At the last BMC Technical Conference I attended a workshop about helmet impact forces.  We looked initially at the Crompton Climber, which was the first commercially available helmet.  It’s a beast of a unit with a sloppy fit that feels like a heavy mixing bowl on your head.  No wonder so few climbers used to wear helmets unless they were on big routes or climbing in winter.  Nowadays helmets are getting more widely worn and I think that’s largely because they are so much more user friendly than they used to be.

The Crompton was constructed in the traditional hard shell and webbing cradle style but we now also have other lighter weight systems.  Hard shells with a foam liner like the Petzl Elios are very popular and then there’s the lightweight foam models like the Black Diamond Tracer… 

The Helmet
The Tracer I received is grey (also available in blue, orange and white).  It is very light (245 grams for the medium size) and feels significantly lighter when compared in the hand to a hard shell model such as the Black Diamond Half Dome (360 grams).  The construction quality is excellent with typical Black Diamond attention to detail.  There’s a thumbwheel headband adjuster at the back and the inner has soft foam pads at the top and sides attached with Velcro pads.  There are 17 vents and the 6 on the upper sides are covered in mesh. There’s also 4 headtorch attachment clips in the corners.

The Tracer is certified to EN 12492 and UIAA 106 standards.  The particularly stringent UIAA tests require that the ‘force transmitted to the head form as a result of the impact of the falling mass shall not exceed 8 kN for the vertical impact test, for the side impact test, for the front impact test and the rear impact test’.  In recent tests conducted for the BMC by Dr Mark Taylor of Leeds University a tested Tracer helmet was found to be comfortably within these parameters.  Dr Taylor’s results showed a vertical impact of 5.8 kN, front impact of 3.3 kN, side impact of 2.6 kN and rear impact of 3.2kN (many thanks to the BMC for providing this data). 

The Review

The Tracer I received is a large size (59-63cm) and it’s also available in medium (56-60cm) and small (49-57cm).  The large fitted me really well and the thumbwheel adjuster is easy to use even with thick gloves.  The chinstrap sits comfortably, can be adjusted easily and closes with a quick release buckle.  There are 2 nifty quick release buckles to allow you to adjust the straps forward or backwards.  These work really well and offer the best system for this adjustment I’ve ever seen on a helmet.

Initially I thought one of the foam side pads was missing but when I looked it was in the box.  The trouble is it had come off very easily and I can see this happening again because the pads are just held on by small Velcro dots.  If the pads were missing it would affect the fit considerably so please take care not to lose them!  Once fitted the soft side and top pads are comfortable against the head.

The adjustable head cradle has a useful tilt feature that allows it to be set further down around the neck.  I found the tilted position the helmet gripped my head firmly. Having three helmet sizes allows a close fit but doesn’t leave much space if you want to wear a hat underneath.  I could fit a skinny powerstretch beanie inside but had no chance with a thicker woollen hat.

The vents are large and well spaced.  I wore it in Wales in the recent late summer heatwave and it felt cool and comfortable.  In real heatstroke conditions I expect it will be as cool as any others on the market.  The top vents are covered in mesh to stop objects falling through.  The mesh is tough and bonded into the shell so it should be durable but they are towards the top so might not keep out rain or snow very effectively.

The headtorch clips are great.  They really hold the elastic firmly and it’s very unlikely you’d lose your light.  They are also very low profile so I’ve had no problem with them catching on things.

The rear vent is quite large and I saw a female climber who had fed her ponytail through it.  I’m not sure this is an intentional design feature but it could be useful for the longer haired climber!

I do feel the helmet looks quite wide (and other friends commented on this too) although it doesn’t feel wide in use.  The foam thickness is a vital element of the design for shock absorption but I think something like the Petzl Meteor seems thinner at the sides.  It’s still a good looking lid though.

Conclusion

The Tracer is an excellent helmet.  Comfortable, simple, lightweight and effective.  The instructions rate it for rock climbing, ice climbing and mountaineering.  I prefer a hard shell for ice climbing but that’s a matter of personal choice.  I am certainly confident it will excel for rock climbing, mountaineering and ski mountaineering.  Even better, it’s so comfortable maybe more climbers will be tempted to wear one!

