UKC

So with my trip looking like a certainty, i've started to think about what gear to take. Is there any specialist/useful gear to take?

It seems to mostly be granite wall/slabs following thin seems. I've got small cams and wires covered.

Would it be worth adding any of the following to my rack:

>some micros/brass wires?
>alloy offsets to bolster my mid range wire selection (currently have two standard sets 1-10)
>a bigger cam. My biggest is currently the yellow camalot (size two I think) which is about hand crack sized. Is it worth investing in a slightly bigger size for fist cracks.
>More quick draws (I currently have 10) thinking about 40 meter pitches, seems like it'd be easy to run out of QDs.


Though considering all this is doing 460 meters routes, perhaps I should think fast and light rather than well geared and heavy?

What would people consider an ideal rack for Lofoten?

Thanks!

In reply to Kemics:

To me, the rock felt very similar in character to Bosigran - so similar rack. Just nuts and cams mainly.

In reply to Kemics:

I guess it will depend on the grades of routes your climbing to a certain extent, but when we went last year I had the equivalent of a Camalot 3 and used it more than once.
I only had the three smallest alloy offsets with me and don't recall wishing I had more of them - so you could probably live without.
Probably had 12 or 14 QD's most of the time - sometimes more if we thought we'd use them.

Hope that's of at least some help!

Enjoy - it's amazing out there.

Si

In reply to Kemics: Yeh I'd take a couple of big Cams, there are some meaty crack lines in the 4/5" range. I didn't use any micro's/RP's but I can see they maybe useful. Add a few more QD's if you have them and use x2 60m ropes if you have them. 50's are fine but we found the 60's really useful on the ab's.

As you said though if you are going for big things then fast and light may pay dividends but as we found out when the weather craps out there are lots of excellent craggy outcrops that have great short routes on them which you can do when you can't hit the big stuff. (Paradiset was one area I think)

Also you may want to add some sky hooks (I'm not kidding) as I believe routes like 'The American Tourist' rely on them.

disclaimer - we didn't do this route for that reason although we liked the sound of it..... I'm perverse

In reply to Kemics:

I used a standard trad rack. What you would use for grit/granite climbing should be fine.

In reply to Kemics:

I do love them offset alloys, they work like a charm on granite.

Also, Cam #3 would most likely be pretty useful, perhaps even #4. #5 would also be handy on some routes, but then again the offwidth section is often mentioned on the topo, so best to avoid such routes.

Hi guys,

thanks for all response!

I'm aiming to be climbing E2ish (certainly nothing harder on the long stuff...maybe on short pitches)

My rack is based for the low end E climbing, single pitch in the uk. So i've not really got any big gear.

Micro cams x 3
Camalots up to the gold (I think it's size 2)
Small/medium wires.

I've never bothered with big cams because 1. they're expensive/heavy 2. I never place them! but I figured on long granite routes, there's going to be spots where they might be more useful.

I've certainly been in spots before where i've gone to place my biggest cam...and it's too small. And I dont want that happening 300 meters off the deck :P

now the question is...the dragons are sexy...but the deamons are 10 quid cheaper.

Would it be worth doubling up on any cam sizes?

Do the routes require lots of one size gear? I'm used to Uk crack lines which wobble all over and take a range of gear. Opposed to the US or something where you need one size the whole way

In reply to Kemics:

I was deliberating between Dragons or Demons and when I looked the Dragons they didn't offer as much expansion range as I thought they might, and also the Demons fitted in between the 4CU size range I have already, so I went for them.

In reply to Kemics: Lofoten in particular is great place to push your grade (the grades are soft there compared to further north, and the routes tend to be very well protected), and of course you need gear to build two belays as well as runners for 40 mtr pitches, so I think the main thing is to have LOTS. I've back off routes for not having enough/the right size gear but never failed because my harness is too heavy!

I would suggest double nuts + some odds and sods like offsets etc., double mid-range cams and consider taking some hexes as well. When I pulled my rockcentrics out of my sack up there, my partner - a hard climbing dude who I hadn't actually met in person before (we arranged the whole trip via Rocktalk!) laughed at them. In his globe-trotting, N. American-influenced, dude-climbing experience they were obviously too punteresque - but actually they are great for belay building, leaving all your cams for stuffing into the cracks as you go for it on the pitches. Probably back then I didn't have anything bigger than my Quadcam 3.8 but I'm pretty certain Toby had a blue camalot so I think having one or two cams bigger than you have now is a good idea.

I'm sure I've used some small to tiny nuts but the majority of climbing I've done in the HVS-E1 range up there is fingers to hands, but of course there are some fist sized cracks as well.

Are you going to have any time in Helsinki before you drive up? There's lots of cragging close to the city so if you fancy an evening quick hit, let me know.

In reply to Kemics: This is what I used in Lofoten last year climbing the the Top 50 routes in the rockfax guide up tp E2. I had other gear but never used it on any routes.

