Sandy Paterson Mountaineering

Wet Week ends on a High!

2012-02-25T15:08:00.001Z

Roy and Garry approaching the belay on pitch 2

Andy's team abseiling down East Gully

Garry and Roy down climbing East Gully

I have been working for Jagged Globe this past week on a Winter Mountaineering Course. It has been a challenging week with high winds, rain and a freezing level above the summits each day apart from Friday (pictures above). There was a big team on the course many who were off on expeditions in the not too distant future with Denali being the favourite.

On Monday Andy Stotesbury and I took our team of 8 to Glen Nevis after a morning indoors looking at ropework to do some abseiling and other ropework. On Tuesday we were joined by Andy Chapman to lower the ratio's and we headed into Stob Coire nan Lochan were we got onto some fairly soggy snow to look at movement skills, snow anchors and introduced short roping movement. It was a fairly grim day with constant rain but the team did well to stay warm and motivated. Wednesday was another poor forecast so the morning was spent at the Ice Factor and in the afternoon the Jagged Globe Doctor David ran a 1st Aid Session and answered questions on altitude issues. Thursday was spent looking at crevasse rescue, fixed lines and some dry (wet) tooling. Finally Friday brought us some cold weather so we headed to Ben Nevis to see what was left. With other instructors joining the team we had a ratio of 1:2 so we could climb. I was with Garry and Roy who were both off to Denali and were keen to climb some steep snow up and down with one axe. We headed towards the Douglas Boulder to do the West - East Traverse and although west gully was broken in places it still worked well. Andy and his team had the same plan which made it nice and sociable! We climbed west gully in 3 pitches before Garry and Roy down climbed east gully in 1 long 60m pitch. We then traversed into Observatory Gully and headed back to the bus. A good end to a challenging week. Good Luck Garry and Roy with your trip in May and thanks for your company, along with all the others on the course.

Conditions high up on Ben Nevis were not too bad with Green, Comb, Cascade, Smiths, Tower, Central, North, Glovers all getting ascents or looking reasonable. Now we just need some colder weather or snow! I was meant to be ski mountaineering this week but that has been cancelled, might have to dig out the rock shoes!

Rjukan - Ice Climbing

2012-02-19T10:43:00.000Z

Will nearing the belay at the top of pitch 2 on a WI3

Will feeling the burn as he gets to the top of his last route of the trip!

Simon crushing another route

A happy team at the end of the week

I have just got back from a weeks climbing in Rjukan Norway were I was working for friend and fellow instructor Rob Johnson. There was a team of six motivated and capable clients out along with Rob, myself and Mark 'Baggy' Richards. We spent the week climbing in various locations including Upper and Lower Gorge, Ozzimosis, Rjukan Centre.

As ever it was a great week with cold temps, steep ice and short approaches. Thanks to the team for their great company.

Back across west to work for Jagged Globe this coming week, think I might be wishing I was back in Norway!

Week on the West

2012-02-11T11:18:00.000Z

I am just back home from a weeks work for Jagged Globe on the West Coast, I was working with Alex on an Intro to Winter Mountaineering week. The week started off with stunning conditions and then slowly got warmer and cloudier but that did not slow the group down and we had a great week looking at movement skills, avalanche awareness, winter ropework and navigation. Over the week we visited The Nevis Range, Buchaille Etive Beag, Glen Coe Ski area, Mamores and The Zig Zags.

A great week with a great team. I am off to Norway tomorrow for a weeks work out there before heading back across to the west for another week with Jagged Globe.

Good and Bad Vis!

2012-02-05T11:20:00.000Z

Heading onto the Plateau looking across the Lairig Ghru

Looking across to Cairngorm and Loch Avon from the snow hole site

Back to normal vis! Great for Navigation on the way back to the bus!

The last 3 days of the Winter ML Training for Glenmore Lodge have been great. I was grumpy on Thursday when I forgot my camera as the weather was stunning. We spent the day on a mountain journey to look at the remit of the award, personal movement skills in steep ground and some issues that may well occur. To do this we headed into Corie an t Sneachda then up to the climbers col along the Ficail and then across to the top of the Hidden Corie before coming back across and down the Goat Track, it was a stunning if a little cold day out.

