Archive for November 2008
You are browsing the archives of 2008 November.
Why Paramo clothing is so good in the Sierra Nevada
Why is Paramo so good?
I have been a fan of Paramo gear for the last 15 years. I remember spending thousands of pounds clad in various Gore-Tex, Triplepoint and eVent jackets, that either leaked or made me as wet inside as well as outside. They were never as “breatheable” as they were advertised by their [...]
Bad Weather Alert for Sierra Nevada, Spain
28th November 2008. Advice is to keep off the high mountains this weekend, the 29th and 30th November. All major weather forecasts are suggesting precipitation together with high winds. Winds of up to 136kph may be found on Mulhacen with average wind speeds of over 100kph!
There will be new snow, possibly up to 50cm above [...]
Poqueira Hut Reciprocal Rights and Mountain Insurance
What Alpine Clubs and Federations have reciprocal rights with the Poqueira Refugio?
To the best of our knowledge the following have reciprocal rights for reduced Poqueira Refugio hut and meal fees:
Federación Andaluza de Montañismo
Austrian Alpine Club
Deutscher Alpenverein
Club Alpin Francais
Italian Alpine Club
Club Alpin Swiss
The affiliations normally run from January to December each year and are very good [...]
Winter climbing potential on the Cerro de Caballo
Just had a 2 day exploratory trip to investigate the winter climbing potential that exists on the Cerro de Caballo peak above Lanjaron in Spain’s Sierra Nevada. The crags and gullies are found at an altitude of 2800+ on the NE and E faces of the summit cone.
We parked the car at the Ventura Trailhead. [...]
Sierra Nevada winter photo gallery November 2008
This excellent collection of photos was taken by Tuula Packington during the first week of November 2008. She spent a week here doing various activities. The photos really convey the cold and reality of what was a very changeable week, weatherwise. Thanks to Tuula for allowing us to show these here.
What sort of people steal mountaineering gear and equipment?
This post is directed towards the spanish mountaineer who removed (nice word for stole) the ski basket from one of my ski poles yesterday. It was a particulary large basket perfect for the deep snow conditions we found when we ascended Mulhacen in Spain’s Sierra Nevada. I guess the culprit had lost his and just [...]
Descending Mulhacen with snowshoes
Just had a 2 day ascent of Mulhacen. We began at the best start point in winter which is the Cebadilla Electric plant in the Poqueira gorge. The ascent to the Poqueira Hut took 4 hours and we encountered tiring soft snow above Cortijo Tomas at 2100m. Fortunately, overnight the temperatures plumeted to well below [...]
Back to basics in the Sierra de Tentudia, Seville
An hours drive north of Seville takes you into the heart of the Sierra Morena. This is a massive range containing many smaller sierras. The Sierra de Aracena is quite popular, but the lesser known range of the Sierra de Tentudia is rarely visited. The Tentudia sit on the border of Andalucia and Extremadura.
The Sierra [...]
Sierra Nevada opening for skiing Saturday 15th November
Yes the lifts will be working again from Saturday onwards, a week early than usual and 2 weeks earlier than last year. There are plans for 11 lifts and 27km pistes to be open. Last weeks heavy snowfalls ensured the best start to a ski season for many years. Should be good skiing with up [...]
Snow and Mountain Conditions 7th Nov 2008
Above 2000m the Sierra Nevada is very white with little rock or ridges showing through. The snow is up to the knees in most zones but at times is as deep as 1.5m. The west flank of Mulhacen has areas with little snow due to the wind.
Very little consolidation has occurred in the past few [...]
