Trail Magazine - February 2012

BRITAIN’S BEST-SELLING HILLWALKING MAGAZINE EXCLU SIVE LIVE FOR THE OUTDOORS FEBRUARY 2012

A

STORM SHELTER OFFER! p28

WWW.LIVEFORTHEOUTDOORS.COM

FEBRUARY 2012 £3.99

A NEW YEAR OF

MOUNTAINS Hillwalks to start 2012 on a high!

Lake District

Great Gable’s secrets revealed

Snowdonia

The Glyders and Crib Goch ...in one weekend NEW GEAR!

the one that really wanted to break 4,000 Facebook followers before 2012

£110 Garmin Winter gloves Headtorches + Layering: are you doing it right?

Buried by an UK’s best walks! avalanche! 13 routes + maps in...

An amazing tale of South Wales Scotland Himalayan survival The Lakes Peak District

40-PAGE OVERSEAS SPECIAL

OUT THERE Been there, climbed that? Send us a picture!

4 TRAIL FEBRUARY 2012

Send us your shots, share your adventures

Email your photos to us, along with a description of what was special about your day, and we’ll publish the most inspiring examples! Put ‘Out There’ in the subject box, and send them to trail@bauermedia.co.uk

Beinn Alligin north Highlands Inspired by a route in Trail, this is Adam at about NG865613 on Sgurr Mor (Beinn Alligin) with the Horns of Alligin, Liathach and Beinn Eighe beyond.

The photo was taken in May 2011, just hours before the fires started on Liathach (see the July 2011 issue).

Adam described it as “The second of five days of sun-drenched Torridonian joy!” �� Fancy standing where Adam is standing?

See Trail Route 10 in the May 2011 issue.

FEBRUARY 2012 TRAIL 5

CONTENTS OUT THERE SKILLS

Where this month’s issue will take you...

Choose your challenge 10 Make 2012 your most mountain-packed year!

12

Hilltop toilets, cars on peaks and much more...

Buried by an avalanche! 14 See the face of a man who’s just escaped death

Dream peak

16

Bowfell: the Lakes’ most muscular mountain?

38

Get set for winter with Part 2 of our expert guide

Ask Trail

44

Mountains by moonlight, staying safe in the wilds, the best way to wash a down jacket

Masterclass

48

Cornices: what they are and how to avoid them

YOUR TRAIL Trail Talk

18

Subscribe to Trail

28

NEW Walkers’ wonders 178

p137

25 Walks of a Lifetime Your overseas adventures start here!

TOM BAILEY

Flushed with success

Layer for the cold

ADVENTURES

Snowdonia

20

Great Gable: a tribute year in the life of a Lakeland icon A

30

Banish your winter blues with a winter weekend on Crib Goch and the Glyders

Hillwalking’s next step 50 Happy walking on snowy slopes? Then maybe now’s the time to step up to winter climbing...

GET A

Vango storm shelter

WHEN YOU SUBSCRIBE!

p20

Banishing the winter blues in Snowdonia.

TOM BAILEY

8 TRAIL JFEBRUARY 2012

See p28 for details

FEBRUARY 2012

GEAR Gear news

58

Garmin eTrex 10

60

Headtorches

62

Winter gloves

72

Ice grippers

82

The latest outdoors kit: to see it is to want it!

A classic GPS receiver, updated, for £110

Eight shining examples go head to head Which of these heavy-duty hand-warmers best suits your activities in the snowy hills? et a grip on snowy or icy terrain with a pair of G these portable spikes attached to your boots...

TOM BAILEY

p62

Shedding light on the best headtorches for hillwalkers.

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MEDIA

Fancy a long weekend in the Lake District?

See what this base camp has to offer hillwalkers, plus a trio of top routes including 11 Wainwrights

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Route 13 Tarmachan Ridge This issue’s Classic Route involves a challenging and rewarding rough mountain walk that offers ‘a feast of visual delights’

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Route 5 Bowfell A classic Lakes walk from a classic Lakes hostelry

