Get yourselves down here and get climbing.

Harrogate Climbing Centre (HCC) offers both indoor climbing and bouldering, as well indoor and outdoor climbing courses and qualifications. On offer are taster courses for people new to climbing, beginners courses and courses for climbers to develop their skills and even leader courses.

HCC's 14 meter multi-angled climbing wall.

The main indoor climbing wall is a whopping 14 meter multi-angled wall, designed by Entre-Prises. Climbing grades range from 3+ to 8a. There is also a bouldering section which features problems from V0 – V8, as well as a Fr7b stamina circuit.

Climber and owner of the Harrogate Climbing wall, John Dunne, told the BMC:

I wanted to bring Yorkshire’s premier climbing centre to the heart of Yorkshire’s best climbing; so when I found the perfect building just south of Harrogate town centre, I jumped at the chance of turning it into a modern climbing facility.

Only ten minutes’ drive from Almscliffe on a rainy weekend, the focus of Harrogate Climbing Centre is to provide for climbers and boulderers of all levels. We have applied all the lessons we have learnt from our experience at the Manchester centre, and used them to develop a climbing wall you’d have to travel a long way to beat!

Climbing for Everyone!

Everyone is welcome to come and climb. Climbing is available for corporate groups as well as kids, schools and youth groups. Life membership only costs £10 and entitles members to concessions on entry and the option to purchase discount packages. If you do not have your own climbing gear, you can hire it for a small fee.

Under construction. HCC's new climbing wall.

Harrogate Climbing Centre

Hornbeam Park Avenue
Hornbeam Park
Harrogate
HG2 8QT

Tel: 01423 815024
E-mail:
info@harrogateclimbingcentre.com
Website:
harrogateclimbingcentre.com

HCC Opening Times:

Mon-Fri: 10-10pm
Sat:10-8pm
Sun: 10-6pm

If you’re not able to get to Harrogate to go climbing or bouldering, there are plenty of indoor climbing walls in the UK. If you are not sure what equipment is needed for safe climbing, have a look at our advice about climbing gear, which provides information about climbing harnesses, shoes, ropes, belay devices and other protection equipment.

Ben Nevis Escape Route

If you are planning to walk up to the top of Ben Nevis the first thing you need to know is the escape route from the summit. Regardless of the weather in the valley or on the mountain tops when you start your hike, by the time you reach the summit the weather may have closed in, resulting in near zero visibility. This has happened to me.

There are two dangerous gullies which must be avoided. Falling down them is likely to result in fatal injuries. They are Gardyloo Gully and Five Finger Gully. To avoid these gullies, from the summit trig point follow a bearing of 233 degrees for 150 metres (roughly 100 double steps), and then a bearing of 284 degrees. These are magnetic bearings that should be followed directly from your compass alone.

Ben Nevis summit seen from Gardyloo Gully. Source Geograph. © Copyright Angus and licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Licence.

What is the Best Route up Ben Nevis?

The route that most people take up Ben Nevis starts in the valley of Glen Nevis, near the campsite. The footpath is well maintained. It runs along the side of Meall an t-Stuidhe, up towards the Lochan. At 640 m there is a T-junction where you turn right and head south across Red Burn, before the path zig-zags up a boulder field on the side of Ben Nevis. The final approach to the summit is a more or less a straight run up a gently undulating plateau. The route back down is simply the reverse. This tourist route is known as the Pony Track or the Motorway, due to the number of walkers on it! As a rough guide it takes about 9 hours to walk up and back down the mountain.

The first half of the Ben Nevis ascent is green and pleasant, the second rocky and mountainous. Source: Flickr by coda.

There are also scrambling, mountaineering and climbing routes to the summit, such as Carn Mor Dearg Arete.

Ben Nevis Best Hiking Gear

It is shocking to see what some people wear on Ben Nevis. On the two occasions that I have hiked up to the summit there were lots of people wearing jeans, t-shirt and trainers. Whilst the valley was lovely and warm with late April sunshine, the summit was cold. There was a thick covering of snow over the top 200 m of the summit. The visibility from summit was clear the first time that I there, but the second time that it started to snow and there was a white out. Visibility was down to a couple metres. This experience demonstrates the importance of being prepared for all weather conditions when hiking up Ben Nevis, or indeed any other mountain, such as Scafell Pike in the Lake District.

