I have a dream. A dream where the Peak Mountaineering office is not filled with trees worth of paper. Where the hole punch is no longer needed. Where I can see the other side of the desk instead of piles of invoices and bills. Yes…..I have a dream (albeit a very unlikely one!).
Today is technically a day off…..but in reality it’s just a chance to catch up on the admin mountain that has taken over the corner of the office. A strange collection of documents ranging from CV’s from potential instructors to advertising proofs. From pictures drawn by Ben and Tom to half finished reviews and enquiry forms. I love paperwork!
But don’t fear. I have also made time to check out a few YouTube options to ease you into the bank holiday weekend. And today’s winner is………………..
Okay so it’s a bit naff in places - but the photography is good and it kinda sums up lots of what is great about this c-c-c-crraazzeee sport!
Now its back to the paper mountain.
Have a fantastic weekend.
Cal
I was happy to have a break from using my legs today - I used mostly my arms instead! I’ve been out kayaking with a group from Derby and it’s been a ball. They did spend most of the time in the water but the weather has been great and their attitude was brilliant.
We played a variety of games and worked on a few paddle strokes as well as working through some basic rescue techniques. Thanks for a great day team - and see you in August for the return match of ’sponge ball tick’!
Today I met up with Shan and Arthur for some serious challenge walk training. Next week they are doing some ultra distance days on the coast to coast and they wanted a couple of days putting in some mileage as final training.
The brief they had given me was, well, brief…..long days and lots of miles. I devised a long circuit in the Derwent valley that more than fitted the bill. Now 20+ miles can seem a very long way but when the company is this good it whizzes by - Arthur and Shan proved to be such observant, inquisitive and inspiring people and when we finally completed the circuit and hit the road at 6pm I was truly sorry to say goodbye.
The weather over the last few days has been stunning and the Peak is looking fantastic. We saw Mountain Hares with coats still changing to their summer colours, fields of beaming bluebells, lambs gamboling around with carefree abandon and we even stumbled across a beautiful clutch of Golden Plover eggs as we travesed the open moorland.
The intrepid duo are out with Steve for another days peat bashing tomorrow and I’ll be glad to give my legs a rest! Very best wishes to Shan and Arthur for next weeks challenge and please don’t forget to let me know how it goes (and it will go fine!).
A belay with a view - Paul relaxes on Grooved Arete
Check out that alliteration - I’m wasted on this mountain guiding lark!
Tuesday again dawned bright and clear as I met up with Paul for a days action on some classic Welsh rock. Paul has done quite a bit of single pitch climbing but last year he’d had a brilliant day on Amphitheatre Buttress and was itching for some more multipitch action.
Given the good weather forecast and the fact that he’d never summited Tryfan I obviously had only one route in mind…………Grooved Arete. 565 ft of perfect VDiff climbing which leads to the summit ridge of undoubtedly the best mountain in Wales. Nectar.
Paul cruised the long groove, ambled across the Knight’s move and tiptoed up the summit wall pitch - and only 2 other people on the whole route…..how good does it get?! We checked out the Adam and Eve hop then traversed the summit plateau before descending via Llyn Bochlwyd.
A truely fantastic day with a great guy. Many thanks Paul.
I got back from Italy at 1am, crashed for a few hours, packed my bike kit and headed off to meet friend Mike for a Marin Trail blast. The Marin is a classic. 28km long with 860 metres of climbing. Quality climbing, tricky technical descents, sweeping singletrack and flowing downhills. It’s never too technical but always top quality.
2 hours 25 minutes car to car. Then we headed for chips at ye olde Betws friary and sat by the river in peachy weather. Biking at it’s best. Thanks for helping me blast the cobwebs away Mike.
While I’ve been in Italy Steve was out with Dom and Shaun enjoying some Peak MTB action on an intermediate course. They enjoyed a day around Froggatt on Saturday then spent Sunday in The Derwent Valley.
Shaun and Dom are both local to the area and wanted to develop both their skills and knowledge of the great riding they have on their doorstep. The feedback from both participants was…..job done!
Thanks to Steve for all his help and to Dom & Shaun for being up for an adventure. Due to demand we have added another biking day to our schedule (Sunday 8th June). If you fancy a quality day on some of the best trails on the planet for only £70 per person just give us a call.
Graham nears the top of the final steep pitch on the via ferrata ‘Colidri’
I’ve spent the last few days in Italy with John, Liz and Graham on a via ferrata course. Via Ferratas use systems of cables and ladders that allow anyone with a good head for heights to ascend some brilliant mountains by totally improbable routes. They have a very long history but the network was vastly expanded and improved to allow soldiers to move around the mountains during the war and the current network that can be found in the Italian Dolomites is the most extensive in the world. ‘Ferratists’ (is that a word?) use a shock absorbing lanyard system to stay securely attached to the cables at all times so it is also very safe.
For this course we were based in the village of Torbole which sits in an idyllic location at the top of Lake Garda (and very near to the climbing mecca of Arco). This area has a fantastic selection of via ferratas of all grades on the doorstep and there is also an excellent English langauge guidebook to make life easier.
