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An evening view over the sea to Skye from Arisaig.
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Mountain Matters
Greetings!
Welcome to an occasional newsletter from West Coast Mountain Guides, highlighting news, views and opportunities for mountain adventures. This newsletter is being sent to anyone who has contacted me asking for advise on courses. mountain guiding or mountain matters over recent years. Please feel free to unsubscribe if you wish and the link for that can be found at the foot of this newsletter. However, I do hope that the content will prove interesting and encourage you to continue to look out for the West Coast Mountain Guides news. As a keen photographer I hope to inspire you with some good images. Many more photos and stories can be found at the West Coast Mountain Guides Blog
Should you have any questions, please feel free to get in touch via email and I will include your queries and hopefully some sensible answers in future newsletters.
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Mountain courses as a Christmas Gift
  Need inspiration for a novel
Christmas gift. Check out all of our courses. West Coast Mountain
Guides often receive enquiries for this type of 'pressie' and can make
up some special vouchers to behanded out on the day, either as a birthday surprise or Christmas present.We even include a signed copy of Winter Climbs to Ben Nevis and Glen Coe for free.
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Winter Gear
Winter is next door and snow has already fallen on the Scottish hills, encouraging some locals to dust off the axe and crampons. If you are considering buying gear, here are a few tips.
 Ice Axe Choosing an ice axe should be relatively simple. First of all ask yourself what it will be used for and then what is your height? I'm around six foot and use 65cms axe length for simple alpine ascents and winter walking in Scotland. Some axes come with a small curve in the head or a cranked shaft. This is, that the shaft is not completely straight. The DMM Cirque and Grivel Air-Tech Revolution are both good examples. The slight curve or crank helps when overcoming steeper sections, such as over a cornice or on bergschrunds. Personally I do not use a leash for simple mountaineering, but have had some success with the Grivel 'Horn' that can be fitted on a variety of axes and offers good support when holding any axe by the foot of the shaft when cutting steps.
  For technical ice climbing you will need a more radical and shorter axe. The Fly by DMM is a good all-round climbing tool. Since winter 2008 I have been trying 'leashless' winter climbing and I must say it is just great. The freedom to place gear more quickly than with a wrist-leash is a definite plus. Make sure you have an axe of around 50cm with a shaped hand grip. Don't just fire off up a climb without a leash on your old axe if it does not have support in the handle. The Black Diamond Reactor on the right is a good example and I have been using this axe for two years now.
The Grivel Matrix Light (on left) has a removable hand grip (Horn) or the Matrix Tech comes with one built in. Leashless ice climbing is not for everyone, so give it a try on a simple short ice bulge to start with. Some climbers attach their leashless axes to lanyards in case they drop them. Strange how techniques come and go. I was using lanyards on technical ice over thirty years ago.Crampons When choosing crampons, also consider the difficulty of the activity (walking or climbing) and match that with a type of boot. Generally B2-B3 boots and C2-C3 crampons for winter work. All boots need to be sturdy, in order to offer vital support and warmth for the winter challenges. A sturdy winter boot may be too heavy for summer activities, but could equally be used on alpine routes and in a UK winter. Good examples are Grivel G10 (C2) for winter mountaineering and B2 boots or the G12 (C3) for more technical climbing and B3 boots. I have used a wide range of crampons Including Black Diamond - Grivel - Charlet Petzl and find them all to be very good. Don't forget to ensure that anti-balling plates are fitted for safety reasons. Currently I'm using Charlet Petzl Vasak for general mountaineering and alpine trips and the Black Diamond Cyborg (Clip) for ice climbing. Whatever crampon I use I prefer a plastic toe-cup, rather than a metal bale-bar as I find them easier to fit. Also, all of my personal crampons have a quick fit heel clip. The anti-balling plates on both the Black Diamond and Charlet Petzl are very good.
