Walking with Skis

I was back out today with my skis, to be honest I couldn't wait to get out and had everything packed to go since Sunday. My mate Les who took some of the surfing shots phoned to see what I was doing today so when I told him we arranged to meet up near Trostan. He's a keen photographer but didn't intend to hang around too long so we agreed to take the same route as far as the open hill as I wanted to either find a nice slope to practice on or just go on to the summit of Trostan.



It was foggy on the way there but like Saturday it cleared as soon as I neared the entrance to the trails at the foot of Trostan. By the time Les arrived the sun was trying to break through although the fog was hanging around probably less than 100m below. As there hadn't been much fresh snow I used a soft wax (not that I actually know much about it but it looked as though I did) on the skis and we set off up the trail at an easy pace towards the waterfall.





I was glad of the company as I find if I'm on my own I tend to race along but the pace was pleasant as we both stopped to take some photographs. We stopped at the waterfall and I took the opportunity to grab a cool drink from the stream to save the water I was carrying for later. My water bottle was one of the few things that was different from the previous day, I taken a 750ml bike bottle, my polymug was a perfect fit and was simply pushed on over the top of the bottle.



We'd just reached the edge of the forest and were about to cross the fence to reach the open hill when it started to snow. I'd been wearing the Montane Dyno over the same baselayer that I used on Saturday, in fact I was using exactly the same gear as I used on Saturday but this time I packed the Dyno and pulled on the Bergahus Pro Trek. Les wanted to get some shots of the remains of the old car that I'd discovered back in August and had almost reached it by the time I'd got organised and caught up. The snow was soft. to soft to take my weight and the skis kept disappearing under the snow only to resurface with grass caught around the bindings. The snow started to get heavier and without the shelter of the forest it was blowing almost horizontally. I made a big deal about hoods when looking for a new shell jacket but this was the sort of conditions I wanted it for and thankfully the hood on the Pro Trek was perfect.





Les didn't have a shell jacket with him and was wearing an Alpkit Filo and decided to return to the forest so we parted company as I contimued onwards and upwards. I still hadn't decided whether to go on to the summit or look for a good slope to practice on but as the snow was soft and deep I decided to go for the summit. I traversed left and right for a bit as the gradient was getting too steep for my wax to grip and aimed for a rock outcrop that looked like it might provide some shelter while I fitted the skins to my skis. There wasn't much shelter to be honest but there was plenty of water running off of the rock, in fact it was like dozens of taps running and provided another opportunity to drink without using the contents of the waterbottle.





I spent a bit of time taking photographs and had a snack before attaching the skins to my skis and packing up to continue. The skins made it much easier but there was still some side stepping to do crossing snow covered streams and getting onto the top of peat banks. The snow had eased a bit and was now quite fine, the kind that sticks to everything and finds a way in through any gaps but it wasn't long before the trig point came in sight. There wasn't much snow on the summit which has had the peat washed away over time leaving just gravel and larger stones which stuck up through the snow and which would quickly trash the base of a pair of skis.




Berghaus Pro Trek, Great Jacket, Fantastic Hood.
This is a great jacket, it felt completely dry inside in spite of being worn by an unfit rubbish skier. The chest/map pockets are massive and the hood fantastic.


Mountain Equipment Liskamm Pant.
I've had these for over a year and they're really good, they're very water-resistant, I didn't feel any dampness at all, they're windproof, not restrictive and dry very quickly. As a bonus they've got 'Technical' knee patches which makes you look the part, ;-)


Karrimor Windgrip Gloves
These are pretty good to be honest, I wore them almost all day until I stopped in the forest at the end. My hands were cold when I started up after fitting the skins but soon warmed up. Eventually they ended up wet through but as I was on the move my hands were warm. In my opinion they're at least as water-resistant and as warm as my Mountain Equipment G2 lite gloves which cost me £30.

