While most OMers are tucking into their Christmas turkey or maybe
taking a Christmas Day stroll across their local hills, Yorkshireman
Steve Perry will be ticking off Stuchd an Lochain and Meall
Buidh, two Munros in the southern highlands.
That'lll
leave just 240-odd to go before he completes his attempt to be the
first person to climb all 284 Munros in winter - the Winter
284 - in one, continuous, unsupported push entirely on foot. The
feat's been completed in summer on several occasions and Martin Moran
completed the Munros in a single winter, but he did so wtih vehicle
support and chose areas where the weather was at its best.
There'll be none of that for Steve, though you'll be glad to learn
that he has three rest days pencilled in to his schedule, which
begins with Ben More on Mull on 1 December and ends with Ben Hope in
Sutherland.
Lunacy...
We met Mr Perry, who seems a thoroughly nice chap at thisyear's
Harrogate outdoors trade show and he's no stranger to this sort of
lunacy. The Todmorden man is already the first person to walk from
Lands' End to John O'Groats via all the mainland 3000-foot mountains,
some 303 of them, a journey that took him seven months, but the
winter Munros is formidable challenge.
To stay on schedule he'll have to average 2.37 mountains per day,
while handling the worst that the weather can throw at him, including
traversing the Skye ridge in winter. He'll also be carrying his own
kit along the way just to make things harder.
Fortunately for Steve, he's being supported by Rab, and he'll be
using their clothing exclusively during the trip. His primary
layering system will consist of Rab's merino baselayer, a Vapour Rise
jacket and a Rab eVENT Latok shell. He'll also be carrying a Photon
vest with its Primaloft insulation for really cold days as well as
some Latok pants and a Neutrino Endurance down jacket for extra
protectiona dn warmth when needed.
You'll be able to follow his progress on the Rab web site at
www.rab.uk.com
which will include a map showing his progress and reguldar updates.
Donate and Win a Rab Vapour-Rise Jacket
You can find out more on Steve's own site www.winter284.co.uk
where you can also make a donation to his chosen charity Cancer
Research UK. Everyone who makes a donation will be entered into a
draw to win a Rab Vapour-rise jacket, as worn by Steve, but hopefully
not the same one...
What more can we say except good luck Steve and we'll try and keep
you updated with his progress once the walk begins at the start of
December.
Jon Doran
