www.thewalkzone.co.uk
'Mountains or Mole Hills, summiting
still brings the same excitement!'