Friday 31 December 2010

The ups and downs of the UK's weather


Winter courses in Wales this week just missed out on the good conditions over Christmas - with the sudden change in wind direction bringing warm winds up from the South, thawing much of the snow and making the ice falls highly unstable - it just shows how variable our climate is !
It also re-enforces the the need for a plan B, C and D if you intend to make the most of the conditions in Britain's winter mountains. We were able to gain some experience in moving on snow, evaluating the snow structure and some winter navigation, the planning process required of winter expeditions and an introduction to the use of some of the technical equipment. and for a bit of fun we even had the opportunity for a few 'bum slides' in the wet snow.


Tuesday 7 December 2010

Torpantau Falls



Fantastic day out in South Wales today - blue skies, good ice and the mountains looking majestic in their winter covering ! A quick walk in to Torpantau Falls was rewarded with 3 short pitches of good ice in a beautiful setting - some water still running despite the -6 C , and the top of the main pitch was detached but the main stress of the day was the road up from Talybont - very icy past the lower car park, showing some indications of previous epics !

   

Monday 6 December 2010

Winter week

Chris on Jackals Gully 
After a few days in bed with a bad cold, getting outside again was a bit of a shock this week with the change in the weather - winter had arrived !
Unfortunately a few people couldn't get to the courses this week, and missed  some unique climbing conditions on the steep limestone of the Wye Valley in almost winter conditions ( well there was snow and ice on some of the holds ! ) Thanks to Chris for persevering with the course ! - he was rewarded with a rare chance at ice climbing in the Brecon Beacons - well worth the hour drive from the Forest of Dean.
Cancelled courses at the weekend left me free for a quick trip to Snowdonia for some more winter climbing, with good ice and the mountains looking very pretty in their snowy covering it was a great  to get out - Ogwen was particularly popular with ques on all the best ice falls - Idwal Stream, The Screen, South Gully etc. all had numerous ascents

Iwan on Glyder Fawr
Chris on Craig y Fro Brecons


A beautiful winters day in Ogwen

Tuesday 23 November 2010

North Wales Mountaineeering

November, as usual, has been a mixed month - the days are short and the weather variable, courses are a little fragmented, with the change of emphasis from rock climbing to mountaineering, with some reports of winter climbing in Scotland, the anticipation to get out onto some snow and ice is building - I took delivery of some new ice axes today, just to get in the mood !

Thanks to James and Christophe for some very enjoyable climbing in the sunshine at Symonds Yat - although not as warm as Christophe's
native France, it was lovely to see the full autumn colours against a blue sky - more blue sky and soft colours in Snowdonia last week, although we had to endure one day of persistent cold rain and strong winds - thanks to Mark, Brett, Tim, Chris and Barry for rising to the challenge - they had already enjoyed some fantastic weather in the mountains early in the week on a mountaineering course with me assisting on the more technical days - they were all still going well though even by Friday - good effort !

Monday 1 November 2010

More Autumn colours !

Introductory courses this week continued to enjoy the good conditions - and despite early forecasts for rain, the warm temperatures improved conditions instead, allowing us to pick and choose the best routes.
Improving confidence has been a popular theme for courses recently and with the good conditions we have concentrated on climbing routes which, although being challenging, have been achievable. This can be a bit of a problem on limestone, as it has the characteristic of forming steep and often overhanging cliffs - quite intimidating if you are not used to the verticality ! it does, however, compensate to a degree with fairly positive holds.
The more relaxed angle routes are at a premium - often with ques on the best and with subsequent polished holds ) luckily this hasn't been too much of a problem this week, with only a few teams out, despite being half term. Without getting involved in too much ' pyschobabble' I've been researching the mental development which goes along with the technical development when learning to climb and have found a few more strategies which may help in progression.
 

Monday 25 October 2010

Autumn Gold

Crystal clear skies for courses in the Wye Valley this week, with the Autumn colours creating a magical light. The rock has been pretty cold on the hands in the shade, but warm to the touch in the sunshine, and with the cliffs predominately west facing, this has meant cool mornings and climbs in the sun at a premium.
There have been quite a few teams out taking advantage of the weather -  getting some good climbing  done, despite the daylight hours slipping away, courses too have enjoyed some good conditions,  and some warming hot chocolate at the cafe !
The Autumn sunshine, the  crisp limestone, the smell of woodsmoke and cider apples have all conjoured up memories of the Picos De Europa mountains in Northern Spain - a lovely place to visit at this time of year, and reminded me that I've not visited for over a year - too long !

Thanks to Rachael, Ben, Justine, Phil, Amy and Emily for their company on the courses this week, I hope you all enjoyed the days out as much as I did.

Monday 18 October 2010

Snowdonia mountaineering

Mountaineering course in Snowdonia this weekend - lucky again with the weather ! with dry, sunny conditions allowing us to enjoy the rugged scrambling in the Ogwen Valley, getting the rope out now and again to practice the simple and fluid ropework skills needed for some of the steeper sections. We stayed at the Idwal Cottage YHA, with walking access to the routes within a few minutes - it's been a long time since I visited this hostel ( the first YHA in the UK ) and I had forgotten how good it is - excellent facilities in a fantastic location, no wonder they are completely full up for next week's half term break !

