About us

Summitreks Ltd

Summitreks is in it's twenty third year in the outdoor retail industry.  Ron Rutland and Hilary Mills opened their first Summitreks store in Coniston in 1987, they then went on to open two more stores one in Hawkshead and one in Ambleside. They also run a very successful outdoor activites business Summitreks Activities Services.

Ron and Hilary have always been keen walkers, climbers and skiers. This love of the outdoors has taken them all over the world with Ron making several expedition to climb Everest, Shishapangma in south central Tibet and Manaslu.

Latest News June 2010

April/May/June 2010

Ron Rutland-Summitreks Operations Director, Expedition to reach the summit of Makalu, the fifth highest mountain in the World 8463m.

Makalu is 22km east of Mount Everest and situated between Everest and Kanchenjunga on the Nepali- Tibetan border.

Ron Rutland left Heathrow on Easter Sunday after a meeting to pick up his regulator and be fitted with the right size oxygen mask from Summit Oxygen. The flight via Delhi arrived in Kathmandu Nepal on Monday morning where later in the day he had a chance to meet up with the other expedition members-all experienced mountaineers with 8,000 metre peaks under their belts.

Tuesday 5th was a last minute packing, making purchases and preparation day-Kathmandu.

Wednesday 6th weather was bad which meant they didn't fly from Kathmandu to Tumlingtar (a 45 minute flight to a small air strip in the east of Nepal) until 4pm. They are staying a night in a lodge and setting off Thursday by Jeep for a six hour trip to Chichila and the start of his expedition to reach the summit of Makalu.

Friday 8th   Now at Num (1,624m). Good walk today through mixed broadleaf  forests to Mude (2,145m) and then north along the west of the ridge to Num. The trail consisted of red mud and the temperatures were hot!  The Sprayway  Discovery Tee was put to the test and performed brillantly in the heat- then washed and dried out in no time!

Wednesday 21st April Ron is spending his first day at Advanced Base Camp (5,650m) after arriving yesterday from Base Camp at 4,700m. He spent three rest days at Base Camp enjoying the grandeur of the South East ridge of Makalu towering 3,700m above before moving up to Advanced Base Camp.

The trek to Base Camp from Tumlingtar was a journey through lush terraced flat lands and dense rhododendron forests to Tashigoen at 2,100m which is home to many of the porters. A rest day here was an opportunity to buy fresh meat and vegetables and finalise porter loads. Then northwards, crossing four passes to get amazing views of numerous Himalayan giants including Kanchenjunga and Makalu. Next over the Shipton La at 4,200m before descending to the Barun Nadi valley and along to Base Camp, in all a  ten day trek.  

The Puja ceremony is scheduled for tomorrow morning followed by the start of the climb to Camp 1. Until the Puja no-one should climb for fear of angering the gods. The sherpas essentially ask and pray to the gods for permission to climb and for blessing for a safe and successful expedition.
Ron has been impressed with the lightweight comfort and breathability of his Sprayway trekking clothing and reports, “no blisters”!  A tribute to the comfort of his favourite Scarpa boots and Falke trekking socks.
So, it’s all systems go…. in his next communication we will hear of the climb to Camp 1 up the Chago glacier at 6150m. Watch this space!

Monday 26th April
Today Ron was back in Advanced Base Camp after spending time acclimatising at Camp 1 (6450mtrs). The climb to Camp 1 involved negotiating a dry glacier then a 100mtr wall of steep, hard blue ice at 6200mtrs requiring the use of fixed ropes. Before descending to Advanced Base Camp Ron made a foray up to Camp 2 at the foot of the west face of Makalu at 7000mtrs.  Throughout the long periods of climbing Ron has found his Odlo clothing performing extremely well in the current conditions due to its exceptional wicking properties. He’s been particularly impressed with his Odlo primaloft mid-layer

Tuesday 27th April
Today is a rest day at Advance Base Camp surrounded by Chamlang and other majestic peaks around the west wall of Makalu. Time to eat and rehydrate while Ron reflects on his first attempt to climb Makalu alpine style 30 years ago. His was the first British winter attempt and notably Makalu wasn’t successfully climbed in winter until February 2009 by Simone Moro (Italy) and Denis Urubko (Kazakhstan).

The next climb to Camp 1 is scheduled for Thursday followed by a climb to Camp 2 on Friday where Ron will overnight. The weather is currently good and looks settled with only slight snow flurries at night. The conditions are ideal for the climbing team at their current altitude but high winds are evident in the summit area.

SATURDAY 1ST MAY 2010

Over the last few days Ron has climbed again to Camp 2 at 6800mtrs and is now back at Advanced Base Camp.  Sleeping for the first time at the higher altitude of Camp 2 is all part of the acclimatisation process which will allow him to perform successfully at high altitude.

The route from Camp 1 to Camp 2 is mainly easy angled but it is interspersed with a number of short sections of very steep climbing on blue ice. Camp 2 itself is situated at the foot of Makalu’s west face in a well protected position at the base of some stable ice cliffs. From here there’s an amazing panoramic view taking in Lhotse, Everest with Baruntse and Ama Dablam to the west. And, looking to the north, the distant hills of Tibet.

