The solution was to be found at their home in Lanjaron in Andalucia, Spain. They started experimenting with the age old process of “drying” food to preserve it. They cut the food up small to aid the drying process, prepared their normal homemade recipes and placed these on outside drying trays. Of course, in Andalucia there’s a lot of sun but as Richard says, this can still be done by people from northern Europe. There are many cheap, commercially available dehydrators available and the process is open to everyone. Spanish Highs now produce such tasty delights as “Moroccan Stew”, “Vegetable Curry”, “Pasta Arrabiata”, ” Bulghar Wheat Chilli” and their own dried fruit packages. These are available from Spanish Highs but are free if you join one of their walking or mountaineering holidays.

Have a go. Dry and prepare your own camp food. It’s good, cheap and wholesome. You know what’s gone into the meal and it will ensure you look forward to the next one. Above all it’s a satisfying and rewarding way of preserving food. Perfect for the mountains.”

Spanish Highs Mountain Guides provide walking, trekking, climbing, mountaineering and ski touring olidays in the Sierra Nevada, Spain. They also run expeditions to Patagonia and the high Andes of South America.

A new website has been launched for climbers and mountaineers  giving details of the winter climbing potential in the Sierra Nevada mountains of Spain. This free online resource can be found at www.guidebook-sierra-nevada.co.uk. The area is virtually unknown except to local spanish climbers, and  before the launch of the new website, no winter climbing guidebook  was in existence, in any language.  

For those climbers and mountaineers seeking quiet, remote locations with climbing of an exploratory nature then the Sierra Nevada fit the bill perfectly. There is also guaranteed snow from December until well into May. In addition, with over 320 sunny days per year, that magical combination of sun and snow is almost certain to be met. The online guidebook details climbs of all grades, difficulties and situations. Each climb is explained using photos to explain the approach and route to follow. There are also pages on the access, approaches, maps, weather, avalanche risk  and other useful online resources.

The guidebook has been produced by Spanish Highs Mountain Guides, who work in the Sierra Nevada mountains, near Granada. Richard Hartley, owner of the company gave his reasons for producing the guidebook, “We realised over the course of the last 7 years, our guides had climbed many routes,  taken hundreds of photos and knew the mountains intimately. We knew no current guidebook existed so decided to consolidate the knowledge into an online guide. We took what we knew, gathered bits of information from spanish sources  and talked to local climbers. The online guide is the result.  Hopefully many more climbers and mountaineers will be attracted to these wonderful mountains!”

However, the guidebook is far from finished. As the homepage explains, “this is ongoing an ongoing project”. It is hoped that climbers will report back on their findings this coming winter so more detail can be included. The guidebook is set to become the definitive resource for the Sierra Nevada mountains in winter.

Spanish Highs Mountain Guides are based in Lanjaron, Granada, Spain. They offer mountaineering, trekking, climbing, walking and hiking  in the Sierra Nevada and Alpujarra mountains of southern Spain. In addition they run expeditions to Patagonia. They can be found online at www.spanishhighs.co.uk.

Spanish Highs Mountain Guides appointed location advisors for new horror movie to be shot in the Sierra Nevada, Spain.

The photographs and images seen on the Spanish Highs Mountain Guides website proved an irresistable inspiration for film company Familia Films. Helmed by Rebecca Sharpe and set to go into production late in 2008, the movie is a psychological spinechiller set in the Alpujarra and Sierra Nevada mountains of Andalucia. A terrifying tale unravels as a group of writers find themselves trapped in a horror weekend of their own creation.

Richard Hartley, owner of Spanish Highs Mountain Guides, has taken the producers to visit the national park. “Various stunning locations have already been identified that fit in perfectly with the movie’s atmosphere. The remote locations provide contrast between the incredibly tranquil, beautiful backdrops and the tenseness of the script.” he says.

Spanish Highs mountain guides provide walking, trekking, climbing, mountaineering and ski touring holidays in the Sierra Nevada. They also run expeditions to Patagonia and the high Andes of South America. Website www.spanishhighs.co.uk

Familia Films is a new independent feature film company, spearheaded by Rebecca Sharpe and Jose Hernandez in Malaga, Spain. Website www.familia-films.com

Kiersten Rowland of Spanish highs – Location shoot (photo copyright Brain Hall)

The new Weather Information Service can be found at www.spanishhighs.co.ukand is managed by Spanish Highs Mountain Guides. The reasoning behind the service is explained by lead guide, Richard Hartley: œA great deal of information can to be found on the internet but there is no single site that brings together all the elements that are required to venture safely into the winter mountains.

In addition to reliable Spanish weather, satellite and webcam sources, the service provides information gathered from the company ™s own weather station data and wind chill charts.
There is a rolling 5 hr forecast of temperatures, wind chill, precipitation, humidity, wind direction and wind speed. New this year too, is a Snow Blog that is used by the guides themselves to report on snow and avalanche conditions. As Richard Hartley explains, œOur guides are working here in the Sierras most days and it seemed a natural extension for them to report back on the snow, ice and avalanche conditions they encountered”.

The service should prove a useful tool for anybody wanting to venture into the high Sierra Nevada this winter.

Spanish Highs mountain guides provide walking, trekking, climbing, mountaineering and ski touring holidays in the Sierra Nevada,Spain. They also run expeditions to Patagonia and the high Andes of South America

Contact:
email: richard@spanishhighs.co.uk
Phone: +34 660013445
website: http://www.spanishhighs.co.uk