Jim Ryan outlines the main trekking routes on Aconcagua As with any mountain, there are numerous routes up Aconcagua. The majority are categorised as extremely difficult, but there are two routes that require minimal technical expertise (i.e. they can be trekked) – the Normal Route and the Vacas Valley. The Normal Route is shorter by at least two days than …
Ski mountaineering racing (SKIMO) comes to Scotland
Winter 2013 will see ski mountaineering (SKIMO) racing being introduced to Scotland for the first time. Ski mountaineering racing is already a well established sport in the Alps and North America, but as yet, has not spread to the United Kingdom – until now. Tomorrow, Sunday 23rd Dec, is the last day to register for the race at Lecht on …
Increased funding for mountaineering
Sport England looks set to increase the British Mountaineering Council’s funding over the next four years, due to rising participation in climbing and hillwalking. The £3 million investment is driven by a growth in 16-25 year olds (and mostly males ) taking part. Almost 100,000 people regularly participate in mountaineering, which includes indoor wall climbing, outdoor climbing and hillwalking and …
Trek & Mountain Xmas Subscriptions – last orders 17th Dec!
Tomorrow is your last chance to buy the ultimate gift for the mountain man or woman in your life – yes that’s right, a subscription to Trek & Mountain! For just £38, we’ve put together a terrific package that includes 12 issues of Trek & Mountain, a Leatherman CS Style multi-tool (worth £29.95), a specially-produced T&M Xmas Gift Subs card …
'Lightest and most versatile' water purifier launched
A new water filter, claimed by its maker Sawyer to be be the lightest and most versatile system on the market, is being launched in the UK. The lightweight water treatment system SP131 uses technology derived from kidney dialysis and its filters use hollow fibre membranes engineered to produce micropores in ‘absolute’ microns, which make it impossible for viruses and …
Bigger Keswick Mountain Festival for 2013
The first details of the event programme for the 2013 Keswick Mountain Festival have been released, and on offer are more outdoor sports, a greater range of family activities, a larger variety of guided walks and a return to the Theatre by the Lake for the event’s biggest ever schedule of high-profile speakers. Now in its seventh year, Keswick Mountain …
Trek & Mountain Xmas Gift Guide
Top gift ideas for trekkers, climbers and mountaineers, as chosen by the Trek & Mountain team… LEATHERMAN REBAR £59.95 Quality Christmas gifts don’t come much more compact, yet powerful, than Leatherman’s Rebar Multi-tool, which is an ideal size and weight for use in the great outdoors and around the home. When the turkey has finally been polished …
Kili The Hard Way blog – Snowdonia training weekend
By Kili team-member Liz Miall MINUS 2 MONTHS – 17TH–18TH NOVEMBER I thought this was going to be a bit of an assessment/selection weekend for Kili The Hard Way 2013 sponsored by Helly Hansen, but it turns out no – we’re in! The itinerary for the weekend starts at 7pm with a briefing, meet our leader for the weekend …
Next generation Gore-Tex Pro unveiled
The launch of a new Gore-Tex membrane is a pretty big deal, and we were recently invited to attend a special event at Plas y Brenin, the National Mountain Centre in North Wales, to get an exclusive preview of the next generation of Gore-Tex Pro-shell, now to be called just ‘Pro’. While the launch of Active Shell a couple of …
Hike the Welsh 3000'ers with Gore-Tex
The Gore-Tex Fourteen Peaks Challenge, part of their Experience Tour, is a new project that will take a group of outdoors fans to the highest heights of Wales. The challenge is known locally as the Three Thousands because it takes in all of the 3000ft+ peaks in the area, and Gore-Tex are offering the chance to learn from local Mountain …