Gear Shopping
24 Oct 2019 - Richard Horridge
Preparing for the ascent of Pigne d'Arolla
The correct equipment can make all of the difference in making a successful ascent.
The above photo shows our guide, Andy, Lottie and I preparing for glacier travel. As you can see, we have ropes, harnesses, helmets, mountaineering boots (B2 or B3 rated), ice axes, walking poles, crampons, slings, ice screws, carabiners and Prusik cord. This is without mentioning the non-technical equipment - trousers, layers of clothing, sunglasses, gloves, rucksacks - all of which is equally if not more important. And all of this costs money!
When considering whether or not to buy any equipment, it is worth thinking about a number of things: can I borrow it instead? How much will I use it? Could I get it any cheaper than this?
| Name | Use | Typical Cost Range |
|---|---|---|
| Mountaineering Boots | Walking, wearing crampons | £100 - £450 |
| Crampons | Gripping ice and packed snow | £100 - £200 |
| Walking Ice Axe | Stability, testing ice, arresting a fall | £60 - £100 |
| Technical Ice Axe(s) | Testing ice, climbing steep ice, arresting a fall | £120 - £200* |
| Dynamic Rope | Attaching yourself to something | £50 - £100 |
| Harness | Attaching something to yourself, holding gear | £60 - £100 |
| Helmet | Protection from rockfall above | £60 - £100 |
| Walking Pole | Assistance for steep walking | £10 - £50 |
| Carabiners | Attaching to things | £10 - £20** |
| Slings | Attaching to things | £10 - £30** |
| Ice Screws | Protection, crevasse rescue | £30 - £50* |
| Prusik cord | Abseiling, ascending, crevasse rescue | £5* |
* You need 2 of them!
** You need lots of them!
This table gives you an idea of how much equipment is needed and it is understandably difficult to justify spending so much money!
Fortunately, your mountaineering club will be able to lend out quite a lot of this equipment. Additionally, quite a lot of stuff can be found second-hand on forums and auction websites. Finally, one can take advantage of discounts that come up in stores.
I did this myself yesterday - Rock On had a 20% discount to UBMC members and I took advantage of this, buying a new pair of climbing shoes (my old pair now have a hole where the toe is), an already-discounted set of crampons and several extra carabiners!
My next purchases will be a set of quickdraws for sport and trad climbing, at which point I will be set up for sport leading anywhere without needing to borrow equipment! I'll then buy some extra slings as they are always useful, then it will be time to think about a full trad rack and a set of technical ice axes…
