Over the past few years I have been trying, with limited success, to interest people in this facet of climbing. It involves carrying your full winter gear, including an iceaxe, affectionately known as ‘The Bogman’s Friend’ and heading out to the hills, come hail, rain or shine, firmly believing that if you make arrangements to go out, you go out: what you do when you get out should be the subject for discussion, not whether you go out or not. To me, there's no worse answer to ‘Let’s go climbing’, than ‘We’ll see what the weather’s like in the morning and then decide.’ Pheck, but I hate that!
Rock climbers have a great habit of complaining about weather conditions, wet rock, vegetated rock, it's too cold, there's rain forecast, there's a big cold front, etc. - anything, it seems to me, to get out of actually going climbing! Another ploy that I have encountered is to get lost to avoid climbing at all, or to go somewhere far away to minimise climbing time. Devious buckos, these rockjocks, begob!
This Winter Mountaineering game side steps all these problems and you often need neither Rock-boots nor chalk bag. You certainly don’t need a perfect Jock-day. What you do need, though, is all your cold and wet weather gear, a Bogman’s Friend or two, your helmet, climbing gear, a good head torch with halogen bulb, maybe an oul hipflask, 20 fags and a lighter. You will also need all the general mountaineering skills (especially the ability to navigate) that your average Rockjock simply ignores (hoping they'll go away, perhaps?).
Any day that's rainy, windy, or otherwise unsuitable for rubber- soled, chalkbag-swinging, fashion-posing, grade-exaggerating, move-gesticulating rock climbing, will almost certainly do for Irish Winter Mountaineering-the ideal conditions can occur in Ireland even in the height of summer - aren’t we the lucky crew!
Unfortunately,though, this game requires a certain understanding of the forces at work in the mountains: the fall line, the falling rock, the falling night, the falling rain, and the not-falling leader. These forces are fought by the teamwork involved in looking after you partner and knowing that you, also, are being looked after - when the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts, the threshold of danger is forced back and the realms of possibility soar.
The use of Bogmen’s Friends (would this be the correct plural,Hughie?) make ridiculous-looking ground feasible and the winter techniques of hooking and torquing will work, too, if necessary, though not on the turf! The shaft of the axe gives incredible security on deep turf and the picks are great for the steeper sections. The only problem arises when the vegetation is in a thin sheet over rock - you can start to get scared, then, or else hoke under the stuff for a runner. The ice axe is invaluable for rooting out vital gear placements, though I’m not sure if it’s as good as the traditional Sleán for cutting turf for the house!
Kicking steps in boggy vegetated ground is much the same as kicking steps in snow! It is probably even more secure, though, and never avalanches! Another advantage in the Bogman’s Friend, as far as Donegal winter mountaineering is concerned is that your hands can stay in your gloves and not need to get wet holding on to heather and bog. Having dry hands and gloves is very important when it's bog-freezing.
By the way, did you ever do a buried axe belay in bog? It's sound as a trout and a hell of a bit easier to organize than it’s textbook brother! What about a (Bog)Stomper, or a Dead Bogman?? The possibilities are vast, there Paddy.
The choice of route will be influenced, among other factors, by the risk involved. This, in turn, depends to an extent on the gear carried (e.g. rope and gear-rack, ice axes, amount and strength of contents of hipflask etc.), conditions, ability and sobriety of party, etc. The 1- 5 Risk Assessment rule of thumb is very useful here: 1-5 for the chances of a fall, 1 - 5 for the consequences of a fall. It is what you can do to minimise this risk that is important - route finding, spotting, using axes, using ropes, or maybe retreating to a nearby high stool.
I will write more. I intend to confine these articles to the Poisoned Glen, as that’s my home ‘sod’. It will also train the eye to look out for these type of routes, wherever you happen to be, and please do let me know if you discover any gems anywhere!
Slann go whatsits
Frankie