Hiking, backpacking, trekking, mountaineering...

Yep, that's pretty terrifying for someone who doesn't really do very well with heights knowing one slip sends you to death!

Especially after ~30 miles of brutal running in ~30C heat! :p


EDIT - Found a race diary from someone who mentioned it's a grade 2 scramble

https://life.tomwright.me.uk/post/185654006562/benissa-perimetral-2019

A good read if anyone has the time.
 
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Yep, that's pretty terrifying for someone who doesn't really do very well with heights knowing one slip sends you to death!

Especially after ~30 miles of brutal running in ~30C heat! :p


EDIT - Found a race diary from someone who mentioned it's a grade 2 scramble

https://life.tomwright.me.uk/post/185654006562/benissa-perimetral-2019

A good read if anyone has the time.

You'll be fine on a grade 2 just take it steady on the sketchy bits. I took someone scared of heights over the AE mid this year (not my choice, someone else brought him but I felt responsible for him).

Climbs to build you up grades would be

Grade 1
Striding edge
Jacks rake
Halls fell ridge & sharp edge

Grade 2
Cam crag ridge
Sourmilk gill (seathwaite)

Better off going to Scotland if you want some real training of exposure as you don't really get much from the scrambling in the lakes in comparison, and definitely not in yorkshire
 
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Cheers. I guess the bonus is being in Spain it should be dry at least. Think i just need to get out and practice and will pick a dry day and head to the lakes. Once i've tried a few i'm sure i'll be fine, it's just those initial nerves at seeing pictures of large drops and thinking "**** me"
 
Jack's Rake might be grade 1 but you feel quite exposed in parts.

Sharp Edge, Halls Fell, Striding Edge are all accessible and not too bad, I've done them all supporting someone else and with three dogs so not too bad. Crib Goch is also a grade 1 but at elevation so weather can play a bigger part and a couple areas need some thought & navigation skills.

If you fancy some support i may be able to join you sometime. Miss the mountains!
 
Jack's Rake might be grade 1 but you feel quite exposed in parts.

Sharp Edge, Halls Fell, Striding Edge are all accessible and not too bad, I've done them all supporting someone else and with three dogs so not too bad. Crib Goch is also a grade 1 but at elevation so weather can play a bigger part and a couple areas need some thought & navigation skills.

If you fancy some support i may be able to join you sometime. Miss the mountains!

Yeah that’d be awesome. Much safer than me going on my own with no idea!
 
Some good trails around Wales too if you want to get used to some exposure. The Snowdon horseshoe including Crib Goch is a very good, but exposed grade 1. Probably wouldn't be fatal if you slipped, but you almost certainly Would Not Have a Good Time.

Generally grade 1 is fine for anyone in half-decent shape and confident, a slip would be scary, but not fatal. Grade 2 the potential for a slip to turn into something very serious is real. Less confident people may want a rope. Grade 3 is getting into moderate rock climb territory, although still perfectly fine to solo (no rope) if you're confident. I've soloed grade 3 stuff, in good conditions.

I'm supposed to be doing the Bochlwyd horseshoe on Saturday, but the weather looks lousy. I'll probably still do it, got some new boots to break in and test my gear ready for winter. Going to go and stay at my parents place on Skye for Hogmanay, and if the weather's decent, stay for a few weeks and get up as many mountains as I can! Might have a crack at the Cuillin ridge if I can find some people to tackle it with.
 
Generally grade 1 is fine for anyone in half-decent shape and confident, a slip would be scary, but not fatal. Grade 2 the potential for a slip to turn into something very serious is real. Less confident people may want a rope. Grade 3 is getting into moderate rock climb territory, although still perfectly fine to solo (no rope) if you're confident. I've soloed grade 3 stuff, in good conditions.

I guess that's the part that worrys me, looking at some Youtube videos then the potential for a slip is the scary outcome. Especially with no ropes in some places like here. It's probably not something that's too difficult and something i'd be ok with ordinarily. But after ~30 miles of running in the mountains then tackling it with very tired legs becomes a bigger unknown.

These bits seem perfectly ok
tumblr_inline_pq5pftKUhB1qbnn4o_500.jpg



These bits, maybe a little less so! I know there's a rope in that last picture, but it's only for assistance rather than safety.

tumblr_inline_pq3u96fB2N1qbnn4o_500.jpg


tumblr_inline_psqcywERhb1qbnn4o_500.jpg


All good fun!
 
I guess that's the part that worrys me, looking at some Youtube videos then the potential for a slip is the scary outcome. Especially with no ropes in some places like here. It's probably not something that's too difficult and something i'd be ok with ordinarily. But after ~30 miles of running in the mountains then tackling it with very tired legs becomes a bigger unknown.

I'd definitely get out and do some grade 1 scrambles in good weather before you tackle it on a trail run. Exposure always looks worse in pictures...when you're actually tackling it, you're concentrating on your hands and feet, not the drop!

North ridge of Tryan is ace, and you can pick a line as safe or as challenging as you like, the rock is all solid, and there's plenty of traffic.
 
Need some advice on walking boots.

I have some Salomon X Ultra 4 Mid GORE-TEX Men's Boots

It took me awhile to find some walking boots that I found quite comfortable, to the point where I can where them for a long time with no real aches.

