MTA Movement

 Pendulum

 Making shapes with sticky feet

 Corks

Putting it together

Today I've been working at Glenmore Lodge running a CPD day for members of the Mountain Training Association. I had 4 students with different awards and climbing backgrounds and we looked at the importance of awareness of and the ability to move the climber's centre of gravity, rotation and the use of hand, arms, feet and legs as well as some exercises to help improve technique. A fun day with a nice group.

Ben rock and the posts are no more

I’m on my way east tonight for a days work for the Mountain Training Association at Glenmore Lodge tomorrow followed by 2 days walking work in the Cairngorms. This meant that I still had time for a quick easy route on Ben Nevis today though. It was pretty grey as we walked in with cloud down to the CIC hut but as we approached it rolled back up revealing the summit and there were some good sunny spells. The Douglas Boulder and Tower Ridge saw lots of attention from parties today whilst we entertained ourselves with Raeburn’s Arete. An easy route but one with fine situations. We hit the first platform but didn’t have time to head up NE Buttress as I had a bus to catch. 
Also the MCofS released the following press release today: Ben Nevis Abseil Posts Removed The eight abseil posts leading down from the Carn Mor Dearg arête into Coire Leis on the north side of Ben Nevis have been removed. The majority of the poles had fallen into disrepair and were unsafe to use. The highest abseil post provided a useful navigation aid and is to be replaced by a two metre high cairn that will be constructed in the same style as the other navigation cairns which currently exist across the summit plateau. This cairn will mark the top of the obvious descent line into Coire Leis in poor visibility. The cairn will be constructed by the landowners - The John Muir Trust. The cairn is expected to be in place by the end of July 2012 and will be located at Grid Reference NN 17078 71000 The marker ‘flag’ and pole at the top of No. 4 Gully (a popular grade 1 descent route in winter) has been removed and is also going to be replaced with a two metre high navigation cairn. This work is also expected to be completed by the end of July 2012. For further information contact Heather Morning at The Mountaineering Council of Scotland on heather@mcofs.org.uk or 07788 861 431 or 01479 861 241.
Read more about the Number 4 Gully post here:
http://alanhalewood.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/towerridge-no-4-gully-marker-and-can-of.html
and here:

http://www.ukhillwalking.com/news/item.php?id=64988

Gone...

Clif Bar's cycling metaphor for business and more Everest debate

This video from the excellent TEDx series shows the founder of Clif Bar talking about how his cycling route choice became a metaphor for his life and business. A good reason to buy Clif... and they taste good too!

Some good informed comment on the Everest overcrowding question from the author of the photo which went viral and sparked the debate: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/30/everest-mountaineer-crowding-hobby-tragedy and from one of the sherpas: http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/29/a-sherpas-view-of-the-mount-everest-traffic-jam/?src=tp

More Bullroar pics, Shattered, 'Kids afraid' and Swift racers

Well today has seen the latest in the round of family come to visit and meet our new arrival. Heike sent some pics through that Brian took of us on the route from the CIC Hut:

Heike leading the second crux

Me about to cross Centurion

Also have you seen 'Shattered'. This is Steve House's "incredibly powerful tone poem to the deepest insecurities that follow us up steep and cold places"

Will Gadd tweeted this link which I'm sure strikes a chord with any of us who work/have worked in the outdoors with children.

Finally good luck to Team Mountain Hardwear and all the other participants in this weekend's Adidas Terrex Swift race. 

Meall Cumhann ML Assessment

Today I was working for Mike at Abacus Mountaineering on the steep ground day of a Summer Mountain Leader Assessment. We parked up at the end of Glen Nevis and started down in Steall Gorge before passing through the meadow and up to complete the traverse of Meall Cumhann. The objective today was to assess the candidates approach to managing people on steep ground within the ML remit. We also had a riot of wild flowers, moss campion, yellow saxifrage, endless flowering butterwort and milkwort, common orchids and globeflowers. Good luck with the rest of your assessment guys.