Kit list for Ben Nevis

Essential Gear and Clothing:

• Rucksack, 30 – 50 litres capacity should be sufficient
• Waterproof Jacket and Trousers
• Fleece Jacket
• Long Sleeved Mid-Weight Fleece Top
• Wicking Base Layer
• Waterproof Gloves
• Warm, Waterproof Hat: a Lowe Alpine Mountain Cap of course!
• Hiking Trousers, such as the Craghoppers Kiwi Trousers. Zip-offs are a good idea when it is warm in the valley, then you can put your legs on when it gets cold further up.
• Two Pairs of Trekking Socks, one thin and one thick.
• Stout Walking Boots
• 2 litre Hydration System
• Packed Lunch
• Ordnance Survey Explorer Map 392: Ben Nevis & Fort William
• Silva Compass

Emergency Survival Equipment:

• Emergency Rations
• Mobile Phone
• First Aid Kit
• Emergency Whistle
• Survival Bag
• Head Torch
• Spare Laces for your Boots

Optional Kit:

• Scarf – provides a lot of extra warmth for its weight
• Spare fleece top
• Gaiters
• Walking Poles
• GPS
• Sun Glasses – the snow gets bright when its sunny
• Sun Tan Cream / Sun Block
• Anti-bacterial handwash
• Flask
• Terra Nova Bothy Bag
• Victorinox Swiss Army Penknife
• Cigarette Lighter
• Camera

It is quite a list, but all this outdoor gear should ensure that you keep comfortable, warm, dry and blister free. Hopefully you will not need any of the survival kit, but its always best to take it.

Crampons and Ice Axe

Is it necessary to take crampons and an ice axe? In winter conditions, yes it is, and it is also necessary to know how to make a self arrest using an ice axe. The YouTube video below, from the Mountaineering Council of Scotland, shows various techniques and is well worth watching.

In late April / early May when I walked up the summit was covered in snow. Providing you keep well away from the edge, the plateau is relatively flat and walking in the snow is easy enough without crampons. There were a few places further down the path which were covered in icy snow patches, several metres in length. At the time I did not have crampons and they would have been useful for these short sections.

It is important to be aware of cornices, where the snow overhangs the edge of mountain cliffs. These can give way under your weight, leading you to fall to your death. As mentioned above, keep well away from the edge when there is snow!

Best Avoided

During the summer months, Scotland is famous for its midges. Fear not, there are plenty of ways to avoid getting midge bites.

And don’t forget to take with you a Model T Ford car, a bed, a wheel barrow, a piano and barrel of beer. All these items have been taken up the top of Ben Nevis for either publicity stunts or just for a laugh. What bizarre item(s) would you take up a mountain? Let us know, click on “comments” below!

Climb, Mountain Bike, Kayak, Skateboard

Using Google Maps, Extreme Sports Maps, enables you to place your best location for extreme sporting on a map of the UK. You can zoom right in to give an accurate location and provide a description of your favourite trail, climb, river, spot or track. You don’t have to log in either, although they do like to have your e-mail address to send you updates.

Extreme Sports Map (ESM), The definative visual guide to Skateparks, Skateboarding Spots, Surf Breaks, Dirt Jumps, Mountain Bike Trails and almost every extreme sport spot you could shake a stick at.

Finding the best UK locations is easy. Each spot has a cross marked on the map with the type of extreme sport written next to it. There are literally hundreds of best locations in the UK, so you can filter the one you want. You can choose from Skate Park, Surf Break, Wake Boarding, BMX Track, Snowboarding/Ski, Wind Surf, Paddle (Canoe/Kayak), Street Spot, Downhill Trail, Kite Surf, Dirt Jumping, Climbing/Abseiling, Motor-X and Mountain Biking. The owners apologise if your extreme sport is not in the list, but invite recommendations by e-mail. Anyone know the best place for Extreme Ironing?

Zooming in on the map makes it easier to view different places in a particular area. You can also search for best places by postcode or place name. So whether you are looking for the best place to climb or the best place to mountain bike, using Extreme Sports Map will bring up a good place!

Best Place Map

As well as adding your favourite locations to the map you can also add to photos and YouTube videos to any of the the best places that are already on the map. And its not just the UK, you can find or add a spot anywhere in the world.

It all started after a long visit to South Africa where information about skate spots in particular was incredibly hard to get hold of, and then actually finding these places was near impossible. So Extreme Sports Map was born as a way of locating various parks and street spots, but now that idea has grown into being a visual guide to extreme spots everywhere.

