Petestack Blog

Something I’d been thinking about for quite some time (like years!) before this winter’s prolonged cold spell sent me researching seriously and posting some questions to the UKC Forums. Which saw my initial list (based on Needle Sports’ stock) of Kahtoola MICROspikes & KTS, Charlet Moser Spikys and Grivel Spiders augmented by recommendations/suggestions for Yaktrax and various types of studded/spiked shoes. And (to cut a long story short) resulted in me picking up a pair of locally-available Spiders from The Ice Factor to try while ordering a pair of MICROspikes online as well.

So here are my interim reviews from that UKC thread, starting with what I had to say about the Spiders on 23 December:

For the record, I carried the Spiders up two snowy hill/trail routes on Sunday/Monday without using them before finally giving them a whirl on an icy 12-mile run from Kinlochleven to the Blackwater Dam and back tonight. So this is what I’ve just posted to the parallel ‘Shoe snow chains’ thread:
http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?n=386138

‘First impressions are surprisingly positive because they stayed put on my shoes (Asics 2130 trainers), allowed me to put my feet anywhere I wanted (including passages of pure ice), brought me safely down a significant hill and back along the pavement to my house, didn’t interfere with my gait at all and are still in one piece. If you’re crossing cleared roads from one icy pavement to another, you’ll feel/hear the unit under your instep, but it’s not tall enough to cause problems and not worth taking them off for that. Having said that, I think the MICROspikes look better in just about every way (especially very clever, quick ‘binding’ system and better distribution of spikes), but didn’t find the instep-only pattern of the Spiders as limiting as I expected tonight on ground that’s probably pushing their remit. So they’re clearly suitable for a town environment (where the instep design should be even less of an issue and short spikes are what you want), except that I’m still expecting to discover that the MICROspikes have them beat for everything except weight and price.’

To which I might just add that I did the straps up once (snugly but not over-tight because I was needlessly concerned about creating circulation cold spots) and left them, but never had any problem with the things moving. While they seemed to rotate slightly to find their natural position (aligned with the inside edges of my soles and the inside back spikes maybe toed in a touch), they really did stay put at that (on my running shoes anyway) and let me just run. And made a reassuring and satisfyingly ‘crampony’ crunch on the crispest/iciest stuff, which certainly would have had me flat on my back or picking my way at a snail’s pace without them!

And continuing with my take on the MICROspikes from Christmas Eve (when Eppie, Eileen and I waylaid the post van round the corner after missing their delivery while out to lunch at The Ice Factor!):

Got my MICROspikes today, so had to head out for another run (this time an 8-mile round trip to Tigh-na-sleubhaich in the Lairig Mor) to try them out. Which gave me the chance to run on everything from ribbons of pure ice (where the bottom end of the path forms a natural drainage line) through following existing footsteps in the softer snow to chasing down more compacted Landrover tire tracks on the west (Fort William) side of the highest point. And they did it all as well or better than the Spiders, with the most obvious differences being the ease of fitting with that strapless/buckleless design and the added (possibly partly psychological?) confidence stemming from the more extended spike pattern. Apart from that, both Spiders and MICROspikes benefit from spikes of just the right length, meaning long enough to bite but not long enough to cramp your running style or ball up in softer stuff, which also means you can just fit and forget unless you’re taking them off for obvious stretches of bare ground. Where the Spiders clearly score is in being lighter (NB light enough to carry as emergency spares!), cheaper and ‘one-size-fits-all’, with the MICROspikes (still pretty light!) getting the nod for the brilliant ‘harness’ and more crampon-like performance (think I’d be happy to run over many real hills in these). While the elastomer harness was softer than I expected, it seems to be pretty durable by all accounts and could obviously be patched on the hill with a length of shockcord or similar if any of the eyes did go. So they’re looking pretty well perfect for my needs if their durability matches their functionality!

