What's It Like Taking The Step Into Extreme Climbing In The Lake District?

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What's It Like Taking The Step Into Extreme Climbing In The Lake District?

[GUEST POST] Taking the step into climbing extremes can seem daunting – at least, it’s felt daunting to me! But if you’re placing good gear, have spent time developing your basic skills and have built up confidence at VS and HVS, you may find that in reality E1 is not only achievable, but already in-line with the difficulty of some of the harder routes you’ve done. Either way, it’s worth stepping out of your comfort zone because getting on E1 routes means accessing more involved and enjoyable climbing on memorable routes.

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Lake Baikal: A Tale of No Fire and Too Much Ice

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Lake Baikal: A Tale of No Fire and Too Much Ice

[GUEST POST] Lake Baikal. A true gem in the Russian crown, one more priceless than any the Romanov women had embroidered into their dresses. Yet sometimes more lethal than the Bolshevik henchmen who came for them in the night. Between the months of December and April, the surface of the lake is licked by the frigid Siberian winds racing north to south. In a few weeks the placid waters freeze several metres deep. Then a curious thing happens.

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Top Tips For Bouldering

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Top Tips For Bouldering

When I was a child I would climb anything: trees, bridges, garden walls, anything, partly because there weren’t any crags near to our home in Surrey and partly because I just loved the challenge, particularly when I was with friends, egging each other on to try harder. I have always loved all different forms of climbing, from bouldering to big mountains, ice climbing, mixed snow and rock, and ski mountaineering. Bouldering is a form of rock climbing on small rock formations or artificial walls without using ropes, harnesses or any of the usual climbing kit. Most bouldering problems (the sequence of moves that a climber performs to complete the climb) are within 6m of the ground.

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