Friday 15 October 2010

Cuillin Ridge Isle of Skye

Just got back from an incredible trip to the Cuillin Ridge on Skye, with perfect weather and conditions giving us a fantastic experience on these spectacular mountains. I was accompanying Jon Lipsey from Mens Fitness Magazine - who are running a series of articles on adventurous challenges - the Cuillin traverse being one of them.
As Jon hadn't done anything like this before, I was pleased he experienced the ridge at its best, and hopefully the article will enhance the reputation of Skye as being of one of the world's beautiful places.
We travelled to Skye on Monday and used the afternoon and evening to take food and water up to the ridge and introduce Jon to the terrain.
An early start Tuesday saw us at Ghars Bhein by dawn and an impressive sun rise and beautiful views - easy walking in warm sunshine took us to the start of the difficulties at the Thearlaich Dhu Gap - but the warm rock and good friction allowed us to progress without too much stress, onto the sharp ridge of Sgurr Thearlaich, followed by a short abseil and scramble to the start of the King's chimney on Sgurr Mhic Choinnich - a delightful climb in the perfect conditions, more scrambling to An Stac, where we skirted the loose rock and headed up to the Inaccessible Pinnacle - surrounded by incredible views, with only a handful of teams out making the most of the weather - we even had the InPin to ourselves - a rare thing nowadays. An abseil to Sgurr Dearg and descent to our water stash ended the day's climbing - replaced by a night under the stars.

We awoke to a spectacular sunrise above low lying mist - impossible to convey in any photograph.
Banacich and  Thormaid followed , but things were beginning to change, and by the time we reached  Greadaidh a cold wind had blown up, bringing with it a thick wetting mist and chances of completing the traverse slipping away. We decided not to push our luck and descended to Coire An Dorus and a return to civilisation. A huge experience for Jon and a memorable trip for both of us.
Video of thetrip on  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfdZH-aCY2s

Sunday 10 October 2010

Busy week

It is usually a fairly quiet time of year for courses - with the change over in seasons marking a change over in courses - but for some reason it has turned into one of the busiest periods I've had for while, with climbing courses in the Wye valley for the past 11 days with the next 5 days planned for a traverse of the Cuillin on Skye, then its back to Snowdonia for a mountaineering course at the weekend  - thankfully the weather is looking favourable ! ( last year's traverse was cancelled with 100 mph winds and horizontal rain ). Thanks to everyone on the last few courses for putting up with the unsettled weather and the unseasonal midges this weekend - I hope they aren't a sign that the dreaded Cuillin Midges are still out !

Monday 4 October 2010

Autumn climbing courses

Back to climbing courses in the Wye Valley this week - with the unsettled weather requiring a flexible approach to make the most of the conditions, with an emphasis on  the technical aspects of ropework and gear placements for wet days and climbing movement on dry days - eventually heading indoors on Sunday for further coaching.
We paid particular attention to belaying where the belayer is lighter than the climber - a re-occuring theme this year ( see http://guidedmountain-articles.blogspot.com/ ) . It would seem that indoor walls are failing to make provision for this ! with belayers having a very scary experience.
The changing season suggest a change in courses, with more emphasis on quiet days in the mountains away from the crowds, with airy summits in crisp autumn air taking the place of quick top outs on the smaller rock climbing crags - we are lucky in this country to have such variety despite having to put up with the occassional deluge.

Monday 27 September 2010

Sunday 26 September 2010

Matterhorn Traverse

After three years of  thwarted attempts at climbing the Matterhorn  - we finally got lucky with the weather and made a successful traverse of the mountain via the Liongrat and Hornli ridges this week.
Previous trips had been abandoned due to poor weather / conditions / serious rock fall to such an extent that Rob and I were getting to the stage of giving up on the mountain, however, after a long drive out to Cervino on the weekend, an area of high pressure moving in from the west suggested we might get lucky.
We walked in slowly to help acclimatise, hoping to spend a comfortable night in the Abruzzi Hut - only finding it closed for refurbishment - a long cold night in a store room ensued ! with the next day again spent slowly moving up to the more comfortable Carrel Hut where the route started properly.
A beautiful morning greeted us and it was a delight to be moving fluidly on the mountain in the sunshine. The route was in excellent condition and with fixed belays and ropes over the hardest sections we made good time to the summit. The poor quality rock below the Tete de Lion had given us a few nagging doubts about descending via the Liongrat, and as the weather looked settled and the Hornli hut looked very inviting, we decided to complete the traverse of the mountain via the Hornli Ridge - a long and tiring descent ensued, with the lack of sleep and food over the last few days taking its toll - even with only brief stops at the Solvay Hut and a few photo's of the evening sun we slowed down, only just making it to the Hornli Hut before another team got the last two beds ! - luckily they had sleeping bags, and had a comfortable night on the verandha.
We returned to Italy the next day over the Furgg glacier and the Breuiljoch, getting back to Cervino for lunch. Moving back towards Chamonix in the afternoon, hoping to finish off the trip with a short route on the Aiquilles for Friday, however, our luck finally ran out with the weather and it was time to head for home. It all seems a little unreal, now that we are back, a plan we have talked about for three years - over in three days !

