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At Rab® we know that there is more to success than summit photos and awards. These are the culmination of a long, uncertain process which may have begun months, or years, before. But this is rarely a linear development and progress is never guaranteed. Internal conflict and self-doubt can become barriers,
but equally they can act as a catalyst and lead to greater future success. Am I trying hard enough? Is it good enough? Whether the project is a difficult first ascent, or designing a new product, these questions are familiar. The satisfaction of answering ”Yes” is something worth waiting for.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS ASCENT RANGE INTRO || 7 ASCENT OVERVIEW || 9 MUCHU CHHISH EXPED || 10 ASCENT RANGE IMAGERY || 12-17 EXPED || 19 ROCK RANGE INTRO || 21 ROCK RANGE OVERVIEW || 23 GONZO CRACK || 25 ROCK RANGE IMAGERY || 27-31
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ESCAPE RANGE INTRO || 33 ESCAPE RANGE OVERVIEW || 35 ESCAPE RANGE IMAGERY || 38-43 KEEPER’S LODGE || 45
ASCENT || RANGE
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ASCENT
giving words to the ascent range Mus eum quassed quam estist audandestio. Nequi bea vende aborepra quisciasi aut maio ipsusamus rae. Nequo evenimpor aligend itatur? Eratur? Quisti sere arcimag natquamet qui dellor aut magnimp orecea quam ist, amus ut dit hariasin conse nihicim
Mus eum quassed quam estist audandestio. Nequi bea vende aborepra quisciasi aut maio ipsusamus rae. Nequo evenimpor aligend itatur? Eratur? Quisti sere arcimag natquamet qui dellor aut magnimp orecea quam ist, amus ut dit hariasin conse nihicim
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MUCHU CHHISH EXPEDITION - PETE THOMPSON The aim of the Muchu Chhish expedition, consisting of Phil DeBeger, Tim Oates and myself, was to make the first ascent of Muchu Chhish in the Pakistani Karakoram. Although our attempt failed, it was an interesting expedition. After a gruelling two day journey up the Karakoram Highway to Hunza, we set off up the Hassanabad valley. The trek up the rubble-strewn glacier was short but difficult for the porters. The most dangerous moment of the expedition came when we arrived at base camp and the resident herd of yaks stampeded. We only escaped by climbing onto large boulders. On the subject of animals, we saw numerous ibex and a snow leopard visited our camp at night. This was surprising for an area so close to the highly populated Hunza valley. Another feature of the camp was the frequent avalanches and rock
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fall which crashed around us. After acclimatising, out attempt on the mountain was alpine-style. Ground on a long traverse which we had hoped to climb unroped had to be pitched due to hard ice. Realising that going slowly we had no realistic chance of success we decided to retreat at only 6000m. Our back-up objective was a couloir on nearby Gutum Talji. Unfortunately this did not have enough ice, so we decided to try another objective elsewhere. This involved a boat trip to upper Hunza across the 19km long Attabad Lake, which was formed by a huge landslide in 2010. The very hospitable people of the Moorkhun valley were engaged as porters for the short trek to base camp. Tim and Phil made an attempt on the unclimbed 6200m Pregar, but again the summit was not reached. We were disappointed to have failed on our objectives, but this can happen in the Karakoram. ... Continued on the Rab blog. Blog.rab.uk.com.