Find or add best places to climb, ride, kayak, jump on Extreme Sports Map.

Extreme Sports Maps is not the only application for Google Maps. It has also been used by fillthathole.org.uk for cyclists to report pot holes in the road. There are many mapping tools available for general navigation, you may be interested in our review of on-line mapping tools.

If you want to share a great location you can also share it here on the CheapTents.com blog. Just click on “comments” below or send us an e-mail: blog@cheaptents.com.

Mountaineering Ethics will help protect the Mountain Environment. Source: Flickr by dino_olivieri.

The UIAA’s bold summary encompasses the thinking behind the declaration:

Stretch Your Limits, Lift Your Spirits, Aim for the Top!

The mountaineering and climbing ethics code encompasses the following twelve points, which I have summarised below:

1. Individual Responsibility – Be responsible for yourself, for others and for the environment.
2. Team Spirit – Support and encourage your climbing team members.
3. Climbing and Mountaineering Community – Treat every person in the mountains with respect.
4. Visiting Foreign Countries – Respect your hosts, show consideration for their culture, their holy mountains and sacred places. Try to bring benefits to local people and their economy.
5. Responsibilities of Mountain Guides and Other Leaders – respect the freedom and rights of other groups and individuals.
6. Emergencies, Dying and Death – Understand the risks and hazards in the mountain environment. Have suitable knowledge, skills and equipment. Be prepared to help others in emergency situations, even if it means sacrificing your own goals.
7. Access and Conservation – Practice mountaineering and climbing with respect for the environment, be proactive in preserving nature. Freedom of access is a fundamental right but respect restrictions agreed with conservation organisations and authorities.
8. Style – Succeeding is not as important as creative problem solving and experience. Strive to leave no trace on the rock face or mountainside.
9. First Ascents – Should be completed in the style appropriate to the region, or better, and should be reported exactly.
10. Sponsorship, Advertising and Public Relations – Relationships between climbers or mountaineers and sponsors should be professional. The mountain sports’ community should educate the media and the public.
11. Use of Supplementary Oxygen in Mountaineering – Medical reasons for using oxygen at high altitude should outweigh other considerations. Ethical reasons for using or not using oxygen should be left up to individual climbers. Oxygen bottles must not be left on the mountain.
12. High Altitude Guided Commercial Expeditions – Commercial Operators should recognise the limitations of their clients in their care. Clients should be warned that their plans may be altered in order to assist others in mountain emergencies.

The declaration has taken a long time and a lot of effort to prepare. It has been endorsed by more than 40 mountaineering federations worldwide. Please try to adhere to its recommendations to help further the good name of climbing and mountaineering, ultimately it will also help to bring you a better experience in the mountains. The full text pdf file can be found on the UIAA website.

The UIAA is an international federation which represents climbers and mountaineers from across the globe. To find out more about the UIAA and what they do, why not read our exclusive interview with Judith Safford, Executive Director of the UIAA.

Two teddy bear climbers need to be rescued in this typical Lake District rescue scenario. One climber has fallen sustaining head injuries, the other cannot move after seeing his climbing partner fall. The Wasdale Mountain Rescue Teddy Bears are called into action! The team of four teddies, complete with rucksacks assemble at the foot of the crag. The teddies must climb up the crag and lower themselves back down to reach the first injured bear climber. They bring with the a trauma sack and provide care to the casualty. Meanwhile, two other members of the teddy bear mountain rescue team must climb further up to rescue the other teddy bear climber, facing an overhang followed by a grass rake. Climbing high up the crag they eventually reach the cragfast climber and lower him down. The day is saved thanks to the herioc teddy bears of Wasdale Mountain Rescue team!

Aren’t the teddy bears cute…and heroic too! Mountain Rescue Teddies can be purchased from Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team, their contact details are on the video.

The Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team (MRT) are volunteers who are totally committed to improving their rescue capability, for which they need climbing equipment, communications equipment and training. It costs about £15,000 per annum for them to operate. They rely almost entirely on donations from the public, so buying a mountain rescue teddy is a great way to help!

