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.

On Ski in the Antrim Hills *Updated*

At long last I managed to make it out, it just seems that everything else has been dragging me down recently what with working extra hours and various other commitments. I tried to get out on Monday as I wanted to make the best of the snow in case it didn't hang around but in the end didn't make it, with my car booked in for MOT on Tuesday I didn't get out and then my shift started on Wednesday.

It may have worked out better in the end though as we hadn't had much snow after the initial fall last Saturday but low temperatures kept it hanging around and eventually we had further snow showers on Friday which added a few more cm.

The plan was simple, drive up to Glenariff on Saturday morning, take the trails and forest tracks to gain the open hill and head for one of the tops before returning to the car. In the end I didn't get up until 10.30 as I was knackered after my shift but made an effort to get started ASAP.





It was quite foggy at low level but the roads were clear and as I gained height the fog cleared and I reached the forest park at about 11.45. Finding a parking space wasn't easy as all the lay-by's were full of snow, a Land Rover would have been useful. In the end I parked at the entrance to the forest park, the main gates being shut, and drove backwards and forwards to create a clear path for when I came back. I put on my skis as soon as I left the car and skied into the park before putting the skins on to climb up the path to flatter ground. I was too warm to begin with as I was wearing North Cape Long Johns under a pair of ME Liskamm trousers, a Uniqlo L/S t-shirt over which I had a North Cape zip neck and a Montane Dyno softshell. I stopped for a breather at a wooden shelter and should really have put the softshell in my rucksack but laziness prevented me.





I knew that I'd be pushed for time to make one of the tops so decided to simply stop at one of the small loughs, one of which was on my route anyway. It was quite chilly between the trees but warm where the sun shone through the gaps and fire breaks as I made my way along the waymarked trail before branching off onto one of the forestry tracks.





I made slow progress but eventually arrived at the edge of the forest and set off on a service road built to serve the nearby reservoir before turning off onto the open hill. The snow was deep in places but not of sufficient depth to completely cover the tussocky grass nor was it consolidated enough to completely carry my weight even with skis on.







Eventually after stopping a couple of times I reached Loughgarve in bright sunshine. The lough was frozen over as was the outflow so set about making something to eat as I was getting hungry by this time having somehow forgotten to pack any cereal bars or chocolate as on the move snacks.





I set up the MSR Reactor and started to boil up water for an instant pasta and a hot drink. Although I was in the sunshine I was right on top of a rise and once stopped I started to cool down but I'd brought my Uniqlo down jacket and after digging it out of the rucksack it provided the required insulation. Looking back down I could see that the reservoir was frozen over and to the west in the distance the fog was still lying on the lower ground towards the nearby town of Ballymena. I didn't spend too much time sitting around as I was keeping an eye on the time although I did take a few photographs.







With everything packed away I replaced the down jacket with my new Berghaus shell jacket and started to make my way back down to the service road. To be honest it took almost as much energy decending as I kept breaking through the snow and I was really wary about getting crossed up and twisting my knee again as had happen in January. My knee is weak as it's been hurt too many times, it's something I just have to deal with but it does make me overly cautious even though I've now got the benefit of release bindings.

Once I reached the service road I removed the shell jacket and continued along the road towards the forest track. The light was starting to change with the sky taking on a slight amber tinge and looking out over the Irish Sea towards Scotland I could see a band of, well something, rain/sleet/snow whatever but it wasn't heading in my direction. Once back in the forest I was able to take advantage of my tracks from earlier and soon got the benefit of a downhill run although it's fair to say that I could use a bit of glide wax.

Back on the waymarked trail I removed the skis and strapped them to my rucksack as there are a few short sharp climbs and a few steep winding decents on a very narrow track and my grip wax wasn't providing much grip for the ascents I didn't want to take out a tree on the decents. I stopped once more at the wooden shelter before making my way back down to the main road leading out of the forest park where I put the skis on again for the final few hundered metres back to my car.







I was pretty knackered to be honest but even though it was a quick outing I really enjoyed it. I love the snow and if it stayed around for the next 2 months I wouldn't be complaining. I'd have loved to have had a tent and camped out, that would have been brilliant.

The Gear.

Most of the gear I took has been used before with only a few new items to try, I love having kit that's tried and tested as I can just wear/take it and know that it'll work. The only stuff that was new was a pair of Karrimor Windgrip gloves with grip patches on the finger tips, thumb and palm. I wanted to get a pair of the Mountain Equipment gloves that Maz mentioned as they look to be just what I've been looking for but the Karrimor gloves were £9 from Field & Trek and as I was ordering some sleeping mats I added the gloves. They're nothing special to be honest, you can feel the seams on the inside but in use they aren't too noticable. They seem to be reasonably water resistant but aren't as warm as normal fleece gloves unfortunately, £9 is enough.