Mountaineering clothing and equipment is constantly improving and Ron has been field testing Columbia’s Majick Wand gloves while at Camp 2. His comments are very favourable indeed, “warm, lightweight, comfortable and not bulky”. This is really crucial for the dexterity needed when handling ropes. The Majick gloves are a new Columbia product available from this Autumn when Summitreks will have jackets featuring the same unique insulation material used in the gloves for sale in-store. Columbia says the new Omni – Heat Technology they’ve used in the development of these gloves is the lightest and warmest currently available. Ron’s experience suggests that Columbia’s claims for these gloves, especially their performance in very cold conditions, are correct.

TUESDAY 4TH MAY

This morning Ron again left behind the comfort of Advanced Base Camp to climb back to Camp 1. Each step in the acclimatisation programme makes the return journey to the oxygen starved higher altitudes of the mountain just a little easier. Their plan is to sleep again at Camp 2 on Wednesday before attempting a first climb to Makalu La, this is the saddle on the North West ridge of Makalu at 7440mtrs. The weather so far has been favourably dry and clear. As May progresses and temperatures begin to rise they are starting to experience more snow, especially in the afternoons. The extra snowfall hasn’t created any additional difficulties but high on the mountain strong winds persist. The team are hoping the winds will abate later in the month and allow the summit bid.

Thursday 13th May   Ron is currently enduring a frustrating wait at Advanced Base Camp due to a spell of unsettled weather producing strong winds and heavy snow fall. This has been the pattern for a number of days now. It’s particularly frustrating because prior to the deterioration in weather conditions the team was making very good progress with Ron reaching his high point to date. After a night spent at Camp 2 he reached an altitude of 7000m at Makalu La. He reported that the route between Camp 2 and Makalu La had produced some of the most sustained and technical climbing so far……Ron climbing steep ground between Camp 2 and Makalu La

Last Friday May 7th Ron returned, as planned, to Advanced Base Camp to rest and wait for a stable weather slot before returning to higher altitudes.
Unfortunately, since his return to Advance Base Camp the weather has continued to remain poor with no imminent sign of an improvement. So, almost a week later the team is still patiently waiting. At least Ron is finding it a warm and comfortable wait thanks to those Odlo base layers!

When conditions improve he intends to climb back to his previous high point of 7000 mtrs and then onto Camp 3 where he will stay for the first time. From here he’ll have his sights firmly set on Camp 4 and ultimately the summit.

LATEST NEWS 18th May 2010
At high altitude the Jet Stream winds are still howling making any attempt to climb higher and go for the summit impossible. Ron has now been at Advanced Base Camp (5700 mtrs) for three weeks. Apart from the forays up to Camp 2 and Makalu La, high on the west ridge of Makalu, he’s been stuck at Advanced Base Camp waiting for the hoped for improvement in weather conditions.  With no prospect of improvement now until the end of the week at the earliest Ron has reluctantly decided that it’s time for him to “call it a day”.  So he will descend to Base Camp  and, weather permitting, hopes to be picked up by helicopter tomorrow for the return to Lukla.  Lukla is a busy village in the Khumbu valley with a small airstrip where many trekkers and climbers start their journey to Namche Bazaar (the Sherpa capital), Thyangboche and then on to Everest.  From Lukla he’ll fly by twin engine Otter back to the warmth and comfort of Kathmandu.
Watch out for his final report:
•    The weather that turned him back
•    Clothing and equipment used
•    The climbers he’s left behind on Makalu and their chances of summiting
..... and finally any thoughts on a 3rd visit to Makalu and another attempt!

MAKALU – FINAL REPORT

After nearly two months of continuous effort to climb Makalu 8467mtrs and living at almost 6000 mtrs I reached the conclusion that my energy levels were insufficient to allow me a safety margin to summit and descend safely.
Accordingly I descended to Lower Base Camp at 4800mtrs and flew by helicopter to Lukla in Solu Khumbu and from there to Katmandu. Subsequently arriving back in the UK on 24th May.

Some team members remained on the mountain and managed, against all odds, to summit on 24th May. Sadly one of them was killed on the descent. He did not descend to Camp 4 after summitting and is missing presumed dead. The summit window was extremely tight, due to prevailing weather conditions, and other teams had previously abandoned their attempts to summit Makalu and left the mountain.

My equipment performed well and below is a list of the more significant items:

Ron Rutland is using the following clothing and equipment.

Boots - Scarpa

Socks - Falke

Base Layers - Odlo

Mid Layer - Odlo

Down - Rab

Trekking clothing/Waterproof shell - Sprayway

Stoves - Jetboil

Sun Glasses, Goggles- Julbo

Sleeping Bag - Rab

Neck Scarf - Buff

Gloves - Extremeties/Black Diamond

All items are available from Summitreks 015394 41822 or from are online store www.summitreks.com

Ron Rutland-Summitreks Operations Director:- Expeditions

2006 Cho-Oyo 8,201m

2007 Everest 8848m(Spring)

2007 Shisapangma 8027m(Autumn)

2008 Everest 8848m (Spring)

2008 Manaslu 8161m (Autumn)

2009 Gasherbrum 11. 8035m

2010 Makalu 8467m (Spring)

Latest News March 2010

On 4th April 2010, Ron Rutland will be flying to Kathmandu to join an International team of climbers to climb Makalu, 8,462m. In total there are 8 climbers including 2 from the UK. Makalu is the 5th highest peak and is situated in Eastern Nepal on the Tibetan border. If all goes to plan summit day should be around 20th May returning to the UK on the 8th June.