There are twelve teams altogether in the Lake District Search and Rescue Association. Wasdale MRT covers Wasdale and Eskdale valleys and extends over Cold Fell towards the coast in the north, and onto Ulpha Fell in the South. Each year there are 50 to 60 call outs, the majority of which take Wasdale MRT up England’s highest mountain: Scafell Pike. There are over 40 members of Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team, who have an operations base in Gosforth. Each rescue requires about 25 volunteers who are interrupted from work or leisure to join the rescue. Rescues are normally carried out using Land Rovers and on foot and often require casualties to be carried on a stretcher, but they can also require assistance from the RAF helicopter.

Stepping Lightly on his climb up Blackpool Tower, August 2009.

In August this year, climber and urbex legend “Stepping Lightly” hit the headlines in the national press following his covert ascent of Blackpool Tower. Stepping Lightly has climbed many structures including one of Battersea Power Station’s iconic chimneys, Willington Power Station cooling towers and the famous Angel of the North in Gateshead. He also likes bridge climbing and has climbed the Forth Rail Bridge, and the Humber and Severn Bridges.

But its not just climbing structures…
Stepping Lightly is also into urban exploration: exploring things like abandoned military installations or disused hospital buildings, as well as underground exploration of culverts and sewers hidden beneath our cities. Under the streets of Manchester, for example, there are many interesting things to see, including old air raid shelters, photos of which can be seen on the Cathedral Steps exploration post by Angel on the Urban Adventure website.

What is the best way to climb structures and what is the attraction of exploring sewers?…Stepping Lightly tells us in this exclusive interview…

Stepping Lightly Interview

CheapTents.com: What made you decide to climb man-made structures, and how did you get started?
Stepping Lightly: I suppose it was because I started rock climbing at 12 and although my father (who is also a climber) did take me to the crags. During the week I use to climb rail embankments, small bridges and buildings because I had no means of getting to real rock.
As I got older I loved rock but I’d developed an underlining passion for climbing man made structures.

CheapTents.com: What have been the most challenging structures that you have climbed, and why?
Stepping Lightly: Blackpool tower so far because there are so many factors to take into account, weather, fitness, works in progress, random people (who all have phones), security, police, choice of partner and danger…
Angel of the North was like tufa climbing with huge rock ups very pumpy.
Battersea chimney was easy but hard to get to.
Willington power station cooling tower was fine once I’d made the right tool for the holes.
Forth Rail bridge was ace: just me, the wind, the bridge and the sea…

Stepping Lightly on top of the Angel of the North.

CheapTents.com: What are the main differences in techniques between rock climbing and climbing structures?
Stepping Lightly: The main one is fear of being spotted, on the crag that’s fine but if you are a couple of hundred foot up on a building and someone sees you its trouble sometimes with a capital T!
So we develop the stealth technique…
I do try to free climb everything first but am not bothered if I have to aid a section if it is going to stop me achieving my goal. And because no damage has to be done we sometimes cannot use the easiest route.

CheapTents.com: What is your biggest weakness?
Stepping Lightly: Funding as I would like to get more European and Stateside stuff done…
Physical weakness, because I climb, m.t.b., kayak, slack-line, skydive, fell-run and urbex I’m usually sporting some kind of injury, so what ever is injured at the time is my weakness.

CheapTents.com: What has been your worst injury (if any) from climbing or urban exploration and how did it happen?
Stepping Lightly: My worst injury was at work a building collapsed and I had to jump 3 stories, I broke my leg in 6 places. My worst climbing injury was the same leg, I fell and bust tendons ligaments and couple of bones. Urbex wise I have been very lucky, a few near misses but just a deep cut in my arm off a rusty fence and a bolt in my hand slipping on a mossy roof.

CheapTents.com: What are the most challenging climbs that you are planning for the future?
Stepping Lightly: It would be nice to rhyme off a list but the Internet is huge and read by all walks so if you don’t mind I will keep that to myself for now…

CheapTents.com: What are the most important aspects of planning your climbs and route selection?
Stepping Lightly: If it can be done with limited danger to me and no danger to other people and cause no damage to the structure, after that its just exposure time limitation, not spending too much time in an area that will cause unwanted attention and getting the feature shots.

CheapTents.com: What inspired you to get into urban exploration, such as exploring drains and culverts?
Stepping Lightly: Its a strange story that, I was about 7 and my Dad had took me into Ellis Brighams in Manchester when it was in the corn exchange, my Dad was chatting away and I asked to use their loo, it was out of order so he pointed me to one 2 stories down in the basement and told me to keep right and I would find it. As I tried to find my way back I walked out into an underground street, being 7 it was not a place to dwell so I hurried back up stairs.
So for the last few years I’ve been trying to find a way to see that again, whilst doing that I’ve found some other truly amazing sights…

CheapTents.com: Have you ever been cautioned or arrested for climbing structures or for urban exploration?
Stepping Lightly: Yes a couple of times both on chimneys. One was just a friendly can you come down and leave. The other was a police chopper, anti-terror police and very angry security! I’m still waiting for it to be on Police Camera Action or something like that. We did ask for footage but no luck!