 In the gorge

 emergency ropework

 choosing the line

descent

 common spotted orchid

 butterwort flower

milkwort

Finally take a look at this for a horror show. It was cloudy and cooler today but still quite muggy so there were a few midges around... but this is awful: smidge forecast.

Bar b cued on Bullroar

Yesterday Heike and I headed to Ben Nevis for the multi-star classic HVS Bullroar. We timed our arrival well with the seeps on the first pitch (some warm-up!) minimal compared to later in the day. Heike got most of the hard pitches but the ups and downs meant that I was often descending through pitch cruxes to ensure I didn't lose out on the exposure. We crossed paths with climbers on Torro and several parties were on Centurion. The higher pitches on  the route were poorly described in both Gary Latter's Guide and the SMC Guide but we persevered to identify the last 3 pitches rather than abseiling off. It was hot throughout the day (Heike put a fleece on in response to a breeze and was regretting that after a pitch). A great route that doesn't pull its punches- plenty of value on just about every one of its 10 pitches.
We headed down Ledge Route and a snowy No. 5 Gully (some slack sling dog leading going on between a couple on the way up??) to the CIC Hut where I Heike's lad was working his first route on the Ben (with some watchful spotting from dad).

Oh, and I got it wrong yesterday I wasn't entirely alone on Tower Ridge: http://remoteexposure.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/tower-ridge.html

Blistering on the Ben and after the thoughts after an adventure...

Well with plenty of relatives around I left the newborn Kaye in the care of Sandy and her Mum and stretched my legs on Tower Ridge today. The Torlundy car park was full but I had a late start and saw few people- maybe they were all spectating at Ten Under The Ben. In fact I was the only one on Tower Ridge.

I spotted a couple of climbers near the start of Route II/Bullroar but it was only when I zoomed in on the picture of Carn Dearg that I took that I spotted the belayer on the first pitch of Centurion, the pair on the first belay of Torro and the climber in the sun on King Kong. Lots of rock climbing classics getting attention today.

The snow that seemed it would never depart has retreated quickly from Ben Nevis and this spell of good weather looks like it will provide more good weather than the spell from April to November last year in one fell swoop!

I only touched snow passing through the cave after the Eastern Traverse today. Before this I was thoroughly revolted by the turd left in the midst of the route toilet paper and all. There has been lots (good and bad) written about 'real mountaineers' in the wake of the shenanigans on Everest but if that was the actions of a 'real mountaineer' rather than a 'Guided wannabe' it just goes to show that anyone can be an arsehole (or, indeed, not know what to do with what come out of theirs).

I was lost in a world of my own today... thoughts of fatherhood... plans for future trips (Afghanistan or Tierra Del Fuego... anyone know anyone with a yacht in Punta Arenas, my mate's business went bust). So much so that apparently I strolled straight past Dan without even acknowledging his hello- sorry Dan.

 Spot the climbers

 Gullys still hanging in there

 Yes, I'm in shorts... don't see that often

 Product of an arsehole

 Ridge to myself

A lot less snow on Ben Nevis behind the boat washed up by the storms late last year

Got home and saw a great tweet by Roger Payne. He links to this piece of writing by Morgan Hite on the difficulty we feel on readjusting after an intense adventurous experience like an expedition. I'm so lucky that Jane understands that I'm a bit lost when I come home because she's been through it herself (Svalbard with BSES, Central America alone living with local villagers with no common language, Svalbard, Mongolia, South Africa and Namibia with me). A while ago academics were using the term 'post residential' syndrome. Call it what you may I think Tennyson had a good handle on it in a passage I used in several essays I wrote at University and Hite has also latched on to:

I cannot rest from travel: I will drink
Life to the lees: all times I have enjoyed
Greatly, have suffered greatly, both with those
That loved me and alone; on shore and when
Through scudding drifts the rainy Hyades
Vexed the dim sea: I am become a name;

—Tennyson, Ulysses