
With my winter ML training the following week, I took the chance to go out with 2 inexperienced people for a practice in the snow.
Walking in from Mungrisedale, we knew the wind forecast meant we may not get up that high but were willing to try.
Going up from Bannerdale beck proved hard going, with waist deep drifts of snow. The wind was howling higher up but we were fairly sheltered down in the valley still.
Upon reaching the top of the valley, goggles were needed, more clothing also as the temperatures were well below zero. A gale force westerly wind meant it was almost impossible to get anywhere near the summit of Bowscale fell, with lots of ice and spindrift being blown about making it rather unpleasant.
I made the decision to drop back down the way we had come up given all three of us were on our knees, and struggling with the wind and the depth of the snow.
My 2 people learned a lot that day and have become regular paying clients now, the weather being as harsh as it was gave them a huge insight to just how ferocious winter can be. We never needed our crampons, but i di show them both how to carry and hold their axes although at no point was it really a requirement.
Area :
Northern Fells
Generally this is the area to the north of the A66 which runs from Penrith to Cockermouth and the town of Keswick.