Rock n Road Head North for a Winter Adventure

Nick & Anna on Schoolhouse Ridge, Ballachulish

Nick & Anna, in their constant pursuit of improving their outdoor knowledge, headed up to the excellent Glenmore Lodge near Aviemore, Scotland last month for a Winter Skills Course. This 5 day course entails learning more about how to use Winter equipment, how to safely navigate in bad weather, techniques for moving in snowy, mountaineous areas, avalanche awareness and general mountain safety.

This internationally-acclaimed course served as a nice precursor for Nick and Anna taking on some Winter scrambles in Glencoe and the Lake District.

A strong pose from Nick on the descent from Schoolhouse Ridge, Ballachulish (Glencoe)

Good gear is the secret to a comfortable Winter day out and this trip was the perfect opportunity to put some of the Rock n Road hike gear through its paces. This included a quality, helmet-compatible waterproof jacket and some well thought-out layering comprising toasty base-layers and sweat-wicking mid-layers to keep as warm and dry as possible.

Insulated waterproof gloves are essential for keeping the hands warm in Winter and if there was ever a time for a Polar Buff and warm hat, this was it. Also, no matter how waterproof your rucksack thinks it is, dry bags will make sure that those spare layers stay dry.

Massive thanks to both Glenmore Lodge for their great courses on Winter Skills and Winter Mountaineering and to their world-class instructors. If you like the idea of Winter hiking but lack the skills to cope safely with bad and changeable weather, you can’t do better than getting over to Glenmore Lodge, where you’ll receive great tuition on every aspect of Winter navigation and safety.

Anna making her way up Crinkle Crags, Great Langdale

Our top kit choices:

Waterproof:

• Mountain Equipment Makalu Jacket (women) – great fit and excellent quality Goretex fabric. Helmet compatible and good arm-reach.
• Mountain Equipment Makalu Pant
• Rab Latok Mountain Jacket (men) – Super protective. The GTX Pro fabric is about as good as it gets and kept me well protected in the harshest of conditions.

Insulation:

• Rab Nebula (women) synthetic puffa. Super warm with a longer back. Great over and under layer, as needed.
• Montane Fortez XT Belay Jacket (men) – This was one of my most welcome bits of kit. Whip out the sack and stick it over everything when its it gets super cold or when the exertion level goes down.

Mid-layer:

• Caldus (women) and Caldus XT (men) fleece – Soooo fluffy and warm. A go to for the super cold days or just chillin in the van!
• Protium Lite Half-Zip (men) – I chose this due to the fantastic warmth to weight ratio and freedom of movement. It didn’t disappoint and super easy to get another zipped mid-layer over the top for colder days.

Trousers:

• Rab Torque Pants (women) – flexible and comfortable even with long janes on. Good length with boots.
• Rab Vapour-rise Torque Pants (men) – Who doesn’t love trousers that are fluffy on the inside! One to save for cooler conditions.

Base-layer:

• Montane Maili Long Janes – soft merino leggings. Lovely to wear and good warmth level for cold days.
• Montane Dart XT Long Sleeve Base + Long Johns – My base of choice as they are super warm. Anti-stink treatment got a proper test and worked incredibly well. No one told me I smelt!

Socks:

• Darn Tough Boot Socks (women) – really warm, great length and not too smelly at the end of the day(s)!

Gloves:

• Gloves get a particularly tough time in Scottish winter but both the Rab StormGloves and Montane Supercells did exactly what they promised.

Dry bags:

• Sea to Summit – good, trusted roll-top system to keep everything dry – from head torch to extra layers.

Neck Tube/Snood:

• Buff Polar – Headband, scarf, face-shield. What doesn’t a Buff do?

Boots:

• Scarpa Ribelle Lite B2 (women) – there are stiffer more insulated B2 boots on the market but as an entry level crampon ready boot, these are a comfy, light-weight option and hard to beat. Like all footwear, very individual.
• La Sportiva B3 – I used a trusty pair of La Sportiva boots I have had for well over a decade, Still performing strong!

Emergency equipment:

• Rab 2 Person Group Shelter – flip it out over your heads for a reprieve from the weather. Good for a lunch break as well as emergency situations.

Pike of Blisco, Great Langdale