Of Bannatyne’s involvement, he says: “Pilgrim bandits is a fantastic charity that works with guys that have lost limbs or suffer from life changing injuries. They work together and bond together, everything they do with the lads is fantastic. I’m going to be involved forever, even when Afghanistan stops,” he added.” These soldiers will still have lost limbs, they wont get them back, that’s permanent, and so I will continue to support them.”

According to guide Jon Gupta, the team is making fast progress – regardless of disabilities within the group – and the teamwork shown by the lads is second to none. We’ll have the full story and photos for you shortly, but in the meantime show some support for the Pilgrim Bandits by making a donation at their website.

RELATED LINKS
www.pilgrimbandits.com

We spoke to Polish climber Malgosia Skowronska, who had the idea for the expedition after visiting the region last year: “After myself and (Ozzie) Sarah Sheridan spent a month on trekking in Wakhan in 2011 we absolutely felt in love with the place, the people, their warm welcome and the beauty of the mountains. I had a strange feeling that we would be back, so I got a few friends on board and a new idea started to grow in my head.”

The aims of the exped are much more than just about climbing, as Malgosia explains: “The expedition’s objective is to traverse the length of the Wakhan Corridor from west to east, explore two untouched valleys and tackle a few unnamed and virgin peaks. Apart from climbing one of our team members, Will Palmer, plans to paraglide from the mountains into the valleys to contribute aerial views to our filming project. We aim to produce a high definition documentary that can be used to promote the region among other climbers and lovers of any type of outdoor adventure – unspoilt culture, remote valleys and untouched mountains. We hope that this will help to promote the idea of tourism as additional income for the locals.”

Setting off in July 2012, the team aim to spend a month exploring the region, and you can follow their progress at their website listed below.

RELATED LINKS
www.afghanistandssecretpeaks2012.com

You may already have watched the trailer (below) but the film, which won the People’s Choice Award at the Kendal Mountain Film Festival last year, contrasts the challenges of Ed Drummond’s first ascent over 40 years ago, with Dave MacLeod’s first free ascent, and also follows Ed as he makes a pilgrimage back to St John’s Head to look upon the route one last time.

At 1150 foot, St Johns Head is the tallest sea cliff in the UK. It was first climbed in 1970 by Drummond together with Oliver Hill. They took seven days to climb the cliff, sleeping on ledges and in hammocks along the way. Forty years on Dave MacLeod and Andy Turner set out to climb the cliff in a single day. You can see the spectacular results of that climb captured in glorious high definition in Paul Diffley’s brilliant film.

Spring 2012 will see outdoor manufacturer Marmot launch its second European flagship store at the Westfield Stratford City shopping centre in north east London, situated adjacent to the London Olympic Park. The Marmot store will be on ‘The Street’, an outdoor boulevard that is one of the main access routes through the centre site, and the gateway to the Olympic Games in 2012.

Andy Schimeck, Managing Director of Marmot Mountain Europe, comments on the new London store: “The UK is one of our key territories and to support Marmot’s strategic brand development we identified Stratford as a prime site for a flagship store. With the Olympics taking place this year, this is an exciting opportunity for us to showcase the depth and breadth of the collection and illustrate Marmot’s brand values in what will surely be one of the most visited and high profile locations in the world in 2012.”

The official opening date of the new store has yet to be confirmed, but among the events celebrating the opening will be ‘come and try it’ activities for visitors to get involved in, and the Marmot PRO athletes will also be on hand throughout the day.

RELATED LINKS
www.marmot.eu 

At the Outdoor Show in Friedrichshafen last summer one of the biggest stories – if not the biggest story – was the introduction of Active Shell, and there was a range of jackets from some of the leading manufacturers making use of the new fabric. The big selling point of Active Shell is that it promises to be more breathable than previous waterproof membranes making it especially suited to fast and light activities. Gore has stipulated certain guidelines for any brand using it, and this includes a limit on the over-lapping areas of the fabric (which reduces breathability) and on the overall weight of the garment.