Hope to do some more testing of both yet, but my interim verdict says the MICROspikes are a seriously clever bit of kit that really works and the Spiders will do if budget (a few pounds) or weight (a few grams) really matters that much. :-)

To which I should add some further notes covering things not otherwise mentioned above:

• The Spiders are ‘handed’ (left and right), but apparently just to keep the buckles to the outside of the feet because they’re basically symmetrical apart from the threading of the straps.
• It’s worth pulling the retainers for the strap ends down away from the buckles before doing them up.
• My Spiders weigh 166 grams the pair (against Grivel’s quoted 140), with the carrying pouch adding another 12.
• The MICROspikes are not handed, but still have an obvious front and back.
• My large MICROspikes weigh 412 grams the pair (where Kahtoola quote 280 to 411, depending on size).
• While all the positive reviews helped, a late look at Kahtoola’s MICROspike fitting video was virtually enough on its own to convince me to buy!
• I carried both Spiders and MICROspikes again today with the hope of further testing, but needed neither for miles of mostly virgin powder snow to the far end of Loch Eilde Beag before finally fitting the MICROspikes (and still being happy with them) for the return over the icy An Cumhann path and big descent to the village.
• While a true crampon like the Kahtoola KTS should be better for true hill work, the shorter spikes (nothing you’re likely to catch and trip over there!) of the MICROspikes and Spiders seem more attuned to running. So, while I might yet give the steel KTS a whirl some day (ruling out the aluminium where contact with rock is basically unavoidable) if the MICROspikes get trashed too quickly on my habitual rocky trails and paths, I’m pretty happy with what I’ve got pending longer-term trials.

A very satisfying run over the Devil’s Staircase to Altnafeadh and back this afternoon…

To explain quite simply, I ran every step of the way with no walking or stops whatsoever. While I’ve more than once run the whole way back up the short, steep (Glen Coe) side and down the long (Kinlochleven) side, today I ran all the way up the long side (where I usually let myself walk for a few steps above the Penstock) and down to Glen Coe, just touching one of the roadside marker posts where I’d normally take a quick standing break and heading straight back up. So perhaps I was suffering by the time I hit the zigzags towards the top, but kept it together through a real mind-over-matter head game and shuffling jog to the twin cairns, after which I knew I was home dry (except that it rained, but you know what I mean?) and running more freely again.

Not by any means my fastest trip over this course (some 16 to 17 minutes outside my best), but I’m still well over my target weight for next summer’s ultras (when I know I’m fastest at my lightest) and running’s rarely the quickest or most efficient way up the steepest ground anyway. That said, for the sheer self-discipline of convincing myself I’m strong and my body’s capable of going where my mind can, it’s pretty encouraging at this stage! :-)

Standing between Glen Creran and Glen Duror and being the final hill after Beinn Maol Chaluim on my truly local ‘why have I never done that?’ hit-list, the fine Corbett of Fraochaidh was a much coveted summit. So what better way to spend a clear, cold November Sunday afternoon than running into it from Ballachulish and out again?

It’s a good route through good hill running country, enlivened by great views of the surrounding hills (especially fine today on the return leg as the Glen Coe peaks started to glow in the late sunshine) and really feeling like it’s taking you somewhere as you look down into Glen Creran, although quite an effort for a solitary Corbett at 12.4 miles and 4,400 ft round trip over an undulating ridge. Completed in 3hrs 29mins, which seems typical at the moment for a hill run of this stature in non-racing, camera-carrying mode. And the dusting of snow on the summit was nice! :-)

The panorama below (not perfectly stitched!) was taken on the way home, covers about 180° and shows (from left to right) Beinn a’ Bheithir, Ben Nevis and the Mamores, the Glen Coe peaks (with the Pap, Aonach Eagach and Bidean group all visible), Sgor na h-Ulaidh (looking very fine from the west) and Beinn Fhionnlaidh.

While I wouldn’t normally bother to report a ‘routine’ training run round a course so short that I rarely run it on its own, tonight’s little outing up past the Grey Mare’s was just a little bit different. Being so wet I might as well have gone running through rocky stream beds in the dark (so those were paths, were they?) and I’m surprised I didn’t meet any fish!

