Passion for the Pulk with Iona Pawson

Ski Instructor and Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor Iona Pawson has a passion for pulking and epic ski mountaineering journeys. In this Alpine Stories episode Iona shares how she got into ski touring and the kit and skills you need to develop in order to undertake these big trips.

Iona tells us about 3 of her recent trips (or holidays as she calls them!) - skiing Mount Logan, Canada’s highest peak, a traverse of the Lyngen Alps and a ski tour in Sweden exploring un-named peaks. Iona describes preparing for expedition life and how a flexible approach is key once you hit the ground.

“Most days would involve us moving camp and climbing something to ski and then looking across to the next valley and picking the objective for tomorrow”
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While on the Mount Logan expedition, Iona and the Team faced some pretty challenging weather conditions, including being kept to their tent for several days in a row due to the huge amount of snowfall. During this time we heard how best to pass the time, including ‘packet food top trumps’ plus the necessity of digging out the tents as the snow accumulated.

Iona showed us the Igloo loo and other camp luxurys! This ice structure lasted for 3 weeks - talk about a loo with a view!

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Iona’s joy for being in the big mountains and skiing is infectious and listening to her describe her breath-taking ascents and descents provoked lots of questions from those joining us. Iona answers questions on getting into touring, the best kit, developing skills and resources for this.

Check out Iona’s talk here:

Alpine StoriesLouise Kennedyski mountaineering, ski touring, Mount Logan, Sweden, Lyngen AlpsComment