WITH SIMON YEARSLEY |
SIMON'S TOP SEVEN TIPS: |
FOR SCOTTISH WINTER CLIMBING |
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BASELAYERS |
There is often a tendency to focus on the sexy outer layers, but for me, the start point of good and efficient clothing for Scottish winter is the baselayer. My ‘go-to’ baselayer combo is always the Primino range (Women's Primino range), the mix of Merino wool and PRIMALOFT gives a nice comfy next-to-skin feel with fab wicking and warmth (plus the fly on the boxers is in exactly the right place for me, but that’s getting a bit personal!) |
WALKING-IN OUTER JACKET |
Scottish climbing is more often than not book-ended with decent yomps. I tend to walk into most Scottish winter routes wearing on my top just a baselayer and the amazing Minimus Jacket (Women's Minimus). This ensures you don’t overheat on the walk-in but are protected from any nasty wet stuff (a predominant characteristic of Scottish Winter). The Minimus’ 20 Denier PERTEX® SHIELD 2.5 layer waterproof fabric gives full protection whilst remaining really lightweight and breathable. When I reach the base of the route I can stuff the Minimus Jacket into the bottom of my pack (it only weighs 190g), swap into a warm, dry, fresh baselayer (another winter top-tip), and then pull on my climbing outer layers. I’ve also used the Minimus jacket at 6600m in the Indian Himalaya and it’s superb as a technical outer layer at altitude! |
INSULATED LAYER |
Climbing outer layers do depend on the conditions, though I normally have the same mid-layer of an Icarus Flight Jacket (Women's Phoenix Flight). Its PrimaLoft® ThermoPlume synthetic insulation with THERMO STRETCH PRO fleece panels give a really good balance of warmth and flexibility. Plus it’s got the long back which helps eliminate cold spots and the hood which means you don’t need to pack an (extra weight) hat of any sort. So, I was so chuffed when Montane brought out the 2019 version of the Montane Extreme smock. Go get one, they are awesome for Scottish winter! This approach has also been broadened and developed to include pieces such as the Hydrogen Extreme and Hydrogen Direct. |
OUTER SHELL |
If it’s cold and dry, then I keep the Minimus as my top layer, but if it’s a more typical Scottish day of snow and rain then the heavier, Alpine Shift Jacket is bombproof. Plus the citrus green colour looks amazing in photos! |
GLOVES |
Gloves gloves gloves gloves. Scottish winter climbing is all about having the right combo of gloves which give you the right balance of dexterity, flexibility and warmth for your all-important hands. I always take lots of pairs of gloves! Here are my current thoughts for Scottish winter glove:
So, for me, it’s 1 x Prism Mitts, 3 x Rock Guide Gloves, 1 x Extreme Mitts. Simple! Another top tip; have a specific lightweight stuff-sack with your dry gloves in and a different stuff-sack to chuck your wet gloves in... plus always try and dry out your last used pair of lead gloves next to your skin on the belay... and do it properly; next to your skin, not next to your base layer - you’ve got to suffer for your sport! |
BELAY JACKET |
Finally, the belay jacket. Keep it simple, and don’t skimp on weight. If you're climbing as a pair you'll only need one between you, so the extra weight can be easily justified for the weight-conscious climber. A belay jacket is designed to keep you really, REALLY warm and let you recover quickly on the belay, not to give a marginal degree of pseudo–warmth. So, go big and warm. My current favourite is the Ground Control Jacket: a really warm synthetic jacket which means it can take a beating from the elements and it does what a belay jacket should do – keep you really warm. |