winter skills

Winter Skills Snow Cave!

If you want the ultimate winter challenge then get out and build a snow hole this winter… You’ll need.. Snow. One shovel (or the more the merrier) Survival bag (you many need to place this on the floor in order to pull snow away from the hole?) Plenty of time! Find a drift of snow …

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Embrace the Winter Evenings

The clocks are going back on Saturday night, and the evenings are going to be longer. Yet it’s not all doom and gloom as we at Mud and Routes believe you can embrace the dark winter nights and make them your own! You can keep on night running, walking those night walks or even mountain biking in …

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Nevica Glacier Goggles

I’ve struggled in the past with a cheap and nasty pair of goggles that had to be padded around the nose as they made it bleed and were just foul all around. They were only half effective, and even then only if you didn’t breathe. Following on from the last two decent winters we’ve had, …

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Garant Collapsable Shovel

While we had a bit of a winter this week up in Snowdonia, it’s likely to be mostly gone after this weekend. It did however give us a chance to test out one of the bargains of the year so far, a collapsable snow shovel from B&Q for just a shade over ten quid. The …

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Paramo Torres Smock Review

The classic down jacket is one of the best bits of kit you can get for keeping warm. Gram for gram, there’s nothing warmer than the combination of pertex and down of one form or the other. In that respect, synthetic insulation doesn’t come close. That said, there’s no need to write off synthetic insulation …

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Kahtoola MICROspikes Review

If there’s one item that I own that’s elicited any curiosity in people over the last few years then it has to be these Kahtoola MICROspikes. From work colleagues, to neigbours, they’ve seen these in use over the recent harsh winters and politely enquired about them before quickly ordering their own pair. Even if you …

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Grivel Steel Blade Shovel Review

We love anything that’s multi-purpose, or uses another item to provide part of its functionality. The Grivel Snow Shovel does just that. It’s just a plastic ‘bucket’ part of the shovel, lacking a handle. Instead, you can use a Grivel Munro ice axe or similar in order to create a handle. You’re unlikely to need one …

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Diogelwch ar y Mynydd Amodau Gaeafaol- Mountain Safety – Winter Conditions

With Winter officially here and the clocks turned back to perpetual darkness for another five months, the only good thing we’ve got to look forward to is mountain biking on Snowdon and the possibility of loads of lovely snow. Before you get out there it might be worth watching the Snowdonia National Park’s video to brush …

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Layering up for Winter

Setting out for a winter walk you’ll need to make sure you’re properly dressed, but if you’re not then you’re from as much risk from overheating as you are from the cold. You need to be comfortable.. This means that it’s no good whacking on that down jacket at the start of the walk, unless …

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