Friday had us setting off for our snow holing trip again in stunning weather, this time I remembered my camera (photos above). We headed to Garbh Uisge Beag to spend the night. We then headed off for 4 hours of night nav which took in the summit of Ben Macdui. On Saturday morning the weather as forecast had changed and this gave us a great opportunity to put into practise what we had covered the day before. We navigated across the plateau to spot height 1141m before dropping down the Cas Fiacal and back to the bus. A great trip and week were the team got a little taste off all types of Scottish winter weather, perfect!

Off west for the next week for a week of Mountaineering for Jagged Globe.

Snow anchors

2012-02-01T20:20:00.000Z

Abseiling off a snow bollard over a baby cornice

Giles discussing avalanche assessment

Heading home at the end of another good day

Yesterday was day two of the ML and we headed into the Cas headwall to continue our look at winter movement skills. It was a wild day with 50+ mph winds however we managed to cover everything we needed to and the team did well.

Today was a much calmer day and we headed into the Ciste area to look at snow anchors and this ropework skills needed at winter ML level theses included bucket seats, horizontal axes, snow bollards and stommpers. We then finished off with some confidence roping and looked at some avalanche sample pits. A good day out and nice not to be battered by the winds!

Winter ML Training

2012-01-30T20:01:00.000Z

Giles tackeling the cornice out the ski area!

I am at Glenmore Lodge this week working on a Winter ML Training course. After the usual intro and discussion about kit, the programme and the scheme we headed out onto the hills to look at some movement skills and set the scene for navigation and avalanche assessment.

We headed out through the ski area to the foot of the Cas and then dropped down onto the moraines and then headed around to the flat ice in Coire an t' Sneachda, before heading back out again. The winds were much stronger than forecast and there was alot of snow being deposited on west through to North East facing slopes. The climbing teams reported wind slab building very quickly on many of the routes in Sneachda.

More winter skills

2012-01-30T19:36:00.000Z

I was out again yesterday with Lancaster Uni. We headed into Sneachda in stronger than forecast winds discussing avalanche assessment and building on what they had learnt during their theory session the night before. We then headed up on to the ficail ridge at the toe to look at some more cramponing skills and then look at some winter ropework. From hear we headed over to the moraines to look at some avalanche assessment pits before heading back to the car park by going over the ridge and in to the ski area.

Cairngorm Stunner

2012-01-28T22:21:00.000Z

I have been out in the Cairngorms today with Lancaster University Mountaineering Club who are up for a weekend of winter skills. We have had a great day looking at boot work, axe skills and cramponing plus some avalanche awareness.

It has been a stunning day in the mountains with no wind, below freezing and sun. Lots of people out enjoying themselves on foot and ski. Back out again tomorrow with the team. The weather looks good but not as good as today!

Creagan Cha-No - My Turn!

2012-01-26T22:07:00.000Z

Well it seems like everyone else has been going to this new (ish) crag Creagan Cha-No so Mike and I decided to go and have a look. There had been a fair bit of fresh snow in the Cairngorms over night after the thaw yesterday and it was cold as well. We were not the first to arrive with a few teams already there (thanks for sorting the ab anchors!) and just as we got there Mark arrived with his clients. We abseiled in down Anvil Gully and then went looking for Jenga Buttress which we missed and ended up on the ground to the right of it. We then went and did Chimney Rib which gave a great pitch of IV4 and finally we went back and did Jenga Buttress III4. It was a busy day at the crag with lots of other teams out but there is plenty to do and there looked to be even more ground to explore if you head south from recovery gully.

Looks like the good weather is going to last over the weekend which is nice as I am out with Lancaster Uni at the weekend and then at Glenmore Lodge working on a Winter ML Training next week.

Wild Avalanche Weekend in the Cairngorms

2012-01-23T15:03:00.000Z

Probing for a body.....I think there is one in there!

I have been running an Avalanche awearness course for Glenmore Lodge over the weekend in the Cairngorms. Saturday was wild with gusts of 114mph on the summits. We spent the first few hours inside discussing avalanche theory, forecasts, snowpack structure and the recipe needed for avalanches to occur. We then headed up to the Ciste West wall to have a look at the snow pack and the tools we can use to make decisions on stability. I was wild up there but we managed to have a good session and with new fresh snow being put down there was lots to look at.