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BELLAVISTA - CALUM MUSKETT After our adventure on the Eiger, Dave and I were after a fresh objective. We had a number of routes in mind spread out across the Alps but, wimps that we are, were keen to avoid any more cold bivi’s! Dave mentioned Bellavista in the Dolomites, a route he’d tried a decade earlier. It seemed to be the perfect objective; easily accessible, only has a couple of difficult pitches and it’s near the best pizzeria on the planet in a place called Misurina. Bellavista was first climbed by Alex Huber in 2000 and free climbed a year later. The pictures of the route are just sensational showing climbers swinging their way through the huge roof of Cima Ovest, some 150m above the ground. The route had just received an ascent by the talented American climber Sasha DiGiulian and we hoped to take advantage of some chalked holds which might speed up our process of working the route. We arrived early at the car park at the end of the toll road beneath the Tre Cime. Although we were keen to make an early start it felt
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so cold outside that we decided to get a little more sleep. We finally got round to the base of the route at about 10am, not exactly the alpine start we’d anticipated! I shivered my way up the first pitch, a relatively bold but fortunately easy pitch and we swung leads up to the 8c crux through the roofs. Conditions were poor for this pitch. The big roofs seem to have condensation sticking to their undersides for much of the time making the holds feel like they’d been slathered in soap. Dave made steady progress up this spectacular pitch climbing from peg to peg. This pitch is so overhanging that to get back to the previous belay you have to abseil down a separate rope for 50m before jumaring about 20m upwards! As conditions were so poor I decided to forego my attempt and we descended to the base of the route. ... continued on the Rab blog.
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The Rock collection is inspired by our heritage in the North of England, we have one of the premier climbing areas, The Peak District on our doorstep. The Rab速 brand was born in the climbing mecca that was Sheffield in the 1980s and developed for the new breed of climber emerging from this industrial IN heartland. || FOR THE MOST EXTREME CONDITIONS THE WORLD || 2015
The new breed of climber started to look closer to home for harder and harder challenges and the gritstone crags of the Peak District became the centre of the climbing world with harder and harder test pieces falling on a regular basis.
This Rock collection is our answer to the constant requests from our current team of climbers. These climbers are at the forefront of modern climbing and work hard every day, training or mentally preparing for their next project. They need clothing and equipment that they trust implicitly and that works, this range is for them.
ROCK
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THE GONDO CRACK PROJECT - TOM RANDALL One of the things that keeps me
psyched out of his mind to climb
this, you take a small gaston,
really motivated, is having first
hard cracks. He’s done many of
slap to a sloper, then reverse
ascent projects. It’s the lure of al-
the local hard climbs and most
your finger into a “Cobra-style”
ways knowing that there’s some-
importantly, is just a little mad
undercut mono move. Build your
thing just round the corner, that’s
like me. That always helps!
feet and then pull off a total max
a smidge out of reach. This year,
body length move to a three
I’ve got 3 main crack projects on
The route is located near the
finger edge. At this point you’re
the books, which is probably a bit
village of Gondo and forms a
desperately wanting it to be all
ambitious! One, which is totally
thin crack line on a leaning wall
over, but from here you have to
possible when it stops raining in
– I would guess it’s around 15
single arm deadhang the edge
the UK, another which is proba-
degrees overhanging. The first
(I’ve been telling people for years
bly a bit beyond me and one more
part of the line is a pretty nice
that one arm pull ups are useless
that is just right.
introduction into the horrors that
and then I find one!) and do what
lie above, with 7c climbing on
feels like a one-armer on it as the
I’ve been looking for something
pretty pokey gear. All the holds
foot hold is so poor. Just a couple
that was the next step up from
are pretty reasonable, but none
of sloper moves after this then
Cobra in finger crack terms and
are massive and there are no
lead to a belay and hopefully not
last year I was introduced to it on
rests…. it slowly wears you down
a fall…. it’d be brown pants time
the border of Italy and Swit-
and takes the edge off whilst
from there!
zerland. Those who know me,
placing the gear. This section
won’t be surprised to know that
then deposits you at a good rest-
Well, as I write this I’m sat here in
I actually thought it was in Italy
ing hold at three quarters height
Italy (yes I’m definitely in Italy and
for nearly a year, despite crossing
via a slightly scary jump/slap
not Switzerland) with only one
the border each time to try it!
move (well, it is for trad climbers
day left on my third trip to try this
who hate being dynamic!).
route. I’ve got all the way through
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to the last hard move now, but
The Gondo Crack project was originally envisaged by local
After this, the real meat starts.
the conditions are not favour-
Italian legend Allesandro Manini
There’s some set up moves on
able. The temperatures are high,
- this is the man who’s probably
side pulls and a couple of finger
there’s no wind and humidity is
contributed more to cutting edge
jams and then one good position
right up there with my local sau-
Italian crack climbing than any
from which to place your last
na. I guess I better hope to get
other; Profundo Rosso 8a, Denti
gear. It burns your shoulder mus-
lucky on the last day huh?