I didn't hang about on the summit for long, a few photographs, a drink from my waterbottle and it was time to leave as I wasn't sure whether the roads would still be clear. With the skins removed I started to cautiously make my way down but the fresh snow was sticking to the wax making it difficult to maintain momentum. The other problem I had was that with the snow being soft my skis would break through, catch on the grass and throw me off balance. Although I traversed a lot to navigate through the peat banks I inevetibly took a tumble. Right ski over left I twisted and fell to my right, exactly the same as earlier in the year on the same hill when I twisted my knee pretty badly. Thankfully this time with release bindings fitted I was fine as my left boot popped out of ski. The way the bindings work is that the binding base-plate stays attached to the ski but the part that actually hold the boot breaks free staying attached to the boot. Peter, the guy who gave me the bindings had suggested that it was easier to take the binding off the boot before clipping it back into the base-plate which is what I did before continuing.
I fell a few more times when my skis stalled either because one had broken through the snow and got caught up on tussocks of grass or stalled due to the fresh snow sticking to the base wax. In the end without too much drama I was back down at the forest where I'd intended to make something warm to eat or drink.





I didn't go too far into the forest before I stopped to make a soup drink. I hung my rucksack on a tree and got out the stove but when I went to the side pocket to get my waterbottle and mug they were missing. I'd been really careful all day checking before I moved on after a stop to see that I'd left nothing behind so I guess the bottle fell out when I'd fallen on the descent.





I was a bit annoyed with myself for letting it happen as although it didn't matter on this occasion as there was plenty of snow to melt and I'd taken a spare mug in case Les needed one, if I'd intended to stay out and only taken one mug the loss of mug and waterbottle would have been inconvienient at best.

Lesson #1 if I take a fall, double check that nothing has been displaced or misplaced.

I had plenty of gas anyway and soon had a hot drink ready. I'd considered having one of the Fuizion dehydrated meals I bought a while back but didn't bother as I wasn't far from the car anyway, I simply took a couple of Tunnocks Caramel wafers from my food stuff sack and put them in my pocket to eat on the way home.

I packed everything away for the final time and scraped most of the grip wax off my skis for the last stretch down the trail to the car. It was easier with the wax removed and I actually managed to kick & glide on the flatter part even though I ended up carrying a heap of snow on top of the skis on the downhill parts.



When I reached the car the snow had all but stopped, there was a little snow on the roof less than I'd expected to be honest although some had probably blown off. The track I'd cleared on arrival was covered again so the snow shovel was pressed into service clearing the snow from my wheel tracks and from the car.



The road wasn't too bad either so with everything packed I set off, surprisingly as the road wound it's way down the snow was deeper. Eventually I reached the junction where I had to decide whether to turn directly for home and face a few steep climbs or continue on a longer route on main roads. In the end I took the shorter option and avoiding any sudden application of throttle, brake or steering wheel safely made it home, in fact I had more difficulty getting the car into my own driveway.



It was another great day out, I much prefer being on the hill in winter, especially when there's snow but one thought kept occuring to me. I have some photos that I took on the same hills with the same ski set-up some 25 years ago, some of the other kit has changed but has it changed much? If you believe everything you read in outdoors publications or internet forums you'd believe that the latest gear is all vastly superior to kit available back then. I'm not sure but one thing I am sure of is that it's not about the gear in the end or at least it shouldn't be, I was enjoying myself back then and I'm enjoying myself now and in the end that's what it's really all about.

Seize the Day (or Night)

I mentioned after the last trip that I'd be unable to get for at least 4 weeks due to my shift changing. For a variety of reasons even when I switched back to the start of week shift I didn't get out either. Although I was keen to get out the idea of finishing work at 6.00pm on a Friday evening and heading off wasn't appealing but Marcus was keen to get out again so I agreed to a wild camp on Friday night.



We decided to go for a coastal camp this time as the North coast is only 25 miles away. There was some discussion about what gear to take, specifically shelter but after looking at the photos I'd taken some time ago of our proposed site we decided on the tents again, not that we had a great deal of choice anyway as neither of us has a tarp.

I decided to take my other Phreeranger, one that I use with an inner rather than the one I use flysheet only, there were 2 reasons for this,

a. I wanted to have a bit more midge protection than simply the Ti Goat Ptarmigan bivvy

b. I'd just bought a used PHD Ultra Minim and figured the extra warmth from using an inner tent would be worthwhile.

The rest of my sleeping system consisted of an 8mm full CCF mat and my PHD Ultra Down Vest which was to serve as a warm layer for sitting around or as extra insulation for the Minim Ultra if I needed it. My cooking gear this time was an Alpkit Mitymug and EK Kombi woodstove with the usual meths burner but without the cone type windshield. I decided on the woodstove as I assumed there would be a ready supply of driftwood.