Put the Endo on for the first time and it certainly feels featherweight. The design is minimalist, with just one chest pocket, but there’s nice design details to be found all over this garment; from the chinguard (soft panel of fabric), to the dropped rear hem, to the  arm hems which are elasticated, have thumbloops and a stretchy panel – useful for getting gloves on and off. The hood is adjustable but is a tad tight when wearing a helmet. In use the Endo is a pleasure to wear, the material seems softer and less ‘crinkly’ than PacLite. Its improvement in breathability becomes obvious very quickly, with less condensation than we’d expect from a PacLite when engaged in strenuous activities. There’s no point being dry from the rain outside if you’re getting wet from the inside and that’s what Active Shell promises to help remedy. We’ll be taking the Endo to the Alps for a thorough workout, but on our initial use it gets a big thumbs up.

Verdict: Quality and well-thought out jacket, making the most of Active Shell’s attributes  9/10

SPEC/INFO

• GORE-TEX Active Shell. 100% polymide, double ripstop 30D face with ePTFE membrane and knitted backer. 105g/m2
• Innovative pattern construction reduces weight and bulk
• DWR treated surface
• Three-way, adjustable hood
• Laminated tricot chin guard and GORE-TEX weather guard behind watertight main zip
• Breathable, stretch woven non-membrane zippered chest pocket
• Dropped rear hem
• Single handed waist hem chord adjustment
• Articulated sleeves with shaped elasticated cuffs and thumb loops
• Reflective detailing
• Weight: 320g (L)
• Price: £220

RELATED LINKS
www.haglofs.com

Let’s kick off with Black Diamond who have a number of updates and new products for spring 2012. The Vector Helmet is a reincarnation of the Tracer – a geometric co-moulded, ultralight helmet with excellent ventilation that comes in men’s and women’s specific models. The helmet is built from a redesigned head shape using ultralight co-moulded EPS foam, and features generous airflow ports, tuck-away ratcheting suspension system, and what BD describe as ‘the most secure headlamp attachment clips on the market’. Also new is the Flight and (women’s) Siren harnesses – high performance sport climbing models which boast very lightweight constructions and Mondo gear loops. They are constructed using new Dual Core XP which combines a breathable Openair waistbelt with full-width, high-tensile nylon leg loops for optimal comfort and breathability.

Black Diamond harnesses and helmets on display

The big news from Rab this spring is their new range of lightweight waterproofs using Pertex’s Shield+, an extremely light but waterproof/breathable fabric. Consisting of the Volt, Spark, Kinetic, Pulse and Tempo jackets, and the Kinetic pants, this range sits under Rab’s existing eVent and Neoshell ranges in terms of price, but promises no compromises in the quality and performance of the garments. Features include helmet-compatible hoods, YKK Aquaguard water-resistant zips, Velcro cuffs and internal storm flaps. We have in our hands right now one of the first Kinetic jackets available, and we’ll bring you our verdict in the the March issue of Trek & Mountain.

Helly Hansen Odin Jacket

Sprayway have been having a resurgence of late, and their new spring products focus on giving exceptional value for money. For example, their Nyx (and Eos for women) jackets are made using Gore-Tex Performance Shell, yet are priced at just £130. Combined with Sprayway’s All Day Rainpants which include a DWR finish and waterproof taped lining and sell for £70, you’ve got a complete waterproof outfit ideal for walking for just £200. That’s value-for-money in our book!

Odlo's stand

Keen have done very well in the lifestyle and leisure footwear stakes in recent times, but we shouldn’t forget that they also make some really decent hiking and trekking boots too. The new Glarus is a case in point, offering a full-grain leather upper, Keen’s own waterproof membrane liner, KeenDry, and an outsole with deep lugs especially designed to give high traction. This boot looks ideal for multi-day treks and long-distance hikes, and being a fan of the fit of previous Keen boots we’ve tested, we’re keen to see if the Glarus is as comfortable as its stablemates. Look out for a review in Trek & Mountain very soon!

The 'Occupy ISPO' tent village...not really

Helly Hansen were demonstrating their top-of-the-range Odin products, which have been developed with the mountain guides and professional adventurers on the HH team. The range includes the Odin Mountain Jacket Mk2, which uses  Helly Tech Professional 3L laminate shell – waterproof,  breathable and stretchable, in case you didn’t know. All zips – main zip and chest and hand pockets – use YKK Aquaguard V9 Vislon zippers, and there´s also a zip-out snowskirt and a zipper to attach the jacket to the matching trousers. The design has been optimised for wearing a harness or carrying a pack, and the ‘3D’ welded shoulder reinforcements are intended to minimise wear from abrasion and also help to keep shoulder straps from slipping off the shoulders. HH were also showing some interesting new technologies (pictured below) which essentially use spot insulation to direct the flow of air around the body – keeping the areas that need to be warm warm, and the areas that need more ventilation, cool. It’ll be interesting to see the final products that these new ideas feature on, expected later in the year.

