mountain heroes: eric jones top dogs

Transcription

WWW.MOUNTAINPROMAG.COM
APRIL 2013
VOL.1
ISSUE 3
50 YEARS OF
SKI TOURING
TOP DOGS
MOUNTAIN
HEROES:
ERIC JONES
The Search and
Rescue Dog
Association
GEAR REVIEWS: SLEEPING BAGS, BOOTS & BINOCULARS
ADVANCED NAVIGATION WITH LYLE BROTHERTON
CONTENTS
WELCOME
NEWS
4
INTERVIEW: RUPERT SHANKS
10
REMOTE FIRST AID TRAINING
13
TOP DOGS
18
50 YEARS OF SKI: MIKE PARSONS
22
MOUNTAIN HEROES: ERIC JONES
26
ADVANCED NAVIGATION
28
GEAR REVIEW: SLEEPING BAGS
30
GEAR REVIEW: BOOTS
33
GEAR REVIEW: BINOCULARS
38
WILDLIFE
40
As a Mountain Leader, our new Gear Editor Lucy Wallace isn’t
one for sitting around, but for some reason she leapt at the
chance to spend a day relaxing in the undergrowth pretending to
be an injured walker for the Search and Rescue Dog Association.
Thankfully they found her, and she was able to review a selection
of three-season boots and binoculars, while I took a look at a
group of three-season down sleeping bags. Mike Parsons has
over 50 years’ experience of not sitting around; his fascinating
story covers everything from telemark skiing to dog sleds. Andrew
Mazibrada has been sitting around in a classroom obtaining a
Remote First Aid qualification and we interview Rupert Shanks – a photographer that
makes his living from sitting around waiting for that perfect mountain moment. Our
technical team have been busy too, overhauling the software behind Mountain Pro to
make it even easier to read on mobile devices. If you view the magazine on an Apple
or Android device it’d be advisable to download the free 3DIssue app from the iTunes
or Play store which acts as a virtual magazine binder and allows you to view the
magazine offline. All issues will continue to be available for free from
http://www.mountainpromag.com/ of course. Remember, if you have any problems
or feedback you can contact the team quickly and easily via Facebook or Twitter.
13
22
18
Phil Turner
Editor
30
In 1946 Mike
Andrew
Mountain
A former
Parson’s
Mazibrada
Pro’s Gear
Scottish MRT
parents started
is a freelance
Editor
member,
making cycle
adventure travel
Lucy
today Lyle
panniers in
and outdoor
Wallace
Brotherton
the upstairs of
writer and
is a
teaches
their shop in
photographer.
freelance
‘Advanced
Rossendale. Karrimor International Ltd
Seduced by the freedom of
Mountain Leader and Wildlife
SAR Navigation’ to Mountain Rescue
was the result and from 1960 until 1996
independent travel and the wilderness
Guide based on the Isle of Arran,
and Search & Rescue teams and
Mike led the company, creating iconic
of the outdoors beyond his day-to-day
Scotland. Duke of Edinburgh
the Special Forces. He also advises
products such as The Alpiniste, KSB, Hot
existence, he has been hillwalking and
Award expeditions, itchy feet and
the US and UK Governments on
Ice, Karrimat, the KIMM pack and Jaguar
hiking in the United Kingdom, Europe
a passion for wild places mean
navigational strategy in emergency
SA system packs. Mike went on to found
and Scandinavia in particular for years,
that she is rarely found indoors,
management planning and works
the Original Mountain Marathon (OMM) –
often favouring ultralight kit selection,
whatever the weather. Testing
with international governments
completing over 30 mountain marathons
and recently began to move towards
kit to destruction in the British
after major disasters. His Ultimate
himself - and is currently Fellow and
mountaineering and alpinism. His
climate is an occupational hazard;
Navigation Manual led to an award
Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Lancaster
travels have taken him into South East
she is happiest with her nose in a
from The Royal Institute of Navigation
University Management School. He has
Asia, New Zealand, the US and Canada,
muddy puddle looking at animal
and required working with over
variously walked, run, climbed, skied or
India and Nepal. See more from him at
tracks, or on a winter journey in
130 Search & Rescue teams in 24
cycled on all seven continents, including
www.journeymantraveller.com
crisp virgin snow.
countries.
the ascent of 18 virgin summits.
Published by Target Publishing Ltd, The Old Dairy,
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Stortford CM22 6HJ
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EDITOR: Phil Turner SUB-EDITOR: Amy Robinson GROUP COMMERCIAL MANAGER: James Lloyd e: james.lloyd@targetpublishing.com t:
01279 810069 SALES EXECUTIVE: James Looker e: james.looker@targetpublishing.com t: 01279 810061 DESIGN: Leann Lau e: leann.lau@
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Some material may be speculative and/or not in agreement with current medical practice. Information in FSN is provided for professional education and debate and is not intended to be used by non-medically qualified readers as a
substitute for, or basis of, medical treatment. Copyright of articles remains with individual authors. All rights reserved. No article may be reproduced in any form, printed or electronically, without wriiten consent of the author and publisher.
Copying for use in education or marketing requires permission of the author and publisher and is prohibited without that permission. Articles may not be scanned for use on personal or commercial websites or CD-ROMs. Published by
Target Publishing Limited. Colour reproduction & printing by The Magazine Printing Company, Enfield, Middx. EN3 7NT www.magprint.co.uk . ©2012 Target Publishing Ltd. Produced on environmentally friendly chlorine free paper derived
from sustained forests. To protect our environment papers used in this publication are produced by mills that promote sustainably managed forests and utilise Elementary Chlorine Free process to produce fully recyclable material lin
accordance with an Environmental Management System conforming with BS EN ISO 14001:2004. The Publishers cannot accept any responsibility for the advertisements in this publication.
Front cover image by Andrew Mazibrada
MOUNTAIN PRO NEWS
sponsored by
IN THE NEWS
PRECAUTIONARY RECALL OF EDELRID
VIA FERRATA SETS WITH ROPE BRAKES
Comprehensive
testing by the
mountaineering
sports industry
on old, used
via ferrata sets
has shown that
used via ferrata
sets with rope
brakes may
fail in the event
of a fall. The
tests showed
that impact
forces may be
increased during
a fall. When
combined with
used webbing arms with a reduced breaking strength the
system may fail; this can obviously lead to serious injury
or death. In order to prevent any risks to users, Edelrid has
decided to recall all affected sets as a precautionary measure.
Please stop using the affected products immediately.
The affected sets are: Brenta, Brenta De Luxe, Tofana,
Civetta and Brenta Comfort.
All private owners of a via ferrata set that is less than seven
years old and affected by the recall are requested to return it
immediately either directly to Edelrid or to a specialist retailer
for forwarding to Edelrid. In return, you will receive a Cable
Lite 2.2 via ferrata set as a replacement. This set conforms
to the latest requirements of the German Alpine Club (DAV)
Safety Commission and the certification bodies. In addition,
there is also the option to upgrade to a more expensive
model from this new generation for a surcharge.
Via ferrata sets older than seven years have reached their
maximum service life and must no longer be used. These
older sets should be withdrawn from use – regardless of
model and design type. Edelrid urgently requests that these
older sets are destroyed. Edelrid assumes no responsibility
for products that have exceeded their maximum service life.
Edelrid wants to ensure that these older sets are no longer
in use. We are therefore offering owners of an older via ferrata
set from 2005 or earlier the opportunity to trade in their old
set for a new Edelrid via ferrata set at a special price.
Please visit the Edelrid Recall web page at
http://www.edelrid.de/en/sports/recall/brake for further
details on the affected sets, as well as details on returning
these to Edelrid for a replacement.
4 | April 2013 | Mountain Pro
TICK BITE PREVENTION WEEK 2013
Internationally renowned entomologist and Channel 4
Embarrassing Bodies science presenter, Dr. James Logan, is
leading the campaign to tackle tick-borne disease in the UK.
Tick-borne disease charity, Borreliosis and Associated Diseases
Awareness UK (BADA-UK) has teamed up with Dr. Logan to front
the charity’s annual awareness programme, Tick Bite Prevention
Week (TBPW), which runs between 24th and 30th March 2013.
This year’s theme, ‘Tackling Ticks’ will focus on promoting
awareness about potential tick-borne disease risk to visitors of
parks and other recreational spaces in certain urban areas, as well
as the more obvious rural environment.
Although ticks are part of the natural environment, they are
second only to mosquitoes in transmitting infectious diseases to
humans and animals.
According to the Health Protection Agency (HPA), around 3,000
people contract Lyme disease (Borreliosis) every year in the UK
from infected tick bites, and experts say this number is increasing,
whilst a recent study revealed the incidence of Lyme disease in the
UK dog population is also much higher than previously thought.
As yet, there is no vaccine to prevent Lyme disease which,
if left untreated, can result in serious and debilitating health
complications in humans. Whilst for dogs and horses in particular,
tick-borne diseases can prove fatal if not diagnosed and treated
properly.
The charity is making TBPW 2013 a national call to action
for recreational landowners and park authorities to adopt ‘best
practice’ strategies that could significantly help to decrease the
number of disease cases.
A key aim is to encourage the provision of clear guidance for
public visitors, so they can take a few simple precautions against
tick bites without any effects to their enjoyment of the outdoors.
“Getting outdoors is very important for our physical and mental
wellbeing’ says BADA-UK founder and chair Wendy Fox. “Parks
are rightly considered safe and healthy environments and we
want to encourage everyone to actively use them. However, it is
important for people to be made aware that ticks may be present,
and that there are some simple measures you can take to protect
yourself and your pets against being bitten.”
Wendy knows better than most about the potential
consequences of an infected tick bite. In 2001 she suffered a brain
and spinal cord swelling caused by Lyme disease which ultimately
left her paralysed from the waist down and
visually impaired.
“My experience has not put me off enjoying
the outdoors”, says Wendy. “There are some
fantastic recreational areas throughout the UK
and I love to explore them”.