On Sunday the weather was not nearly as wild, thankfully! The team were a mixture of skiers and snow shoers and they were keen to look at Transceiver and companion rescue techniques. We spent the first few hours re capping Saturday and then looked at Transceiver searches in the transceiver park at Glenmore Lodge. We then headed into Sneachda carried out some search exercises before looking at probing techniques and tactical digging. We then rounded the day off with a few more stability test and thoughts.

A great weekend with new snow being put down in the Cairngorms, gully lines are still very thin and buttresses are turing white but at present it is mostly cosmetic. Fingers cross this snow continues.

Great weather and conditions on Ben Nevis

2012-01-17T11:22:00.000Z

Andy Spink coming down Tower Ridge

Bill and Andy happy in the sun at the top of Green Gully

Starting up the last steep step on pitch 4 of Green Gully

I have been across on the west for the last few days. On Friday and Monday I was at the Nevis Range working on the skis as I log some hours ready for my next BASI course, there is still some skiing there and it is not too bad were the snow has been broken up by the groomer. However the climbing conditions are definitely better!

Over the weekend I was on Ben Nevis, Saturday was a workshop being run by Rich Bently, Alan Kimber and Mike Pescod for the AMI. We were looking at using the ben in bad conditions or when it is very busy, I spent the day with Alan, Andy, Ian and Simon on the far side of Tower Ridge. On Sunday it was a days play so I met up with Bill and Andy and we headed up to the Ciste area with no real plans just to see what was free! I was very surprised so see very few people there and Green Gully free, I had never done this before so we nipped up this (it is in good conditions if a little thin at times). We then came down Number 3 with a short abseil over the cornice and then went up Central which was steep for the grade but great.

A great day out with great conditions. A few days off now before an Avalanche course at Glenmore Lodge. Looks like there is going to be some new snow put down in the Cairngorms this week which is great news.

Dreaming

2012-01-12T11:39:00.000Z

Dreaming of more skiing and lots of snow! Well off to the Nevis Range tomorrow for some work and then a weekend on Ben Nevis before a few more days at the Nevis Range, it might be like below you never know!!!!!

Winter ML Ropework and Lochain

2012-01-11T21:22:00.000Z

Testing the strength of a bucket seat!

Coire an Lochain showing black buttresses:(

Stomper Belay

I was out yesterday working for Pete Hill on the Ropework day of a Winter ML Training, with the lack of snow around we had to give some thought to were we could go as there were a few teams out and about with the same idea as us! My team and I headed into the side wall of Coire an Lochain as there was a large build up here from the westerly winds. We spent the day looking at Bucket seats, horizontal axes, reinforced axes, bollards and stomper belays. Although the snow was damp it was actually quite strong and at the same time easy to dig in, a real bonus!

There were a few other teams out around the twin burns area but apart from that the coire was quiet, not surprising as the buttresses were black and there was not much snow in general. Teams from Sneachda reported even less snow with almost all the gully lines broken. Looks like it is going to get colder again over the weekend but not much snow is forecast.

Avalanche Weekend

2012-01-08T20:29:00.001Z

Now back from the Alps and it is back to work! I have been across on the west this weekend working for the M C of S running two Avalanche Assessment days. Saturday was windy but at least cold and today was windy, warm and wet! Still we had two good days looking at various was to assess snowpack stability and options for when you are concerned about slope stability. We managed to get the gondola up both days at the Nevis Range however we had to walk back down both days! Photos to follow when I am home.

Back at the Nevis Range tomorrow but this time to work on the skis, fingers crossed for lighter winds.

Last day of Sun.............................and then more SNOW!!

2011-12-28T17:32:00.000Z

Laura on her way up!

On the col resting before heading down!

With today being the last day forecast to be sunny (as the snow is returning) of our trip Laura, Chris and I were keen to get out touring again today. We headed to the Grand St Bernard area, as did it seemed the rest of the skiing world! Not to worry there was plenty of terrain and snow to go around we skinned up into the Combe de Drone and onto the Col du Bastillon, before heading down again. The snow was a little more sun affected than yesterday and below 2400m it was crusty, however it was a beautiful spot to ski in and I am sure we will be back.

More snow forecast over the next few days so I think we will be turning our attention to playing in the powder!

Blue bird powder day

2011-12-27T20:05:00.000Z

Another blue sky day in the alps with fresh powder to still be found!

Chris, Laura and I headed to Arolla today to make sure we could get high as the temperature was on the up and we had had a tip off of there still being plenty of powder on offer! We headed up to the Pas de Chevres first which still had great snow on it as it spends most of the day in the shade. After this we headed up to the Col La Forcla. The snow at the top of this was a little sun affected, however once we got into the shadow of Plan Tsardon it was nice and light again.

