tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51956945882049942652024-03-13T13:32:28.441-07:00HANGAR 18We are dedicated to bringing best performance for ultra light products to the extreme enthusiast.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger111125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195694588204994265.post-78304556645305715262020-07-28T11:03:00.002-07:002020-07-28T11:03:46.654-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The first images of our new range of shoes, first the Fell shoe, “The X-Fell”. Available October 2020. This will be quickly followed by a Fell / Trail crossover and Trail. </div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195694588204994265.post-60134534287716659402018-10-14T06:06:00.000-07:002018-10-14T06:16:47.670-07:00Gunks<div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt;">
“Safe Pippa!” I yell. They guy next to me at the top of the crag detects my accent and quaint climbing calls (not the American “On belay!”). “You don’t sound local?” he says. “No, we are over from England.” “Wow, have you climbing on the gritstone?” I mumble something about not really liking god’s own rock... the ground is a bit close... all those jamming cracks and rounded topouts... We must have had conversations like this a dozen times, mostly with people who haven’t actually been to the UK, as if gritstone is our only rock type. At least all those climbing videos have put us on the map.<o:p></o:p></div>
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We are over in the US for some climbing in the Shawangunk Mountains in New York state, affectionately known as the “Gunks”. A long way to go for a week, but Pippa had an academic conference down in New Jersey, with flights already paid for, and it seemed like a good opportunity to join her afterwards. The Gunks are really the only significant climbing venue in the whole of the north west states, but what a place! The Trapps and Near Trapps crags stretch uninterrupted for 3 or more miles, with most routes two or three pitches. The rock is a conglomerate of quartz and sandstone, and excellent quality. The underlying rock strata slope back at about 20 degrees (see picture), and main features are horizontal breaks – bring your small / medium cams (or tri-cams if you are feeling old-school!). Frequently layers of rock will stick out further than the ones below, giving way to a variety of overhangs, roofs, and ceilings. Sounds strenuous right? Not so! Because of the way the rock slopes back, most of the holds on these breaks are amazing jugs, and climbing through the roofs can be a three dimensional delight! The breaks also lend themselves to some great airy traverses.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<Trapps cliff cross section><o:p></o:p></div>
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We got 4 out of 6 days climbing, the others being rainy. But speaking to others at the cliff (some of whom seem to hang out here most weekends), it seems we got lucky with the dry days, after a wet summer. October is a good time to go – not too hot or cold. A bit early to see the apparently spectacular fall colours, but at least that reduces the crowds somewhat. The crags lend themselves to routes in the 5.6 – 5.8 range, which is about HS to E1.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Day 1: Raining – went for a run in the Harriman state park on the drive up.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Day 2: Trapps Cliff – High Exposure, Cascading Crystal Kaliedoscope (CCK), and Andrew with Moby Dick finish.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Day 3: Trapps Cliff – Arrow, Limelight, Annie Oh! (top pitch only), Han’s Puss<o:p></o:p></div>
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Day 4: Trapps Cliff – Son of Easy O, Frog’s Head, Maria, Madame G’s.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Day 5: Raining again – went for a walk in the park, taking in a couple of fun scrambly trails near the Mohonk Mountain House (a hideous golfing resort hotel), one just west called the Giant’s Path, and one on descent SW of Skytop Tower that goes down a narrow rock chasm. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Day 6: Near Trapps Cliff – Yellow Ridge, Alphonse, Birdland<o:p></o:p></div>
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<Random climber on the airy traverse of CCK><o:p></o:p></div>
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Saturday and Sunday (our days 2 & 3) were incredibly busy. If you want to bag a classic route like High Exposure, Arrow, or Son of Easy O, then you either get there early (car park opens <a dir="ltr" href="x-apple-data-detectors://3" style="-webkit-text-decoration-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.258824); color: black;" x-apple-data-detectors-result="3" x-apple-data-detectors-type="calendar-event" x-apple-data-detectors="true">at 8am</a>) or stand in line. But the weekdays were much more chilled out and peaceful. The consensus on the best guidebook seems to be the Dick William’s ones, but there is also a Gunks climbing app. We didn’t have it (I like a “real” guidebook that isn’t going to leave my high and dry when a battery runs out), but with GPS guidance it looked particularly useful for finding the climbs on miles of similar looking rock when trees prevent you getting a good look at the crag, and all the paths look the same up from the approach track (the “Undercliff Road”). <o:p></o:p></div>
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The Shawangunk gateway campground is best for camping, nice pitches. Sadly it was full on the weekend so we ended up camping some nights on an RV park 20 minutes away, our two person tent dwarfed by monster RVs the size of busses all around us – apparently they don’t have the concept of getting back to basics in the US. If you need supplies, the town of New Paltz is only 15 minutes away and has everything you need including supermarkets, the Rock and Snow outdoor shop, and plenty of cafes (try the Cafeteria Coffee House, on the right half a block up from the main lights by Rock and Snow, for good coffee, comfy sofas, and free WiFi). The Mountain Brauhaus in the park is well worth a meal out, excellent German food, beer and dressed up waiting staff.<o:p></o:p></div>
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All in all, if you have reason to be in New York, then I highly recommend getting up to the Gunks for some great climbing. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Duncan Archer<o:p></o:p></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195694588204994265.post-24894879216255680312018-03-20T02:39:00.002-07:002018-03-20T06:53:41.616-07:00Logo's refreshed.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195694588204994265.post-31708915389330647182017-09-06T05:29:00.002-07:002017-09-06T05:29:33.679-07:00Rock climbing on Pabbay<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
“I think this is the right place?” We peer over the edge, contemplating a
committing 90m free hanging abseil (so the guidebook says – our rope is 100m),
onto a platform that you can’t see from above (hopefully non-tidal…), to do a
three pitch E2, which some others did yesterday but said the bottom pitch was “dripping
wet”. The easiest way out is E1, assuming
we are in the right place... Welcome to
climbing on Pabbay!</div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Pabbay is a small island at the southern
end of the Outer Hebrides.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has been
uninhabited since the early 20<sup>th</sup> century.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few years earlier a storm killed most of
the adult male islanders on a fishing trip (legend says their wives dreamt this
would happen, and there is a 3-star classic route “Prophecy of Drowning”), and with
diminished prospects of subsequent generations (!) the rest of the population
decided to leave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">A basking shark right beside the boat on
the way out (credit: Ali Rose)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Along with neighbouring Mingulay (also
uninhabited), it has become something of a Mecca for adventure trad climbing,
with up to 100m high sea cliffs of steep and featured Lewisian Gneiss (“nice”!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Getting there involves a 5-hour ferry from
Oban to Castlebay on Barra, then chartering a local fisherman to take you plus
supplies on the 1-hour trip to the island (booked ahead).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pippa and I went this August, with half a
dozen others, organised by some guides Pippa met whilst in Antartica, and
various friends of friends (a reasonable sized party is recommended for
safety!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no mobile phone
signal, and you genuinely feel “out there”, with just a few tourist and fishing
boats passing by, and daily sightings of seals keeping a watchful and curious
eye on the climbing antics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only
connection with the outside world was our marine radio on which a mayday might
get picked up, and we could receive the shipping forecast each day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">Eager climbers unloading a mountain of kit
on the island (credit: Ali Rose)</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">The fisherman dropped us off on a beautiful
Saturday evening, bid us farewell, and said he’d be back for us at 5pm on
Friday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After rapidly erecting tents,
with tomorrow’s forecast suggesting rain, and like kids in a sweetshop, we
immediately marched across the island to get a first route in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Awesome!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Next day was indeed showery, we got just two pitches between showers,
and I went for a run round the high points of the island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also tried to tighten a guy rope, and
ripped a hole in our flysheet – but initial panic and influx of driving rain
were tempered by some creative duck taping!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then followed three days of excellent weather, light winds and
sunny.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Awesome routes were dispatched,
like The Priest, a 3-star E1 classic up the side of the Great Arch, an amazing
rock feature.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Spot me in a green jacket<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"> on The Priest, an insignificant dot alongside the enormity
of the Great Arch </span>(credit: Ali Rose)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">On to Wednesday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As we started up a route our fisherman’s boat
chugged round the corner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tourists swung
their cameras from the seals to us dangling off the rockface, as the
fisherman’s thick Hebridean accent drifted across to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The weather would be deteriorating, and he
could either pick us up tonight, or we’d have to wait until Saturday as the sea
would be too rough to land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’d meet us
back in the bay where we were camped at 6pm or so for a decision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not unreasonable except we’d just done this
90m abseil, and didn’t top out until 5:30pm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Pippa ran across the island to find the others, attempted to get a consensus
on whether we should stay or go, and then to meet the fisherman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She arrived at the bay just to see him pulling
away soon after 6pm, having taking our absence from the meet-up as a decision
to stay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With no means to contact him,
that was that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We nervously listened to
the shipping forecast that night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Tomorrow was ok to start, then deteriorating to gale force 8 overnight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There ensued debate on the precise meaning of
shipping forecast terms such as “imminent”, “soon” and “later”, and how high were
the waves in a “rough”, “high” or “phenomenal” sea state, but it was clear we’d
need to baton down the hatches.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">Thursday dawned dry, and turned out to be another
good days’ climbing, but to the backdrop of increasingly rough waves crashing
below us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That night the wind and rain
arrived.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our tent flapped and flexed,
but was tolerable, just leaving us in a puddle of damp clothing and sleeping
bags.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Others fared less well, with one
tent completely flattened, its occupant decamping to a bivvy bag in our mess
tent, which was then also flattened with broken poles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone eventually emerged to survey the
destruction next morning, and dry out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The mess tent was patched up (more duck tape).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Discomfort the night before turned to a sense
of satisfaction we weathered the storm, and were armed with stories to
tell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And despite originally wanting to
leave before the storm, we ended up with more climbing on Thursday and
Saturday, and overall glad we stayed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7unBPW2uIVBfhaVeOJZiCHiKSb7KR4M13a0h47srQBHrGFdkQMk6mJljY_feUzN_DuHO7PCoWOcP7NkVb6pjICRygL15PVr_sgIulApNvlGspsui1kkelEsAS-6sDROarYxoPE1DZePI/s1600/100_4415.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7unBPW2uIVBfhaVeOJZiCHiKSb7KR4M13a0h47srQBHrGFdkQMk6mJljY_feUzN_DuHO7PCoWOcP7NkVb6pjICRygL15PVr_sgIulApNvlGspsui1kkelEsAS-6sDROarYxoPE1DZePI/s320/100_4415.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoCaption" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">The mess tent after the storm (credit:
Duncan Archer)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoCaption" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">So back to the climbing, it really is
great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rock is steep, but good holds
emerge when you need them (depending on your grade and definition of “good”!).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You want to be climbing at HVS or above to
get the most out of it, and there is plenty for those seeking even higher grades.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is adventurous, but the rock is mostly
solid on the classic lines, and although nearly everything needs an abseil,
many cliffs you can view before you jump in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>See a list of our routes <a href="https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/showlog.html?id=24786">here</a> (5<sup>th</sup>
– 12<sup>th</sup> August 2017).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Highlights for me were the Priest on the Great Arch, U-Ei (the 90m free
hanging ab), Spring Squill, and most pleased to lead Illegal Alien a sustained
HVS.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGugT4PVGRqV3ywNbAyteyBFK82duPK4IKp3SQO8jaGdKu-2PL5f6_jL_gmKxomQ9f15kPclkm1CqP6EDNMER7kPiedz5B4XwUMy41jR74sBtlNRUL9px_HQFDXNCZsa4Nn7VoRcGSpQQ/s1600/931A5060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGugT4PVGRqV3ywNbAyteyBFK82duPK4IKp3SQO8jaGdKu-2PL5f6_jL_gmKxomQ9f15kPclkm1CqP6EDNMER7kPiedz5B4XwUMy41jR74sBtlNRUL9px_HQFDXNCZsa4Nn7VoRcGSpQQ/s320/931A5060.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="page-break-after: avoid; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoCaption" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Pippa cutting loose from huge jugs on
Hyper Ballad<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">, a bonus route the day after the
storm </span>(credit: Ali Rose)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoCaption" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Tips for packing: take as much food and as
many comfort items as you can carry (you only have to lift them a short
distance on/off boats and 100m from landing to camping); a large tent for the
whole group (great for evening socializing and rainy days); a camping chair
(much more comfortable than sitting on the ground / bags / ropes); duck tape
for emergency repairs; 100m abseil rope; ascenders for emergency retreat/rescue
(thankfully not needed); marine radios (including enough battery power!);
standard trad rack and double ropes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
Hangar 18 down jacket, sleeping bag and beanie were also much appreciated to
keep me warm!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">If you want an adventure, I really
recommend going here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The climbing is
great, and there are so few places in the UK where you can truly get away from
any electronic interference in life, and just eat, sleep and climb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bliss.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLudB9qPLFpldB0UJp5JGGpKbwpdi7XZJZcZJ_D2CTra6tNpzm2rwFCj1FCl4xxFTsZkV8zIHXInavZ1JsFHDuNcXjltO1U1PeOXMSSFA6nCOARBVdVIvGLNPKeUddAyaRc70A8Zqt-Z4/s1600/100_4419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLudB9qPLFpldB0UJp5JGGpKbwpdi7XZJZcZJ_D2CTra6tNpzm2rwFCj1FCl4xxFTsZkV8zIHXInavZ1JsFHDuNcXjltO1U1PeOXMSSFA6nCOARBVdVIvGLNPKeUddAyaRc70A8Zqt-Z4/s320/100_4419.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoCaption" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">The white sandy bay by the campsite on
Pabbay<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"> - anyone for a swim? (credit: Duncan
Archer)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Duncan Archer<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195694588204994265.post-44268379324618924012017-05-09T12:37:00.000-07:002017-05-09T12:37:04.831-07:00Big 3 in One Winter<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><o:p> </o:p></span><b><u>Ramsay Round 22<sup>nd</sup> Jan 2017
(anticlockwise)</u></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">It's around 3am and Jon Ascroft is leading
me across Devils Ridge in the Mamores in near perfect conditions. Graham Nash
has stopped at the end of the ridge so he has time to fill our water bottles
from the lochan outflow to save time. There is a little snow collected in
gullies but not much on the path and although the sub zero temperatures have
left a thick layer of frost on all the rocks its not verglas or particularly
slippery. We're doing a Ramsay Round and are already well ahead of schedule but
this is the Highlands in the middle of winter and sure enough it'll get more
interesting before we are done. Over the next couple of hours it starts to
snow, the nav gets difficult, ice axes come out, we have to use crampons for
the first time to descend a steep frozen snow bank and all in all it's got a
whole lot more interesting. It's not full on classic Scottish winter
conditions, but we certainly know it's winter. By the end of the leg we have slipped
from being 20 minutes up on our 22hr schedule to being 26 minutes down but it's
daylight now and the frozen ground means we should be able to move fast on leg
2.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Towards the end of the leg 1 I start to
play back just how on earth I ended up here. It wasn't planned that is for
sure. So how exactly do you end up doing a winter Ramsay by mistake!? Flashback
to Thursday, just over 48 hours ago and I was looking for something to do at
the weekend. The weather in Wales looked good so I was considering a Paddy
Buckley Round. I dropped Konrad Rawlik and Jasmin Paris an email to see if they
fancied a day out. The reply was basically, 'We'd love to but we have a race in
Scotland on Saturday so Wales is a bit too far but if I wanted to get out in
the hills in Scotland on Sunday they would come along'. I'd never considered a
winter Ramsay but looked up the Fort William weather forecast out of daftness
and there was a band of high pressure there too. An idea was forming. A few
emails later and things were out of control, several top runners were up for it
and there was no going back. I was going to attempt a winter Ramsay on the eve
of my 40<sup>th</sup> birthday. Trepidation rapidly changed to excitement and
before I knew it we were off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">The first we saw of Konrad and Jasmin, my
leg 2 support, was a head torch pointed up the hill through the twilight at us
so we knew where to aim for which was a huge help. Leg 2 takes in the three
hills to the east of Loch Treig. We were fortunate that the boggy ground was
generally frozen and just had a light coating of snow over it so we could move
fast. I drank the coffee and ate the pasta they had brought in for me on the
move and we set to trying to recover the time deficit. It was great fun and the
time seemed to pass really quickly. The wind was still and we were mostly below
the clouds. We gained 1hour and 10 minutes against the schedule in this section
and as a result were 40 minutes ahead of the 22hr schedule by the end of the
leg and I was still eating well and feeling good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">As we came down into Fersit Konrad went
ahead to hand gear on to the leg 3 support but as Jasmin and I got closer we
realised that there was no one there. Maybe they were out of sight? No, they
had been caught out by the pace we were moving and were late (or rather we were
early). There was no fuss, Jasmin set off to find them and Konrad and I set of
on leg 3. Sure enough within a few minutes Shane Ohly, Alex McVey and John Ryan
were chasing us up the hill to be greeted by a friendly shout of “worst support
ever!” from Konrad and a suitable response from Shane. Kit was exchanged and
for the next couple of hours we continued to get further ahead of the schedule
and at one point were an hour and 10 minutes up. However, we still had the big
hills ahead of us and from the mornings experience in the Mamores I suspected
that it might not be easy there. Jon Gay was waiting for us before the Aonachs
where he had cut some steps to help us ascend the frozen snow in Charlie's
Gully. I was starting to tire a little by this point and had layered up a bit
more to stay warm but we were still climbing really well. It was just the
delicate foot placement on the exposed ridges that was becoming more
challenging as my muscles tired. Not surprisingly the Aonachs and CMD proved to
be the most difficult part of the round with us back in darkness, lots of
consolidated snow, sections of ice and a fresh albeit thin layer of snow hiding
the condition of the ground beneath. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">We lost a lot of time against the schedule
over this final section using up the entire buffer and some on our way back to
the youth hostel but finished in a time of 22 hours and 23 minutes. I was
delighted to be only the third person to complete a sub 24hr winter Ramsay
Round and am very pleased that its a new fastest winter time. That said there
is still no doubt that the benchmark and best winter round remains Jon Gay's
phenomenal 23 hour 18 minute solo round in classic winter conditions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">It was my best ever birthday party and I
can honestly say I can't think of a way I would have preferred to see out my
30's than in big hills with great friends. It was a very special day. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Paddy Buckley Round 11th February 2017
(Clockwise – Starting from Capel Curig)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">The temptation of<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>trying to hold all of the Big 3 fastest
winter times at once (I set the BG fastest time of 18 hours 18minutes in
December 2013) was just too much and as I started to recover from the Ramsay I
began watching the Snowdonia forecast.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">I'd first seen the weather window on the 14
day forecast. Flat calm and no precipitation forecast for<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a 72 hour gap. It was perfect and the fact
that it was still there with 7 days to go indicated some stability to the
forecast so even if the window narrowed a little I should still get the 24
hours I wanted. Happy days.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Another amazing set of support was all
lined up and a bunkhouse arranged to base from so we were good to go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">We started at midnight and by the time we
got to the end of leg 3 we were an hour up on the 19.45 schedule and getting
back to Capel in time for the salsa band at the Siabod cafe at 8pm was looking
like a distinct possibility. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">It hadn't been easy by any means. The
promised weather window had not just narrowed but had firmly slammed shut and
was forecast to deteriorate further with even higher winds and snow but the
sooner we got done the more of it we would avoid. The first leg with Andy Berry
had been uneventful, in a good way, as the wind was mainly behind us despite it
snowing lightly from early on. As we turned briefly into the wind in the
Moelwyns and got the full force of the weather into our faces for the first
time it was clear that unless something changed for the better it was going to
be a long, tough day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Leg 2 was more interesting as a combination
of factors (our early arrival being the main one) resulted in only Nic Barber
being on the leg and my food and kit remaining behind. I was suffering a real
low as we fought our way directly against the wind into the first of many
blizzards on to the top of Moel Hebog. No food, little water, no extra layers,
deteriorating weather, no spare headtorch and my headtorch flashing to say it
would shut down soon conspired to make me feel pretty miserable. Eventually I
voiced my concerns to Nic. It turned out that he had food for two legs, enough
spare kit to last out the winter up there and was confident that we could
manage with one headtorch between two if needs be and pointed out that
regardless “it would get light soon”. So we were good. I cheered up and we
pressed on sharing his cream cheese and salsa sandwiches (yes I know, but
honestly they are so much better than they sound!) We got round without any
real excitement, collected some pasta, a cup of coffee and Jasmin Paris from
Pont Caer Gors and headed off to find Snowdon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Ant Bethell was waiting for us on the
approach to Snowdon and we cracked on well for the leg. Snow was still falling
and the wind was picking up more but we were in the lee of the hills for parts
of the leg so it never felt too bad.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Very soon we were in Llanberis where Nic
and Ant left having done a cracking job and Konrad Rawlik and Jo Zakrzewski
joined Jasmin and I for leg 4. This is the leg that concerned me most before
setting out and it turned out not without good reason – it was really brutal.