119

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Fort William

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Route 4 Five Sisters of Kintail Work up a thirst on a three Munro-bagging walk

from NN111454 Start 1 the car park at the end (a little of the public road nted on short of that represe map). Go the Landranger the track of Aberdeen along the start Loch Etive and by the side of ately uphill head immedi forestry the by the side of is currently plantation. This being felled, Oban MULL of in the process out timber shipped Edinburghand the Glasgow JURA a short distance on-Tweed from a jetty Berwick-up The path up along the loch. is often very 8.9km ISLAY DistanceISLE Jedburghthe fence beside Ayr OF ARRAN and difficult (5½ miles) 960m wet and boggy, Continue Total ascent places. in Newcastle Dumfries to follow Ballantrae levels -upon-Tyne Time 5 hours until the terrain Glen Etive, uphill Londo Stewart Carlisle nderry Start/finish Newton 200m above about at off ugh 54 PenrithDoneg Middlesbro al NN1114Stranraer Keswick sea-level. town Ullapool

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Route 3 Monsal Dale Fine limestone landscapes and a truly ‘local’ pub

Grasmere

miles

8.9km/5½ TRAIL ROUTE

© CROW

105

Stay in one place and walk for three days!

This month’s first Ultimate Weekend gives three routes from this Brecon Beacons village

9

Peak District

115

NO. AM105/0

103

Route 2 Elidir Fawr Head to the northern end of the Glyderau ridge

Route 7 Grwyne Fechan Route 8 Table Mountain Route 9 Llangattock Escarpment

MEDIA LICENCE

Snowdonia

Crickhowell

ION WITH BAUER’S

101

Route 1 Sron a Chlachain Explore the ancient Celtic land of Breadalbane

T IN ASSOCIAT © CROWN COPYRIGH

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FEBRUARY 2012 TRAIL 9

OUT THERE

DR E A M P EAK

BOWFELL LAKE DISTRICT

Resplendent with rampant musculature, if you stripped away all of Lakeland’s mountains one by one to leave a single survivor, Bowfell would be the clever person’s choice. Stately and savage in equal measure, its views are the most entrancing in the Lakes; and while only registering as the sixth highest Wainwright peak, its features – including the spellbinding Great Slab – rank it far higher in all but number.

CLIMB IT! ››› TURN TO PAGE 109 16 TRAIL FEBRUARY 2012

Bowfell shimmers in stormy sunlight from the west. © ANDREW DOCKER / ALAMY

FEBRUARY 2012 TRAIL 17

SNOWDONIA

WALK OFF THE WINTER BLUES ❄

...or, how keeping your summer mindset might help you get out more this winter.

WORDS MATT SWAINE PHOTOGRAPHS TOM BAILEY

20 TRAIL FEBRUARY 2012

Where? Glyders & Snowdon, Wales What? 2 days of winter adventure

It may be winter on top of Tryfan, but it's practically summer ascending the slopes above Llyn Ogwen.

A

dmitting that you have a drink problem can be difficult: to accept that booze is in some way ruining your life. But in a moment of peculiarly lucid self-awareness, surveying the crisp winter vista from the southern flanks of Snowdonia’s Glyderau, all the signs were pointing to that one inescapable conclusion.

After two hours of walking, and just 15 minutes into the punishing descent towards Nant Peris, I was gripped by tremors, a pronounced sweat and a gnawing sense of selfdoubt. The searing muscular torture of lugging a heavy backpack was taking its toll and I was focusing all my resentment on the bottle of red nestled in my backpack. The extravagance of just 75cl of vino tinto was making a mockery of ďż˝ my lightweight backpack ethic.

FEBRUARY 2012 TRAIL 21

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fl r d Re erp un r t o ar te Wa l eats ime s er ms e p sea h t ed ap T g a l eb l ire-r g a r F c i l sto br s fa gral nt e e t v In l sh FEBRUARY 2012 TRAIL 29 Me l l

TOM BAILEY

gift worth

S E URt hem T Acord a ant E F Draw etard

...

E UDe strips L iv INC ect oof

LAKE DISTRICT

A YEAR ON

GREAT GABLE

30 TRAIL FEBRUARY 2012

Where? Great Gable, Lake District What? A year in the life

Intricate and fierce, Great Gable is ever-changing throughout the seasons. Photographer Stewart Smith spent a year capturing the many moods of this multi-faceted Lakeland icon...

LATE WINTER, 2010

Seen from Scafell Pike’s Corridor Route, a bitterly cold Great Gable stands in all its pyramidal glory, flanked

by Styhead Tarn to the east and Kirk Fell to the west.

