So Scott and I had an abortive day today. I have my eye on a new line and we went for a drive to see if it was in but were stopped by a very snowy road. We drove back to Nevis Range to get a quick hit on the Ben but a tree down on the road and the lateness of the hour sealed the deal and we decided not to argue with karma and called it a day (at least I got packed and prepped for 4 busy days, emails done, both bikes back on the road).
Elsewhere Jamie B and Ken went to look at the Bridge of Orchy Hills which were black so they went to Stob Coire Nan Lochan but here the turf was only patchily frozen and the buttresses black so it sounds like little was achieved.
Some of the UHI students did climb on Ben Nevis. They climbed Garadh Gully on ice which looked ok. Kenny, Guy and Keith also climbed The Sorcerer in Coire Na Ciste (nice work). On Aonach Beag Andy Nisbet and Dave McGimpsey look to have added a couple of lines at III or IV today too (good effort on an early season visit to a crag that feels a looooong walk in to me).
Looks like a thaw from tomorrow for the next 5 days at least. I'm working though so at least I'm not missing out!!
Friday, 6 December 2013
Thursday, 5 December 2013
Slide shows and navigation
On tuesday night I gave a slide show on our expedition to Afghanistan at the Nevis Centre. Over 50 folk turned out and the show was to raise money for Lochaber MRT and the UHI Mountaineering Club. Thanks to those who came along and laughed politely at the incident of the vomit filled shoe!
Lat night was pretty wild. Snapped trees, the Corpach Co-op roof flying off, thunder, lightning hail and torrential rain. It being recycling bin day today there were blue bins, cardboard and plastic scattered for miles around amongst the branches torn from the trees.
Today I was working with some of the ACOL students reviewing their navigation and hill skills. With the weather as it was (squally hail and gales) we took the orienteering maps to Torcastle and stayed low level this morning before planning their expedition route for next week.
The Ben looks a little whiter but pretty blasted by the winds.
Lat night was pretty wild. Snapped trees, the Corpach Co-op roof flying off, thunder, lightning hail and torrential rain. It being recycling bin day today there were blue bins, cardboard and plastic scattered for miles around amongst the branches torn from the trees.
Today I was working with some of the ACOL students reviewing their navigation and hill skills. With the weather as it was (squally hail and gales) we took the orienteering maps to Torcastle and stayed low level this morning before planning their expedition route for next week.
The Ben looks a little whiter but pretty blasted by the winds.
Storm blasted Ben Nevis
Nav
Lochaber with a dusting of snow
Anther hail shower
Monday, 2 December 2013
'Real' work in a wall
Today I was back at Glasgow Climbing Centre but this time working with real novice lead climbers rather than training Instructors for a pleasant change. I had 6 students from the ACOL course at West Highland College and we travelled down to Glasgow to expand their experience of different walls and to work on their lead climbing. A great effort from the team with some new movement skills explored, a first 6a worked, some first lead climbs and some comfort zones willingly explored!
First try
Better stance
Bridging
Styling
On the sharp end
Belaying
First 6a worked, high 5 (would you like some 'Sure' there Crush?)
Sunday, 1 December 2013
Foundation Coach Training
Another busy day as I was at Glasgow Climbing Centre directing the first of the new Mountain Training Foundation Coach Training courses to run in Scotland. Jon Jones came down from Glenmore Lodge to assist me and we had 10 candidates exploring applying their coaching knowledge to a climbing situation.
One perspective...
…and another
Penco and the belay glasses
JJ silent demo
Activity
Practice
What...
…aaahh makes sense
Rob's faces
Interference
Heel hook progressions
Assume the position
Dance with me
Now everyone
Rockin'
Steps
No hands from Kazza
Saturday, 30 November 2013
FUNdamentals 2 at EICA
Fast and furious day today with 12 students on an MCofS FUNdamentals of Climbing 2 at EICA ably assisted by the excellent Mr. Robbie Phillips. Lots of practical, not too much powerpoint and some great chat from the students. Now…. just time to mentally rehearse tomorrow's Foundation Coach Training at GCC!
Active ABC based warmups
Blind hold recognition
Come flag with me
Accuracy and precision
Label that hold
Robbie and his robot arms
Mirror my flag
Lou drops the knee and gives herself a hug
Thursday, 28 November 2013
Amazing light and giving the rat a wee nibble
(If you don't know the phrase "Feeding the Rat" read the book by Al Alvarez)
Work seems really busy just now. The new MT Coaching Courses are taking a lot of my time to ensure delivering good sessions from the word go, FUNdamentals as a lead Instructor need Co-ordinating with an Assistant, writing up moderation reports from NICAS etc… But what about CLIMBING!