Your caption here!

And that’s about it for our round-up of some of the highlights of ISPO Munich 2012. There were plenty of other products on display that we haven’t mentioned of course, but for further updates check out the Geared Up section in Trek & Mountain every month, in which we preview the latest and most interesting mountain gear that’s coming to retailers soon. So it only remains now to say ‘auf wiedersehin’!

RELATED LINKS
ISPO Munich report, Part 1
ISPO Munich report, Part 2

So let’s start with high-end French brand Millet, of whom high altitude mountaineers will be very familiar with thanks to their Everest GTX boots. Among other products, Millet were showing a new range of winter mountaineering gear bearing the name Davai, named in homage to the first ascentionists of the north face of Les Droites in 1955 – Davaille and Cornuau. The Davai collection consists of a technical winter mountaineering boot, a lightweight three-layer Gore-Tex jacket, and gloves which Millet describe as ‘warm and precise for holding ice-axes’. The Davai boots look like a smaller version of the instantly recognisable 8000m double plastics, but are actually quite a different beast. These are single boots made using Primaloft insulation on the inside, a tough Cordura upper and a stiff Vibram outsole. A stretch gaiter made using a breathable/waterproof PTFE membrane is integrated as on the 8000m, and the zip is protected from the elements by a waterproof cover. These boots really look the business and should be ideal for hard technical climbing in cold conditions in the Alps.

Millet Davai winter mountaineering boots

Berghaus had a shiny big stand as you would expect from one of our leading outdoor brands, and they had plenty to fill it with too, with new  shells (updated Mount Asgard jacket using Active Shell and the all-new Kangchenjunga, using Pro-Shell), Pro-Shell mountain pants (Oktang Bib Pant), softshell (Sanyia jacket and Patera pants) and down jackets (Ramche and Llam). The Ramche jacket, which has been developed with Mick Fowler on his recent Himalayan exped to Mugu Chuli, particularly caught our eye. Using Berghaus’ innovative hydrophobic down, which retains its insulating properties even when wet, the Ramche uses some trickery with its baffles to keep warmth where it’s needed most, while allowing cooling where it’s not. It also uses offset baffles to prevent cold spots that can occur where stitching goes between baffles. The jacket looks like it’ll provide an impressive warmth/weight ratio, a view enthusiastically endorsed by Fowler and climbing partner Dave Turnbull.

Berghaus Namche (middle) and Llam (front) jackets

Montane have been super active of late and the new products keep coming with the announcement of their first range of backpacks which we’ll see this spring. The  Medusa 32 is at the heart of the range, and is a no-nonsense pack for all types of climbing and trekking. The pack uses the tough Raptor TL fabric for durability, and the fabric on the inside back is intended to minimise abrasion and wear on your waterproof jacket, as well as increase comfort. First impressions of the Medusa were good – we liked its narrow profile, tough fabric and straightforward design, all good traits on a climbing pack. Other packs in the range include a smaller version of the Medusa, the Cobra 25, and the Anaconda 18 for fast and light pursuits.

Montane's first ever pack, the Medusa 32

One of the big themes of the show was ‘hybrid’, with a mind-boggling number of variations on the idea of combining two types of fabric (e.g. softshell torso with hardshell arms/shoulders) in zones on the same garment. One of the more interesting was over at Smartwool, where their new PhD Smartloft men’s and women’s tops combine the company’s traditional merino wool with extra insulation round the torso provided by standard wool and rounded off with a windproof shell, again,on the torso. The idea of course is that the garment can be worn on its own when conditions are right, but can also be layered up (with either a baselayer underneath or hardshell over the top, or both) when extra protection or warmth is required. Combining the properties of merino (comfort, warmth, no smell) with other fabrics is the name of Smartwool’s game at the moment, and this can also be seen in their Windshirt, which features Windstopper on the torso over a merino base, and with their recently revamped PhD range of socks which now include a synthetic element to improve durability. ‘ReliaWool’ is the name given to synthetic-reinforced merino yarn used on the heel and toes.

