The weather forecast for the weekend was pretty awful  -high winds, high wind chill, intermittent showers – and that was Saturday.  Sunday’s forecast was constant rain and gales with 100 mph gusts on the summits.

We chose to climb the corbett Quinag on Saturday and take a long lie in on Sunday.

On a cold day in the hills, I typically wear a Explorer Reversible shirt above a short sleeve Cambia baselayer and Alta 2 jacket on top, if there is heavy rain forecast. If not I will choose a Braemar Smock.

To test the Paramo Grid I started out with the same layering system on the long climb up the south-east crest of Spidean Coinich.  Within a short time I had to take off the Cambia baselayer as I was overheating.

At the summit of Spidean Coinich we had a lunch stop and I pulled on a Torres Gilet to stay warm as the cloud rolled in and there was little shelter from the strong west winds.

The ridge down to Bealach a’Chornaidh has some exposed sections which normally would not have been difficult but the strong gusts of wind made us extremely cautious and we had to occassionally crouch down to prevent getting blown over.  With reduced speed and high wind chill, I kept my Torres Gillet on until we reached the Bealach.

At this point we split up; Anna deciding to go out to the northen summit Sail Gorm ,as she had not done it before, and Ailsa had  had enough of the wind and walked back to the car. I decided to climb to the eastern summit Sail Gharbh and attempt to catch up with Anna.  It meant fairly brisk walking. Despite this, the Paramo Grid  baselayer kept me warm and any perspiration was quickly moved.

For the remainder of the day I walked with the Alta 2 and the Grid Baselayer despite high wind chill occassionally donning my Torres Gilet at stops.

I wore a Grid Technic which has a neck zip, useful on this walk for occassional venting, and a small chest pocket. The pocket is too small for a map  however I used it for my car keys.

See further details of Paramo Grid on our website.

To learn more about climbing Quinag see Sean Fallon’s excellent  website.

Dr Chris Fenn will be at Hilltrek on Saturday 26th May to chat about the impact of nutrition on hillwaking and other outdoor activities.

Chris is a well known nutritionist who has advised expeditions such as Rebecca Stephens, the first British woman to reach the summit of Everest, and Pen Haddow, the Polar explorer.

Many will know Chris from her columns in the TGO and the Trail magazine however she has also has achieved her own personal goals using her expertise in sports nutrition such as climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling across America.

At the event Chris will sign copies of her new book ‘Forget the Fear of Food’

To learn more about Chris take a look at http://chrisfenn.com/ and read her blog post on nutrition for hillwalking

Eric Baird, Glen Tanar Ranger, resplendent in his Hilltrek Assynt Jacket, explains the Glen Tanar trails to members of the Aboyne Nomads Mountain Bike club.

Eric led the club round the trails on his  mounatin bike still wearing his Assynt Jacket. It goes to prove that full length Ventile  and Cotton Analogy jackets can be used for mountain biking!

Eric Baird with Aboyne Nomads

For more pictures see the Glen Tanar Rangers blog

See the Aboyne Nomads on YouTubeon the Fungle rated as one of Scotlands top 5 mountain bike trails.

It is very similar to the Quito however has a ladies cut and female friendly hood.

Mirada, Spanish for ‘view’, will be available in two colours black and foxglove.

Give us a call for an update or look at our website.

More details can be found on our website

Ideally you will already have retail experience, a strong interest in outdoor clothing and equipment and love of the outdoors.

You would be involved in retail, internet and mail order sales,  contribute to the selection of our retail stock and influence our product design.

Working in Hilltrek is not like working in another outdoor retailer because we manufacture our own clothing in our workshop on site. You would work closely with our design and production staff to convert customer requirements to customer satisfaction -and we already have satisfied customers in over 25 countries from Greenland to Australia.

Working with us is not like working in boring web sales because you will meet real customers in our shop who will give you direct feedback which you can use to help to improve our products using your excellent communication skills.

You will need to be strong on product knowledge which, along with service,  is our edge.

Outside our own Ventile, Cotton Analogy and Nikwax clothing ranges we carry a only few product lines from other manufacturers but in far more depth than other retailers.

We have had a long association with Páramo being one of the first retailers in 1994 to be convinced of Páramo’s Directional Waterproof concept.  Since then we have become a Páramo Partner and the only retailer authorised to carry out repairs to Páramo clothing. We also have a licence from Nikwax Fabrics, Páramo’s sister company, to use their Nikwax Analogy fabric to manufacture our own Made To Measure Clothing, Childrens Nikwax Clothing and incorporate within our Cotton Analogy range.

We will give you training in our products, including fabrics, and our services.

Working  hours are 10.00 to 16.00 three days per week however we can be flexible subject to agreement and you will be required to work one Saturday in four from 9.00 to 17.00. You will also be required to provide holiday cover.

If you want more information we can send you a job description and if you are interested please send your CV to sales@hilltrek.co.uk

Lawrence is a former Ray Mears instructor, a convinced Ventile user and has tested our Cotton Analogy garments in Scotland and the Arctic. 

Read more in his blog  and see his website.

Here is their story….

4 day trip to the Cairngorms National Park @ Scotland with my brother.

Pretty rough first night as our tent got ripped to shreds by hurricane force winds on the slopes of Ben Macdui.

Called mountain rescue for advice who told us to come down instead of sitting out the storm and waiting for dawn.

Literally had to crawl down with heavy packs in order not to get blown over off the mountain.

Met up with rescue team down in the valley and were driven back to our car.

Apart from some bruises and damaged gear we’re fine. there was nothing left of the Hilleberg Nallo 3GT.

Our Braemar Ventile Smocks held up to this beating though

What an experience! Not to be repeated

A Lyoness member receives  2% cashback and 3% loyalty bonus on Hilltrek outdoor clothing or gear, except for a special or discounted item.

To get cashback when you order through our website,  include your Lyoness ID in the information section of your order.

If you are not a Lyoness member and want to get cashback on your order,  let us know on the information section and we will set up membership for you.

Lyoness has an international network of over 2 million members and over 20,000 loyalty partners, including major retailers in Europe and the UK.

Part of the turnover generated via Lyoness goes to the Lyoness Child & Family Foundation, which is used in aid and education projects to help give people in need a better chance in life.

To find out more about Lyoness see the  website.