Ropes
2 x 60m Half Ropes

Cams
1 x Black Alien
1 x Blue Alien
1 x Green Alien
1 x Red BD C3
1 x Yellow BD C3
1 x Grey BD C4
2 x Purple BD C4
2 x Green BD C4
2 x Red BD C4
2 x Gold BD C4
1 x Blue BD C4

Nuts
Wild Country 1-8
Brass Micro 4 under size 1 Nut
All racked on 1 biner

Draws
4 x 60cm
6 x 17cm

Slings
3 x 120cm
1 x 240cm.

Thanks again for the responses!

I think i'm going to double down on my cam sizes. Plenty of places are doing 3 dragons for £120. So i think i'll get 1 biggie and then double on two mid sizes. (green/purple)

I do too have some torque nuts but very rarely carry them simply because they are so uncool

I was hoping the belays were going to be bolted. Is retreat even possible off routes? Seems like you'd need to leave so much gear that it wouldnt work.

Toby: I think the plan is to spend a few days around Helsinki so i'll drop you a line when I know my plans

In reply to Kemics:

A few routes do have bolted anchors and/or rappel stations (ie. Bare blåbear, from pitch 5 onwards). But most rely on trad anchors, albeit some might have something fixed there. So yah, bailing might be rather spendy...


Enjoy, and go out bouldering... a lot better than the roped climbing.

In reply to Kemics:


No, unless things have radically changed in the last decade I would presume the opposite. The original Lofoten guide made a big song and dance about no drilled gear on the island and that the locals were very firm on this, but it was always a bit hypocritical. Where guided parties often went there could be bolted belays - the top of the Goat being the obvious case, but I think the rap point for Applecake arete/Lys og Skyge was bolted back in the 90s when I first went.

Some routes have been traditionally rapped without bolted belays - and here insitu trad gear is the norm. The direct start of Vestpillaren for example: it can be done as a four pitch route in its own right then rapped. Mosquito pillar is another but we backed up two of the points with our own nuts and tat IIRC, not trusting what was already there. Although take all that with a pinch of salt due to it being 10 years ago now and there have been much higher numbers of visitors in recent years I believe.

In reply to TobyA:

The direct start to Vestpillaren had bolted belays last year; above Storhylla (or whatever it's called) there was no fixed gear.

Bare Blåbær had an equipped descent from the top of the 7th pitch - this is now different to the line in the Rockfax and goes down the huge slab to the right of the main cracklines from above the offwidth of Thiris Mirath.

In reply to Pagan:


Hmmm... wonder who bolted them? Well actually I can take an educated guess!

In reply to TobyA:

NNKK...


It's for twin bolts w/ chains (ie. similar to both lines down Bare Blåbaer)...

Any other tips and tricks?

I think i've got gear covered now.

Shoes...I only have approach shoes..should I finally get a decent pair of boots.

Clothing? I know it's technically in the Arctic circle...down jacket? softshell? Light fleece only?

I basically know nothing. I booked a trip because the pictures looked rad

In reply to Kemics:

I've done most of my approaches in flip-flops, sanuks, crocks and approach shoes.

The boots might come in handy on a few occasion or perhaps on some of the more remote dealios (mainly in the west).

But won't be bothered with boots this year either.


Depends, can be shorts & t-shirts or full on down. Pray for best, prepare for worst.

Even in good weather a lightweight windbreaker is a thing to have, as it can get rather windy at times.


It is...

In reply to Kemics:


Something chunkyish like approach shoes maybe for most things - can be a tad muddy etc. but doubt you need full on boots. If you have fell runners or similar might be worth taking them for carrying up routes, with the idea that the lighter the better - but you wouldn't want to walk of Presten in flip flops for example.


I've mainly climbed in just a thermal and softshell troos, but you want something like a windproof and/or very light waterproof for taking up routes. Microfleeces of some sort are my mid layer of choice. Very light hat and gloves a good idea too. Something warm for evenings, or if you're unlucky with very cold windy weather.

In reply to TobyA:
>

It's Norway... it can be anything...
https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/306614_1015099119105...

vs.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/165322_1972997902850...

No worries, warm clothes it is I feel the cold, so i'd rather carry and not need it than shiver.

BMC trip insurance? Is there such thing as a rescue? If it all goes tits up...do you owe the Norwegian health service anything or is it all on the house like the wonderful Scandinavian country it is?

...and does anyone know how the goddam luggage calculator works on Norwegian air website?

p.s thank you so much for all the responses!

In reply to HeMa: clothing wise, dress like you are going to climb in north sales in early April. Light rain jacket light rain pants, approach shoes, hat wholly and sun hat, softshell pants and top, fleece etc and a belay jacket for sitting around and belaying, neck gaitor for those northerlys. Plus and this is a must midge mostketo hood. Bring sun cream cause it costs a fourtune there. Also bring something to cover your eyes for sleeping. Its always bright so
Leave the head torch at home. On that note if it is wet don't forget you can head out climbing any time 22.00, 04.30 doesn't matter.
We got half our routes done in the middle of the night.
I would recommend bringing a length of fishing line on a hand reel. You can literally pick the fish you want as there are so many and they agree so close and their are so many. The bridge where you walk up to do Blare Bladder is a good fishing spot.

In reply to Kemics:

Lofoten High Summer, can be hot: http://www.pbase.com/chris_craggs/image/56960427


Chris