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My girlfriend and I were doing the Snowdon Ranger/Rhyd Ddu circuit up Snowdon on Saturday, we know the mountain but hadn't done that route before. We massively underestimated the weather and had stupidly both forgotten our gloves. It was very misty, windy and cold, although you could argue that it was no worse than you'd expect from Snowdonia in February. On our way up we met someone on their way back down, who commented jokingly that it was great weather for it. Without thinking, since all I could focus on was how much my hands hurt from the cold, I blurted out "I just wish I'd remembered my gloves!" Once he heard this he took his off, insisting we have them. We refused several times but he shoved in my hands and wouldn't have them back, saying that he didn't need them since he was on his way down and we'd need them at the peak.
My girlfriend and I used one glove each, using the gloved hand to hold a walking pole and covering the other hand with the sleeves of our coats. He was right - we definitely needed those gloves. Kind stranger, if by chance you're reading this please know that we are massively grateful. If you'd like them back don't hesitate to contact me.
Just goes to show how a simple act of kindness can really make a difference to someone's day!
My girlfriend and I used one glove each, using the gloved hand to hold a walking pole and covering the other hand with the sleeves of our coats. He was right - we definitely needed those gloves. Kind stranger, if by chance you're reading this please know that we are massively grateful. If you'd like them back don't hesitate to contact me.
Just goes to show how a simple act of kindness can really make a difference to someone's day!
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In reply to cb_6:
I'm sorry but whilst I commend you for admitting to the error of your ways on these pages and having the courtesy to thank your benefactor I do question your wisdom.
Having got to the point where your hands were hurting with cold why did you carry on? having then been provided with one pair of gloves between you why did you still continue given that you were still, effectively, poorly equipped?
Agreed that many of us have made bad decisions in the hills. Thankfully some do not have dire consequences. Many others do.
I'm sorry but whilst I commend you for admitting to the error of your ways on these pages and having the courtesy to thank your benefactor I do question your wisdom.
Having got to the point where your hands were hurting with cold why did you carry on? having then been provided with one pair of gloves between you why did you still continue given that you were still, effectively, poorly equipped?
Agreed that many of us have made bad decisions in the hills. Thankfully some do not have dire consequences. Many others do.
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In reply to FesteringSore:
Hmmmm... I think you're being a little melodramatic and condescending. We were warm and appropriately dressed aside from the gloves, had yet more layers in our backpacks, had plenty of food, water, flask of hot tea etc. and certainly didn't consider ourselves to be at any serious risk of losing fingers to frostbite.
A little bit of pain and cold isn't the end of the world, and our hands quickly warmed up with a glove on the walking pole hand and a jacket sleeve covering the other.
Hmmmm... I think you're being a little melodramatic and condescending. We were warm and appropriately dressed aside from the gloves, had yet more layers in our backpacks, had plenty of food, water, flask of hot tea etc. and certainly didn't consider ourselves to be at any serious risk of losing fingers to frostbite.
A little bit of pain and cold isn't the end of the world, and our hands quickly warmed up with a glove on the walking pole hand and a jacket sleeve covering the other.
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In reply to cb_6:
Another one for next time - you'd have been better off strapping your walking poles to your sack and doing without - the use of poles makes it harder to keep your hands warm.
Another one for next time - you'd have been better off strapping your walking poles to your sack and doing without - the use of poles makes it harder to keep your hands warm.
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In reply to Simon Caldwell:
Actually I disagree. Using your arms, especially if you push hard, keeps your hands warm.
> Another one for next time - you'd have been better off strapping your walking poles to your sack and doing without - the use of poles makes it harder to keep your hands warm.
Actually I disagree. Using your arms, especially if you push hard, keeps your hands warm.
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In reply to Andy Nisbet:
yes I tend to agree.....but if you haven't got gloves and it's windy I'd go pole-less
yes I tend to agree.....but if you haven't got gloves and it's windy I'd go pole-less
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In reply to cb_6:
As a general query, how many people carry just one pair of gloves (never mind none)? Upwards of 20 years ago I had problems with "losing" fingers in any kind of cold weather, not just on the hill, and in due course was diagnosed with Raynaud's - which appears to be quite common. I was told it wouldn't ever properly go away, but it could be controlled by keeping my hands reasonably warm and particularly by preventing them from getting cold in the first place - ie once they're gone, they're gone, so don't let it happen. On the hill it had become an issue in terms of struggling to work zips, get things out of my rucksack and - especially - adjusting a compass in cold weather (this was in the days when fine-tuned adjustments for magnetic variation were the norm). So I started wearing gloves on the hill pretty much all the time, even on warm days, and it seems to have worked - I still get occasional slight problems but hardly ever.
