Have been meaning to write to you for ages just to say how wonderful the Greenspot double ventile jacket I bought this time last year has proved .I have used lots of different “waterproof ” jackets for cycling over the last 20 plus years years ranging from Gore Tex ones ,to the old racing cyclists PVC “boil in the bag ” and have never had such a good one . The quality is superb, I wore it a huge amount during last years wet summer and carried on using through the winter and it looks completely unworn, apart from a few oil stains. The pocket layout is great, being able to have mobile phone and wallet easily accessable is a big plus against just having the normal cycling rear pockets . The jacket being equally good for ordinary ”civilian ” use as on the bike.
I have number of cycling jackets at moment and except for racing and proper training yours is by far the best and most versatile and the only one I wear regularly off the bike. Hilltrek jackets a secret the cycling magazines see to overlook for some reason.
Thanks ever so much for a product which is true value for money
Patrick Hayes
Happy Greenspot Ventile Jacket User
Thank you Hilltrek & Ventile – one of our customers comments
Test of lightweight Paramo Clothing in winter conditions
Páramos’s lightweight Nikwax Analogy clothing was designed for use in warmer conditions however it’s light weight is appealing for moving quickly in winter especially for cross country skiing.
I decided to put Quito jacket and Quito trousers to test on a recent trip across local hill Craiglich in sleet at temperatures around zero. I wore a new Páramo Grid base layer under the Quito Jacket but packed a Torres Insulator Gilet in my backpack just in case.
In conclusion the Quito Jacket and Trousers combination kept me warm and dry despite the conditions. Standing still even for the obligatory cup of tea at the summit was cold, however the Torres Gilet kept me warm.
The old and the new Greenspot Ventile Jacket
Last year I picked up an old Bertram Dudley Greenspot Jacket on ebay, not quite an original but a Ventile version which we think may be circa 1970′s
It has taken a litttle time to make a comparison between old and new but now here it is…
The old …
Bertram Dudley Greenspot Jacket
Single Ventile, gaberdine inner, studded cuffs with two poppers, zipped chest pocket, inner pocket, two waist zipped pockets, waist adjustment. No hood.
The new….
Hilltrek Double Ventile Greenspot Jacket
Double Ventile, two zipped chest pockets, two waist pockets, two map pockets on rear, scooped hem, velcro cuffs.
Optional hood.
Alligin Ventile Jacket now available in double Ventile
Our popular Alligin Ventile Jacket is now available in double Ventile, therefore extending the range of the design to fully waterproof use.
The Alligin Double Ventile Jacket is priced at £235 in standard sizes and £265 Made To Measure
To order see our website
Several non-standard options are available for the Alligin including:
- reinforced elbows £20
- reinforced shoulders £25
- additional compass pocket on chest or sleeve £15
-large zipped poachers pocket £35
-detachable hood in place of integral hood £30 extra.
Delivery of standard specification and sizes 6-8 weeks currently
Delivery of Made To Measure and standard sizes with non-standard options is 10 to 12 weeks
The Alligin Jacket shown has a navy outer and red inner layer
River Dee opening
The River Dee was opened this year by Alistair Hume wearing a Hilltrek Dee Cotton Analogy Wading Jacket.
Cotton Analogy is a waterproof and breathable outdoor clothing concept designed for robust applications with a Ventile outer and Nikwax Analogy pump liner
Lumphanan 10k Detox Run on 2nd January.
Robbie Simpson of local running club Deeside Runners won the Lumphanan Detox 10K Run on 2nd January for the 4th successive year in a time of 31min 51sec.
Sam Burgess of Aboyne and Deeside Runners was second with a time of 35.30. Nicola Gauld was 4th and the first female home with a course record of 35.44.
Robbie from Banchory is making a name for himself in hill running circles (Fell Running in England) having won the Snowdon international hill race, the youngest ever winner of the race.
Hilltrek Prize for first local man went to Mark Clark and first local woman to Clare Sutherland.
Hilltrek customer Ruth Mckenzie was first in the female 41 to 50 section with a time of 43.46.
This year there were 322 runners and the conditions were excellent.
Hillsound Trail crampons tested on Creag Nan Gabhar in Deeside
On Christmas Day I unwrapped a set of sparkling new Hillsound Trail Crampons and the first opportunity to test the crampons was a post-Christmas walk up Creag nan Gabhar, a Corbett near Braemar.
The hill was topped with snow and the tracks leading up to the summit had a slight covering of snow and ice. The temperature at the car park was -2 degrees Celcius.
On the track up to Loch Callater there were snowy patches but not enough to justify putting on the crampons. Near to the summit I wore the Hillsound crampons to cross frozen snow fields and I did not take them off until I reached the car park an hour later.
The verdict:
Hillsound Trail Crampons are a really usefull piece of gear for £45. You can walk much faster with them on and they are easier to wear and lighter than full mountaineering crampons.
They are easy to put on – did not have to take my gloves off- just insert the toe of the boot, pull over the heel, make sure they are flat across the foot and pull a strap across the top of the boot.
They are much lighter than mountaineering crampons, 210g each as opposed to 470g for my Petzl 12 point crampons.
In fact they could easily be carried in addition to mountaineering crampons for less challenging sections of a hill walk.
Even for low level walks, where there is a reasonable snow covering, in comparison to the proliferation of ‘pavement crampons retailing for £10-£15, the Hillsound crampons are built to last and give much better traction.
What are the downsides?
Because they are not so rigid as mountaineering crampons there is a risk that the base plate could move on uneven surfaces therefore I would not wear them for use on exposed or steep sections.
On a hard track you need at least a 1.5cm (3/4 inch ) of snow cover otherwise the crampon spikes hitting the solid ground over a long time tire out the leg muscles as I discovered on the lower sections of the track on my return to the car park.
See them on our website.
To find out more about Creag nan Gabhar see the WalkHighlands website
Brush off your hangover Lumphanan Detox 10k Run
The ideal opportunity to brush off that New Year hangover – a 10K run over the rolling hills of Deeside on Wednesday 2nd January 2013
Local village Lumphanan, famous for the battle in 1057 where Macbeth was killed by Malcolm Canmore, hosts the first 10k road race of the year in Scotland – the Detox 10k.
We donate the prize for the first local male & female home.
The run starts off with a gruelling hill climb for the first 2 kilometers 
.
If you are considering entering go to Lumphanan Detox 10K news
See pictures of last years event go to Detox gallery
Are Páramo wearers mad or do they know something that others don’t?
I pose this question because I looked at today’s weather forecast for Deeside and Lochnagar and it was awfull both on MWIS and the Met Office websites-snow showers, white out conditions, low cloud at around 700m, winds of 60 mph with gusts up to 85 mph, windchill at -15 degrees C.
There were promises of good visibility.
A great day for a hill walk up a small hill.
I chose Cairn Leuchan, a 700m summit near Ballater with a track to the top, with great views to Lochnagar – but not today.
In these conditions normally there is no-one fullhardy enough to walk up there but to day I met three others – two wearing Páramo- both Hilltrek customers – the other wearing Mountain Equipment.
Therefore when I was on the hill 75% of the hillwalkers were wearing Páramo.
Now why is that? Are Páramo wearers a mad, full-hardy, decrepit old bunch with no sense or do they trust their gear to work in all conditions. Perhaps it is just a plain love for the outdoors.
My Páramo gear certainly worked – Alta Jacket, Velez Adventure Trousers, Grid baselayer, Core Insulator – despite sleety rain lower down, snow on top all being driven by a 60 mph wind.
Apologies for the lack of a photograph from the day , although I had packed in my camera the visibility was too poor.
Here is one I prepared earlier.
