Links

Breaking Away

Breaking Away
28 Holywell Hill
St Albans
Hertfordshire AL1 1BX

01727 833586 

For Google Maps, please click here.

Infrared Body

This link shows the heat loss from a human. The heat loss from the neck is clearly seen and indicates the significance of protecting or venting the neck.

Association of Mountaineering Instructors

 

Amongst other things, on the new AMI web site you can easily search for an instructor by region, name or area. Their top tips are also worth a look.

Altimus - Reading

6-7 St Mary's Butt
Broad Street Mall
Reading
Berkshire
RG1 2LN

http://www.altimusonline.co.uk/

0118 958 22 11

(There is a multi-storey car park at Broad St Mall)

AIM - Adventure in Mind

 

Click here for a blog by outdoor instructor Stuart Smith.

Summer Snow

On the 4th of June 1975 the UK was hit by a snow storm! In parts of Scotland the snow stayed on the ground for 4 days, according to Paul Simons in his book "Since Records Began".

Shivering

This article outlines research into how the brain decides when to start shivering.

How Humans Deal With Cold

This article includes some interesting insight into how age, race and sex influence the ability to survive cold. It also suggests that habituation can cause adaptation by your metabolism.

FurTech on Mont Blanc

This summer(08) Mark Southee climbed the Goutier Route on Mont Blanc in snowy conditions. He used his FurTech jacket and added a synthetic insulated top for the cold and windy summit. You can see his pictures here. There are some great shots of the grand couloir, ascent to the Goutier Hut and the Bossons ridge. Also, a nice picture of the Aig. de Bionnassay.

Mountain Inspiration

Try this site for incredible mountain photographs.

UKClimbing.com

Some excellent articles at this site, covering Alpine Climbing, Ski Mountaineering and Navigation as well as hard rock and ice. Visit http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/

FurTech Stockists

SR Cunningham Outdoor Centre

1,2 & 3 Rydal Road

Ambleside

Cumbria

LA22 9AN

(Opposite the quaint Bridge House, not far from the main car park.)

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SR Cunningham Outdoor Centre

Bryn-Pair Villa

Betws-y-Coed

Conwy

LL24 0BB

(Over the humped back bridge from the High Street. Parking next to the shop.)

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Looking for Alpine Inspiration?

This site offers excellent photographs of the Alps and beyond. Well worth a look if you are planning a trip... or just too see some great mountain pictures.

http://www.cosleyhouston.com/recent-trips.htm

The Temperature Will Feel Like...

The Metcheck site has this useful temperature indicator and forecasts rain in mm.

Snow Belays Analysis from Alpine Recreations

This link takes you to a detailed pdf file provided by Alpine Recreations. It is especially interesting to anyone using snow stakes, which are popular in New Zealand.

"Short Roping Tests" From Alpine Recreations

The following links take you to detailed pdf files provided by Alpine Recreations.

Short Roping Tests (December 2006)

Short Roping Test Statistics (December 2006)

Short Roping Film from this link.

Short Roping pdf from Alpine Recreation

This link takes you to a detailed pdf file provided by Alpine Recreations. (Recently recommended in AMI News.)

The tests they conducted show the limits of using a short rope when a slip becomes a fall and demonstrate the difficulty of using an ice axe brake to recover. However, used correctly, in the right circumstances, a short rope can stop a small slip or stumble from going out of control.

Calorie Counter

This link indicates the calories (actually, kcalories) burned for various activities. You just need to enter your weight. The kcalorie burn rate is also approximately proportional to the food and water required, heat produced and insulation needed.

Trail Blog

If you want to keep up to date with the latest developments in the outdoor industry try the Trail Gear Blog.

Survival of the Fittest

Dr Mike Stroud was Sir Renaulph Fiennes' oppo on a number of adventures, including the unsupported Antarctic crossing and 7 marathons on 7 continents. He is (or has been) an adviser to British Special Forces and this book is highly recommended to anyone interested in endurance sports or extreme conditions. More than that it is an inspiration for fitness into "old age".

