Not one but TWO awards for Innovation

Well we've just won two OutDoor innovation awards at the 2009 OutDoor trade show in Friedrichshafen, Germany. What's more we won these awards in two entirely different product categories - for sleeping bags and clothing, something which really highlights our strength across all areas of our product line.

The Earthrise® II sleeping bag, the world's first sleeping bag to be part of the Eco-Circle® programme. Some people may think that we do make much of a deal over Eco-friendly products, but we are trying to do what we can, where we can and a sleeping bag seemed the most logical place to start.

Earthrise II Sleeping Bag

Nearly all recyled and recyclable, in fact other than the tiny zip-head puller, drawcord and shockcord there is nothing which cannot be recycled. To put that in perspective, by weight that is less than half a percent of this bag. And with the shell, lining, insulation and side-zip all being fully recycled to begin this bags drain on finite natural resources is minimal as well as using less energy and having a lower C02 output than if we had used a virgin material. It won in the category of ' Products of High Ecological and Sustainable Value'. It will be available from Spring 2010.

The second award was for our Shield Jacket, the next step for us in terms of lightweight, versatile softshell insulation and protection. And the best news? It will be in the shops in around 6 weeks time!

Shield Jacket - Shown in Black / Citronelle Zips colourway

The Shield Jacket uses a hybrid fabric construction, combining a new lighter version of GORE® WINDSTOPPER® as well as POLARTEC® Powershield®. Other than that what makes this jacket special? Well it uses a combination of seam sewing methods to improve mobility and fit, the hood (which is designed to accomodate a helmet) has a water resistant lining to prevent the hood absorbing moisture from spindrift and drizzle when worn down and it has an anti-wick hem lining, again to allow this product to perform better as a shell.

It won in the 'Apparel' category, will cost around £200 in the UK and is available for this winter.

2010 beckons

Well its been a long and busy week at Mountain Equipment's offices this week as we launched our product line-up for Spring / Summer 2010!

Obviously we cant give too much away at this early stage but we have some completely new ranges of sleeping bags, a couple of new tents and lots of new technical clothing for next year. It is now upto our sales team to convince the retailers to buy it and if all that goes to plan you will see it in the shops from the end of February next year!

And it has been one of our busiest summer launches ever. With distributors and agents from across Europe and the world attending including Germany, Norway, France as well as further afield places such as Korea, Japan and Taiwan. An awful lot of nationalities and different markets in order to please and look after.

Everything kicked off on Tuesday evening with some business updates followed by a marketing presentation. The latter part is a fantastic round-up of the past 12 months activity; looking at all the editorial coverage Mountain Equipment has received, awards our products have won as well as a chance to focussing on what our sponsored athletes such as Dave Macleod have been up to.

Wednesday was then the big day, a whole day of product presentations starting at just after 9am and lasting until just after 6pm - a huge number of products to run through and I for one was very glad to be able to have a beer after all that talking.

And Thursday was the chance to digest it all, for our distributors to decide what products they will range in their countries and for us to start the huge task of pulling together final editions of the new workbooks and start planning for the sales campaign and tradeshows.

And when all of that is over we can start working once again on the new Winter 2010 ranges, which are now well underway. It never stops......

LAMM: Kintail 09

It was very interesting reading Rich's comments below. I know how much training and detailed planning Rich and Keith have put into this years effort. As you can imagine I was gobsmacked when they wandered over to our tent on Sat evening and announced that they had retired! Unfortunately, Keith just had a bad day in the mountains. Maybe his body had not recovered fully from the 'Highland Fling' he ran less than a month ago (see previous post).

Steve (my race partner) and I embarked on our first LAMM together. It was my second LAMM, having completed last year's event in Glenfinnan, and Steve's first MM. Unlike Rich and Keith, our goal was to complete C class and simply give it our best effort.

