Last minute kit shopping!
- Kate
- Jul 10, 2015
- 2 min read
So excited to think that in just over a week I'll be flying out to Bolivia with Adventure Peaks to tackle some stunning peaks during an expedition to the Cordillera Real. I will be acclimatizing in La Paz and beside Lake Titicaca then trek into the Condoriri area. Over the two weeks the team will aim to summit:
Point Austria Grade P 5100m
Pyramid Blanca Grade 1/PD 5230m
Pequeno Alpamayo Grade AD 5337m
Illusion Grade AD 5240m
Huayana Potosi Grade AD 6088m
An expedition kit list was sent out in advance and, having done a number of expeditions now at this height range, I naively assumed I had all the gear I needed. Wrong! Luckily I checked it again last week and realised I didnt have the right boots - eek! A intensive google search and quickfire question round with my climbing buddies on whatsapp later and the La Sportiva Spantik or the Scarpa 6000s seeemed to be the best way forward. The other option was the Boreal G1 Lite but having worn these on expedition to Kygryzstan last year I knew they were too wide fitting for my 'ladylike' feet.
In getting mountaineering boots I've come to discover there is only one place in London I should go to - Snow & Rock in either Covent Garden or High St Kensington. The former has much more in stock if you need things last minute but both offer excellent service and invaluable advice from people who have actually been up in the mountains (unlike a lot of other stores!). Sales guy Rory and I struggled with my slim feet and the Spantik - obviously made for a burley mountain man. However some innersoles and a bit of foam padding magic from the guys in the skiboot room (thanks Sam!) meant we eventually got them into a snug fit.
Obviously feeling like a kid in a candy store surrounded by all manner of rope, cams, and other climbing / mountain gear I ended up with a new headtorch and North Face thermoball jacket as well (see right). Well, you can never have enough kit!
I wouldn't really advise buying boots a couple of weeks before an expedition as now have the arduous task of breaking them in during the London summer... hmmm... Next blog will have to be be a trip up and down Box Hill I think ;)
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