What it means in practical terms is that the rucksack is continually stocked with a variety of gloves. I almost always have at least three pairs: thin Damart-type ones which I wear most of the time, middling Thinsulate ones (these don't see much action but are useful as backup) and Buffalo mitts which I love and which get worn a lot. I often switch straight from the thin gloves to the mitts. Anyway, I can't conceive of going up any Munro-sized hill without these three pairs, even in summer and certainly not in winter. Even on summer Ochil raids when I'm out for only two or three hours and carrying just a big bumbag, the Damart gloves will still be in there (or more usually on my hands). On "proper" hill days I also tend to carry spare socks (not that I get cold feet), and if need be they can be used as gloves too.
Do other people do this - carry multiple pairs of gloves in pretty much all conditions - or am I odd?
As a general query, how many people carry just one pair of gloves (never mind none)? Upwards of 20 years ago I had problems with "losing" fingers in any kind of cold weather, not just on the hill, and in due course was diagnosed with Raynaud's - which appears to be quite common. I was told it wouldn't ever properly go away, but it could be controlled by keeping my hands reasonably warm and particularly by preventing them from getting cold in the first place - ie once they're gone, they're gone, so don't let it happen. On the hill it had become an issue in terms of struggling to work zips, get things out of my rucksack and - especially - adjusting a compass in cold weather (this was in the days when fine-tuned adjustments for magnetic variation were the norm). So I started wearing gloves on the hill pretty much all the time, even on warm days, and it seems to have worked - I still get occasional slight problems but hardly ever.
What it means in practical terms is that the rucksack is continually stocked with a variety of gloves. I almost always have at least three pairs: thin Damart-type ones which I wear most of the time, middling Thinsulate ones (these don't see much action but are useful as backup) and Buffalo mitts which I love and which get worn a lot. I often switch straight from the thin gloves to the mitts. Anyway, I can't conceive of going up any Munro-sized hill without these three pairs, even in summer and certainly not in winter. Even on summer Ochil raids when I'm out for only two or three hours and carrying just a big bumbag, the Damart gloves will still be in there (or more usually on my hands). On "proper" hill days I also tend to carry spare socks (not that I get cold feet), and if need be they can be used as gloves too.
Do other people do this - carry multiple pairs of gloves in pretty much all conditions - or am I odd?
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In reply to Dave Hewitt:
You're not odd at all. In winter I usually have 3 and sometimes 4 pairs on a walk/climb. I'll have a thin fleecy/wool pair which I'll wear most of the time plus a pair that's a liner glove + waterproof outer that still goes on when my hands are cold/damp - these two pairs live in a dry bag at the top of my sack so they are easy to get to. I'll also usually have a spare fleece pair plus another waterproof pair buried in my sack. Depending on the mingingness of the weather I might lob a pair of waterproof mitts in too as these still go on with wet hands and also can be used by anyone else on the hill that needs them.
When climbing a spare pair gets stuffed down my jacket when I start climbing so I've always got a dry pair accessible. My other half suffers very badly with cold paws (his fingers go white/numb sitting in the house when it's warm!!!) and may have 5-6 pairs with him when winter climbing.
In summer I usually just take a light fleecy/wool pair and a waterproof(ish) pair. TBH, I doubt I've ever walked in the UK without having at least one pair in my sack.
> Do other people do this - carry multiple pairs of gloves in pretty much all conditions - or am I odd?
You're not odd at all. In winter I usually have 3 and sometimes 4 pairs on a walk/climb. I'll have a thin fleecy/wool pair which I'll wear most of the time plus a pair that's a liner glove + waterproof outer that still goes on when my hands are cold/damp - these two pairs live in a dry bag at the top of my sack so they are easy to get to. I'll also usually have a spare fleece pair plus another waterproof pair buried in my sack. Depending on the mingingness of the weather I might lob a pair of waterproof mitts in too as these still go on with wet hands and also can be used by anyone else on the hill that needs them.
When climbing a spare pair gets stuffed down my jacket when I start climbing so I've always got a dry pair accessible. My other half suffers very badly with cold paws (his fingers go white/numb sitting in the house when it's warm!!!) and may have 5-6 pairs with him when winter climbing.
In summer I usually just take a light fleecy/wool pair and a waterproof(ish) pair. TBH, I doubt I've ever walked in the UK without having at least one pair in my sack.
Post edited at 15:31
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In reply to Dave Hewitt:
>Do other people do this - carry multiple pairs of gloves in pretty much all conditions - or am I odd?
Nah, fairly normal I would think. I always have a various assortment of thin/thicker gloves and, in winter, shell/normal mitts in some combination. I have more recently taken to wearing wrist gaiters [watch on top] and keeping them on all day, even driving to [and from!] the hill, keeps my hands nice and cosy before I set off.
I hate getting cold hands.
>Do other people do this - carry multiple pairs of gloves in pretty much all conditions - or am I odd?
Nah, fairly normal I would think. I always have a various assortment of thin/thicker gloves and, in winter, shell/normal mitts in some combination. I have more recently taken to wearing wrist gaiters [watch on top] and keeping them on all day, even driving to [and from!] the hill, keeps my hands nice and cosy before I set off.
