An evening on Pluto

With the long and light evenings of late Spring now well upon us, I took the opportunity for an evenings climb on Raven Crag. Its a superb venue for evening climbing, a short walk from the well placed Old Dungeon Ghyll and offering a great selection of accessible routes.

Long-term climbing buddy Chris was with me and with plenty of other teams on the easier classics we headed across to Pluto, a 3-pitch HVS offering a little bit of everything - some steepish crack climbing, a great traverse pitch and a final rib and slab. I hadnt climbed the route for several years and Chris never so it was perfect, a great route for a competent team, we'd obviously just have to scrape by!

Everything felt a little alien, having spent so much time fell running rather than climbing lately but everything quickly fell into place and it was one of the best evenings climbing I've had in ages and the perfect tonic to last weeks rather busy Summer 2013 sales launch!

A late Spring evening in Langdale

Pitch One - a steep crack

Chris cruising on pitch one of Pluto

Rich delicately traverses pitch 2 of Pluto

Chris struggles with his rack

Are you sure its this way?

Rich traverses high above Langdale

Chris high on the final pitch of Pluto

'I dont want to hear anymore about your new SS13 range'

Stubaier Alpen

Touring in the Stubai Alps - Austria

I spent all of last week in our German offices, working on next Spring and Winter's product ranges. Nestling in the heart of the Bavarian Countryside, only a matter of minutes from the foothills of the Nothern Alps and only an hour or so from the Austrian Tyrol it is an all too tempting spot for escaping into the mountains.

With relatively warm temperatures predicated, the avalanche risk at lower elevations was forecast to be high and so Thomas and myself decided to head over towards the central Alps in the Stubai region of Austria, to allow us to get above 3000m and find the best conditions. All photos courtesy of Thomas Strobl.

Skinning up the Pfaffenferner glacier, Monica behind (bottom R)

Taking advantage of the uplifts at the Stubaigletchser resort we quickly found ourselves basking in the sun at nearly 3000 metres. It was 10 o'clock and already warm. Our desination that day was the highest peak in the region, the Zuckerhutl (the SugarLoaf) which stands proud, the highest peak in the Stubai region at 3505m.

Rich at the Pfaffenjoch (3212m) en route to Zuckerhutl

From the hustle and crowds of the Stubaigletchser resort, we had gone within minutes, into a small and secluded valley. Greeted with silence, just a few other ski tourers could be seen on the glacier high above. With skins on (furry strips of fabric that let you ski uphill - originally from animal skins, hence the name but now synthetic) we began the gradual ascent of 600 metres or so to the summit. It was a steady climb that took a couple of hours, first a steady climb up the Pfaffenferner glacier to a col at 3212m before a long easterly traverse took us alongside and under the north face of the Zuckerhutl. From it would be a relatively straightforward climb to its summit. But in the relative warmth (the freezing level was around 3000 metres) even in just a Polartec base-layer and Shroud Jacket it was hot work.

Tom below the summit of Zuckerhutl

Rich at the 'ski station' beneath Zuckerhutl

From the ski station it was ski's off and short but relatively straightforward climb to the summit. And before we knew it, there Tom and I were, looking across to the Oztal Alps and further West towards the Wildspitze and onto Switzerland, to the South lay Italy and the distinct peaks of the Dolomites.

Rich & Tom after summiting Zuckerhutl

After a night spent in the Dresdner Hut, we were joined by two of Thomas' friends Markus and Monica, who living in nearby Innsbruck knew these mountains like the back of their hand. Again the day was forecast to be relatively warm, so again we decided to stay as high as possible.

Markus, Rich & Monica

Whizzing up in the cable car, we were quickly taken to 3133m. A short descent down firm piste and we were off , skirting the edge of the Windacher Ferner glacier before dropping down into a large bowl at around 2800m. This is what alpine touring is all about, the mountains were deserted, skiing fresh tracks as we descended some thousand feet through firm but forgiving snow, surounded to our North by a cirque of craggy peaks.