A podcast presented by Dr. Logan and best
practice guidance are available from
www.tickbitepreventionweek.org
www.mountainpromag.com
MOUNTAIN PRO NEWS
sponsored by
PATAGONIA REVEALS ENCAPSIL
DOWN BELAY PARKA WITH
1000 FILL POWER, WATERREPELLENT DOWN
Patagonia has recently announced the launch of its Encapsil
Down Belay Parka. Available in special-edition quantities with
numbered labels inside each parka, the Encapsil Down Belay
Parka is an extraordinary work of design and engineering. A first of
its kind, this parka is 100% independently baffled and differentially
cut without a single shortcut or “cheat”, where a seam has been
sewn through, resulting in a cold spot. Weighing 18oz (510g)
and insulated with Patagonia’s proprietary, plasma-treated,
water-repellent Encapsil 1000 fill power down, the Belay Parka
is unparallelled in warmth for its weight, designed for alpinists to
take into the burliest of conditions.
“Patagonia has insisted on taking an intensive scientific and
holistic approach to do more, but with less environmental harm,”
notes Randy Harward, vice president of advanced research and
development at Patagonia; “Even with these stringent guidelines,
we’ve developed the highest performing down technology
available anywhere. This has been a five-year R&D project in the
making, and we are eager to integrate this technology into future
styles beyond the Belay Parka.”
Water-repellent down garments
are now available from several
manufacturers. Patagonia, however,
has taken a unique approach one that not only
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no one
else can
provide:
unprecedented, 1000 fill power Encapsil patented technology
uses safe, silicone-based chemistry that is free of fluorocarbons.
Patagonia’s down is sent through a proprietary machine and
agitated with low-level radio frequency waves until the surface of
the down’s molecular structure begins to shift. A tiny amount of
siloxane is then deposited onto each plumule of down, adhering to
its changed molecular structure in a virtually permanent way. The
result is down that is hydrophobic, stronger and loftier by 25%.
“This is the most challenging design project I have ever
worked on,” notes Casey Shaw, advanced product engineer
at Patagonia; “To design this parka, we had to develop new
construction techniques that would allow us to maintain perfectly
baffled chambers, while insuring low bulk and realistic production
capability for the factory. Given the complexity of this parka’s
design, our team had to fly to the factory to guide them through
the intricate construction and assembly techniques to ensure the
correct execution of the design.”
Patagonia offers its most thoughtful design in the Encapsil
Down Belay Parka, with no detail spared. Shell fabric is an
ultralight 10-denier Pertex Endurance nylon ripstop with a
polyurethane dry coat, providing excellent water-repellency. The
hood is baffled and helmet-compatible, with a single drawcord
that provides a small draft collar of down around the face,
creating a microclimate to help prevent frostbite on exposed
skin. Variegated baffles across the parka are smaller in high
compression areas to help keep down from shifting, and a
double-baffle wind flap behind the zipper completely seals out
cold and wind. No moisture-holding materials are used anywhere
in this parka. Exterior hand pockets are independently insulated
to retain warmth even when open, and the high positioning keeps
them away from the harness line. A unique pull-system at the
hem allows for adjustment of the drawcord from inside or out,
eliminating harness entanglement, and a mini-snowskirt keeps out
wind and snow from below without compressing the down in the
lowest chamber.
“Not only is this parka functional, it is also beautiful,” notes
Lee Turlington, vice president of global product at Patagonia; “If
you are going to make the best possible product, it needs to be
perfectly tailored and clean-finished. It is incredibly hard to cleanfinish a garment like this - it turns a technically superior Belay
Parka into a work of art.”
The Encapsil Down Belay Parka will be available in specialedition, limited quantities, and will be for sale at www.patagonia.
com, and in the Patagonia Chamonix retail store.
■ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tn1p987-lDU
MOUNTAIN PRO NEWS
sponsored by
WINDERMERE DEBRIS DIVE PULLS A
SHIPPING CONTAINER OF RUBBISH
FROM LAKE WINDERMERE
More than 500 people
converged on Windermere
on Saturday 2nd March
for what was probably the
biggest freshwater debris
dive in the world.
Led by Friends of the
Lake District’s patron,
explorer, diver and
broadcaster Paul Rose,
265 divers came from
all over the country from
Plymouth to Scotland to
take part in the Bowness
dive to retrieve litter from
the bed of the lake.
Teams of divers retrieved
rubbish from the lake
around Bowness and
Windermere Marina,
through the day in water
temperatures of 4 °C.
Items pulled out included
more than 70 tyres, bottles
(one with a message
in), shoes, car batteries,
sunglasses, a Burberry
umbrella, fire extinguishers,
mobile phones, fishing
gear, boat parts, union jack
flags and a large bone.
A team of 41 shorebased volunteers
organised by landscape
conservation charity
Friends of the Lake District
collected and sorted the
litter. The rubbish is going
to several art projects,
including one as part of
Friends of the Lake District
Secret Windermere project,
who will be working with
children from Langdale
and Hawkshead primary
schools. Sculptures
created from the rubbish
will be displayed at Wray
Castle and eventually auctioned
off to raise money for Friends of
the Lake District’s conservation
work.
Paul Rose said: “We took out
enough rubbish to fill a shipping
container but this is only a small
percentage of what still lies
on the bottom. It’s a sobering
thought that this is the way
we treat our beautiful lake and
reflects the way we disrespect
our oceans.
“The day was a fantastic
response to a call for action
and shows that with enough
enthusiasm we can have a
positive impact on our waters.
We’ll be doing more!”
Judith Moore, of Friends of the
Lake District, said: “It was great
to see so many people out doing
their bit for our environment.
A whole range of different
organisations have worked
together, including South
Lakeland District Council, the
National Trust, the Lake District
National Park, a huge range of
dive organisations and local
businesses – it was fantastic! We
are really grateful to everyone
who got involved, not least
our patron, Paul Rose, whose
enthusiasm kept the whole event
moving.”
MOUNTAIN PRO NEWS | NEWS
THE CAIRNGORMS IN WINTER
WITH CHRIS TOWNSEND
s
Film-maker Terry Abraham’s Kickstarterfunded feature. ‘The Cairngorms in
Winter’ with Chris Townsend is nearing
completion and while backers are on
schedule to receive their copies in April,
others can watch the finished film on 18th
May at Abraham’s Cafe, George Fisher
building as part of the Keswick Mountain
Festival 2013. As well as presenting the
film’s first public screening, Chris and
Terry will be carrying out a Q&A session,
where budding cinematographers can find
out exactly what it takes to capture such
dramatic landscape scenes.
For tickets visit www.georgefisher.co.uk
and for a behind-the-scenes update head
to Terry’s blog:
http://terrybnd.blogspot.co.uk/
FORCE TEN ARGON 200 VIDEO PREVIEW
Phil takes a tour of the new Force Ten Argon 200 semi geodesic tent, offering excellent foul weather protection and
living space for two people or a palace for one.
s
April 2013 | Mountain Pro | 9
INTERVIEW | RUPERT SHANKS
RUPERT
SHANKS
exactly what
you want but the
possible routes
and landscape
surrounding you
have a unique
character all of
their own.
Hi Rupert, thanks for taking the
time to talk to Mountain Pro
magazine.
Working as a landscape
photographer and videographer
is a dream job for many – how
did you manage to make it your
profession?
After working in London for
five years for a huge logistics
company I decided to fly the nest,
take a year to travel and work
my way around the world. I had
spent so much time daydreaming
about taking pictures for a living that this trip was an opportunity
to try and put on those shoes and see if I could walk! I arranged
a few short work contracts with various small organisations
mainly in the adventure tourism industry, where I could offer my
marketing experience combined with photography. Since then
the photography and film-making has gradually become more
and more of what I’m doing full-time.
What are your
five essential
items of gear?
My F-Stop Satori
Rucksack has
been everywhere
with me and is an
amazing bit of kit
for the outdoor
photographer.
I love my Salomon Quest boots; they’re lightweight but still
rugged and waterproof. Good for scrambling about in all
weathers. I can’t help it, I’m going to be that camera geek and
bang on about my tripod. I’ve got a Manfrotto 055CXPRO
Carbon Fibre. It’s pretty tough and light for those long trips
strapped to your back. I’ve just got a new ski jacket after 12
years of trusty service from my old one. It’s a Haglofs Vassi in
neon green. I look a bit like a lollipop lady but I don’t care. I’ve
got a fancy Garmin GPS 62s which is really handy. But I never
go out without an old compass that was given to me when I was
wee, which has a lot more character.
Who are you working for at the moment?
After finally returning to the bonnie homeland last year I’m
now working for Wilderness Scotland, one of the country’s top
adventure tour operators. I was contracted to produce a series
of films which are used to educate and inspire their online
audience to come and visit the Highlands and Islands. Most of
their clients book online and the films I produced for them last
year have had a real impact on the bottom line. So this year
we’re planning some more creative and interesting projects in
some really special parts of the country.
Favourite mountain?
Coire an t-Sneachda is a corrie made up of a few gullies just
over the back of Cairngorm mountain. I’ve been ticking off a few
of the gullies over the last couple of months. I was up there a
week or so ago at the end of a long day’s ski touring. The moon
was up and the sun was setting. There was frosted snow over
the rockfaces and the snow was tinged a light pink from the last
of the light. It’s a really stunning place.
What do you get up to on a typical day?
On a typical day I am either planning, shooting or editing!
Something I’ve learnt the hard way is that the planning side
of any photo or film project is vital to achieving your vision.
I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of photography
communicating an idea or emotion that came from inside
somebody’s head. The effort needed to clarify that idea and plan
how best to get it across creatively is always time well-spent. So
it sometimes means less time in the field than you’d like, but it’s
still an exciting process.
And in your free time?
I do love being near the mountains and throughout the winter
I’ve been trying to get out on the skis as much as possible. I’ve
been lucky enough to ski in some amazing places abroad but
some of my days ski touring around the Cairngorms have just
been epic. The snow and the weather might not always be doing
What’s next for Rupert Shanks?