We battled through dreadful weather for the entire leg holding roughly to
schedule until the Glyders and then losing a full hour of time over the final
three summits in thick clag, high winds and a combination of new and drifting
snow.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">I was battered by the end of it but decided
to stick with the plan of running straight through the road crossings to
complete the relatively short leg 5 now with quite a posse composed of Konrad,
continuing on, Andy, back for more, Carol Morgan, clearly recovering well from
her record breaking Spine run, Dave Harrison and Liz Barker. I like the
Carneddau leg as it's nice, fast, easy running so you can relax and enjoy it or
at least that's how I used to feel about it. It was really dreadful weather for
this section. Darkness closed in around us just before the top of Pen y Ole Wen
and with the wind now making forward movement hard, whipping snow into our
faces and at times making it hard to stay upright I'd be hard pushed to say I
was enjoying myself. I just fell in line and followed trying to make the most
of the post holes that whoever I was following at any given time was creating.
It's pretty impressive that despite the conditions we only made a couple of
small nav wobbles before heading down toward Capel. We had lost a lot of time
but we were going to get round and a new fastest winter time was still on the
cards although we were going to be late for salsa dancing which had become
somewhat less appealing in the last 20 hours.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">We eventually returned to Capel in 21 hour
and 37 minutes which I am delighted with in the conditions. It was another
fantastic day out, a lot of fun (some of it type 2) and again it was a fastest
time to give me the fastest times for all the Big 3 in winter but already
ambition creep was setting in...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB"><b><u>Bob Graham round, 20<sup>th</sup> / 21<sup>st</sup>
February 2017 (Clockwise)</u></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Having completed my 'accidental' Ramsay
round and then a Paddy both in the same winter it seemed natural to try and
complete the big 3 in one winter which has never been done before but it wasn't
straight forward. The Paddy was complete on the 12<sup>th</sup> of February
leaving me with just 16 days before the end of winter to fit in a BG. However I
was already committed to a fast High Peak Marathon team for the 3<sup>rd</sup>
of March and would need as much recovery time as possible for that so I had to
go as soon after the Paddy as I dared if I wasn't to let the HPM team down.
After a week my legs were returning to a reasonable state and I started
watching the weather. I needed a gap that would leave me a minimum of 6 clear
days before the HPM if I was going to do it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">There was really no weather window at all
with sustained upland gales forecast except for what looked like an 8 – 12 hour
lull (where the wind would drop to 15-30mph winds) in the early hours of the
morning of Tuesday the 21<sup>st</sup>. I would need that 'calm' ideally on the
Scafell ridge which meant I would have to run through high winds for other
parts of the round. It was a long shot but as I figured this would be the only
chance I would ever have to run the 3 in one winter so I took it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">A crack team was rapidly scrambled the
weekend before and without time to dwell on what I was about to do we were off
on a 6pm start. 6 pm is a dreadful time to start in winter. Instead of making
the best use of the daylight you are maximising the night time and where I
normally try and split the daylight to make it easier mentally it would be one
long block and furthermore we would have to do the Scafell ridge in the dark.
As long as the clag didn't come in and the rocks didn't verglas that should be
possible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Within minutes of setting off I started to
get concerned; the wind was very strong and my legs felt heavy even on the
first climb but I was determined to give it a decent try. As we neared the top
of Skiddaw the group split with Bill Williamson and Jo Zakrzewski dropping back
together after Jo was blown over and Jonny Mally continuing with me to Great
Calva. Jo and Bill headed onto Blencathra to give me much needed food. The leg
was completed in good time and I was handed over to the very capable team of Jasmin
Paris, Steve Birkenshaw, Konrad Rawlik and James Harris for leg 2. The wind
remained strong but was largely from the side so although I felt like I was
taking a beating we were making good time. I was desperately hoping it would
drop as predicted before the Scafell ridge. By Dunmail Raise we were 30 minutes
up on the 21hr schedule so I took a rare break to eat the pasta and drink the
coffee that Martin Stone had prepared. Martin had volunteered himself as road
support through to Wasdale and it was a massive help as well as a psychological
lift.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Leg 3 was always going to be really tough
but with the time buffer I was feeling confident. Shane Ohly and Jeff
Powell-Davies were pacing me and are both really good navigators but a thick
clag came in that was to test us all to our limits as we tried to keep to the
best line but we were often losing even good paths. On Great End we passed
within 6 feet of the cairn and missed it only to be brought to a halt by the
rather pronounced capture feature (large cliff) and we circled back to collect
it. The clag, wind and long night made it really tough but when it finally
started to get light on the descent into Wasdale and we hadn't lost too much
time I knew we would make it and took a little bit of time to eat and chat before
heading off onto leg 4 with Carol Morgan, Mick Allen and Dave Harrison. There
would be no records today but that wasn't the goal – sub 24 hours would be just
fine and would limit fatigue before the High Peak Marathon. Leg 4 was not too
windy and was great fun as we enjoyed the daylight and ticked off the last big
hills. At Honister Andy Blackett joined us and Dave and Carol continued onto
leg 5 too. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">Somewhere on the way up Dale Head the
predicted return to upland gales started and it came in really fast. I had a
fair bit left in reserve still so put the hammer down to get off the fells as
fast as possible and then relaxed once we had dropped into the relative shelter
of Newlands valley for the run home. Moot hall soon came into view and we
finished in a respectable 20:26 to complete the Big 3 in 1 winter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Huge thanks to all
of the following for their help and support on the 3 rounds (in order of
appearance): Jon Ascroft, Graham Nash, Jasmin Paris, Konrad Rawlik, Shane Ohly,
Alex McVey, John Ryan, Jon Gay, Andrew Berry, Nic Barber, Carol Morgan, Dave
Harrison, Clive King, Liz Barker, Ant Bethell, Jo Zakrzewski, Paul Hodges and
all at the Siabod Cafe, Bill Williamson, Jonny Mally, Martin Stone, Steve
Birkenshaw, James Harris, Jeff Powell-Davies, Mick Allen and Andy Blackett.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Special thanks to </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Margarita
Grigoriadi </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">who has got me in such good shape and helped me manage my
recovery and for the support from Hangar 18, Start Fitness, Inov8, & OMM.</span><span lang="EN-GB"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB">I have been asked a lot about what kit I
used and when I thought about it there were six items I simply wouldn't want to
set out without:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB">inov8 X-Talon 190 shoes – My
usual shoe is the Mudclaw but I used the same pair of X-Talons for all 3 rounds
and found that they were really good on all surfaces even ice and verglas where
the Muclaw can be a bit flighty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB">Hangar 18 leggings – I don't
know what fabric they are using but these are amazing, they shed water fast,
stay warm and are comfortable. I wore the same pair for all 3 rounds and
through deep snow, blizzards, rain etc I didn't once have to put waterproof
trousers over the top.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB">OMM Aether Smock – I have only
had this a couple of months. Its really light, breaths well and really keeps
the weather out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB">Sealskin socks – they are sold
as waterproof although clearly if you are crossing streams your feet will get
wet, but crucially they do always keep my feet warm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB">Goretex over mits – keeping
hands warm is really important and I've found that overmits are far better than
any other gloves or glove combination. My pair are a generic ebay purchase.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: center; text-indent: -18pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-GB" style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB">Camp Corsa Ice axe – I use a
50cm. Its only 200g so its light enough that you don't think twice about
carrying it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195694588204994265.post-63147584008572944482017-04-18T00:51:00.000-07:002017-04-18T00:51:27.515-07:00Hangar 18's new ambassador - George Foster<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; text-align: center;">
Take a look at our new Fell Runner and Climbing Ambassador, George Foster, a good read, looking forward to reading about his adventures </div>
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<a href="http://www.fellicionado.com/2017/04/hangar-18-orr/" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">http://www.fellicionado.com/2017/04/hangar-18-orr/</a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195694588204994265.post-76316655748986379132016-11-04T10:43:00.000-07:002016-11-04T10:43:13.788-07:00OMM 2016, Galloway<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">“I don’t want to get to the finish in second place feeling like I could have tried harder.” These words from Shane are ringing in my ears as we struggle up a long rising traverse, the last significant hill on day 2 of the Original Mountain Marathon 2016 in Galloway. We alternate between “maximum shuffle” and hands-on-knees walking up steep grass. It is a long leg, 5 miles long in fact, with some route choice. Overnight we had been lying in 1</span><sup style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">st</sup><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">place on the elite course with nearly a 20 minute lead, but anything can happen in a chasing start. Maybe Nic and Jim in 2</span><sup style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">nd</sup><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">took a better route round the forest roads and are overtaking us? All we can do is get our heads down, shovel some more food in, and keep pushing.</span></div>
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Rewind the clock – how did we get to be in this position? This time last year it was the usual story. You do the OMM (the fourth time on elite for me with Shane), you don’t quite get the result you wanted, the next day you have trouble even walking down the street, and wonder if it is all worth it. But as days turn to weeks and months those memories fade. Then the insistent promotional emails from OMM start arriving in your inbox, with photographs of glorious rolling hills for next year’s race. Maybe it wasn’t that bad after all? So you enter again.<o:p></o:p></div>
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2016 saw the event return to the Galloway Hills in SW Scotland, as apparently it does in every year ending in a 6. The perceived wisdom was that this was rough terrain, tussocks up to your armpits. Great says Shane, this will play to our strengths Duncan, the rougher the better. Well maybe years of orienteering stand us in good stead, but it isn’t going to be pleasant. The event gets closer and I put a previous map of the area on the wall next to my desk at home (is that normal?), so I have a choice of getting on with some work or gazing at wiggly contours and imagining those tussocks….<o:p></o:p></div>
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Three months before the OMM I get an email from Jackie at British Orienteering. Apparently the OMM have invited orienteering teams from different nations to take part, the event will be covered by the BBC Adventure show, and this is a good opportunity to promote orienteering and get some publicity. Some discussion ensues about how to go about this, but eventually British Orienteering put forward Shane and I to represent them at the elite end of the race. In the end neither the OMM or British Orienteering actually do much publicity beforehand, but we get some promotional jackets with GREAT BRITAIN emblazoned on the back. Shane is over the moon about this. They are for the podium apparently. I guess we better do our best to get there.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Eventually the weekend comes around and we turn up with that nervous anticipation you get the night before a big race. A good night’s sleep in Shane’s van, then a long 5km walk to the start in quiet contemplation. Bjorn and Sebastian, a strong Swedish team, one of whom beat us into second place in the Howgills, comes jogging past uphill. Come on guys, we haven’t even started yet! We end of getting away just in front of them (no allocated start times) and we are off. Into the mist, right from the start it is tricky, bumps everywhere, we desperately search the map for clues, but I know these hills are too small to be on at 1:40,000. So we trust our instincts, and our compasses, press on and eventually #1 looms out of the mist. One down. Later we discover other teams lost significant time here. #2 is a long leg and we are happy with our route choice, up and over Merrick (no view). #3 I’m hesitant on the approach, but Shane confidently stashes his compass and uses “the force” to guide us in – strangely it seems to work as we hit it bang on, and climb out to find others circling back to it. Having started late we are passing teams, some of them decent teams, and we feel like we are going well. No sign of the Swedes catching us, and reports that Jim and Nic (strong contenders for the race and beating us last year) aren’t far ahead. We chat with the leading girls team, Jess and Kerstin, as we pass them on the way up a hill, then into the mist once more. But then I’m disorientated, lose confidence, and a minute or two searching for #4, finding it just as the ladies navigate cleanly into it. Bother. Off again at speed vowing to pay more attention. On exit from #5 someone familiar is coming towards us – it is Jim and Nic, having made a mistake and we are now a few minutes ahead. The race is on! We take what feels like another solid route minimizing climb to #6, with frequent glances over our shoulders. Eventually Jim and Nic catch us again at #7, there is some friendly chat on the way to #8, but then someone turns on the boosters. 90 minutes of hard work follow as the pace is wound up over the final few controls. We keep on pushing, and eventually Shane and I pull away on the last descent. The final road and track seem interminable but this is the time to put a few more minutes in the bag. What a day. I seriously never thought we’d be leading overnight. I thought I was less fit than previous years, but maybe I was just well rested?!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Time for a nice relaxing evening and a good night’s sleep. Ah my mistake, we are at the OMM, where you spend an extra hour in a slightly damp and flapping tent because the clocks go back, just waiting for the alarm to go off. Actually it wasn’t nearly that bad this year. We alternate between piling in the calories (a few new food ideas now Shane is vegan), dozing, rehydrating, strolling round the campsite chatting, doing some media interviews, the usual stuff! It was probably the warmest night I’ve known at an OMM, must be a combination of all that mist keeping the heat in, and the luxurious bubble-wrap underlay in the tent. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Next morning the legs feel ready to go, we’re excited to be off, just need to keep focussing on navigation, running, eating and drinking, try not to think about the competition chasing us down. Our biggest mistake, really just a wobble in the circle, comes at #7 under the watchful eye of a film crew with a drone buzzing overhead – should provide some entertainment if they every air it. And then we are into that long route choice leg to #9…. “Have any elite teams come through yet?” Shane asks the marshal at the next control. He shrugs his shoulders. So we keep pushing through the final controls in the woods. Just after the last control is a cameraman and a friend from Trail Running magazine – “Have Jim and Nic come by?” asks Shane. “No!” Shane: “Ah thank f&%*” (all caught on camera) “How are you doing?” Me: “Knackered” Shane: “We’re very tired” That sums it up really. Tired but very happy. A second win on elite at the OMM. There was some discussion that we might not do another elite after this one. But then someone pointed out next year is the 50<sup>th</sup> OMM and promising to be something special. We’ll see….<o:p></o:p></div>
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Duncan Archer<o:p></o:p></div>
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H18 Ambassador<o:p></o:p></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195694588204994265.post-26747334810287950932016-06-07T02:37:00.002-07:002016-06-07T02:37:40.168-07:00FROM MOUNTAINS TO MARATHONS<br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Another runner eases past, making it seem effortless, whilst my trainers slap the tarmac, wasting what little energy I have left. Crowds pass in a blur, not due to my speed but because tunnel vision takes over, just focussing on the road ahead. That light spring in the step an hour ago seems a distant memory. I check my watch, but I’m only slightly nearer the finish than when I checked it 30 seconds ago, and 30 seconds before that. Here I finally am, doing the Stockholm marathon, experiencing what thousands have experienced before me – the tiredness of the last few miles of a marathon. </span></div>