Clubs and Organisations

Association Of Mountaineering Instructors (AMI) - Our professional association and the largest in the UK

Mountain Leader Training Association (MLTA) - An important membership organisation for UK climbing and walking leaders

The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) -  We've worked with the UK's representative mountaineering body for many years

Mynydd Climbing Club - We have been members of this Derbyshire club for many years. You won't find a friendlier group

Union Internationale des Association d’Alpinisme (UIAA) - International federation supporting mountain activities and protection

Weather and Conditions

The Mountain Weather Information Service (MWIS) - We are past sponsors of this world leading independent weather service

Scottish Avalanche Information Service (SAIS) - A vital resource for daily avalanche forecasts in Scotland during the winter

Accommodation Options

 
Useful Online Information Sources

Peak and Moor - An unofficial Peak District resource with loads of great information for visitors and locals alike

Peak District Online - An excellent resource for Peak information.  Look out for Paul's articles as Peak District correspondent!

Visit Castleton - The website for our village.  Lots of useful local information and we're on there too 

Book Suppliers

Walking Books.com - A fantastic online supplier of a huge range of outdoor books and maps-

Jarvis Mountain Books -  A great place for mountain books - including some hard to find titles

Cordee Mountain Books  - Mountaineering books and climbing guides

Gear Manufacturers

Patagonia - Our favourite clothing brand.  Great quality and with an industry leading environmental stance

PHD - Our chosen sleeping bag and down clothing supplier

Rab - High quality softgoods manufacturers with a strong British heritage

DMM - Great climbing gear designed and manufactured in Wales.  Official sponsor of AMI

Mountain Equipment - A local softgoods manufacturer producing fantastic kit with a British heritage. Official sponsor of AMI

‘When we aren’t fixing them we’re riding them!’

Considering the huge amount of world class riding we have in the Hope Valley, it’s surprising that we don’t have very many mountain bike shops.  There are plenty of options in Sheffield and on the Stockport side of the Peak District, but not a wide choice in the valley itself.

 
Fortunately, the ones we do have are excellent.  In Hope there’s 18 Bikes.  Hope has become a well known base for visiting bikers and this top quality shop is centrally located (with some great cafes nearby too).  18 Bikes stocks some dream bikes and top end accessories.  It also has knowledgeable and friendly staff plus top notch workshop facilities.

18 bikes doesn’t, however, hire out bikes.  If you need to hire a bike you have even less choice – but again we are fortunate to have one of the best facilities available.  For bike hire look no further than The Bike Garage.

 
The Bike Garage is tucked away at the back of Bamford Garden Centre mid way between Castleton and Hathersage (full directions are on the Bike Garage website).  The garden centre is well signposted from the road and you can’t miss the shop if you head for the back of the site.  The shop owner is James.  James has lived and cycled in the Valley all his life so there’s no one better qualified to run the shop.  He’s also a real biking enthusiast and a qualified bike mechanic.

The Bike Garage isn’t big, but there’s a lot packed into a small space!  The shop is a Trek dealership so there’s a good selection of new bike and a great spares range plus a full complement of Trek hire bikes.  We always use the hire service for course participants that need a set of wheels and we’ve always been completely happy with the quality of service and the bikes provided.

 
A full days hire costs £25 (£15 for kid’s bikes) or £20 for half a day (£10 for kids).  A really useful feature of the service is that James counts half a day as any four half block.  This is great if you are planning a mid morning to mid afternoon ride and will be plenty long enough for many local circuits.  All bikes are provided with a pump, helmet and a few essential tools.

 
Inevitably the bike hire service gets busy and there’s only a certain number of each model size available so if you are heading to the Peak District at a busy time plan ahead – James is happy to reserve bikes by phone or there’s an online reservation system on the website.  Some other new options are a selection of 29” wheel hire bikes and the chance to use SPD pedals for a small extra charge.

But, the truth is that customers expect modern bike shops to provide good quality, clean and well maintained bikes.  What really sets James’s facilities apart is the quality of service and his local knowledge.  If you are new to the area you can get on to some great trails straight from the shop and James will give you all the information to do that.  He can provide maps, recommend suitable options to match your experience level and guide you on how long it will take.  You certainly couldn’t be in better hands.

 
The other essential service the Bike Garage offers is a full bike workshop facility.  James can handle everything from quick brake tweaks to a full build.  Some set services are priced on the website but the shop also offers a free quotation service so you have a transparent price before you start – a great idea.

 
You can find all the information you need on the Bike Garage website here.  It’s a great site with some good videos of local rides and biking news.  James has even introduced an inner tube recycling facility – a great initiative.  Please support our local bike store – you won’t be disappointed!       
 

 
Once the skills are mastered another vital skill set to learn is the ability to get out of difficult situations effectively.  This could be anything from helping an injured partner to simply ascending a rope to escape an incoming tide.  Our Climbers Self-Rescue course has always been a popular choice.