Well I have a pretty full schedule with Wilderness Scotland over
the next few months but am managing to squeeze in a few other
projects both in the outdoors and in the Scottish music scene.
It’s great to try and work in other industries and learn from them.
There are some amazing characters to meet along the way.
Rupert Shanks is a professional photographer and
film-maker based in the Scottish Highlands. He left
the corporate rat race in London to pursue a dream
of working in the outdoors making images for a
living. After working all over the world for a couple of
years, he returned to the Scottish homeland where
he specialises in adventure photography and film. He
has worked as a ski guide and loves getting out on
two planks. Just look for the lollipop lady grinning like a
madman.
His website is http://www.rupertshanks.com
REMOTE FIRST AID TRAINING | FEATURE
STAYING ALIVE: REMOTE
FIRST AID TRAINING
With a first aid qualification mandatory for most outdoor qualifications,
Andrew Mazibrada attends a course designed specifically for those
that work in wilderness locations.
W
e are tucked away in a
secluded corner of the
impossibly beautiful
forested grounds of the
Wellington College private school in
Berkshire. On our doorstep is enough
woodland to feel just like we’re in the
wilderness. And the snow is falling...
Remote First Aid (RFA) is very different
to workplace-focused Health and Safety
Executive (HSE) First Aid at Work courses.
As Jon Parry, from Training Expertise
explains: “In remote places where help
is hours rather than minutes away, you
need a higher degree of understanding of
medical care. Instead of simply calling for
emergency medical professionals, primary
care becomes your responsibility for a
significant period of time, often hours,
which genuinely has the potential to save
someone’s life. In a remote setting, your
first aid skills might well become the only
thing separating your walking partner
from life and death. The environment and
time,” Jon underlines, “are our enemies.”
Comprehensive training is the aim of the
Training Expertise course.
Training Expertise aims to make their
course as practical as possible which
takes dry, classroom-based theory and
applies it to the arena we all want to really
be in - the great outdoors. Heavy snowfall
this weekend is a fortuitous happenstance
and within an hour of arriving, we are out
rolling around in it. Having the cold wet
sharpness of snow against the skin is all
that is required to focus the mind - as first
aiders, we need to get it right first time
otherwise our ‘patients’ (other people on
the course) would be experiencing firsthand the dangers of hypothermia. It adds
a practical edge to the scenarios. The
FEATURE | REMOTE FIRST AID TRAINING
aim of the course is to get participants to
a standard where they feel comfortable
going out into the wilderness and dealing
with most things sent their way. In fact,
winter is the perfect time to take such
a course - for example, most summer
mountain leaders will not have as much
work in winter so are not losing business
by taking the time out to hone their skills
and, also, the conditions make it a tougher
test. “Look at the worst case scenario,”
adds Jon, “and the rest is easy.” It helps
that Jon’s teaching style is accessible,
enjoyable and engaging. We appreciated
the course whether we needed to be there
or not.
In fact, most of the people on my course
were themselves mountain leaders,
group leaders, Duke of Edinburgh Award
leaders or climbing instructors and it’s
easy to see why. The qualification lasts
only three years and requires updating.
To obtain, or retain, any Mountain Training
Award, from mountain leaders to British
mountain guides, an appropriate first
aid qualification is required. The same is
true of the Royal Yachting Association
professional skippers, British Canoe Union
instructors and mountain bike leaders.
Courses need to be at least two days, or
16 hours in total and cover the provision of
first aid specifically in a remote setting.
So, how does an RFA-specific course
differ from the usual HSE courses
“Having the cold wet
sharpness of snow
against the skin is
all that is required
to focus the mind as first aiders, we
need to get it right
first time otherwise
our ‘patients’ (other
people on the
course) would be
experiencing firsthand the dangers of
hypothermia.”
offered to workplace employees? Having
now done both, I can see the principal
emphasis in a workplace course is short-
term care on the basis that professional
help is unlikely to be more than half an
hour away. DRAB (check for Danger,
Responsiveness, Airway and Breathing)
always came with the script: “Go and call
an ambulance and then come back and
tell me they’re on their way.” In a remote
setting, so much more is critical before
even getting to that point and Jon outlines
the extension to the DRAB acronym - CDE
(Circulation, Deformity, Evacuation). Yes,
you may need to evacuate your patient
yourself. Additionally, in a remote setting
the DRAB aspect of your assessment
must be more detailed, a fact the course
highlights, as we need to know far more
than we would ever need to in an urban
environment because our care is likely to
be more involved. We need to manage our
patient for far longer before professional
medical help arrives. Deformity and
Evacuation can collide with potentially
terrifying results - the only option left to
us might be to pull on a fractured femur
to set it in place so we can splint it and
prevent catastrophic blood loss leading to
shock. Or splinting a fractured arm in order
to walk a patient to safety. One course
participant pulled out a roll of cling-film
REMOTE FIRST AID TRAINING | FEATURE
whilst telling us how nurses at A&E advised
him to carry it in order to treat burn injuries.
Another said he carried antibiotics now as
a matter of course. We cover all sorts of
situations - including spinal injuries, CPR,
fractures, sprains, serious wounds, shock,
allergic reactions, diabetic incidents, fitting
and burns. Out come the bandages and
the Sam Splint (a wonderful, lightweight
malleable splint) as we practice in the cold
snow.
And your assessment and SAMPLE
history (Signs and Symptoms, Allergies,
Medications, Past Medical History, Last
Oral Intake and Events Leading up to Injury)
becomes even more important - medics
cannot simply shoot back to the hospital
and get equipment they didn’t know they’d
need when their patient is in the middle of
Rannoch Moor. The devil is in the detail and
we are taught to be thorough.
Perhaps the most critical, but
underestimated difference is the ground.
Insulation against the ground is where
we suffer the most conductive heat loss.
Whatever the principal medical issue,
when outdoors, as most casualties will be
lying on the ground conceivably for hours,
hypothermia is an added and ever-present
complication. So Jon teaches us how to
adapt our orange survival bags to insulate
better by gaffer-taping aluminum foil to
the inside. Another good example is in
techniques taught - for a spinal injury, an
HSE course might teach the jaw thrust to
keep the airway open. In a remote setting,
maintaining the jaw thrust for five hours
would be nearly impossible. Other options
are essential.
Yet in an outdoor setting, we are better
equipped. We can take kit we have with
us and adapt it to meet our needs. Roll up
and gaffer-tape two sleeping mats to make
buffers to keep the head of a potential
spinal injury victim still. “Use whatever you
can to insulate your patient against the
ground - sleeping mats, jackets, fleeces.
Whatever you can, just get them off the
ground.” Counterintuitive as it may seem,
keep yourself safe first and foremost.
You’re no use to your patient if you
become hypothermic because they’re
lying on your jacket and fleece. We have
tents and bothy bags to guard against the
weather as well as stoves to get food to
keep up our patient’s calorie count and
therefore the likelihood of them remaining
warm and conscious. Mood and patient
care is emphasised as we could be at this
for hours.
One way in which the Training Expertise
Course is particularly useful are the links
the company shares to Equip-Me, a
partner company supplying expeditiongrade medical kits. Especially useful is
the friendly doctor legally able to supply
Equip-Me with prescription drugs for use
in those medical kits - Epi-pens, Ventolin
inhalers, antibiotics and so on. “All in all, the
course was excellent - it covered aspects
which I have not dealt with for years very
well,” says Ralph Durbridge, head of
Outdoor Education at Harrow School.
As a footnote, Training Expertise have
agreed that Mountain Pro readers can
download and print their bespoke Patient
Record Card which sets out all the
information you need to obtain from your
assessment and SAMPLE history of your
patient. It will give you the structure you
need to get everything emergency medical
services need to know to assess how
the patient is doing and whether they are
deteriorating. Keep several in your first aid
kit at all times.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD YOUR PATIENT
RECORD CARD
FEATURE | SARDA
SEARCH AND RESCUE:
TOP DOGS
On call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and in all weathers the Search
and Rescue Dog Association handlers and their dogs are a welcome
sight for many misplaced hill-goers. Lucy Wallace investigates.
I
’m dozing in my bivy bag when the
shiny black nose of Lewis the SARDA
dog is pushed into my face. I open
my eyes to see his wagging backside
bounce away and his bark echoes
through the trees. He returns, with more
bouncing, barking and wagging, and I
hear his handler Rupert Bonham crashing
through the undergrowth. “Show meeee,
show meeee!” In a few moments there is
a happy reunion. With a dramatic flourish,
Rupert produces Lewis’ favourite toy
and the pair wrestle together. This is the
“find”, the culmination of an elaborate and
skilled game played out between handler
and dog. At this moment, it seems a lot of
fun, but the stakes are high. Search and
rescue dogs play a key role in missing
person searches. This game is part of a
meticulous programme of training and
grading of dogs who are in turn vital
assets to mountain rescue teams.
I’ve been invited to join SARDA (Search
and Rescue Dog Association) Southern
Scotland (http://www.sarda.org.uk/, for a
weekend exercise in Arrochar as a “body”.
I’m keen to find out more about what’s
involved with training a SARDA dog. The
“body’s eye view” of the process is a
great place to start - bodies provide the
SARDA | FEATURE
target for search dog teams when training.
The role often involves hiding in obscure
places during foul weather, but the team
ensure bodies are well wrapped up against
the cold. This weekend some of the
younger dogs are being “graded”. Grades
are landmark stages in a dog’s training
on its way to becoming a fully-fledged
SARDA dog. It is a tense time for the
handlers, but the dogs love every minute
of it. Lewis is already a fully-graded dog
(grade 5), he acts like a pro, but Rupert
is clearly pleased with his performance.
It’s obvious that both handler and dog
get a huge amount of satisfaction from
their work. Once dogs achieve grade 3,
they are on the call-out list for the entire
Southern Scotland region, and could be
sent on a “shout” at a moment’s notice.
At 2.00am that very morning two handlers
rush off to join a search on Beinn Vorlich.
Happily everyone is found safe and well.