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Let’s rewind the clock… Firstly why a road marathon? I have no problem with two marathons over two days, each with 2,000m of mountainous ascent, and a pack on my back. But road running has never been my thing. I started orienteering aged 11, and have been running through forests, up mountains, and across the fells ever since. My wife Pippa jokes I have the gait of a moose, ideal for bounding through heather, but somewhat ungainly on the flat. My road racing experience through the end of 2015 amounted to a 10 mile race in the early 2000s whilst living in London (~60 mins), and the Middlesbrough 10km in 2009 (35:26). However I’ve always seen the attraction of a road race, challenging yourself against an objective target in relatively controlled conditions, and pushing yourself to be as good as you can in a measurable way. Also, a road race – and a marathon time in particular – is something non-running friends can comprehend, when they cannot fathom a mountain marathon.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Why Stockholm? My brother has lived with his family in Sweden for many years and announced last autumn he was going to do the Stockholm marathon. I’ve had various mountain marathon successes in recent years, and <a href="http://h18-orr.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/duncan-archers-18hr-51m-bob-graham-round.html" style="color: purple;">a good Bob Graham Round in June 2015</a>, so I was wondering what next? It seemed like the time for a marathon had come, and what better motivation than having someone to share training stories and targets with. I’ve also been to Stockholm several times, it is a beautiful city, and I had plenty of time to prepare. So the idea was born.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Finishing the Bob Graham Round in 2015.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I did the <a href="http://h18-orr.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/stories-from-omm-2015.html" style="color: purple;">elite OMM in October 2015 with Shane</a>, and despite fatigue in the latter part of both days (thanks Shane for helping me through!) a few weeks later I was feeling fairly well recovered, and I slowly built up the mileage. I’ve spent many winters with coughs and colds, so I really focussed on resting well and keeping healthy, and strung together a few months of good training. Training for long distance events requires miles and hours, no-one can deny sometimes you have to be selfish, and I will confess my best training happened whilst Pippa was away for 5 weeks <a href="http://antarcticpippa.blogspot.co.uk/" style="color: purple;">pursuing her research dreams in Antarctica</a>. 1 mile reps, hills for strength, long runs, and race-pace runs all came and went.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Having done so few previous road races I needed to test myself. On a spare weekend I entered the salubrious Great North West Half Marathon in Blackpool, a flat course up and down the seafront, what could be better for gauging my pace? A nice summer day that’s what. Sadly race day in February came with very strong winds, waves crashing over the sea-wall onto the “out” section of the course, and a headwind on the “back” section. Still, I managed a respectable time (1:21:41), and one which given the conditions made me think a 2:45 marathon was achievable.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Big waves at the Great North West Half Marathon Blackpool.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But then I got ill in the lead up to Easter, and didn’t race the JK. I recovered for an <a href="http://h18-orr.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/climbing-in-morocco.html" style="color: purple;">excellent climbing holiday in Morocco</a>, apart from badly spraining my ankle walking out from the crag one day. Cue several weeks of physio and rest, followed by cross-training on the bike and in the pool (including one session of aqua-jogging – never again). Slowly my thoughts moved back from not making the start line, to at least completing the marathon, to maybe still achieving my goal.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As the day approach I studied and re-studied the race route, familiarised myself with drinks points, feeding stations (one dedicated to salty gherkins?!), landmarks and the two 30m “hills” over a bridge. I went over pace times my head. Finally race day came, blue skies, sunny, and 18 degrees with a breeze, not ideal but thankfully cooler than the day before. Pre-race nerves gave way to excitement on the start line and finally the gun. 13,000 runners eased themselves onto the streets of Stockholm. Checking my watch in the first few km, pace was good, a bit faster than needed, but it felt ok and surely a few seconds in the bank was no bad thing (…. what was that noise in the back of my head, alarm bells?...). I was staying hydrated, taking on shot blocs and a banana, halfway came feeling good, and the gherkins were declined.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Feeling fresh early on the course.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Not so happy now.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Then gradually it started to feel like an effort. Runners I’d been keeping pace with eased away, and after a couple of small efforts to hang on they drifted out of sight. Through 25km and nearly 30km my times were still reasonable, but the signs were there. This was no longer fun. Keep telling myself to focus on running tall, head up, one foot in front of the other. Slowly the km markers came and went, as my min/km crept up. Taking on refreshments at any opportunity. Repeated checks of the watch as if it might make me go faster or the finish line come sooner. My goal of 2:45 was out the window, and the mental faculty to calculate what finish time I was now on for eluded me. Finally the last bends came, cheers from family supporters seeing me through, into the historic Stockholm 1912 stadium, a mention on the commentary and I raised a hand to no-one in particular. Over the finish line in 2:52:08, my immediate thought was relief it was over. But that was replaced by an amazing happiness – despite the effort and tiredness, I’d come from no experience in this sort of race to still finish in a hugely respectable time, and I was smiling from ear to ear, soaking up the atmosphere in the stadium.<o:p></o:p></div>
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How not to pace a marathon.</div>
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Could I have done better? On the day I’m not sure. Was my goal realistic? Looking back I missed several weeks of important training through illness and injury. Tactically I ran a poor race on the day, getting sucked into running too fast early on, when lots of evidence suggests sticking to a game plan, with a consistent pace or even a negative split, is the way to get a PB. Would I have even wanted to do my sub-2:45 goal first time? Experiencing some pain and disappointment often makes a goal much more satisfying when finally achieved. But hang on…. what does that mean – that I should try another road marathon? We shall see. For now I can hear the hills and forests calling, and I’m happy taking some rest, before a couple of orienteering trips over the summer, but then who knows….<o:p></o:p></div>
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A happy finisher.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Duncan Archer<o:p></o:p></div>
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H18 ambassador</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195694588204994265.post-57092205233713115512016-04-22T09:57:00.000-07:002016-04-22T09:57:16.418-07:00Northern Orienteering Championships<div class="MsoPlainText" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
On Sunday 17th April the Northern Orienteering Championships were staged by <a href="http://www.clok.org.uk/" style="color: purple;">Cleveland Orienteering Klub (CLOK)</a>, and Hangar 18 were proud to attend and sponsor the event. The race took place in Mulgrave Woods, close to the seaside town of Whitby, and attracted over 500 competitors. Orienteering is often considered a “sport for all”, and this race saw men and women, from 10 to 85 years of age, compete over a variety of course lengths.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The weather had not been kind leading up to the race. Significant rain in the weeks before led to the loss of the parking field, and competitors had to be bussed in from parking in Whitby. And the day before there was a complementary orienteering race round the streets of Whitby, which felt the force of wintry showers blast in off the north sea. However, Sunday dawned sunny, and fair weather remained throughout the day. The races were based around an “arena” in the forest, with food, clothing and equipment traders (including the Hangar 18 stand seeing good interest from the orienteers!), views of a spectator control point, the run-in, and plenty of space to lounge in the sun after the race.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Mulgrave Woods provided a real orienteering challenge. The area is bisected by two deep valleys, with a network of tracks, but also wilder forest areas where many control points were located. There was also a significant element of route choice in the courses, between straighter routes through the varied forest, or longer routes on tracks, and also the option of using two ancient tunnels in the area to reduce the ascent!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Despite attracting a range of abilities, this was the Northern Championships, and the sharp end was hotly contested. It was also a World Ranking Event for the main men’s and women’s elite classes – one of only half a dozen such events in the UK each year. The women’s elite was won by Heather Monro in 76 minutes – Heather now lives in Durham, and is an ex-GBR team member who won a bronze medal in the World Champs 2005. The men’s elite was won by Marcus Pinker, another international runner from Ireland, who completed the men’s elite course in 99 minutes. Hangar 18 provided prizes for the elite races with an excellent <a href="https://www.h18orr.com/collections/down-products/products/down-vest" style="color: purple;">down vest</a>going to each of the winners, and <a href="https://www.h18orr.com/products/h18-orr-sock" style="color: purple;">H18 socks</a> to the 2<sup>nd</sup> and 3<sup>rd</sup> places. Full results, photos, and maps of the courses can be found at <a href="http://www.clok.org.uk/events2016/nchamps/index.htm" style="color: purple;">http://www.clok.org.uk/events2016/nchamps/index.htm</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Report by Duncan Archer (course planner for the event)</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195694588204994265.post-53737597064648275422016-04-11T06:27:00.004-07:002016-04-12T03:33:44.249-07:00CLIMBING IN MOROCCO<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">I reach up and my fingers feel around for the next hold. There it is, a small but super sharp edge. Foot up, rock over, stand up. I look down to see the rope stretching lazily down to my last piece of gear, several feet away. Confident in the positive holds I don’t even think of falling. I look around and spy a crack, fumble in a cam, and clip the rope in. All around it is silent, save for my own breathing. I’m lost in the moment, focussed on the rock, totally immersed in the climbing. </span></div>
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It is just after Easter, and Pippa and I are in the Anti-Atlas mountains in Morocco, rock climbing. We came out before in Dec 2014, see my previous <a href="http://h18-orr.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/duncan-archer-and-shane-ohly-in-morocco.html" style="color: purple;">blog post</a>. The start of that trip coincided with some of the worst rain they’d had for several years. Bridges and roads were washed out, and when it stopped raining it was cold enough to be seeking out all the south-facing crags. Still it was a fantastic experience, and now we are back in April, it is warmer, and north-facing crags and sun-baked dirt roads have opened up many more possibilities.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Today we’ve gone for one such opportunity. 20 minutes driving up hairpins on “good” roads (albeit where sections were washed out a year ago), then one hour driving down the Samazar Valley on a rocky track, mostly in first gear, trying not to scratch the sides of the rental car on bushes, or the underside on rocks (I failed a bit on both, but we get away without losing any deposit…). We are on a route called “Firesword” (what a name!). Most likely we are the only climbers in the whole valley, which contains acres of rock, 100s of recorded routes, and 1000s more awaiting a first ascent. This is not Stanage on a Saturday morning. This is adventure trad climbing at its best.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I get to the belay, a roomy ledge, secure myself, call down to Pippa, and soon she has climbed up to join me. Then she is off to experience the pitch above, whilst I sit back on the ledge, paying out the rope as the sun creeps round the side of the mountain with a pleasant warmth. The only sounds are a donkey braying on the terraces below, a truck struggling along the dirt track in the distance, and the occasional grunt from Pippa as she wrestles with an off-width crack above. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Some time later we are at the top, agreeing how excellent the climbing was, as we drink in the panorama of the valley, and point at neighbouring crags we might climb on one day. Is there time for another route today? Yes if we are quick, so we make the easy descent off the back of the crag, and race up the four pitches of neighbouring “Sisters of Mercy”, an ominous sounding name, but entirely pleasant climbing on immaculate rock.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Later in the evening we are back at the excellent <a href="http://www.tizourgane-kasbah.com/" style="color: purple;">Tizourgane Kasbah</a> where we are staying. Superbly located in a restored 13<sup>th</sup>century fort. We find the other groups that are also climbing in the area, to swap our stories from the day over dinner (usually a vast tagine of food), and plan new adventures for the next day. Then repeat the experience every day for a week, tucked away from the distractions of modern life, just enjoying the climbing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Duncan Archer<o:p></o:p></div>
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H18 Ambassador</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195694588204994265.post-69373238277243256132015-11-26T01:14:00.001-08:002015-11-26T01:25:19.124-08:00Kendal Mountain Festival review 2015 - some great films, some bad films & 14 minutes of Dudley Caving Club.<div class="MsoNormal">
Kendal
Mountain Festival has been the first thing on my calendar for the year for the
last 4 years. I have always enjoyed the mix of films, lectures, beer
drinking and catching up with friends. This year I decided to have a blast
around the 10km trail race, catch a film and lecture on Saturday, then try and
see as many films as possible with the Sunday all day film pass.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The
10km trail race is a fantastic course, starts up the road up the infamous Beast
Bank, then across the fields along the Edge, giving amazing views across the Lakeland
Fells, then back towards town through the golf course and down some narrow
cobbled ginnels back into town to finish along the high street. All
season I have been racing closely with NFR runner David Beach, who has been 4th
for the last couple of years at this race I lined up alongside David and Tom
Addison (last years winner) who looked nailed on for the win from the start.
As expected I had a lead on NE rival Beach as we started the descent back
to town and as expected he started to reel me in on the fast downhill section.
About 200yards before the first narrow cobbled section Beach came past
me, using his experience of the course to know that it was very tricky to
counter attack on the slippery steep final descent. I gave it everything,
came onto the street 5 seconds after him and couldn’t close him down along the
high street to finish in 4th, 5 seconds shy of 3rd place. Perhaps a
lesson there that I shouldn’t have given Beach shit that morning for always
being 4th!<o:p></o:p></div>
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After
a quick lunch we went to see Tommy Caldwell of Dawn Wall fame give his only UK
lecture. Tommy was s<em><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">elf-deprecating,
witty, reflective and wonderfully descriptive of the years of work which had
gone into his Dawn Wall project. Reminded me a lot of how Andy
Kirkpatrick used to speak, and I can give no higher compliment to a climbing
lecture. Following Tommy we filled the early evening with a special
showing of “The Citadel” the latest offering from Alistair Lee. It
was shot in “amazing 4k”, and it looked pretty, but that was really all it
had going for it. The climbers were neither memorable, nor funny, the
story had no suspense or surprise and Alistair Lee just looked either bored
or embarrassed by what he was presenting. </span></em><o:p></o:p></div>
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<em><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We spent Saturday
night crammed into the bar discussing what makes a great mountain film.
It’s simple really, I need to be able to empathise with the stars, and it
needs a story. All the great films I have seen at Kendal in previous
years have ticked both of those boxes, they hade something which makes
me “want to be there”, or “want to do that”. All great films
have some sort of plot, which is either historic or adventurous (will they
won’t they make it?).</span></em><o:p></o:p></div>
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<em><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Almost without
exception the films we saw on Sunday lacked either plot or character, almost
without exception I wasn’t left thinking “I want to do that”. It was
a very disappointing and frustrating day.</span></em><o:p></o:p></div>
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<em><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Brief highlights and
extensive lowlights are described below.</span></em><o:p></o:p></div>
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<em><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Rocky Mountains
Traverse - two paragliders attempt to paraglide the length of the rocky
mountains, never been done before and a good story but the main stars were
dull.</span></em><o:p></o:p></div>
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<em><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Showdown At Horseshoe
Hell - fantastic story of a 24 hour climbing competition staring Alex Honnald,
which was brimming over with humour and personality.</span></em><o:p></o:p></div>
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<em><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">UK Caving Video Best
Bits 2014 - Unvelieveably poor. Left me in stitches laughing at
the ridiculous decision to include the 14 minutes of utter rubbish
from Dudley Caving Club. Sorry Chaps but this shouldn’t be at Kendal it
had nothing going for it.</span></em><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A Line Across the Sky
- highlight of the festival for me, Caldwell and Honnald on the Patagonia
skyline traverse which won them the Piolet D’or. Shot by the climbers
themselves on an unbelievable expedition. Funny, honest, amazing,
brilliant.</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Defiance - The Eiger
Paraclimb, great that some disabled climbers climb the Eiger, but so dull to
watch, like watching your mates holiday video of his climb.</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">First Ascent
- “Chopped fingers, fun, friendship” It had a chopped finger near the
start, but no fun or friendship came through in this film of an expedition with
some boring characters on a mountain I had never heard of.</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I Climb Therefore I Am
- lots of Indian people saying “I love climbing” 12 minutes of my life I
won’t get back.</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the Bubble - story
of Andy Earl, the desperately sad story which struck one of climbings
brightest stars. Emotional stuff.</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Stonnis - video
guidebok of Black Rocks, nice idea, should have been 15 minutes, not 60.</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Into The Light - Red
Bull film following Chris Sharma climbing out of a big cave in Oman - I
couldn’t have cared less if he got out of that hole or not after watching him
struggle for 52 minutes. </span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Back to the Fjords -
the flying frenchies, as they have become known, up to their old tricks,
rigging a huge catapult and throwing themselves off a cliff in Norway.
Brilliant, light hearted and one of those “I want to do that” movies
that was so rare this year.</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Operation Moffat - an
absolute gem, wonderful, 90 year old Gwen Moffat, Britain's first
female mountain guide looks back on her life. Heart warming, sole
enriching stuff from the very first second to the last. </span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The tickets for the
film pass had gone up from £21 per day to £30 (Sat) £27 (Sun), and the whole place
felt less busy this year. The venues we chose to watch on Sunday were
screen 2, (3/4 full), The school, (perhaps 20 people in a venue for 150), and
the leisure centre, (10 people in a venue for 250+). So you can see that
the place was nowhere near sold out, and that is perhaps a shame, but given the
almost exclusively dull, uninspiring, corporate sponsored content,
perhaps it is for the best. </span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I feel that the
adventure and mountain films which are the heart of Kendal have dropped in
quality this year. I would imagine that there are just as many people
making inspiring films about independent adventure, filming it themselves and
sticking it into Kendal Film Festival on the off chance that some more people
watch it and get inspired by it, but, there was almost non of this content.
It was almost all corporate sponsored expeditions with dull
individuals doing things that I could never dream of. In short, stuff I
didn’t want to watch and couldn’t see why anyone would want to watch.