Another new item was a Lowrance Endura Safari GPS navigator but I'll look at it in more detail at a later date.

And finally a snow shovel, plastic with a removeable telescopic handle and branded as Garant I bought it at the start of the year in B&Q in an end of winter season sale. I didn't expect to need it but wanted to try it out. I used it as a table.

The rest of the kit was as follows.

Base layer.
Uniqlo Heatech L/S Top
North Cape Long Johns
North Cape Zip Neck Top

Mid layer.
Mountain Equipment Liskamm Softshell Trousers
Montane Dyno IBQ Thermaskin Sofshell jacket

Shell Layer.
Berghaus Pro Trek Gore Tex Jacket
Trespass 'Prusik' Full Zip Over trousers
Marmot Shell Gloves (unlined)

Head, Hands & Feet
Knit, fleece lined Earflap hat c/w 'Fur' trim (Tesco, about £8 IIRC)
Karrimor Windgrip Gloves
Wool Mix knee length socks (Horizon Merino Mix IIRC from TK Max)

I also took a spare pair of Mountain Warehouse windproof fleece gloves and an Uniqlo down jacket. I didn't have a choice of footwear as I was wearing my Gron-ell leather ski boots and Berghaus Yeti gaiters.

I took the MSR Reactor with a 100g cartridge and Primus foot rest, polymug and PET bottle, Barska Blackhawk 8x25 binoculars, Skins and wax for my skis, 1st aid kit, Trekmates bivvy bag (knee paranoia), Brusletto Nansen and my Micro Crampons. I carried it all in a Karrimor Alpiniste 45+10 rucksack. I like the Alpiniste, it's the 08 model which is much better than my late 90's/early 2000's model which is over weight and has way too many features. The Alpiniste has a very supportive hip-belt and together with the Fformatt back pad is stiff enough to take the weight of my skis even if it's only partly full. At 1350g it isn't superlight but the load carrying ability makes up for it.

As I mentioned most of the gear had been used previously, the North Cape base layer works a treat and as I bought it at £5 per item it's a double bonus, the heattech base layer from Uniqlo also works well, the ME Liskamm trousers are really good and if anything happened them I'd simply get another pair. I mentioned that to my wife earlier and she suggested that I should get another couple of pairs while they're still available, she changed her mind when I told her the price!!

The Uniqlo lightweight down jacket just continues to impress me, it's warm and packs down small, it's light and it doesn't leak down, in fact as far as down leakage goes it's far superior to my Mont-Bell ultralight down pants which retain down like a net retains water.

The MSR Reactor works, ok it's a bit bulky and a bit heavy compared to some but nothing I have that's lighter can come close to matching the performance/fuel efficiency.

Finally the Montane Dyno softshell, this one surprised me when I got it as I'm not really sold on the idea of softshell for anything other than legwear. That it's virtually replaced my old favourite, the Mountain Equipment Ultrafleece jacket says it all although the extra pocket is perhaps the one main advantage over the Ultrafleece jacket. It uses a fabric that isn't from one of the main producers, the fabric is IBQ Thermaskin made by the Spanish company IBQ. The Dyno in Thermaskin is no longer available, Montane seem to have adopted pretty much the same Polartec/Pertex fabrics as everyone else, the upside of that is that you can choose your softshell from any of the major brands and decide on fit/features rather than on fabric.

The Ski Setup

I looked at my ski kit a couple of years ago (see here) when I dug them out of the loft after they'd been left unused due to succesive mild winters and other commitments. At between 20 and 25 years old they certainly aren't cutting edge but at my skill level they do the job.

The skis are Asnes Sondre Telemark with waxing bases and full metal edges and a 9mm sidecut, they would have been classed as mountaing touring skis back then with the Nansen Mountain being a wider model with a 20mm sidecut. Mine are 200cm and measure approx 64/55/58 tip, waist and tail.





The bindings that were originally fitted were Rottefella Super Telemark 75mm Nordic Norm 3 pin. They were light but offered no release although voile had at that time just released a plate with a release mechanism to which you could attach the Rottefella binding. I didn't buy the release as it would have added another £50 or so to the cost. I now have a Voile releases cable binding fitted after injuring my knee last year, the story behind the release binding can be read here The main difference in use is that they don't have the 3 pins that locate in the corresponding holes in the toe extension on the sole of the boot but rely on a cable which goes around the heelof the boot. I wasn't sure how I'd get on with the cable binding but I actually prefer it as it removes the problem of snow getting into the holes in the sole extension when walking around without the skis.