I hate getting cold hands.
Post edited at 15:49
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In reply to Dave Hewitt:
I've never carried "back up" gloves but I always wear merino liner gloves as well, with the thumbs inside my fleece thumb loops. This means they're never coming off accidentally. My backup plan for lost gloves is then to use the liners, a merino muff and/or spare socks or other items as emergency backup. Never had to put this into practice so no idea how well it'd work!
> As a general query, how many people carry just one pair of gloves (never mind none)?
I've never carried "back up" gloves but I always wear merino liner gloves as well, with the thumbs inside my fleece thumb loops. This means they're never coming off accidentally. My backup plan for lost gloves is then to use the liners, a merino muff and/or spare socks or other items as emergency backup. Never had to put this into practice so no idea how well it'd work!
Post edited at 15:51
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In reply to Andy Nisbet:
I've always found that using poles (especially in winter) my hands get colder, quicker. I've always put it down to the fact that your hands will be exposed to the wind for more of the time. I try to mitigate against it I try to waggle my fingers to keep them moving.
Maybe it's just me!
> Actually I disagree. Using your arms, especially if you push hard, keeps your hands warm.
I've always found that using poles (especially in winter) my hands get colder, quicker. I've always put it down to the fact that your hands will be exposed to the wind for more of the time. I try to mitigate against it I try to waggle my fingers to keep them moving.
Maybe it's just me!
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In reply to cb_6:
I think admitting it on the UKC forum was an even bigger mistake. After all, It is the haunt of smart arses readily waiting to criticise. A great act of kindness by the stranger though.
I think admitting it on the UKC forum was an even bigger mistake. After all, It is the haunt of smart arses readily waiting to criticise. A great act of kindness by the stranger though.
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In reply to Simon Caldwell:
That is certainly my experience.
> I've always found that using poles (especially in winter) my hands get colder, quicker. I've always put it down to the fact that your hands will be exposed to the wind for more of the time. I try to mitigate against it I try to waggle my fingers to keep them moving.Maybe it's just me!
That is certainly my experience.
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In reply to Fiona Reid:
Phew.
Re the couple of comments about inner liners, I tried these (or simply thin gloves inside mitts) years ago but it seemed to make my hands colder, and these days I favour the theory about having an air gap which warms up - eg with the Buffalo mitts I don't wear thin gloves even though there'd be space for them. The bloke who first got me climbing hills 35 years ago bought himself a pair of very fancy silk gloves, which he wore inside Dachsteins; he said they worked well but I've never tried that.
Another thing is asymmetrical cold - these days I mostly seem to get properly cold hands in the house or (particularly) when gardening, in a chilblain-ish kind of way, with cracked skin in due course. But it's almost always the right hand that gets it worse. I'm largely (but not entirely) right-handed, and I wonder if the years of doing cold-weather compass etc stuff mainly with my right hand has had a long-term effect, even though my hands are now a lot better on the hill. I probably also more often carry my walking axe in my right hand - of course one tends to swap to keep it on the upslope, but I'm definitely right-footed which I think causes me to zig rightwards downhill more often than zag leftwards - hence the axe is more often in the right hand. That relates to the discussion about poles and cold hands, I guess - not that I'm a pole-wielder (certainly not two, anyway; sometimes one, again in the dominant hand mostly).
> You're not odd at all.
Phew.
Re the couple of comments about inner liners, I tried these (or simply thin gloves inside mitts) years ago but it seemed to make my hands colder, and these days I favour the theory about having an air gap which warms up - eg with the Buffalo mitts I don't wear thin gloves even though there'd be space for them. The bloke who first got me climbing hills 35 years ago bought himself a pair of very fancy silk gloves, which he wore inside Dachsteins; he said they worked well but I've never tried that.
Another thing is asymmetrical cold - these days I mostly seem to get properly cold hands in the house or (particularly) when gardening, in a chilblain-ish kind of way, with cracked skin in due course. But it's almost always the right hand that gets it worse. I'm largely (but not entirely) right-handed, and I wonder if the years of doing cold-weather compass etc stuff mainly with my right hand has had a long-term effect, even though my hands are now a lot better on the hill. I probably also more often carry my walking axe in my right hand - of course one tends to swap to keep it on the upslope, but I'm definitely right-footed which I think causes me to zig rightwards downhill more often than zag leftwards - hence the axe is more often in the right hand. That relates to the discussion about poles and cold hands, I guess - not that I'm a pole-wielder (certainly not two, anyway; sometimes one, again in the dominant hand mostly).
In reply to cb_6:
As others have said a great act of kindness. Hopefully you will get the opportunity to pay it forwards and help someone else out.
The world would be a much happier place if we all looked out for each other.
As others have said a great act of kindness. Hopefully you will get the opportunity to pay it forwards and help someone else out.
The world would be a much happier place if we all looked out for each other.
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In reply to wintertree:
You don't have spare gloves but you do have spare socks? That's interesting.