If anyone has any questions on any of the above or needs advice on further winter gear, please do get in touch. I will try and include your questions and my answers in the next newsletter.This is by no means an exhaustive comment, but will hopefully put some of you in the right direction. Thanks to Freetime and Phil Tinning for allowing me to use some images from his website. |
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New WebsiteA revamped website is now up and running. It makes good use of pictures and has a new fresh look about it, whilst being easy to navigate. Most of the photos are my own, but a small amount are from participants on the courses. If you see any photos that are yours, please do let me know and I will put a credit in or delete the photo, whichever you prefer.West Coast Mountain Guides Have a look and let me know if you have problems with the site. |
Planning for Winter
Now is the time to consider planning ahead for a winter visit to the mountains. All levels are catered for. Ben Nevis and Glen Coe are the most popular locations in the UK for winter activities. Have a think about it, plan ahead and check out Winter Programme
Winter Climbing on Aonach Mor
Winter Climbing on Ben Nevis - Point Five Gully
Winter Ridge Climbing on Ledge Route - Ben Nevis
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Alpine Trips - Intro and Mt Blanc
The Alpine Introductory Courses, followed up by an ascent of Mt Blanc for those interested have now finished. Recently I was on Mt Blanc in prefect conditions as shown on West Coast Mountain Guides Blog for 12th September. This is possibly the most popular Alpine course we run and will definitely appear on the programme for next year.
Many folk plan well ahead for their holidays, so please consider West Coast Mountain Guides for next summer in the Alps.
No
previous experience of snow and ice is required, as this can be taught
on the course. Just make sure you are fit and enthusiastic enough to
handle six days of high alpine activity. If you wish to attempt Mt Blanc, add another two days.
Booking early for all alpine courses is recommended.
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Accommodation in Fort William
Check out our accommodation web site if you are looking for somewhere to stay. We specialise in looking after outdoor folk and have good self-catering facilities, plus efficient drying rooms on site. We also have a bouldering wall with over sixty problems of all grades and guests receive a discount on the wall.
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FAQ
Brief details of frequently asked questions can be found at FAQ
Sponsors - Helpful Retailers - Good Gear
An important area of an outdoor instructor/guides work is keeping up to date with equipment in order to be able to answer a wide range of questions about mountaineering kit. In the ever changing world of equipment this is difficult and that is where some good outdoor manufacturers and retailers come in. There are many and varied outdoor shops and I cannot hope to know all of them. However a few come to mind as being very helpful to our mountain visitors over the years. Some clients have driven many miles of a weekend to get good sound advice and here is a small selection.
Paramo Manufacturers of the best shell clothing I have ever used in 40 years of mountaineering.
Barkers of Ringwood For anyone living in southern England Steve Barker will give them good sound advice, especially on footwear
Ardblair Mountain Sports In particular for AKU footwear which were recommended to me by Steve Barker. If any of you have seen my awkward feet you will know that to find a comfortable pair of boots is not easy for me. The AKU Spider and Spider Lights are very light, warm and comfortable. The Spider is very good for the Alps in my opinion.
Any good pair of boots will be enhanced by proper insoles and I'm convinced that Superfeet Footbeds really help. Go for the custom fit insoles. They may be expensive, but are a good investment towards comfort and stabilisation of the whole body frame.
Needlesports will be well known to anyone visiting the Lake District. Once again sound advice from passionate outdoor folk.
914 Outdoor is worth a visit for anyone on their way to the Isle of Skye, especially as the view towards Eilean Donan Castle in one direction and the Black Cuillin to the west is stunning. Friendly advice and a chance to pick up some last minute kit.
Cioch-Direct on the Isle of Skye made to measure Paramo outdoor clothing is very close to where Norman Collie and John Mackenzie are laid to rest. There is also a good spot over the road for tea and scones.
Mac Mountaineering If you land up in Inverness and prefer an old style independent shop instead of the larger apartment store layout.
Mountain Spirit A very good place for getting your Superfeet, custom-fit insoles sorted by Rob, the very knowledgeable and friendly owner, in the heart of the Cairngorm National Park
Freetime for online or when passing through Carlisle.
Aiguille Equipment are my first choice for rucsacs. No fancy straps. Just simple, comfortable and hard-wearing. Currently I'm using the Zenith for both Scotland and the Alps.
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    Alan Kimber, Director of West Coast Mountain Guides is a member of these associations and licenced to offer mountain activities with AALA. Forty years of mountain experience backs up these qualifications. |
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