SARDA Southern Scotland is a charity
that supports its volunteer handlers
by paying for equipment, training and
insurance. Fortunately sponsorship of
the dog’s expensive appetites comes
from Eukanuba dog food. The team is
part of a network covered by National
SARDA (http://www.nsarda.org.uk/,
who set agreed national minimum
standards for search dogs. The handlers
themselves are usually attached to a
local mountain rescue team. It’s through
my team on Arran that I’ve got to know
Credit: David Hogg
Darryl Urquhart-Dixon and Ruby. Like
Lewis, Ruby is fully-graded and is a great
asset to our team. She willingly travels
in helicopters and even on the winch.
She plays a big role in missing person
searches, and is a popular companion on
the hill (if a little keen on other people’s
sandwiches). I’ve been impressed by
how much work this entails for Darryl
who has commitments not only to our
mountain rescue team, but also to SARDA
Southern Scotland, as well as family and
a job. Being on two call-out lists sounds
extraordinary, but is normal for SARDA
dog handlers.
On the Arrochar meet there is a relaxed
atmosphere, but the work is serious.
Search dogs save lives, and it’s not
just about actually finding people, but
also speeding up the work of mountain
rescue teams by quickly checking and
eliminating large search areas that
would take days to search without
dogs. It’s important for the handler to
be confident in their dog, and so even
fully-graded dogs practice continually.
In total the organisation has seven dogs
on the call-out list and five trainees.
Training events take place monthly,
with two assessment weekends a year
to bring new dogs onto the call-out list
when they are ready.
The Bodies
Joanna Toohey, Dawn Lowe
Joanna and Dawn are long-term bodying volunteers and also regularly provide the catering at training meets.
What do you enjoy about bodying?
J: You see the dogs as
puppies, they come in at 12
weeks and you see them
progress. Even that first find
sequence… that joy on the
handler’s face - ‘my dog got
it!’ I just get satisfaction out of
it knowing that I’m a part of
that. The other thing is, I love
being out in the hills! I love
walking, it gets me outdoors,
Joanna Tooh ey
I’m doing something with my
weekend and I’m contributing
to these guys’ training. This is my chill-out time.
D: And when you hear that our dog handlers have actually
found somebody…in the back of all of that I think that the
handlers couldn’t do that
without my help.
What would you say to
someone reading this who is
interested in bodying?
D: It doesn’t matter on the
level of fitness if you enjoy
being in the outdoors. There’s
a place for everyone on the
hill…as long as you are honest
and upfront about what your
Dawn Lowe
capabilities are. New bodies
are always welcome.
J: The more bodies we have the better, especially when it’s
assessment weekend because we have three different areas
going at the same time - we always need more bodies so just
come along!
FEATURE | SARDA
The Puppy
The Transformed Dog
John Romanes and Rauður
Alan McGowan and Molly
John Romanes is a member of Tweed
Valley MRT. He and his young lab Rauður
(pronounced Rowther, Icelandic for red) have
just passed their grade 1 assessment.
Alan is a member of Lomond MRT and his dog,
Molly is well on the way to making the call-out list,
despite a rocky start as family pet.
Why did you decide to train a SARDA
Dog?
Joh n Romanes
We lost our old spaniel 18 months ago
just after I’d retired so I was at a loose
end; I was getting another dog, there was no question about that,
and we basically thought combine the two while I’ve got the time,
while I’m fit enough to do it and have the interest. If I don’t do it now I
probably never will! So I put the time aside, did bodying and did some
research… he was two months old when we got him and he started
his official training in August. Then he got grade 1 today, about six
months later, so he’s a good dog.
Congratulations on achieving grade 1. What did that involve?
The best thing about grade 1 is that it’s five exercises but it’s done
relatively quickly. All you’ve got to be aware of is to try and read the
dog if he’s coming back, decide whether the dog is genuine or not, but
you’ve got to follow the reaction and I was lucky today! He had that
bounce about him, that look in his eye; he was right on form. The last
exercise was the hardest, we’d had a break so the dog had to go back
out, warm up, settle down, and then start to search; it was a big ask,
but he came through.
What sort of training do you do with him at home?
With MRT team members, who’ve been going in the bushes on Selkirk
hill and various places… the dog goes out and finds them, comes
back and tells me where they are. Some people wonder what on earth
is going on but they are beginning to get used to it around the golf
course!
Why did you decide to train a Search and
Rescue Dog?
I got Molly as a pet
first and foremost and
I was talking to Bill
(Jennison) and saying
“my dog is destroying
my kitchen”, I mean
literally destroying it,
chewing the skirting
Alan McGowan
boards, door faces
everything and my wife
was at her wits end, she says; “You need to do
something about that dog!” It was Bill who said
the best thing you can do is bring it to the training
and see what she does… she was a dog that
needed to be busier. I’ve got three grandkids and
my dog’s got more toys than them; balls, squeaky
toys… everything! She just wants to play.
Congratulations on getting grade 2. How are
you finding the training?
I just do what Molly tells me to do. She dictates!
All the dog handlers say the dog’s never wrong;
it’s the handler that’s the problem. Today I sent
a text to a couple of guys in the (Lomond) team
and they replied, “when do they start training the
handler?” and, “I bet you wish you were as clever
as your dog”.
The Voice of Experience
Bill Jennison: Training Officer
With over 30 years in mountain rescue, together with Bob Sharp, Bill quite literally wrote the book
- Search and Rescue Dogs (Hayloft Publishing). His vast experience and sense of humour are well
utilised, putting the dogs and handlers through their paces.
How has your work changed over the years?
There has been an increase in the number of call-outs, but there is greatly improved technology, radios,
mapping and support for mountain rescue teams.
How do you see changes in April, to a single Scottish police force affecting mountain rescue?
I’m assured by the police that it will make no difference at all on day one. The police are looking to
Mountain Rescue to show best practice under a unified force.
I go on to ask Bill about the obvious support that he gives to the handlers: “I can only advise handlers on how to train their
dog”, he says modestly, but it’s clear to me from talking to the other handlers that he has a deep understanding of the relationship
between dogs and their humans.
Bill Jennison
FEATURE | SKI TOURING
50 YEARS OF SKI
TOURING:
ALPINE, NORDIC,
TELEMARK AND DOGS
From the 1960s to the present day, the Pennines to Denali, Mike
Parsons has covered a lot of ground on his skis. This is his story.
O
riginally, skiing developed
as a practical method of
travelling and hunting in snow
in the northern latitudes,
extending from Norway through to
Siberia. Skis preceded the wheel and
domestication of the horse: the oldest
skis found to date are wooden skis
preserved in acidic bogs, and depicted
in rock carvings 4,000-5,000 years old.
Roland Huntford in his book, Two Planks
and a Passion, estimates that skis might
be 20,000 years old. Curiously, skis were
virtually unknown in alpine Europe until
1890 when Nansen published his book
about his first crossing of Greenland. The
history of this is in my book, Invisible on
Everest: Innovation and the Gear Makers,
co-authored with Mary B Rose.
I learned to ski in the Pennines in
the winter of 1962/63, not because the
heavy snow presented an opportunity,
but because it prevented me from bike
riding. I was born and bred in the family
bike store, and I was a touring and racing
rider. There was no ‘Ski Sunday’ and no
consumer ski mags.
In 1965 I joined a ski touring course run
by the Ski Club of Great Britain (SCGB)
in Grindelwald. Never have I learnt so
much on a course, but most of it is
now obsolete. The state-of-the-art at
the time were cable bindings held by a
front lever, toe release binding, strap-on
skins (adhesive was still 20 yrs away), no
mobiles, no avalanche transceivers and
rescue was mostly about self-help. So we
learnt how to develop makeshift sledges
and similar devices for assisting injured
colleagues through to the next hut where
there might be a telephone or radio. Boots
were still single leather and very low cut
and most were still laced, although the
buckled boot ads started shortly after:
‘Are you left lacing whilst the others are
racing?’
We learnt about avalanches and had a
demonstration of avalanche rescue dogs.
Avalanche transceivers were still another
15 years away, and the only sure-fix way of
thawing a frozen cable length adjuster was
by peeing on it!
My next trip was a hut tour of the
Austrian Otztal in April. I remember the
guide stopping as we descended a
glacier in thick mist, taking coils of rope
from his pack, handing them to me and
sliding off again without a word; I had no
mountaineering experience at that time! My
very first alpine summit was made on this
trip: I recall topping out on the Similaun,
skiing back to the nearby Italian hut in long
sweeping curves, probably passing closely
over that now very famous ancient alpine
traveller aka ‘Oetzi the Iceman’, who had
been there since 3300BC.
Ski lift queues were something I disliked.
In 1972 I was in the USA: a young manager
of a ski and bike store based in Denver
showed me the ancient art of taking a new
pair of wooden XC skis and burning in the
base using pitch tar resin, ready to take
the next layers of kick and glide wax. We
then enjoyed a wonderful wilderness day
out and before I knew it, I was hooked on
SKI TOURING | FEATURE
“I reached down to adjust my
skis, when crack, the cord
tethering the sledge snapped.
Away went my dogs, hunting
the lead team, dancing over
the deep crystalline snow on
their wide paws, leaving me
to grovel along on un-waxed
skis.”
FEATURE | SKI TOURING
cross-country skiing.
Shortly after this, I started business
with a company who sold XC skis, Trak
France. They were the innovator of the
waxless fishscale ski base, and eventually
I offered ‘Trak skis’ for sale in the UK. I
was experiencing a unique period when
modern Nordic sport, free heel skiing if
you like, was re-introduced back into the
Alps. Most of that type of skiing was in
cut tracks but gradually the old styles like
telemark began to re-emerge, via USA
surprisingly. An extract from my book
explains:
Karwendel, Bavaria Germany and
Austria May 1982:
Taking skis
out of the bag,
Herman, Otto and
Hans stared at my
Telemark free heel
skis, quite unfamiliar
to them, and I
began to wonder
if I was making a
silly mistake. The
ascent to the Hoch
Gluck summit was
no problem, skis
off at the notch,
roped ascent to the
summit, returning
to the moment of
truth, the descent.
