EDC DofE

 Teaching tents

 Don't drop the boss!

Sunny at the Whangie

Today I was based at Mugdock Country Park doing some work with volunteers who give their time to help the Duke of edinburgh Award Scheme in East Dunbartonshire. 

We had a productive day around the Park buildings sharing experiences and discussing procedures and equipment before heading to The Whangie on a short afternoon walk for some practical exercises.

Lovely day but still cold!

Cauld Rocks

Day 1 of an SPA Assessment today and it was sunny but 'awfy cauld' (thats 'awfully cold' for those who don't speak Doric). We went to the Quad Rocks above Largs a crag with one of the nicest views in the central belt (across Cumbrae to the snowy hills of Arran). The Quad Rocks are marked on the OS Map as the 'Cauld' Rocks. I wonder which name is a derivative of the other. They certainly lived up to their name on the map today!

lovely view of Ben Nevis and the Aonachs as i cycled into Fort William this morning. They are looking snowier than a month ago but it is pretty much all loose and unconsolidated. A little better for skiing than climbing.
Off down to The Ice Factor today to assess UHI students coaching local school children on their climbing over 3 weeks.

Zig.....Zag.....

Today I was working for The School of Adventure Studies at West Highland College. I had 7 students to take out on an assessment of their leadership skills during a simple hillwalking day. After an initial plan of the Ballachullish Horseshoe was binned as an unwise option given the forecast the team decided on a lower level jaunt with a little easy scrambling. We went up the zigzags on Gearr Aonach and across the coire to the top of Aonach Dubh. We experienced some strong winds and a great deal of fresh snowfall above 650m but it was only lying (loose and unconsolidated) above 900m).

Back to work and Greenland Pt. 2

Spent today out at a local crag observing some Trainee Instructors working with a school group as part of my role as a Technical Advisor for The Ice Factor. Cool and damp still in Glencoe.

Here is a the video showing the second part of my Greenland trip.

Part 1 of a 2 part video of my recent Greenland trip.

Short haul

I'm sitting in a chair. That may seem a small thing to you but it's the first one I've seen in 3 weeks.

Today I hauled my pulk into Ittoqortoormiit on the east coast of Greenland and took the skins off my skis for the last time on this trip. 3 of us have just completed the first north south ski traverse of Liverpoolland. We crossed each of its ice caps and stopped to bag 2 peaks, one of which is a first ascent. We also spent 5 days pinned down by wind.

Now I'm enjoying not being in a tent with 2 other smelly blokes. Not eating food I have to add water too. Not watching my breath freeze to the inside of the fabric dome the moment the sun goes behind a ridge. Not getting the hot aches each time I have to do a job that requires taking off my mitts in temperatures that have reached -25.

Great trip. Didn't get eaten by bears. Skied off an ice berg. Home on Sunday.

From the fact that I've turned on my phone to find that SAIS are still texting me weekend reports it looks like you lot are still getting the snow too!