Raven Crag - Langdale

After a heavy week of revision in preparation for my remaining exams I took Saturday off to go out for a day climbing. The forecast wasn't great but a group of us from LUMC set off to Langdale with the intention of making our way up to Gimmer, however upon arrival and discovering some rather inclement weather we decided that the closer and lower Raven Crag above the Old Dungeon Ghyll would be a better option.

Guidebook perusing at the base of the crag, before the rain came.

I climbed with Bec, and first up we did Evening Wall S+ 4a* while most of the others headed for the classic Middlefell Buttress. Bec led the first pitch which is fairly short and standard, I then did the second just as it began to rain properly, which as I was climbing in my boots made it all the more interesting. The final pitch involves a delicate and exposed traverse to a hanging arete which is then followed to the top, Bec had this and its wonderful pitch.

Bec leading the crux of Evening Wall.

After the descent the rain came in again and we nearly bailed down to the pub, but after some persuasion and a little food we headed up to do Revelation HS* which I've done before. The route was pretty wet but we decided to give it ago anyway. Bec did an awesome job the first pitch considering conditions finding the start a bit tricky but the rest fine and even pulling through the bulge at the top of the pitch before the belay without issue. I then followed as it began to rain again and did the second pitch, which like last time was steep and juggy so not too bad in the wet. As I was getting to the top it began to rain heavily again, and then sleet, and then hail. Bec followed and got to the top just as we were both soaked to the skin, we hid under the overhang at the top for a while for the rain to ease before making a tactical retreat to the ODG for the rest of the afternoon.

Bec passing th crux of Evening Wall.

So not the best weather in the world, but we still got two good routes in and it just felt great to be out again, I've spent too much time pouring over textbooks and papers. for the last few weeks.

Photos courtesy of Rebecca Hurst.

Mt Etna

Last week I was on Sicily on a field course looking an volcanic processes on the active volcano Mt Etna with people on my degree course.

One of the many lava flows (2001 I think) on Etna's flanks. Or Mordor. Take your pick.

A intruded dike, you can see the chilled margins really clearly on each side. The black sand on the floor is tephra.

The undergraduates on the course, inside one of the several lava tubes we explorered.

It was an excellent week in good company and I learnt loads, but I suppose I should wait to pass judgment fully until I sit the exam. I'd be quite keen to back, for two main reasons, firstly I flicked through a Italien ski touring guidebook out there and it looks like there is some quite good skiing to be had on the mountain (skiing volcanoes is the thing to do now isn't it?). The other reason would be for caving in the lava tubes, we visited and got into three separate tube systems but saw loads more, with SRT gear (and CO2 monitors) and similar theres a whole other world you can explore below the surface of the flows in in fissures.

Easter Weekend - Lake District

Over the the Easter holiday weekend I was up in the Lake District on the Network Gathering based out of GT. On the Friday afternoon I took a group out scrambling with Stu Spencer, Gassy and two punters, we did the ever classic pinnacle ridge on St Sunday Crag. The weather was superb, I didn't put a shirt on all day and had my pants rolled up to my knees.

Perfect weather, and no other parties on Pinnacle Ridge.

We were quite late in the day leaving the car park at only 3pm, but this ensured we had the ridge to ourselves. Everybody had a good time, and we got some fantastic views from the summit before a jog down the ridge and a few nice cold pints in the Patterdale hotel.

Saturday the weather wasn't as kind to us, with the clag being fairly low down so myself, Lewis, Nancy, Barry and Olly went and did the classic round of Crinkle Crags and Bowfell. Being a bankholiday weekend it was swamped with tourists so we didn't get much solitude, but at least we fitted in as I'd forgotten my boots so did the round in my flip flops - who needs £200 Sportiva boots?

Sunday we headed back to Langdale for some cragging. We staggered up to White Ghyll in sweltering heat and decided to do the climb the classic Slip Knot VS 4b **. The first pitch is fantastic face climbing steep all the way. The second pitch is the crux with a tricky but again well protected traverse out onto a hanging rib, a few moves pulling over this bulge get you to easier ground. An absolutely superb route. Next up we moved up to the upper crag and did The Slabs Route 1 S 4a ** which is given 4 pitches over 69m but we managed with 60m ropes, lots of long runners and a bit of alpine trickery do it one massive pitch. It felt great to be climbing continuously for such a long way.

First pitch of Zig-Zag, approaching the crux.

Monday, myself, Stu and Julie headed up to Castle Rock of Tiermain for the afternoon. First we did Via Media S+, its given two pitches in the guidebook but I quite happily lead in one long one. Next up we went to do Zig Zag VS 4b which has an awesome first pitch which climbs a leftward slanting ramp with some tricky moves here and there. Having left the guidebook at the bottom we made a slight navigational error and ended up doing the crux pitch of Overhanging Bastion VS+ 5a which, as it was the last time I did, absolutely superb. I wasn't too bothered about missing the second half of Zig-Zag as I'd done it before when I climbed May Day Cracks.

Julie following Overhanging Bastion.

I caught a lift home with Stubbs and Rachael, and as we'd been climbing that day, Imran's naturally followed in Lancaster.

All photos courtesy of Stuart Spencer.