We didn't leave until around 9.00pm and were parked up around 10.00pm with about 4 miles to go to reach the camp. The camp is set in a horseshoe bay surrounded by very steep grassy slopes and broken cliff and unless you know where to find the sheep track it looks like it's only accessible from the sea, in fact there are the remains of an old salmon fishery but it's uninhabitable due to fouling from sheep.

It was still daylight when we reached the foreshore but finding a suitable pitch proved difficult as most of the area was covered in bracken and any flat areas were little more than grass growing on top of stones. We eventually picked a spot and set about removing thistles and any prominent stones. I managed to get a tight pitch helped by having some Vargo nails which I was able to work down through the stones and after some adjustment my sleeping spot was reasonably comfortable.

It was almost midnight when Marcus announced that he'd brought some sausages and a small frying pan (I'd also decided at the last minute to bring some mini croissants and some proper milk as we weren't going to have to walk too far) so we had some sausages and a chocolate drink before settling in for the night.



I decided to only wear a Sub Zero F1 l/s top as although there was a bit of a North breeze coming in off the sea I was warm enough thanks to using the inner tent (midges hadn't been a problem). I must have drifted off to sleep pretty quickly but wakened around 2.00am. I decided to put on the PHD Ultra vest and drifted back to sleep again.



I wakened again at about 4.30am, force of habit as I normally get up at 5.00pm to set off for work. It was starting to get light by now so I took a few photos and hopped out of the tent to answer the call of nature before removing the down vest and shuffling back into my sleeping bag. I didn't waken again until around 7.30am by which time the sun was up and the tent was really warm. I hooked back the flysheet door and was having a look around when Marcus popped his head out of his Hike-Lite.







It was fantastic to waken up in such surroundings and any reservations I'd had the day before were gone and I was glad we'd decided to go for it. Marcus cooked up some sausages and soda bread while I boiled water for coffee and set the remaining croissants out in the sun to heat up and we sat on the grassy bank enjoying the views.



We were in no hurry to leave and with breakfast behind us and the sleeping bags draped over the tents we spent quite a bit of time wandering around exploring. There is another small bay that I though might be accessible if we could climb around the rocks and while I got around the corner until I could look into the bay I decided to turn back, discretion being the better part of valour.









When we were looking for a place to pitch the tents the previous night I'd spotted what looked like a blue airbed stuck between the rocks at the waters edge but hadn't investigated it at the time. We went to check it out and it turned out to be a large zipped pack that we both thought might be some kind of liferaft, as it turned out it was simply a pack of emergency water supplies and a drogue anchor with a woven line.



I assume it must have been part of a liferafts supplies but it was a bit disapointing that there was nothing exciting inside, only packs of water. We decided to check them for damage following the instructions and there must have been about 50 packs each containing 500ml (each 500ml pack had 10 individual 50ml sachets) with only 6 having the outer packaging damaged. We decided to take them all and leave them in the ruined cottage so that took a couple of trips, the large pack and drogue anchor we decided to take back with us.



We'd been watching a fishing boat just off shore and also a large sailing boat sailing towards Rathlin Island when a sea kayak appeared followed by another, then another. There were about 12 altogether and they pulled up onto the stoney beach right in front of us. It turned out they were from a variety of clubs and had set off that morning from Port Ballintrae a few miles further along the North Coast.





We had a bit of a chat with some of them, one guy in particular was using a Ghillie Kettle. The kettle while being pretty bulky was surprisingly fast at bringing water to a boil but like me he hadn't been able to find any driftwood and was using fuel that he'd actually brought.

It was around 2.00pm by now, the breeze had picked up quite a bit and the sea was a mass of white capped wavelets so we decided to strike camp and leave the 'invaders' It was still really warm when out of the breeze and by the time we had climbed back up to the cliff path via the sheep track we were pretty warm. It was difficult to know whether to go with or without a fleece but eventually we both ended up in t-shirts.



It didn't take too long to make it back to the car and we met quite a few people walking the cliff top path which leads eventually to the Giants Causeway. Looking back to our camp spot it was impossible to see the track leading from the cliff top due to the way it zig-zags between whin (gorse) bushes. The fact that it looks inaccessible and is a few miles from any car park helps to keep it respectable, although the bay is long there are few suitable pitches and over-use could lead to the area becomming an eyesore as unfortunately not everyone takes their rubbish out.

