Climbers Shop Official Store Blog

The Climbers Shop Hilleberg Tent Show – Saturday June 15th

03/05/2013 11:10:45

The Climbers Shop are holding a tent event on Saturday 15th June along with Swedish Tent supremo’s Hilleberg, with a plan to pitch and display the majority of tents in their range.

The show will be at the Ambleside Lodge Hotel and will run right through the day, with a representative from the company to talk you through every detail of every tent.

As part of the entry to the show we’ll be offering a chance to win a Hilleberg Akto tent in a free to enter draw, and there’ll also be the chance to sample various camping foods and to check out a range of camping stoves, both gas, petrol and hopefully the new Biolite Stove, (TBC) which runs on Bio-mass (twigs, grass, pinecones, dried peat etc).

If you need any other details of the tent show just email us at info@climbers-shop.com or subscribe to our Twitter or Facebook page for updates as they are finalised.

Spring has Sprung! ..Please be aware of nesting restrictions on the crags

10/04/2013 11:47:48

Nesting restrictions are now coming into force on many of the popular Lake District crags.  Please if you are out climbing, observe all restrictions

Below is the statement from the FRCC:

Bird restrictions in the Lake District are agreed annually between representatives of the Lake District National Park Authority, the Cumbria Raptor Study Group, Natural England, The British Mountaineering Council and the FRCC.

The BMC is responsible for publicity, and the LDNPA for the erection of signs as well as dealing with issues as the season progresses.

Access & Conservation explains the reasons for the restrictions, how they are decided upon, and gives advice to climbers on what to do if they discover that protected birds are nesting on the crag they are visiting.

Please help maintain access by observing these voluntary Bird Restrictions.

In addition a few other restrictions have been listed, where noted these are voluntary, others are at the whim of the land-owner. In all cases negotiations have been made by the Lake District BMC Area Committee and have either resulted in compromise or stalemate.

These restrictions do work: despite adverse weather, many of the protected sites successfully reared chicks last year. As a result of the co-operation of climbers over the years, restrictions on many of the more popular low level crags have been lifted "unless the birds nest" - this is excellent news for climbers, so please continue to support the restrictions. But please also note, that where a crag is unrestricted this does not mean an automatic right to climb. If you suspect that there is a peregrine nesting on a crag, and it is obviously alarmed by your presence, then you should not climb there. Indeed, if you are aware of birds nesting elsewhere, please telephone National Park Ranger Peter Barron on 017687 79633 or email him at pete.barron@lakedistrict.gov.uk.
If you have any urgent comments on the current restrictions then please email them to the FRCC Guidebook Editor. All such comments should also be emailed to the BMC.

To check the latest access information nationwide:

FOR ALL LOCAL 2013 LAKE DISTRICT BIRD RESTRICTIONS - CLICK HERE

Brian & Bryan tackle Low Water Beck

22/01/2013 13:32:26

A gloomy, cold and snowy monday it may have been but Bryan and Brian were determined to get out and find something to climb. Plan A had been to do Pinnacle ridge on Great Gable (grade III), but the road conditions were slightly more spicy than they anticipated and despite Bryan’s new snow socks for the tyres, a plan B was devised. Bryan had seen the top of Low Water Beck (grade III) the previous day and it looked like there was enough ice to give it a go, it was also on Brian’s tick list so off to Coniston they went. After a slightly easier walk in they got to the bottom of the route and Bryan set off up the first pitch. Quite a bit of water was in the back of the gully but surrounding it was some very good ice. The ramp pitch was equally as good with the ice thick enough to take an ice screw. After soloing up the easier ground above the last sting in the tail was an icy V groove, which wasn’t iced up quite as well as the rest of the route but still offered some good sport. All in all a great day and they had the route to themselves.

The pictures show Brian (Senior B as opposed to Bryan, Junior B) wearing his new La Sportiva Batura boots and using Petzl Quarks in his understated new Arcteryx jacket (in Goretex’s new ‘Pro’ fabric being revealed next winter 2013/14 .)

Happy New Year from the Climbers Shop

31/12/2012 16:28:48

First trip up North

05/12/2012 16:33:03

With a promising forecast and rumours of good climbing conditions, staff member Bryan and friend of the shop, Andy, headed up to Glen Coe in hope of some winter fun (and a chance for Bryan to scratch up his new shiny DMM Apex axes – which by the way are reported to be excellent!)

