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I have a mountain hiking assignment at school i need to do. I can’t seem to find any basic information on it?
By HikingOn | April 17, 2009
I would like to know when the best times to go are eg: Late may- early october.
Equipment needed to go mountain hiking?
How fit would you have to be to do it?
Could you make a career out of mountain hiking?
Tips on mountain hiking
Thanks
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Topics: Hiking | 1 Comment »
April 17th, 2009 at 12:30 am
Really depends on the sort that of mountain-craft that you’re interested in.
For instance, June to September are good times for walking in the Alps, as all the snow on the walking routes will have melted and it’d be nice and warm, for people that like being outside and in the mountains but not doing anything hard. This is also a good time for Alpinists doing high altitude routes that would be extremely difficult in the winter due to the increased amount of snow and bad weather.
However, some folk enjoy really extreme stuff and would go to such places in Winter.
I don’t know where is local to you, but Scotland is loved by many in the Winter because of its winter hiking routes, many of which are mere walks but require some snow gear, e.g. crampons and walking axe.
Lower altitude places such as the Lake District in England, and Snowdonia in Wales are popular all year around (if you look up these places you can see what they’re like and see what is similar to that near you and apply the same reasoning to there).
As for equipment, again this depends on what sort of thing you’re doing. Generally the minimum would be a hardshell outer layer (a waterproof) and a sturdy pair of walking boots with ankle support, although in summer conditions on very light trails you could get away with a pair of walking/approach shoes (like Merrells), and in slightly inclement weather but not too bad a softshell jacket (windproof, water resistant) would be more suitable.
This sort of equipment is good for mountain Hiking in non-snowy conditions.
For mountain Hiking in snowy conditions you’d also want insulation layers, such as a thick layer, fleece midlayer, or down jacket, as well as gloves, hat, neckwear (like a Buff). You’d also want some winter boots, (the most basic ones rated as ‘B1′) to give more insulation, and more stiffness and rigidity for kicking snowsteps, as well as the option of attaching walking crampons. You might want a walking iceaxe too, depending on the conditions.
For Mountaineering (as opposed to just hiking) you’d need Mountain boots, rated as B2 (or B3 for ice work), which are stiffer and more insulated still, and can attach a more rigid crampon suited to more vertical stuff. You’d also definitely want an iceaxe, possibly a slightly technical one with a slightly curved handle, for going up steeper inclines.
In terms of fitness, again it depends on what you’re doing, but a good level of fitness is optimal, as it means you can go faster and for longer, with fewer breaks and less water/food. This obviously means you can get more out of your days. So as long as you’re reasonably athletic and don’t lead a sedentary lifestyle, you should be ok for the lighter stuff, although trekking or mountaineering requires more fitness due to the increased load in your backpack for emergency equipment or camping stuff, as well as much longer routes.
Lots of people make a career out of mountain hiking. For some things you need to be extremely qualified (e.g. Alpine Guide), for others qualified but less so (e.g. Scottish Winter Guide), and for others you don’t need to be qualified at all, just amazingly fit (like Porters out in Nepal, etc.).
For tips and other things there are loads of specialist websites out there, try http://www.thebmc.co.uk for a start.