FEBRUARY 2012 TRAIL 31

TRAIL SKILLS

TOP OUTDOOR ADVICE FROM OUR HILLWALKING EXPERTS

Winter weather FAQs ... that’s Fearfully Asked Questions. But fear no more: Trail’s here to help...

TOM BAILEY

What’s a white-out?

This is a form of zero visibility weather that occurs when there is snow on the ground. It’s comparable to a blackout: a situation when a lack of contrast between the sky and ground makes it impossible to discern surface features, and the horizon is invisible. It can be caused by sun diffused through overcast clouds, snow-blowing winds, in mist, and during blizzards. Obviously catastrophic for unprepared navigators, it can also lead to nausea and affected concentration: shadows are indiscernible, and many describe the feeling of ‘floating’ amid nothingness.

40 TRAIL FEBRUARY 2012

How strong are ‘strong winds?’

Wind speeds rarely mean much from your living room, but take a walk in them and you’ll soon know about it – especially in the hills. Below is the oft-used Beaufort Scale – tweaked for walkers.

32-38mph = moderate gale – Resistance is felt when walking 39-46mph = fresh gale – Wind impedes walking; keep watch on tents 47-54mph = strong gale – Very difficult to walk in; tents likely to be compromised 55-63mph = whole gale – Wind hazardous on high ground; descend if possible 64-72mph = storm – Why are you in the hills? Get shelter or get down!

Gusts are the walker’s worst enemy: sudden, strong winds that can blow you off your feet (or something worse). Caused by atmospheric instability and ‘mixing’ of air currents, gusts must be factored in: if winds are a constant 40mph, you could experience gusts of up to 70mph.

WINTER SKILLS MASTERCLASS PART 2 Perfect conditions in Torridon, Scotland. Even on a day like this, understanding the weather is vital...

How do I work out wind chill?

Wind chill is a cooling caused by the combined effects of temperature and wind speed, and it’s a formidable foe.

Look at the directional icicles that form on fence posts or trig points, and you’ll get an idea of the powerful effects it has: those icicles aren’t wind-blown; they are growing into the wind like emerging claws. Consequently, exposed skin can suffer from wind chill, the effects of which increase most dramatically at lower wind speeds, as shown below:

WIND CHILL

WIND TEMPERATURE (deg C) SPEED 20 12 4 -4 -12 -20 (mph) 4 18 9 0 -6 -18 -28 12 16 5 -5 -16 -26 -37 20 15 3 -8 -19 -31 -42 28 14 2 -10 -21 -33 -47 36 13 1 -11 -23 -35 -47 42 13 1 -11 -23 -35 -48 48 13 1 -11 -24 -36 -48 54 13 1 -11 -24 -36 -48

Which forecast is best?

Frostbite can occur anywhere the temperature falls below zero. It is caused by ice crystals forming between cells, often in the extremities or in wet and restricted areas. Fingers, toes, noses, ears, cheeks and private parts are most vulnerable, and the condition can be exacerbated by dehydration, altitude and ill-fitting insulation.

Watch out for fingers feeling ‘wooden in the glove’, and on examination appearing pale or purplish. Frostbite can be avoided by ensuring wet gloves and socks are changed midway through a walk under shelter, and continually

The cynical answer would be ‘none’, but the truth is that weather forecasts are far more reliable than they used to be, and the Mountain Weather Information Service is by far the most bespoke weather forecast for walkers. It includes details of freezing level, any adverse conditions walkers in particular are likely to encounter and what effects they will have, and the outlook. The forecast is published daily and can be accessed for most mountain areas of the UK.

ALAN HINKES

Could I get frostbite?

ensuring that all digits and exposed areas of skin exhibit sensation. If you have any symptoms, get to shelter, warm the affected area for 10 minutes in an armpit, and drink plenty. You must ensure there is no possibility of refreezing. If a recovery doesn’t occur, get down quickly: it is better to walk on a frozen limb than thaw and refreeze.

www.mwis.org.uk FEBRUARY 2012 TRAIL 41

SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS

WINTER HILLWALKING: THE NEXT STEP Enjoy snowy walking, but fancy a new challenge?

Then why not take the step up to winter climbing…

WORDS PHOEBE SMITH PHOTOGRAPHS TOM BAILEY

Taking the step up to mountaineering in Raeburn's Gully.

50 TRAIL FEBRUARY 2012

Where? Creag Meagaidh, Scotland What? First Grade I winter climb

W

ould you know how to prepare for the last moments of your life? Do you pray? Break down into a blubbing mess? Watch every moment of your years flashing before your eyes like a high-speed projection reel?

