Summit Safe Solutions

op Tip No. 14 - Why do we climb mountain?

I might be going a bit rouge with these top tips but if we don't climb mountains what's the point of all this anyway?

Firstly I think it's worth acknowledging that although this might seem like a simple question, to most, it is not simple answer. I reckon a few wrong answers include: for fun, for the views or because they're there. It's not always fun, there is not always a view and they're not always there. Actually, wait no, they are always there but that answer is a bit of a cop out...

I can't speak on behalf of the entire world but I can give my answer. For me mountains are a way to escape the reality of the modern world. A place where the problems of day to day life can't reach me. A place where I can experience true freedom. Just me against the mountains.

Now I've given my answer, what I really want to know is yours. Why do YOU climb mountains?

Top Top No. 14 - Sometimes the best days don't go to plan

What do I mean by this? When I look back at some of my best days in the mountains they have one thing in common. They did NOT go to plan. For one reason or another something unexpected happened and I had to adapt and overcome. The mountains are always unpredictable but the ability to adapt and overcome is often what separates the good days from the bad ones. Resilience is the word that comes to mind.

The mountains are not your friend. They always find a way of testing you. Be resilient however and they'll reward you in the most incredible ways and provide you with everlasting memories.

The point of this post is not to say that planning is pointless but to say expect the unexpected and be willing to change the plan as you go.

Top Tip No. 13 - Night Nav

So why do we do night nav? I generally don't go out in the mountains when it's dark (believe it or not I actually do it for fun and do enjoy a view!). Although I may sometimes get caught out in the dark and it's useful to still be able to navigate, it's not the primary reason I do night nav.

So why? To simulate poor visibility conditions. Despite what I might like to think, I'm not actually god and have no control over the weather. This means I can get caught out in poor visibility conditions when I don't want to but also when I want to practice navigating in these conditions then I might just get blessed with blue sky and sunshine! 🌞

So its common practice to just go out in the dark and practice navigating with poor visibility because you never know when you'll get stuck in these conditions for real. (Quite often in North wales!)

Top Tip No. 12 - Cows

In terms of mountain hazards I'd usually put cows quite low down on that list. However, take away the risk of exposed ridges, rocky terrain and unpredictable mountain weather then I reckon they'd actually be quite near to top of that list. In some recent DofE work they've certainly been a common hazard that needed managing.

We're pretty lucky in the UK that cows are one of the most dangerous animals we are likely to encounter. We'll talk another animal in a future most (hint ✅️✅️ hint).

Although I wouldn't class cows as dangerous animals they can and have injured and even killed people. That being said, this really shouldn't be a concern.

Cows don't eat humans! I'm hoping that isn't news to anyone but my point is that they really haven't got any interest in people. Unlike sheep however, they are pretty big and strong and therefore not usually afraid of us. In other words they don't particularly care if they happen to be in the way of the footpath 😂

Time for the but... Cows are protective of their young and can be spooked. At least one of these is usually the reason for cow attacks. Simple solution? Leave them be and stay away from them as much as practical. Sometimes especially younger cows are curious and will come to you. They're just investing, don't act threatening or erratic and you'll be okay!

I hope most adults are capable of following the above but your dog might not be. Obviously make sure they're well trained and keep them on lead. If they do decide to misbehave and a cow decides they're threat. Let the dog fend for themselves! Most dogs can outrun cows and generally the cow is after the dog and not you!

Top Tip No. 11 - Heat 🥵

After a stupid hot weekend, let's talk about those unusual days (at least in Wales 😂) when it's really hot. In my last post we talked about making sure to have enough layers to keep you warm if you need to stay stationery for a long period. This is still the case on hot days but you might not need so many layers to achieve this...

I usually have a pretty standard kit list including hat, gloves, full waterproofs and a puffy jacket. There are occasions where I'll throw this list out the window however.

If its forcast to be 20 degrees, no rain and low winds (in the mountains!) I probably wouldn't worry too much aboce bringing a bag full of layers! However, I usually find my bag is actually heavy on these sort of days! Why? Water.

