A little iron in my diet

I've been spending some time close to home after a great trip climbing in the Lakes and because I'm going to be away a lot later on in the season.
A few days ago I was in Kinlochleven with a few of the mountaineering department staff from Glenmmore Lodge. We were looking at the via ferrata that Vertical Descents have put up in Kinlochleven as a possible activity to use on various courses. We had a good day out and some good chat about using the activity with students.

Today was a return to the via ferrata but this time with Sandy. Jane brought Kaye to the start of the course and then the wee man and I did it together. He cottoned onto how to change over his lanyards at the rebelays and using his third crab on his scorpio for resting on.

Sandy on the Iron Way from Alan Halewood on Vimeo.
After both days we stopped in at  Ballachulish Visitor Centre for some great food and drink!

Back to work, walls and unseasonably snowy rock

Not much to add to the shocking situation in Nepal. Tragic.

Since my lovely mini break climbing in the Lakes I've been in Aberdeen running a CWA Training for 6 students at RGU and Transition Extreme. Then there was a day in Glen Nevis with Dave and Andy. Dave is prepping for his MIA Assessment and the day was mostly about problem solving to see how well he is applying the set pieces he learnt at training in response to scenarios. The snow was falling on us but we also got lucky with some dry rock between the showers.

 RGU Climbing Wall

 Time in the sweatbox!

 Bouldering games

 Dave on Hangover Buttress Left Edge- earliest recorded route at Polldubh

 Solving the problem

 Cross 3

 A little soggy

Coming down

Snowy rock climbing spring 2015 from Alan Halewood on Vimeo.

4 days in the Lakes pt 2

Day 3 of our mini break and we were joined by the legend that is 'Monty' Monteith. Black Crag in Borrowdale was the venue and we had it to ourselves. Monty and I took the road less travelled with Troutdale Ridge which was a little gorsey but the holds were clean between the bushes. Then we did the Shroud with a great first corner, incredible each through the overhangs of the second pitch and a traverse to a bottomless groove on the third that my pruner, the master of understatement described as 'airy'. Bill and Sandy climbed Troutdale Pinnacle Direct, The Mortician (I remember that well from this time last year) and T P Super Direct.

 Troutdale Ridge

 Monty navigates the gorse

 Happy climber in the sun

 Sandy on Pitch 1 of the Mortician

 Monty on the soaring first corner of The Shroud

 Sandy getting to grips with the steep entry to the groove of Mortician

 Monty inspects the 'airy' traverse on P3 of The Shroud

The blues dots centre right are the team whilst I head back to prep dinner!

Fourth and final flu day of climbing and the boys humoured my desire for slabs and less polish and we headed to Sergeant Crag Slabs where I helped place the abseil bolts 4 years ago. This steep 5m slab is a relatively new addition to the local crags and boasts rough rock at a reasonable angle. We took it in turns leading and stripping routes on abseil so we could all enjoy them on the sharp end and climbed Lakeland Cragsman, Revelation and Terminator 2. Top rock, top fun.

 Sandy heading up for the bolts after Terminator 2

 Down time

 Monty the safest climber I know on 4 ropes? (2 are the abseil lines)

 An attentive belayer

 Sandy on Lakeland Cragsman

 Great route

 bill's turn on LC whilst Monty does T2

 Not a bad spot

 Stripping routes on descent

 The best climber at the crag

 Spot the clean rock

Bill feeling the fear and revealing his squirrel phobia

All in all a grand few days with some great mates, relaxing, climbing, eating, climbing, bullshitting and climbing. Thanks to Sandy for the sausages (they weren't that burnt), Bill for opening the window and not really minding our snoring (did you find those rocks in your sack yet mate?) and Monty for being a legend and showing us how its done (and, more importantly, for the beer)!

4 days in the Lakes pt 1

Bill and Sandy and I had been planning to attend a training event this week that we were all invited to but when it was cancelled we took the opportunity to go climbing.
I joined them heading to the Lakes on Monday where after dropping the gear at The Climbers Club Hut in Grange we headed for Shepherds to make best use of the remaining time. The well polished Borrowdale volcanic rock is a far cry from Ardnaumrchan Gabbro as well as being a bit steeper and Adam felt a bit of a pull whilst Ardus was a walk by comparison.

 Bill getting steep on Adam 

 

 Sandy fighting his floating feet

A walk on Ardus

Day 2 and the weather was as glorious as predicted and we headed to Gimmer Crag. Lichen Grooves was the warm up route (it was right above us when we opened the Guide) and better than the name might suggest. A quick abseil took us down to the gear and a shuffle left saw us Kipling Grooves- the last pitch of which I found 'Rudy-'Ard' indeed! The day ended appropriately with a beer in the ODG- how else?

 Bill on P2 of Lichen Grooves

 Composed on the belay

 looking down the Lichen Chimney

 Not a bad day

 Sandy commits to the undercling pitch

 And then a wee pull to...

 …a very wee stance for 2 big chaps!

 Heading down

 End of the day

 Roadside cragging… by Scottish standards!

The way to end the day!

A day indoors...

…at the Peak climbing wall in Stirling assessing 3 successful candidates for their CWLA. Well done Susan, James and Gary and thanks to the students from Strathclyde Uni Mountaineering Club plus Laura and Charlie for being guinea pigs.