2005 Review Of The Year - Part One

Off site, the Cotswold store in Shepherd's Bush closed down, the end of an institution and the Berghaus Bioflex back system won a top award for innovation at a major European show. Oh, and we brought you news of the return of Karrimor. Comedy product of the month was the new Berghaus Heatcell heated gilet :-)

We gave away our own awards too, chosen by you. Remember who won? Oh, and Manchester got its own climbing wall housed in a church. Nice...

We also scoop tested Lowe Alpine's excellent Fairview Paclite Jacket, we don't think Lowe has had the attention it deserves for it's very impressive Gore-Tex shells which are very nicely cut and seductively light with it.

And yes, that really is all that happened, well, sort of...

It was also the month that we interviewed Jamling Norgay Tenzing, the son of Everest's conquerer and a thoroughly nice fella with it.

Finally, OM route editor Dave Mycroft went all Blue Peter with his How To Make A Memory Map Wainwright Logbook article, and not a cereal box in sight. Dead impressive we reckon though quite incomprehensible to the techno-challenged idiot editor...

By the end of spring the brothers had added Denali to their list which already included Elbrus and Aconcagua. Unlike many Seven-Summiteers, the brothers are doing their climbs independently rather than through commercial companies.

Meanwhile Alan Hinkes was en route to Kangchenjunga with a combination of Maoists and poor weather conditions making the final mountain in his Challenge 8000 quest even tougher than expected. He pulled through though to summit on 30 May and become the first Brit up all 14 8,000ers. A top achievement and one matched by only 12 other climbers.

Despite it being one of the worst years on record for ascents, Everest saw its share of publicity too with a claim of the first helicopter landing on the summit.

On the kit front, it was the month we first met the nice guys at Alpkit with their crazy prices and refreshing philosoply.

Outside, very outside, the Naked Rambler returned for another crack at Lands End to John O'Groats, but this time he had company... You could tell it was the silly season as the Cumbrian Tourist Board unleashed their rival to the Crazy Frog, the Baarmy Sheep, and very nasty it was too...

Surely there was more, erm, apparently not. Still, that's June for you, though we did have a scoop pic of Hinkesy's celebratory cake complete with mountainous icing...

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