So perhaps we’re talking about a mere 2.5 miles over the ground (albeit with 1,000 ft of ascent) taking a good five minutes longer than normal. But the time’s not important when I nearly didn’t go (8:05pm start) then realised that I was genuinely enjoying myself up there! :-)

As one of the very few local hills of any real size I’d never been up, I’d long been intrigued by the prominent Corbett of Beinn Maol Chaluim which, despite standing proudly to the south of Bidean and being highly visible from the A82 between Glencoe Village and Achnacon, narrowly fails to make that silly Munro height, takes just as much effort to summit as its bigger neighbours and is surely therefore one of Glen Coe’s less-frequented peaks. So today I decided to run up it (if running’s not something of a misnomer for my progress over such a rough, largely pathless, course), traversing as close as possible to its visible skyline but turning the steep crags above the Bealach Fhionnghaill as necessary to the south. And that’s exactly what I did, taking sheep paths and flatter sections of river bank up the east side of the Fionn Ghleann, outflanking Creag Dhubh (an impressive crag of dripping rocks and turf that could be fun in a good winter) to the south and leaving the northern ridge just short of the Bealach Fhaolain to cut back west down Coire Garbh and cross the river to something more of a path (some human footprints on this one!) back north. A hard-won 6.6 miles and 3,200 ft that took over 2½ hours despite feeling strong after a day’s rest and not hanging about much beyond the time it took to snap a few (well, about 30) photos!

Been out on the hills this past couple of days, with yet another run on my ‘home ground’ of the central Mamores (surely my most trodden hills with the possible exceptions of the Ben and the Buachaille) followed by something new today.

Now, perhaps I’d have liked to go somewhere new yesterday, but I’d rather missed the boat in terms of travelling time by the time a grey morning started to give way to a clearing afternoon. So I headed back up the great zigzag of Coire na Ba to run over Stob Coire a’ Chairn and the Garbhanach/Gearanach ridge. Which comes in at round about 10.2 miles and 4,400 ft in just over 3 hours, which doesn’t sound that fast (and isn’t) but does allow for something of a slowdown over the light scrambling of the northern ridge and some photography on the way back as the mist started to lift.

With some splendid October sunshine today, I was keen to grab something new. But, being on holiday and surfacing typically late, not too far away. So I headed down towards Tyndrum (skipping the tight parking place near the private road to Auch Farm in favour of better parking and a slightly longer run in along the West Highland Way) with Beinn Mhanach in mind. Which, as the nearest Munro I hadn’t done, I’d been half thinking of saving (along with its subsidiary top of Beinn a’ Chuirn) for a relatively local and accessible final Munro/Top combination (so I’d like to get my final Top en route to my final Munro!), but was ultimately quite happy just to sweep up today because I’m not really quite at the stage of choosing my final peaks yet. Anyway, it’s a dashed long way in and out (c.5 miles each way on tracks you could do easily by bike), the distant views were superb and my legs were tiring on the way back because I’m probably not really quite strong enough for several days’ proper hill running on the trot right now. 14.3 miles and 3,700 ft in 3 hrs 24 mins, including a pretty slow trudge up the SW side of Beinn a’ Chuirn and a number of camera stops.

Might just add that the Auch Estate (in keeping with the current trend) have a most helpful notice about seasonal deer stalking activity, requesting the use of established hill paths, following prominent mountain ridges, following main watercourses when descending open hillsides and avoiding descents through corries, and marred only by the complete fading of their recommended/preferred routes from the accompanying map.

Today I posted my entry for the 2010 Cateran Trail Race. An attractive-sounding short ultra from the same ‘stable’ as the West Highland Way Race, and something that’s not altogether too late on 15 May to serve as a good final trial for the big one five weeks later. Sparing me the need to do anything quite so mindless as running the Lairig Mor four times in a day again!

So perhaps I’d have preferred another couple of weeks between them, but running both this year didn’t seem to hurt those who did so. Some of whom (you know who you are!) also ran the Highland Fling (which I’m not planning) three weeks before the Cateran and did very well in all three…

Anyway, it sounds friendly, it sounds good, I fancy it and maybe the May target will help keep me on track (assuming no December-long cough/cold things or climbing assessments to get in the way) for the WHW this time. So I posted the entry form. And then went for a wee hill run. :-)