Smartwool's new hybrid top

To round off Part 2 of our ISPO report we’ll leave you with a photo of controversial Korean mountaineer Oh Eun-Sun, who we spotted signing autographs on the Valandre stand. In April 2010, Oh summited Annapurna and so became the first woman in history to have climbed all 14 8000m peaks – or so she claimed. However, several experts subsequently disputed her summit of Kangchenjunga in 2009, and Oh herself later admitted that she had stopped a few metres below the summit itself. The Korean Alpine Federation decided that the summit could not stand and so the Spaniard Edurne Pasaban instead took the accolade once she had completed her set of 8000′ers in May 2010. Squabbles and technicalities aside, Oh’s feat is still a hell of an achievement in our book and we think she’s well within her rights to present her lecture ‘Oh Eun-Sun’s Way To The 14 8000m Peaks’. And that’s it for now – see you again very shortly for our third, and last, ISPO show report.

Oh Eun-Sun, Korea's 8000m peak heroine

]]> http://www.trekandmountain.com/ispo-munich-report-part-2/feed/ 0 http://www.trekandmountain.com/routes-north-face-of-the-eiger/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=routes-north-face-of-the-eiger http://www.trekandmountain.com/routes-north-face-of-the-eiger/#comments Sat, 04 Feb 2012 23:59:33 +0000 Chris Kempster http://www.trekandmountain.com/?p=928 Stephen Venables on one of the most iconic routes in mountaineering

Dick Renshaw, who made the first British winter ascent with Joe Tasker, once said to me, “it’s simply the best route in the Alps”. The North Face of the Eiger weaves a cunning and beautifully logical line up the most awesome mountain wall in Europe and because of its unique and often grizzly history it has an extraordinary aura. In good conditions, well-plastered with snow and ice, it is a brilliant mixed climb with numerous memorable historic pitches, such as the Difficult Crack, Hinterstoisser Traverse, Waterfall Chimney, Brittle Crack, Traverse of the Gods, Quartz Crack and so on. From Death Bivouac, over half way up the wall, I counted 30 pitches to the summit, and almost every one of them was brilliant.

For all that, the Eigerwand is still potentially dangerous. Get caught in a big storm and you can find yourself trapped in the firing line of vicious avalanches, rockfall and, in summer, devastating waterfalls. The route may now have been soloed in an astounding time of two hours 28 minutes but, for most of us, it remains a serious undertaking.

STATS:

• Eiger North-west Face (‘Eigerwand’) 3,970m, 1,700 metres.  Grade ED2, IV+
• First ascent: Heinrich Harrer, Anderl Heckmair, Fritz Kasparek and Ludwig Vörg, July 21-24 1938
• First winter ascent: Walter Almberger, Toni Hiebeler, Toni Kinshofer, Anderl Mannhardt, 1961
• First solo ascent: Michel Darbellay, 1963

OTHER SIGNIFICANT ROUTES

• Direct ‘Harlin Route’:  Dougal Haston, Jörg Lehne, Günther Strobel, Roland Votteler and Siegfried Hupfauer, 1965
• (John Harlin killed when the fixed rope broke, thus also preventing Layton Kor from completing the route)
• ‘Metanoia’: Jeff Lowe (solo), 1991
• ‘Le Chant du Cygne’: Daniel Anker and Michel Piola, 1992

Petzl Nao - genuinely innovative

Undoubtedly one of the talking points of the show was Petzl‘s new Nao headtorch, which is the first of their products to use the company’s innovative new reactive lighting technology. Using a light sensor set above two LED beams, the Nao can adjust the focus and power of the light it throws out to suit the situation. So for close up lighting (if you are looking at a map or tying a knot, for example) it will reduce power and provide a wide beam, then when you look up to see further into the distance the beam will become more focused and provide more power. It does this automatically and instantly, as we found out when we had a quick go of the Nao ourselves. One big advantage of reactive lighting technology is that because full power is only used when it’s really needed, the battery life is increased considerably. An idea that makes you wonder why it’s never been done before, we think the Nao could be one of 2012′s biggest products.