We ran the Yorkshire 3 Peaks a few weeks ago, with my mate Tim, as a warm-up and to gauge our fitness levels. We did ok, completing the 25 mile circuit in 6 hrs 30. We could have done much better if it wasn't for the chronic cramp that seemed to attack every muscle in my legs after 13 miles and incapacitated me for the rest of the day! I have always struggled with severe cramp, especially during long distance biking and running events. Keith kindly gave me some 'Nuun' tabs on Friday night which seemed to stave off the cramps completely on both days (thanks Keith!)

As usual, the location was stunning and the scenery utterly breathtaking.

It took us a while to get going on day one, but we plodded on while our bodies slowly adjusted to the environment. Reaching the 5th control (of 8) always gives me a huge lift, psychologically, knowing that the final 3 controls are positioned fairly closely together. Steve recognised this and we pushed on and finished the first day 59th out of 150 teams.

On day 2 we felt good after a reasonable night's sleep, a feast of expedition food and tea! We started well and knew that if we kept the pace up we could massively improve our overall position. This was thwarted, however, by a schoolboy navigational error on the 3rd control. We lost 45 mins at least..........enough said! Spirits were low at this stage, but we picked ourselves up, checked off the 5 remaining controls and crossed the finish line in 66th place!

We will be looking at a top 3o finish in C next year!?

Mountain Equipment used:
AR2 tent - perfect, lightweight and roomy
Xero 250 Sleeping Bags.
Compressor Vest - a superb lightweight alternative for throwing on over your layers at the end of the day!
Microtherm Alpine Jacket (see my off piste skiing post). This has to be the most versatile piece of kit that I own. Amazing and only 80 quid!
Altus S/S and L/S Tees. Shifted the moisture quickly and worked well with Microtherm.
Axion Jacket. Worn for 20 mins on day 1! The lightest jacket ME make.
Particle Pant. Not worn

Will post some piccies asap.

LAMM 2009: Unlucky for some!

Well i've just returned from the North of Scotland after one of the most frustrating weekends of my life - getting a DNF classification in a race, having chosen that option rather than accept a mid-table finish is a tough call to make.

This years Lowe Alpine Mountain Marathon was held in Kintail, in the North West of Scotland, a location that contains some of the most challenging and breathtaking terrain anyone could wish to visit. To be able to race over the type of terrain is a privilege.

Courtesy of: Lowe Alpine Mountain Marathon

I have been racing in Mountain Marathons on and off for some ten years, in various classes, with various levels of preparation and training, and various success. This year my partner and I's aim was a Top 3 finish in the A-Class of two headline mountain marathons, the LAMM and the OMM.

It was always going to be a tough call, in hard training over the winter for a potential Bob Graham Round attempt this year I ruptured a tendon in my knee, forcing a 3 month lay-off and up until 8 weeks ago i could barely run 5km let alone race competitively in a mountain marathon such was the pain. So this weekend was always going to be a challenge.

We knew how fast we needed to go, we knew some of our competitors and how fast they could go. Conditions were actually very good, cool but bright, very little heavy cloud on the mountains and little wind other than up high. And it started so well, a steady start and we hit the first checkpoint bang on, the second was a steady run through glacial hummocks and small lochains, again bang on. The third, we opened up and ripped through the field visible to us, passing four teams on our way to the fastest checkpoint time overall that day, momentarily things seemed to be going so well. But after that things started to go wrong.

As we pulled up and across the next hillside, I noticed my running partner falling back, only slightly at first, but it became greater despite slowing myself to try and give him a pyscological tow. As we neared checkpoint four, I could see he was in a bad way, devoid of strength in his legs and beginning to sufer from cramp. I could sense any lead ebbing away, at this level, minutes really do matter. And so it was a slow and frustrtating haul to the fifth checkpoint. We were now losing time at a colossal rate. I sat on a rock on the lofty summit of checkpoint 5, contemplating the amazing views north towards Torridon and south across the snow-capped peaks of Kintail and our iminent retirement.