I'm another one who usually has three or four pairs of gloves/mitts with them in winter. Mitts for if all goes wrong in some way, walking-in/gearing up gloves, main climbing gloves, thin climbing gloves for super hard pitches (about tech 5 for me! ).
You don't have spare gloves but you do have spare socks? That's interesting.
I'm another one who usually has three or four pairs of gloves/mitts with them in winter. Mitts for if all goes wrong in some way, walking-in/gearing up gloves, main climbing gloves, thin climbing gloves for super hard pitches (about tech 5 for me! ).
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In reply to TobyA:
Socks take up almost no space and if it's a nice day I like a dry, sweat free pair of socks for walking back down...
Pretty weird I suppose. I'm just talking about walking as per the OP mind you.
> You don't have spare gloves but you do have spare socks?
Socks take up almost no space and if it's a nice day I like a dry, sweat free pair of socks for walking back down...
Pretty weird I suppose. I'm just talking about walking as per the OP mind you.
Post edited at 18:07
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In reply to cb_6:
I usually have a spare pair of dry socks , in my sack, ( I'm guessing most people do?)
They are better than nothing if someone has forgotten gloves.
That said I usually have at least a spare pair of cheap woollen mittens in there too( I'm always 'over prepared'
I usually have a spare pair of dry socks , in my sack, ( I'm guessing most people do?)
They are better than nothing if someone has forgotten gloves.
That said I usually have at least a spare pair of cheap woollen mittens in there too( I'm always 'over prepared'
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In reply to wintertree:
Before I learnt to carry spare gloves, I did drop one when winter climbing. I had to take off my sock and wear that. Which worked. I'm sure that's not a first.
Before I learnt to carry spare gloves, I did drop one when winter climbing. I had to take off my sock and wear that. Which worked. I'm sure that's not a first.
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In reply to Andy Nisbet:
Not as warm as just putting them in your pockets. Fine if just walking.
> Actually I disagree. Using your arms, especially if you push hard, keeps your hands warm.
Not as warm as just putting them in your pockets. Fine if just walking.
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In reply to Dave Hewitt:
That suggests a circulation problem. Unless your handedness means your right hand really is exposed much more than your left...
Using a single pole always felt uncomfortable, requiring twisted body torsion. Two poles is much more comfortable.
> But it's almost always the right hand that gets it worse
That suggests a circulation problem. Unless your handedness means your right hand really is exposed much more than your left...
Using a single pole always felt uncomfortable, requiring twisted body torsion. Two poles is much more comfortable.
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In reply to Andy Nisbet:
On doing my second Scottish hill(1978?), The Cobbler in Winter, we got to the top (in deep snow generally)barring the very top of the central peak which was iced up. I had no winter experience and so let my friends have fun getting to the very top. The result was that I stood around and got cold, especially in my hands(I later also found out that I had Reynaud's disease). So I took my synthetic gloves, designed for the street, off and warmed my hands in my groin and by blowing on my fingers. When I went to put the gloves back on, I could not, as they were frozen solid. Thankfully I had a spare pair of long socks which I used instead. They worked well.
That day was a brilliant revelation, and my mind was totally opened to what enormous pleasure can be had in the highlands. I only wish that we could have more days of such weather in the current times. Maybe cb_6 will be opened up in his mind by the need to get out in ever colder weather!
PS I still have the Clog Wales ice-axe from that time. How the equipment has changed.
On doing my second Scottish hill(1978?), The Cobbler in Winter, we got to the top (in deep snow generally)barring the very top of the central peak which was iced up. I had no winter experience and so let my friends have fun getting to the very top. The result was that I stood around and got cold, especially in my hands(I later also found out that I had Reynaud's disease). So I took my synthetic gloves, designed for the street, off and warmed my hands in my groin and by blowing on my fingers. When I went to put the gloves back on, I could not, as they were frozen solid. Thankfully I had a spare pair of long socks which I used instead. They worked well.
That day was a brilliant revelation, and my mind was totally opened to what enormous pleasure can be had in the highlands. I only wish that we could have more days of such weather in the current times. Maybe cb_6 will be opened up in his mind by the need to get out in ever colder weather!
PS I still have the Clog Wales ice-axe from that time. How the equipment has changed.
In reply to captain paranoia:
Yes, as per the ancient Raynaud's diagnosis I guess. Being tall (over 2m) is likely to be a factor too. It's particularly when gripping things in cold or damp conditions that it becomes noticeable - axe, pole, secateurs. Going back to the OP, in a situation where you each only have one glove it would probably make sense to wear it on the colder hand even if it's the wrong glove and needs to be worn the wrong way round - hence I'd wear it on the right hand whatever.
I use none 99% of the time. Once briefly tried two (I'd found a pair) but didn't like having both my hands occupied. I sometimes carry one but only use it in specific situations, eg on soft snow or when crossing a river. Was on the Corbett north of Balquhidder on Sunday and during a five-hour circuit the pole stayed wedged inside the rucksack throughout.