The snow was the worst ‘porridge’ I had
ever encountered. Even Otto (a mountain
guide) did not find it easy. My Telemark
turns worked as well or badly as their
alpine skis, to their surprise and my huge
relief. ‘I have never seen such skis since
I was a young boy’ said Herman ‘this is
history over again’.
By now there was a revival on its way,
beginning in the USA.
There was an interview with tele’ ski
legend Paul Parker in the early 2000s, in:
http://www.descender.com/issue3/parker.
html which describes very well the cultural
differences between Nordic skiing and
mainstream alpine piste skiing.
‘How has the culture of telemark skiing
changed over the years?’
PP: ‘We’re talking about 25-30 years,
so telemark has changed at least as much
as our American culture has changed.
In those days our generation was full of
anti-establishment sentiment, Woodstock,
hippies, the Vietnam War. Telemark had
practical roots, being good transportation
to backcountry powder, a viable survival
technique on scrawny little skis and
boots. But I think it was attractive as well
because it was alternative, another way
to buck the establishment. Alpine was
very flashy and hyped up then - it seemed
tastelessly so - and telemark was a sort of
cool hippie alternative.’
As a long-time pack designer, Karrimor
and OMM, I was intrigued to try the
alternatives to carrying a pack in snow
conditions. Sledges and/or dogs?
East Greenland August 1992: I joined a
nine man expedition led by Stan Woolley,
flying in by Twin Otter to land in previously
unexplored territory. We chose Nordic
backcountry waxable skis and took skins
as well of course, our plastic pulks had
a fabric cover and we each hauled 78kg
at the start point. Packs only used for the
climbing days.
Alaska 1998: John Barry invited me to
climb Mt McKinley/Denali west buttress
on skis with sledges. Most mountaineers
make their way from the small Twin otter
landing strip up to the base camp at
14,000 feet by Alpine skis or snowshoes,
but from there it is extremely rare to take
skis further. In this case we took Telemark
skis and two of our party, including Polly
Murray, made a first Telemark ski descent.
Most used a simple plastic kid’s sled
to pull their gear but a few, like myself,
preferred a proper pulk.
Antarctica 1992: With Doug Scott
amongst others, I flew into the blue
ice runway at ‘Patriot Hills’ to climb
Mt Vincent. Choice of ski was alpine
because of steep and uncertain terrain.
A modern pulk was available on location
supplemented by our own 80L packs.
Skiing with dogs: each of my three trips
were quite different, here is an account of
one of them.1993, Sarek, Sweden. The
late John Noble, who had several years of
dog handling experience with the British
Antarctic Survey, had invited me on a
350km dog trip through Arctic Sweden.
One morning I was sharing an eight dog
sled team with John. He said, ‘I would
like to get some pictures; wait until the
other teams have moved away and let me
go ahead to a good position’. The other
five dog teams pulled away and my dogs
became more and more frantic. They were
howling, pulling, desperately trying to
join in what nature had taught them to do
best, chasing and hunting the other dogs
which had already departed. I reached
down to adjust my
skis, when crack,
the cord tethering
the sledge snapped.
Away went my dogs,
hunting the lead team,
dancing over the
deep crystalline snow
on their wide paws,
leaving me to grovel
along on un-waxed
skis. But they were
probably travelling at
20kph and all I could
manage in the deep
snow was about
3kph. I caught up with
my dogs, only when
they had caught the
leading team. The chase was now over
and sorting out a fighting tangle of two
dog teams took a long time.
50 years on, I am off right now for five
weeks in the Alps: Ecrins, Vanoise and the
Pyrenees. What do I need to aid my knees
on the powder descents, help my gasping
lungs on the ascents, and give me a
chance of surviving an avalanche?
My skis are 90mm under the foot, with
128mm tips and only 1.66m long, the
widest, shortest and lightest I have ever
used; great in powder. Skins are the new
so-called Gecko type which doesn’t even
need glue! Bindings are G3 and based on
the familiar Dynastar design. My boots
are Garmont, the best ski boot I have ever
had for comfort, flex and support. A new
avalanche transceiver, Mammut Barryvox,
which is the fourth or even fifth I have
owned and it’s digital, sensing multiple
bodies at the same time. My shovel is a
superlight ‘bearclaw’. I am probably going
to take a couple of pairs of Nordic as
well, classic and skate just to keep myself
flexible on days off.
Keep on slip-sliding away!
MOUNTAIN HEROES | ERIC JONES
ERIC JONES
F
or over twenty years, right
through to the 1980s, Eric Jones
was one of the most prolific
and daring solo climbers in the
world. And it wasn’t just contemporary
cutting-edge rock climbs that he was
calmly edging up ropeless, but major
alpine routes such as the Bonatti Pillar
on the Petit Dru. His solitary ascent in
1969 – the first solo climb since Walter
Bonatti himself had surged up it in 1954 –
epitomizes the amazing mental discipline
with which the Welshman was able to
keep it together in extraordinarily stressful
situations. On an initial attempt he was
knocked off by stonefall while trying a
difficult free move on the crux section.
Miraculously, he was saved by a small
hook tied to his harness, which caught
on a nubbin of a rock as he fell. Jones
managed to retreat despite a gushing
head wound. After two day’s quality
recovery time in the ‘Bar National’, he
returned to the fray and completed the
route, followed by a solo of the Gervasutti
Pillar.
Such coolness in tough conditions
became a Jones trademark, and some
of it was caught on film thanks to an
innovative documentary by Leo Dickinson
that used helicopters to follow Jones’
solo progress up the Eiger North Face
in 1982. Despite advances of time and
technology, it still remains one of the most
gripping climbing films made, an air of
tension palpable despite the steady, calm
progress of the man sporting a dragon on
his helmet.
Despite this, Jones’ innate modesty has
ensured that he has retained a low profile,
making his living from running a
popular climbers’ café
at Tremadog
in North
Wales.
As a
result many have
underestimated his
ability. A classic example
of this occurred during
Messner and Habeler’s
historic ascent of Everest
without oxygen in 1978.
Jones was part of the filming
support team and assigned the
job of tracking and filming the two
stars as long as he could keep up.
In spite of the burden of heavy camera
equipment he kept pace behind the stars
comfortably and ended up sharing their
top camp before the summit push. The
two lead climbers hadn’t counted on
company and a lack of extra bivouac
equipment meant Jones had to hunker
down on his own in a spare tent without
any insulation, resulting in no sleep and
very cold limbs by the morning. He was
forced to go down, but one wonders if
history might have turned out differently
if he could have had a little warmth that
night.
In recent years Jones seems to have
lost none of his appetite for extreme
adventure. In 1990 he flew a hot air
balloon over Everest, crash landing in
Tibet, while in 1997 he became the oldest
person to BASE-jump the spectacular
Angel Falls in Venezuela. When asked how
he would like to be remembered, his reply
was typical: ‘as a modest man, that’s all’.
ERIC JONES | MOUNTAIN HEROES
Snowdonia, 2011
Extract taken from
Mountain Heroes:
Portraits of Adventure by
Huw Lewis-Jones and
published by Polarworld.
www.polarworld.co.uk
FEATURE | ADVANCED NAVIGATION
sponsored by
THE BEST KIT FOR WINTER
NAVIGATION
Lyle Brotherton
The spate of recent tragedies in the
Cairngorms and on the Ben really brings
home the danger of winter in the hills. We
can never negate all the risks, we can only
endeavour to minimise the threats they
pose to us and the parties we lead.
These hazards vary from avalanches
to the collapse of ice climbing faces, yet
for 25% of all mountain rescue call-outs
in Scotland*, the incident started with a
navigational error that was the first link
in a chain of errors that led to disaster,
sometimes death.
An email to several mountain rescue
colleagues revealed the following:
FIVE POSITIVES OF WINTER
NAVIGATION
• The stunning beauty of an alpine winter
right here in Blighty!
• Feeling of escape; far less people go
hiking than in the summer.
• As the sun is low in the sky it casts
long shadows over the landscape and
highlights the contour features.
• Freezing temperatures make the ground
firm and easier to move over.
• Crystal clear air, from low dust and
pollen, allows you to see for miles and
enjoy the scenery.
FIVE NEGATIVES OF WINTER
NAVIGATION
• The single biggest threat is hypothermia;
every casualty recovered has some degree
of hypothermia.
• Whiteouts, not just the blizzard types,
also where thin cloud and bright sunshine
obscures the horizon.
• Compass – small bubbles in the capsule
that expand significantly in the cold and
can interfere with the needle rotating
correctly (These are caused by microcracks in the acrylic that draw air in and
the liquid contracts in the cold).
• Head torches, sat navs and mobile
“battery life is reduced
the colder it gets, and
with some batteries
this can be dramatic,
for example alkaline
disposable batteries lose
half their power going
from room temperature
to just 0°C.”
phones – battery life is reduced the
colder it gets, and with some batteries
this can be dramatic, for example alkaline
disposable batteries lose half their power
going from room temperature to just 0°C.
NiMH work well, although have some
loss of power down to -10°C. By far
the best and most sensible option are
Lithium batteries, both disposable and
rechargeable (Li-Ion) good to -40°C. Keep
ADVANCED NAVIGATION | FEATURE
your mobile phone in an inside pocket to
maximise battery efficiency.
• Avalanche – generally avalanches trigger
on slopes greater than 27° and slopes of
around 40° are the most dangerous.
• An adjustable declination correction
scale which can be set at the beginning
of the trip, therefore negating the need to
correct for it when travelling.
• Large and easy-to-read markings.
• A highly luminous bezel and index
triangle to use in dark conditions.
• 1:20 000 / 1:25 000 & 1:50 000 romer
scales for accurately calculating distance
instead of trying to convert millimetres on
the ruler to metres on the land.
* Scottish Mountaineering Incidents (1996–2005),
Research Digest
FIVE COMMON NAVIGATIONAL
ERRORS ENCOUNTERED
Inaccurate bearings – reasons:
• Compass Deviation – extra metal items
carried in winter, from ice-axes and
crampons to walking poles and skis. All of
which can severely affect a compasses’
accuracy when in close proximity to it.