The poles are again what would have been considered a mountain touring standard, made by Swix the 'Mountain' model has a hardened ally shaft, wide leather wrist straps and a wide basket with a hardened tip. Mine are 135mm.



The boots are leather and very stiff, made by Gro-nell they don't have a Gore-Tex liner but like many boots from back then they have a fast drying cambrelle lining. I've never waxed the boots as I didn't want to soften them but always used Berghaus Yeti gaiters. The great thing about leather boots is that once broken in they're super comfortable, fortunately I found them comfortable straight from the box.



The waxes came as part of a kit that the instructors put together based on a Swix wax kit but with some waxes swapped out for ones more likely to be of use to me in the UK, apart from the 2 hard waxes I have a tube of Klister which is really sticky, a cork for rubbing the wax in and a scraper for taking it off.



Finally I have a pair of Coll-Tex synthetic skins, these have a re-useable self adhesive back and are simply stuck to the base of the skis after hooking the buckle over the ski tip. The provide traction when it's too steep for the wax to grip.



How Heavy is it?

Pretty heavy by todays standard I guess, I haven't checked but curiosity will no doubt have me taking a peek at some Nordic ski gear websites.

The actual weight of my setup is as follows;

Skis and Bindings - 3560g pair

Boots and Gaiters - 2628g pair/size 9

Poles - 477g pair

Skins - 240g pair

Waxes etc - 240g

Total - 6145g

Snow Fun!!

I can hardly believe that we still have plenty of snow after 3 weeks, it's not unusual to have no snow whatsoever some years. I started my shift on Wednesday but couldn't resist taking Friday off just to get out again. I wanted to get my skis out while there was plenty of cover and planned to return to Glenariff/Trostan as I knew what kind of cover I could expect.

I made sure everything was packed and ready on Thursday night so that I could make a early(ish) start. I bought my skis about 20 years ago and apart from the first few years have hardly been used due mainly to a combination of mild winters and other commitments. I haven't used a gas stove since around February 09 preferring to used a meths stove but I decided to take a cartridge mounted burner this time as I only wanted to carry water for drinking and planned to melt snow for cooking. I used the C-3 mini stove that I bought on ebay for about £12, like the Gelert Blaze it's a copy of the Markill Peak Ignition but I lightened it by removing the flip out part of the pan supports and the Piezo igniter. An Alpkit Mitymug, pot cozy, foil windshield and Primus canister support completed the cooking gear. I took a Karrimor Hot Rock 30L rucksack as it has side compression straps capable of carrying skis, to stiffen the rucksack I placed a loosely rolled CCF sleeping mat inside.

I was wearing a mixed baselayer, North Cape Rhovyl long johns, bought from Daleswear for £5, a Trekmates bamboo long sleeved top over which I wore a North Cape Rhovyl zip neck, again £5 form Daleswear. The rest of my clothing consisted of ME Liskamm trousers and ME Ultrafleece jacket, Montane Jetstream windshirt, Montane Venture eVent jacket and for extra insulation an Alpkit Filo down jacket. A polarfleece balaclava rolled to make a hat and Mountain Warehouse windproof fleece gloves dealt with head and hands and Horizon Merino mix socks, Berghaus Yeti gaiters and Gronell ski boots finished it off. I was amused when looking at some of the photographs later that I didn't appear to be dressed much differently than I would have 20 years ago.



I arrived at the lay-by beside Glenariff forest park at about 9.45 and quickly set off along the forest tracks, my waxing skills are non-existent but as it was just a gradual incline to begin with I managed, though probably not much faster than normal walking speed.



The sun was shining by the time I reached Essathohan waterfall but unlike the previous week it was frozen top to bottom. I ditched my skis and rucksack and climbed down to the stream to take some shots and the snow was more than knee deep. Once back up on the trail I prepared to continue along a firebreak between the trees to reach the open hill when I heard voices from back down the trail. As I prepared to set off a group of walkers appeared about 40 metres back. I wanted to set my own pace so didn't wait and found the skis a real benefit on the soft snow.



Once over the fence there was a very slight incline before it steepened for the climb up to the summit but having taken the skis off to cross the fence I decided to fit the skins then and there. Progress was rapid with the skis supporting my weight and preventing me breaking through and the group of 4 who were now following my tracks were soon left behind. I pretty much went straight up towards a small cairn and once there decided to stop for a rest. The view was fantastic and the snow bristled with frosted crystals due to the relatively few snow showers over the past few days, the light winds and low temperatures.



There were quite a few tracks left by foxes winding in and out through the peat hags and I wondered what on earth they found to eat, I guess that maybe grouse were on the menu as the only other animals I saw were sheep.

With clear skies the views across to Scotland were much the same as on New years day and the peaks that I wasn't sure about last time were positively identified as Goat Fell on Arran.