Stretti 8b/+, Lapoterapia 8c are
cle like nobody’s business, but
all very beefy crack lines estab-
it’s worth it to place the offset
lished by a man of Moon and
nut properly as it’s your last piece
Moffatt’s generation. The Gondo
of gear. From this, you make a
project, however, has eluded him
long lock to probably the hardest
since his first attempts on it in
finger jamming move I’ve ever
1999 and he’s been kind enough
done. A single, shallow finger in
to let me try it. I’ve also been
a tiny slot to make a full length
really lucky in meeting a local
move to the next jam. Think
climber, Lucas Iribarren who’s
1-4-8 on the campus board. After
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ESCAPE
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Escape is about the time when we aren’t in the mountains, at the crag, down at the wall or on the trail. Escape is about the time travelling to the mountains, those rest days on an extended trip or that post climbing feeling.
Escape takes everything that makes RabÂŽ successful in the Ascent technical category and applies it to the everyday. Every Rab product is designed with a specific end use and focus in mind so the Escape collection is no different.
We use our fabric and design expertise to ensure that all products in the Escape collection provide long service and maximum comfort.
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THE KEEPER’S HOUSE - EMMA CHROME It was a chilly February afternoon
Some folks have told me they
It is also partly due to this afford-
when I first went to look at the
couldn’t live here due to how ‘out
able arrangement that I am able
house. Despite the remote setting
on a limb’ it is, and I get that. The
to go to Kyrgyzstan on a five week
and the fact that I had not seen
house sits at the end of the long
climbing expedition in September.
inside I had already made up my
winding lane from Hayfield two
So I guess this domestic adven-
mind that I wanted to rent it. The
miles away, the last house but one
ture is giving me a helping hand in
Property Guardianship scheme
before nothing but open moor-
bigger adventures too.
that ‘lets’ the house offered four
land. But for me that is exactly
double rooms – exactly like a
what makes this so special. I don’t
Keeper’s House was definitely
house share – at a very cheap
suppose there are many places
waiting for me. It is my new home
price, all bills included. The so-
of this situation and character in
that has proven to me that day-to-
called job of the Property Guardian
the UK, and I certainly could not
day life can be fun and rewarding
is to keep the house warm and
afford to buy a place like this. So
– occasionally a little surreal too. I
lived-in, free from squatters and
to me this is a kind of ‘domestic’
look forward to spending time at
rising damp. The almost too-good-
adventure, destined to end in the
home, and every time I gaze out
to-be-true cheap rent meant that
not too distant future, but one
of the window at the blue waters
I could save money, and solved the
that I will remember forever.
of the reservoir and the green
annoyance of paying a lot of mon-
hillside beyond, I am reminded
ey to rent a house I would quite
From the front door I can go
that our England is a stunning,
often be spending time away from
walking or running across Kinder.
special place.
due to work.
The Downfall – a waterfall that
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tumbles off the edge of the When I had the official viewing
vast plateau – is visible from the
inside the house, things were
kitchen and living room window,
even better. A huge reception
and I have followed the river up
room boasted an open fireplace,
in to the amphitheatre below the
parquet flooring and a bay win-
waterfall many times already. One
dow overlooking the reservoir. A
evening after work I walked up to
separate living room looked as
the Downfall, carrying my climbing
though previous occupants had
gear, and led Zigzag, a 3 star clas-
used it as a ‘television’ room as it
sic rock climb which has a magical
was slightly smaller and cosier.
mountainous setting and not a
The kitchen was big with lovely
lot of traffic. The fact that I can do
views over the valley, and two util-
this after work, mid-week from my
ity rooms and a pantry left ample
front door, sums up exactly why I
storage space.
chose to live here.
...
...
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