All the team had visited the area before so we started with a long middle grade route called ‘Che Guevara’ that was at the top of their tick list on the first day. This is a great route that winds it’s way up a huge face before eventually summiting at a brilliant flower filled meadow at about 1600 metres. A long descent (with another exciting section protected by cables) brings you back to the valley right at a pleasant little bar - how convenient is that!?
In the evening we had a lovely pizza, a few celebratory beers and made plans for the next day….but unfortunately the weather forecast we had seen looked rather grim! The next day we awoke to leaden skies but at least it wasn’t raining - yet! We headed off to climb Spigolo della Bandiera which sits at the lower end of the Lake.
We just knew we weren’t going to avoid rain and as we cruised round the lake road it started…and never stopped! We had a lovely walk up to the base of the route but by the time we were there everyone agreed that the ferrata itself was best left for a better day. We contoured round to a nearby refuge to dry off by the fire then made our way back to the car feeling we’d we’d got as much as we could out of a grim day. More pizzas, more beers and more laughs led to the end of day two.
The weather forecast for our third day was the worst by far, so we headed up to a ferrata called Colidri which sits very conveniently near the road. The team were keen to get another route under their belts and also to look at some relevant rope work and emergency techniques that they might find useful in the future. Colidri only takes a couple of hours so we chose to descend by the same line and covered emergency abseils, lowering and belaying as we went.
Just before we reached the ground I put in an oscar worthy performance of a dislocated shoulder to see if the team could get me to the ground safely. I needn’t have worried. A slick rescue was put in place and in no time I was lowered back to terra firma feeling very well looked after.
We had time for a farewell panini and a shower before heading back to the airport for the journey home. A great few days with great people - what a tough job I have! A big thanks to John, Liz and Graham for all the laughs and your brilliant company and to Highpoint for providing the work.
The UIAA (Union Internationale Des Associations D’Alpinisme) was founded in August 1932 by a group of 20 alpine associations with the aim of ’studying and finding solutions to all the problems regarding mountaineering’. The intervening years have seen the UIAA involved in many areas of mountain activity including environmental issues, creating a universal grading system, access issues and competition climbing.
However, the UIAA’s climbing equipment testing is the main way most climbers will be aware of the organisation. They started testing ropes in 1960 and now have 19 test categories including helmets, harnesses and crampons. The UIAA was the first organisation to introduce tests for climbing equipment.
The tests are stringent and seeing the UIAA logo on a piece of gear means it has been subjected to a full on battering. The UIAA standards are based on the EN test standards (which in turn were originally based on the original UIAA standards), but have requirements beyond the EN test procedures.
The following YouTubes give you an idea of what the tests are like………….
Pretty reassuring how much that gear can cope with isn’t it! The cam tests are interesting because you can actually see the cam angle making the placement more secure as it is loaded.
Full details on all the tests can be found on the UIAA website at www.theuiaa.org
I’m not sure you’re taking this safety equipment seriously Charlotte! Fun in the sun on Holyhead Mountain
A big dollop of sun, a helping of great friends, a pinch of climbing, a splash of surfing and rockpooling - all mixed up with a great BBQ and campfire. Enjoy!
By the miracle of mobile broadband I’m writing this as we blast back from a top weekend on Anglesey with friends Paul, Charlotte, Evie & Bella. The weather has been perfect (apart from a very exciting lightning storm that had us sheltering in the car at 3am on Saturday morning!) and it’s all been fantastic. Yesterday we spent our time in or near the sea, had a yummy barbeque and campfire last night, then got some fun climbing done on Holyhead Mountain today.
There’s been a few changes at the Outdoor Alternative campsite but it’s still the same chilled venue and this weekend was no exception. Campsites always feel special when you are only sharing the whole place with about 10 other people don’t they - even better if theres a handy football pitch size space in front of your tent to recreate United’s premiership victory match.
Hope everyone out there had as good a weekend too.
Surely you remember that Fun Boy Three classic from the eighties? It’s my song of the moment and I’ve been driving people mad with it all week. (check it out on You Tube at http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=qX-04z0buiQ - be warned though, it gets in your head and you’ll find yourself humming it in your sleep!). But love it or hate it, you have to admit it’s very appropriate for the weather we’ve been having. Great isn’t it.
I’ve been working at World Challenge in the ancient land of Buxtonia this week. They needed some help assessing potential UK leaders, so I’ve been looking at all the climbing side of things for them. It’s been a fun few days sharing ideas and techniques with a bunch of very capable SPA holders and trainees. The Peak District is an amazing place to be when the weather is so good and I’ve met some great people from all over the country.
Yesterday we had everything wrapped up by early afternoon so I drove back wondering whether to stop for a sun baked bouldering session or head back to Peak HQ to catch up on the uber pile of paperwork I had been trying to ignore. In the end I compromised and did a half and half. A lovely bouldering session and the admin pile reduced in height by a few centimetres.
Today is another beautiful day so I got up early and had a run just as the sun was rising - my very favourite time of day. Steve is out with a climbing group and I am battling with some new hi-tec office technology (a printer scanner thingy), then I’m going to meet my chum Simon for an afternoon of trail blasting in the Strines Valley.
I hope everyone enjoys the upcoming sunny weekend and remember to……………spread your wings and take to the sky (Fun Boy Three again - sorry!).