Thursday 16 September 2010

Matterhorn trip


Packing for the Alps today - usual thing, what to take, what not to take, keep it light or prepare for all eventualities ? Which boots ? Which rope ? Which rucsac ? Will it be cold ? Will it be hot ? etc.
This trip we are taking the truck, so no limits with weight, which means we'll probably take to much ! Last years experience at Geneva airport ( when I was stopped from carrying my ropes on as hand luggage - causing a  few stressful moments ! ) persuaded us to drive this year. It's been 15 years since the last time I drove and I'm not sure I'm looking forward to it, hopefully it'll be worth it. Webcams are showing our proposed route ( The Liongrat ) to be suffering a little from the unsettled weather - alternating dry and snow free to a light covering of snow - fingers crossed for some good weather !

Sunday 12 September 2010

Autumn mountains

 
Some lovely weather this week for some mountain training in the Brecon Beacons, and although the excellent visibility meant that the navigation was a little too easy, it was a pleasure being out in these beautiful hills, finishing off with some climbing in the Wye Valley - again, in gorgeous sunshine. Quite a few people out making the most of it, also the Gower Climbing Festival should be well attended, given the forecast,  and will generate even more interest in this fantastic area.

Monday 6 September 2010

Outdoor courses


Warm and sunny conditions for this weeks 'outdoor rock' courses allowing us to concentrate on the some of the techniques used for climbing on natural rock - anchors / gear placements / belaying, climbing movement etc. One reccuring theme of recent courses is belaying with climbers of different weights - where a belayer is a lot lighter than the climber - leading to a lack of control / high stress / and a lack of confidence in the system , especially at indoor climbing walls. This can very easily be overcome with a little pre-planning and a few tweaks of technique or equipment - such as belayer position / stance /anchor, semi-direct belays, different belay devices etc. We've been spending a little time on this for the last few courses, enabling some much more confident belaying



Thursday 2 September 2010

Mountaineering in the sun


After last weeks' rain, it was real pleasure to get some warm sunshine and dry rock in Snowdonia over the last few days, supposedly for some alpine training, with big boots and bigger rucsacs, instead we enjoyed some very relaxed scrambles in a beautiful setting - blue skies and bluer lakes with warm rock and a gentle breeze - perfect !

Friday 27 August 2010

Autumn weather


A very autumnal feel to the climbing on this week's courses - with cool blustery conditions only giving way to short periods of sunshine - putting me in the mood for some mountaineering ! so I'm off to North Wales next week to get a bit of training in, with big boots and rucsac, preparation needed for a planned trip to the Matterehorn in a couple of weeks !

Thursday 19 August 2010

Steep Rock


More showery weather this week led to a damp start on Saturday, but with a drying breeze and some warm sunshine the rocks soon dried off allowing courses to explore the Wye Valley cliffs and a visit to Tintern Quarry for some sport climbing in the sun - not many teams out considering the time of year, so we've been able to pick and choose routes to best suit the courses - mostly concentrating on the technical aspects of gear placements / ropework / anchors etc. and with some time spent on climbing movement / technique on steep rock. Thanks to Jill, Andy, Chris, Tom, Jen, Kerry and Chris for their company.

Saturday 7 August 2010

Busy courses

It has been a busy week, with 'learn to lead' , 'introduction' and 'outdoor rock' courses managing to dodge the showers - again this week, despite the rain, the rock has been remarkably dry under the tree canopy and combined with a little local knowledge we managed to have some good climbing days without resorting to putting on waterproofs. - sorry that Kieran and Jo couldn't make it ( and hope you get better soon Kieran - kayaking can be dangerous !! ) but glad that Ben, Osian, John, Jenny, Kerry, Jo and Mark did !








Monday 2 August 2010

Out and about


A bit more settled summer weather this week, with the Wye valley taking on some of the atmosphere of a French limestone gorge. Wintours Leap, Wyndcliffe and Shorncliffe were all visited in surprising solitude, with only a few teams out enjoying the conditions - maybe a lot of people are on holiday - in France perhaps ?






Monday 26 July 2010

July sunshine


After last week's downpours, this week has seen a return to warm, sunny weather and improved underfoot conditions on the paths, allowing courses to progress without too much squelching around. The new guide book is out and is providing a new impetus to climbing in the area, with some fantastic photo's and topo's inspiring a new perspective of the cliffs - and a busy day Saturday, with quite a few teams out enjoying the good weather. Thanks to Andy, Anna, Alison, Jo, Peter, Andy, Alyson, Sally and Mike for their easy company.