Short days & long shorts

It’s interesting to scan through the list of first ascents for many of the Lakes’ winter climbs, if only to note how many were completed over a small number of consecutive years, now decades past. If they ever were, stable winter conditions on the fells it seems are no longer a thing.

As for fell running, I’m not sure long insulated shorts ever were a thing. But then I’ve particularly liked running in tights and it definitely wasn’t a day for short shorts.

On the summit of Gable, spindrift was blasted across the boulders and the windchill was severe. Two days later, the only snow only the hill was what remained from that wind, blown into the gullies beyond. And with their annual appearance complete, the long shorts were retired for another season.