Here’s Bryan’s report of what they got up to…

Monday 26th Nov – Raeburn’s Route (IV,4), Stob Coire Nan Lochain
After an early start, we arrived in the coire at 9am. Conditions weren’t as good as anticipated, so our intended route wasn’t to be. However, Raeburn’s route, a 3 star buttress route looked OK. This proved to be a good choice.
Tues 27th Nov – North East Buttress, (IV,4), Ben nevis
Another early start and a cold night in the van, we arrived at the foot of the N.E Buttress at 9.45am. Shrouded in cloud and buffeted by strong winds, we made quick progress and topped out at midday. No views today, we descended Coire Leis and headed for the luxury of a Bunkhouse in Fort William to dry out.
Wed 28th Nov – Gargoyle Wall (VI,6), Ben Nevis
Arriving at the foot of Gargoyle Wall at 9.30am, which was covered in a white coat of Rime, ice and snow. Andy I both felt rather intimidated, but stay quiet, as we knew it would be too easy to run away and do an easier route. We grew with confidence with each pitch and after 5 hard won pitches of excellent, well protected (mostly), mixed climbing, we topped out at 4pm. In fading light we descended number 4 gully, delighted by the day, but also amazed at how brilliant the conditions re for November.
Thurs 29th Nov – Sron na Lairig, Glen Coe
After several beers in the Clachaig and a bitterly cold night in the van again, Andy and I decided on a more relaxing day. So we headed up the classic Sron na Lairig ridge and back along the Beinn Fhada ridge, which concluded our trip.

Topping out on Stob Coire nan Lochain	North East Buttress, Ben Nevis
Bryan on Gargoyle Wall	Andy on Gargoyle Wall, with the impressive line of Darth Vader behind
Sron n Lairig ridge	Coming back down the Beinn Fhada ridge

Winter is on it’s way (we are all hoping!)

22/11/2012 15:22:27

The current weather outlook is set to get cold and we are all looking forward to what we hope is a good, cold winter. Have a look at this video full of winter shots that Helen has put together, which we hope will give you a little inspiration for hitting the fells, whether walking or climbing this season.

Bryan is heading up to Scotland next week and taking a pair of the new DMM Apex axes which we now have in stock. So we’ll get a review from him when he’s back! We certainly all look very impressed with them and will be keen to hear how they perform.

Staff Training

Staff members, Helen and Paul recently went over to Lyon Equipment for a course about rope’s, presented by Beal. This also gave us a chance to check out Lyon Equipment’s impressive new headquarters in Tebay. We got a full tour of the place and saw first hand everything that goes on within Lyon Equipment. We were particularly impressed with the size of their canteen and constant supply of tea and cakes! (note: this has been passed onto management)

Fantastic, informative and thought provoking are a few words to describe what the conference was like. The knowledge we were given about ropes by Beal rope guru, Renald, was excellent. The presentation included lectures, demonstrations, and various lab tests. Everything was covered, including:

• Fall Factors
• Pulley effects
• Knots in slings
• Heat effects on ropes
• Rope treatments
• Rope manufacture process
• Advantages and disadvantages of Dyneema and Nylon
• Semi-static and dynamic ropes

The results of certain tests were truly quite fascinating and at times, alarming. We spent a bit of time in the Work and Rescue part of the building doing tests on different strength ratings and adding various factors such as putting knots in the slings.

All in all, it was a really great day and thanks to Lyon Equipment and Renald from Beal. We certainly took and learnt a lot from it and we as a shop were really happy to be apart of it.

If you have any queries about ropes, whether you’re starting out and can’t decide what your first rope should be, or you already have summer under the belt but want to know what is best to use for winter, please don’t hesitate to give us a ring, email or pop in the shop for advice.

New DMM ice axes for 2012 – Now in stock!

06/10/2012 11:18:48

We have just received some of the tools that DMM have updated for 2012. The classic, best sellers have now been brought bang up to date and are a result of 30 years of technical knowledge combined with the valuable feedback from a broad range of climbers. We are still awaiting the two new additions to the range, the Switch and Apex, but if they are looking anywhere near as good as what these are, then they’re bound to be popular!

All built to withstand the rigours of modern climbing by being ‘bombproof’ – sturdy, strong and dependable.

DMM Cirque	DMM Raptor	DMM Fly
DMM’s classic walking and mountaineering axe	A versatile tool for mountaineering, winter walking and classic climbs.	The iconic DMM Fly, our all-round climbing axe

Now let’s just hope for a good winter season!!

