5 Climbing walls in 5 days

With winter refusing to die a death and despite a serious need to go climbing I've been happy to be working in a few varied Scottish climbing walls this week. My work has included a Foundation Coach Training, some training on wall rescues and floor walking, a review of paperwork and procedures, a Climbing Wall Award Assessment attending and assisting with another staff training, a Climbing Wall Abseil Module Training and a moderation for NICAS.
There are some great people working in our climbing walls in Scotland, the passion for our sport is tremendous and new walls are opening and they are becoming more professionally established all the time. NICAS is a great way for climbers to enter the sport, the competition scene is healthy, Climb Scotland are offering support to many walls  especially the smaller ones and clubs too. Its a pleasure to work in this part of climbing sometimes and this week was one of those times.

 A new wall about to open

 Some staff training

 What do you see? Observation skills on Foundation coach Training

 Teaching motor skills tasks on FC Training

 Got a problem? No worries the staff can help

 Competent people inspecting PPE

 Running a modern climbing centre

 Personal proficiency on a CWA Assessment

 Knowing about the tools

Preparing for the worst 

 All sorts of walls

 CWAA group abseil setup

 Options for getting yourself back down

 NICAS in action

 Happy, safe, developing climbers

This is what its all about!

HOT in Langdale

Today team Glenmore went to check out some scrambling venues in Langdale. Giles and Ian and I climbed a Grade 3 on Tarn Crag followed by a Grade 2 on Stickle Pike and then came down Jacks Rake- new ground for us all and a chance to compare what we do and teach when short roping. After some rehydration at the car park the whole team raced up to White Ghyll to get a couple of routes in before the end of there day.
End of an awesome trip to the Lakes!

 Movement exercises

 Making the most of it

 Shorts and T-shirt

 Traverse on great rock

 Giles

 Airier than it looks

 Ian

 Top of Jacks Rake

 Stickle Tarn

 Posers on Slip Knot

 Sandy

 Chadders

 Giles on Laugh Knot

 Latching the jug on the overhang

 Working the smooth corner

Close up on that jug!

Well earnt after a 10 hour hill day!

Trowbarrow and the Badger

More climbing with the Glenmore Lodge crew and exploring new venues. On thursday it was Trowbarrow Quarry for some limestone followed by a short hop to check out a wee sport crag (less said about the the better) and finally a trip to Badger Rock for some bouldering jut to finish everyone off.

 Coral Sea

 Steeper than it looks

 More sun rock

 Out turn

 Ross getting a hands free rest

 Hope he gets his leg back

 Jean Jeanie on the right

 Coral Sea again

 A hunt for a wee sport crag

 ...maybe not

 'Taps aff!'

 Working the traverse

Nathan hanging on on his 3rd lap!

Rock climbing at last!

My days off have not coincided with the best weather this spring so its only been this week that I been able to get out on the rock. Part of the best bit of my job is getting to learn from and work with some great folk and this week I'm away on the mountaineering department of Glenmore Lodge's summer training in the Lake District. We started with an afternoon on the volumes only bouldering at EICA (great fun and really thought provoking in terms of the movement styles this forces- Udo Neumann's videos come to life!). Yesterday we went to Dow where the sun shone and it was warm (except when it went behind a cloud and the temperature dropped 5 degrees suddenly). A great day as Mark Andy and I got on Murray's Direct and B Buttress Variations whilst other teams tackled Isengard and Eliminate A amongst other routes. After a relaxed afternoon we stopped off at the Lansdale Boulder on our way back to Ambleside for a play. 
Have I ever mentioned that I love climbing?

 Ross going all Udo Neumann

 Rack paper scissors for the next pitch

 JJ in clover

 2 colorful Beal Operas in action

 Mark bridging to hold off the layback as long as possible

 Sandy on Dow

 JJ on the start of Murray's Direct

 Andy getting steep

 Its a hard life

 Boulders

 Ian topping out

 Nathan rocking over

 Chadders focussed on the top

Its all too much for Bill!