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ldmountaincentre

The Fjällräven Polar

LD Mountain Centre is proud to introduce Fjällräven Polar participant, Phil Raisbeck, as our guest blogger. Phil had what he calls his ‘Outdoor Epiphany’ back in 2012 when he agreed to his step-brother’s suggestion of walking the Cathar Way in the Pyrenees. Soon hooked on the outdoors, hiking and gear, Phil pursued his new found passion by completing the Tour du Mont Blanc. His highlight, however, was winning the chance to take part in the Fjällräven Polar this year. The Polar is a 300km journey via dog sled across the Arctic tundra... Read More

For Sale – 1 Mountain

News that the Lake District’s Blencathra is up for sale has started a rush of campaigns to purchase the famous mountain and donate it to the public. Noble as the sentiment is, however, the general response by many in the outdoor community has been a resounding, ‘why’? As visitors to the Lake District and other rural areas of the UK, we are constantly crossing private land and making use of our right to roam set out in the hard won CRoW laws. Blencathra has been under the private ownership of... Read More

Buying Boots and Shoes

Choosing your outdoor footwear can be a lengthy process, whether your venturing out for the first time or a veteran of the hills. The variety of styles, materials and fits available can be overwhelming when you see a wall of shoes in an outdoor shop. Knowing the style of footwear that your looking for will help to narrow down these choices. Whatever type of shoe you go for, you will likely cover a fair few miles in them, so its worth taking  your time before making your purchase.   Boot... Read More

Tent Envy

Having spent the morning cramming my not-so lightweight camping equipment into my rucksack it seemed that some of my fellow staff members were taunting me when I came in to find this on my desk. Newly arrived from Sweden, the Nordisk Telemark 2 ULW  is the lightest tent we have in the shop, and among the lightest in the world. 880grams, super compact and still able to stand up to a fresh gale, it’s a super tent for summer backpacking, and it is a Two Man! It’s also the tent... Read More

Marathon des Sables 2014

      My journey through the Sahara 1029 started, 904 finished, I came 775th 244 km – 152 miles – 59hrs 16mins                   Arrival in the Sahara. After a very long wait at Errachidia airport and then a bus journey that saw the most amazing sunset we arrived into the ‘bivouac’ in the dark.  After throwing down our bags and grabbing ourselves a sleeping space  in Tent 137 we were fed a bland meal by our hosts and then made our... Read More

Everest News

Friday’s avalanche beneath the Khumbu icefall on Everest took the lives of 16 Sherpa guides who were working on the mountain in preparation for the climbing season. Reports coming out of the region have been brief and less than reliable but it has become clear that the incident has thrown the Sherpa community and the mountaineering industry in Nepal into turmoil. Following the threat of a boycott of the climbing season by the Sherpa guides, the Nepalese government has reached a compromise on a number of the Sherpas’ demands which... Read More

Trekking Poles, what are they good for?

Well the answer seems to be, pretty much everything. The humble walking stick has seen a fair transformation in the last century and whittled wood has been replaced by folding, carbon poles with anti-shock and ergonomic grips. Their purpose remains the same though; to help you walk, whether you need extra stability on tough terrain, to take some strain off your knees in descent, or for extra power getting up the hill. In all honestly, it is surprising that more people don’t use them. Before this weekend I had never... Read More

Alpine Highline

Pierra Menta lies in the Beaufortain Massif range in the French Alps. A popular destination with ski mountaineers and climbers, it has recently been visited by a new sport, Highline. Check out the Walk’In The Sky Crew living up to their name.

Inspecting your Harness

It may not be as sexy as your Camalots but if you’ve neglected your harness recently you should make a date and give it a good going over. As climbers we rely on our harnesses more than any of our other gear, there’s no back up to it, if it fails, our whole system fails. Knowing how to look after our harnesses and knowing the warning signs of damage are essential to our safety. Lifespan The manufacturer of your harness gave it a lifespan from the date it was manufactured. If you don’t... Read More

Basejump Utah

Castleton Tower near Moab would catch the eye of any climber or base-jumper. First climbed in 1962, this lone tower of red sandstone points skyward from desert and is high on the tick lists of many climbers.  Adventurer Claire Marie recently climbed the famous tower with her BASE gear in tow. Check out this video of her project.