Patagonia Das Light Hoody Review Every year as the wet and chilly British winter weather approaches I find myself reaching for one of my insulated jackets. But what insulation type is best for British winter conditions? Down or synthetic? What shall I pick for drizzly days work up the Kinder plateau? I do really love…
The cold season is very much upon us, if last weeks weather is anything to go by. My transition from autumn to winter has been very much eased by the Rab Womens Xenair Alpine that I have been given to wear and review over the winter. I haven’t had it for long enough for an…
The OMM (previously the KIMM) is a long-established event on the fell running calendar. It’s a ‘mountain marathon – essentially a combination of orienteering and fell running over rough and high terrain (I think of it as fell hurrying). There are a range of courses: the linear course sees competitors make their way round a…
Camping stoves for Mountain Leaders; how to pick the best stove for your Mountain Leader Training or Assessment. On your Mountain Leader Training and Assessment you will be assessed on your ability to operate safely and efficiently in British mountains during an overnight expedition. One night on training and two nights on assessment. You will…
Back in the summer Alex ran a course on techniques and rigging for climbing photography, and participants were kind enough to share their photos with us to pop in a blog. The course teaches skills and techniques to safely get into the best position for taking climbing photos, as well as the photographic technicalities of…
Best Leatherman for ‘Alone’ We’ve enjoyed watching ‘Alone’ on Channel 4, the UK version of the longstanding American survival show. 11 contestants were left alone on land around the Mackenzie River, in the Dehcho region of Northwest Territories, Canada. They arrive with no food and have to see how long they can last by hunting, fishing and…
‘Hard is Easy’ GriGri Videos Over the last few months I’ve had climbers on my Climbing Wall Instructor and Rock Climbing Instructor training and assessment courses mention the ‘Hard is Easy’ YouTube channel. The chatter especially mentions the Hard is Easy GriGri videos and in particular the videos on GriGri slippage and failure. Ben has…
Hawke Frontier 8×42 ED X Binocular Review For the last few years my trusty Opticron Discovery WP PC 8×32 binoculars have given me enormous pleasure on the hill. They are a great travel option being pretty much the smallest, lightest 8x32s around and representing great optical performance for the money. However, as a big birthday…
MSR Reactor Review A long term use review of the MSR Reactor stove system. An excellent gas stove for Alpine use, Wild Camping and Bivouacs. Food and drink preparation in an outdoor environment is a vital element of both our performance and enjoyment. We need fuel to stay warm, keep moving and feed our brains. For…
Buffalo Mountain Shirt Review As a keen outdoors person, I love being out and about in all weathers, in the UK and beyond. The downside of this is layer management. Either you are too warm going up, or you are continually changing layers with weather and lunch breaks. If only there was something that could…
Public transport For walkers In the Peak we have the Sheffield – Manchester trainline that stops in various villages across the national park. You know what that means? Linear walks and runs! A favourite short jaunt of mine is taking the train to Hope, heading up Win Hill and over Kinder and dropping down to…
The Manchester – Sheffield line is great for linear Peak District walks, something that’s difficult to do in the car without some faff and organising! Get off at one stop and back on at another for the return journey home (Make sure any return tickets cover the furthest away stop on your outing to avoid…