When Keith finally arrived, he was no better, he looked drained as well as gutted. He knew how high the stakes were and how fine the margin for error was this year. Simply completing the course was not what we came to do this year, nor was a mid-table finish and with no sign of energy and strength returning to Keith's body, we knew we had no option but to retire and resigned ourselves to walking back to the overnight camp, a walk of only about 5 km, but one which felt like the longest walk I have ever endured.

So were we right to retire? Yes, unequivocally so. Looking back at the results, we were within 3 minutes of the overall lead at checkpoint 3. We lost five minutes or so on the fourth checkpoint over the eventual winning team and a whopping 15 minutes on checkpoint five. If we had continued at that slowing rate, we would have been lucky to finish inside the top ten that day, dont get me wrong, in all other circumstances that would be a fantastic result, for many simply completing a mountain marathon let alone compete in an A-Class is a tremendous achievement and as such many teams would be blown away to achieve that kind of result , but that was not what we wanted or expected and when you raise the stakes that high you have a lot further to fall when it does not work out.

Highland Fling

25th April 2009 – Milngavie to Tyndrum / 53miles / 2500m Ascent

I first heard about the Highland Fling a few years ago when a couple of my parents friends ran it in preparation for a much longer run called the West Highland Way Race (95mls). Running the WHW Race is a fairly serious undertaking and as such the organisers are quite strict with the entry requirements. The Highland Fling or races of a similar distance are needed for your running CV before you can get in. So really it is stage one of a longer-term ambition I have…albeit a pretty stupid one.

I drove up to Milngavie just north of Glasgow on the Friday night and found a small campsite a few miles from the start. I spent an hour or so organising my clothing and food for the following day whilst I waited for my dad (my support person for the day) to arrive. A good nights sleep in my van ensued before waking at 5am and the process of eating as much as I could I begun. I headed over to the registration for a 7am start along with the other runners. Up until this year the event had quite a small following of around 70 runners but it has now been deemed tough enough to gain valuable entry points for a mega-tough race called the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB). This is one of Europe’s premier mountain running challenges and is very difficult to get an entry. This meant I was running with over 300+ other people setting off at different times which made for quite a competitive atmosphere.

Bankell Farm Campsite

Carrying only water and a few snacks I set off near the front with a plan of getting under 10hrs. The first leg was pretty straight forward and predominantly followed an old railway line going north. 12.19miles and 1hr 51mins later I went through the first checkpoint at Drymen bang on schedule. Switching water bottles with my dad I set off on leg two which continued north to the southern tip of Loch Lomond where the terrain turned to rough trails. Passing over Conic Hill and down to Balmaha (19.8mls / 3hr 3mins) I stopped for a quick bite to eat before pressing on to checkpoint two at Rowardennan. This was the start of the tougher sections going along the easterly side of Loch Lomond where climbing over boulders and tree roots ruined any hope of getting into a rhythm. At 27.2mls and 4hrs 29mins I was 1min ahead of schedule.

Meeting my dad at the van I switch to a short sleeve top to try and deal with the increasingly warm sun and ate and drank as much as I could in a 10min period. The next couple of stages continued along the side of the loch and I knew it would continue to be tough work underfoot. Hitting a drinks station at 34.3mls in 6hrs 5mins I was confident I could still hit the 10hr target despite losing 10mins on my schedule.

At around 38mls I had my first wobble of the day. Climbing yet another hill I started getting some double vision that signalled my dropping blood sugar levels. An elevenses bar later I was fine and kept pushing onto checkpoint three at Bein Glas just to the north of Loch Lomond. At 40.9mls in 7hrs 36mins I was now 6mins off schedule. Some of my mums homemade chicken noodle soup washed down some grapes (it seemed normal at the time) before I got going on the final section.

