IN THE BAG
Verspeak, winter
mountaineer F
rom Simon’s earliest steps in the mountains, he aspired to be a ‘mountaineer’ with the skills to go out in all conditions and enjoy the best (and worst) days. He likes moving fast
and light over moderate ground and, over the years, has taken this challenge to bigger and bigger places, from the British hills to the Alps and the Himalayas. Simon lives in North Wales and spends much of the winter in Scotland. He holds the MIC (Mountaineering Instructor Certificate) and teaches technical mountaineering skills.
What exactly is winter mountaineering?
The hills become a different proposition under a layer of snow; walking very quickly becomes mountaineering. As soon as you get on a slope with any kind of angle, you need to think carefully about snow conditions both for movement and avalanche risk. Sometimes the build up of snow aids progress, sometimes it makes it more tricky.
What do you like about it? I get a great deal of satisfaction from being able to move about on the hills regardless of the conditions. The mountains seem purer under snow and you can go places you usually can’t. Navigation is also often challenging, which means you have to focus carefully on your route choice.
What’s the best route you’ve climbed so far and why? That’s a hard one! Rarely do I go a winter without a good day on Crib Goch but one of my favourites in Scotland is the Dragon’s Tooth ridge in Glencoe.
What are your top tips for winter mountaineering? Go prepared. Check the avalanche and weather conditions. Be flexible in your plans. Go with good friends. Make cautious decisions. Fill your pockets with snacks and keep eating!
What’s the best way to get into it?
The easiest way is to go on a winter mountaineering skills course. Lots of individuals and companies run these throughout the winter. Check that you are getting a suitably experienced instructor: in Britain, you’ll want an MIC-certified mountain instructor, or an IFMGA mountain guide. You can search on
www.mountain-training.org/ associations/ami or
www.bmg.
org.uk
What are the best locations for it?
Scotland has the most reliable conditions, the honeypots being the Ben Nevis and Cairngorm areas. However, because stellar conditions are rarer in Snowdonia and the Lakes, days out in these mountains always seem to pack a bigger punch than they should.
What are your current goals? Trying to get a good work/life/ climbing balance! I am looking forward to the challenge of working in winter again this season as a recently-qualified MIC, hopefully some good conditions and days out with both clients and friends. I’ve got my eye on alpine conditions for the spring and I try to go on a personal (overseas) expedition every year or so – I’m hoping to climb Mt Kenya in 2018 and go to Alaska in 2019.
More about Simon on his website,
www.oranjebergsport.com. Follow him @oranjebergsport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
move. don’t remove.
When seasons change, you don’t.
NEW ASCENDANT HOODY ™ Simon
OUTDOORRESEARCH.COM
PHOTO: SIMON VERSPEAK COLLECTION.
FOREST WOODWARD TUOLUMNE MEADOWS, CA
Changing temps doesn’t have to mean changing clothes. The Ascendant gives you more adaptability in fewer layers for an all-in-one outerwear piece that won’t weigh you down.
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