La Sportiva Trango S Evo - Review

The La Sportiva Trango has been my staple go-to summer boot for over half a decade. I first purchased a pair of the original Trangos in 2005 and loved them immediately, unfortunately I soon grew out of them and sold them and soon after in 2006 purchased a new pair of the Trango S Evos. Here’s Sportiva’s blurb on the boot: 

'Evolution of the famous model Trango S, it features the Gore-Tex® membrane, that guarantees waterproofness and breathability. A modern multi-purpose lightweight boot: vie ferrate, mountaineering, alpine hiking. Lightweight is its main characteristic, reached thanks to the usage of innovative and performing materials. Absolute comfort, waterproofness and appealing look make it a multi-purpose product. Lacing system derived from climbing shoe technology, with the addition of a lace lock that allows double tension. Innovative multidirectional ankle hinge “3D Flex System”. Double rubber reinforcement on the toe box. Rubber rand with differentiated height on the areas of higher abrasion.'

What you first notice about these boots is just how light they are, at 1250g they are some of the lightest B1 boots on the market. They have a back ledge for crampons but no toe welt, and they’re lined with a Gore-Tex sock to make them waterproof.

I use these boots as my go to summer boots in the UK, from walking in Cumbria to scrambling on Skye. I’ve also used the boots in the European Alps, Canadian Rockies and Sierra Nevada for alpine climbing on predominantly rock routes and in winter 2007 I used them in Scotland for a few weeks winter climbing while waiting for my new winter boots to arrive. They seem to have excelled at pretty much everything I’ve thrown at them and I’ve probably used them (my first pair of Evos) for somewhere in the region of 150 days of use.

Scrambling on Millstone Buttress, Tryfan in the Trangos.

Some may think that a fully rigid boot is overkill for general summer walking in the UK, and they may be right, there are much cheaper unrated boots out there that will do the job but the Trangos rigid sole has a good rocker and walks well, I’ve never got blisters in them (or for that matter in any Sportiva boots). The gore-tex sock inside the boot does limit breathability to a degree; I noticed the difference when switching to the Evos from the originals but the advantage is that they are waterproof, which is pretty key for the damp UK climate, out ways this. In the height of summer they are warm, but not unbearably so and no more than most other summer boots as they have no insulation as such.

When it comes to scrambling and climbing, this is perhaps the arena that the boots shine most in. The old Trangos climbed fantastically, and I wondered at first with the slightly wider fore foot profile of the new Evos if they would perform to the same standard. After a lot of testing I can say that the Evos climb just as well as the old ones, I quite happily climb up to Severe/5.6 in mine depending on rocktype, route and conditions. Like all mountain boots, they are never going to smear well but due to the sticky soles they do better than some. The rigidity of them makes them edge well, and the high rand helps them stick in cracks.

East Ridge of Mt Temple, Canadian Rockies.

With regard to winter use I find the boots a little cold for Scottish winter use, especially climbing where your boots are laced tight and your often stationary for long periods. If your just after a boot for winter hillwalking you may be able to get by with these. The same is true of alpine routes with long snow plods, cold north faces or anything particularly high but as I said above for rock routes they are fantastic. I have used these boots for climbing in winter and they do work however they lack the support for serious ice or mixed routes as well as the warmth, but if you only intend on a few weekends a year and can’t justify a pair exclusively for winter they will do the job.

So I’ve sang the praises of these boots, what are the downsides? The biggest and perhaps my only grievance with these boots is the durability of the uppers. A lot of the current reviews out their criticise the durability of the sole of the boot, and rightly so, a lot of climbing in them does wear it out quicker than other boots but the offset of this is that they wear out quickly because the rubber is sticky and climbs so well. If the rubber was harder and the tread had more volume they wouldn’t climb as well. You can get boots re-soled for less than a quarter of the price of a new pair, but if you wear out the uppers you’re going to need to shell out the cash for a new pair. In their design of the boot Sportiva have used a white woven synthetic material on the inside of the boot along the instep of the boot, I imagine this was done to keep the weight of the boot down. After a year and a half of use I started to develop a hole in this section of the boot which exposes the body of the boot underneath, this has happened on both boots.

Lewis Abbott and Chris Philips using the Trangos Via Ferrating in the Italien Dolomites.

Sportiva could easily fix this by having this area covered by more of their harder wearing synthetic leather, which is what I think they attempted to do when they released their Trango Alp GTX. I used these boots for a year (2009-10) after I wore out my first pair (the local resoling company informed me it wouldn’t be worth putting a new sole on my boots due to the wear on the uppers) and was disappointed. I found the fit to be quite different to the Evos, they felt heavier and less agile and I couldn’t climb as well in them. The lacing system is different and I found I couldn’t get it tight enough to get the fit I wanted despite sizing them half a size smaller than my Evos. This lacing set up does look more durable than the Evos as I have snapped a lace loop on each boot on my Evos. I didn’t use them for long enough to see if the instep re-enforcement held up longer then the Evos but my guess would be that it would have. Due to my disappointment with the Alps I bought a new pair of Evos, identical to my old ones – they’ve perfect, just like the old ones. I know that in the next few years they may suffer the same fate but if I get a similar sort of lifetime out of them I think I’ll have got my money’s worth out them, again.

So in conclusion, in my opinion the Trango S Evo is one of the best all round summer boots out there, especially for those venturing out for mountaineering rock routes in the mountains. The uppers do have a durability issue which I think Sportiva could easily change with a slight design change, but even this wasn’t enough to stop me buying another pair.