Or – in this particular scenario – do you run? I’ll explain: a huge sheet of snow was sliding towards me like a frothing waterfall, gathering rocks as well as momentum as it came. The roar of its powerful wave was deafening. There was absolutely no way I could outrun this avalanche and in these, my final moments, only one thought surged

through my head: “This is it, I’m going to die.”

I braced myself for the impending impact; then, just as it was about to hit me… I woke up, in a cold sweat, breathing heavily.

The red digits on the bedside table clock were a fuzzy blur as I fought to come to terms with my apparent lucky escape. I was in Fort William, about to tackle my first Grade I winter climb, which I would now start in approximately 90 minutes. When it comes to snow, though I feel quietly confident walking in crampons and using an ice axe, I have two � main fears: avalanches and, er, avalanches.

FEBRUARY 2012 TRAIL 51

TOM BAILEY

magazine

magazine

BEST IN TEST BEST VALUE

GEAR

Only the best products receive Trail's Best in Test or Best Value awards. Keep your eyes peeled for them!

ABOUT OUR TESTS Our tests are carried out by experts so you know you're getting a proper verdict based on years of experience. To keep things consistent, prices are the manufacturers' suggested retail prices, and our five star ratings are as clear as it gets...

GEAR NEWS DRESS LIKE A GUIDE GARMIN ETREX 10 HEADTORCHES GROUP TEST WINTER GLOVES GROUP TEST BUYER'S GUIDE GET TRACTION!

✱ ✱✱ ✱✱✱ ✱✱✱✱ ✱ ✱ ✱ ✱ ✱

58 60 62 72 82

POOR BELOW AVERAGE AVERAGE GOOD PERFORMANCE THE BEST IN ITS CLASS

FEBRUARY 2012 TRAIL 57

GROUP TEST Let there be light... our test reveals the best headtorches for hillwalkers.

62 TRAIL FEBRUARY 2012

HEADTORCHES

Headtorches Don’t be afraid of the dark! Winter camping and night-time descents are easy when you have the right headtorch for your needs...

TEST GRAHAM THOMPSON PHOTOGRAPHS TOM BAILEY

WHAT WE TESTED ALPKIT GAMMA £13 LIFESYSTEMS INTENSITY 80 £25 COLEMAN MULTI-COLOUR LED HEADLAMP £30 RING CYBA-LITE SENSOR £31 BLACK DIAMOND STORM £60 PETZL MYO RXP £80 MAMMUT X-SHOT £85 HOPE TECHNOLOGY VISION R4 LED £200

FEBRUARY 2012 TRAIL 63

GROUP TEST If you’re after some decent winter gloves, check out this handy guide!

Winter

GLOVES It’s always colder, wetter and windier in the mountains, but with the right pair of winter gloves you can remain warm and dry – and even have enough dexterity to use a compass...

TEST GRAHAM THOMPSON PHOTOGRAPHS TOM BAILEY 72 TRAIL FEBRUARY 2012

WINTER GLOVES WHAT WE TESTED TREKMATES DRY CLASSIC GLOVE £25 MOUNTAIN EQUIPMENT GUIDE GLOVE £40 EXTREMITIES CORBETT GLOVE £45 SEALSKINZ PERFORMANCE ACTIVITY GLOVE £45 RAB LATOK GLOVE £62 MARMOT WORK GLOVE £80 THE NORTH FACE PATROL GLOVE £90 OUTDOOR RESEARCH ALTI GLOVE £100

FEBRUARY 2012 TRAIL 73

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: TOM HUTTON, TOM BAILEY, DAN BAILEY, TOM HUTTON, BEN WINSTON

P107

P109

ROUTES

P105

Trail Routes use OS mapping and gradient profiles, and are written by walking experts. This month we feature six cracking mountain walks all ending or starting with a perfect pub: look out for the bar person's recommendations panel for each watering hole! Remember you can download these routes and GPS waypoints at lfto.com/routes