> That suggests a circulation problem.
Yes, as per the ancient Raynaud's diagnosis I guess. Being tall (over 2m) is likely to be a factor too. It's particularly when gripping things in cold or damp conditions that it becomes noticeable - axe, pole, secateurs. Going back to the OP, in a situation where you each only have one glove it would probably make sense to wear it on the colder hand even if it's the wrong glove and needs to be worn the wrong way round - hence I'd wear it on the right hand whatever.
> Using a single pole always felt uncomfortable, requiring twisted body torsion. Two poles is much more comfortable.
I use none 99% of the time. Once briefly tried two (I'd found a pair) but didn't like having both my hands occupied. I sometimes carry one but only use it in specific situations, eg on soft snow or when crossing a river. Was on the Corbett north of Balquhidder on Sunday and during a five-hour circuit the pole stayed wedged inside the rucksack throughout.
In reply to Dave Hewitt:
Sorry, I didn't mean the Raynaud's; that's a particular vascular circulation problem (I have it too). I meant the L/R thing may be more cardiac than vascular.
Sorry, I didn't mean the Raynaud's; that's a particular vascular circulation problem (I have it too). I meant the L/R thing may be more cardiac than vascular.
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In reply to captain paranoia:
Ah, I see what you mean, ta. Maybe I should get it checked out. It's only really in the main bit of winter that it's noticeable, but it does definitely seem to be one hand much more than the other.
> Sorry, I didn't mean the Raynaud's; that's a particular vascular circulation problem (I have it too). I meant the L/R thing may be more cardiac than vascular.
Ah, I see what you mean, ta. Maybe I should get it checked out. It's only really in the main bit of winter that it's noticeable, but it does definitely seem to be one hand much more than the other.
In reply to Dave Hewitt:
Or you've damaged the nerve(s) some time in the past (shoulder injury, whiplash, many things) and they haven't fully recovered. My left gets cold quicker than my right for that reason.
> Ah, I see what you mean, ta. Maybe I should get it checked out. It's only really in the main bit of winter that it's noticeable, but it does definitely seem to be one hand much more than the other.
Or you've damaged the nerve(s) some time in the past (shoulder injury, whiplash, many things) and they haven't fully recovered. My left gets cold quicker than my right for that reason.
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In reply to brianjcooper:
I think the responses have been remarkably restrained
> I think admitting it on the UKC forum was an even bigger mistake. After all, It is the haunt of smart arses readily waiting to criticise. A great act of kindness by the stranger though.
I think the responses have been remarkably restrained
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In reply to Simon Caldwell:
BURN HIM, that will warm his hands up and teach him a lesson!
What a nice thing to do though.
Turned up to climb once, spend twenty minutes trying to put my harness on backwards, then we had a conversation about who had the rope... neither of us. Doom was in the air so we went home and hid for the rest of the day in case something awful was going to happen.
Cheers
Toby
BURN HIM, that will warm his hands up and teach him a lesson!
What a nice thing to do though.
Turned up to climb once, spend twenty minutes trying to put my harness on backwards, then we had a conversation about who had the rope... neither of us. Doom was in the air so we went home and hid for the rest of the day in case something awful was going to happen.
Cheers
Toby
In reply to Jim C:
I always take at least 2 pairs of gloves, usually more, but never take spare socks on day trips. Even if my feet get wet then they stay warm. Surely if they did get wet then my boots would also be wet, so a dry pair of socks wouldn't be dry for long?
> I usually have a spare pair of dry socks , in my sack, ( I'm guessing most people do?)
I always take at least 2 pairs of gloves, usually more, but never take spare socks on day trips. Even if my feet get wet then they stay warm. Surely if they did get wet then my boots would also be wet, so a dry pair of socks wouldn't be dry for long?
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In reply to Jim C:
I don't think I've ever climbed or walked with someone who takes a spare pair of socks on a day trip.
Gloves on the other hand, I have 3-4 pairs.
I don't think I've ever climbed or walked with someone who takes a spare pair of socks on a day trip.
Gloves on the other hand, I have 3-4 pairs.
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In reply to gavmac:
I only tend to take spare socks on longer outings - six or seven hours minimum - and not so much in case the first pair gets wet (as Simon says, they're still likely to stay warm); it's much more in terms of having an option to counteract any rubbing/blistering that might start to occur. Changing socks can change the points of contact between feet and boots/shoes, so any rubbing happens in slightly different places. It's akin to the old long distance walkers' trick of, halfway through a big day, swapping the existing socks on to opposite feet - I've done that for years on long road or track walks and it's useful.
> I don't think I've ever climbed or walked with someone who takes a spare pair of socks on a day trip.
