A friend showed us this you tube of Lynn Hill and Katie Brown’s 2005 first female free ascent of the West Face of Leaning Tower (V 5.13b/c AO). It’s quite a long clip but we loved it because it’s such a celebration of all thats so special about adventure climbing….we hope you enjoy it.
The river series in Peak Cavern
I’ve had another very busy week with a great variety of activities. Last week I spent a few days caving with Foundry Mountain Activities which was brilliant fun. We went to a few disused mines and some classic Peak caves and the only negative point was on Friday when we were going underground and leaving gorgeous sunshine behind. I just knew bad weather was on it’s way when I really needed the sun……
Which leads me to Saturday. This was the second of our ‘Essential Climbing Skills’ courses and the weather really didn’t do us any favours. We stuck it out for the morning and looked at gear placements and ran through several belay set ups but the weather gradually worsened and we escaped to the climbing wall for the afternoon. It was still a great day and I hope everyone felt it was worth the suffering!
On Sunday it was still cold but much better and we went to Burbage North for the second in our ‘Essential Rescue Skills’ series. We had a great day covering a whole range of self-rescue techniques. The participants ranged from SPA candidates and returning clients Piers and Chris who are preparing for assessment through to ice climbing enthusiast Alan who has lots of winter adventures lined up and wants to be ready for the unexpected. Thanks for a great day guys and thanks to Steve for all his help.
These essential skills days have proved very popular and we are running some more in the Spring so give us a call if you want to get involved. They are running at the bargain price of £35 too!
By the way, the quote at the top is by Roald Amundsen and today I’ve been reading up on his life and his race to the pole against Scott. One of Amundsen’s great strengths was his careful planning and preparation before each expedition. On his trip to the pole he carried over twice the amount of food per man per day compared to Scott. He even ended up leaving food dumps behind while Scott and his team were starving. I think I’ll pack an extra Mars Bar when I go out tomorrow - now known as ‘doing an Amundsen!
Cheers, Paul
Ted looking tense enroute to the Saturday night multiple casualty scenario
I’ve been up at Woodhead Mountain Rescue Team Headquarters renewing my Mountain First Aid certificate this weekend. The team run the courses to fund their base and resources and they have made nearly enough over the last 18 months or so to buy a Land Rover and a load of water rescue kit.
As well as supporting this excellent cause the course is specifically designed to cover first aid for a mountain environment so it’s particularly relevant for all outdoor enthusiasts. A lot of the course content is covered outdoors and on Saturday night we also participated in a multiple casualty scenario with members of the team which was great fun and very beneficial. After dealing with the incident we evacuated one of the ‘casualties’ by stretcher to the awaiting team ambulance and by the time we had returned to base and had a thorough debrief I only cracked open the first Stella at 11pm - ready for a bleary eyed 8am start to the assessment day on Sunday!
At least we all got through the assessments and one member of the course emailed today to say he’d already had to put his skills to good use in dealing with a severe asthma attack at work - money well spent!
This weekend has been full of the type of contrasts that make instructing so interesting.
On Saturday I was with a group of families who were trying climbing for the first time. The weather was tough going with occasional showers and icy winds but the group was brilliant and battled on in the face of adversity. Five year old Jessica led the way and after 5 climbs up to VDiff she was still keen for more. Infact, all the children were brilliant and gave their parents a real run for their money.
Fortunately, the ‘grown ups’ also climbed really well with Pip’s blinding ascent of Footprint (VDiff) rounding off the day. Thanks to you all for being so much fun, thanks to Jo for getting it all arranged and thanks to Steve for helping.
Oh yes, I said contrasts! Well, on Sunday I was out with Kristin for an introduction to gritstone day. Kristin had been out at the Roaches on Saturday but by lunchtime the hurricane force winds and driving rain had forced an early bath. Luckily, Sunday was better and the weather stayed clear and dry although the temperature didn’t get much above freezing all day. We spent the day at Stanage climbing several classics up to HVS 5a and Kristin also led a few routes with a top rope back up to practice gear placements and belay set ups. We ended the day on the route shown in the photo (Trinity left hand) before getting back to the car as dusk arrived. Thanks for a great day Kristin and good luck with your upcoming trip to Sardinia.
Today I’ve been to Manchester Climbing Centre to start the winter training regime and my forearms are protesting as I press each keyboard key. No pain - no gain!
Before I go…..the well known title of this post is by the Hertfordshire Poet William Cowper. Ironically, despite the positive nature of the quote he spent a many years of his life fighting depression! Just thought you might like to know!
Cheers, Paul
It’s always hard to find the scrambles along the East Face of Tryfan. Even the definitive Steve Ashton ‘Scrambles in Snowdonia’ guide doesn’t help very much…..so, we’ve photographed the start of most of the main lines and they are now in our gallery.
Feel free to print them off and take them along on your next visit to the East Face. Even better if you laminate them along with the guidebook description.
However, please bear in mind that on their own they are not sufficient to tackle the scrambles and you must remember you are using them AT YOUR OWN RISK!! Happy scrambling!
What a week! First I spent 4 days on a trip with World Challenge. This involved very late nights and 4am starts. Then I got home expecting a few days R&R only to find out there was a late booking for a day’s climbing…..followed by 2 days biking…..then I’m working all the coming weekend. At least at the moment Friday is free so please don’t call asking to do anything - the phone’s off the hook!
But, in reality, it’s all good. I had loads of fun with the World Challenge group. Camping in the wilds of Derbyshire, surviving on a budget of £2.50 per person, beautiful starry nights and lovely clear days, bad jokes, good company and six times walking past the Cat & Fiddle pub without a sniff of alcohol!
The climbing day was great too. More good weather and great company with Jane & Alex. Thanks for putting up with my need for regular caffeine fixes guys.
Today the weather hasn’t been quite so good - but that’s no problem for biking. I was out with a group from Nottingham on a boggy Kinder circuit. A really fun day so thanks to you guys for that.
At the moment I’m sitting with my feet on the desk, another mug of Lavazza coffee in hand and I’m enjoying that brilliant post ride lethargy that you only get after a full on day out. Trouble is I’ve got to get the energy to do it all again tomorrow - I’m off to do some carbo loading!
