If you are lucky this winter, lots of snow will fall on the hills and mountains near where you live. You will be able to get out your crampons and ice axes and go mountaineering. Alternatively you could do the crampon dance…
Advice about choosing winter mountaineering accessories can be found on our ice axe and crampons advice page. Obviously if you do not have any winter accessories, then you can buy crampons and ice axes from us
According to an article published on the BBC’s website dated 19/10/08, mountaineers may suffer brain damage. Is this actually any surprise? How many times have you trudged up a mountain in the Lake District, North Wales, Scotland or elsewhere in the pouring rain with zero visibility, your hands and feet are cold, the wind is biting, your legs are aching, despite owning quality waterproofs you are still wet and maybe you’ve got blisters too? And you’re doing this for fun. And you claim that you don’t have brain damage? Come on!
But seriously…
We’re not talking about the little mountains in the UK. According to Dr Mike Grocott of University College London
Most climbers are aware that if you are going over 8,000 metres, there may be a small amount of damage to the brain associated with that
Mountaineers have had MRI scans before and after ascents up some of the world’s tallest mountains and the research has shown that there has been changes in the brain tissue. This has been attributed to the lower amounts of oxygen at higher altitudes. Fortunately the mountaineers did not suffer any significant neuropsychological changes.
There’s some exciting news as a new mountain has been discovered by three walkers in Wales.
I’m not sure about you but there are lots of hills where I am convinced they are actually mountains in hiding…anyway the BBC reports:
Mynydd Graig Goch in Snowdonia was originally put at 1,998ft (609m), just short of the magic 2,000ft (609.6m) that qualifies as a mountain.
But the walkers found its true height is six inches over 2,000ft (609.75m).
This is exciting stuff for those hill baggers, who get a free mountain thrown into their mountain bag for free! Wales now has 190 mountains, and the Ordnance Survey will now be updating it’s data right away.
Have you discovered any mountains lately? Let us know!