I only tend to take spare socks on longer outings - six or seven hours minimum - and not so much in case the first pair gets wet (as Simon says, they're still likely to stay warm); it's much more in terms of having an option to counteract any rubbing/blistering that might start to occur. Changing socks can change the points of contact between feet and boots/shoes, so any rubbing happens in slightly different places. It's akin to the old long distance walkers' trick of, halfway through a big day, swapping the existing socks on to opposite feet - I've done that for years on long road or track walks and it's useful.
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In reply to Dave Hewitt:
I dropped my right hand glove on a solo climb off the argentiere basin in winter. I had only one pair .Over the edge it went and out of sight. I Thought oh dear. Five minutes later...I was surprised to see it fully inflated in the high wind updraft and floating up and down 20ft away in space....like the hand in the Adams family.....waving at me above the big drop...until miraculously it flew round in a circle and landed at my left foot ...grabbed it and continued with warm hands at about minus 20....always taken spares since and usually many...
I dropped my right hand glove on a solo climb off the argentiere basin in winter. I had only one pair .Over the edge it went and out of sight. I Thought oh dear. Five minutes later...I was surprised to see it fully inflated in the high wind updraft and floating up and down 20ft away in space....like the hand in the Adams family.....waving at me above the big drop...until miraculously it flew round in a circle and landed at my left foot ...grabbed it and continued with warm hands at about minus 20....always taken spares since and usually many...
Post edited at 10:26
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In reply to PaulTclimbing:
Such are the vagaries of wind in the Alps. Great story - you were very lucky!
> I dropped my right hand glove... floating up and down 20ft away in space....like the hand in the Adams family...
Such are the vagaries of wind in the Alps. Great story - you were very lucky!
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In reply to gavmac:
I did say that I was always over-prepared.
To be fair to me, the socks are usually in the bottom of my rucksacks, with the toilet roll and the mint cake, and any other emergency items, at all times, irrespective if it is a long day or multiple days (that way you don't forget.
Just wrap socks in a plastic zipper bag or similar to keep them fresh/dry.
On the gloves issue , ever since I bought gloves with the elastic wrist straps I have not lost any. I suppose should really now sew elastic loops to my other gloves to stop me losing them ( I'm not that well prepared though
> I don't think I've ever climbed or walked with someone who takes a spare pair of socks on a day trip. Gloves on the other hand, I have 3-4 pairs.
I did say that I was always over-prepared.
To be fair to me, the socks are usually in the bottom of my rucksacks, with the toilet roll and the mint cake, and any other emergency items, at all times, irrespective if it is a long day or multiple days (that way you don't forget.
Just wrap socks in a plastic zipper bag or similar to keep them fresh/dry.
On the gloves issue , ever since I bought gloves with the elastic wrist straps I have not lost any. I suppose should really now sew elastic loops to my other gloves to stop me losing them ( I'm not that well prepared though
In reply to Jim C:
Top tip - take face tissues instead of toilet roll. They wipe your bum just as well, but are much better to blow your nose on or clean wounds with - toilet roll just falls apart the moment it gets wet.
> usually in the bottom of my rucksacks, with the toilet roll and the mint cake
Top tip - take face tissues instead of toilet roll. They wipe your bum just as well, but are much better to blow your nose on or clean wounds with - toilet roll just falls apart the moment it gets wet.
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In reply to Toerag:
Burning toilet roll is a lot easier then burning tissues though.
Not such an issue if its snowy i guess.
Burning toilet roll is a lot easier then burning tissues though.
Not such an issue if its snowy i guess.
Post edited at 15:52
2
In reply to Andy Nisbet:
Yes, I remember turning up at the Konkordia hut in May and on skis, wearing shorts, socks on my hands in lieu of gloves while carrying enough of everything for ten days of high-level touring. It's a long story, not worth telling here, but the looks on the faces of the occupants of the hut could not have conveyed any greater condescension. Once properly sorted out I'm happy to say we had a much better and more productive time than they did over the next few days.
Yes, I remember turning up at the Konkordia hut in May and on skis, wearing shorts, socks on my hands in lieu of gloves while carrying enough of everything for ten days of high-level touring. It's a long story, not worth telling here, but the looks on the faces of the occupants of the hut could not have conveyed any greater condescension. Once properly sorted out I'm happy to say we had a much better and more productive time than they did over the next few days.
In reply to PaulTclimbing:
Good story. I've seen the same kind of thing happen (in Scotland, not the Alps) with a map: it blew away, unfolded in the air, went away up and quite some distance horizontally for 20-30 seconds (your five minutes is very impressive) before coming back round into my companion's hand like a pink 1:50k boomerang. It was a beautiful thing to see, highlight of the day.
