Saturday 8 October 2022

Winter's coming! A video and some links to features

Winter in the Cairngorms
The first dustings of snow have arrived on the summits in recent days. More is forecast. It may be early autumn in the glens but winter is coming to the mountains. There could be heavy snowfall soon. The winds are cold and often strong, nights often frosty. It's time to add winter items to the pack - gloves, mitts, hats, warm clothing, extra headlamp and more. Once the snow comes ice axes and crampons or micro spikes will be added.

Over the years I've posted a number of pieces on preparing for and dealing with winter in the mountains. Here are links to some of them, including a video from a few years ago on the gear I use, plus some for inspiration.


What I Wear And What I Carry

Winter Gear Laid Out 

Thoughts On Winter Sleeping Bags 

Twenty Tips For Winter Camping 

Essential Gear For Winter Weather

On the Cairngorm Plateau

Winter Is Coming: Time To Prepare

Winter Camping - Soon I Hope! 

Wild Camping In Winter

Lightweight Gear In Winter 

The Joy Of Winter Backpacking

Winter camp in the Cairngorms


3 comments:

  1. Lots of useful information and tips there Chris, thank you. I didn't manage a single winter camp last year so looking forward to this winter. Let's hope it's a good one

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  2. Some useful tips, thanks Chris.

    Do you have any recommendations for hill walking crampons, for times when micro spikes aren't up to the job?
    I was looking at the Hillsound trail pro or Kahtoola K10 but both are out of stock. I came across the Grivel G1 but most retailers mark these as discontinued. Grivel air tech with classic Evo bindings are advertised for mixed terrain use but to me these look like traditional mountaineering crampons. I appreciate your input.

    Regards
    Des

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Des, shame the Hillsound and Kahtoola aren't avialable. In that case my choice would be the Grivel Air Tech Light in aluminium or the Grivel G10 in steel, either with New Classic bindings. These are more like traditional mountaineering crampons than the Hillsound and Kahtoola but are fine for hillwallking.

    ReplyDelete