All in all it was a good one and although Marcus suggested a forest camp next I'd be tempted to go back and maybe spend 2 nights there. It's one of those places where I'd be prepared to carry a bit of extra weight in the way of cooking gear and food as it's a place to take it easy and chill out and dehydrated food doesn't really do it justice.

I was glad I'd taken the inner tent this time, the extra weight is minimal as I didn't take the bivvy bag. Unfortunately the groundsheet isn't waterproof anymore so I still had to take the sil-nylon footprint. The PHD Ultra Minim bag was fine for the conditions given it's +8°C rating, I'll review it in more detail later and the CCF mat was fine even though the pitch was pretty stoney.

Mournes Once Again

I was back in the Mournes again yesterday, 3rd time ever, 2nd this month, I think I'm addicted. I had a vague idea of where I wanted to go this time and had a few potential routes made out using Quo mapping software, now updated with grid lines which means that maps printed off can be used with a compass and a new 1/25,000 scale OS Ni map of the area.

I had some new gear to try out, a Montane Dynamo soft shell jacket that I was given by 'Parky Again' from the Outdoors Magic forum and a pair of Mountain Equipment G2 Lite soft shell gloves that I'd bought in the hope that they'd provide the same degree of dexterity as fleece gloves but with a bit of added water resistance.

I had been using an ME Ultrafleece jacket with a Montane Jetstream windshirt when required but didn't take a windshirt this time. Again I wore a Trekmates Bamboo baselayer set and a North Cape Rhovyl zip neck top and ME Ibex trousers. Footwear consisted of AKU Croda boots, Trekmates Stretch Gore-Tex gaiters and Horizon Merino socks. I also took a Montane Flux as extra insulation and wet gear was a Marmot Essence jacket and Trespass Pack-Away Trestex over trousers. The ME G2 lite gloves and a North Cape fleece beanie dealt with the extremities

I used a 25L Alpkit Gourdon, one of the early type with side mesh pockets and a shock cord on the back. I like the Gourdon, it's got a roll top and is just big enough for day trips although I'm going to make a pocket to fit the waist belt to keep trail food and bits and pieces.

The rest of my gear was made up of my Beer can/Cone cooking system, Aquagear filter bottle and as it had been snowing the night before I took my Micro spike trekking crampons for a 1st try out.

I wanted to set off a bit earlier than the last time and arranged to pick Marcus up at 8.30. There was a little snow when we set off but the roads were clear and by the time we reached Belfast there was no snow at all. As we neared Newcastle we saw that there was some snow on the Mournes but the cloud base was low obscuring even the lowest tops. We were parked up at Meelmore lodge and ready to set off by 10.30.

The proposed route was to take us directly up Spellack before heading roughly west to Slieve Meelmore. I've heard about the seven sevens, which are supposed to be the 7 summits over 700m, now whether the newer maps have been updated or whether there's another explanation I don't know but I can only find 6 mountains over 700m, Slieve Meelmore is just a bit lower so I'm guessing that it may have previously been thought to be over 700m. From Slieve Meelmore we intended to make for Slieve Meelbeg then turn south to Ben Crom and from there turn north east to reach the final summit of the day, Slieve Bearnagh with it's twin tops. A final descent to the Hares gap and from there the Trassey track would take us back to Meelmore Lodge, in fact from the summit of Slieve Bearnagh the route would be the same as our route from the previous visit.





The climb directly up Spellack was pretty tough coming as soon as it did after leaving the car, by the time we reached the small cairn visibility was down to 50m or thereabouts and the hoped for view across the Mournes didn't happen.



I decided to try the Micro Spike crampons and found them very easy to fit and very comfortable to wear. I didn't really notice much difference in grip at that stage. The Shelter on the Summit of Meelmore soon appeared through the mist and we stopped for a breather and I gave Marcus the Micro Spikes to try.



After having used them on the way up I really noticed not having them on the descent to the saddle between Meelmore and Meelbeg. Still shrouded in mist Slieve Meelbeg came and went and it was only when we had descended to the saddle between Meelbeg and Slieve Loughshannagh that visibility began to improve.



