Could the phrase “They don’t make ‘em like they used to?” be any more appropriate than when applied to the mountaineers of the olden days? There they were, stood at the foot of some cloud-shrouded peak, ready to scale their way to the top in little more than a down jacket, Old Faithfuls laced to their feet, a couple of sandwiches in their pocket and a do-or-die mentality.
There’s no denying it’s a romantic and hugely masculine image. But that was then. This is now. And things have come a long way. And as much as we’d all love to channel the hardy spirit of ye olde adventurer complete with frozen beard and frostbitten finger nubs, taking on a pinnacle without an arsenal of modern tech and equipment just seems, well, a little irresponsible these days.
With that in mind, we’ve made a top-drawer kit list for you to tick off before you take your first step on the vertical climb. And boy, have we covered all your inevitabilities. We’ve got essential tools like Black Diamond’s crampon foot grips and that all-important helmet. There's Finisterre’s weather-beating outerwear, and even a spicy, masculine scent to splash on to mask the days of hard graft when you reach the bottom again. See? We’ve thought of it all.
- Finisterre Eddy base layer top, £50; Eddy short sleeve T-shirt; £42, finisterre.com
- Pulsar Chronograph watch with orange runner strap, £125, pulsarwatches-europe.com
- Karrimor Hot Rock walking boots, £35, buy on karrimor.com
- Black Diamond Mojo Repo chalk bag, £12, buy on snowandrock.com
- Adidas Tycane Pro sunglasses, £178, buy on sunglasses-shop.co.uk
- Finisterre Incus gilet, £95, buy on finisterre.com
- Hugo Boss Boss: The Scent, eau de toilette, £47, buy on hugoboss.com
- Black Diamond Snaggletooth crampon foot grips, £140, buy on blackdiamondequipment.com
- Black Diamond Victor helmet, £75, buy on snowandrock.com
- Black Diamond Easy Rider Via Ferrata set, £79, buy on rockrun.com
