result 🙂

That’s cool.

They do carry maps, tools, spares, food, water and a stove

Overequipped then 🙂

The old saying is that if you carry it, you’ll end up using it.

Only kidding, sounds like they’ve banked one in the adventure store. We all need a few tucked away for tall-storying when we’re too old to get out any more.

Hear hear Felltop! Discussion of such “incidents” on a public forum can only serve to increase awareness for other riders. Have lived up here for a few years now and been keen on mountains since i can remember. Was always taught by my grandfather to be self reliant in the hills and to never rely on some other poor bugger carrying you off if the shit hits the fan! I personally favour map and compass, but would also add that the Gridpoint app is fantastic and has helped me on a couple of occasions on unfamiliar ground.
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/gridpoint-gb/id314445598?mt=8

Now about riding/running/walking in the fells on your own (I left our solo climbing, my old favourite!)……

For what it’s worth, my kit list is usually along the lines of

Map and Compass
First aid kit including antiseptic wipes, gloves, wound dressings, plasters and painkillers
Head torch
Survival bag
Belay jacket
Waterproof walking jacket with helmet compatible hood
Waterproof gloves
Pearl Izumi wind proof over gloves from The Ark! 😀
Hat
Spare buff
Full length waterproof trousers
Gilet
Arm and leg / knee warmers
Fire stick or waterproof matches
Para cord
Zip ties
Gorilla tape (small roll)
Spare food
Water bottle with filter
Charged mobile phone
GPS if the weather looks cloudy on tops

Having someone know where you are going is a good idea as is the ability to sack off a route if the weather turns foul. It’s easy to get stuck in a mindset of HAVING to do a route which can sometimes go against better judgement.

I guess it sounds like a lot but I’ve refined my gear choices over the years and can easily get it all in an Alpkit Gourdon 20.

I tend to ride in waterproof shimano boots and will use ankle gaiters on really wet days. It’s a bit niche but I like being warm and dry. Any fool can be cold, wet and miserable! 😆

Sanny

Now about riding/running/walking in the fells on your own (I left our solo climbing, my old favourite!)

Done lots of both. Apparently I’m still here to tell the tales 😛

Used to nip out for a run round the Fairfield Horseshoe after work, sometimes with a solo of Westmorland’s Route on Dove Crag thrown in for good measure. Nighttime runs up the local fell were great fun.

In the end, I layered up, smashed down a tuna sarnie and decided the best and safest course was to retrace my route back to my start point.

Probably the least practiced part of mountain safety, knowing when to turn back.

Though there is nothing like a walk off the hill in the snow, dark & a high wind to make one feel more alive. Lesson learned, get up earlier if you’re ice climbing in the more remote parts of the Cairngorms.

I’ll admit I’m happy to turn back, and regularly do. The reasons vary and include-

– pouring rain and low visibility (this rarely stops me to be honest)
– strong winds (a major one for me as it increases the risk of accidents on technical trails a lot)
– blizzards (once, and I turned back before I even got to it)

I think I’ve given up on 5 mountains in the last 5 years, though a couple have been this year.

About ten years ago I drove over to the Lakes for a run round the Skiddaw leg of the Bob Graham Round. As I climbed upwards there were several deep snow drifts across the path. By the time I got to the summit of Skiddaw I was in cloud and it was blowing a hoolie. I looked in to the Back o’ Skiddaw to see a maelstrom of swirling snow and darkness, thought “sod it”, turned round and ran back down and drove back home. Five hours travel for an hour and a half’s running.

As this discussion illustrates there is no right and wrong approach to this it depends on a multitude of variables: experience, fitness, terrain, conditions, injury sustained etc.

I would say I have good hill experience from walking and biking both in summer and winter. Whats perfectly reasonable as a plan in July with blue skies aint so good in horizontal rain in November.

I recently had an experience of doing a long route over the Scottish mountains over a number of days with a group of mountain bikers that illustrated a lot of the discussions in this thread, and really how easy it is to get into s@@@ creek despite fitness and well marked trails.

The group were all experienced bikers and pretty fit, BUT, two things nearly caused potential injury.

1) gung ho, push on get there as quick as possible, and dont ride as a group.
2) conditions

As the group got strung out those at the back were left behind, these riders regrouped as a smaller group. Those in the lead pushed on, and a middle group kept up.

It was late October and it became heavy rain, strong winds and cold but not freezing. This drained a lot of the party of energy and crtically heat, but after a long day and through gritted teeth everyone made it to the stop off point just as it got dark. Several members had early hypothermia and were still uncontrollably shivering after a hot bath.

What am I tryng to say? You need to make your own choices but dont under estimate the hills, or you can easily pay the consequences and as said before dont rely on MRT as your phone might be gooshed or the conditions dont allow flight or prevent a search

ps in the same few weeks Im talking about a young fit marine went out for fell run in the Angus Glens and unfortunately died, probably from exposure.

Worth pointing out that you shouldn’t rely on MRT – not only as you may not have the means to call them, but also as they are all volunteers who give up their own time, and often income to rescue people. Better to call them out as a result of a proper accident, rather than something preventable with a little knowledge and pre-planning.

Sacked helvellyn off today. Too windy.

#commonsense

Went for a ride in upper Wharfedale this morning – what started off as “interesting” soon became nasty and we binned the ride after 16Km. When the wind is stopping you coasting down a 15% slope it becomes a struggle. Add in increasingly heavy rain and sleet and it definitely wasn’t nice – the original route would have been another two hours *into* the wind and rain 😕 My hands were wet and increasingly cold despite having mountaineering gloves on.

Fortunately it was nearly opening time so we dried off a bit by the fire in the pub 😀

On the plus side: socks then plastic bags then SealSkinz keep your feet warm if not totally dry in such conditions.

Be careful out there, second death on Helvelyn this week!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cumbria-30871294

Swirral catches so many out. So sad…RIP