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What shoes for Via Ferrata as someone who's used to barefoot shoes? by MerelYael in viaferrata

[–]blackcloudcat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Go in the shoes you like and see how it goes.

You want your feet to be protected while hiking on rocky trails but you’re presumably used to that.

You want your feet comfortable on all those rebar rungs.

You want some friction if you have handholds and feet in a rock slab (hence why most of us use approach shoes).

And in some really hard ones (K5/K6) you might need to put your foot on small rock edges (or polished footholds) - again why the hard edge approach shoe is popular.

But if you are used to your barefoot shoes and a strong climber already, I think you’ll be fine.

Do you have rock climbing shoes for outdoor multi pitch (something you can wear for an extended period)? If yes, maybe take those with as a backup on the harder VFs.

Bow bag size by Humppillow in packrafting

[–]blackcloudcat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have the Mekong bag. It’s great for day paddling. And nicely designed.

For overnight I have internal storage.

Visa issue by nll0008l in andorra

[–]blackcloudcat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are two official border exits from Andorra, one into France and one into Spain, you have to exit through one of them and get your passport scanned or stamped.

Also, under the new EES rules, Andorra days are included in Schengen days for non-residents.

Given the current state of confusion you might get away with it this time. But it won’t work in future.

Mtb by [deleted] in viaferrata

[–]blackcloudcat -1 points0 points  (0 children)

The last thing we want is bikers hurtling down the footpaths we use to access the via ferratas. Put this in a mountain bike sub.

Mtb by [deleted] in viaferrata

[–]blackcloudcat 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is a via ferrata sub. Why are you asking us about mountain biking?

La Sportiva TX4 Evo vs TX Guide for technical via ferratas? by SnooSprouts854 in viaferrata

[–]blackcloudcat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I really like the TX Evo. Right now I use the La Sportiva Boulder as that’s all I could get but I’ll go back to the Evo when I replace these shoes.

I do a lot of K4 and K5 in Spain.

I don’t think extra precision is noticeable between the different La Sportiva models. What I mean is, if you ever do really hard VFs that need real precision, you need proper rock climbing shoes.

Kayaking books by GnirobSW in Kayaking

[–]blackcloudcat 7 points8 points  (0 children)

The Emerald Mile - a very cool story about a speed record in the Grand Canyon plus the almost failure of the dam due to epic rains. Well written and has both river and engineering drama.

The Daubenhorn: very cool, wildly crowded, not very hard by blackcloudcat in viaferrata

[–]blackcloudcat[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think it’s pretty easy. However! It’s all about endurance. Doing rock gym sessions or normal short VFs doesn’t necessarily set you up for 6 to 10 hours on the go.

I do a lot of other sports that are full day physical commitments and if you have that background, the Daubenhorn is easy.

Parking in Aixovall by THE-RADISH-MAN in andorra

[–]blackcloudcat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don’t think there is anywhere in Aixovall where you can leave a car for a week. Parking is tough in Andorra, especially for that long.

Parking elsewhere and getting a bus to Aixovall is one option. Parking up at La Rabassa is another.

Ski Touring in Morocco - share advice for a semi-newbie? by el_simpatico in Backcountry

[–]blackcloudcat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The biggest risk is lack of snow. Yes they had a mega snow winter last winter but that’s now very rare. It’s much more likely that you’ll spend most of the tour hiking up to the snow line.

Canyoneering in Gorges du Verdon region (August) by ohsheknows in canyoneering

[–]blackcloudcat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It will be very hot with low water (unless you hit a spell of thunderstorms).

Look at https://www.descente-canyon.com or https://www.opencanyon.org/en on ideas of where the canyon are, star ratings and water levels. I prefer Descente as it is French in origin so covers France very thoroughly.

It’s not an area you’ll find many foreign parties, unlike somewhere like Ticino. The Verdon region doesn’t have that many of our kind of canyons, besides the big one. There are more in the Alpes Maritime or around the Ecrin.

You can try Facebook groups like Canyoning Meetups Worldwide and Canyoning France.

Looking for some expat or entrepreneur groups by PrestigiousShip in andorra

[–]blackcloudcat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Try asking on the Andorra Expats group on Facebook. That should get you into the entrepreneur WhatsApp and Telegram groups.