Adapting to Heat

Apparently it takes a couple of weeks to acclimatise to intense heat in the desert and jungle. This training aid for the American Rangers was of particular interest to me, having spent a few years in Oman where fell running was seriously hot and climbing involved blowing on finger tips as we climbed rock that felt like it was part of a central heating system.

Unfortunately 75% of heat adaption is lost within about 3 weeks.

Adapting to Cold

How do you fancy an ice cold bath? This article provides some interesting insight into cold adaption in humans and is worth a click.

Fell Shoes: Inov8

I grew up with the traditional notion that a good pair of boots was essential for the hills. But that view has now changed. I've been using Inov8s for several years now and have been impressed by the level of "dexterity" they offer!

For more on the boot vs shoe debate, click here.

Biomimicry Institute

The Biomimicry Institute supports design inspired by nature. Here's a link to their site.

Climber Magazine

Lots of info for, er... Climbers!

Link from here.

Climb Magazine

Climb Magazine can be very entertaining. In this months issue (April) mountaineering superstars talk about their mistakes.

Without comparing myself to them, here are some of mine:

• Glissading off Sca Fell Pike without an axe. I started on my feet and then sat down on my nylon over trousers... the acceleration would have out paced a formula 1 car as I careered into the mist. Managing to get to my feet again I jumped a boulder and skidded to a stop on flattening ground near two rather surprised looking walkers, greeting them with a cheery "Hello". Aged about 14.
• Soloing Central Gully on Great End, in winter, without crampons (I couldn't afford them), with water trickling below the snow :-[   I nearly fell off a greasy rock section and was convinced I was going to die. (No means of ab'ing off.) Aged 17.
• Numerous navigation errors, including being lost without map or compass while fell running in The Lakes. Visibility 20m. After much floundering about trying to match terrain to memory I  linked up with another lost fell runner with a map but no compass... about as useless as a "Mills and Boon" novel! Actually I'd recommend that everyone sets out to get lost now and again, it's very entertaining and quite satisfying. Take a map and compass to get back.
• Trying to stop someone from sliding down a gully on Snowdon by using a body block. No chance... we both went over the chockstone and didn't stop for another 50m using an ice axe break.
• Nearly sliding off wet grass onto hard neve, on the upper reaches of Needle Ridge, Great Gable. This would have meant a fast 600ft slide into a boulder field - my axe was on my sack!
• Abseiling off Jebel Rum the wrong way and trying to solo down climb to a ledge while still a couple of hundred meters off the deck. Should have prusiked back up.
• Becoming seriously hypothermic while fell running after pushing myself to exhaustion (I didn't go through a shivering phase).

Mountain Weather Information Service

  Scottish Avalanche Information Service.

  UK mountain weather forecasts.

Alan Kimber, Abacus Mountaineering  and Alpha Mountaineering have updates on Scottish Conditions.

TGO Magazine

TGO Includes interesting pod casts and articles with a special emphasis on ultr-light backpacking.

Trail Magazine

This link takes you to the Trail magazine web site where you can download routes.

British Weather

Temperature and Rainfall maps from Scottish Climbing.

2456m on Crete

I was surprised to find that the mountains of Crete rise to 2456m and are often snow bound. There are many opportunities for walking and even ski touring. Visit ExploreMore for more details.

Add FurTech to Your Site

By clicking above you can add FurTech Science as a feed to your site!

Outdoors Blogs

Andy Kirkpatric's PsychoVertical blog offers a host of tips on climbing fast and safe. You don't need to be an extreme climber to benefit from his experience... excellent!

All Climbing is a US blog by Tom Markiewicz which does exactly what it says on the tin.

Eric Horst's blog covers lots of aspects of training for climbing.

Active Brits' Blog for hill walking, scrambling and climbing.

Tom Mangam's "Two Heel Drive" blog from California links in to loads of hiking and backpacking stuff from around the world.

Cameron McNeish is the editor of TGO. Here's his blog.

http://lighthiker.wordpress.com/ is appropriately named... interesting posts.