Also re gloves blowing away, a couple of decades ago I was on Carrifran Gans in the Borders with Alan Dawson of Marilyns fame. It was quite a fierce winter day, during which I became perhaps the only person ever to complete a round of Donalds on an outing that involved crampons. It was windy as well as icy and on the way up I contrived to let a Buffalo mitt escape. It blew away, gone a hundred metres in seconds, no point in trying to chase it, especially not across steepish ground. We carried on, over the top and so to White Coomb, before coming back a different way - not miles different but certainly a fair old distance (downwind) from the slope we'd gone up. And there, tucked into a little gully and snagged on a rock or some heather, a couple of hours after it had been lost, was my glove. If we'd gone down the same slope either slightly to the left or right we'd have missed seeing it, but as it was we walked almost straight to it. That proved to be the highlight of the day, too; as Alan said at the time, it felt better to have lost something and then rather mysteriously found it again, than never to have lost it at all.
> I dropped my right hand glove on a solo climb off the argentiere basin in winter. I had only one pair .Over the edge it went and out of sight. I Thought oh dear. Five minutes later...I was surprised to see it fully inflated in the high wind updraft and floating up and down 20ft away in space....like the hand in the Adams family.....waving at me above the big drop...until miraculously it flew round in a circle and landed at my left foot
Good story. I've seen the same kind of thing happen (in Scotland, not the Alps) with a map: it blew away, unfolded in the air, went away up and quite some distance horizontally for 20-30 seconds (your five minutes is very impressive) before coming back round into my companion's hand like a pink 1:50k boomerang. It was a beautiful thing to see, highlight of the day.
Also re gloves blowing away, a couple of decades ago I was on Carrifran Gans in the Borders with Alan Dawson of Marilyns fame. It was quite a fierce winter day, during which I became perhaps the only person ever to complete a round of Donalds on an outing that involved crampons. It was windy as well as icy and on the way up I contrived to let a Buffalo mitt escape. It blew away, gone a hundred metres in seconds, no point in trying to chase it, especially not across steepish ground. We carried on, over the top and so to White Coomb, before coming back a different way - not miles different but certainly a fair old distance (downwind) from the slope we'd gone up. And there, tucked into a little gully and snagged on a rock or some heather, a couple of hours after it had been lost, was my glove. If we'd gone down the same slope either slightly to the left or right we'd have missed seeing it, but as it was we walked almost straight to it. That proved to be the highlight of the day, too; as Alan said at the time, it felt better to have lost something and then rather mysteriously found it again, than never to have lost it at all.
6
In reply to cb_6:
We all make daft errors, opposite to yours i forgot my lip balm on a scorcher of an April bank holiday. Are blistered lips any worse than frosty fingers.......
I "guided" some Japanese on Xmas day in 1999 up Snowdon on the miners track, they had no map and wearing jeans !!! We stumbled across them about 50m from the summit.
Chris
We all make daft errors, opposite to yours i forgot my lip balm on a scorcher of an April bank holiday. Are blistered lips any worse than frosty fingers.......
I "guided" some Japanese on Xmas day in 1999 up Snowdon on the miners track, they had no map and wearing jeans !!! We stumbled across them about 50m from the summit.
Chris
In reply to cb_6:
Michael Jackson only ever wore one glove and he did alright. Happy learning experience.
Michael Jackson only ever wore one glove and he did alright. Happy learning experience.
2
In reply to Toerag:
Thanks , I do also take some 'wet wipes' a few in a re sealable sandwich bag. ( we have grandchildren, always a good supply available
They are also great on hot days when you sweat and can't get a shower.
I was just looking at additional things I tend to carry in winter ( other than my Bothy bag that I carry all the time) , that includes a small 'summer' sleeping bag, just in case I or anyone I meet , gets injured and can't move to keep warm, I will as at a min, have the Bothy bag and possibly a small sleeping bag. I rationalise it as a wee bit of extra weight is good extra exercise .
Thanks , I do also take some 'wet wipes' a few in a re sealable sandwich bag. ( we have grandchildren, always a good supply available
They are also great on hot days when you sweat and can't get a shower.
I was just looking at additional things I tend to carry in winter ( other than my Bothy bag that I carry all the time) , that includes a small 'summer' sleeping bag, just in case I or anyone I meet , gets injured and can't move to keep warm, I will as at a min, have the Bothy bag and possibly a small sleeping bag. I rationalise it as a wee bit of extra weight is good extra exercise .
In reply to Jimbob11:
Not quite. He's dead
> Michael Jackson only ever wore one glove and he did alright. Happy learning experience.
Not quite. He's dead
1
In reply to Dave Hewitt:
No, not odd at all. I always have at least 3 pairs in winter, plus, often, a pair of mitts which I rarely use but which sit in the bottom of my sack. I tend to rotate the 3 pairs, as they often get damp in wet snow conditions. I keep a spare pair in the sack and another one in an inner chest pocket. When the pair I'm wearing gets damp I swap it out with the pair in my chest pocket, which are then warm to put on. By the time the new pair have got damp, the damp pair in my chest pocket are usually dry and warm. If not I'll change out with the dry but colder pair in my sack....etc.
> As a general query, how many people carry just one pair of gloves (never mind none)? ........I almost always have at least three pairs.....
