The Latest

alpine spirit review | montane 16/09/2020
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Alpine Spirit Review

The Alpine Spirit is a serious workhorse of a jacket. Built for uncompromising abuse and long, tough days, it is rugged and uncomplicated. Fitting then that it is named after Montane Athlete Becky Coles’ project to be the first all-female team to summit all Alpine 4000ers. An outstandingly well-designed jacket. Which came as a relief – when I was told they were naming a jacket after our project to climb all the Alpine 49000m peaks (check out Project Alpine Spirit here) I was a bit worried. What if it wasn’t... Read More

pac plus jacket review | montane 10/09/2020
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Pac Plus Review

Montane ambassador Kat reflects on a year spent with her Pac Plus, putting it through its paces as she runs, climbs, and fastpacks around her home in Snowdownia National Park. For me, the Montane Pac Plus is the perfect lightweight waterproof jacket. Its simple feature set and Gore-Tex Paclite membrane make it super packable whilst also ready to tackle the elements! I use it for everything from mountain running to climbing, forever keeping the wind and rain off me. The wide adjustable hood fits over my helmet perfectly! It is... Read More

becks ferry wales climbing | montane 04/09/2020
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Domestic Practice for the Greater Ranges

Becks Ferry – already an accomplished ultra-marathon runner, is continuing her transition into mountaineering with an ambitious new project of climbing the 6812m Ama Dablam. She kicks off her campaign with a number of days under the tutelage of Montane athlete Jon Gupta and, like the explorers of the early 20th century, they use iconic routes in North Wales to recreate technical conditions and practice routines. Having visited the Himalayas a handful of times now and been fortunate enough to both run, trek and compete there, I have always had... Read More

ukc competition winner report | montane 31/08/2020
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Gupta Comp Winner

There I was again, mindlessly filling in my details to yet another UKC competition. Do people even win these things? Of course they do, Jake has won two of them already! Lucky so and so… Fast forward to the start of May. Another perfect weather day in the depths of lockdown and still, at this point, climbing is off the cards. An email falls into my inbox “You’ve won a UKC competition!”. I let out an embarrassing squeal of excitement and quickly open it up. £500 worth of Montane gear... Read More

Gecko race vest review | montane 26/06/2020
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Minimal Pack, Best Value

The Montane VIA Gecko race vest won ‘Best Value’ in a group-test of 12 minimalist running packs. Designed around the revolutionary FREELIGHT chassis, the Gecko allows efficient storage of all the essentials and nothing more. Ideal for training or chasing PB’s. ‘Best Value’ WHAT TRAIL RUNNING SAYS:   Testers were impressed that so many features were packed so cleverly into such a competitively priced pack, making it ideal for supported races and warmer weather runs, where a ginormous kit list isn’t warranted: “Tough and comfy, a workhorse of a small... Read More

pac plus jacket review | montane 04/06/2020
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Pac-ing a Punch

The Montane Pac Plus Jacket was recently awarded their coveted BEST IN TEST rosette in a ‘Summer Waterproof’ group test. Despite its apparent modesty, this simple, lightweight waterproof jacket seriously punches above its weight. The Pac Lite takes Gore-Tex’s 2-layer Pac Lite Plus technology and couples it with a dry-touch, abrasion-resistant inner treatment. This updated interpretation on quite an old-school 2-layer construction creates a lightweight super breathable shell system. Couple it with a tough 30D outer and a suite of intuitively placed features and you are left with a well-considered,... Read More

jessie leong crag to trail | montane 02/06/2020
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Discovering Trail Running and Climbing during lockdown

A sanctuary of green spaces between the knitted crochet blanket of terrace houses, steep houses and leafy green neighbourhoods; lockdown in Sheffield ain’t a grim place to be.  A time to pause, stay at home and root in one place with my new housemate Hilary, a fellow Trad climber, trail runner and cycling enthusiast in a part of Sheffield I’ve not lived before.   Yet for so many, myself included, lockdown has been a mixed bag of emotions.  I’ve found it a difficult and somewhat overwhelming time.  After shaking off... Read More

nick morris scottish winter climbing | montane 27/04/2020
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Aonach Eagach Ridge

Brand ambassador Nick Morris recounts a memorable day climbing the Aonach Eagach Ridge during this winters late but beautifully pristine resurgence in the Highlands. As a white fluffy blanket finally fell over the Highlands a plan was being hatched in a soggy South Wales. Stood on belay in the dust-filled air of the local climbing centre one sentence was tentatively blurted out…” Scotland this weekend, it’s looking mega?” 3 days later boots were packed, crampons sharpened and a rack built; It was decided, we were heading North and on the... Read More

Chris Shirley | montane 22/04/2020
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Learning From Isolation

As a former Royal Marine, mountaineer, endurance athlete, and ocean rower, Montane Ambassador Chris Shirley is no stranger to hardship or the mental and emotional sides of endurance. in 2019 he suffered a fall whilst climbing the Matterhorn which put him in hospital for 3 months. It was an experience that has taught him much about isolation, and how to mitigate its negative effects. I’ve long suspected that my ‘risk appetite’ has been a little different from other peoples. I spent my twenties in the forces, followed by a stint... Read More

becks ferry climbing and running | montane 30/03/2020
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Hot & Cold

Montane Ambassador Rebecca Ferry is an accomplished ultra marathon runner, and enjoyed a contradictory couple of months between refreshing mountaineering skills in quintessential Scottish weather, and competing in the 6-stage ultra the Costa Rica Coastal Challenge: I love a challenge, and what better way to start a new year than to embark upon two completely different ones. First up in January – a week of climbing and mountain skills in Scotland using Glen Coe in the Western Highlands as a base.  I’m told it is the best location in Scotland for reliable mountaineering snow... Read More