• Hurriedly taken bearings; when people
stand still they get cold so they hurry.
• Combined with inaccurate bearings,
probably as a result of keeping gloves on.
• Bearings taken on distant objects that
quickly disappear when the weather
changes.
• Walking at 180° to the actual bearing,
probably a combination of cold and
fatigue where people forget red is north on
the compass.
CONCLUSION - INVEST IN A GOOD
COMPASS THAT HAS:
• A serrated bezel ring that is easy to use
with gloves on.
s
Creating a stable platform before taking a bearing is important year-round, but becomes crucial in foul weather - the video above explains the Brace Position.
GEAR REVIEW | SLEEPING BAGS
SLEEPING BAGS
A cold, shivering night does nothing for performance in the morning.
While modern synthetic fills are excellent, a down sleeping bag will
invariably be lighter, warmer and more durable for a given weight and
pack down smaller. Ideal for those who spend a lot of time under nylon,
Phil Turner reviews a selection of three-season sleeping bags.
FORCE TEN CATALYST 400 £250
With a lime green outer and orange inner to match their tent range, the Force Ten
Catalyst is certainly eye-catching! With a lightweight, stripped-down feel to the
whole bag, the thin 15 Denier fabric used throughout certainly helps to keep the
weight down and leads to a very small packed size. The mummy cut is close-fitting
and there is only one length available, so there isn’t much wiggle room and tall or
broad users may feel restricted. In common with several down bags
in this review the bag is insulated with 400g of 700 Fill Power goose
down – distributed with 240g on the top and 160g below – and offers
a 2°C Comfort and -4°C Lower Comfort rating. There are most of the
usual features, despite a weight of 800g, including a shoulder baffle
and decent hood, though the side zip is half-length. The arrowshaped footbox accommodates my size 11s well. With a relatively
low RRP this is a superb lightweight option.
■ http://www.forcetentents.com
BIG AGNES ZIRKEL SL £370
REGULAR, £400 LONG
Quilts and topbags make a lot of sense – the insulation beneath
your prostrate body is compressed and doesn’t do much, so
why not save some weight and bulk by leaving it out? The Big Agnes
system isn’t quite the same as a normal quilt as the bottom isn’t
fully open (which can cause drafts); instead there is an uninsulated
pad sleeve beneath the torso before the familiar mummy shape
continues from the hips down. This freedom of movement is great
if you sleep on your back, but as the bag remains attached to the
pad, side or front sleepers will need to be content with a face full
of hood. Incidentally, the hood is very good, with an innovative
shaped collar that fits around the neck to prevent drafts without
causing restriction. There’s also a pocket inside the hood which
can be stuffed with spare clothing to form a pillow. The use of
longitudinal baffles helps keep the down in position within the
chambers. Despite a weight of just over 1kg (thanks to the highlofting 800 Fill Power down and thin fabric), the stated temperature
rating of 20°F (-7°C) seems accurate, and it packs down extremely
small. It comes at a high price though. ■ http://www.bigagnes.com
SLEEPING BAGS | GEAR REVIEW
ALPKIT SKYEHIGH 600
£105 SHORT TO £115 LONG
The SkyeHigh 600 is the budget sleeping
bag in Alpkit’s excellent value
sleeping bag range. A key
feature is the customisation
on offer – a choice of three
lengths and a zip on the left
or right (in regular length).
The current iteration of
the SkyeHigh uses a 90/10
650+ Fill Power goose down which is superb value
at this price, but as demand for goose down rises
Alpkit have announced a switch to a high-quality duck
down to allow the price to remain low. Alpkit quote a
-5°C Lower Comfort temperature rating for the current
SkyeHigh 600, so it’s perfect for UK three-season use.
Despite the relatively low price there is no evidence
of corner-cutting, with good quality hardware used
throughout including a free-running main zip protected
by a generous internal baffle. Both the shoulder baffle
and hood are fitted with generous drawcords that cinch
in tightly when necessary, and the stitched-in care label
is well worth reading for some typical Alpkit laid-back
words of wisdom. Only available to purchase directly
from the Alpkit website you will struggle to find another
down sleeping bag – goose or duck - of this quality for
such a low price. ■ http://www.alpkit.com
m
EDITOR’S
CHOICE
a g . co
As you’d expect from a UK
company, the Neutrino Endurance
n
range of sleeping bags are ideal for
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sustained use in damp conditions. The
down insulation is protected from moisture
by a Pertex Endurance shell which is extremely waterresistant and copes with both condensation from tent walls
and wayward coffee. Whilst it is more water-resistant, the
outer shell doesn’t breathe quite as well as bags using
a thinner fabric, so those that don’t require the extra
protection may prefer the standard Neutrino range. Pertex
Endurance is a little heavy, so a thinner, lightweight Pertex
Quantum lining ensures that the excellent 800 Fill Power
down can loft. The 400g of down offer a 0°C Comfort and
-6°C Lower Comfort rating with a total weight of 900g –
80g heavier than the Neutrino model. The reversed main
zip further adds to the water-resistance and runs smoothly
thanks to an anti-snag tape, with a good baffle behind to
prevent cold creeping in. An adjustable shoulder baffle and
effective hood adjustment also help to seal out the weather.
■ http://www.rab.uk.com
om
A true
minimalist, fast-andlight bag, the Laser 600 from tent experts Terra Nova has
a proprietary ripstop nylon shell that manages to be both
lightweight and resistant to the escape attempts of some
top-quality 900 Fill Power white goose down. This 355g of
down in a box wall baffle construction makes the difference
– it’s like a captive cloud and offers enough insulation to
give a 0°C Comfort rating with a total weight of 650g. While
a Lower Comfort rating is not stated, I remained warm in
temperatures approaching -5°C. Despite the low weight the
Laser 600 offers a shoulder baffle and decent hood, but a
short (30cm) fine-toothed zip which dispenses with niceties
like cord zip pulls. There is just one length available, but it’ll
be easily long enough for most users, with a non-restrictive
mummy cut that still allows for layering to push the bag into
colder temperatures. Pushed into the compression sack the
resulting package is tiny, and I like the inclusion of a mesh
storage sack. It’s an expensive bag, but superb for those
that like to keep their packweight down.
■ http://www.terra-nova.co.uk
RAB NEUTRINO ENDURANCE
400 £300
pr
TERRA NOVA LASER 600 £420
KATHMANDU PATHFINDER
E-PROOF £220 REGULAR,
£230 LARGE
This is a no-frills two-season down sleeping bag
with a Low Comfort rating of 0°C. The Durable
Water Repellent (DWR)-coated shell is filled with
320g of 680 Fill Power down (in size L) and features
are limited to a double-ended zip and a hood with a
bungee drawcord. This focus on just the essentials
has resulted in a weight of 740g and a small packed
size when compressed into the included stuff sack.
The quality of down is at the lower end of the scale,
which adds weight but makes it less susceptible to
collapse in humid conditions. The supplied storage
sack – large enough to allow the down insulation to loft when hung
up at home – is a nice touch. The Pathfinder range is available in
two lengths – regular with a length of 210cm and shoulder width of
75cm and large at 220cm long with 85cm shoulder width.
■ http://www.kathmandu.co.uk
THREE-SEASON MOUNTAIN BOOTS | GEAR REVIEW
THREE-SEASON
MOUNTAIN BOOTS
her...
Hitting the hills day after day in
all weathers can be hard on your
boots, feet and wallet. Busy outdoor
professionals can get through a new
pair of boots every season. Choosing
the right boots for the job should not
mean compromising on durability
or comfort. Phil Turner and Lucy
Wallace put a selection of the best
three-season mountain boots through
their paces.
MAMMUT
APPALACHIAN GTX
£200
Since taking over at Raichle,
Mammut have continued the
tradition of making excellent
mountain boots. The
Appalachian is a
hardy nubuck
leather
boot with
a Gore-Tex
liner and
Vibram sole.
Comfort comes from generous memory foam
padding. The stout lugs on the outsole bite steep
grass well and a full rubber rand protects against
bog and rock. The sole profile is just about trim
enough for edging but loss of precision is wellcompensated for by superb grip on wet rock. The
tall, cushioned ankle cuff supports well when load
carrying on rough ground. It is heavy compared
to others here, but is classed as B1 so will take
a walking crampon with no issues, adding to
versatility. In action this is a very stable and solid
boot with more flexibility and comfort than most
other B1s. It’s good for multi-day expeditions in
the wild, rough walking and scrambling all-yearround. The fit is fairly narrow. Available in men’s
and women’s sizes. ■ http://www.mammut.ch
GEAR REVIEW | THREE-SEASON MOUNTAIN BOOTS
SCARPA MYTHOS TECH
GTX £219.99
pr
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Exciting things are afoot in the
world of boots. Models built purely
with female mountaineers in mind
are being produced at the highend and the Mythos Tech GTX
is one of these. The BE last
is a women’s specific
design, with a
neat heel cup
but a generous
toe box. Other
features include
Gore-Tex liner and a rugged
vibram sole and rand. The speed lacing
EDITOR’S
on these boots is brilliant, extending right
CHOICE
down to the forefoot; holding the foot
securely in place on a variety of horrible
n
ai
terrain. This boot came out on several
nt
w w w.mou
mountain rescue training exercises and stood
up well to bogs, slimy gullies and forced marches. Scarpa
don’t say if this boot is suitable for crampons but after
heavy wear the rigidity is still good, and I think a flexible
crampon could be fitted for occasional use. A slightly less
burly version is available in the Mythos GTX at £189.99.
