It’s the start of our Scottish winter season! Chris, Oli and James have settled down in our Cairngorms base to begin providing instruction, guiding and coaching on our various winter courses. To celebrate here are some photos from our previous Scottish winter adventures. We offer long weekend three-day and five-day winter hillwalking skills courses and…
It is chilly today, and although the sun is out it does feel like autumn has suddenly burst into being. This is the time of year where we dig out our wooly hats and gloves and shuffle our warmer clothes to the front of the wardrobe. Insulated jackets are an essential bit of kit if…
Why Book a Climbing Course with Beyond the Edge? Aside from our professional qualifications (Between us we hold the following awards; Rock Climbing Instructor, Rock Climbing Development Instructor, Mountain Leader, Winter Mountain Leader, Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor, Winter Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor, International Mountain Leader and Development Coach) we also have one of the most…
PHD The Worlds Lightest Down Clothing If you spend any time wandering around the worlds highest mountains you might see a flash of an unfamiliar logo or the same logo seen in a picture of someone stood atop a 8000m Himalayan mountain. In the deserts, hills and mountains the same logo is seen on those…
Hati’s favourite gear of 2023 This was a year of attempted gear streamlining, which does not come naturally to my womble instincts. But alas, in a bid to minimise consuming, save a bit of money and instil some peace in my household, I have been most careful in what I acquire and where I acquire…
Choosing Gloves and Clothing for Scottish Winter Walking and Mountaineering As we head out into the hills this winter either for trekking, walking, mountaineering or climbing we need to make important decisions that will impact both our enjoyment and safety. We will check the weather and the avalanche forecast. We will prepare our maps and…
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…
Winter climbing partners never move fast enough! From my perspective I have just completed a lightning fast accent on a thin runout smear of ice then undertook the cleaning of iced up cracks with poise and precision to build a structurally satisfying anchor. All this done in record breaking time. Why then, is my partner…
Clothing and Equipment for Scottish Winter Walking and Mountaineering This is a up-dated version of a post on clothing and equipment for Scottish winter walking and mountaineering first published in 2017 and then again in 2020. The principles are the same but I have updated some of the items to reflect my current preferences. Boots…
Figure of Eight Knot with Follow Through In the late 80’s there was a fashion for poking and threading the tail of a Figure of Eight knot back through the body of the knot. It looked neat and myself and few other young climbers and instructors starting using this variation. Then word got around that…
This is a up-dated version of a post on clothing and equipment for Scottish winter walking and mountaineering first published in 2017. Not much has changed but some brands have some new kit that I have now included in this up-date. BootsPossibly your most important items of clothing and equipment for Scottish winter walking and…
Rule number 0.5 in mountaineering is look cool and the reflective piping and orange stripes of the Scarpa Ribelle Mountain Tech OD certainly draw attention to themselves. Whilst the only time I have looked cool was stuck in a blizzard in Alaska, wearing these boots is about as close as I will get to cool…