Sorry to say that at nearly £30 a day I won’t be getting a film pass next
year. Trail race, lectures and beer for the weekend - Brilliant!</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p>Andy Blackett - Brand Ambassador for Hangar 18.</o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195694588204994265.post-138543201119543282015-10-26T13:47:00.001-07:002015-10-26T13:47:20.528-07:00Stories from the OMM 2015<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Original Mountain Marathon 2015, Tweedsmuir Hills</b></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">OMMG - that was tough.</span></b></div>
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Which course are you on? Elite. Ah, you guys are elite, No, but we have entered the elite course. This became a familiar conversation over the course of the weekend of the OMM. If people don’t know me, I am Andy Blackett, i’m pretty good at short fell races, taking multiple race wins this year and coming 2nd in the NE fell running (NECAA) champs 2015, as I found out over the last weekend in October, running around the Tweedsmuir hills, this does not make me elite.</div>
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I fancied entering the OMM, having not run it for a couple of years and on my previous outing coming second in B class and feeling that my navigation had come on significantly since then so I was ready to give it a proper go. A Durham Fell Runners club mate, Gwynn Stokes also expressed an interest but didn’t want to enter the B class as he “needed to get some training in for The Spine race” and apparently a weekend running the OMM B class wouldn’t cut it. After a couple of days thought and more than a couple of glasses of wine I agreed to enter the elite course, perfectly aware that it might be too tough for me but excited for the challenge.</div>
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Most people I run with will be a little surprised by my lack of confidence that I was going to finish the course, I am pretty good at the shorter races after all, but people who know me well will also know that i’m no good at long races, anything over 4 hours and I am likely to fall apart and once it falls apart there is no putting it back together.</div>
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Jim Mann (dragons back winner, 2nd in the Elite OMM 2015) gave Gwynn some advice. “set your watch to beep after 3 hours, then when Andy says what’s that beeping tell him that it’s 3 hours in and he is going to fall apart soon!” Well Jim was wrong, he was out by 5 hours. I held it together for 8 hours before the wheels came off in such spectacular fashion, that the short detour to CP8, 9 and 10 wasn’t even remotely possible. </div>
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The Saturday started well, in heavy rain just after 8am, we set off hard from the start chasing Duncan and Shane (who had started 1 minute earlier) so we didn’t cock up the first bit of route choice. As soon as we lost sight of them in the trees we cocked up the first bit of route choice, taking a slightly longer line with a rough climb up a gully, rather than a shorter line with an easy contour. As we dibbed at CP1 Jim & Nic (2nd), Jasmin and Konrad (1st mixed), Adam and Kim (1st) all appeared at the same time - bugger we thought this was going well and Adam and Kim have made up 12 minutes on us and we have only been going for 32! These 3 stellar teams all took off up the hill, leaving us with a dilemma of who to follow to CP2 - we didn’t need to bother worrying for too long as they were all out of sight within a few minutes. On the long leg to CP2, I made a small nav error and strayed out of bounds, quickly realising my mistake and retracing my steps back up the hill to avoid any suggestion that we were trying to gain an advantage. Long climb, quick descent, slip over, twist my knee a bit - all seems fine, good bit of micro nav to nail the checkpoint as 2 other teams were looking lost and following my route. “yes” i’m doing this, I reckon we can get round this. </div>
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Next few checkpoints came and went, no drama aside from a rather spicy river crossing - which certainly made us think twice. Then 5-6 was a monster, I reckoned it would take us about 2 hours, but it took us closer to 3, my head started to come off as the thought of starting at 8am and finishing in the dark was pretty tough to deal with. We made another small nav error from 6-7 ending up at the bottom of a large dam and having to climb the steep grassy banking, it was around here, 8 hours in, that everything started to seize up. The small innocuous slip I had had on the way to CP2 seemed to have led to a minor groin strain, which meant I couldn’t get a jog on along the track. My right knee, which was sore after the slip almost totally seized up and made coming down hill agony, I kept getting blown over and howling at the pain. This all sounds a bit dramatic, and to be fair, I am a bit of a drama queen, but it bloody hurt and we were both getting really cold.</div>
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Gwynn suggested we were getting too cold so should stop and pitch the tent, I argued that if friends were watching the results come in live then it was fair to try and get to mid camp if we could to stop them worrying, so I walked on. As it got dark I made the final nav error - 10 hours is a very long time to concentrate on the map and came round the wrong side of Notman Law, giving us a longer than planned route to midcamp. I was frustrated with myself, I was sorry that I had let Gwynn down, I was annoyed that I had got the nav slightly wrong when it really mattered and I ripped the map in half in frustration - not an easy thing to do with a laminated map, and it didn’t help our situation much. Whoops.</div>
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We got to camp at 18:48, 10 hours 37 minutes after we started. Pitched the tent on a slope, got warm (H18 down vest and sleeping bag were spot on) and dry, got some food inside us and went to sleep holding onto the side of the tent so we didn’t roll on top of each other. In the morning neither of us had the motivation to try and do day 2, so decided to walk back to the car, which involved nearly 1000m of climbing by the easiest route. I was shot, my knee was stiff, but not too painful, but I had zero energy, all the teams making the same climb on the shorter courses were going past me despite Gwynn having all of the kit in his bag - nothing about me felt, or looked elite.</div>
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I woke up on Monday feeling like I had been out on the beer on Sunday night, when in fact I had an early night and slept for 11 hours straight. Being a teacher I have the luxury of a week off for half term, lucky really as there is no way I would have been able to teach a lesson today, I have spent the day napping and eating like I have been on a Himalayan expedition for the last month. One day of the elite OMM has broken me, strange - because as I said, i’m pretty good at this sort of thing.</div>
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Andy Blackett</div>
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<b style="font-family: Helvetica;">Duncan Archer & Shane Ohly 3rd at the OMM</b></div>
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"I think I can jump that" says Shane, before sprinting down the bank and launching himself across the raging torrent, landing mostly on the far bank, legs pedaling wildly in the foaming water below. We are at the OMM, it is day 1, it rained overnight, and has continued to do so for the first two hours of racing. The river crossings are getting exciting and we are starting to get cold...</div>
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For anyone who doesn't know, the OMM is a two day competition, where you navigate in pairs round a course of checkpoints over remote and wild terrain, carrying everything you need to be self-sufficient for the racing and the overnight camp. I've raised the elite class several times, 5th in 2010 (Dartmoor), winning in 2011 (Scotland), 2nd in 2012 (Howgills), all partnered with Shane Ohly, entered but didn't start due to injury in 2013 (Brecon Beacons), and started but didn't finish with another injury in 2014 (Cheviots) with Jim Mann. It is a tough race, and it takes its toll. So after two disappointing years it was time to return and pit ourselves against the challenge once more (each previous time having tried to make a mental note how hard it is, but strangely the tiring memories fade and only the good ones remain!).</div>
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This year there was a good field, with Kim Collison & Adam Perry probably favourites, Jim Mann & Nic Barber looking strong, and myself and Shane in the mix with other pairings such as Iain Whiteside & Andy Fallas, Oleg Chepelin & Sam Hesling, and a strong mixed pair of Jasmin Paris & Konrad Rawlik. We were first off (having slipped passed Andy & Gwynn in the start queue - sorry boys), and once the maps finally turned up (!) we gave it what we had from the start. #2 was a long route choice, a classic up and over, or round and up the valley. We went round, but perhaps boldly taking the climb straight on was quicker, as Kim & Adam had caught up with us around #3. We continued to tick off the controls, and the river crossings, before another long leg to #6 where Jim & Nic caught us, we ran together for a while, then they took a different line only to pop up not far ahead near the control. This was sufficient enticement for Shane, who took off down the hill in pursuit, just as my energy was starting to fade. We pushed to get back in touch for a few km, but slowly I faded further, they pulled away, and we battled round the final heathery hills to the finish. 1st Jim & Adam, 2nd Jim & Nic (+7 mins), 3rd Iain & Andy (+23 mins) and 4th us (+33 mins). Maybe we could have done more at the end to stay in touch, but fairly pleased, and the end of a long day where it felt like we were on the edge, only just staying ahead of the weather and running enough to keep warm.</div>
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And so to the overnight camp. Usually a case of making the best of an uncomfortable situation, and the organisers hold the event on the weekend the clocks go back, giving you an extra hour in a slightly damp and cold tent, just when you don't really want it. However it was better than last years' sloping windswept field, and we set about putting spent calories back in and relaxing. I felt sorry looking out in the evening around the 8pm cut-off, to still see torchlights adorning the facing hillside as slower teams limped into camp. </div>
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We got through the night sufficiently well rested, and eager to do battle once more. Day 2 is always a chasing start, but it was compressed so it wasn't first past the line wins, you had to catch those in front and put some more minutes on them too. We went out hard, and at least did the first by catching Iain & Andy in the 500m to #1 (nav error for them). We then picked up Nic & Jim too (another nav error I think), and as a group of six started to eat up the course, then catching Kim & Adam on the way to #7. Head to head racing at its best! Everyone eyeing each other up, who was looking strong, who was tiring, who would make the route choices, etc. Slowly an order emerged, with Iain & Andy falling back, and the other two teams pulling ahead, as I once again faded in the latter part of the course. It was a case of head down, keep pushing, and try to put another 6 minutes on those behind so we could pull up to third overall. I faded even more, and when Shane asked for the second time if I wanted him to take my bag there was little hesitation. That and some more food put a spring back in my step, and we forged ahead, keeping the leaders in sight across the hills. It is amazing how once the finish line comes into sight you can dig that little bit deeper and find something vaguely resembling a sprint finish.</div>
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Overall: 1st Jim & Adam, 2nd Jim & Nic (+9 mins), and 3rd us (+28 mins). All in all we were happy with that, and proudly took our spot on the podium.</div>
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Results: <a href="https://www.theomm.com/omm-2015-tweedsmuir-scottish-borders/">https://www.theomm.com/omm-2015-tweedsmuir-scottish-borders/</a> </div>
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Courses and routes: <a href="http://www.omm.routegadget.co.uk/rg2/">http://www.omm.routegadget.co.uk/rg2/</a>. </div>
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PS, whilst browsing for the results from the weekend I discovered that you can already enter OMM 2016!! <a href="https://www.theomm.com/the-omm-2016-south/">https://www.theomm.com/the-omm-2016-south/</a> "The south" doesn't give much away - Peaks, Wales, Dartmoor? Who knows...</div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195694588204994265.post-9502441400837769392015-09-14T03:31:00.003-07:002015-09-14T03:31:55.796-07:00Tour of Mont Blanc<div class="MsoNormal">
The Tour de Mont Blanc is a trail that circles the Mont
Blanc massif (as the name suggests!). Mont Blanc itself stands proud at
4,809m, with the TMB varying from 1000m in the lower valleys up to 2600m
cols. Along with Shane and Heather Ohly, we completed the TMB in early
September 2015, as a run (where gradient and energy permitted!), taking it in 4
stages and staying overnight in mountain refuges / huts. </div>
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Our days were as follows:<u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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Day 1: Les Houches to Refuge des Mottets – 42km, +3727m,
8hrs10<u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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Day 2: Refuge des Mottets to Refuge Walter Bonatti – 39km,
+2942m, 7hrs20<u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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Day 3: Refuge Walter Bonatti to Relais d'Arpette – 37km,
+1835m, 5hr34 <u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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Day 4: Relais d'Arpette to Les Houches – 49km, +4072m, 9hr55<u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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TOTAL: 167km and 12,500m ascent in 31 hours spread
over 4 days.<u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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Some of you may also be familiar with the Ultra-Trail du
Mont Blanc (UTMB). That is a single-stage ultra-marathon race, around a
variation of the TMB route. It is held each year and has a limit of 2300
competitors (and applications usually exceed that – it is very popular, so much
so they have strict entry criteria requiring qualifying points from other
races). To put our attempt into context, the UTMB has a record of just
over 20 hours – simply amazing! But you can also guarantee the UTMB is a
gruelling challenge, and much of it will pass in a blur of exhaustion , if not
darkness. Much nicer I think to take a bit more time over the route and
enjoy the spectacular scenery.<u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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The TMB actually has a number of variations. We chose
the highest, most exciting, and most scenic routes where possible (and sensible!).
Particular highlights:<u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]-->From Col de Voza we continued to Bellevue and
Col de Tricot, and stayed high through the woods past Refuge de Tré la Téte,
rather than through the somewhat more boring (but less ascent) valley route
through Contamines.<u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]-->From Col de Croix du Bonhomme we continued up to
Col des Fours and down to Refuge des Mottets, rather than two sides of a
triangle via Les Chapieux.<u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]-->From Refuge Bertoni (after the climb out of
Courmayeur), we continued along the ridge through two more cols, rather than
traversing round to the Walter Bonatti hut.<u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]-->We stayed in the Relais d’Arpette (many stay
down in Champex), and then continued up to the Fenêtre d’Arpette, then down and
up again to the Col de Balme, rather than round the lower route to Col de
Forclaz and Trient. I highly recommend this variation – the valley climb
is pleasant if long, and the views when you pop through the Fenêtre (“window”)
are excellent.<u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]-->From Col de Balme we continued over Aigulette
des Posettes, through Col des Montets, up beneath the Aiguilles Rouge (although
not as high as Lac Blanc), past Flegere, up to the Brévent, and down to Les
Houches. There are a number of variations around here, with some people
dropping to Chamonix and missing the Aiguille Rouge side completely.<u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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The running is generally on good trails, mostly single width
paths, and some 4x4 tracks. Some of the traversing trails provide truly
delightful running, especially so on day 2 above and before Courmayeur (see
picture), and on day 4 approaching the Col de Balme, and again below the
Aiguilles Rouges and Brévent.<u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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Most people seem to go anti-clockwise, and when running this
makes a lot of sense as you end up with more steep climbs (we found we were
walking any sort of climb so you may as well get it over with) and more gradual
descents (which you can really enjoy, compared to thigh burning steep
descents). The best gradual descents were on day 2 from Col de la Seigne,
and day 3 from Col des Grand Mullets. Lightweight walking poles can be
handy. I actually didn’t take any (to save some weight), but Shane and
Heather did, and a couple of times they would have been handy. When the
gradient periodically offers running possibilities, or if the terrain is
particularly rocky, they can get in the way, but I’d say the slower you are
going, the more useful they become.<u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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Early September seemed an ideal time to go. If you go
too soon in the summer (e.g. May or June) you are likely to encounter snow
patches on the high passes, which require care or additional equipment (e.g.
mini-crampons). In high season you would encounter a LOT of people, the
midday heat could be oppressive, and there is a greater risk of afternoon
thunderstorms. So September seemed the best of all worlds, although early
mornings were almost frosty in the valleys (but most mornings started straight
uphill to warm you up!), and it is still best to pre-book the huts. To be
fair though we got incredibly lucky with the weather, with four days of
sunshine (and drizzle/rain on the days either side).<u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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The TMB is a popular hiking trail, and we met lots of
people, hoping to complete the trail in 8-12 days. You certainly get a
lot of kudos from hikers in the huts, whose jaws drop when you say you are
doing it in four days! Some variously played by different rules, e.g.
taking lifts, getting transits in the valleys, getting donkeys to carry their
bags, etc. Whatever makes you happy I guess, which the majority were,
although we did see some weary souls.<u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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We went fairly lightweight, but with slightly more comforts
than a mountain marathon. I started with about 5kg, including 4 days hill
food and water, which reduced to less than 3kg by the end of the last day with
no water or food left. I was amazed by the size of most of the walkers’
sacs. Hats off to those who were camping, but those staying in huts still
had massive loads, even after some of them offloaded their overnight stuff onto
a donkey or bus. I was honestly curious to know what some of them were
carrying! I carried the following:<u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]-->20L OMM sac<u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]-->Camelbak (1.5L full at the start of each day)
plus empty water bottle (to fill from streams en route)<u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]-->Lightweight waterproof jacket and trousers
(never required!)<u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]-->Hangar 18 windproof top – excellent for the
chilly morning starts in the shade, and when it got breezy on some tops, but
when I didn’t want a full waterproof<u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]-->Running clothes: ¾ tights, t-shirt, socks,
Inov-8 MudClaw 265 fell shoes (studs now quite worn down!)<u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]-->Spare / evening clothes: short- and a
long-sleeved thermal, furry leggings, Hangar 18 sleeveless down jacket
(excellent for extra warmth, although most huts were warm enough especially
when everyone sat down for dinner), one pair spare socks, hat, gloves.<u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]-->Other bits: compass, maps, very lightweight
survival bag, headtorch, small first aid kit, toothbrush, Vaseline, sun cream,
lipsalve, mobile phone (signal in valleys but not most huts), GPS watch and
charger (Garmin 610 but battery didn’t last through any of the days!), BMC
insurance and EHIC cards, money, passport (not really needed although you do
pass France, Italy and Switzerland), <u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]-->Food: on average 2 Clif bars, 2 SIS Go bars, 1
Kendal mint cake, and electrolyte tablets during each day, and an SIS Rego
sachet and protein bar for when I finished each day. Main evening meal
and breakfast provided by the hut. On days 2 & 3 we also stopped in a
café at Courmayeur and Champex respectively for additionally snacking!<u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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The mountain hut experience is well worth it. We had
good recommendations from a friend and stayed in three very nice huts. We
had bunk beds in dorms or private rooms, with mattress/pillow/blanket so just
requiring a sheet (silk) sleeping bag. If you arrive mid-afternoon then
you can usually relax out in the sun before everyone eats at 7pm. The
food was generally excellent and plentiful, and beer was available if you
thought you’d earned it. Most people retired for well-earned sleep soon
after dinner (take ear plugs for the dorms...), before breakfast at 7am to get
cracking on the next day. My favourite was probably Refuge des Mottets
with its curious artefacts on the walls, and the hostess wheeling out a music
box for entertainment after dinner.<u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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So how does it feel to run a marathon with 3000m of climb,
four days in a row?! Tiring yes definitely, but if you are fit enough it
isn’t that bad. We weren’t racing, we walked all the uphills, and jogged
most flats and downhills (not dissimilar to a brisk BGR pace maybe?).
