It was a typical Saturday night in September, just me and my friend Sam sat in the Oliver Cromwell after a few beers in a few pubs prior. The Oliver Cromwell is a pub of inspiration for us. Is it something about the pub? Or is it because it’s always our last stop on our Saturday night crawl? Either way countless trips had been planned under this roof, some of which we undertook, others of which remain in our ambitions, trekking to the North Pole included!
Tonight we revisited a long held ambition to scale the 3 peaks of the UK in one winter season. Far from the easy trekking of summer we looked with great delight at photos of snowdrifts, blizzards and iced waterfalls on my iphone.
Winter trekking was something different; something undertaken by few, dangerous, and the winter conditions would make it a real achievement. Lets face it, reaching the summit of Snowdon in summer only to be greeted by train riding tourists and a coffee shop removes the sense of isolation and achievement that a mountain should bring. Even worse when you’re scaling Ben Nevis only to be passed by a charity group dressed as the 118 guys and carrying a friend in a wheelbarrow!
We were both well aware of the risks involved but also recognised that at large these risks could be mitigated by our own preparation and healthy respect for the mountains. We would ensure we had all the right kit, knew how to use it, paid attention to the weather forecast and planned our route to the last detail. Besides, we had watched enough Ray Mears, Bear Grylls and documentaries about Everest to consider ourselves experts without even setting our foot in the snow! I jest.
We decided to warm up with Snowdon in December, tackle Scafell Pike in February and finish with Ben Nevis in March. That gave us a couple of months to buy / dig out all the kit we needed:
1. Ice Axe
2. Winter Rated Boots
3. Crampons (the spikes attached to your boots to grip the ice)
4. 45 litre rucksack
5. Waterproofs
6. Hat and Gloves
7. Trekking Poles
8. Survival Bag / Kit
9. Maps / Compass / Torch / Water Bottles.
10. Base / Middle / Outer Layers
We soon accumulated all the kit and diligently read up on how to use it. Granted this was no substitute for a course in winter skills but one has to be realistic. These courses, whilst invaluable, cost a lot of money. We were confident that our approach would minimise most of the risks but also recognised that accidents can happen to anyone. (Later, after setting out on Snowdon we soon realised that whilst woefully inexperienced we were far more prepared, considered and knowledgeable than the majority of people we met on the mountain that day).
Preparing for these trips was all very exciting but that swiftly ceased after sharing our intentions with friends, family and colleagues. Well meaning friends and colleagues pointed to sensationalist headlines referring to the deaths of ill prepared wannabe mountaineers, helicopter rescues of ice climbers and stories of avalanches and freezing conditions. Unsurprisingly this knocked my confidence, what are we doing I thought.
The biggest reaction of all came from my mother. After informing her on my imminent Snowdon trip over the phone I was met with hysteria. “You cant! It's to dangerous! It's lethal!” Her comments made me feel reckless and I almost let her fear convince me not to go. The recent death of a climber on Snowdon didn’t help my confidence or my mum’s anxiety either.
A day later with my nerves shattered I was angry at the reactions of my friends and family and it was this anger that ended up spurring me on to complete the mission. Yes life would be safer sat on a couch but who wants to live like that? Yes people die on mountains, some as a result of inexperience and knowledge but some by just plain old bad luck. We weren’t most people; we were approaching this in the right way. Maintaining this attitude was hard as undoubtedly every person who has got into trouble on a mountain started with the exact same thoughts. I was confident we weren’t them.
Writing this after completing the Snowdon trip in 3 foot of snow I can say that everyone we met was impressed with our level of preparation and experienced mountaineers were encouraging us all the way. There wasn’t a single person who had concerns for our safety. Indeed, we were reassured we had approached this in the exact right way.
The sensationalist nature of British journalism would have us locked up in a padding room for the remainder of our lives. Unfortunately people don’t question the stories they read and the result of this was clearly displayed in the reactions of some individuals. I should point out that there were a number of friends, family and colleagues who had a much more objective few about our undertakings and I’m grateful for their encouragement.
We can’t let the influences of the media and other individuals make our decisions. I made my own decision to climb the 3 peaks in winter and I made it through a careful consideration of all available information. If I had listened to the fears of others, and without question, I wouldn’t have made it out the front door. Having now completed a winter skills course and winter climbs on Snowdon, Scafell, Creag Meagaidh, and a number of mountains in the Cairgorms, I maintain that I entered the world of winter mountaineering in a safe manner.
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