Progress was good now that the incline had decreased but I did make note of a few icy patches that looked like they might catch me out on the way back. It wasn't long before the triangulation pillar came into view and I made my way up to it, took a few photographs and then moved off to find a suitable peat hag to have lunch as I wanted to leave the summit clear for the group making their way up behind.





After tramping a firm base for the stove I set about melting snow to re-hydrate my pasta and make a hot drink, adding a little at first and then increasing the amount of snow as the amount of water increased I soon had about 500ml to a rolling boil.





Although the sun was shining and I could at times almost feel some heat the slight breeze encouraged me to put on my windshirt quickly followed by my down jacket. I had almost finished my lunch when the following group appeared on the summit, we exchanged waves and I was in the process of cleaning out the Mitymug when one of the group came over to say hello.




He confirmed that they'd had a tough walk as they'd been breaking through the surface and the snow was knee deep on the steeper sections and between the peat hags. He went back to his group while I got myself sorted for the decent. I stopped with them on my way back and they suggested that I'd have some fun on the way down, I suggested that I'd probably spend most of the decent on my back!!

The first part was fine as it wasn't too steep although there were quite a few icy ridges formed by the wind. I made reasonably rapid progress down the the level area just above the worst of the peat hags but did managed to fall over a few times in doing so.

Getting through the peat hags was the worst bit, my turning skills are pretty much non-existent due to a lack of practice and although I was being careful the inevitable happened, traversing left I let the tail of my downhill ski slide out going over an insignificant ridge, the right ski shot across the left trapping it and causing me to fall. I ended up twisted to the left on my back with my left foot still pointing in the direction of travel attached to the ski which in turn was held firm by the right ski. The familiar snap and burning sensation in my left knee needed no explanation, Anterior Cruciate Ligament, again!!

It took a bit of struggling to release my boot from the binding but with enough groaning I managed to un-clip and get back on my feet. I knew from past experience that I'd be fine if I didn't twist so decided to walk down for a bit. It was pretty difficult to walk as I kept breaking through and found it difficult to get enough movement in my left leg to step out of the holes but as soon as the incline decreased I put the skis back on and made a series of slow traverses and then a final straight run back to the fence and from there back onto the forest trail.





The easy run back down the trail to the car was welcome and after some effort I was able to get the car doors open, the car had been sitting in the shade all day and doors and locks were frozen. Having gained entry via the passenger door I couldn't get it to stay shut and ended up passing the seatbelt through the door handle and clipping it in, this worked just fine.



I was home again within 45 mins by which time my knee had stiffened up quite a bit but it doesn't seem as bad as when I hurt it last July. I even managed to get some practice, skiing in the field beside my mums on Saturday. I didn't have any problems with the gear, my baselayer worked just fine and was comfortable enough to not need changed immediately on my return. I tend to run hot when active but cool down quickly so although Ultrafleece isn't as warm as some other fleeces it's slightly more windproof, I've read that Karisma fleece is virtually identical to Ultrafleece and I've seen a jacket I like the look of. The ME Liskamm trousers are excellent (I'm in the habit of referring to them as Combin!!) and I find softshell works well for me as legwear. The Alpkit Filo is a really good jacket, it's lighter than my ME Lightline, packs smaller but I suspect that the Lightline is more water-resistant although I haven't compared them directly, the down in the Lightline feels a little softer but at £75 the Filo is half the price of the Lightline which makes it a real steal, no wonder they sell out so quickly.

Although I haven't been out on the hill much over the past few weeks I've been messing around trying stuff out at home. I had wanted to get an overnight camp on the hill but didn't manage although I did try the Hike-Lite down at my Mums house. I've also been looking at the gear I used in Winter years ago when I started and comparing it to the gear I've been using recently, I even found a few new brands that look interesting. I don't expect the snow to stay around much longer so I'll try to make the best of it before my shift starts again on Wednesday.

Having posted a question on Outdoors Magic regarding binding release mechanisms for 75mm NN bindings another member kindly offered to let me have a set that he no longer used, a gesture that's very much appreciated. It's unlikely that I'll get them fitted before the snow disappears but maybe it'll hold out. The North Cape baselayer that I bought has been worn almost continually so I think I'll get another set while they're still available.

My attempts to lower my base weight have taken a back seat due to the snow being here but I'll be back on track in due course, I want a lightweight waterproof sleeping bag cover to use with a single skin tent but rather than purchase one I think I can make one that suits my requirements but is lighter and hopefully cheaper. So plenty to keep me occupied and the gear list that was pretty small is growing at an alarming rate. I think it's time to try and sell some of the stuff I don't use but given that I'm still using gear I bought 20 years ago maybe selling isn't quite my thing.