A huge part of climbing (and abseiling) is the adrenaline caused by the risks being taken. However, an even bigger part of climbing is the calculating of these risks in order to ensure the safety of the climber is not in any way compromised. This is no easy task with many considerations such as climbing ropes, safety harness, climbing shoes, karabiner’s, chocks, helmets and other climbing equipment.
In this post I want to take a look at Climbing Helmets, take a glance at why they are used, how they work and which one is right for you.
Related camping and outdoor news, reviews and advice:
The Jonathan Conville Memorial Trust are holding a 30th Anniversary Lecture called Boundless Horizons – Great first ascents achieved beyond Everest in the greater ranges. The talk will be given by their patron Sir Christian Bonington at the Royal Geographical Society in London on 3rd June.
The funds raised by the lecture will go towards subsidising young people on their Scottish and Alpine training courses. They provide a very worthwile service and thousands of students have benefited from their courses over the last thirty years. At only £10 per ticket it is a great opportunity to support the trust as well as getting to hear Sir Chris Bonington, one of Britains most sucessful mountaineers. For more details on the Jonathan Conville memorial trust and to find out how to buy tickets for the event see below.
Related camping and outdoor news, reviews and advice:
The Fusion 2 back system is comfortable and well ventilated.
The Berghaus Arete Tour 40 Extrem rucksack is a high end pack suitable for climbing, scrambling, mountaineering, ski mountaineering and ski touring. It is made from durable fabric, has a solid construction and is packed with features.
It has a Fusion 2 back system, which comprises of non-absorbent thermo-moulded back panels with a large air gap in the middle. It is surprisingly comfortable and the air gap provides ventilation, helping to stop you getting too hot and sweaty.
Related camping and outdoor news, reviews and advice:
Mountaineering Ethics will help protect the Mountain Environment. Source: Flickr by dino_olivieri.
To coincide with
International Mountain Day 2009, the
UIAA International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation released their new code of
Mountaineering and Climbing Ethics.
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:
- Individual Responsibility – Be responsible for yourself, for others and for the environment.
- Team Spirit – Support and encourage your climbing team members.
Related camping and outdoor news, reviews and advice:
Details of improvements being made to the 2010 iROC™ race are beginning to emerge as the organisers prepare for another extravaganza of adventure racing in the Durham Dales at the end of May.
Mountian Biking at iROC Photo credit: © Ryan Edy / iROC™
There was universally superb feedback from competitors after the 2009 iroc event, with the fell race route being described as “worthy of a British Championship course” by elated competitors and the MTB Enduro circuit being described as “the toughest Enduro circuit in the UK” by many (rather tired) competitors.
Related camping and outdoor news, reviews and advice:
Ofcom, the Government body that oversees communications in the UK, has agreed to ‘roaming’ for emergency calls. This means that when a caller has no signal from their provider, the mobile phone system will switch them to any other provider’s emergency signal if there is one available.
This move will hopefully lead to increased safety on the mountains as it should increase the chances of being able to dial 112 or 999 from your mobile in an emergency. The move of course does not guarantee that you will get a signal as there are areas which are not covered by any operator.
Related camping and outdoor news, reviews and advice:
We always encourage our readers to get in touch and share their views when they feel strongly about something. Freddy Phillips did just that and got in touch to respond to our article on wild camping. You can read Freddy’s response below.
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 ©
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.
Related camping and outdoor news, reviews and advice:
Today marks the first birthday of the CheapTents.com blog! During this time we have published lots of gear reviews and interviews with outdoor professionals plus news and advice about camping, hiking, equipment and outdoor activities.
Best Ever Outdoor, Hiking, Climbing and Gear Posts!
In order to celebrate this achievement we have compiled a list of our favourite blog posts from the year. Some our posts are informative, providing useful information about gear, outdoor pursuits and travel. Some posts provide ideas about where to go hiking, climbing, cycling and mountain biking. The interviews with outdoors professionals provide an exciting incite into the adventures of people who take outdoors sports to the extreme and/or travel to the remotest parts of the world. And some posts are about things that are just plain daft! This brings me nicely onto…
Related camping and outdoor news, reviews and advice:
Today more and more people are looking for ways to lighten their backpack and go ultralight. It makes the walking easier, lets you cover more miles and can make things a lot more fun. But what are the best ways to save weight and become more lightweight. I’ve put together a short summary of some of the best tips for becoming a lightweight backpacker.
Want to be more lightweight than this? Source - Flickr - Mrfrosted
