SPRING PRODUCT BRIEFING 2024 EVERYTHING FOR A SPRINGTIME OF GOOD TIMES OUTSIDE.
‘Finding faraway nearby' at alpkit.com
Your OUTDOOR
PRESCRIPTION where c the maegins happ
Winter is coming to an end, crisp cold starts now come with a welcome lick of warm sun. As the last dump of snow is just a memory, take time to notice all the amazing changes around you, our playground returning to green and blue. You don’t need time off, long journeys, deep pockets or fancy plans to embrace far away this Spring. Go for a swim, climb a summit, run 5km, ride a loop, take time and ponder, spend a night outdoors and find faraway nearby.
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We love to hear about the treasured moments that you create and then carry with you forever. Thank you to all our amazing customers for sending them in and keep them coming! treasuredmoments@alpkit.com or share them on social: #alpkit #goniceplacesdogoodthings #findingfarawaynearby #sonderbikes
ONE map to rule them all Words & pictures by Alpkiteer Al Humphreys
Armed with a single OS map, Al set out to bag his seven closet summits and on the way discovered a nearby wilderness full of surprises. After all, a little bit of adventure on your doorstep is better than no adventure at all. The Seven Summits Challenge is one of the adventure world’s great set-piece projects. Climbing the highest mountain on each continent: Carstenz Pyramid, Denali, Aconcagua, Elbrus, Kilimanjaro, Vinson and, of course, Everest. Topping out on all of those would be a fantastic achievement and a brilliant dream to chase. On the other hand, if you don’t have hundreds of thousands of pounds to spend and many months of spare time, or if you have qualms about the carbon spewing of all those air miles, then how about something smaller? How do you fancy tackling the seven summits of your neighbourhood? I took on this challenge after seeing the American ultra runner Brendan Leonard (@semi_rad) bagging seven enviably large and beautiful mountains around his hometown in Montana. Unfortunately, I live in a fairly flat, boring area, high on pylons and low on summits. But I am a strong believer in the principle that
a little bit of adventure is better than no adventure at all. And so I dug out my map and scoured it to find the seven closest trig points to my home. There are more than 5000 of these concrete pillars dotted around Britain, so there’ll definitely be some close to where you live, too. (You can also find them on this website: trigbagging.co.uk) If you are fortunate enough to live in the Highlands then lucky you, but you’re going to have a more tiring day out than those of you who live in Norfolk! But other than that aspect, I don’t think it matters at all how high or scenic your summits are. Bagging the seven summits of your neighbourhood is about having a good day out, spending time with friends or family, stretching your legs, and taking you to places you’ve never been before. We can all be explorers, wherever we live. The only thing we need is curiosity, and the enthusiasm to begin.
‘Local' at alpkit.com
A local book for local people. Buy Al’s new book Local; A search for nearby nature and wildness £19.79
I recently spent an entire year exploring the single Ordnance Survey map that I live on and writing a book about it. I ought to know the area well after that. But cycling between my seven summits took me to plenty of places I’d never been to before. On several occasions I needed to lock my bike and then run the final stretch to bag the summit. This included a fair amount of scratching myself in brambles but also having a good laugh. The ride was an interesting mixture of roads, lanes, pavements and footpaths, with one or two newsagents and pubs thrown in for luck. This little challenge was a fun day out and a nice excuse to get out of the rut of riding the same old routes on every outing. I even discovered that one of my summits was on the pavement just outside Lidl! Very convenient for a post-summit snack… Yes, the views are better from Everest and the bragging rights much bigger from Denali. But this is an adventure we can all attempt, without needing to be rich or sponsored, and without needing to fly thousands of miles. I love that it is possible to search for nearby nature and wildness every day, everywhere, and that the only limit to microadventures like this is your own enthusiasm and curiosity. If you do tackle your local Seven Summits, please share your photos on social media with the hashtag #Local7Summits
‘El Camino’ at alpkit.com
s e l i M
E R M Fun Explore without compromise. The first electric gravel bike from one of Europe’s B-Corp bike brands. El Camino enables you to explore more than ever before. Featuring a 250Wh downtube battery the 3 power options allow you to redefine your limits, from fast local loops to more challenging climbs. You decide the route regardless of terrain. The award winning progressive geometry makes this bike quick, agile and comfortable. El Camino is adventure ready with 50mm tyre clearance and internal cable routing, plus multiple frame mounts for unlimited bikepacking options. Made with 6061 heattreated aluminium makes this bike robust and versatile taking you from the road to the trail.
