A Review of the Blue Ice Octopus 45L Climbing Pack How many packs does one person need? The answer of course is that it depends! You could probably get away with just one if you just went hill walking, maybe a 40L, big enough for a bit of extra stuff in the colder months. But…
Lunch is important. I’ve been trying to find better ways of managing my food when I’m instructing. I was just grabbing whatever I could find and usually ended up heading out with an energy bar and a banana chucked in my pack. The banana inevitably ended up squashed and the bar lost amidst the waterproofs,…
I’d longed for a Patagonia R1 Techface Hoody for a while, but it was hard to work out whether I actually ‘needed’ one or whether it was all down to the R1s reputation and its rather catchy advert. But now I come to reflect on it, this has become my go-to do-all jacket. A bit…
Big congratulations to Sophie who passed her Lowland Leader Assessment last week. Sophie is a poet, writer and creative writing facilitator. Sophie leads guided poetry workshops in the Peak District, where she creates a space for connecting with nature within without and turning your walks into words. During her assessment, Sophie performed a phenomenally powerful…
Hurrah! we are happy to announce that we now run the Climbing Wall Development Instructor (CWDI) training courses and assessments. You can book your CWDI here, or read on for more information… What is the CWDI? The CWDI is a nationally recognised qualification, administered by Mountain Training. In this course, you’ll learn to help other…
Opinel N°08 One of our most popular (and most controversial) blog posts (how-to-choose-a-knife-for-walking-climbing-mountaineering-and-expeditions) was about how we believed that for walking, trekking and climbing in the UK outdoors you really only needed to carry a Swiss Army Knife or maybe a Opinel. Swiss Army Knifes are great but if you’re out overnight and need to…
Is there really space for another Peak District guidebook? A few friends asked this as we passed around a brand-new copy of Graham Hoey’s Peak District Gritstone (published by Vertebrate Publishing last April). The answer, we decided, depends on the guidebook… As it turns out, there’s definitely room for this one. Original route descriptions…
A review of the Leatherman Skeletool CX. One of our most popular blogs of 2021 was How to Choose a Knife for Walking, Climbing and Mountaineering. In this article we recommended carrying a multitool for Scottish winter mountaineering. The ability to quickly repair a crampon is essential so a tool with pliers and screwdrivers is very…
Long term review: Soto WindMaster cannister stove. This little stove must be doing something right as it has rendered most of my other stoves completely redundant! Our Verdict: the headlines The keyword for the Soto WindMaster is consistency. It is reliable and consistent in windy conditions (thanks to its burner shape and low pot stand)…
These are my best Items of Gear in 2021. This was another year in which I didn’t end buying a huge amount of kit, but what I did acquire was all excellent and these items of equipment definitely stand out. Mountain Equipment Guide Gloves These have been a really versatile glove and they now live…
I love reading books about the climbing, the mountains and nature because they enrich, inform and inspire my time spent outdoors. It’s cold, it’s nearly Christmas, and we all need a bit of inspiration! So here are some books that have particularly stood out this year. You’ll find Alex and my reading lists on our…
A review of the HebTroCo Storm Stick Stove, a light, compact and efficient all in one system for boiling water in the outdoors. I’ve been interested in the idea of a stick stove for a while now. I like the idea of having the ability to boil some water for a brew with twigs and sticks…