Fresh tracks, awesome views and no crowds

From the shadowy bowl we looked upwards, the rising glacier above was steeper than it looked. We would now have to regain the 350 metres of height we had just lost and we hadnt gone very far before we realised that the long climb ahead was more avalanche prone that we had first suspected. A quick pit and tell-tale chalky snow revealed a less stable series of slab layers, not horrendous, but worrying enough to ascend with extreme caution. 30 metres apart and sticking high to the edge of the snow-field on the Warenkarferner glacier we made our way up.

Looking back down the Warenkarferner, the obvious peak is Stubaier Wildspitze

As we neared the col the slope gradient increased. You did not need to be an expert to realise this was prime avalanche terrain. Thomas tried to avoid the normal line, hoping to find a safer way through the rock bands but it was not possible. And so Markus looked for a line  up the remaining slope, skinning across an unforgiving surface that had been scoured ice hard, there was only one option and that was to take the ski's off and climb the last 10 metres or so on foot.

Rich negotiating steeper ground and unstable windslab

Dropping off the west side of the col we descended an easy 200 metres across a sweeping glacier before climbing up once again and traversing around towards our one main summit of the day, the Hint Daunkopf.







Rich skiing the upper reaches of the Sulztalferner glacier

Wilde Leck (3361m) towers behind

Tom nearing the summit of Hint. Daunkopf (3255m)

After a series of short climbs and fantastic descents, with ski's left at the col, Tom and I made quick work up the snowy scree slopes to 3255m whilst Markus and Monika opted to relax in the sun! From here it was some 1500 metres of descent, first through firm and fast snow, later as we dropped below the 2500m contour line, softer less forgiving conditions before a bone rattling traverse across avalanche debris brought us back to the security and hustle of the pistes.

With a less promising forecast for Sunday, we mulled over the options. Sat in Markus' apartment overlooking Innsbruck we pondered the encroaching weather as Markus gave us a lesson in tropical fish, sat as we were next to his giant indoor aquarium brimming with exotic fish from Lake Tanganika. When Markus wasnt skiing or climbing, this was his other great passion.

The updated forecast was much more hopeful, the weather was coming in from the South and would not reach the central Alps until late afternoon. And with temperatures forecast to drop it was decision made, we headed up past the growing resort of Kuhtai and into a hugely popular touring area to the South-West. Other than some thousand metres of ascent, today was to be an easier, shorter day. One-way up onto the Mitteltalferner glacier and col at 2758m before reversing our tracks and skiing all the way back down, back in time for lunch.

Skinning up through the Mitte Tal

Skinning up steepening ground on the Mittertal ferner. Circa 2800m

Markus, Monika & Karl following behind

Rich grappling with kick-turns on steep ground

(L-R) Rich, Thomas, Markus & Monika

Markus descending the Mittertalferner

Karl Kahofer (CEO of Britax) proving that you can work and play hard

Descending into the shadows one last time

Gear:

I used a mixture of gear touring on this trip, the exceptionally warm conditions meant lightweight layers were key and many pieces I would normally wear at least occasionally remained firmly in my pack.

As ever my G2 Mountain Pants were indispensible, these are awesome alpine trousers, excellent for alpine touring in cooler conditions. On cold days I would wear these in conjunction with thermal leggings but on this trip were more than adequate on their own.

Next to skin, I wore either a Crux Tee or LS Polartec base-layer, which most of the time I then wore in conjunction with a Shroud Jacket. On the colder day I swapped this in favour of our Concordia Jacket, which is warm, light and very breathable.

With such great weather you could be forgiven for forgetting about outer shell but protection from the wind is as important as anything, especially on descents. On Day One I opted to wear our new Trojan Jacket, a lightweight and stretchy WINDSTOPPER softshell, but with such warm temperatures, I carried it most of the time and so for the remainder of the trip, left this behind and simply wore and carried my trusty GORE-TEX Active Shell Firelite Jacket. This fabric is ideal for ski touring, being exceptionally light and very breathable.

