Current Conditions

I have a couple of items for sale just now…..

RRP £430
PHD Hispar 400 Down Sleeping Bag
Used for roughly 15 nights, always with a liner to protect the down. Size short which fits people upto 5ft 8inch. Really lightweight piece of gear (only 770g) perfect for summer Alpine or Scottish winter, although I recently used this for a winter Alpine bivi too.

In perfect condition as very well looked after. Comes with stuff sack and storage bag.

http://www.phdesigns.co.uk/product_info.php?cat=26&products_id=246

Pictures on request….

£330 plus £8 special delivery 

Also……

Rab Primaloft Belay Jacket. Mens size large in black. 
I have had this jacket for about 4 years, its a brilliant jacket, very nice cut for layering over your shell whilst on a winter belay or cold summit. It has two huge chest pockets, two hand warmer pockets (one of which has a hole inside but could easily be sewn up) and one inside pocket. The hood is massive and easily swallows up a helmet. 
Its been well looked after with just a couple of small tears on the arm and a couple of scuffs here and there. Stuff sack included but as with most sacks it seems a tad too small….

A superb jacket that is still being sold in Switzerland for £200!
http://ddg-sport.ch/index.php?_OO=41310&iid=158

Pictures here - 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/70369735@N06/7064761179/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/70369735@N06/6918683944/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/70369735@N06/7064763597/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/70369735@N06/6918687286/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/70369735@N06/6918688034/in/photostream/ 

£65 plus £3 recorded delivery

PrAna Climbing/Bouldering Pant in dark green
Men’s size small (30inch waist)
Used but in good condition, few marks here and there

Pictures here - 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/70369735@N06/7070624767/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/70369735@N06/7070627615/

£30 plus £2.50 postage 

One of our ‘week trip’ goals prior to arriving in Chamonix was to attempt a winter ascent of the Frendo Spur. Duncan has quite a few friends living in the area and after hearing thoughts about the upper half being out of condition we opted to stay clear of the route this time. In exchange for this we wanted to do a long day route on the North side of the Midi so opted for Le fil a plomb (TD), a route which is quite regularly in condition and although long and committing only has 3 or 4 pitches of steep climbing up long icy ramps. Our organization took an early blow as we managed to miss the first lift up the mountain due to hundreds of skiers out to enjoy the settled weekend weather. So with added pressure of a cold night in the Midi station toilets we burst out of the blocks and made it to the Bershgrund in under an hour leaving a couple of teams in our wake. Looking up the route we counted 15 people amounting to allot of ice debris being  funneled down the route and an ever looming night out without bivi gear. With this in mind after about 100 meters we stepped out right and onto the Col Du Plan Couloir (TD). We decided to simulclimb most of the route which in the end turned into soloing with a rope on to be honest - the one decent step going at about Scottish IV,5 probably. The overall memory from this route was the continuous battle with waist deep powder over slabby granite which in the end became a full body workout with minimal actual climbing involved. Both Duncan and I were pretty spent by the time we made the arête leading back to the Midi station but perseverance and the promise of a cold night in the toilets made us rip along the ridge just in time to get the last lift back to Chamonix! This marked the end of a great trip for us, which although didn’t involve the multi day epic we sought after before arriving in France but did involve four great routes in a week of settled spring weather – without even needing one ski or snowshoe! 

After pushing ourselves on Tuesday we decided to use yesterday to prepare for a two day outing on the Vallee Blanche. Our sights were set on Pellisier Gully on Pointe Lachenal and the Swiss Route on the Grand Capucin with an overnight camp mid way down the Vallee Blanche to combat our lack of skiing ability. The weather was again on our side as we made easy progress across the glacier carrying all we needed to be self sufficient for 3 days. We had great fun climbing Pellisier Gully (III,4,M5) which went smoothly over 5 or 6 pitches before we dropped into the snowy couloir and decided to make a straight-line for the summit instead of abseiling. Grade wise it was probably a little easier than suggested although we didn’t have any ice on the 3^rd pitch which meant Duncan balancing up a dry split slab before I enjoyed the steep but short crux which involved hooking giant flakes up an awkward chimney type feature. We descended a well trodden path back to our bags before setting up camp closer to the Grand Cap’ whilst a biting wind took presence over a very desolate looking glacier. Battered by the wind throughout the night we decided it would be too cold to climb on rock so we made a steady walk back toward the Midi lift taking in the Arête du Cosmiques (AD,4c) with heavy bags which was a superb and much more interesting way of getting back to the station. 