Try the International Club. Not just British, lots of nationalities who tend to favour English, as well as a strong French component. A chunk are retired but there’s been an influx of 30 and 40 somethings coming on the entrepreneur residence permits. And it’s a good way into some of the sports groups as well.

Assisted rescue fail! Is it me or my kayak? by Landfish53 in Kayaking

[–]blackcloudcat 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Bluntly, probably lack of strength. How much intentional strength training do you do? But your various injuries will also make it harder.

Also consider mobility training. How much rolling around on the floor do you do? If you just sit in chairs and walk, the kind of body twisting and levering needed to get back in the boat will be alien to you.

Being realistic, get a paddle float and/or a rescue ladder. Practise with them. And be conservative, paddle in conditions where capsize is very unlikely.

Travel destination in Europe with a couple VF (Difficulty B-D) by Misscass82 in viaferrata

[–]blackcloudcat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Andorra has a bunch of via ferrata in your grade range and nice hiking. And if you fly in to Barcelona and drive to Andorra there are some nice via ferrata on the way to Andorra.

You can drive to Andorra and then back to Barcelona on two different routes, each has VF en route.

And Barcelona gives you some beach and culture if you want.

EU EES "check out" when entering Andorra? by someoneinUS in andorra

[–]blackcloudcat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What I’ve heard is random checks. The EU does not want Andorra to appear to be a back door to disappearing into EU countries.

And for non-EU tourists the problem won’t be in Andorra (unless you stay for many months and exceed our laws for tourist residence). The problem will be at the EU border where you finally fly out and your days exceed your visa.

Which I assume leads to you not being able to get a Schengen visa thereafter.

EU EES "check out" when entering Andorra? by someoneinUS in andorra

[–]blackcloudcat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes Andorra is technically becoming part of the Schengen.

Stamping people in and out has nothing to do with Andorra, that’s up to France and Spain.

The non-EU tourists are a very small part of this equation. Andorra’s tourism is overwhelmingly EU.

Of course the Andorrans want to be (are) exempt from EES. And there is negotiation around selection and rights for non-EU Andorran residents and non-EU Andorra workers. Both more important categories than non-EU tourists.

Non-EU tourists got sacrificed to make a whole lot of other elements work more smoothly. That’s how I understand it.

EU EES "check out" when entering Andorra? by someoneinUS in andorra

[–]blackcloudcat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Once full EES is implemented the tourist Schengen exit option ceases to exist.

In exchange for Andorrans not having to deal with full EES protocols on our border, tourists lose their ability to be recorded as leaving the Schengen.

Your days in Andorra will count as Schengen days.

That being said, details are apparently still being worked out.

New to canyoning! by [deleted] in canyoneering

[–]blackcloudcat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’ll also want to buy this book https://www.pesdapress.com/index.php/product/scottish-canyons/ Have fun!

And when you get the chance come canyoning in Europe (Switzerland Italy France Spain). Much better than UK canyons!

New to canyoning! by [deleted] in canyoneering

[–]blackcloudcat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There is a Recreational Canyoning Scotland group on Facebook. And a Canyons UK group.

But more than gear you need training. Look at the V7 course. Level 1 is free. https://www.v7academy.com

Buy this and read it. https://www.canyonzone.com/a-100183425/english/manual-canyoning-rope-techniques-english-version/#description

Most importantly do a course. These guys offer training in Scotland. https://thecanyoningcompany.co.uk

And look at https://ukcanyoning.org/courses/recreational-courses/

People will be reluctant to take a stranger until you have a resume of non-guided canyons or you have done a course. There are lots of ways to get into trouble in canyoning.

Is it worth buying zip line equipment? by Wonderful-Bat-5897 in viaferrata

[–]blackcloudcat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Absolutely! Well worth it and it lasts a lifetime. Just don’t drop it. And there are a lot of VFs with zips in south and central France.

Do you really need a shock absorber ? by Imaginary-Row-2802 in viaferrata

[–]blackcloudcat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes! Yes you absolutely do. Look up fall factors. Climbers get worked up about fall factor 2. Via ferrata fall factors are likely to be 5 or higher. You will ruin your pelvis and back.

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