Sizes 37-42. ■ http://www.scarpa.co.uk
MEINDL BURMA PRO
MFS £189.99
The Burma Pro has been around for a while and
was one of the first boots to use memory foam in its
uppers, revolutionising comfort and fit. The fact that
it has stood the test of time is a sure sign that this
is a good boot that serves its users well. Like other
boots here it has a beefy Vibram sole and Gore-Tex
membrane. The uppers are nubuck and are protected
by a narrow rand that extends the length of the
boot. The ankle cuff didn’t agree with me; it gives
excellent support but I found it bruised me on longer
days, although this won’t bother
everyone. It’s a subtle design,
that doesn’t shout “extreme
sports” at you, but which quietly
gets on with doing exactly
what is required of a good
quality three-season boot.
Available in men’s and
women’s sizes.
■ http://www.
meindl.co.uk
ASOLO TRIBE GV £180
The Asolo Tribe GV is a deceptive boot. Another
model made purely for women, it looks like a full
winter boot, but in fact it’s a tough, surprisingly
lightweight three-season boot. The lovely Perwanger
leather upper provides water repellency and a GoreTex membrane ensures full waterproofing. The Vibram
sole has a nice aggressive tread, and although the
rand doesn’t extend beyond the forefoot it wraps over
the toes for extra protection where needed. Efficient
lacing extends the length of the boot for a precise fit,
and the shank is stiff enough for good edging on rock,
but not quite enough for crampons. The boot isn’t as
well-cushioned as others reviewed; I’d allow time for
breaking in before heading out on big days. However,
it’s a good combination of solidity
and low weight that will suit
some users well. The colour may
look wild, but it’s also available
in “grape” and a more sober
navy. The fit is snug, available in
sizes 3.5-9.5.
■ http://www.asolo.com
ANATOM Q3
£145
The Q3 has a luxurious
look and feel
with conker
brown full grain
leather upper,
supple leather lined
cuff and sheep’s wool foot bed. There is a lot to like here,
but I do have two gripes. Firstly the lack of rand around
the toe means I tore in to the uppers pretty quickly when
scrambling on the rough rock around these parts. Secondly,
the tongue design looks like it might channel rainwater for
non gaiter wearers. I haven’t experienced this however,
so may just be being paranoid. Waterproofing is ensured
by Anatom’s Tri.Aria membrane, but the quality leather
construction should keep water out anyway. The Vibram
outsole is rugged, grippy and stable. The fit is snug on the
heel, and very roomy around the toe box. Lacing is slick,
but does not extend far enough down the boot for my
narrow feet. Overall a beautifully made boot, that is wellpriced and great for mountain paths and long-distance
walking. Available in men’s and women’s sizes.
■ http://www.anatom.co.uk
BOOTS | GEAR REVIEW
THREE-SEASON MOUNTAIN
BOOTS
him...
SCARPA
KINESIS
TECH GTX
£220
This is a beautiful
all-round
boot. A
newlydesigned
last,
sole and footbed
have combined to form the ‘ActiveFit’ system,
which claims to offer increased comfort
while holding your foot more precisely. This
is immediately apparent straight out of the
box, where well-placed padding and smooth,
effective lacing offers a boot which requires
little breaking in. The sole is stiff enough to
accept a C1 walking crampon and has good,
square edges to form a secure platform in
marginal terrain. The leather upper is rugged
and durable but also protected by a rubber
rand. The walking action is good and belies
the sole rigidity, making them comfortable and
suitable for use into the winter months.
■ http://www.scarpa.co.uk
MAMMUT MERLON GTX £180
Looking at the shallow tread and smooth climbing zone on the toe
of the sticky asymmetrical Vibram sole it’s clear who the Merlon
is aimed at. The lack of metal lacing hardware on the forefoot and
large rand extending well over the toe confirm that these boots
are designed to be jammed into cracks, and as the webbing
lace loops extend to the sole they also cradle the
foot particularly well. As well as coping well with
scrambling and simple climbing they have a good
walking action with a firm and supportive heel cup
and good square outsole for kicking platforms and
edging. A combination of velour leather and mesh
upper has kept the weight down and forms a
good lightweight package when coupled
with a C1 crampon.
■ www.mammut.ch
GEAR REVIEW | BOOTS
BRASHER KANAGA GTX £175
MEINDL
BURMA PRO
MFS
£190
I like the styling of the Kanaga GTX – a modern twist on a
traditional brown leather hiking boot, but I’d prefer a bit less
exposed stitching on the oiled nubuck leather upper. A full
rand protects the bottom portion of the upper when crunching
through ice and scree, and the square profile sole assists with
edging and heel-plunging. The fit is typical Brasher, with a narrow
supportive heel and wide forefoot, and the ankle cuff supportive
and comfortable. There is no locking eyelet to aid fit adjustment,
and the simple eyelet design seems to be a little aggressive as
I’ve managed to shred the supplied laces at the same place
on both boots. Whilst it’s a stiff B1 rated boot
(accommodating a C1 rated crampon), it has a
nice walking motion that makes them suitable for
year-round walking whilst possessing enough
structural rigidity to cope with crampons
and the stresses and strains of winter
hillwalking. They’re also wellpriced and a sensible weight for
a leather boot.
■ www.brasher.co.uk
A classic boot,
with a nice-looking and functional oiled nubuck
leather upper clear of excessive stitching. They
aren’t as stiff as others featured, and with a B0
rating aren’t recommended for use with crampons.
They offer comfort straight out of the box, with the
Memory Foam System (MFS) inner lining activated
by body heat and conforming to the shape of the
foot for an almost custom fit. The overall fit is more
relaxed than some of the more climbing-focused
models which may suit those with a broader foot.
Minor adjustments can be easily made thanks to
an effective lacing system which includes a set of
locking hooks and leather ‘wings’ which help to
keep the heel firmly seated. There’s a thin rubber
rand to protect the upper and the joint with the
Vibram outsole, which has a clever tread pattern
unique to Meindl. There is a Gore-Tex lining in the
Burma Pro, but those that prefer a non-membrane
leather boot should consider the Borneo 2 model.
■ www.meindl.co.uk
THE NORTH FACE
VERTO S4K GTX
£230
LA SPORTIVA TRANGO ALP GTX
£250
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This is a proper mountain boot, with a colourful design and heel welt
capable of accepting a semi-automatic C2 crampon. The fit is precise to
benefit climbers utilising small holds, though unusually for La Sportiva
I didn’t find them too narrow at the forefoot. In a nod to alpinists
making fast ascents these are relatively lightweight for
a B2 boot (just over 1kg per boot in size 47 on my
scales) and the judicious use of synthetic material
and mesh combined with real leather makes them
EDITOR’S
surprisingly comfortable out of the box. There’s a
CHOICE
lot of stitching involved in joining the various panels
together, but a huge rubber rand helps to protect the
n
ai
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upper. The positive Vibram sole has an ‘Impact Brake
System’, claimed to increase braking performance
by 20% thanks to a revised lug orientation. I’m a fan
of the lacing system – the last eyelet has a simple
but effective locking mechanism that makes finetuning the fit a breeze. An established favourite
among mountain professionals, it’ll provide
a stable platform for everything from
summer hillwalking to winter
mountaineering.
■ www.lasportiva.com
pr
The Verto S4K was TNF’s first
foray into the world of technical
mountaineering footwear.
Definitely a climbing boot
rather than a hiking
boot, the lacing
runs right down
to the closefitting toe for
precise footwork,
aided by the flat ‘climbing zone’ on the Vibram
sole. The upper is colourful and made from a
mix of synthetic materials designed to keep
the weight low, and coupled with the lack of
any significant insulation adds to the ‘fast and
light’ alpine feel. With a B2 rating the sole is
stiff, but with a good rocker action, walking is
surprisingly natural. The snug lacing, plastic
cage arrangement and heel cradle combination
offer good stability without compromising
articulation. The footbed is unusual – with
an obvious gel pad under the forefoot and
heel and a rigid arch support. Having sized
up to accommodate my wide forefoot I found
that the front pad was out of position and a
little annoying, but the footbed can easily be
swapped for a more conventional design.
■ uk.thenorthface.com
GEAR REVIEW | BINOCULARS
BINOCULARS
Lucy Wallace looks at a range of binoculars, from entry level optics
suitable for group use, to mid-priced quality pairs ideal for outdoor
professionals.
Choosing binoculars is not always as straightforward as you
would think. Magnification is only part of the story, as other
factors such as brightness, field of view and lens coatings
make a difference to the quality of the image and ease of
use. Here are some tips on what to look out for:
Magnification: The lower the magnification, the brighter
the image, the greater the depth of field and the wider the
field of view. For this reason, powerful binoculars are not
always the best for practical use outdoors. I’m a fan of 8x
for ordinary wildlife watching when I’m out and about; 10x is
better for use in hides and viewing platforms.
Brightness: The larger the objective lens (expressed in
mm), the more light gets in, and the brighter the image. The
size and weight of your optics will also increase with the size
of the objective lens, so it’s a trade-off. Compact binoculars
range from 18-25mm, for larger roof-prism optics anywhere
from 36-42mm is common.
Field of view: This is the size of the image that is captured
by the lens. If you are looking for something small in a
complex environment, a wide field of view is best. This may
be quoted in degrees or metres. 1° is worth approximately
17m field of view from a distance of 1000m.
KATHMANDU
COMPACT
BINOCULARS 7X18
£24.99
These tiny compact binoculars
look more like a child’s toy than a
professional piece of kit, but the image
quality is surprisingly good, and they
weigh only 185g. The field of view is a
huge 9.3° and the near focal range
isn’t bad for their size either. For
groups and schools, these are the
ideal trade-off between price and
user friendliness, and are certainly
good enough for occasional use.