Simone Moro and Dennis Urubko live from Nanga Parbat base camp

The North Face had an eye-catching stand dominated by a massive screen playing videos of their sponsored athletes in action but which they also used to conduct a live interview with Simone Moro and Dennis Urubko at Nanga Parbat Base Camp. The duo were waiting for the right weather conditions before launching their attempt to make the first winter ascent of the ninth highest peak in the world, and took time out to talk about the expedition so far and explain a little about the kit they are using. A fascinating insight into life on a high altitude expedition, the pair’s hopes and concerns – as well as humour – came across loud and clear on a surprisingly good satellite connection. In terms of TNF products, there was plenty on display but we particularly liked the look of the Meru range, which was developed with Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin and Renan Ozturk for their second attempt on the previously unclimbed Shark’s Fin of Meru, in the Garhwal Himalaya of India. Consisting of the Shaffle insulated jacket, the Pinnacle jacket and bib, and the Rad-ish midlayer, the Meru range was developed for the particular demands of climbing this route, and includes shaped baffle construction on the Shaffle for warmth and ease-of-movement where it’s needed, and grippy shoulders on the Pinnacle Active Shell jacket which prevents sacs from slipping around. An exciting range we’re keen to get our hands on, the design work was clearly worthwhile as Anker, Chin and Ozturk returned to Meru in 2011 and reached the summit on October 2nd.

Shoulder detail on The North Face Meru Pinnacle Jacket

Jack Wolfskin are a big player in their native Germany, as well as an increasingly prominent name in the UK market, and they offer a huge range of outdoor products ranging from lifestyle footwear and children’s clothing to full-on mountain products. Their Trek, Hike and Mountain ranges are of particular interest to T&M readers, and we were impressed with some of their high end garments which can compare with some of the more technical brands in the market. A clever idea that caught our eye was their Fibercloud technology that aims to combine the best characteristics of down and synthetic insulation. The concept is that synthetic fibres are used to fill baffles like on a down jacket, and these loft to provide more warmth and less weight than a standard synthetic jacket, which basically uses a layer of synthetic insulation. The jacket will also pack down more than a normal synthetic insulated jacket, though not as much as real down jacket. Add this superior warmth and packability to the water-resistance and affordability of synthetics and we think JW might have a winner on their hands here.

Jack Wolfskin's clever Fibercloud technology, which uses synthetic lofting 'down'

Nikwax are well-known for their waterproofing and cleaning products, and they took the opportunity at ISPO to add a new product to their range, their Tent & Gear Solarproof Concentrate. The concentrate is diluted with water then applied to tents and other synthetic weatherproof textiles to protect against damage from UV and to increase waterproofing. Nikwax claim that just one application of Solarproof could double the effective life of fabrics by reducing the deterioration caused by UV rays. Increasing the life of your tent, rucksack and so on for just a few pounds sounds like a no-brainer to us, and we will be making use of the sample we picked up at the show in the very near future!

Nikwax inventor Nick Brown presents the company's new Solarproof concentrate

Trekmates aren’t a brand that you’d normally associate with technical mountain products, but that could be about to change with the launch of their new Mountain XT sub-brand. Taking advantage of an association with the British Association of International Mountain Leaders (BAIML), Trekmates have used input and feedback from BAIML to produce a range of products that, to our eyes at least, won’t look out of place being worn by their members. We recently took delivery of the first Mountain XT product we’ve seen – a high-spec softshell jacket – and at ISPO we also had the chance to check out their baselayers, Gore-Tex gaiters, and headwear. Although the Mountain XT products certainly aren’t budget products, we reckon they’re likely to be priced slightly lower than competitor products. Whether this will be enough to tempt customers away from the brands that inhabit this end of the market, only time will tell…

The Mountain XT range includes gaiters, baselayers, softshell and more

As we sign off this first installment of our ISPO report, we thought we’d leave you with an image from The North Face’s Indian-themed party (to tie in with their Meru range), in which Penny and Helen from The North Face give the cast of Slumdog Millionaire a run for their money in the Bollywood fashion stakes! Until Part 2…

Penny and Helen from The North Face

Following the expo itself, the action moves onto Zillertal, Austria for the ‘On Snow Demo’ taking place on Thursday 2nd to Saturday 4th February. Set on the Hintertux Glacier, this is a chance for retailers and journalists to try out some of the new kit that was announced at the show.

We will be bringingyou some highlights of the show over the next few days, so do check back for updates, and in the meantime you can find out more about the show at the official ISPO website listed below.

RELATED LINKS
www.ispo.com