El Camino from £2,699 Camino Al from £1,149 Camino Ti from £2,399
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LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE O TRYING T go for a swim!
adventure
What will 2024 hold in the way of swim adventures? Alpkiteer Kate Rew shares some tips and tricks to planning your next adventure.
‘Swim' at alpkit.com
HOW TO PLAN A
FIND YOUR PULL
Finding a good adventure begins with learning to recognise the strange pull of what you love. An interesting swim life requires staying mildly alert as you go about your normal life – to throwaway comments, to water glimpsed from a car, to ideas triggered by a story or image. It’s hard to find a plan just when you want one, so I try to gather ideas of where I’d like to swim or swim experiences I’d like to have as I go.
THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD
You know you’ll feel stronger and more confident and courageous after an adventure – but what if the issue is feeling you don’t have enough bravery or confidence to begin? Identifying what pulls you will take you more than halfway there; once an idea is compelling, the rest is practicalities.
CAUTION AND BACK UP
Swimming outdoors – like climbing – presents multiple serious risks: tides, currents, cold, waves and weather are all capable of overpowering us in the water. There is no such thing as a safe swim, only a safe swimmer. That safety is multifactorial, down to what you know, what your body has been trained to do, and your experience and aptitude for handling the volatility of outdoor situations.
WELCOME THE CHALLENGES
Things will always get tricky, so accept that things might not work or go as you planned. It’s really important to turn up prepared to change the plan: sticking to it when conditions are not right, or you’re not feeling it, is likely to end up in territory that is dicey. Be prepared to swerve when you arrive at the go point, depending on what you find.
DON’ T RUSH YOUR EXIT
You may want to rush getting out, and dry, and into warm clothes, but don’t rush your exit from the bank. Take some time. At the end of last summer Kari and I spent a school day searching for ditches to swim in on the Somerset Levels. At points it felt like we were never going to find our swim. But then we did find one, and when we got out into the hot September sun, hauling ourselves up with handfuls of grass, and I said ‘there is just enough time to get a food shop in on the way home’, but instead we sat down in our towels right where we were, watching damselflies in the sun. And it was perfect.
Words & pictures by Alpkiteer Kate Rew
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Naturespotter: 6.
The mermaid & the frog
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3 days in may
KITLIST:
3 days in May is a fell race extravaganza in and around Hayfield with 3 fell races to coincide with the village carnival. Mount Famine is the highlight. A Cat A 5-miler with no obvious start line beneath a very steep embankment before heading over Dragons Back and a small trod down Sett Crossing. Well organised, well marshalled with a big turnout from Pennine Fell Runners the local running club that meets every Thursday night at the Sporty
1. Koulin Trail Tights £39.99 2. Gravitas £199.99 3. Qark £39.99
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KITLIST:
HIKE:
1. Jura £159.99 2. Presta 25 £69.99 3. Colca Gaiters £35.99 4. Arnison £89.99
Mermaid’s Pool, situated just below Kinder Scout is not only the home of (you guessed it) the Peak District mermaid but in spring it’s teaming with wildlife. Every April head up to witness the water jumping with thousands of frogs. Think Easter Island crab migration but slimier.
Trail running:
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The space between
KITLIST:
Most people go to Stanage Pole, leaving High Neb as the ideal lonely walk to have the world to yourself and you can literally drink in the space between. Kinder plateau is the lungs of fresh air for millions who live in the north. Looping in White Moss, Higger Tor and Stanage Pole you get 4 Ethels ... the Ethels are the 95 Peak District summits over 400 metres named after Ethel Haythornthwaite who pioneered to establish the Peak Park in 1951.
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4. Vayper Long Sleeve £39.99 5. Nano Lites £69.99 6. Specta Pullover Glove £22.99
1. Teleki £54.99 2. Kelpie £49.99 3. Fortitude £199.99 4. Carbonlong Backpacker Twins £69.99 5. Kepler £59.99 6. Parallax £119.99
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Climbing:
EDGE OF GLORY
KITLIST:
Stanage is a personal favourite, it boasts the UK’s longest gritstone. Ideal for climbing with friends after work or on weekends, its popularity never detracts from its charm, offering a warm, communal space to connect with like-minded climbers. 2.
1. Mujo bouldering mat £249.99 2. Slack kit £44.99 3. Keeshond £64.99 4. Mountains Cotton Tee £24.99 5. Bloc £64.99
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Mountain biking:
KITLIST:
Spud Alley
BIVVY:
Over the hills & far away... My favourite bivvy spot. It’s like teletubby land in silver birch trees with grass terraces to bivvy and camp. Lawrence Field is a magical spot. Pitch at dusk, leave at dawn - school night adventures make memories.