Staying in huts allows you to recover enough for the next day. However,
there are some BIG steep single climbs (1000m), and with downhills and the
distance thrown in you can be sure that any niggles will be amplified by the
end (fortunately we faired ok). We also stored up a monster fourth day,
partly through taking hut advice from someone else who had done a different
easier variant at the end. But all in all it was a great
experience. You really feel like you have gone on a journey, circling the
huge mountain massif, with amazing views into the massif (particularly on days
2 and 4) and looking back to where you have come from each day gives a huge
sense of achievement. I’d recommend the TMB to anyone, no matter what
speed you choose to take it at. <u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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Duncan Archer<u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
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[All photo credits to Shane Ohly]<u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195694588204994265.post-41396651366834933072015-08-28T12:16:00.002-07:002015-08-28T12:16:28.167-07:00GR20 for Fell Runners.<div class="" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
If you aren't familiar with the GR20, it is a long distance footpath in Corsica. It is a mountainous 180km, often described as one of the most challenging in Europe. It is normally completed in 15 or 16 days and the record is a staggering 32 hours. During my summer holidays this year I decided to complete the GR20 with Fran.</div>
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We are both keen fell runners having recently won first mixed pair in the Harter Fell class at the Saunders mountain marathon and completed the Via Romana 23km race in Corsica as a bit of a warm up (I was 2nd, Fran was 9th lady). Both of us being quite restless, the normal approach of start early, finish at lunchtime to avoid the mid day heat wasn't going to suit us, so we decided to double up the stages most days and put together a schedule to finish in 9 days. The key to moving fast was to travel light, whilst our speed of movement could only be rarely described as running we did wear fell shoes and carry 25 litre bags so we were able to run short sections of the route.</div>
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I will include a full kit list at the end of this blog for anyone who is interested - having had quite a few conversations with other people on the route we seemed to be carrying essentially the same things as everyone else on the route but a few modifications and omissions meant that our bags were less than half the weight of almost everyone else on the route. Key items were two H18 lightweight sleeping bags (always warm enough, even at the high camps), one Terra Nova 1man tent and one Terra Nova bivvy bag (even with the woman you love, 8 nights in a 1 man tent isn't comfy, but a bivy bag is no fun in the rain so this system gave us the flexibility to get a good nights sleep and stay dry by squeezing in the tent in the rain), two Thermarest Neo Air 3/4 length (very comfy on the rocky ground, but we had to be careful not to pop them), only 2 sets of clothes each (smelly day set and clean evening set), H18 lightweight waterproofs (light and functional, perfect for the job), light MM packs (I carried Hagloffs Gram 25 bag which wasn't up to the job - it had several holes in it at the end of the trip and has gone back to the shop, Fran carried a Berghaus pack which was great).</div>
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Our Schedule was based on the ciceron guide and roughly doubling up the suggested stages.</div>
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Day 1 - Calenzana - Refuge D'Ortu, 12km, 1620m+, 295m-,</div>
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Day 2 - to Haut Asco, 14km, 1650m+, 1760m-,</div>
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Day 3 - to Bergerie de Radule, 23km, 2050m+, 1870m-,</div>
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Day 4 - to Petra Piana, 27km, 1650m+, 1215m-</div>
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Day 5 - to Hotel Monte d'Oro (above Vizzavona), 19km, 1060m+, 1980m-</div>
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Day 6 - to Bocca Di Verdi, 30km, 1320m+, 955m-</div>
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Day 7 to Bergerie de Bassetta, 27km, 1390m+, 1150m-</div>
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Day 8 to Refuge d'l Paliri, 25km, 1400m+, 2090m-</div>
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Day 9 to Conca, 13km, 700m+, 1670m-</div>
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As you can see, if you are used to long days running on rough ground in the UK, these numbers don't look huge and we found the schedule manageable although the huge amount of rocky ground and scrambling made for long days, we started at between 0530 and 0630 most days and finished around 1600-1800 including a good stop for lunch. Our total moving time was a tad over 70 hours, with our total time being 8 days and 3 hours. We took the high level routes where we could, but took some of the lower level routes to make sure we got the the refuge in time for dinner or avoided thunder storms.</div>
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The recent accident on the Cirque De La Solitude, meant that this section was closed so we took the very impressive route through the deviation which went close to the summit of Monte Cinto. There is an optional side trip to the summit, but our day 3 already had over 2000m of ascent so we missed out the summit.</div>
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The route is notionally split into 2 halves split by the town of Vizzavona, with the northern half being a continuous series of long climbs to boccas (Corsican for col) followed by long descents we typically did one bocca in the morning and one in the heat of the afternoon - the afternoon bocca became a much anticipted part of each day! The second half of the route involves more ridge traverses and forrest sections, slightly less rocky ground but still a lot of climbing.</div>
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The weather we got was as close to perfect as we could have wished for, hot and sunny most days, with only one day when thunder storms threatened which was our day 7. We spent the whole of day 7 from Bocca di Verdi keeping an eye on the thunder clouds moving fast to try and out run them, which we managed with about 30 minutes to spare.</div>
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We ate each evening at the bergerie (shepherds hut) or refuge, ate bread/cheese/jam or porridge for breakfast and stopped each day at a bergerie for lunch. We camped each night at the bergerie, the pitches were normally hard and rocky so strong tent pegs were a must although even through we were getting into the camp sites after most people we always managed to find a flat pitch. Meals were all good, filling and calorific with the only problem being the occasional late dinner times - on two occasions dinner wasn't finished until 2130, so we weren't in bed till 2200 and I struggled to manage on 7 hours sleep after the effort of the day. That minor moan aside, we ate well and always had a good camping spot all for around 80Euros a day for the pair of us.</div>
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The highlight for me was an unexpectedly fantastic ridge traverse to Petra Piana on our day 4, it would stand up on it's own as one of the best ridge walks in Europe and was a truly memorable part of the route. The thing I found toughest was our slow rate of ascent on the afternoon cols - when me and Fran run in the Lake District we can often manage 900m an hour on ascents, on the GR20 we rarely achieved more than 300m an hour which made 800m climbs seem very long indeed. It's fair to say that we never really figured out why, but it was likely to be a combination of carrying packs, 30 degree heat, rocky ground and paths which took many snaking deviations or all the altitudes on the Corsican maps are out. It was probably the former.</div>
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If you are pretty fit and fancy a challenging route in Europe do take on the GR20, it's a brilliant route in the high mountains which has so much spectacular scenary a few photos can't do it justice. The difference with our approach was taking such a light bag (mine was around 7kg Fran's around 6kg plus water) which meant we could go significantly faster than most people. As we got to the final days it was very obvious that the only people who completed the whole route had taken a similar approach, everyone with the big bags had mysteriously disappearing on the final days!</div>
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<u>Kit list</u></h2>
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Andy carried</h3>
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H18 sleeping bag</div>
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H18 over trousers</div>
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H18 waterproof jacket</div>
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Terra Nova 1 man tent + 6 Anself Alloy pegs (brilliant strong cheap pegs), +6 titanium pins which were useless in the ground.</div>
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25L Haglof Gram bag, (started to fall apart - gone back to shop)</div>
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3/4 length Neo Air,</div>
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Silk bag liner,</div>
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POD dry compression bag,</div>
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Inov8 quilted synthetic pullover,</div>
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Long sleve base layer,</div>
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3/4 length leggings,</div>
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2x pairs socks,</div>
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2x pants,</div>
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shorts,</div>
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t-shirt,</div>
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Buff</div>
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Inov8 mud claw 265, (had a few hundred miles in them before I started and just lasted)</div>
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2x 750ml water bottles</div>
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200ml sunscreen (plenty)</div>
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camera</div>
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phone + waterproof cover</div>
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debit card</div>
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850 Euro cash</div>
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Toothpaste and Toothbrush</div>
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small bar of hotel soap</div>
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Compass (never used)</div>
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Swim Shorts</div>
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Hat</div>
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Gloves</div>
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100 puritabs for water (not used as good water at each hut)</div>
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Head torch + spare batteries</div>
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Penknife (didn't need tin opener as all tins were pull tab)</div>
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sunglasses</div>
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cap</div>
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Toilet roll (take lots, non of the huts have any!)</div>
<div class="" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
insurance docs + EHIC</div>
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35 x 40g Go energy bars (the heaviest thing in my pack, but well worth taking as they got us through lots of low spots and we ate 34 of them. Cereal bars are rarely available, and mars bars are 2-3 Euro each and would be liquid every afternoon)</div>
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10 x cadbury cereal bars</div>
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2 x 300g emergency cous cous + cup a soup meals (incase we missed dinner, at one when the lunch bergerie was closed)</div>
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500g porridge (just edible for breakfast when mixed with peanuts)</div>
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Squeezy bottle of jam</div>
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1/2 a saucisson</div>
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peppermint tea bags</div>
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Stove + 250g of gas (only used 80g, should have taken a smaller one)</div>
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lighter</div>
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6x spare sandwich bags</div>
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<h3 style="text-align: center;">
Fran carried</h3>
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Terra Nova Bivvy Bag,</div>
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H18 Sleeping bag</div>
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3/4 Neo Air</div>
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3L water bladder</div>
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25L Berghaus bag</div>
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Dry Bag</div>
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Inov8 Roc Lite 195 (too thin on the sole, Fran got bruised feet)</div>
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Long sleve base layer,</div>
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long leggings,</div>
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2x running shorts,</div>
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white long sleve top,</div>
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2x pairs socks,</div>
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short long top (not worn)</div>
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1x bra,</div>
<div class="" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
phone and waterproof cover</div>
<div class="" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
debit card</div>
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toothbrush</div>
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first aid kit</div>
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Compass</div>
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Head torch</div>
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sunglasses</div>
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Visor</div>
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waterproof trousers</div>
<div class="" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
OMM Jacket</div>
<div class="" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
Hat</div>
<div class="" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
Gloves</div>
<div class="" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;">
Buff</div>
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GPS watch (not needed)</div>
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Guidebook</div>
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Corse Le GR20 map (handy for escape routes/alternative routes etc)</div>
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small bar hotel soap.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEWiFFmcnSeVfUi4fXX4Q0X34gMl83g21j5M89qsOraEQn5dtKAx-ZfH-loOiWccr5De6OoFg8zEYNpKVbbgaGURnt4Ml144NVHxjIndWUuGcCVWYthDxDLzgZOh2aryWdMSzb_5ZfDbs/s1600/IMG_0262.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEWiFFmcnSeVfUi4fXX4Q0X34gMl83g21j5M89qsOraEQn5dtKAx-ZfH-loOiWccr5De6OoFg8zEYNpKVbbgaGURnt4Ml144NVHxjIndWUuGcCVWYthDxDLzgZOh2aryWdMSzb_5ZfDbs/s320/IMG_0262.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195694588204994265.post-57881947080116007752015-07-12T07:15:00.001-07:002015-07-12T07:15:05.006-07:00Gael's Review of the Hangar 18 Windproof<div style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-align: center;">
Hi there, </div>
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A few words about the H18ORR Windproof Jacket Sam from Hangar 18 nicely sent me a few weeks ago and I had the chance to test since, even on race conditions, during the Marathon de Lure <<a href="http://www.traildehauteprovence.com/parcours/marathon-de-lure/"><span style="color: #4787ff;">http://www.traildehauteprovence.com/parcours/marathon-de-lure/</span></a>>.</div>
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First, I have to say that I already have two windproof jackets. One from the major sports equipment dealer here in France, the other from a major climbing brand. I bought the 1st about 5 or 6 years ago, it’s still running. The 2d last year, to be part of my UltraVasan 90 pack. They both give me what I need, wind and rain protection, with a small packaging</div>
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And then arrived the H18ORR Windproof jacket !</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8iR9eS76eycjxI2MYtI_OeXWWJx25dA9k23-aEkwDmBHQBKWDMb2Qq_PwXztOPwQ4YceTdudgOQOkpkcJywfHCs89vLlDqK8GyaW0s1iZqxfGQR187D2DQUiKcsiaOF-90xU_4Nl8A4M/s1600/photo+%25286%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8iR9eS76eycjxI2MYtI_OeXWWJx25dA9k23-aEkwDmBHQBKWDMb2Qq_PwXztOPwQ4YceTdudgOQOkpkcJywfHCs89vLlDqK8GyaW0s1iZqxfGQR187D2DQUiKcsiaOF-90xU_4Nl8A4M/s320/photo+%25286%2529.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Sam sent me the “M” size, which is perfect for me ( I’m 1,83m tall), not too loose, not to tight.</div>
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I’m ok with the orange, i grew up in the 70’s so… ;)</div>
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And you’ll be seen !</div>
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Good work on the elastics for the wrists, it’s tight, not garrotted.</div>
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And what to say about the hood ? A perfect hood is always a “problem” for me, as I don’t use it very often, except in hard rain. One of my previous jacket has a velcro to keep it packed when you run, but not very easy to unpack while running…</div>
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On my other jacket the hood has a tuning system to fit to your head, but, I don’t know you, but I have never found the correct fit. Furthermore, this system is often made with solid plastic parts which can pat your head while running, and I don’t like that…</div>
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Here with the H18ORR Windproff jacket you don’t have these problems, because you don’t have nothing! And it’s perfect! Nothing to tune, nothing to bother you while running. You just have an elastic band on the edge of the hood, and it’s enough! The hood will stay on your head while running, even in windy conditions.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoFjlWFL_QQE5CNdo4dT0NiGa_n13gNDKCLMRXLynP-_QjHMdXRa6N1mL67qpK66S2buRFxC8cERZDF_FvetH2N5lufFyHdgF4LfUJOYgFGdbzHcI6Zfq3vLO6VecH66VverQrvYNwf_E/s1600/DSC02418.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoFjlWFL_QQE5CNdo4dT0NiGa_n13gNDKCLMRXLynP-_QjHMdXRa6N1mL67qpK66S2buRFxC8cERZDF_FvetH2N5lufFyHdgF4LfUJOYgFGdbzHcI6Zfq3vLO6VecH66VverQrvYNwf_E/s320/DSC02418.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The package is perfect as the jacket comes in its own pocket, no bigger than a orange. One of my other jacket comes in a pocket you’ll have to carry with you, or not, as it’s easy to loose it...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_EkwdQ4oAxTD6_JOwgCzlQKEO6h-SdYSwags2DmsMmSK7P87V8pis-dOTv0MKJNN98Ve7my7bkZ8CA2b6GOi_Ev0dQbAWyU1KSk-tdxrO7VrKfR04r0u4styQOvAMM8ccLOfmvwDsGw/s1600/IMG_20150509_165429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_EkwdQ4oAxTD6_JOwgCzlQKEO6h-SdYSwags2DmsMmSK7P87V8pis-dOTv0MKJNN98Ve7my7bkZ8CA2b6GOi_Ev0dQbAWyU1KSk-tdxrO7VrKfR04r0u4styQOvAMM8ccLOfmvwDsGw/s320/IMG_20150509_165429.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Furthermore, it is so light you’ll have no excuses, you can bring it with you whatever you wear.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHC4MJ1Nfswp18aXwh9qm7OZydCPes2XQebaNf-hx8W1T4987l78etxIVI_dKmLHUjsjo6LAwId_6Cv0wej0kX6mR16Too-owRrgdD-Zxd8rQVGyDsO2Kuqu5Ib1L4tiw9S7ihn9851Do/s1600/DSC02415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHC4MJ1Nfswp18aXwh9qm7OZydCPes2XQebaNf-hx8W1T4987l78etxIVI_dKmLHUjsjo6LAwId_6Cv0wej0kX6mR16Too-owRrgdD-Zxd8rQVGyDsO2Kuqu5Ib1L4tiw9S7ihn9851Do/s320/DSC02415.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Anyway, this is a great outdoor product. </b></div>
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<b>This is not a jacket, it’s a shelter. </b></div>
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Many thanks Sam.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1131JrrHhcmuYa5nqeAOme7tgIobtkgTCRTspInlqybrzqjJJe2rvOHxLH0-o-IAtAvvbPr45OxSsj8uwBON66tHB301XKCvHZ8xSrPfx0cGy4B1bcR3B8s9IDdmsG6gt2M2TyICQ9o/s1600/DSC02420.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="70" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1131JrrHhcmuYa5nqeAOme7tgIobtkgTCRTspInlqybrzqjJJe2rvOHxLH0-o-IAtAvvbPr45OxSsj8uwBON66tHB301XKCvHZ8xSrPfx0cGy4B1bcR3B8s9IDdmsG6gt2M2TyICQ9o/s320/DSC02420.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195694588204994265.post-6526111781102958872015-07-09T03:19:00.000-07:002015-07-09T03:59:15.549-07:00Room for a little one??<div class="Quotations" style="margin-left: 0cm; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><u>Background</u></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The Dragon's Back race has become a legendary race due to
its reputation as being one of the hardest mountain races in the
World. The route follows the mountainous spine of Wales from Conwy Castle
to Carreg Cennen Castle and competitors spend an incredible 5 days racing
approximately 300km across wild, trackless, remote terrain and
incorporating 16,000 metres of mountainous ascent. It isn't a trail race
and it isn't for everyone; only the most capable runners can compete with
cut-off points each day to ensure the safety of competitors. The original
Dragon's Back Race took place in September 1992 and, ever since, it has been
whispered about with a mix of awe and trepidation. Its reputation is legendary
and the race has only happened twice since the inaugural event.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAqzmEGfOg_zBJWMUSqqFQXddUOTKbG4vmFY9YKwC5uiJLfgGx2GW7dX0rJzJ4BXrQXWvXQTz-teA0YoMZ-ZH_RJIa6ykJpRvuQ77ZnqFLZuxBZf0TT5w30Bl9BE8Q0yzOTM2UV_I7Hao/s1600/Joe+Faulkner+of+NAV4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAqzmEGfOg_zBJWMUSqqFQXddUOTKbG4vmFY9YKwC5uiJLfgGx2GW7dX0rJzJ4BXrQXWvXQTz-teA0YoMZ-ZH_RJIa6ykJpRvuQ77ZnqFLZuxBZf0TT5w30Bl9BE8Q0yzOTM2UV_I7Hao/s320/Joe+Faulkner+of+NAV4.JPG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jim at the start. <span style="font-family: Euphemia UCAS; font-size: xx-small;">©Joe Faulker, NAV4.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">In 2012 I raced the Dragon and everything that could go
wrong went wrong. I'd had a month out injured before the race but when I
managed a 30 mile run the weekend before I decided I could probably manage it,
(yes yes I know about tapering now!). Needless to say on day 1 I got completely
lost not once but twice, (over an hour of errors in good weather), and then
blew up really badly. Day 2 and onwards was about finishing and having been
lucky enough to meet the legend that is Helene Whittaker on Crib Goch on day 1
I had some company for the journey and a new friend as well. It was tough
though - really tough. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">So why go back? </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I could do better - I knew I could and it was eating away at
me. I was fit and procrastinating about entering but Shane had promised to hold
a place for as long as it took me to decide. 10 days before I finally cracked.
The email said all that was required: "Room for a little one??" </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Day 1</u></span><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I started really steady, determined not to get caught up in
a race. I saw in 2012 how easily people get caught in a head to head battle and
that is when the Dragon itself strikes and they are gone - onto the DNF list –
that wouldn't be happening to me!</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I was one of the last out of the castle and again off the
walls. At the punching start I was away and immediately picking my route
through the field - there were a couple of single track paths which were
frustrating but over time I started to gain on the leaders who I could see
stretched out a good half mile in front. By the time we got into the </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Carneddau</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I
was with the leaders. It didn't seem like anyone was keen to take it on so I
just kept the same pace and eased ahead. Andre Jonsson (Inov8) came with
me and then pushed a little more. I let him go - I meant what I had said about
running my own race and racing today was not in the plan. On the top of Carnedd
Dafydd I realised that the control box had not been touched, I was first here.
