Striding Edge with 9 & 11 year olds (walking)

Took my son up there when he was about 8 or 9 but only to the start of Striding Edge. You still get a real mountain feel from up there and some great views. Wouldn’t have felt comfortable going to the summit, but I’m not that keen on the last scramble myself! There’s a real sense of scale and perspective from up there, which is captured well in footflaps’ photo.

That’s Swirral Edge in the Hope film.

Thanks. I am sure they did a full winter version with snow and ice everywhere, seemed a bit nuts to me carrying bikes and in bike shoes too I think

Helvellyn Tri takes in Swirral Edge, great fun!

Took my son up there when he was about 8 or 9 but only to the start of Striding Edge. You still get a real mountain feel from up there and some great views.

Yep, I do think a good scramble makes a day in the hills. Really enjoy Striding Edge every time I do it even though I’ve done it loads of times.

I’d have thought stage was essential to taking kids up exposed ridges:

Unless you both have all the gear and know how to move together Alpine Style on a ridge, a rope round a kid’s waist (or harness) is just false confidence. They’ll fall and just take you with them or the rope will rip out your hand, or it will snag and pull them off balance. Plus if you fall, they’re going with you…

Either they’re capable of doing it with close supervision and you keep the rope in the bag just in case you come across one section which is out of their depth; or you belay them the whole way.

EDIT: Closest I’ve come to being killed was moving together on a ridge in the Alps. We stopped to regroup and sort out gear on a huge platform (say 25 ton granite slab). My partner moved off and then as the rope went tight I started to move and as I pushed off the block, the whole thing vanished below me and fell 2000′ on to the Glacier below. We’d both been sat on it 5 minutes earlier chatting….

I wished you could get the old troll belts that I grew up with in CCF/school.

OK I understand limitations for climbing – and I used a sit harness – but for scrambling with kids, they were ideal IMO

FF – take the point though. I was moving together with a guide on the arete des cosmiques in the Midi to get back to the cable car after climbing on MB du Tacul. We came to a tricky bit and the guide suggested that he balayed correctly me. Bloody good job as a hold came away in my hand on a slightly overhanging exit from a little chimney and I fell!! We were both relieved that this was not 20 mins earlier!

I was still shaking when I got to the cable car station balcony!!

You can still buy rigger’s belts or harnesses which come in two parts.

Unless you both have all the gear and know how to move together Alpine Style on a ridge, a rope round a kid’s waist (or harness) is just false confidence. They’ll fall and just take you with them or the rope will rip out your hand, or it will snag and pull them off balance.

Either they’re capable of doing it with close supervision and you keep the rope in the bag just in case you come across one section which is out of their depth; or you belay them the whole way.
what footflaps says
If you must, then attaching the rope to the back of the kid doesn’t seem right to me, you should be leading him. If he’s ahead and above you on that ridge (behind) and slips and falls, he’s going to fall past you and just pull you off as well. He needs to be behind and below you so the rope is instantly taut if he so much as slips, then it doesn’t become a fall and you just get a pull down onto your feet or at least stand a chance of stopping it becoming a fall.

I’m quite happy moving together alpine style. On anything that required care I took a stance and we moved one by one. If I had fallen off when moving together I would have just let go of the rope as I wasn’t tied on. When caving in the 70 and 80s we used Whillans harnesses and shoulder belays, there were lots of falls but nobody dropped anyone.

As with anything practice in a safe place so you know what you are capable off. At that age I could haul him up hand over hand on climbing rope.

So no, it’s not just false confidence.

Here we are on an easy part of the ridge (Madame doesn’t get the camera out when it’s difficult). We’re on the top of the first step up that you can see in the first photo, I led and took a couple of stances to bring him up. In the photo we are moving together, I’ve got a coil in each hand and the rope around my back for friction. The knot is at the front. It’s normal alpine practice to have the lighter/less experienced climber in front on easy traverses and glaciers.

I’m quite happy moving together alpine style.

You might be, but no sure how sensible it would be with a child, after all if you fall can they hold your weight, escape the system and improvise a rescue? If not, you shouldn’t really be moving together and you should just belay them….

Here’s a photo taken the other way when I was out skiing last week. On the previous picture we were on the little tit on the left part of the limestone whale back. Not that steep, but like Striding Edge, if you slip you fall a long way.

Edit: I wouldn’t have been up there with my kid if there was any chance of me falling, Footflaps. Slowly, carefully, well within my limits. And as previously stated, I wasn’t tied on so there was no question of him stopping me.

Like ants ![/url]