So by working till after midnight (NICAS… that one's for you) I could at least see my desk under the outstanding work and with the post thaw temperatures looking like dipping below freezing I decided to take the bike and the axes and go to Ben Nevis.
On the sweaty cycle up from Nevis Range things didn't look promising. Most of the snow from last week had receded… but you never know until you can see into the Coires and sure enough looking into Coire na Ciste there was plenty of snow still about. The ridges looked very black except high up but there are plenty of dribbles of ice to be built on and a solid base of snow in the gullies. Now the next question was what was that snow like?
Firm and icey for the most part on the approach. Right, that settled it. I knew No.2 had been complete and often gives an icey step or 2 after a thaw so I started up in that direction. There was the odd 20-30m patch of softer stuff but once in the Gully I was soon marvelling at the remains of the ice on the walls and up on my front points. The water from the thaw had coated the snow and formed more than 60m of hard ice over the softer stuff as it twisted through the upper reaches. At this point I was reminded that I need to get a new pair of mountaineering crampons as the points on G12s are a little stubby to say the least! There were a couple of hollow sections (1 foot of snow and almost the same gap behind and a little running water) higher but the line was complete. The cornice was easily manageable on the left if a little softer than what I'd been climbing below.
On top an American on the Pony Track exclaimed "Jesus! That guys just come up over a cliff!" But I was too busy soaking up the view. Within the Gully confines I'd been aware there was an inversion going on but now I had red skies to the southwest, brocken spectres on the cloud to the north and amazing light everywhere. I finally tore myself away from it to head down a firm No.4 Gully in time to spend the late afternoon with the kids back from school.
All change again tomorrow with fresh snow on gales loading into those gullies a bit!
Winter lives!
Work seems really busy just now. The new MT Coaching Courses are taking a lot of my time to ensure delivering good sessions from the word go, FUNdamentals as a lead Instructor need Co-ordinating with an Assistant, writing up moderation reports from NICAS etc… But what about CLIMBING!
So by working till after midnight (NICAS… that one's for you) I could at least see my desk under the outstanding work and with the post thaw temperatures looking like dipping below freezing I decided to take the bike and the axes and go to Ben Nevis.
On the sweaty cycle up from Nevis Range things didn't look promising. Most of the snow from last week had receded… but you never know until you can see into the Coires and sure enough looking into Coire na Ciste there was plenty of snow still about. The ridges looked very black except high up but there are plenty of dribbles of ice to be built on and a solid base of snow in the gullies. Now the next question was what was that snow like?
Firm and icey for the most part on the approach. Right, that settled it. I knew No.2 had been complete and often gives an icey step or 2 after a thaw so I started up in that direction. There was the odd 20-30m patch of softer stuff but once in the Gully I was soon marvelling at the remains of the ice on the walls and up on my front points. The water from the thaw had coated the snow and formed more than 60m of hard ice over the softer stuff as it twisted through the upper reaches. At this point I was reminded that I need to get a new pair of mountaineering crampons as the points on G12s are a little stubby to say the least! There were a couple of hollow sections (1 foot of snow and almost the same gap behind and a little running water) higher but the line was complete. The cornice was easily manageable on the left if a little softer than what I'd been climbing below.
On top an American on the Pony Track exclaimed "Jesus! That guys just come up over a cliff!" But I was too busy soaking up the view. Within the Gully confines I'd been aware there was an inversion going on but now I had red skies to the southwest, brocken spectres on the cloud to the north and amazing light everywhere. I finally tore myself away from it to head down a firm No.4 Gully in time to spend the late afternoon with the kids back from school.
All change again tomorrow with fresh snow on gales loading into those gullies a bit!
Winter lives!
Not looking promising but...
… give the hill a chance and you will be rewarded!
The most reliable icicle on Ben Nevis
More ice...
Very icey…
Climbed quite a lot of ice now!
There's an inversion out there
Topping out to surprised Amaericans
Brocken Spectre
Sweaty Al and brocken spectre
Not bad eh?
No digital enhancement required!
Great light
2 mountaineers approaching the top of Ledge Route
Partially stripped but a good base in the Coires and Gullies...
…Like No. 4, my way down!
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