Sun, 05 Sep 2010 19:40:32 +0100 Recent posts from Outdoor Talk http://www.outdoortalk.co.uk/Outdoor Talk Fri, 03 Sep 2010 10:38:00 +0100 The County Tops of England Compiling a tick list based on height seems an easy enough task, after all hills and mountains generally tend to reamain static and neither grow nor shrink significantly. Over the years there have been a few revisions of various lists based on the latest surveying techniques, but none of the lists has gone through anything like the upheaval of the County Tops list. Traditionally there were 39 counties in England and the boundaries remained static for hundreds of years, but since the 1960s boundaries http://www.outdoortalk.co.uk/content/234 http://www.outdoortalk.co.uk/content/234 Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:03:00 +0100 http://www.outdoortalk.co.uk/content/233 http://www.outdoortalk.co.uk/content/233 Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:35:00 +0100 After months of bitter dispute a fight for recognition as the first woman to successfully summit all 14 8000m peaks appears to have taken a decisive step. The dispute arose earlier this year when Korean mountaineer Oh Eun-Sun claimed the prize just 3 weeks before Spanish mountaineer Edurne Passaban. The actual dispute lies in Ms Oh's claim to have summitted Kangchenjunka, the world's 3rd highest mountyain, back in 2009. Conflicting stories from Ms Oh and a sherpa regarding the ascent cast doubt on its legitimacy, and the picture was further clouded when a Korean flag was found buried some 60m below the summit. The time taken for the final section of the ascent appeared questionable and photographs http://www.outdoortalk.co.uk/content/232 http://www.outdoortalk.co.uk/content/232 Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:24:00 +0100 http://www.outdoortalk.co.uk/content/231 http://www.outdoortalk.co.uk/content/231 Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:21:00 +0100 Gregory's popular 60 litre Triconi pack is set for a revamp for next year with a streamlined look and new suspension system. Designed as a medium capacity load-hauler with more than enough capacity for a full week's trekking the Triconi puts comfort at the top of the priority list. Renowned for their outstanding balance and comfort Gregory are really pushing the boat out with the latest update although at 2.35kg there's a trade off for all the features. The unique selling point for Gregory rucksacks has always been the way they spread the weight of even a heavy load to a point that you can forget you've got a pack on at all, and the new Triconi looks set to follow this tradition. An updated http://www.outdoortalk.co.uk/content/230 http://www.outdoortalk.co.uk/content/230 Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:42:00 +0100 Alderley Edge, a popular beauty spot rising from the Cheshire Plain, will be showing off some of its hidden secrets this weekend with an open day. Owned by the t the sandstone outcrop has been the setting for a series of children's books about Merlin and King Arthur but is more famous for its labyrinth of ancient underground passages worked for copper for hundreds of years. Access to the copper mines of Alderley Edge is strictly controlled but this weekend are holding an open day, allowing the general public access to Engine Vein http://www.outdoortalk.co.uk/content/229 http://www.outdoortalk.co.uk/content/229 Tue, 31 Aug 2010 10:59:00 +0100 It's been a busy Bank Holiday Weekend with plenty of outdoor action around the country. The headline grabber has to be BBC Scotland's groundbreaking outside broadcast from Sron Ulladale. In a six hour live spectacular climbers Dave MacLeod and Tim Emmett put up a new route on the 600ft overhanging cliffs in what has been described as "one of the most difficult rock climbs in the UK". Despite injuries the pair successfully climbed "The Usual Suspects", as it was named, for a live audience on BBC Scotland, BBC HD and online streaming. After completeing the route MacLeod said "I'm so chuffed, I can't believe it, every pitch could have gone wrong so easily but it just worked out, it just worked out. It's fantastic." There's a great http://www.outdoortalk.co.uk/content/228 http://www.outdoortalk.co.uk/content/228 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:30:00 +0100 When ViewRanger released an iPhone App back in May it debuted with a cut down feature set compared to the Symbian version pioneered on Nokia phones, but offered the promise of future improvements. The interface was typically iPhone smooth and the basics were all in place, but it's a fast moving world and the competition hasn't stood still so time for an update on how ViewRanger works in real life. Since May the iPhone has seen a major update with a new operating system and a new generation of phone, then there's the bigger version - the iPad. ViewRanger certainly haven't stood still and there's been a constant stream of updates on a weekly basis. Minor flaws and bugs have been zapped and features added, with full support for iOS4 and the iPad along the way. Now standing at version http://www.outdoortalk.co.uk/content/227 http://www.outdoortalk.co.uk/content/227 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 11:24:00 +0100 When the parents of Welsh student Josh Hogg received an email saying their son was in a Colombian jail facing drug possession charges they took the news very seriously. The email had come from Josh's own email address and was followed up by a phone call from a "friend" who had more than enough personal information to convince the that the situation was genuine. In reality the email, which was asking for $350 to pay off corrupt police who had planted cocaine in his bag, was a complete scam. Fortunately Josh phoned his parents just as they were about to transfer the money electronically and revealed he was fine, free and had in actual fact been on a bus for the last 30 hours! The email scammers had used information freely available on social media sites that indicated he was travelling http://www.outdoortalk.co.uk/content/226 http://www.outdoortalk.co.uk/content/226 Wed, 25 Aug 2010 10:04:00 +0100 http://www.outdoortalk.co.uk/content/225 http://www.outdoortalk.co.uk/content/225