UKC

Are there any tips anyone can give me about climbing in the dark? Does anyone have any experience they can share from nighttime excursions?

Is it sensible to use a head torch, or rely on natural night vision? I can see one making gear placements easier, and the other facilitating route-finding, but which is preferred? Is it useful to hang a glow sick on a tag bag or at an anchor, to help find them, or is this not necessary?

Are there any decent books on the subject? I'm talking initially about Stanage, for what it's worth, but I'd like to have the skills to do this on the Ben in winter one day too.

Thanks very much for your help guys - amy input appreciated.

19G

In reply to 19G:

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/workstar-rechargeable-led-floodlight/?da=1&...

These are what we were using last year. Two of these would light up a gritstone route easily and it really was like climbing in daylight (as long as you position them so that your shadows don't get in the way). Wear a head torch for topping out as it goes pitch black very quickly.

I'm not sure of the environmental concerns of lighting up a buttress but boulderers have been doing it for a few years now without seeming to be getting in any bother.

Higgar Tor was very easy to set up and the overhanging rock suited the rigging really well. We climbed 'Bat Out Of Hell' in this style, as well as stuff at Millstone.

Also the prices seem really high on the link I've used above. Pretty sure we only paid £30-£40 each.

Hope that helps
Deacon

In reply to 19G:

I have climbed ice in the dark. We were benighted on the final pitch thanks to a gruelling approach. There was almost no light pollution and it was a fairly clear night, however, I would have been in real trouble without my head torch. So I recommend taking a head torch!

As it was turning dark it was all a little daunting. I was stifling a sense of panic and picked up the urgency, I wanted out of there before dark.

However, once it was dark, it was totally relaxing. Couldn't see the exposure anymore so the normal fear reduced significantly and it was just me and the ice for one pitch of about 50 metres. It was a strangely calming experience.

That said, I prefer climbing in daylight!

In reply to 19G:

Finished quite a few winter routes in the dark. All part of the fun. Only one one occasion did this happen without a head torch and it was a thoroughly pants experience. Head torches are great.

In reply to 19G:

I've climbed HVS / E1 in the Avon Gorge, at least a dozen times. As others say, you lose you sense of exposure, so its very enjoyable. A decent headtorch is essential, otherwise you can't place gear properly, or your feet. We tend to do it after work, in September, to extend the season that bit further. It should be a compulsory part of everyone's climbing CV!

In reply to 19G:

Thanks very much for your advice, everybody. It sounds like packing the head torch is the way to go. Deacondeacon, I like the idea of floodlights for bouldering use, but I'm not sure I can carry them for my more adventurous excursions. Snoweider, Neilwiltshire, Mostro, thanks for setting me straight. I'll give it a try at Stanage, and see if I can get the hang of it ready for something bigger.

Thanks again for all your help guys, very kind of you to take the time to help me.

19G

In reply to 19G:
My Dad and his mates used to do it on an evening after going to the pub (probably the wrong order to do it in), he said shadows can look like holds at times.

In reply to 19G:
It's a common experience in the Alps when making an Alpine Start. Best to reconnoitre the first few hundred meters the afternoon before if you can and try and remember the topography.

Everything is greatly enhanced if there is a full moon, which can make it a beautiful experience.

In reply to 19G:

Lighting up the crag sounds a bit full on, hardly in the spirit of adventure which it sounds like you're after & productive of vast amounts of light pollution! It wouldn't work on bigger cliffs either, unless your a film company I guess.

Having deliberately done a number of winter routes in the dark (Welsh winters being notoriously fickle & short lived in recent years) head-torches are highly recommended but as noted earlier not always needed. In good moonlight you might not need a torch & as you rightly point out they ruin your eyes' natural adjustment. That said you never know if that natural light will be there. It would also be a good idea to carry a spare head-torch as I can remember a number of times either my partner's or my torch has malfunctioned! Glow sticks would be pointless with head-torches.

Other points you might want to consider:
- Go with someone else; durh.
- Climbing well within your grade and at a familiar venue would be sensible (if not obvious) suggestions, especially if the descent is complex (you mention the Ben).
- If you're in the mountains I assume you can navigate with map & compass, because you'll need to.
- Take an extra layer, gloves & a hat: it gets cold belaying at night.
- Tell someone else where you're going & an ETA home.

If that all sounds like overkill bear in mind what will happen if it goes pear-shaped & who'll have to find you.

I'd recommend it, it's great fun & a real test of all your skills as a climber & mountaineer. As some of the folk have alluded to above, it's also great practice for those long days in Scotland & the Alps, when you'll be better prepared physically & mentally for the challenge.

Mwynhewch/Enjoy