For 2012 we are offering an astounding deal. Anyone who attends one of our Learn to Lead courses is welcome to attend a one day Self-Rescue course FREE.  When climbers book a Learn to Lead course they’ll automatically be sent a voucher they can cash in on any future one day Self-Rescue Course with spaces. 
No time limit* and no hidden extras - just a great deal and a responsible approach to climber development.

* we suggest leaving a sufficient gap between learning to lead climb and attending a Self-Rescue course so the new lead skills can be properly embedded before taking on more information 

 
Once the skills are mastered another vital skill set to learn is the ability to get out of difficult situations effectively.  This could be anything from helping an injured partner to simply ascending a rope to escape an incoming tide.  Our Climbers Self-Rescue course has always been a popular choice.

For 2012 we are offering an astounding deal. Anyone who attends one of our Learn to Lead courses is welcome to attend a one day Self-Rescue course FREE.  When climbers book a Learn to Lead course they’ll automatically be sent a voucher they can cash in on any future one day Self-Rescue Course with spaces. 
No time limit* and no hidden extras - just a great deal and a responsible approach to climber development.

* we suggest leaving a sufficient gap between learning to lead climb and attending a Self-Rescue course so the new lead skills can be properly embedded before taking on more information 

Paul's articles continue to be sought after by a variety of sources and, although some are written especially for the website, many have been written for outdoor magazines or online sources. To date Paul has written online articles for UKClimbing, UK Hillwalking, Rock Climbing UK, Outdoors Magic and Adventure Eyes.  His articles have also been published in a variety of magazines including Trek and Mountain Magazine, Summit, AMI News, Mountain Rescue Magazine and the Mynydd Journal.  

We hope they are of use and always welcome feedback.  Alternatively, if you want to use an article for publication we are always happy to help - all we ask is that you ask permission beforehand.  You will find that more stuff gets added in the winter months or when Paul's been holed up in a festering hut waiting for decent weather and not much gets added in the summer months or, infact, anytime the weather is good...........

We are frequently asked for tips on how to mark climbing hardware so here’s a few ideas you might find useful.

The first thing you need to think about is safety.  Climbing equipment is built to exacting standards but it is very important that you don’t mark it is any way that could cause damage.  Manufacturers are understandably reluctant to say whether particular chemicals will weaken fibres in tape or rope products because there is no way they could test everything on the market.  So the only totally reliable option is to not let anything with solvents or adhesives in contact with those hi-tech fibres.  Fortunately, metal is more reliable so you can use a slightly wider selection of products on your shiny items.

The age old method is electrician’s insulation tape.  Simply choose a different colour to your climbing partners and you’re sorted.  Trouble is, with single colour tape there are only a limited number of options, so using 2 colours is a safer way to stand out from the crowd.  Tape does wear off but keep a supply handy and you can redo it easily.  Tape does have its drawbacks such as the story of a piece that slid down a carabiner’s spine and dangerously wedged open the gate.  Also remember that all adhesive tapes are not created equally and it’s worth spending slightly more for better quality.

On slings the adhesive doesn’t stick quite so permanently and it can get messy if it slides around.  There is also the unknown risk that the adhesive might affect the fibres.  One trick to avoid this is to use a small blob of nail varnish to carefully mark the label that swings free from the tape.  This is only possible because this is not load bearing and you must take special care to ensure no varnish gets on the sling fibres by masking it off carefully.  Varnish is quite hard wearing and because it’s available in loads of colours you can accessorize with the tape on your crabs – or your lycra bodysuit!  Don’t cover the manufacturer’s information on the label as you may need to refer to this at some time in the future.

An alternative innovative method is to buy some of the little tags available from Tough Tags (full details at http://www.toughtags.co.uk) .  The tags can be personalised with your details such as a phone number or email address.  That means if you leave something behind another kind hearted climber will hopefully contact you to organise its return.  Of course, it also means that in the event of an accident every bit of equipment has your contact details on!  Tough Tags also offer the option to have individual numbers on each tag which is useful for anyone that needs to be able to track individual items of gear.  The tags are very durable and in use we have found they last a reasonable length of time before you need to replace them.  Toughtags cost £12.95 for the first 2 sheets then £4.00 for additional sheets (postage is £1.10). With 44 tags per sheet they are well worth considering - that's certainly cheaper than replacing lost gear!

On our wires we add an extra marker with coloured insulation tape.  This is to help us sort our gear rather than identify it so we still mark it with our usual colour too.  We use different colours of tape to mark our small size and larger wires and mark the racking crab in each corresponding colour.  This makes it super quick to re-sort our gear at each belay and is particularly useful on multi-pitch climbs.