The fog was thick so I had no idea where I had taken the lead as I could only
see a few meters but I was pretty sure I was first through. I stuck with
the plan and ran steadily but consistently all the way to Llyn Ogwen where the
'mid day' drop bags would be. We were just below the mist here which was bad. I
knew the next section and didn't want to be followed or to be a target for
someone to lock on to so I pushed down the road, grabbed a couple of ready
prepared bottles and an eccles cake and left as fast as I could - I wanted to
get back into the mist before anyone could follow me. There is a good
footpath up Tryfan from the car park but instead I went up the valley a little
bit so I could hide in the gully and scramble up that way. Time wise there is
not much difference but the scramble is steep and far more fun :)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIXBaxkP9vN40-Dkk-0hF3QFBRmO5Ep-2TSWi5Y3-DFCMtcYXe1Tcbk1VR8-S5IRT7RM9EQlXDXcmJsstKHhfS82RtHeZTov5MqK_AOI0EhK0HsfI5lu9Ixry4BixMHSUliY66xnEdvuA/s1600/iancorless.com_DragonsBack2015Day1-4736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIXBaxkP9vN40-Dkk-0hF3QFBRmO5Ep-2TSWi5Y3-DFCMtcYXe1Tcbk1VR8-S5IRT7RM9EQlXDXcmJsstKHhfS82RtHeZTov5MqK_AOI0EhK0HsfI5lu9Ixry4BixMHSUliY66xnEdvuA/s320/iancorless.com_DragonsBack2015Day1-4736.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: 'Euphemia UCAS'; font-size: 10px;">
Eventual 2015 Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race™ winner, Jim Mann, heading away from Pen-y-Pass at the start of the Snowdon horseshoe. ©iancorless.com</div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I kept my head down and cracked on. Tryfan felt slow with
lots of wet slippery rock but I found a good line over the Glyders and was
feeling better. At Pen-y-Pass I mistakenly ran right past the control station
and ended up doing a full lap of the cafe to get the punch. The next bit I was
not very sure of. I had never been up Crib Goch from this end so was a little
nervous especially as the mist was still low but I just headed up and then
along the top and it was fine. A small nav wobble with the penultimate control
of the day and I was headed into the camp. Leading had never been in the plan
but I felt ok. I had worked hard but was far from all in. I punched and got
straight into my recovery regime. Warm, hydrate, feed, feed more, sleep
lots. Tomorrow</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">would be a big day; the Moelwyns
and Rhinogs are my favourite parts of the route and I planned to go hard.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Day 2</u></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">People looked tired as they came in - had I looked that
tired - I didn't think so but maybe??</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The fast guys certainly looked more tired than I felt and
hopefully on today's rough ground I could do some damage.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I let everyone go first then got settled and started to push
on pretty fast. I was intent on testing people today to see who was serious. On
the way to CP3 I saw Andre coming away from it. I could only be a couple of
minutes behind him yet he had set out about 10mins ahead of me. I went after
him - no doubt now my race head was well and truly on. I caught him at CP4 and
took off down the hill. I had recce'd that descent and knew my line. I was in
no mood for company and wanted to avoid any chance of being trailed through the
Rhinogs. He dropped back but I decided to keep pushing hard to the road then
ease back a little. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I was worried that the pace was too fast and I may pay the
penalty later. Just as I got to the road though Ed Catmur appeared - I hadn't
expected that and it gave me a big lift initially (I had Ed down as pre race
favourite) but then I realised I had to get past him and away before the next
bit if I wanted to run on my own. I knew I had to keep pushing hard. Thankfully
I got away and once I was safely hidden in the forest I set about refuelling.
It<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>had been tough work but I was on my
own and getting closer to the Rhinogs which made me happy - they are the most
fantastic, remote hills, wild, untouched and strewn with huge boulders; I can't
help but smile just thinking of them. The next bit was messy and some people
went right round on the main road or through one of the low cols. I opted for
the direct route right over the top of the ridge. It's a bit less distance and
a bit more climb so probably not much in it either way but my route certainly
has the best views. It is a stunning ridge that very few people visit and
sometimes what is good for the spirit is good for the body too. I didn't see a
single person until I dropped into the col above the aid station on the other
side (clearly not the path most trod - you all missed out ;) )</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwrWE25u8dPMAhe0N6dEE2lhXt6MGXQhSGeLwo7DEoJldNW51ljHiO3WSCjs93CZOILjDfzoHZyKxRef-HtKegRqkt87vMOVanYZJqszhg-OVzQwoHdg_yxPLAo1xtsDj4nebk33Zx21A/s1600/iancorless.com_DragonsBack2015Day2-5721.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwrWE25u8dPMAhe0N6dEE2lhXt6MGXQhSGeLwo7DEoJldNW51ljHiO3WSCjs93CZOILjDfzoHZyKxRef-HtKegRqkt87vMOVanYZJqszhg-OVzQwoHdg_yxPLAo1xtsDj4nebk33Zx21A/s320/iancorless.com_DragonsBack2015Day2-5721.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: 'Euphemia UCAS'; font-size: 10px;">
Jezz Bragg heads off into the Moelwyn mountains on the second day of the 2015 Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race™. ©iancorless.com</div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I had a quick turnaround at half way - it was hot so I
picked up my belt which had additional food and water in it as well as my
2 ready prepared bottles. I wasn't in great shape as the heat and pace were
taking their toll so I made sure I ate and drank as much as I could. Drinking
was fine but I was suffering indigestion and having real trouble eating. Near
the top of the first Rhinog I saw Jez Bragg and then realised Jasmin was there
too. That was great news race wise as the only person I hadn't seen was Konrad
but they told me he was struggling with a bad foot and just behind us so I
guess I passed him whilst taking a more direct route up. If I could hold this
together I would have a very good lead tonight. I went past Jez and Jasmin
before the long gully descent and Jasmin came with me. I was glad of the
company. We ran together all the way through the Rhinogs chatting. I knew some
good lines here and was happy to share them as I had now built a significant
lead. On the run in though when we were nearly back, the wheels fell off
completely and suddenly. The lack of eating caught up with me and I was on
empty. I ate a full bag of sweets, just stuffing them in but it wasn't working.
I was a little better but still a real mess. Jasmin waited - she didn't have to
do that and I didn't expect her to but she saw it as repayment for me showing
her the fast route over the last few hills (I love this sport - where else
would that happen?).</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">At the end I moved straight into recovery focus again. Warm,
dry, eat, hydrate, shower etc. People generally seem to think we relax at the
end of stage but that really isn't true. The recovery is as important as the
running if you are going to run hard again the next day. I went as far as to
have a list on my bag to remind me of what I must do both at the midday and the
overnight – don't worry that level of organisation won't last :)</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">News started to come in of a rapidly depleting field. Ed
Catmur retired after a fall, Andre Jonsson retired with knee trouble, Jez Bragg
was solid but a fair way back, clearly feeling the effects of his record
breaking Ramsay Round just a week ago and Damian Hall had dropped back a bit
further so that left Jasmin and Konrad just over an hour and 1hr 20mins behind
me respectively. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">For the first time I started to think that this might be a
race I could win but I needed another good day tomorrow. Jasmin really
worried me - she had finished a lot stronger than me and could have taken a
good few minutes back off me at the end if she had pushed on. She is fiercely
competitive, very determined and extremely fast and if she kept getting
stronger then the next 3 days would be really tough. The other girls were
having a strong showing too, with Beth Pascall and Lizzie Wraith starting to
work their way up the field and looking very comfortable whenever I saw them.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Day 3 </u></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I was awakened by people moving about in the night so got up
and had some more food and went to the toilet at 1am. My legs were a bit
sore so I decided to stretch them until they were loosened up. Charlie Sproson
was just getting washed after a long day of looking after us all (I had no idea
till then that the marshals and support team were doing 1am finishes
and 4am starts - thank you all so much for your hard work and
constant happy smiles!). I think he thought I had got up just to stretch in
secret in the middle of the night and he had fun winding me up about it.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_pixE719BIKhYyVik-zFo6nLtrzsUgT9PA7VjwRALqAey9VLGD18Tc6PY4NvhxUx3vSyB38eLWdwcf2YvvaHGkNzKavVey6coHA8SSuYMwL3yhy5xtupncowzdFPG2p30Y94nQ5DKa8/s1600/iancorless.com_DragonsBack2015Day3-6609.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_pixE719BIKhYyVik-zFo6nLtrzsUgT9PA7VjwRALqAey9VLGD18Tc6PY4NvhxUx3vSyB38eLWdwcf2YvvaHGkNzKavVey6coHA8SSuYMwL3yhy5xtupncowzdFPG2p30Y94nQ5DKa8/s320/iancorless.com_DragonsBack2015Day3-6609.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: 'Euphemia UCAS'; font-size: 10px;">
Braddan Johnson nears the summit of Gau Graig the first checkpoint on day three. ©iancorless.com</div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">In the morning I wasn't very keen to get going and had to be
chased from my tent by the poor marshals who had to pack everything up and move
it on - sorry. Again I was off last and on a mission. Today I had to chase down
Jasmin - if I could extend my lead to 1hr 30mins I felt that I would have a
defend-able lead but that was a big ask and there is a lot of trail on day 3. I
don't like road or trail so this was going to be hard work but mission 'hunt
Jasmin' was on. It started well with a decent first climb but as I got onto the
end of the Cadair Idris ridge what had started as a clear day began to close
in. Very soon I was in thick clag and worse than that I was convinced that
everyone else had got over it in the clear. I was really annoyed - this was
going to cost me time. Why didn't I go out earlier when the weather was good?
After a few harsh words with myself (yes, out loud!) I got my focus back and
made sure I kept the nav on track. The ridge felt slow but as I came back out
of the mist I saw Jez ahead - it couldn't have been that bad then!? We ran
together for a short while until he needed a toilet stop and he told me that he
had been lost on the ridge - my heart sank, we had both been slow. I set to
eating up the trail. I was going ok again until I took a wrong turn coming down
the final descent to the midway support point and again lost time - this wasn't
going to be my day. At the midway point however, I learned that Jasmin was
18mins ahead - that was great news - she had set out a lot more ahead of me
than that - the hunt was on and I was fired up but Jasmins are very rare,
extremely fast and notoriously hard to catch so this wasn't going to be easy ;)</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The next section it was all hard undulating trail until
Plynlimon where you have a steep ascent then gradual descent to the overnight
camp. I was slowly closing up and overtaking people but it wasn't easy. I
passed several of the other fast guys including Konrad but still no Jasmin -
she was up ahead somewhere apparently but I couldn't see her. If I just kept
going surely she would appear but nothing and I was feeling really tired. By
the time I got to Plynlimon I was slowing and had given up on catching Jasmin -
she must be running really well. I just wanted to be finished for the day but
the descent went on for what felt like forever. When I finally got to the camp
there was a happy smiling Jasmin cheering me on. Thankfully she had only been
in a few minutes and I soon discovered my lead was up to 1hr 37mins - I was
relieved that I could relax a little tomorrow but there was still a
long, long way to go and so much that could go wrong. My mindset switched into
recovery mode - eat, drink, hydrate and sleep ready to go again in the morning.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Day 4</u></span><span style="font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoBodyText" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt;">Konrad had
been struggling with a tendon injury in the front of his foot since day 2 and
had borrowed poles to use on day 3 to try and take some pressure off the
injury. As a result he couldn't keep up with Jasmin who he had been running
with. I was with them both when Konrad told Jasmin that he couldn't keep up and
that she needed to run on her own on Thursday. Running with Jasmin on Tuesday
had been really nice and it’s so much easier in very long races to stay
focussed when you have company if they are running at about your pace so I
checked if Jasmin was still chasing me and thought she could catch me. She
thought the gap was too much now so I suggested we run together tomorrow if she
wanted to. I was very pleased when she agreed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Beth had been running really well behind Jasmin and had actually closed
the gap on day 3 (no small feat!) so Jasmin wanted to ensure she was safe. For
me running with Jasmin meant I would always know where she was and as long we
were running together my lead margin would stay intact.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjipLObjY-Ke4f3NDKwNTclOtussDheYSrIbAlhwkMk5wxrU4mllTiqAXD68HGuXJdfio-s8TVnnFv_27wyI6wq2yjSiPBpzCYuan9m35je6khCo8jfk-ODEQHEykqrhtVa97NGg5v7bHM/s1600/iancorless.com_DragonsBack2015Day4-7745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjipLObjY-Ke4f3NDKwNTclOtussDheYSrIbAlhwkMk5wxrU4mllTiqAXD68HGuXJdfio-s8TVnnFv_27wyI6wq2yjSiPBpzCYuan9m35je6khCo8jfk-ODEQHEykqrhtVa97NGg5v7bHM/s320/iancorless.com_DragonsBack2015Day4-7745.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: 'Euphemia UCAS'; font-size: 10px;">
At the start of day four a group of competitors head into the desolate mid Wales landscape. ©iancorless.com</div>
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<span class="WW-DefaultParagraphFont"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">It
was a fun day – the Elan valley gets a bit of a bad rap for its tussocks but
that aside it’s actually very beautiful and offers some good running. I'd run
about two thirds of the 2012 course for day 4 just a few weeks ago and felt
like I had found some good lines and when I got the map there were quite a few
bits that were the same. We ate up the first half of the day and it was nice to
not be on my own. We caught up with Beth, Pavel, Damian and Lizzie just before
the midday point and then ran in a larger group for the next couple of hours.</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span class="WW-DefaultParagraphFont"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The
group finally broke up on the top of final hill when Jasmin and I opted for the
more direct route over open fell and the others followed the trails down to the
road and round. We didn't want to spend any more time than we had to on the
hard stuff and knew that the last 10k was on road anyway so set out to make the
most of the remaining wilderness. We were rewarded by not only a fast route but
also the discovery of a remote and very beautiful valley. After a quick sheep
rescue we were onto the road (which I have since blocked out of my mind!!) and
into the overnight camp together.</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Jim Mann and Jasmin Paris on the fourth day of the Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race™. ©iancorless.com</div>
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<span class="WW-DefaultParagraphFont"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">It
was all looking good for me but I was tired and dehydrated, the indigestion was
back and all I had managed to eat during the day was half a snickers bar (not
enough) but I was drinking plenty of energy drink to carry me through. The
medics gave me something for the indigestion and I ate 4 meals and was quickly
back to good shape and an early night.</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;"><u>Day 5</u></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="WW-DefaultParagraphFont"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Just
one day to go! No mistakes or mishaps and I could actually win this.</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I was pretty excited but still very aware that I had a long day ahead of
me. The morning of Day 5 is all road and trail but I was looking forward to the
Brecon Beacons – they are not huge hills and not very technical but they are a
nice day out and spectacular ridge. I ran again with Jasmin meaning I basically
just had to finish now. We were going well, the early mist lifted and the sun
came out. By the time we got to the midway point at the reservoir not only was
I in good spirits but I was looking forward to the ridge. As we started to
climb we could see it stretching out ahead of us in the sun and I knew in a few
hours I would see the castle and the finish. I couldn't wait for the beautiful
ridge run ahead, sun on my back, stretching out for home – what a way to finish
the week.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span class="WW-DefaultParagraphFont"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">As
we neared the top of the ridge however a cloud moved across and it looked like
a shower was coming in (that wasn't in the script – not in my head anyway!). By
the time we were on the ridge the mist had completely closed in around us and
it was very much map and compass time. Then the wind and the rain started. I
was confident it was just a shower and would pass. The group kept growing along
the ridge as more and more people ended up together. After more than an hour in
the 'shower' I was cold and soaked and should really have had my jacket on 45
mins earlier. I stopped and layered up – man I wanted to be at the finish. It
was miserable (yes, we all have those moments), I was really struggling to eat
again and everything tasted like cardboard and took about the same amount of
chewing too.</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span class="WW-DefaultParagraphFont"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">It
felt like an age before we started to approach the final summit and came across
Konrad battling on with his poles. It looked like he had done enough to keep 3<sup>rd</sup>
place from Beth who was in our group and again running well. Huge respect to
Konrad – it would have been very easy to give up with an injury like that but
he just kept going and pushing on – he really deserved that result – he is one
tough nut! As we started the final descent there was a lot of chatter and
different ideas about the best route off but I wasn't really in any shape to
think about nav at this point and was getting </span></span><span class="MsoCommentReference"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt;">tired</span></span><span class="WW-DefaultParagraphFont"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">
with it. Jonathan Whilock was with us – he is a good navigator so I simply
stuck with him and he routed us off– thanks Jon!</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: 'Euphemia UCAS'; font-size: 10px;">
The iconic Carreg Cennen Castle finish at the end of the 2015 Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race™. ©iancorless.com</div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The weather had started to improve and it got warm as we
descended and then when we were on the track I took off for the finish. I would
have been very happy to finish with Jasmin who was in a remarkable 2<sup>nd</sup>
place overall but she understandably wanted to finish with Konrad ,3<sup>rd</sup>
overall, having caught him up and being in no danger of being caught herself
could enjoy the run in with him.</span></div>
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<span class="WW-DefaultParagraphFont"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The
adrenalin kicked in and I found a new lease of life on my way back to the
castle. I couldn't quite believe it – I was going to win the Dragon's Back….</span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: 'Euphemia UCAS'; font-size: 10px;">
Jasmin Paris and Jim Mann celebrate at Carreg Cennen Castle at the end of the 2015 Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race™. ©iancorless.com</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="font-family: 'Euphemia UCAS'; font-size: 10px;">
Jasmin Paris and Jim Mann celebrate at Carreg Cennen Castle at the end of the 2015 Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race™. ©iancorless.com</div>
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<div class="MsoBodyText" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt;">Thoughts
after the race:</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">It was again a great journey – great comradery, amazing marshals and
team. I have had two very different but equally amazing experiences at the
Dragon. The event was so much improved on 2012 (and 2012 was amazing); I cannot
credit Shane and the team at Ourea events enough for this – the Dragon is truly
a world class event.<span style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Congratulations to all competitors, organisers, marshals,
medics, the media team who got some amazing videos and photos of the week and
of course the catering team alike – an outstanding event is a result of so many
fantastic people working very hard – thank you all for making it such a great
experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbu95Bw6pkcO8fRYWKo2oq17BS8i7LI5MtYsmuKoFLJfsRszZP3CKtczJAixuA56skKAW9BgBsQOWjgmcb4iagsfZWrs-yOF028-PLPvz43Z9issze6YJSjQstGjvQAEXTAx4K6yUnp8w/s1600/iancorless.com_DragonsBack2015-8773.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbu95Bw6pkcO8fRYWKo2oq17BS8i7LI5MtYsmuKoFLJfsRszZP3CKtczJAixuA56skKAW9BgBsQOWjgmcb4iagsfZWrs-yOF028-PLPvz43Z9issze6YJSjQstGjvQAEXTAx4K6yUnp8w/s320/iancorless.com_DragonsBack2015-8773.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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Jim Mann, 2015 Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race™ winner, receivers his winners dragon trophy, presented by three times finisher Joe Faulkner and Race Director Shane Ohly. ©iancorless.com</div>