NEW SEASON GEAR FOR AUTUMN 2012

18/09/2012 15:02:15

	Mountain Equipment Kalanka Jacket The Kalanka is Mountain Equipment's top of the range hardshell designed for the wildest weather on the most extreme climbs. RRP £370, TCS Price £319
	Climbing Technology Alpine Up Belay Device This is possibly the most versatile and safe all round belay device ever made. It comes complete with a HMS Screwgate and is a must for any alpine or multi pitch climber. TCS Price £75
	Inov-8 Mudclaw 300 A tougher and lighter evolution of the earlier Mudclaw 333, the Inov-8 Mudclaw 300 is a light, low profile race and training shoe for extremely rough terrain. TCS Price £90
	Haglofs Essens Down Jacket When you need maximum warmth in relation to weight, The Essens Jacket follows the trend for micro baffles, which offers maximum insulation performance from less down, lower weight and pack size. RRP £160   TCS Price £144
	Rab Microlight Jacket The low bulk design of the Microlight Down Jacket means that it works equally well as a midlayer in really cold weather or as an outer layer when you just need a warm jacket to throw on. Thank to the Pertex Microlight 30D fabric, the whole jacket can be compressed easily, making it super packable. RRP £135, TCS Price £119
	Haglofs Womens Spirit Q Jacket A durable, yet light hardshell, designed to meet the demands of mountaineering and alpinism. Tried & trusted 3 layer Goretex® Proshell fabric gives superb breathability and reliable waterproof protection through the worst mountain storms RRP £340, TCS Price £305
	Mountain Equipment Super Alpine Gloves This thorougbred climbing glove features GORE® WINDSTOPPER® Soft Shell for exceptional weather resistance without bulk or weight, and a grippy Pittards® Oiltac leather palm for a Spiderman style grip on your ice tools. TCS Price £50

TCS Ultrarunning Day Report

20/08/2012 10:51:56

Our Ultra Running Day on Saturday proved a huge success with lots of budding and active ultra runners coming along.  Andy Mouncey, author of ‘Magic, Madness and Ultra Marathon Running’ , took a group out onto the local fellside to practice some uphill techniques in unseasonably good weather (..our summer so far has been bit of a wash out with rain earlier that morning too).  Check out the photos from the run below.

All the brands involved (Montane, X-Bionic, Hoka, Injinji, Leki, Inov-8, Mountain King etc.) had a lot of talking to do, as their brains were well and truly picked about their respective products.  There was particular interest in the brand new Trailroc shoes and Mudclaw 300 from Inov-8.

		TCS Ultra Running Day, 18th August 2012 VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

The evening lecture was well attended too, with inspirational talks from Andy Mouncey, and then Terry and Annie Conway.  It was very interesting to see two very different approaches to running ultra long races, with Andy being highly focused with extraordinary attention to detail, yet Terry and Annie having a very much less structured approach and running purely for the love of running.

The success of the Ultra Running event, which had been put together in a very short space of time, has given us confidence that a similar event next year will be even bigger and more successful.  Stay tuned for further details for Ultra Running Day 2013!!

The Climbers Shop Ultra Running Event

13/08/2012 12:25:00

Attention all runners!!

We’d like to welcome everyone to our upcoming Ultra Marathon running event.

On Saturday 18th August, the Climbers Shop will be hosting a great, day-long event with offers, deals, book signings, coaching and presentations, along with guest appearances from elite ultra-distance runners.

The event isn’t just for Ultra distance runners though; most of the stuff going on the day will be equally suitable for trail and fell runners of all abilities.

Book signing

Author and twice second place finisher at the Lakeland 100 Andy Mouncey will be in the shop to sign copies of his new book, Magic, Madness & Ultramarathon Running. He’ll be sharing anecdotes, hints and tips over a brew from 10am. Also we’ll be giving away a High5 energy pack & bottle for every book sold on the day (while stocks last)

Free coaching session

Andy will also be leading a free, on the hill training session on nearby Loughrigg fell covering hill techniques specific to Ultra running. There’ll also be a chance for runners to try out various gear from Inov-8 shoes and X-bionic Clothing, to trekking poles from Mountain King and Leki.

Meet at the shop ready to run at 3.30pm

Evening presentation

The highlight of the event is an inspirational evening talk by Andy Mouncey, followed a Q & A session with Montane Lakeland 100 record holder and twice winner, Terry Conway and his Wife Annie, who came in 2^nd placed woman, and 6^th overall, in this years the Lakeland 50. Tickets are available online at www.climbers-shop.com and at the Climbers Shop priced just £5, which includes entry into a raffle for some top running prizes donated by the brands involved. The talk is at the Kelsick Community Centre in the middle of Ambleside, starting at 7pm.

On the Day Offers

There’ll be loads of offers on the day too with discounts on all Hoka shoes, CompressSport Compression wear and Injinji socks. There’ll also be free kit from Inov-8 and X-bionic. X-Bionic are offering a free Power Shirt zoned compression top (worth £75) when you buy £200 of X-Bionic Kit and Inov-8 will be giving away either one of their technical running caps, or their WRAG neck tubes, with any pair of Inov-8 shoes bought.  Montane will be here too with a selection of their fast and light running gear.

New Gear

Inov-8 will be bringing along some their new models such as the Mudclaw 300, and the brand new Trailroc range. There’s also a new Hoka road shoe in stock called the Stinson Tarmac as well as all their current range.

If you are a runner, whether with aspirations to run Ultra distance or not, they’ll be something for you at our event. It’ll be a great opportunity just to share experiences with other runners and perhaps get inspired to run that extra mile …or even 50….or maybe 100.