The route follows the West Highland Way - only 42mls left to do

I had only ran 2mls before the double vision came back with vengeance as my blood sugar plummeted. I had decided to ditch some ballast in the form of spare food so without much choice, and barely being able to keep my eyes open, I weaved side to side down the track and tried not to slow as I struggled away. Knowing my dad was going to pop up where the route passed under the main road less than a mile away kept me going and when he appear round the corner I knew I was back in business. I sat on a big boulder for 10mins with my eyes closed while shovelling food down my throat. Having done this to myself before I knew I would be fine and right enough I managed to get up and start running again.

The planned 10hrs was now impossible but I was now feeling really strong, still no signs of cramp, and the 10 or so people that passed me during my ‘moment’ were now targets. Climbing high into the hills above Crianlarich I managed to pick a few off before entering a difficult forest section before dropping down to the final flat 3m dash on gravel paths to the finish. I caught up with a few runners with 2mls to go, but most annoyingly, suddenly had no option but to stop for the toilet. Sorted out I chased after the group again, catching and overtaking them. I went through the finish line at Tyndrum in 10hrs 29mins 38secs in 76th place.

The final 10 yards

Other than a couple of blisters and stiff legs I don’t seem to have crippled myself too much. It seems ridiculous to think about running almost double the distance in the future but I thought that about a marathon the first time I did one. It has been great preparation for the forthcoming mountain marathon season and I am fired up for the LAMM in June. Richard is in the process of becoming a “human GPS” so we may be on for a good result.

In search of rain and customers

Its the Easter holidays. Its the Lake District. Plenty of people walking the fells and plenty of rain should not be too difficult to find............

An hour or so had passed, i'd wandered up the Band, around the Climbers Traverse and up and onto Bowfell. It was just after 11 and no sign of any fell walkers, in fact no sign of anyone. The forecast band of rain in the South of the park had not materialised, it was warm and humid.

Although I spend alot of time in the hills, once in a while it is good to spend some time observing what people are upto - you get much better first hand information on what people like to do, what they like to wear and so on. One of my main objectives had been to see what hardshell gear people wear, how many use or carry waterproof trousers etc. With no sign of moisture in the air, and none having fallen for the past week, it was looking like an increasingly futile exercise.

So where was everyone? Scafell Pike i thought, Englands highest mountain, surely there would be bands of people, from all walks of life, wandering up and down. Luckily I was not disappointed, as I passed Esk Hause, the crowds emerged.

A quick foray over to Scafell via Broad Stand* and it was back down towards Angle Tarn and Mickleden, a last chance to observe some of the day trippers wandering along the valley before heading home, my head afresh with thoughts and observations.

*no foot path exists between Scafell Pike and Scafell via Broad Stand. It is a difficult scamble / moderate rock climb!

Raindrops keep falling on my head

Not any more!

One of the least publicised additions to our Spring / Summer collection this year has been our new Pro Shell Cap. One of the first, if not the first 3 layer GORE-TEX Pro Shell Cap on the market.

Completely waterproof, breathable and with taped seams

The first time any of us had used one of these in anger was on last years storm lashed Original Mountain Marathon (formerly known as the KIMM). Keith and myself spent 6 hours in some of the most severe 'Summer' or 'Autumn' conditions I have ever experienced, with a delugue of rainfall and violent winds, whilst attempting to run over the usual featureless and demanding lakeland terrain.

Adjustable and elasticated rear cinch

So why bother? Well even when working hard, fell running etc, a waterproof hat like this is remarkably comfortable to wear, especially in the conditions when you would actually need one - funnily enough when its raining! It means that you can leave down a hood in all but really heavy rain or when conditions are unbelievably awful (see reports of OMM 2008!) they work surprisingly well in conjunction with a hood, given much greater frontal protection.

Offering good protection in sudden showers or when running etc

And even if you prefer your outdoor activities at a more sedate pace, it works really well in fleeting showers. Numerous times this April i've simply thrown on my cap rather than delve into my pack for my waterproof, knowing that it will have probably passed before i've done the zip up, with a softshell or similar this system can work really well.

The Pro Shell Cap is available in Blue, Black and Red, is in stores now and retails for around £25.00.