With the next waypoint selected on the Garmin Geko we set off for Ben Crom which rises gently before falling away steeply to the south down to the Ben Crom reservoir. We had only gone a short distance before the mist began to clear and the mountains that had been hidden made fleeting appearances. The cloud gradually cleared and we were treated to fantastic views of Doan, a nicely shaped hill, much nicer than our destination Ben Crom, and across the valley holding the Ben Crom reservoir to Slieve Binnian and Slieve Lamagan.



We changed direction again and made for Ben Crom across terrain that is more like the Antrim hills with mossy ground and peat banks but we soon found a trail winding through the peat banks and as the ground started to rise it was soon harder underfoot. The sun was shining by now and most of mountains were clearly visible with only the higher tops still capped with cloud.



The views from Ben Crom were fantastic, across the reservoir far below was the Annalong valley running north/south and flanked by Binnian and Lamagan, Slieve Commedagh and Slieve Donard, the big 2 could be seen to the east/south east and behind us to the north were Meelmore, Meelbeg and the final top of our planned route, Slieve Bearnagh.





Leaving Ben Crom for Slieve Bearnagh meant tramping through more peat banks but once we started to gain height onto the lower ridge of Bearnagh the going improved. I was starting to get hungry and we decided to try to find a sheltered spot but ended up on an exposed stony area which although it made a nice spot to set up the stoves didn't offer much in the way of shelter.







I decide to pull on my Montane Flux and with an eye on the dark clouds moving in also pulled on my Marmot Essence. We had only just got the stoves set up when we were hit with a snow/hail shower which lasted almost until we were ready to set off again and by the time I had packed up and removed the Flux jacket my hands were numb, the soft shell gloves having failed on both counts, warm and water resistance.



We started up the progressively steeper slope to the top of Slieve Bearnagh and my hands started to feel painful as they heated up but after about 10 minutes, by which time we'd reached the final summit rocks they were fine.





There was a stiff breeze blowing up from the west side of the summit ridge and quite a bit of spindrift blowing around but without any warning the cloud lifted again, the sun broke through and we were treated to spectacular views in every direction with fantastic cloud formations and the snow covered Mournes virtually clear.





The views were an extra bonus and much more than we could have hoped for when we started out and especially welcome on the final hill of the day. We were sheltered from the breeze as soon as we set off down the ridge towards the secondary North Tor of Slieve Bearnagh and the camera was in constant use.











We soon reached the final descent to the Hares gap but although it had been icy I hadn't worn the Micro spikes as Marcus didn't have any and I didn't want to lead him into icy areas where he'd have no grip. We decided to wear one crampon each after Marcus slipped on a snow covered rock and while one crampon isn't as good a 2 it made a significant difference and we were very soon at the hares Gap with only the final walk out on the Trassey Track to reach the car.







Of the gear that was being used for the 1st time the micro spikes earned their keep but unfortunately for Marcus the seller I bought mine off hasn't any listed at present. The only problem I had was that they tended to ball up were the snow was wet.

The Montane soft shell jacket worked really well, much better than I expected, it doesn't insulate as well as my Ultrafleec jacket but I didn't need a windshirt, even if I had the Marmot Essence would have worked as it was completely dry inside when we reached the car so it must be breathable enough which is strange as my Montane Jetstream while not strictly speaking waterproof is less breathable.

As before the bamboo baselayer and North Cape Rhovyl zip neck worked fantastically, so well in fact that I'm going to order another bamboo top and North Cape zip neck.

The cooking system is better than last time as I'm now using a taller cone windshield, the 3mm closed cell cozies work as well if not better than alu bubble wrap while being lighter and the beer can pot and mug are super light.

The only gear that failed to live up to expectations were the ME G2 lite gloves, unfortunately they aren't significantly (if at all) more water resistant than my fleece gloves but don't provide as much insulation, I'd still need shell gloves if it's wet which makes them pointless in my view.

I don't know when I'll get out again but I'd like to have a wild camp in the Mournes soon, in the meantime I'm in the process of making some anti-balling plates for the crampons and I may need to make a waist belt pocket for the Alpkit Gourdon unless I get a new rucksack before then. A new rucksack is on the cards, I have one in mind which should have enough capacity for year round overnight camps or longer duration summer trips but be about half the weight of the Haglofs LIM 45, about the same weight as the Alpkit Gourdon as it happens. The LIM 45 will still be my general heavier/bulkier load carrier and if I really need to load up I'll use the Gregory Z55