There's an interesting account of a "snow holing" trip on the Ben at this blog: http://www.skunkbag.co.uk/blog/index.php

Mountain Courses & Instructors

The International School of Mountaineering have a long history of teaching all aspects of mountain skills. Visit their site for more information.

Contact Tim Blakemore from UK based Northern Mountain Sport for other options.

Alan Kimber has also been recommended.

Not everyone is the same!

This link explains both Bergman's and Allen's Rules about heat loss, body shape and adaption to hot and cold climates.

All about Feathers

  This site has an interesting diagram of flight feathers and how the fibres lock together for wind resistance (scroll down the page when you get there).

About Otter Fur

Ever wondered about aquatic furry animals and how their fur works? This link describes it well!

Mallory's Everest Clothing

This link gives some background about the clothing worn by Mallory during his final day on Everest and how it was recreated and tested. Download Everest.pdf

Was he the first to reach the summit? Did he succumb to cold?

Testing of the recreated garments suggests that they provided enough insulation (and a surprising degree of wind resistance) while moving, but would not have been enough for a bivouac, so a simple accident resulting in a broken leg may have precipitated his demise.

Here's what OutdoorsMagic had to say about it:

http://www.outdoorsmagic.com/news/article.asp?SP=&v=2&UAN=3517

http://www.outdoorsmagic.com/news/article.asp?SP=&v=2&UAN=3509

Further information is available here.

Here's an update from Trail.

Trail Magazine Wash-in Waterproofer Review

This link shows the Trail test of wash-in waterproofers, addressing issues of durability, cost and environmental impact.

(When it appears please scroll down.)

American Military Lab Tests

This link details the results of lab tests on a range of waterproof breathable fabrics at various humidities. The slope of the graph indicates the difference between hydrophilic and microporous membranes.

FurTech garments were not available for testing but I would expect to beat all other types in both graphs.

Scientific Field Trials of Waterproofs

This link details some interesting findings measuring humidity in waterproof clothing. In part it concludes that hydrophilic membranes recover faster than microporous membranes after rain/condensation, though they don't breathe as well in the first place.

FurTech garments weren't available for this test but I would expect far better results for dry, wet weather and recovery breathabilities.

Chris Townsend

Chris Townsend is an exceptionally experienced gear tester, author and photographer. He is the Equipment Editor for TGO magazine which has excellent reviews of lightweight hill walking equipment. Chris also has extensive ski touring experience.

In email correspondence he has given some insight into his experiences using a variety of waterproof breathable garments:

"I've found that when the outer fabric wets out the condensation increases in all membrane/coated fabrics (all types of Gore-Tex, eVENT, Sympatex, all the PU coatings) but I have found that it builds up slower in eVENT. However all garments need reproofing when the DWR wears off or condensation appears much more quickly. I don't think eVENT needs reproofing any more often than other fabrics. It all depends on how long the DWR lasts.

However even with a good DWR and no wetting out I can still produce much condensation in all these fabrics, especially in prolonged rain. Paramo is far more breathable and my first choice as long as it's cold enough (mostly October to May). The oddest one of these fabrics is Paclite. I find this very breathable and condensation free for a time but once condensation does appear it gets very wet inside very quickly. In other fabrics the build-up is slower and more regular."

"I haven't noticed fabrics that breathe well wetting out sooner. I have noticed steam coming off garments that breathe well - this has happened with Paramo and Buffalo clothing, never with membranes or coatings.

With membranes the most breathable garments I have ever used were ones with a waterproof breathable inner and a separate windproof outer - like the Paramo construction but with a membrane inner. Rab and Craghoppers both made garments like this, using Sympatex and Permatex. With these garments the wetting out of the outer didn't make anything like as much difference to the breathability as with garments where the membrane is laminated to the outer. These garments were tough - I used a Rab one on my round of the Munros and Tops ten years ago and it was still waterproof at the finish."

Chris hasn't yet had the opportunity to test FurTech garments.

His own web site can be found here.