Telegraph article on BG

[djglover]

They did quite well. And I have only seen the view from Bowfell once in 5 trips up there, so they were lucky in that respect. I'm sure they had a ruddy good time.

[Riccardo]

As someone who's just completed (9.17pm on Saturday) it felt OK to send this article to people who weren't familiar with the challenge; no doubt it's a bit over stated (journalists and readers like it this way methinks) but there's a core of truth about the challenge within it. I don't see it attracting 'have a go' types, even a leg or two of the BG is just too difficult if you don't know the hills (I speak as one who built up to my completion for almost 5 years.....)

Riccardo

[alwaysinjured]

As someone who's just completed (9.17pm on Saturday) it felt OK to send this article to people who weren't familiar with the challenge; no doubt it's a bit over stated (journalists and readers like it this way methinks) but there's a core of truth about the challenge within it. I don't see it attracting 'have a go' types, even a leg or two of the BG is just too difficult if you don't know the hills (I speak as one who built up to my completion for almost 5 years.....)

Riccardo

One issue they raise is "the only part they reccied was broad stand" as the way between scafells without further comment on it.
I only hope that any people so tempted to have a look, research broad stand enough to discover it has a history...and that most seasoned BGers, even many climbers would not attempt it at all whilst wet/slimy which it is for a good proportion of the year, (and many would not do it at all without a top rope even in condition)
The traverse left can be tricky to reverse if you try it on first sight, then decide against continuing because of out of balance/slightly overhanging.
Also - If you look at wainwrights book, I wonder if he ever got up to the shelf below B/S, because I dont recollect him mentioning climbing the first part behind fat mans agony to get up to it - which doesnt help in explaining the risk.

[djglover]

Broad stand doesn't only exist in the context of the BGR though. Many fellwalkers will have seen it either tried it, or dismissed it with or without reference to the wainwright book. I know of people who have used it in such a context, without a rope.

If anything, a potential candiate for a BGR will have done sufficient research on the route to be aware of the risk, even if they have overestimated their ability to get round in one go.

[alwaysinjured]

Broad stand doesn't only exist in the context of the BGR though. Many fellwalkers will have seen it either tried it, or dismissed it with or without reference to the wainwright book. I know of people who have used it in such a context, without a rope.

If anything, a potential candiate for a BGR will have done sufficient research on the route to be aware of the risk, even if they have overestimated their ability to get round in one go.

True, but perhaps for one thing. There is an entire generation of newcomers to hills who think a GPS and training in the south of england can solve all problems.

A true story: A couple of years ago in late autumn, I was up in glenshee, having bagged a few of the munros on the lochnagar side of the road. We had done five of six, but we sensed a front coming in, temperatures plummeted so I and running partner decided to drop down rather than take risks. When we got to the car park, two guys were kitting out, all the gear. We said "it doesn't feel like it down here, but it is getting pretty evil up there on top and it will be getting dark in less than two hours". They shrugged: showed me a GPS and head torch, and the way they did it, we figured they were seasoned winter munro baggers, so we thought no more of them, and got down to the bunk house in braemar to have some tea.

Some hours later, lo and behold around 11/12pm that night, these same two guys crawled into the bunk house almost on all fours teeth chattering, clearly in early stages of hypothermia, not at all lucid, and it was all we could do to force warm clothes, hot drinks, food, a big fire and the rest, to warm them back up. When their teeth stopped chattering, they told us "we just flew in to aberdeen from london" then drove to where you saw us - we have been training on south downs to get miles in legs (think one had done the SDW80 or a long LDWA down there) and to check out our head torches. But these are "pretty much our first munros."

It is those guys and people like them: the "gps will keep me safe" mentality, I do not want lulled into a false sense of security in trying broad stand "because the GPS says it" and "broad stand is standard on the BG", the telegraph article mentioned, so it must be OK. Fortunately, I doubt if such people will make it that far, but god forbid they go A/C so get there sooner and their first experience of B/S is down in the wet (like coleridge - amazing guy!)