Winter Climbing Kit Lists
Whit's in yer bag, Kev and Mike?
We caught up with Kev Shields and Mike to find out that all-important question climbers want to know: Whit’s in yer bag?
As autumn slowly disappears and we head into winter, both Kev and Mike are spending their free time doing one of two types of outdoor activities; Outdoor Winter Climbing or New routing on Local Crags.
This is Kev and Mike’s ideal kit list for an Outdoor Winter Climb:

Photo fro Kev’s Blog – Kev on an Ice Climb on Mega Route X -Pic.
In the ( 28-38 litre) bag:
- A map, compass and the knowledge of how to use both
- Synthetic/Down jacket
- Gore-tex trousers
- Gore-tex Jacket
- Helmet
- Crampons
- Ice Axes
- 2 x ropes
- Spare Gloves
- Spare thin layer
- Hand warmers to help with the cold after putting on and taking off crampons
- A head torch
- Harness
- Goggles
- Winter rack ( screws/mixed gear)
- Survival bag or shelter, just in case.
Food:
- Sandwiches (Mike’s sandwich filling of choice is peanut butter and lettuce!!??)
- Flask of Hot Ribera (Top Tip from Mike: add a smidgen of sliced ginger to your hot Ribena for optimum taste)
- Energy bar
This is Kev’s Kit list for New Routing on local crags:
For spotting and clearing the route
- Binoculars – having a good pair of binoculars is essential for spotting good crags to climb. It can save you an hour or more which can be better spent climbing!
- A shovel
- 1 axe to hack away any shrubbery in the way of the route
- Heavy duty construction gloves
For climbing
- Static rope ( at least 50m long)
- A Gri Gri belay device
- Wire brushes
- A full rack (nuts, quick draws, slings, cams and more)
- Harness
- Chalk bag
- Helmet
- Warm Jacket
- Outdoor trousers