To keep my hands warm, I wore Super Alpine gloves nearly all of the time. These are really dexterous, provide a nice balance of warmth without being overly hot and are windproof and snow-resistant, great for damp snow-melt conditions. Randonee gloves which are normally my main glove of choice remained firmly in my pack, too warm for the conditions. To keep my head warm, my retro ME buff from many years ago and a branded knitted beanie.

Finally I carried but never wore my Fitzroy Jacket and Firelite Pant. Both hid firmly at the bottom of my pack. Shovel, avalanche probe, first aid-kit, transceiver, lightweight crampons and axe, harscheisen (ski crampons), sunglasses & goggles, repair kit and food / drink made up the rest of my pack. We didnt carry a rope or harness but would normally be recommended if you're travelling through unfamiliar glacial terrain.

On the road in North America

Well we have just wrapped up a busy week at the Outdoor Retailer tradeshow in Salt Lake City, Utah. We've presented the new Winter 2012 line to about 35 stores as well as meeting up with various magazines including one of the USA's most well known publications 'Outside'

At the same time, some of the worst winter storms to have hit the North-West have been doing their best to wipe away one of the worst starts to the American ski season in decades as more than 50 inches of snow have been deposited across the Rockies and Cascades in the past five days.

And so, leaving our US team of Craig and Woody to it, for a week or so, as they headed off to another tradeshow in Denver, I jumped in the car and headed North, destination Jackson Hole, Wyoming in search of the POW.

The first challenge was working how best to be there and with the 8000ft Teton Pass closed due to numerous avalanches, it was the 5hr trip along the winding roads through the wilds of Wyoming that was our preferred route. All was clear until we reached Bridger National Forest, at which point we hit the next winter storm rattling across the Rockies. It was a very lonely hour or two through the rolling uplands, with only the occasional passing snowplough for company.

The waiting game...

This afternoon we should have being wandering into the village of Tangnag, sitting under the south face of Kyashar, our base camp for the expedition. Instead we find ourselves wandering down to Himalayan Java for our ritual coffee session and brief escape from the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu, the constant beeping of car and bike horns, the sound track of the city, reminding us where we are.

The first attempt at flying to Lukla, only 75kg of excess, let the bartering commence!

Lukla, the small mountain airport we fly to for the start our trek, is quite literally perched on the side of a mountain, 40 minutes of beautiful Himalayan panorama ending with a very ‘exciting’ landing on the short runway with a 12% gradient. With no radar they need very good weather to operate and the heavy rain and snow over the last few days means only a small handful of flights have left. Leaving a massive backlog of trekkers and climbers at both ends, frustration showing on everyone’s face.

We’ve packed and un-packed all our kit three times now for different scenarios trying to beat the system and jump the queue. The only option other than flying is a 9 hour bus ride to Jiri, the start of all expeditions before the airport was built and then an eight day trek to Tangnag. We chose Kyashar because of its ease of access from Kathmandu, three days should have seen us at base camp, the long approach trek isn’t too appealing and already three days behind schedule we’d arrive at Tangnag nearly two weeks later than planned but with all flights fully booked for the week options were running out.

Last night over a beer with Loben (www.lobenexpeditions.com) we came up with a plan, a bit of a gamble but hopefully it pays off. This morning Phalden our ‘guide’ got the early bus to Jiri with most of our kit and will start the trek to Tangnag tomorrow. We’ve kept one bag with us, just about enough kit to try and acclimatize on Mera Peak. The idea being we can get a flight in the next couple of days which will be much easier with just the two of us and only one bag, grab a porter in Lukla and arrive in base camp quite a bit in front of Phalden and start acclimatizing. It’s never a good idea going separating from your bags but knowing Phalden he’ll look after them like his own and won’t let them out of his sight, they’re in safe hands!