CheapTents.com: What are your favourite bits of gear, and why?
Stepping Lightly: I have a fifi hook I use as a grid lifter and doubles up as a fence climbing aid, 10 slings that I use for everything, slings are king in Urbex, a 30m length of 8mm that is light and easy packable and my little rucksack with 10 pockets, so I know what is where even I the pitch black.

CheapTents.com: Any people you would like to thank?
Stepping Lightly: Yes all the people I’ve met doing this, some of which have become my best friends, names are irrelevant as they know who they are.

CheapTents.com: Anything else you would like to say?
Stepping Lightly: Choose clothes appropriately, if you are in the city don’t go camo or SAS, just blend.
If you are tackling something mega take extra in case, most of my wardrobe is outdoor gear, its just so hard wearing and reliable.

CheapTents.com: Thank you Stepping Lightly for taking the time to answer our questions.

If anyone has any suggestions of structures which Stepping Lightly could climb or potential places for some urban exploration, click on the comments link below and make a suggestion!

Urbex, exploring the urban environment can lead to the discovery of abandoned tunnels. Source: Flickr by Paulio Geordio.

Take only photos,
leave only footprints.

Simon Cornwell of urbex|uk

More information about urban exploration, including safety tips, can be found at Urbex 101.

If you go climbing anywhere it is important to have suitable climbing equipment and to know how to use it. Climbing equipment advice. There are plenty of safe places to go climbing, for example the BMC provide a list of indoor climbing walls.

Wild Camping

On the matter of wild camping, I do this routinely on multi-day walks and now that I have disengaged myself from the restrictions of a working life I have time to tackle the many long distance walks that excite the imagination and itch the footfall.

Freddy Phillips High Street summit - Freddy Phillips ©

Personally, I quickly worked out that B&B options were beyond my pocket, and campsites seem to be ratcheting up their charges as well; £8-£10 per night is not unusual, and it mounts up. On longer walks, say four or five days out, I will use the occasional campsite to enjoy the amenity of hot water and a shower. But I always feel out of place surrounded by tents and caravans and often noise, cars and too much coming and going take away any pleasure in the experience. So I decided to take up “wild-camping” and I have been doing this for a couple of years now.

During 2009 I have completed The Dales Way, The Abbey’s Way, The Ayrshire Coastal Path, The Ribble Way, The Inn Way to Northumberland and the excellent Tour of the Lake District. I have wild-camped throughout without incident or challenge. Clearly, camping and overnight costs have been eliminated completely but much more important to my mind is that by camping on or near the route the essence of the walk is maintained, the wild-camper keeps close to nature and there is an element of satisfaction that comes from the ability to move uninhibited across wild or open country making independent decisions about where to spend the night. My preference is to walk until sunset and then keep my eyes open for a convenient spot but sometimes an idyllic pitch presents itself and I can’t pass it by, coastal walks are particularly prone to this hazard. My guiding principle is to attempt to leave the land in a better condition than upon my arrival if at all possible, in other words I will leave no litter and pack out any I find. I don’t worry too much about the legal niceties; wild camping in the Langdale Valley would not be tolerated (but I have bivouacked there) whereas up on the high fells presents no problems, and I which I prefer.

I always try to be completely out of sight and find the edges of woods and the junctions of stone wall provide good pitch opportunities and I like to get up and away as early as possible. I never camp in a field with any livestock, cattle can be curious and dangerous, sheep present no problems of that kind but they do attract the attention of shepherds.