Those boots are great for comfort, and I was happy until today.

I was walking my dog over a largeish country park and it drizzled a bit and the grass was very wet and my right foot got absolutely soaked.

I've only had these boots since early July! Now to be fair I do wear them most days and do about 4-5 miles a day on dog walks, but surely I shouldn't expect a gore Tex boot to be letting in water.

Hoping they are covered under warranty but are those not a decent brand?
 
Gore TeX boots all seem to start leaking in a remarkably short space of time in my experience. Might be some brands that last better, but I think it is a common problem.

Salomon are a decent brand in general but I wonder if the way they do their gore tex shoes is particularly poor, because I also have personal experience of Salomon boots starting to leak very quickly and have read of others having the same issue. My pair of Quest 4 boots have very small leaks now after about 6 months, think my previous pair began leaking after a similarly short period of time. I only got another pair because they seem to fit me much better than any of the other boots in the shops near me, and I wanted new boots in a hurry when I got them. I could get them for a fair bit less than some other options I'd seen online too.

My plan is to try and get Go Outdoors to replace them before they're a year old, or failing that try and get Salomon to do so within their two year quality guarantee period.

I would suggest trying to get them replaced for free from wherever you bought them, or a refund and try a different model if you prefer (might depend on the T&Cs what each retailer will do in that regard...).

One thing just to watch out for is that if you're using the boots regularly then try to get them dried out properly at home each time they get wet - if the boots stay damp for long periods of time then that can degrade them and result in the gore tex membrane coming away from seams etc inside (apparently).
 
Need some advice on walking boots.

I have some Salomon X Ultra 4 Mid GORE-TEX Men's Boots

It took me awhile to find some walking boots that I found quite comfortable, to the point where I can where them for a long time with no real aches.

Those boots are great for comfort, and I was happy until today.

I was walking my dog over a largeish country park and it drizzled a bit and the grass was very wet and my right foot got absolutely soaked.

I've only had these boots since early July! Now to be fair I do wear them most days and do about 4-5 miles a day on dog walks, but surely I shouldn't expect a gore Tex boot to be letting in water.

Hoping they are covered under warranty but are those not a decent brand?

If they are gore-tex then take them back and say they have failed. most stores will replace but you might argue you want a refund. If they've come through the boot then you have a warrant for refund but if water has dribbled down your leg and into the boot like often happens and is mistaken as a leaky boot and why gaitors help then obviously they might still be fine.

Drying boots out in front of fires and radiators can damage the gore-tex lining. I've had leather gtx boots for many years and they've never leaked. I never treat them and I've always just let them air dry.

Altburg have always had good reviews and they cater for different feet shapes and I've considered them my next boot but I seen someone deck it about 15 times coming off bla bheinn. Granted it was very wet and greasy and I was in trail shoes so wasn't a great comparison its made me question their grip.

I'd don't fix what ain't broken approach but my boots are old and I've read berghaus boots ain't as good as they once were.
 
If they are gore-tex then take them back and say they have failed. most stores will replace but you might argue you want a refund. If they've come through the boot then you have a warrant for refund but if water has dribbled down your leg and into the boot like often happens and is mistaken as a leaky boot and why gaitors help then obviously they might still be fine.

Drying boots out in front of fires and radiators can damage the gore-tex lining. I've had leather gtx boots for many years and they've never leaked. I never treat them and I've always just let them air dry.

Altburg have always had good reviews and they cater for different feet shapes and I've considered them my next boot but I seen someone deck it about 15 times coming off bla bheinn. Granted it was very wet and greasy and I was in trail shoes so wasn't a great comparison its made me question their grip.

I'd don't fix what ain't broken approach but my boots are old and I've read berghaus boots ain't as good as they once were.

It was my toes that first were wet, then eventually my whole sock/foot

If it had been dripping water from my trousers, it would have been the other way around.
 
Found a video of the run i'm doing which gives a good idea of what's involved. I imagine a lot of time will be spent fast hiking rather than running simply due to the terrain being very rocky/uneven where you can't get a decent rhythm going.


Have ordered some poles and aiming to go and do the Old Man of Coniston on Sunday to get some practice in on some decent sized climbs without being too difficult. The loop seems to suggest it's ~6 miles, so depending on how i'm feeling i might attempt it twice.

I assume something like Viewranger is the best option for picking out other routes in the Lakes to give me big elevation of a relatively short walk?
 
Also, my dad gave me some books with various walking routes and maps around the Lake District/North West. Would anyone want them or is everyone just GPX based for routing?

It feels a shame to just throw them away!
 
Also, my dad gave me some books with various walking routes and maps around the Lake District/North West. Would anyone want them or is everyone just GPX based for routing?

It feels a shame to just throw them away!

i would absolutely love those. We have done most of our hikes around the peak district but are going to start going to the lakes now that we have better transport :) did you want anything for them?
 
Dangerous clearance sale on at Go Outdoors in Derby. Went in for some tech wash, left with a Mountain Equipment Lhotse jacket and Montane Super Terra trousers...late bday present to myself :cool:

Spending a couple weeks on Skye over Xmas and hoping to get up some proper climbs in the Cuillins if the weather gods smile.

If not I'll just trudge up some munros in the rain to get my money's worth from this gear :D
 
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