I don't usually bring more than 1 liter of water when it's cool but I'll easily drink 3 times that when it's hot. And unfortunately water is heavy! Thinking about where you can top up is a super solid strategy I reckon and I'll even often bring a water filter with me. A filter is a lot lighter than water!

Obviously sun cream, sun hat and glasses are pretty essential too!

The point? Think about what you are packing. I dont like strict rules about what to bring. Although helpful as a guide, you really should be packing based on the forcast and what you are doing.

Top Tip No. 10 - Keeping Warm

On Saturday I spent nearly 12 hours on Yr Wyddfa (snowdon) working for and spent most of the day reasonably stationery. What did I bring with me? A massive bag full of clothes and food. Okay the food may have been down to my own greediness but the clothes were pretty essential...

I wore a total of 2 jumpers and 3 coats. Do I usually bring 2 jumpers and 3 coats? No. Do I usually spend so much time not moving? Also, no. If something went wrong is it possible I'd have to spend a long time not moving? Yes. Would I have enough stuff with me to keep me warm if I had to stay stationery for a prolonged period? That's it. That's the question you need to be asking yourself. The answer should be yes.

One of the most common mistakes I see is people heading out without enough reserve layers. If you're wearing it all when working then you're gonna be cold if you need to stop. Emergency shelters and survival bags will obviously help (I've already done a post on this!) but extra layers are also pretty essential. Spare hat, gloves and a puffy jacket are almost always found in my bag (ans not on me!!)

Top Tip No. 9 - Fear

My name's Jared and I was and still am afraid of heights. And I'm not the only one...

I've been working a lot with Pete from .coaching (who is a great climbing coach btw) about improving my lead climbing head game. Some people seem to be naturally fearless with this stuff but that's never been me. I love climbing but fear can get in the way of that sometimes. Good news tho! You can change that!

How do I know? Because I have. I remember the first time I ever did the famous Crib Goch. Slowly inching my way along the ridge on my ass wondering why I was there. Its not the same ridge for me now. Its still exposed but I'm certainly not cacking my pants with every move.

In terms of climbing I've still got work to do but I'm getting there. It's not a quick process but it does work.

I'm not an expert on this stuff but I will give my views on what has worked for me. Firstly, forcing yourself to do the really scary thing repeatedly is not the best approach. You need to inforce positive feelings with that fear. Basically build it up slowly and for each step ensure you end with the feeling "that wasn't that bad" rather than "that was terrifying". Control is also key. You have to be the one to make the decision to do it and not feel forced.

I could probably blabber on all day about this stuff but lucky for you insta has a word limit. So I'll bring it to an end now... Fear is not permanent. With the right approach and patience it can be reduced and even eliminated. Don't let it stop you from doing the things you love!

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Fun day out yesterday with trialing out a learn to scramble loop. 3 scrambles, one day. False y gribin, y gribin and down seniors ridge.

Certainly a solid option for a first scramble and most importantly lots of time spent on rock!

Have to confess I've only ever gone down y gribin before but it's certainly good fun to go up as well! Lots of options as well on how hard you want to make it. False y gribin also offers a nice lead up to the ridge itself.

Top Tip No. 8 - Mountain Leader Terrain

Hopefully most people would agree that the first photo is not suitable ML terrain and the last photo is.

The handbook is very clear that the planned use of the rope is not within the ML scope. But I'm not using a rope in photo 2 or 3 am I??

That being said I think most people with an ounce of common sense would agree its not ML terrain either... The consequences of a slip there are obviously pretty catastrophic and spotting ain't gonna help!!

So what does the handbook actually say? "'Mountainous country' may be defined as wild country which may contain unavoidable steep and rocky ground" It does go onto definite steep ground a bit more but its still pretty vague.

One thing it does not mention is scrambling or scrambling grades. So what does this mean? Can we go scrambling?

The answer is... Possibly!! It depends on a lot of factors and I'm not gonna go into all of them but I will give my general views. Grade 2 and above is definitely out of the question. Grade 1 is okay if you can keen them safe with the skills you have (I'm not including the emergency rope stuff here!!).

It's as simple as that for me. If you can use all them lovely ML skills (such as spotting and shaparding) to keep them safe encase they slip then then you're on appropriate terrain. If not then you shouldn't be there.