Sweeping view of Mosedale Cottage - Freddy Phillips ©

I always carry a bivi-sac which I use as an outer cover on my sleeping bag, and that gives me the additional confidence that if at the end of the day I find myself in a place where a tent would be highly visible, I have the option of spending the night in my bivi sac, which requires minimal countryside cover to ensure privacy. I have used it a few times and in summer is a pleasure in its own right, another part of the great experience of “touching the land”

Finally, I don’t think it wise to campaign for legalisation, my own experience confirms that regardless of “law,” wild camping  done with care for the environment and reverence for property is both feasible and trouble free. Wild campers have generally come to their craft through a mature process of love for the countryside, which we seek to enhance and nurture though a more intimate experience of long trails and the far horizons of our remaining and inspiring wild and lonely places. I do not believe an argument could be won with landowners that Joe Public can camp where he or she likes and attempts to do so may lead to a more effective prosecution of the current legal status quo, which by benign design or tolerant neglect is very favourable to Going Wild, let’s keep it that way.

We’d like to thank Freddy for getting in touch and sharing his insight on wild camping.

If you want to voice your opinion on anything just leave a comment below. Want to write your own post? then email us at blog@cheaptents.com

The Khumbu Icefall at Everest Base Camp is the destination for Khumbu teams 1,2 & 3. Source: Flickr by mckaysavage

The Royal Navy Khumbu Challenge is currently under way in the Nepal Himalaya. This is particularly special expedition, since it is the inaugural expedition for Project Fortitude. Project Fortitude is a Royal Navy / Royal Marines initiative which will help service personnel who have been physically injured or who are suffering from psychological injuries. Through Adventure Training, Sport and Challenging Activities Project Fortitude can bring “Opportunity, Challenge, Focus, and Belonging” to injured personnel, which will help with long term rehabilitation. The Khumbu Challenge was officially launched last year by Prince Harry.

Exercise Khumbu Challenge

Five teams are taking part in Khumbu challenge: the Main Team, High Altitude Development Team and Khumbu teams 1 ,2 & 3, with the support of the Rear Link Office in Khatmandu. Altogether there will be 88 personnel taking part in the challenge, about 18 of whom have been injured or traumatised in Iraq or Afghanistan and who are undergoing rehabilitation. Khumbu is the name of the region in the Nepal Himalaya where the exercise is taking place.

The main team arrived in Nepal on the 23rd of September. The aim for the main team is to climb Ama Dablam (6,812 m), which will involve rock climbing, ice climbing and mixed rock and ice climbing. The name Ama Dablam means “Mother and Pearl Necklace.” The main team are all experienced climbers.

Khumbu Challenge Main Team will climb Ama Dablam, one of the most challenging climbs in the Himalaya. Source: Flickr by stevehicks.

The High Altitude Development Team are in the Khumbu to gain experience of high altitude climbing. They will be climbing the summits of Island Peak (6,182 m), Pokalde (5,806 m) and Lobuche East (6,117 m).

Khumbu teams 1, 2 & 3 include personnel who are undergoing rehabilitation. They will be trekking to Everest Base Camp (5,600 m) and climbing to the summit of Kala Pattar (5,545 m), which offers excellent views of Mount Everest and a 360-degree panorama of peaks including Nuptse, Ama Dablam, Kantenga, Thamserku, Tawatse, Pumo Ri, and Changtse.

For Khumbu teams 1, 2 and 3 the challenge will last about three and half weeks in total. Expeditions up to high altitude require acclimatisation in order to prevent altitude sickness. This means that when increasing altitude it is necessary to take rest days. These rest days do not include strenuous activity and only small increases in altitude. Therefore not every day will be a day of hiking.

After flying into Kathmandu, the journey to Khumbu begins with a scenic flight into Lukla airstrip, which is at altitude of 2804 m. From Lukla the hiking can commence. The administrative centre of the Khumbu region is a village called Namche Bazaar (3440 m), which is also at the entrance to the Sagarmatha National Park.

It will take nine days of trekking and acclimatisation to reach Everest Base Camp from Namche Bazaar. Below Namche Bazaar there are pine forests, climbing above Namche Bazaar the scenery becomes more mountainous with less greenery. Climbing higher the scenery becomes more rocky and mountains, with snow, glaciers and moraine. Everest Base Camp is situated at the foot of the Khumbu Icefall.

Typical Himalayan Mountain Scenery. Source: Flickr by mckaysavage.

The settlement of Gorak Shep, high in the Himalayas. Source: Flickr by mckaysavage.

Exercise Khumbu Challenge will doubtless be a tough and awesome experience for all personnel involved! Good luck to all taking part!

More details about mountaineering Exercise Khumbu Challenge can be found on the KC09 Website.

In the future the urban population might hike up vertical farms like this one.