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Jim Mann, 2015 Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race™ winner with his winners trophy. ©iancorless.com</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgImNn4rfawqThWTZEdEYAaAuqXTO5D1HnSThrXN5hhAKJmEEPNA-z5DX1dW6wLfotutoYNwJVVMY5WagfrUYA-eIJrieXomUMXF4bWhK1gADZ-2ySlWqXQ6yEBgHADYSlxXg7mi32-hIA/s1600/Joe+Faulkner+of+NAV4%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgImNn4rfawqThWTZEdEYAaAuqXTO5D1HnSThrXN5hhAKJmEEPNA-z5DX1dW6wLfotutoYNwJVVMY5WagfrUYA-eIJrieXomUMXF4bWhK1gADZ-2ySlWqXQ6yEBgHADYSlxXg7mi32-hIA/s320/Joe+Faulkner+of+NAV4%25282%2529.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jim enjoying a well deserved pint with his trophy. <span style="font-family: 'Euphemia UCAS'; font-size: xx-small;">©Joe Faulker, NAV4.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I have been asked a lot if I will return again in 2017 – the truth is I
don't know yet but I suspect not. Not because I wouldn't want to or didn't
enjoy it but because I don't think I could ever match 2015 so sometimes things
are just best left as they are. We all have a really great race in us whether
that is a parkrun PB or an Olympic final but they are very very rare. If you
have ever experienced it you'll know what I mean, that race where you perform
beyond your ability both mentally and physically and everything comes together
just right. Well, I am pretty sure I just used mine up – but what a great time
to use it.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Jim Mann, 2015 Berghaus Dragon’s Back Race™ winner. ©iancorless.com</div>
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Jim Mann’s pack and map. ©iancorless.com</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195694588204994265.post-11265632270054686762015-06-07T13:05:00.000-07:002015-06-08T10:37:42.211-07:00Duncan Archer's 18hr 51m Bob Graham Round<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0cm 0cm 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<b><u>Duncan Archer does 18hr51 for Bob Graham Round<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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<b>The short version:</b> I did the Bob Graham Round on 6<sup>th</sup> June in 18hr51. It was very windy. For the longer version, read on…<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>What is it: </b> The Bob Graham Round is a circuit of 42 named peaks in the lake district, starting and finishing at Keswick Moot Hall. The challenge is to complete it in 24 hours. It covers about 66 miles with 27,000 ft of ascent (that is about 8000m – not far short of climbing Everest from sea level). It was first completed in 1932 by Bob Graham, nearly 2000 people have completed it since and joined the <a href="http://www.bobgrahamclub.org.uk/" style="color: purple;">Bob Graham Club</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>My round:</b> The BGR first came onto my radar 5 or so years ago, when I started running with <a href="http://www.durhamfellrunners.org.uk/" style="color: purple;">Durham Fell Runners</a>, and others in the club were talking doing it (“obsessed” with it…?). I followed their progress, saw happy successes and tough failures, helped out a bit, and the seed was planted in the back of my mind that one day I might do it. However for several years it never fitted alongside other interests, particularly orienteering and mountain marathons, and knowing it would need good preparation and result in not much activity for several weeks after! However at the start of 2015, whilst getting over an injury from the 2014 OMM, I decided it was a good focus for the coming year. As the year progressed I was struggling to see where it might fit between other races and commitments, but then the LAMM was cancelled, which created the ideal weekend to aim for.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Style:</b> My dream would have been a low key round, running solo and unsupported, no pre-practice / recce-ing, and navigating “on-sight” (map and compass, no GPS!). However, I’m also attracted by the history of “Bob Graham Club”, and getting your name on the list of successful completions, and that requires at least one supporter on each leg to confirm you reached the summits. Even so I never intended to do endless recces and learn the route by heart. A big attraction of running in the hills to me is discovering new places, finding solitude, occasionally getting lost and then finding yourself again. So how much practice did I do over previous years? Leg 1 about three times, leg 2 in its entirety only once, leg 3 about four times, leg 4 only once (two weeks before my attempt – I thought I really ought to!), and leg 5 never. I’d been in the lakes on many other occasions, and had visited various BGR summits, but without the BGR in mind. However I’d never been up Hindscarf or Robinson until the day of my attempt, so it was quite fitting to finish on two new summits for me (and motivating to have to get myself that far!).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Target pace:</b> I wanted to not just complete, but do a time I would look back on and be happy with, feeling like I’d pushed myself. On the flip side I wanted to balance that with not pushing myself too hard and increasing the risk of blowing up and failing, because I really didn’t fancy making multiple attempts! I decided on 20 hours, for no particular reasons other than it felt achievable, somewhat faster than 24 hours, not record breaking, and a nice round number! If you look at the stats, nearly 2000 people have now completed the BGR, Billy Bland’s record is 13:53, Mark Hartell and Stuart Bland have done just under 15 hours, I’m not sure anyone else has done under 17 hours, a sub-18 hour round puts you in the top dozen or so, another 20 have done sub-19, and another 40 have done sub-20 (information from <a href="http://forum.fellrunner.org.uk/showthread.php?21357-Fastest-Bob-Graham-s" style="color: purple;">here</a> and extrapolating for another year). So I set off with a 20 hour pace, although in the back of my mind I thought if things felt ok around Scafell, I might try to pick it up a bit.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Schedule:</b> Most people use the <a href="http://bobwightman.co.uk/run/bgr_schedule_calculator.php" style="color: purple;">excellent calculator on Bob Wightman’s page</a>. However, some advice suggested it was largely based on timings people actual take, and most people set off too fast and slow down significantly (and painfully!). You are better (i.e. it’ll be more pleasant!) to hold back early on and keep a more consistent pace. So I used what the calculator said for a 21 hour pace for legs 1&2, 20 hour pace for leg 3, and 19 hour pace for legs 4&5. With an overall 20 hour pace, on a weekend in June, you can do most of it in daylight, so I went for a 3AM start / 11PM finish, allowing for a few hours’ sleep beforehand.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Running preparation:</b> This really started over 25 years ago, not specifically for the BGR (!), but since then I’ve spent many hours running in the hills, including much of it in rough, heathery and rocky terrain, particular when orienteering. I’m sure that helped. In the last 5 years I’ve trained to compete more seriously in the elite class at mountain marathons, including an OMM elite victory in 2011 with Shane Ohly, and 3 successive LAMM victories with Jim Mann in 2011, 2012 and 2014. In the last 6 months I’ve aimed for consistent training, with a long steady run (I’m talking 3-6 hours) every few weeks. It hasn’t all been easy, including several weeks ill with colds etc. over the winter, one serious bonk on a 50k run on my own in the Cheviot (didn’t take enough food), and two very brisk outings with Jim, once on one of his Paddy Buckley Round attempts in poor weather, and again in the Old County Tops race. But it all helped.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So to the actual thing. The weather forecast a week out looked good, a high pressure dominating the country, meaning low winds, dry, and possibly too hot if anything. As the week progressed it looked like a front would pass over the Lakes leading to high winds. How right it was.<o:p></o:p><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving Moot Hall at 3am.</td></tr>
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<b style="font-size: 11pt;">Leg 1:</b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> With Mike Mallen. Mike lives in Keswick, and had kindly offered a bed for a few hours’ sleep the night before. Starting at 3AM on a Saturday morning in Keswick means avoiding the odd reveller as they spill out of the nightclub, and acknowledging the cheers of “What the fuck is going on?” What indeed. The wind first hit us on top of Skiddaw like an express train. However, we were 5 minutes up, and I felt ok. The climbs of Great Calva and Blencathra passed uneventfully, and I skipped merrily down Halls Fell Ridge on dry rock (a benefit of high winds!) in just over 3 hours, which was 25 minutes up on schedule. Was I going to pay for this later?.</span></div>
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<b>Leg 2:</b> With Gwynn Stokes. Except due to my early arrival he was not to be found at Threlkeld. He turned up soon after and we were off. As we crested Clough Head the wind hit again, and there followed the toughest 3 hours of running / shuffling / stooping / clinging to rocks that I’ve done in a long time. The westerly gale hit the Helvellyn Ridge side on and was funnelled at great speed over the edge. Gwynn’s cap is now somewhere off the edge of Dollywagon, and as I was chuckling at his misfortune I discovered I wasn’t wearing my hat any more either! We persevered and eventually made it to Dunmail, even taking another 10 minutes off the schedule – but how much energy had it take out of me? I certainly felt very drained at this point.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Leg 3:</b> With Andy Blackett and James Osborn. We lost a few minutes on each of the first few hills, and I wondered if this was the start of the end. But once on High Raise my mood brightened, and with Andy’s mantra – “take it one hill at a time” – things started to pick up. A novel route up Harrison Stickle brought some brief scrambling fun. Into the mist up Bowfell which lasted until the end of the leg. Nice to see friends Pete and Jen Murphy on the way up Scafell. And another man who was waiting for some runners, we exchanged names and he exclaimed “Wow, you are the 20 hour man”. Famous? We took Scafell via the climbers traverse round the east buttress (to Foxes Tarn). By the time I was skipping down the scree run off Scafell my mood was brighter than it had been 5 hours earlier, and we were now 50 minutes up on schedule.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Leg 4: </b>With Jim Mann. My favourite leg (despite only having done it twice now), with some nice trods (you just have to look past the slog up Yewbarrow). The weather was still windy, but at least you could stand up straight (usually), and there was the odd glimpse of brighter weather down Ennerdale and across to the leg 5 hills. I was feeling ok still, just taking it a hill at a time, and keeping on eating and drinking as prompted by Jim.<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arriving into Honister</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Then leaving Honister</td></tr>
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<b>Leg 5:</b> With Patrick Bonnett. I left Honister exactly 1 hour up. Jim’s parting words were whether I was going to try to go sub-19 hours. I said I wasn’t really bothered, and he told me to think carefully about whether I’d still be thinking that at the end. Now Patrick is seemingly a veteran leg 5 supporter, having helped many people round these three last hills. He remarked it was nice to have someone who still had a pulse at this stage, and encouraged me to take in the view from Dale Head from where you can see most of the rest of the journey you’ve just undertaken. His chat kept my mind off the tiredness, and his chocolate bars made a nice change from chewy energy bars (which ironically I no longer had the energy to chew). 4 minutes lost up Dale Head, but gained again on Hindscarf, and at Robinson we were still on schedule. I had no idea how generous or otherwise the 80 minute split was to Moot Hall, but with Jim’s words in the back of my mind I decided yes, 19 hours was now the target (funny how you attach significance to a completely arbitrary number). We just kept a nice even pace off the ridge and along the road. It was still breezy but otherwise the weather had brightened and turned into a lovely evening, something to savour. Eventually we turned into Keswick, through the market place where most of my supporters had come to cheer me in, and up the steps of Moot Hall. 18 hours and 51 minutes. Phew!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Huge thanks to everyone who ran with me on the day. Special thanks to Pippa for supporting me at the road crossings, all her encouragement in the lead up, and tolerating me going running for many hours in the hills, when I know she would love to be out there too.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0aF8oJElcANIHXLU7OO11HWeB1mQkazeDevxI5Mm1OlEou5Q3l59qYwvoInY3QO3URXGtHUU7LTqK6f0XFbhr3kw8Bka0qdyzdJGH4eW-ncRYnOzmVKwDueQGNOKLspmyKAZgMvuuv4/s1600/IMG_5449.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0aF8oJElcANIHXLU7OO11HWeB1mQkazeDevxI5Mm1OlEou5Q3l59qYwvoInY3QO3URXGtHUU7LTqK6f0XFbhr3kw8Bka0qdyzdJGH4eW-ncRYnOzmVKwDueQGNOKLspmyKAZgMvuuv4/s200/IMG_5449.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The last few metres </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finish!</td></tr>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195694588204994265.post-3074436606126764942015-04-26T08:09:00.002-07:002015-04-26T08:09:31.067-07:00Gaël's sock review<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hi everyone,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm Gaël from France, and I'd like to share with you some thoughts on the H18ORR Alpaca Socks (heel tab) I had the chance to test.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'm 40 years old, and I've started to run several years ago, as I started living in the mountains, in the French Alps.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My playground is mainly made of trails I can found just in front of my doorstep, and I'm outside whatever the weather or the season is, skiing in winter, running (and cycling) from spring to autumn.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2014 was a serious year for me, as I've decided to participate in 3 big races, 45km and 2500m elevation gain, 77km and 3500m elevation gain, and 90km and 900m elevation gain for the UltraVasan90, the summer and trail version of the famous swedish ski race Vasaloppet. It was sometimes hard and painful, but I've finished each of the races running!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some months ago I was in touch with Sam at H18ORR, who kindly sent me a pair of their Alpaca running socks. I had to delay the test due to the snow on the trails, but it finally disappears weeks ago.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The test took place in various runs, the last one was about 3h and 21km ( and 1000m elevation gain).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><u>The socks.</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sober look, but what comes immediately to sight is the quality of the product, made seriously with textile well made. The shape is great, and the socks are extremely soft and comfortable to wear. I was first afraid of a sock partly made of wool, because of the warmth. With some runs in the cold, and others in hotter temperatures I know now that the socks are convenient for every kind of weather.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You don't feel the sewings once in the socks, and you'll appreciate a specific weaving on the metatarsal bones, which keeps the socks right in place on the foot, even if it's wet. I also appreciate the adjusted size, just to protect the heel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And last but not least, after many runs, the socks don't smell...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap;">You can follow me on Twitter @gaelos , and check my runs on Movescount </span><a href="http://www.movescount.com/members/gaelos" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.movescount.com/members/gaelos</a></div>
</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195694588204994265.post-63845285813655597502015-04-16T01:03:00.002-07:002015-04-16T01:03:44.835-07:00Windproof Review<blockquote style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;" type="cite">
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A few months ago I received one of the H18ORR windproof jackets, and since then I’ve been putting it through its paces. If you search the web you’ll find a wide variety of windproofs out there, and many are much of a muchness, not really standing out from the crowd. Well the H18ORR windproof jacket <i>literally </i>stands out from the crowd in its strong orange colour! <o:p></o:p></div>
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Seriously, the niche it carves for itself is in the minimalist ultra-lightweight category. Don’t expect all the trimmings such as chest pocket, draw cords, thumb loops etc. But what you get in their place is super lightweight and perfectly functional. At 90g and packing very small it easily fits in a bum-bag just in case, and when worn you hardly notice it. I’ve tested it in very windy conditions, and it keeps the wind off just fine, whilst remaining perfectly breathable when you work up a sweat. I’ve even used it when it has started to drizzle and it has kept me dry to the end of my run (anything longer or wetter and you’d probably look for a waterproof instead).<o:p></o:p></div>
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Styles of windproofs vary – hood or no hood; full length zip or smock. The H18ORR jacket I’ve been trying has full length zip and hood. In the past I’ve reasoned that if the weather is bad enough to need a hood, I probably want a waterproof or I’ll wear a hat, right? But I might be a convert, finding the hood on the H18ORR windproof a useful addition. When not needed it is light enough you don’t notice it, and when it gets windier, particularly in the cold, you pop it up and it keeps your head a lot warmer. I’m also pleased to say the cut and elasticated trim are such that the hood doesn’t flap around or get blown off in the wind (unlike hoods on some other jackets I own!).<o:p></o:p></div>
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Overall I’ve been really impressed. And the current price tag is good value for money in a market where others can seem pricey (with ultra-lightweight kit it often seems like a case of “less is more”!). With summer just around the corner, but always a risk of some inclement weather in the UK, this is just the thing to have with you when you are out running.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Duncan Archer<o:p></o:p></div>
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H18ORR Ambassador</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195694588204994265.post-30048037532131654032015-04-03T09:36:00.004-07:002015-04-03T09:36:37.430-07:00New ambassador - Mark Reeves<div style="text-align: center;">
April has started off with us welcoming a new ambassador into the Hangar 18 team...</div>
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It is always a little weird talking about yourself, but here goes. I am a rock climber, I have indulged in this crazy passion for all things vertical since 1995 when I packed my bags and moved to university in Bangor, North Wales for the sole purpose of climbing. Living in Snowdonia ever since, I now work in the industry around the sport that consumes me.</div>
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Don’t be under any illusion that I am a top level climber, i am not. I prefer to see myself as what might be called a ‘lifer’ having over twenty years experience in rock climbing. In that time I have onsighted E6, bouldered V9, climbed all over the world and made some first ascents on remote big walls in Canada and Alaska. My work now includes coaching people to climb, instructing them in navigation and mountaineering skills as well as trying to capture the lifestyle in words and pictures. I guess I am the stereotypical jack of all trades master at none.</div>
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This year I turn 40, so I am no spring chicken and definitely feel like the top of the hill is in sight. In order to combat this and rather than getting divorced or a sports car, my midlife crisis has revolved around taking a year off my normal 9 to 5 and instead I am focused on producing a series of words pictures and videos of my journey round the world in 40 climbs. </div>
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Hangar 18 have been really supportive and got onboard at the start of this project by providing me with some of their excellent gear and helping me share the mini-series I am creating with you their customers. My initial leg to south america where I managed to get a few great routes in the bag, I then had my camera and computer stolen and was forced to cut the trip short. On my return Hangar 18 asked whether I would be an ambassador for them.</div>
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It seems like a great opportunity for me to work with them and help to promote not only there existing equipment but give them feedback on how it works in my world. In doing so I hope that together we can produce some really great kit for not only climbing but a multitude of outdoor pastimes. </div>
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To give you an idea of the type of testing I am doing, today I put on a fresh pair of Bouldering Pants and then grovelled my way up the first ever recorded boulder problem in Fontainebleau. It was a challenging proposition giving it was first climbed in 1908 and looked like it had subsequently never seen another ascent. Despite being ground, wedged and forced into the coarse sandstone off-width crack the only damage is that the pants are now streaked in the green and brown slime of the lichen. </div>
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Over the next couple of weeks I am hoping to give the gear a good run for its money in and around this majestic forest before I head to Spain for some work teaching sports climbing and who knows maybe I’ll climb a F8a? If you want to follow my movements then Hangar 18 are sharing my adventures as I film and edit them on my travels. </div>
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My favourite piece of ORR H18 kit so far is their down jacket, I love that it is reversible and I am most often seen in the red in the Hills and Black around town. As it really stands out against most rock and then I can blend in when on the high street. I took it with me a couple of weeks back when I soloed Napes Needle the first real rock climb in the UK if not the world. Despite being light weight it managed to stand up to the brutal nature of Patagonia as well.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195694588204994265.post-61952758779265637672015-03-08T13:13:00.002-07:002015-03-08T13:13:34.805-07:00Brough Law Fell Race<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; text-align: center;">