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1. Laika £49.99 2. Balance £229.99 3. Floe Glove £28.99 4. Smith Session MIPS £149.99 5. Floe Trousers £99.99 6. Sonder Evol from £2,499
Out of all the Peak descents, Spud Alley is the one for me, The Beast, Cavedale, Jacobs Ladder. PA is the one - hard enough you have to think, but not so hard you don’t love it - looping in Hollins Cross and Hagg Farm to make a 20 mile epic.
BASE CAMP:
A home away from home
Sometimes, I need to get away from the rush of everyday life. I’m not a hardcore camper, so North Lees is perfect for me – from Glamping to more traditional tent camping, it’s surrounded by breath-taking scenery and free from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
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KITLIST:
KITLIST:
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1. Katabatic £189.99 2. Cloud Base £54.99 3. Hunka £54.99
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4. Brukit £59.99 5. Drift £13.99 6. Pipedream 200 £159.99
1. Woodsmoke £89.99 2. Vagabond Stove £79.99 3. Pipedream 600 £299.99 4. Sequence £79.99
5. Khort 4 person tent £329.99 6. Tyndall £39.99 7. Dozer £79.99
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Gravel:
Around the world in 90 minutes
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KITLIST:
Golden hour of gravel over the exposed rocky edges early evening as the sun is setting. Takes only a couple of hours but could be the other side of the world - head to Eagle stone, onto Welling monument (a cross) and chuck a left to Froggatt, Curbar and Baslow Edges. 1. Valli £134.99 2. Rhythm Four Season Bib Tight £99.99 3. Halo Light £19.99 4. Radiant £49.99
5. Toploader £63.99 6. Stratus Glove £53.99 7. Sonder Camino from £1,149
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Swim:
Big moor little dip
Run, walk, ride to Little Barbrook and swim - a play, dip, picnic... Barbrook stone circles, bronze age cairns, deer, birds of prey and butterflies. It’s a beautiful spot on Big Moor.
KITLIST: 1. Dulsie £44.99 2. Haven £129.99 3. Hurley £39.99 4. Gourdon 25L £39.99
INVER NESS
Focusing on one area and uncovering hidden gems is the perfect way to kick start the year and play outside this spring! As the Peak District is our spiritual home and Hathersage our first bricks and mortar store, we’ve started with OL 1 and you can see our picks above. Now it’s your turn! Grab an OS map, fire up the laptop and see what’s possible on your doorstep. Feel free to drop into your nearest Alpkit shop and share with others... or squirrel them away for next year. When looking for new local adventures and spots, first ask a ranger, second best – ask Alpkit! #FindFarawayNearby
Your next 10 Peakland adventures... 1. Adder spotting on Eastern Moor 2. Bluebells at Rough Wood Grindleford 3. Orchids at Hay Dale, Chee Dale 4. Brunt’s Barn chapel, ruins of Padley Hall and woods 5. Ouzleden 6. 35 mile White Peak/Dark Peak loop from Hathersage to Great Longstone, Tissington and back
7. Cucklet Church: limestone plague church at Eyam Delf 8. Cheshire Ring: 100 mile canal ride circular loop 9. Swim at Chatsworth 10.Hope Valley round: 20 mile 4,500 ft ascent starting from outside store, Hathersage
BOX
Y D A E R
There’s a sense of freedom when you know that you have what you need to go pretty much anywhere. And there’s immense satisfaction in realising that what you need really isn’t that much. It can go in a box. Now is the perfect time to top up supplies, check gear for any repairs or if something isn’t needed anymore, pass them on to help others find their faraway nearby.
With tons of local knowledge, our friendly Store Heroes will help you plan your next adventure, many routes starting straight from our stores.
h burg ro n i d E Met centre Keswick
When we first started dreaming of Alpkit stores, we knew we wanted each to have their own personality. A slice of home amidst the mountains. A place where you can lose time, where you are amongst friends, arrive enthusiastic and leave feeling inspired.
Ilkley
Hathersage Ambleside
Scan for store locations and contact details
BETWS-Y-COED
‘build a go box’ at alpkit.com
Bristol
Kingston
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All in the Balance
Waterproof
Breathable
Stretch
PFC Free
Our versatile Balance jacket is the ‘just right’ point between breathability and waterproof protection. The sweet spot for hiking, mountain biking, trail running, climbing, packing light and moving fast. This is everything we know about keeping dry, distilled into one brilliant all-rounder. Go anywhere and do anything, safe in the knowledge that the tough stretchy outer features our PFC-free durable water repellent, meaning it won’t leave any nasty chemicals in the wild places you love. £229.99
‘Balance’ at alpkit.com
Balance Jacket