Vertical Farming

The question of food and water shortages will undoubtedly be a problem in the future. Just where will we grow enough food to feed everybody? One proposed solution is Vertical Farming. Instead of growing produce horizontally in fields, Dr. Dickson Despommier from the Department of Environmental Health Science of Columbia University is proposing that we adopt a method of vertical farming in which fruit and vegetables are grown in skyscrapers in the urban environment. There are many benefits of vertical farming, they include:

• Production all year round and no weather-related crop failures due to droughts or floods.
• No herbicides, pesticides or fertilizers need to be used and food is grown organically.
• Fossil fuel use is reduced since there will be no tractors, plows or shipping.
• Black and gray water can be recycled into potable water.
• Energy is put back to the grid via methane generation from composting non-edible parts of plants and animals.
• Urban buildings which have been abandoned can be converted into food production centres.
• Sustainable environments are created in urban centres.

Vertical Farms may be used to grow crops in the future, they could also be used for hiking!

Vertical Farming and Hiking

Vertical farming could well play an important part in food production in the future, but what does it have to do with hiking? As cities grow ever larger they take up more land, so it will take longer to get out into the countryside, assuming that the countryside has not been built on. Transportation contributes a large amount to the build up of greenhouse gases. If no alternative to oil powered transport is developed, we may have to curtail our journeys somewhat. In the future, instead of hiking or walking up hills and mountains, those of us who live major cities may find that if they want to go hiking in amongst greenery the place to go will be a vertical farm!

The Future of Hiking

Three enjoyable things about going hiking are

1. getting a great view from the top of a summit,
2. being in the countryside and
3. getting exercise.

Vertical farms will offer all three of these things!

In the future you will be able to hike up to the top of skyscraper surrounded in the greenery of crops growing all around you. To be honest it is probably not going to be as much fun as hiking up Scafell Pike or scrambling across Sharp Edge in the Lake District, but in the future it might be our only option!

If you want great views from the top of a skyscraper why not just get the lift?! The same question can be asked about getting the train up to the summit of Snowdon. Where is the challenge in getting the lift and of course, you get no exercise that way!

What do you think? If it was not possible to hike up your favourite mountain would hike up a vertical farm instead? Leave a comment and let us know!

Blackpool Tower: location of covert tower climb. Source: Geograph. © Copyright Dave Green and licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Licence.

It’s about our hundredth attempt at possibly one of the hardest ‘buildering‘ challenges in the UK that leads us to the base of the tower. For two years the challenge wasn’t even the tower – it was getting to the base of the tower

writes Userscott on 28dayslater – The UK UE Urbex Urban Exploration Forums website, following his successful covert Blackpool Tower Climb with Stepping Lightly in August 2009.

Tower Climb

Preparations of the Blackpool Tower Climb included climbing to the top of the Blackpool fairground rides ‘Pepsi Max Big One’ and ‘Ice Blast’ as well as City of Manchester Stadium, Old Trafford and the Angel of the North. Climbing to the top of Blackpool Tower took the duo several hours and they did not finish until after midnight. Blackpool Tower is made from cast steel girders with large overhangs at the viewing platforms, making a challenging tower climb. Their post on 28dayslater contains plenty of impressive photos at various stages of the Blackpool Tower climb. To avoid detection the climb to place at night, the view over Blackpool at night with all the lights glowing was worth it – they were lost for words.

A Lancashire Police spokesperson told the Daily Telegraph that they had had no reports about the incident, and that:

Unless there is any evidence of any criminal activity having taken place, we will not be launching an investigation…it would be up to the owners of Blackpool Tower to prosecute the individuals under civil law for trespassing.

Getting caught during the Tower Climb was a worry, as Userscott writes:

It’s a busy night on the front and surely somebodys noticed two trouble makers packing 60m of 8mm rope and bright white Petzl helmets.

However they completed the Tower Climb, right up to the flagpole at top of tower and abseiled back down without anyone reporting them.

Bridge Climbing

Climbing structures has become popular in recent times, as pointed out in our Bridge Climb post in February this year. Unauthorised climbers were caught climbing the Tyne Bridge and Forth Road Bridge.

Tower Climb

At 158m the Blackpool Tower is pretty high, and for some climbers the thought of climbing an iconic structure is irresistible. Obviously we are not suggesting that anyone should go out and illegally climb a tower. But, if you could climb any tower, legally, in complete safety and with appropriate climbing gear, which tower would you climb? Let us know, just write a comment below!