Cracking first race of the NECAA (North East) fell running championships today at Brough Law race in Northumberland. The race is an informal affair, organised by Will Horsley, the course was “sparingly marked” and there being over 100 entries, Will ran out of race numbers, which would have made for a tricky job for the marshals had there been any!</div>
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Steep uphill start on a beautiful grassy track, Andy Blackett took the direct line while David Beech (NFR) and Graham Simpson (Alnwick) took the slightly less direct right hand variant, Andy held his 10-15 second lead to the top of the first hill, turning down the descent the leading three, of Andy, David and Graham came back together, this is when the sparingly marked course started to affect the front runners, Andy went onto the top of the second climb, while everyone else took the earlier right turn, then later all three were stopped in their tracks and did an about turn as Phil Sanderson took a right turn, which took him from 20 seconds back to 20 seconds up. Along the run home, David showed his class opening up a commanding lead on Andy and Graham, as we all reeled in Phil.</div>
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David took first, with Graham second and Andy third, hopefully some more close races to take part in through the rest of the NE champs season.</div>
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Durham Fell Runners took a strong field up to Northumberland, with Michael Lumb (7th), Stuart Grey (10th), James Osborn (12th), Chris Bird (15th), Graham Burns (22nd), Jon West (64th) Clare Henderson (11th F).</div>
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The ladies race wasn’t so close with Emma Bain leading from start to finish to take a strong win.</div>
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Thanks to Will for organising this great race (and the NE champs), the relaxed nature of this race and the £1 entry fee really is a joy. It feels like a race from another, more relaxed and more care free era. Well done Will! Thanks to Trail Guides and Hangar 18 Off Road Running for sponsoring the race.</div>
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Andy Blackett (DFR, H18)</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195694588204994265.post-47704124404727784282015-02-08T07:04:00.001-08:002015-02-08T07:04:21.595-08:00London University Bouldering Event round 3<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US">This past weekend we took a trip to Craggy
Island 2 in Sutton for the third round of the London University Bouldering
Event. Roz, the event organizer, was keen to show us what the event is all
about and give us a taste of what it is like to compete.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The event, which starts at 10, meant that
some of the competitors had some horrifically early starts, Exeter University
having to be up at around 4am! We had a slightly less harsh start getting up at
6am and arriving at Craggy Island just at about 9am, just in time for a morning
coffee before more than 100 University students from across England turned up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Johnny from Exeter University trying problem five, the terrifying rock over at the top of the wall</span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">left some climbers slightly shaken after their completion.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US">The comp got going around 10:30am and was
off to a flying start. The competitors had 25 problems from easy to super hard
with both male and female competitors climbing the same problems. The
competitors competing both in teams and as individuals for their University
hoping to achieve one of the top spots and get some of the great prizes that
are on offer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbeaFEO9nC9AXJYfOkxdKvkyYpQn_Bm4Ad1g8UxM9kuDhBTpmgzsB6EC09a68bKU5tw5ZQyqv4uk795yb-LOaJVMekWHLYMnOgJfbvL9CqxkNW1rUzOnb0JTdTblbuoQxwg2y9yQdQRE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-02-07+at+17.01.26.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDbeaFEO9nC9AXJYfOkxdKvkyYpQn_Bm4Ad1g8UxM9kuDhBTpmgzsB6EC09a68bKU5tw5ZQyqv4uk795yb-LOaJVMekWHLYMnOgJfbvL9CqxkNW1rUzOnb0JTdTblbuoQxwg2y9yQdQRE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-02-07+at+17.01.26.png" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: x-small;">A climber attempting problem one, a tough dynamic move was proving difficult</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-size: x-small;">to some of the competitors.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-kmmi85nnCWP3sqjLA8SMLny2irG_XWf2bz7MTRqjlWfhkv0a3ZU0_6osOQmv7ZUAwQeNrpg7D04f_uIR-E02v5u5NrDJDmWi8EtwcKqzlp-jOiAdP0cP2wkeFx_fh5jUbCIFKa1d2Hw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-02-07+at+17.09.46.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-kmmi85nnCWP3sqjLA8SMLny2irG_XWf2bz7MTRqjlWfhkv0a3ZU0_6osOQmv7ZUAwQeNrpg7D04f_uIR-E02v5u5NrDJDmWi8EtwcKqzlp-jOiAdP0cP2wkeFx_fh5jUbCIFKa1d2Hw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2015-02-07+at+17.09.46.png" height="177" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sam, from Hangar 18, on one of the longer problems. This route moved its way across the </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">lip of the roof to a technical rock over onto the slab.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">There was a great atmosphere on the day with a great feeling that everyone was enjoying themselves and having a really good day. A great selection of routes was presented by the setters from Craggy Island testing all the climbers on the day, a great mix of powerful as well as technical problems.</span></div>
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As seen in the photo above, the Craggy Island horn made an appearance. I have great memories of this feature being in every comp I have been to at Craggy Island and this weekend was no exception with the horn being in a route involving a massive dyno to the awkward mantle. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">A climber on the tough middle section to problem number 8.</span></div>
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Good luck to all the competitors for round number 4. We are proud to be one of the sponsors of the event and look forward to sponsoring the event in the years to come.</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195694588204994265.post-34873920660541700072015-01-06T03:25:00.000-08:002015-01-06T03:25:09.739-08:00Duncan's 2014 <blockquote style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;" type="cite">
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The new year is always a good time to reflect on events gone by, achievements as well as disappointments, and start to make plans for the coming year. So what of my 2014? As far as training goes I did:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span>2471 km of orienteering + running. That is the most I've ever run in a year for the last 10+ years.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span>289 hours of training, made up of 113 orienteering, 140 running, 10 strength training, 26 cycling. That is more orienteering and running recent previous years except 2011, but in several years I've done more overall when you include cycling, strength, swimming etc.</div>
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You’d home some good came of all that training, so here is a round-up of events I did:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.lipicaopen.com/" style="color: purple;">Lipica Open 5-day</a> orienteering in Slovenia: 6th overall M21E. A great relaxed multi-day orienteering event, allowing for some nice sunny weather in Slovenia whilst the UK is still warming up.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.thejk.org.uk/2014" style="color: purple;">JK International Orienteering</a>: Sprint 1<sup>st</sup> M35, Sat/Sun Long 1<sup>st</sup> M35L. Obviously nice to come first, although to be fair most of those in the 35+ age class who do any training run up in the 21 class instead.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.sroc.org/menu2/2014/May/130211.htm" style="color: purple;">Northern Orienteering Champs</a>: M21L: 1<sup>st</sup>. Pleased with this result, proper Lakeland orienteering, and beat a couple of good rivals.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.boc2014.org.uk/" style="color: purple;">British Orienteering Long Champs</a>: M21E: 4<sup>th</sup>. I was quite fired up for this, as it rotates around the country and this year was in the north east, up in Northumberland. Tough course, as I expected it would be, and a good result, so close to the podium too.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.lamm.co.uk/" style="color: purple;">Lowe Alpine Mountain Marathon</a>: 1st (with Jim Mann). Great to see this event back after a year off – and it justly delivered as the “connoisseurs mountain marathon” – and pleasing to win for the third time in a row with Jim.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.parkrun.org.uk/durham/" style="color: purple;">Durham parkrun</a> 5km PB: 16:59. Good conditions, feeling fresh, but still surprised myself with this. So much so that I haven’t run it again since as it might not be repeatable.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.oringen.se/" style="color: purple;">O-Ringen 5-day</a> orienteering in Sweden M35: 13th overall (best day 2nd place). A bit of a holiday really, but some great orienteering, and a reminder than Scandinavia has a LOT of orienteers to compete against. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.berghaustrailchase.com/" style="color: purple;">Berghaus Trail Chase</a> 1<sup>st</sup>. I was at a loose end, and this new race organised by Shane Ohly caught my eye. The novel format was fun, just a shame I can’t make the date next year to do it again. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://ngocweb.com/caddihoe/veterans-home-internationalvhi/" style="color: purple;">Veteran Home International</a> orienteering: 1st M35, 2nd on course. Happy to be selected for England, although disappointing to realise I’m now classed as a “veteran” for this event. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.racethecastles.com/info/balmoral-sat-oct-18" style="color: purple;">Senior Home International</a> orienteering: 12th in SHIs, 4th England counter, 37th on course. Even happier to still be being selected for England in this, against the top orienteers. I’ve now been selected for the SHIs in 11 out of the last 12 years, although admittedly hardly ever made the first selections but pulled in as a reserve as others wheel out their late season excuses.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><a href="https://www.theomm.com/" style="color: purple;">Original Mountain Marathon</a>: retired (with Jim Mann). My main disappointment of the year. I’d been really excited about racing, but then tore my calf halfway round the second day. We were lying 3<sup>rd</sup> at the time, about 10 mins down on 2<sup>nd</sup>, and with a good cushion to 4<sup>th</sup>, so it could have been another podim finish. But I just came down badly on the wrong side of a tussock and had to call it a day. Bother.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My calf took about 6 weeks to recover back to normal running again, but after a busy year it was probably good to give my body a rest. In that time Pippa and I fitted in a climbing trip to the Anti-Atlas mountains in Morocco, where I led my first E1 “Golden Compass” – a superb, sustained flake/crack climb. I hadn’t really planned to lead it, until I was standing below it, and decided to give it a go (much to Pippa’s disappointment, as it was a great line!).<o:p></o:p></div>
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Overall, despite the injury, it has been a pleasing year. And the races are only part of it, there have also been many fun times out running and walking for pure enjoyment in the hills. Especially over the last week around new year, with one run in the snow round Skiddaw and Blencathra, and twice in upper Weardale (peat hags but strangely enjoyable all the same!). Lots of running, enough to tip my fell shoes over the edge after 850km spent together, and time for a new pair for the new year.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So what of 2015? I think maybe the time has come to have a crack at the Bob Graham Round. 20 hours seems like a good target. There, I’ve said it. Hopefully that will make me do it. I don’t particularly want to do all the recce-ing of the route that many BGR aspirants do, indeed there are some tops I’ve never been up, and it would be kind of nice to leave it that way till I do the real thing. To be honest, my ideal would be to run it solo (with road support), but equally I want to get my name on the <a href="http://www.bobgrahamclub.org.uk/" style="color: purple;">BGR list</a>, so I’ll play by their rules and have some ‘pacers’.<o:p></o:p></div>
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What else? The <a href="http://www.woc2015.org/" style="color: purple;">World Orienteering Championships</a> come to Inverness in August….. no I’m miles off being in the team, but I will go to spectate, and run the Scottish 6-days orienteering that runs alongside it. The <a href="http://skyrunninguk.com/2014/12/31/new-race-for-2015-glencoe-skyline/" style="color: purple;">Glencoe Sky Race</a> has caught my eye, and I’d love to compete, it sounds like a totally awesome course. Shane and Heather are planning to run the Tour de Mont Blanc over 4 days (for fun, not part of the UTMB), and I hope to join them for that. And I’d like to get more rock climbing done outdoors, lead some more E1s (to be honest I should probably lead some more HVS first), and Pippa and I are considering a climbing trip to the Dolomites for some long multi-pitch trad fun. Lots to look forward to!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Lastly, thanks to H18 for letting me try out some of their products over the last year, and I look forward to continuing to use them in 2015.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195694588204994265.post-49007032067552436112014-12-12T13:14:00.000-08:002014-12-12T13:14:09.091-08:00Duncan Archer and Shane Ohly in Morocco <blockquote style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;" type="cite">
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Following a summer of working too hard and not enough climbing, we decided to seek some rock climbing in the winter sun. Rather than follow the masses to one of the Mediterranean’s “traditional” sport climbing destinations, we were keen for adventurous trad. A recent article in Climb magazine led to booking a trip to the Jebel El Kest region of the Anti Atlas mountains in Morocco, for the first week of December. Logistics were easily arranged, with Easyjet flights direct from Gatwick to Agadir, a 90 minute drive into the mountains, and a week staying in the Kasbah Tizourgane (<span style="color: #4f6228;"><a href="http://www.tizourgane-kasbah.com/" style="color: purple;">http://www.tizourgane-kasbah.com/</a>)</span>. </div>
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The recent wave of new climbing in the Anti Atlas has been going for over a decade, started by climbers who had previously been going to the famous sandstone towers of Wadi Rum in Jordan, but needed somewhere else as the Gulf War broke out in 1991. Since then there has been an explosion of new routing that continues today – buy the 360 page guidebook (<span style="color: #4f6228;"><a href="http://www.moroccorock.com/" style="color: purple;">http://www.moroccorock.com/</a></span>), by Paul Donnithorne and Emma Alsford, published in 2012, and you already get a free 60 page supplement of new routes since! The climbing is on mainly solid hard quartzite. Lots of cracks and positive incut holds on moderately steep rock. Routes are mostly VS to E2, ranging from single pitch cragging, through 2-3 pitch classics, all the way to 12 pitch adventures with a serious risk of benightment! Walk-ins ranging from 2 minutes to 60 minutes, and a liberal sprinkling of starred routes gives plenty to go at.</div>
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So the guidebook was bought, ticklists were drawn up, and, as the nights drew in and the temperature dropped in the UK, anticipation built, until finally we were off. However, Morocco had a surprise in store for us…. Normally when you think northern Africa you think dry desert. Our arrival came at the tail end of the heaviest rains in the area for 5 years. Flooding was visible as the plane came into land, and the journey started with leaving the airport in the dark, at the first roundabout being casually directed by a police officer down the wrong side of a dual carriageway, because the other side was flooded, and facing a large truck approaching from the other direction flashing its lights. Various deep puddles, mini-rivers and gravel washed across the road were negotiated, and eventually the Kasbah loomed out of the darkness.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Kasbah Tizourgane is a beautiful place to stay. First built in the 13<sup>th</sup> century, a jumbled arrangement of buildings perches on a rocky outcrop, commanding fantastic views up and down the valley. 163 steps lead up the entrance, and the sun terrace is perfect for gazing into the mountains, inspiring you for the day ahead. The owners and staff are very welcoming, and familiar with climbers who have been staying for the last decade, in particular feeding their large appetites with fantastic Moroccan tagine food! The rooms are comfortable, with space for 30-40 guests. The peak season is around Sept-Nov, and again Feb-April, so during our stay there was just our party of four, and another pair.</div>
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Did I mention the rain? Having arrived in the dark, the first day dawned overcast. At breakfast we met two Dutch climbers at the end of a fortnight trip, one week’s excellent climbing, followed by one week of continuous rain and little done. They looked miserable and ready to leave, and for good reason. Several key roads into the mountains and a bridge had been washed out by swollen rivers. On our first day, despite bubbling enthusiasm, we only managed one pitch of one-star HS, before resigning ourselves to a walk. The second day was brighter at the Kasbah, and no shortage of local rock meant the locals had repaired the main roads. However things turned showery once in the hills where the main cliffs are, and again it was just another walking day, enjoyable but not quite what we had come for. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Fortunately things then improved, and we got four days of excellent climbing done. Temperatures were pleasant t-shirt weather, but not roasting. We were definitely seeking south-facing cliffs, which limited the choice somewhat. Next time we’d come a few months earlier or later, as the north faces open up a ton more climbing. However there was still plenty to go at, as we climbed at Ksar Rock (lots of quality 2-3 pitch routes, our best being Cannon Buttress/Jedi Grooves, and Berber Anne), Babouche Buttress (5-pitch Crazy Mushroom Ridge), Griffon Rock (best was A Profusion of Protrusions), White Domes (the exciting journey of Event Horizon, before I snatched my first real E1 lead on the fantastic flake crack of Golden Compass) and The Orange Wall.</div>
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I’d been fortunate to receive a variety of Hangar 18 clothing to take on the trip. The down vest, which I’ve used before on mountain marathons, proved its versatility keeping me warm on shady belays. The alpaca fibre socks, which I’ve enjoy running in, also came into their own providing soft comfort in the evening for tired feet that have been shoved in tight climbing shoes all day. And ignore the name of the “boulder” pants – they are equally good for trad climbing, with an excellent cut, and enough flexibility when moving over the rock.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sadly the end of the week came all too quickly, but I am sure we’ll be back for more in future.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5195694588204994265.post-25826015898255620702014-11-19T02:34:00.001-08:002014-11-19T02:36:00.037-08:00Andy Blackett in Iceland<blockquote style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;" type="cite">
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During October half term, I took my second trip of the year to Iceland, hoping to enjoy some of the amazing sights and smells that are on offer in this most remote corner of Europe. After booking flights and an old Land Rover camper van (nicknamed Maggie - our very own Iron Landy), we heard news that there was a significant volcanic eruption in the interior. All roads are closed in the interior due to snow at this time of year so we booked on a scenic flight to take a look. We drove nearly 2000km in a week in Maggie, climbed (most of the way up) Kirkjufell, to have to turn round because the fixed ropes had been removed for winter, flew over the new Holuhraun fissure of Bardarbunga volcano, slept in temperatures down to -15 deg C, drove over mountain passes on roads of sheet ice, climbed and watched the sunset from the rim of an extinct volcano, laughed as our hair froze into 70’s punk styles while we wallowed in hot springs, walked to glacial lagoons, slept in a geothermal area (a particularly stinky nights sleep), and generally larked around on pure black beaches littered with ice bergs.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: center;">Everything about the trip was outstanding. Driving on roads in the North East of the country felt like we had the whole world to ourselves, when we saw a tiny mouse sitting on the crash barrier it was the first other life we had seen for hours. It is an incredible country, it’s bonkers in every respect and it’s less than 3 hours from the UK. It offers everything from arctic terrain and ice climbing, to summer trail running on some of the most amazing terrain the planet has to offer. Both of my recent trips have been in the winter, but I can’t wait to go back in the summer and get my fell shoes acquainted with some volcanic rock.</span> </span></div>
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I used the H18 down vest and H18 down jacket throughout the trip along with a waterproof over layer (we didn’t get many dry days!) At night I slept in a H18 full zipped bag and used an extra 4 season down bag for comfort - why would I go fast and light when I didn’t have to carry the stuff anywhere?</div>
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<b>Editors note - I tried sleeping in tights, Mountaineering socks, Helly, down vest, down jacket, and just the H18 down bag, and although my torso was warm enough I thought I was going to get frost bite in both my feet, so I got my main sleeping bag out again! It was -15 that night and everything (including our gallon of water, and car battery had frozen) but I thought it was worth a test.</b></div>
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