■ http://www.kathmandu.co.uk
BINOCULARS | GEAR REVIEW
KATHMANDU 10X25 £39.99
The larger model from Kathmandu doesn’t
stand up quite so well to testing although it
looks good on paper, with a waterproof
protective outer and push down eye pieces
for spectacle wearers. The image is not very
sharp, the field of view is a narrow 5.6° and
the near focus limit seems a lot further away than the 3m
specified. They weigh just 290g, but for the price it could
be worth upgrading to one of the higher-quality compact
models. ■ http://www.kathmandu.co.uk
EDITOR’S
CHOICE
Like the Vegas,
these are the
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binoculars I
w w w.mou
personally use and
I can’t fault them. I chose them
because I wanted the very best optics
that I could afford and they are an
excellent compromise of quality and
price. The rubberised outer is fully
waterproof and they are filled with
nitrogen to prevent fogging. Field of
view is 6.5°. Like the Bushnells, the
image is bright and clear. Focusing
is easy and the depth of field is
fantastic.They lack a lot of the smart
accessories that the Bushnells have,
but I think they just pip them at the
post on image sharpness and ease
of focusing. They are quite chunky,
weighing 585g, so won’t suit people
who are watching their weight, but if
you want a serious pair of binoculars
you can’t go wrong with these.
■ http://shopping.rspb.org.uk
OPTICRON VEGA 8X25 £55.00
I have been astonished by how well the Opticron Vegas I have for group use have stood
up to almost daily abuse, including being bumped along beaches by countless 10 yearolds. The multi-coated lenses give an image that is bright and crisp and the field of
view is not bad at 6.3°. Pushdown eye cups mean they are easy to use with glasses.
Weighing just 328g, small hands have no problems holding and focusing them. A
decent pair of binoculars can make all the difference to the wow factor when wildlife
watching so these are great for group use, if a little pricey. My only complaint is the
shape. So many people look through the wrong end! ■ http://www.opticron.co.uk
m
RSPB
BG.PC
8X42 £359
a g . co
We are now in to the realms of
posh binoculars and you certainly
get what you pay for. Thanks to
high quality coatings on lenses
and prisms the Bushnell Excursion
EX 10x36 binoculars have a
spectacularly bright image despite
a relatively high magnification and
small objective lens (which gives
them a neat pack size). They come
with lots of great features including
lockable focus wheel, two different
straps, and a hard case to protect
them. The lens cap retainers do
keep falling off however (I would
lose them pretty quickly) and the
bulky case counteracts their nice
small size. The field of view is
average to good at 6.3° and they
weigh in at 620g, making them the
heaviest reviewed.
■ http://www.heinnie.com
om
The
Lugers
have
an air of
quality about
them that you
don’t often see
with compact binoculars. There are
rubberised grips in the waterproof
housing and even the padded strap
shows a design that cares about
how the customer feels about using
them. The image is bright and crisp,
although the depth of field doesn’t
seem quite as good as the Opticron
Vegas, meaning that novice users
may find searching for elusive
wildlife harder, but the field of view is
good at 6.7°. At the price they would
be great for a mountain professional
looking for a pair of robust but
lightweight (325g) optics to carry on
the hill in all conditions. They lack
pushdown eye cups, but I guess you
can’t have everything.
■ http://www.heinnie.com
BUSHNELL
EXCURSION EX
10X36 £308
pr
LUGER LR 10X26
£70.95
FEATURE | WILDLIFE
WAS IT AN EAGLE?
The sheer size of the golden eagle makes the UK’s most iconic bird of
prey unmistakable. Or at least it should. Julian Rollins assists.
W
hat’s that bird on the
horizon? It’s big and is
soaring effortlessly on
wings that are held straight.
If you’re in Britain, what else could it be
other than a golden eagle? It would seem
to be a no-brainer.
But many “eagle” sightings probably
have more to do with people’s desire
to see the birds than to an actual eagle
encounter. In fact, in Scotland the
common buzzard is sometimes called the
“tourist eagle”, because so many visitors
go home convinced that the bird they saw
was a golden eagle.
You can see golden eagles in mountain
areas around the world. They are found
in North America, much of Asia, parts of
Africa and in Europe from Spain to arctic
Norway.
But in Britain they are rare: the Royal
Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB)
reckons there are 442 breeding pairs.
Nearly all of those birds hunt in remote
areas of the Scottish Highlands and the
Hebrides. A handful of pairs breed in
south-west Scotland, and until recently
one pair bred in England’s Lake District
too (there’s a good chance to see eagles
at the RSPB’s Haweswater nature reserve,
near Bampton, Cumbria).
Golden eagles were probably once a
feature of all the UK’s upland regions,
but experts say the population began
to decline in the 18th century because
they were targeted
by sheep farmers
and later, by
gamekeepers.
As a result the
species was
exterminated in England and Wales by
1850 and in Ireland by 1912.
Despite the persecution, the species
managed to survive in small numbers in
Scotland. That small population was hit
by a new problem in the mid-20th century,
when many eagles suffered pesticide
poisoning.
Chemical residues built up in their
bodies and caused infertility. When they
did manage to lay eggs the shells were
often so thin that they were not viable.
It was only after the problem chemicals
were banned that golden eagle numbers
began to recover. They are now protected
by law from shooting and poisoning, but
have failed to spread into upland areas
that should make good eagle country the RSPB says: “This is thought to be
the result of deliberate persecution and
incidental disturbance in these areas.”
While UK golden eagle numbers are
counted in hundreds, there are perhaps
40,000 breeding buzzard pairs in the UK.
That’s 100 times as many buzzards as
eagles, so the chances are the eagle that
you think you’re watching is a buzzard or
some other bird with wings with ‘fingered’
ends - perhaps a red kite or a raven.
Not that anyone would struggle to make
the correct ID if they were to see a golden
eagle and a buzzard flying together. The
eagle is so much bigger.
An adult golden eagle can grow to more
than a metre (36 inches) long and has a
wingspan of up to 2.3 metres (90 inches).
That wingspan compares with just 1.3
metres (51 inches) for a buzzard.
Only the very rare white-tailed eagle,
or sea eagle, is bigger. But, of course,
it’s unlikely that your eagle is going to be
conveniently flying alongside a buzzard;
you’re likely to be trying to identify a bird
from a distance and, possibly, in poor light,
poor weather or both.
If you can make out colours look for the
underside of the bird’s body and wings. An
adult golden eagle is uniformly dark brown,
but with a hint of light brown to the plumage
on its head, which can look gold when the
sun catches it.
Silhouette is also a useful clue; a golden
eagle is longer in the wing than a buzzard
and has a more prominent head and tail. And
where a buzzard soars with its wings set in
a shallow ‘V’ shape, an eagle glides with its
wings held flat.
If you’re very lucky you will hear a golden
eagle call. For the size of the bird it is quite
weak and high-pitched, a two note ‘kee-yep’
that’s usually repeated.
Last, but not least, the behaviour of
your “golden eagle” should be a clue to its
identity. Eagles are consummate hunters and
rely on a well-laid ambush more than speed
in pursuit.
Look for eagles flying fairly low over the
ground. They move back and forth over
hillsides searching for prey – hares, grouse
and rabbits.
When an eagle spots a target it swoops
down on its victim at speeds of up to 90mph.
The kill is made with the bird’s powerful
talons, rather than the wicked-looking beak.
The golden eagle is a powerful, majestic
bird. No other species captures the spirit of
the mountains in quite the same way.
Find out more at the RSPB’s website:
www.rspb.org.uk
RAB REVIEW | QUICK QUESTIONS
VIDEO REVIEW: RAB MYRIAD JACKET
s
TRIED AND TESTED | MRT MEMBER - KIRSTIE SMITH
TRIED & TESTED
Outdoor professionals put their kit through hell and expect it to perform day after
day. As an Arran Mountain Rescue team member, Kirstie Smith never knows when
she will be called out or for how long, but these are the essential pieces of kit that
always come along.
PARAMO VELEZ
ADVENTURE SMOCK
STANLEY-CLASSIC VACUUM
BOTTLE FLASK
I have worn
many different
waterproof
jackets when
out in the
great Scottish
weather and
this smock is
the best piece
of clothing
I have ever
worn on the
hill.
It has kept
and continues
to keep me
warm and dry
for hours through some of the most horrendous
weather and is also so easy to vent to cool me
down when I’m breaking a sweat.
When you are working hard the Velez wicks
any sweat away from your body efficiently
and keeps you dry and warm without feeling
clammy.
The Velcro straps at the wrist are excellent for
tightening around gloves for added warmth or
loosening off again when you need that extra
ventilation.
The hood is also brilliant for keeping me cosy
and snug, especially if the wind gets fierce.
The smock also has a very handy large zip
pocket at the front which is great for stuffing in a
map, compass and any spare food I need quick
access too. Sometimes I don’t have the time to
delve into my rucksack so having a handy place
for a few essential items is a huge bonus.
The material of the smock is surprisingly soft
and on first impressions it was hard to believe
that it would repel water, as it feels more like a
soft shell, but it does an amazing job.
I have had a Velez Adventure Smock for over
a year and can honestly say I wouldn’t buy
anything else now.
As a mountaineer, the comfort of a hot drink when exposed to
the elements is a must and my Stanley flask has never failed to
keep my hot chocolate as piping hot on the hill as when it first
came off the hob.
That warming, sugary fix is enough to give you that extra
boost when you or another team member needs it the most.
The flask has a handy screw top which you can partially twist
open. This helps contain the heat inside, reducing any chance
of unnecessary cooling. As the top doesn’t need to be fully
removed it reduces the chance of losing the screw top when
fumbling around for other items, especially with cold hands or
when wearing gloves.
The design is simple, compact and functional.
I opted for the 16oz version as it slips into my rucksack easily
without taking up lots of space.
My Stanley has certainly
been through the wars
over the years and has
survived well. It has taken
a good few tumbles and
been vigorously bashed
about on exercise and
rescues but due to its solid
construction, keeps on
going with no leaks.
This is really comforting
to know as there is nothing
worse than a flask that
leaks all over your dry gear.
A simple, reliable item to
carry that makes a huge
difference when tired and
cold.
Kirstie Smith is a serving member and
press officer for the Arran MRT. Mountains are
her passion and she loves spending every bit
of spare time she has on them - whether it be
fell running, mountaineering or photography,
you’ll always find her there. At present she
is training for the Goatfell hill race in May to raise funds for
the team and also gaining experience towards her Summer
Mountain Leader Award. For more info on Arran MRT or to
make a donation visit www.arranmountainrescue.org
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mountain heroes: eric jones top dogs

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