Just flicking through this thread I thought I'd answer an earlier question about the climb/ ditance. Ian Nimmo used the scottish hill races for some stats teaching and he said Chapelgill came out the steepest, but then this one! Thats a lot of climbing.
Here is the route based on the old orginal course map.
For 2007, I understand there to be a few minor changes to this route, for example the flagged run in at the end is slightly longer, and Checkpoint 1 will be on the 943m true summit of Ben Vorlich, not at the 941m trig point.
Still only one member of an English club on the entry list (me)!
Surely there are more folk south of the border who are interested in this first-class mountain race??
(My recce is now planned for this weekend - 2nd/3rd)
Trundler,
Haven't got round to entering yet, but you won't be the only Sassanach there.
Jura was a good warm up I hope.
PP.
Extremely interested but two weeks before L'Etape and day before Oxenhope straw race, maybe next year might be better for me!Originally Posted by Trundler
Still only one member of an English club on the entry list (me)!
Surely there are more folk south of the border who are interested in this first-class mountain race??
(My recce is now planned for this weekend - 2nd/3rd)
Well, I didn't think I would be - still trying to drum up interest from the rest of Bowland FR.
DEFINITELY won't be the first English runner home in the race either....
Im interested in this and live south of the border, but have been put off by the need for navigating, it looks like it would need a high level of navigating skill, would others agree? I can navigate a bit, but usually as a last resort or when lost and I think Id have to drive up and drive back in a day due to family stuff, but it looks very tempting!!
Hi Andy,Well, I didn't think I would be - still trying to drum up interest from the rest of Bowland FR.
DEFINITELY won't be the first English runner home in the race either....
Am now entered, disappointed that there's only 13 so far.
Will try and drum up some interest in the other 'BFR' though it wouldn't help our chances if they all entered eh ?!
Looking forward to the battle to be the first Ward across the line (I got him at Jura).
Cheers,
Dave.
Re: ArrocharAlps Race Resurrec
[quote=egor;40454]... been put off by the need for navigating, it looks like it would need a high level of navigating skill, would others agree? quote]
I guess I would say it's more about mountain craft than navigation. In half decent weather its pretty straightforward. There are important route choices and dangerous terrain but that's not navigation, you should know where you are going. This is especially true on the first two hills.
In bad weather it would be more of a test as any long mountain race would be. The danger is increased and drops are even harder to see. Navigation would then be more important on all the hills, once the race leader went up the Cobbler rather than Narnain! So having bearings to run on and then going slow enough not to go over crags would be the order of the day. Where to turn off Vorlich, how to go up Vane, how to get off Vane (clue dont descend too soon), how to go from Ime to Narnain which looks straightforward but you'll be tired, the direction off Narnain.
The most intricate navigation bit for me has always been going up Ben Vane from Sloy Dam, which has lots of little crags you weave through. In a clag this could be disorienting.
I would say people should be competent at looking after themselves in the mountains and able to make safe choices when tired rather than having spot on orienteering type navigation skills.
Ofcourse the field size makes a difference too, small field= more time on your own and no one to follow, bigger field means more to follow, though they might not make the best choices either!
Not sure if this helps and dont take my word as definitive for reasons I have outlined before. Ofcourse it would be good to be out on unfamiliar hills, which is the nice thing about a new/ reborn race. So many routes now are known backwards, so getting a classic route in a pure state is something special and only lasts a while, especially in the age of mass communication.
Hope you aren't put off if you have the mountain skills though.
Jason
Well, I've done my recce now (yesterday in the clag!!) and agree with the comments by Jason above. I took 6:32
I took the (initially sketchy) walkers path up Vorlich but did the direct descent, which was OK untill the last bit down to the dam when I fell foul of crags. I was obviously too far left - the best line is directly above the dam itself.
Climbing Vane was a nightmare. Those craglets are definitely disorienting and in the clag you can't see what's ahead to steer a line through them. I met impassible barriers and had to detour a number of times. Got there in the end though. On the descent I steered due west with the compass and managed to avoid dropping into the top of Coire Grogain, reaching the mossy col below Beinn Ime without problems.
I was fearing the climb up Ime (being the biggest of the 'Alps') but it proved straightforward on a southwesterly bearing. I think it may have been a bit easier initially to go south then climb a long grass tongue instead of crossing two or three stream gullies as I did. From Ime, a good path leaves the summit in the direction of Bealach a Mhaim but this seemed to peter out (or I simply strayed off it!). A southerly bearing brought me to the Bealach easily enough though.
I was feeling pretty strong (and pleased with myself) by here and stormed up the blazed path to Narnain in 20 mins. At the top I was thinking I'd be just outside 6 hours to the finish but the descent was an eye-opener! I wasn't prepared for the steep rock gullies through crags on the top part (very slippery and technical) or the occasional small rock band lower down and, of course it's a huge descent of over 3000ft. I was pleased with the fact that my legs coped OK with it but I'm not sure that I got the right line lower down. I followed a plain path all the way but came down to the top of the disused cableway by a line further north than I expected. When I emerged from the mist and saw Succoth directly below I was surprised; I was on the north side of the crags marked as Cruach nam Miseag on the map but I was expecting to be further south somehow. Is this the right line?
Anyway I ended up where I expected at the top of the cableway, which is super-rough and a fitting end to such a fierce route!
Some clubmates were doing Duddon while I was going round this but this route makes Duddon look like a trail race!
Hope the weather is better on race day!
AW
Last edited by Fellhound; 03-06-2007 at 01:18 PM.
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