No, not odd at all. I always have at least 3 pairs in winter, plus, often, a pair of mitts which I rarely use but which sit in the bottom of my sack. I tend to rotate the 3 pairs, as they often get damp in wet snow conditions. I keep a spare pair in the sack and another one in an inner chest pocket. When the pair I'm wearing gets damp I swap it out with the pair in my chest pocket, which are then warm to put on. By the time the new pair have got damp, the damp pair in my chest pocket are usually dry and warm. If not I'll change out with the dry but colder pair in my sack....etc.
1
In reply to cb_6:
I was once on Scafell Pike in summer with my then 7 year old daughter. It had been a lovely June day when we set off, but clagged in at the top, got cold and started raining. There was a young couple up there where the female was dressed in just a crop-top and shorts, and she was freezing. I had an extra baselayer in my sack as well as a waterproof and fleece, so lent her my fleece, which while not waterproof was somewhat water-resistant, suggested they get down via the shortest route (we were going back down the Corridor route) and leave my fleece for me at the camp site shop. Never saw them or the fleece (an expensive one) afterwards. I've been a bit reluctant to lend kit to strangers since then.
I was once on Scafell Pike in summer with my then 7 year old daughter. It had been a lovely June day when we set off, but clagged in at the top, got cold and started raining. There was a young couple up there where the female was dressed in just a crop-top and shorts, and she was freezing. I had an extra baselayer in my sack as well as a waterproof and fleece, so lent her my fleece, which while not waterproof was somewhat water-resistant, suggested they get down via the shortest route (we were going back down the Corridor route) and leave my fleece for me at the camp site shop. Never saw them or the fleece (an expensive one) afterwards. I've been a bit reluctant to lend kit to strangers since then.
Post edited at 09:39
1
In reply to Rob Naylor:
It's always quite disillusioning when that happens - thankfully it's pretty rare, although I think there was a report on here a few years ago from someone who had helped out in a hill accident by lending a jacket (again quite pricey) along with an address for it to be returned later and a promise from the accidentee that it would indeed be returned. Eventually after weeks or even months of prompting and chasing, it did finally come back - but in a parcel with no note and with dried blood on the jacket as it hadn't been cleaned.
On the flipside, I'm in the habit of carting a small green flannel/facecloth around with me on the hill, and in recent years, with the gradual onset of ancientness, I've also got into the habit of leaving it on a rock or whatever and only realising when I'm just too far away to sensibly go back and retrieve it. I hate leaving litter, so when that happens I tend to ask the next person met coming the other way if they'd mind looking out for it but not to go out of their way etc. Invariably this leads to the (slightly horrible) facecloth being retrieved several hours later at a pre-agreed spot at the foot of the hill - eg most recently during an Ochils loop on a snowy day a couple of weeks ago. Whenever it happens I always end up thinking (a) I'm very stupid and (b) people are very kind.
> Never saw them or the fleece (an expensive one) afterwards. I've been a bit reluctant to lend kit to strangers since then.
It's always quite disillusioning when that happens - thankfully it's pretty rare, although I think there was a report on here a few years ago from someone who had helped out in a hill accident by lending a jacket (again quite pricey) along with an address for it to be returned later and a promise from the accidentee that it would indeed be returned. Eventually after weeks or even months of prompting and chasing, it did finally come back - but in a parcel with no note and with dried blood on the jacket as it hadn't been cleaned.
On the flipside, I'm in the habit of carting a small green flannel/facecloth around with me on the hill, and in recent years, with the gradual onset of ancientness, I've also got into the habit of leaving it on a rock or whatever and only realising when I'm just too far away to sensibly go back and retrieve it. I hate leaving litter, so when that happens I tend to ask the next person met coming the other way if they'd mind looking out for it but not to go out of their way etc. Invariably this leads to the (slightly horrible) facecloth being retrieved several hours later at a pre-agreed spot at the foot of the hill - eg most recently during an Ochils loop on a snowy day a couple of weeks ago. Whenever it happens I always end up thinking (a) I'm very stupid and (b) people are very kind.
1
In reply to Simon Caldwell:
There's always hope.
> I think the responses have been remarkably restrained
There's always hope.
1
In reply to Rob Naylor:
I agree as a minimum in winter you should have at least 1 spare set if not more. I was on a guided ascent of Elbrus when one of lads lost a glove in the wind. (had them off at the time) When he said he didn't have another set I was shocked. I couldn't believe he was going up Elbrus with only one set of gloves. It seemed such an unnecessary risk not just frost bite but risking his chance of summiting not to mention the cost for the opportunity. Luckily the guide had a set for him to borrow.
I agree as a minimum in winter you should have at least 1 spare set if not more. I was on a guided ascent of Elbrus when one of lads lost a glove in the wind. (had them off at the time) When he said he didn't have another set I was shocked. I couldn't believe he was going up Elbrus with only one set of gloves. It seemed such an unnecessary risk not just frost bite but risking his chance of summiting not to mention the cost for the opportunity. Luckily the guide had a set for him to borrow.
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