Our first morning in Chamonix dawned with clear blue skies and not a breath of wind. The streets are now clear of snow, sporting just the odd patch loitering in shaded areas around the Aiguille du midi telephonique. Typically the lift was packed full of skiers hoping to descend the beautiful Vallee Blanche where as Duncan and I being non-skiers were keen to batter down the glacier to get underneath the South face and onto the Rebuffat Route, a 10 pitch French 6a route with an optional 6b/A0 topout. It was a social outing as we were joined by Alex Buisse - an adventure photographer and his partner for what was to be a really fun route on excellent granite. You would never has guessed we were at nearly 4000 meters as it was lovely and warm with only a breath of wind to keep us company throughout the day. The harder climbing was short lived which lent itself to our steady acclimatisation day and after half a dozen exposed abseils we were back on the glacier and chasing the last lift back down to Chamonix. A great start to the trip…… 

Today Davie, Jane and I went to Polney Crag at Dunkeld. I have never seen the crag so busy as around 40 people were out enjoying the quality routes in perfect spring weather. To get rid of a few cobwebs we climbed The End (VS,5a), The Chute (VS,5a) before Jane had her first taste of trad climbing on Bollard Buttress Direct (S) and Recess Route (VD). I finished off the day on Poisen Ivy (HVS,5b) a short and pumpy jam crack - a great way to end the day. Im off to Chamonix tomorrow morning, lots of things on the ‘wish list’ although we will do what ever the conditions dictate. I will post a full report on my return.

In this warm weather on the East I have been spending my time doing a little bouldering at Craiglug. This is a somewhat neglected little crag only 3 miles from my house, allot of the more recent routes have not been recorded on UKC but there is enough for some interest. I have been using it to traverse and build up some stamina before the rock season begins. The bike has seen action most days too with various time laps around the woods and quarries surrounding our house aswell as the dogs making the most of the last spell of winter….Looks like a warm week to come so I will be looking to get out climbing as much as ‘partners’ will allow!

I have a pair of LaSportiva Spantiks for sale if anyone happens to be interested…..

Worn for 4 days so hardly any sign of use, mens size 42 - £300 inc posted

Davie and I were back up at Kirrie Hill today which although was mostly dry some of the routes are quite gritty and dirty from the previous windy and drizzly conditions. The aim again was to gain some mileage so after ticking most of the easier routes we finished with a top rope then lead of one of the middle grade routes here. A few other folk out enjoying some climbing too which felt pretty strange given we are still in February…..

I have been asked to review a website called simplyhike.co.uk, they specialize primarily in camping equipment but also sell some top clothing brands such as Mountain Hardwear with a view to get more stock in the near future. I found the site very easy to navigate through particularly if you are looking for a specific brand just by scrolling over the ‘brand’ title or even searching for a product results came up quickly and clearly. Ordering is quick and efficient, I recently ordered a JetBoil Flash which came next day delivery for as little as £3.99 and if you happen to spend over £100 your items get delivered free of charge which is always appealing. I can be a little picky when I am purchasing equipment so tend to spend quite a bit of time reading reviews and getting a good picture of the item before parting with my money. Simplyhike have done some of the homework for you by producing videos on allot of their products which I found useful for basic information. They also have allot of information in a side bar something they call ‘shopping advice’ which given the quick read through seemed pretty comprehensive. I think it is clear to see that they have put allot of effort and time into the site which comes across in a simple and clear website that has allot of great products and good information. Petzl, Black Diamond, Berghaus, Meindel and Suunto are some other big brands they stock.