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1 2 3 4 5 6

SRON A CHLACHAIN ELIDIR FAWR MONSAL DALE FIVE SISTERS OF KINTAIL BOWFELL CENTRAL PENTLANDS

6.5km 14.5km 17km 12.9km 13.5km 17km

p101 p103 p105 p107 p109 p111

ULTIMATE WEEKEND – CRICKHOWELL 7 GRWYNE FECHAN 31km p116 8 TABLE MOUNTAIN 7.2km p117 9 LLANGATTOCK 9.4km p118 ULTIMATE WEEKEND – GRASMERE 10 HIGH RAISE 16km p122 11 ST SUNDAY CRAG 15.7km p123 12 LOUGHRIGG FELL 13km p124 CLASSIC ROUTE 13 TARMACHAN RIDGE

13.7km p127

13.7km/8½ miles

CLASSIC ROUTE

SOUTH HIGHLANDS

TRAIL ROUTE

13

DAN BAILEY

STRENUOUSNESS NAVIGATION TECHNICALITY MUNRO COUNT

■ ■ ■■ ■ ■■■■■ ■■■■■ 1

CLASSIC ROUTE

Heading west on the Meall Garbh Arête.

Tarmachan Ridge Ignore the elitists, implores Jeremy Ashcroft, and try this ‘challenging and rewarding’ rough mountain walk.

D

yed-in-the-wool hillwalkers have an odd tendency to look down their noses at summits that can be reached from high start points. However this elitist sentiment – that a mountain is not a proper mountain unless it has been struggled up from the valley bottom – can be completely debunked by the superb, compact group of peaks that make up the Tarmachan Ridge.

Lying just north of Killin at the western end of Loch Tay, and sitting next to the mighty Ben Lawers, the Tarmachan Ridge can be accessed from a lofty height of 460m. But this high start

has no bearing on the actual significance of these mountains. Their rugged and uncompromising profile, with a complex ridge that twists and turns above crags, delivers an outstanding walk that is as challenging and rewarding as any you will find in the Scottish Highlands.

The main crest has some exposed sections and you will encounter the odd ‘bad step’ that will require hands for balance to negotiate; essentially though, the traverse is a rough mountain walk rather than a scramble.

Far-ranging views and exciting situations

are a feature throughout the walk, but the thing that makes it particularly exciting is the fact that you have to exercise a bit of mountain sense to negotiate it. It is not just a case of clipping into a well-worn path and mentally switching off; you need to have your wits about you, so that you can navigate through the knolls and across cols as the way ahead is not always obvious. This combination of mental exercise and a feast of visual delights gives this outing a welldeserved classic status that rightly sticks two fingers up to walking snobs! �

Trekmates is the official partner of the British Association of International Mountain Leaders

Be guided in the mountains by a professionally qualified British International Mountain Leader

www.trekmates.co.uk

www.baiml.org

FEBRUARY 2012 TRAIL 125

25

Walks of a Lifetime

del 10Torres Paine, Chile

It’s one of the world’s most incredible landscapes: chiselled mountain spires, turquoise lakes, blue ice-fields. That’s if you can find the place, of course…

Words: Owen Rodd Photos: Owen Rodd & Mark Elsesser

18 Overseas walking

In association with The shattered peaks of Los Cuernos – aka the Horns – from Lake Pehoe.

P

atagonia is one of those mystical places that everyone’s heard of. But who can actually point it out with any precision on a map? I certainly can’t, and as I’ve now discovered, most Patagonians can’t either. The Argentinians and the Chileans argue about a great many things, and one of them is the geographical definition of ‘Patagonia’.

So what DO we know? Well, it’s a vast area that makes up the southern tip of South America. It sits astride Argentina and Chile. It incorporates some of the

remotest, windiest, most magical landscapes on the Earth’s crust. And importantly, it has never been so easy to visit. The only question is where to go?

December 2011, and I’m in a bar in Buenos Aires. Having already advised me about steak, red wine and tango clubs, my new Argentinian drinking pal leans closer… “When in Patagonia, you must go… to Chile. They have the finest national park in all South America!”

This is impressive. Like hearing a Scouser admit that Manchester has the better football team.

The park he is referring to is Torres del Paine (pronounced Pie-nee) – a veritable theme park for geography teachers tucked on the south-western side of the Andes. It acts like a frontier between the plains stretching south-west to the Pacific, and the inaccessible mountains of the Chilean ice-fields to the north.

At the centre of the park is the Paine Massif, a circular area of mountainous granite, cracked and splintered into the various famous peaks of the park.

Many of the highest peaks – most notably Los Cuernos (the ‘Horns’) –

Overseas walking 19