Another great day out on the planks.

Happy Christmas

2011-12-25T21:55:00.000Z

Christmas Ski Boots in Switzerland

Laura enjoying a Christmas day ski

Santa has been good to us in Switzerland filling our ski boots with presents and producing a blue sky day with some lovely fresh powder. I hope everyone else out there had an equally great day. Happy Christmas.

Fresh snow for Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T16:44:00.000Z

The light snow fall that was predicted last night and this morning turned into a little more than forecast with about 15cm being put down at around 1500m on a reasonable westerly wind. Laura and I headed up towards and past Solalex, however after we got above the tree line the wind was not very pleasant so we turned around and played in the fresh snow amongst the trees. There is a light crust from Thursdays warm weather but it is not too unpleasant to ski on as long as there was fresh powder on top.

Merry Christmas to everyone, I hope Santa is good to you tomorrow.

So much snow!

2011-12-23T18:14:00.002Z

Retreat back up the piste after the power cut!!!

Laura finding her way to through some tricky terrain

Looking towards Martigny over the cloud inversion

Laura on the way home at the end of the day.

There is certainly plenty of snow out in the Alps at present although it looks like it has stopped now! For our first day out we headed to Chris's local ski area Villars, it snowed all day and the lift team were struggling to open many of the runs due to unstable snow however we had a good day warming up the legs on and off piste. That was until the whole of Villars had a power cut so the lifts stopped working, not great when you are at the bottom of a run waiting to go back up, never mind skis on rucksack and a good bit of exercise walking back up the piste.

Today Laura and I had a day at Verbier as Chris was on a course with Alison Culshaw across in Chamonix. The weather was stunning high up on the slopes at Verbier and there was loads of very deep powder to be found. We spent the day skiing our self to a stand still, awesome.

Short Roping CPD

2011-12-17T20:30:00.000Z

I was back at Glenmore Lodge yesterday for the final day of staff training. We headed into the hidden coire between Sneachda and Lochain to look at short roping as an MIC and how we teach it on MIC Training courses. I spent the day in a small team of 5 looking at issues and different solutions to short roping, what is possible and what is not. A great weather day with sun and no wind.

Now down in Edinburgh for a early family Christmas before heading out to what sounds like a very snowy alps, looking forward to some powder skiing and touring:)

Snow Anchors

2011-12-14T20:14:00.000Z

I have been at Glenmore Lodge today for some staff training. We spent most of the day out on the west wall of the Ciste looking at different snow anchors and testing them to destruction. It was a breeze day but not too wild where we were, some new snow falling and below freezing all day.

Back out again for more staff training tomorrow and then off to the Alps for Christmas and New Year.

Mountain Rescue Training and Mountaineering Work!

2011-12-13T18:40:00.000Z

I was at Glenmore Lodge for most of this week just gone, on Thursday and Friday it was the Glenmore Lodge Mountain Rescue Team training. The weather was wild and we spent most of the time around the lodge low down, over the two days we looked at radio work, client care and packaging, stretcher work, first aid scenarios and some cable ways. A very good few days although the sort of skills you hope you don't have to use!

Over the weekend I was working with Kevin Rutherford on a Winter Mountaineering course for Glenmore Lodge, this was my first winter work of the season and a great weekend to start on. The weather on Saturday was awesome and Sunday's was almost as good. We spent the weekend looking at personal movement skills on steep ground, ropework, navigation and avalanche awareness. A great weekend with a keen team.

Avalanche Workshop

2011-12-13T18:27:00.000Z

I was out last Wednesday with Mark Diggins from SAIS on a workshop for the AMI. The workshop was aimed at the latest thinking on avalanche assessments for instructors. We spent part of the morning looking at the theory and some updates in statistics before a quick session on transceivers in the grounds at Glenmore Lodge before heading out to Coire an t Sneachda to look at the process the SAIS observers go through and to discuss the pros and cons of different stability tests. A very good day with some interesting points and a great start to the winter.

Winter in the Cairngorms

2011-12-02T21:01:00.000Z

I spent a short day in the Cairngorms today with John and Monty and it was definitely winter! We headed into Sneachda across to underneath Ficaill Buttress then across to point 5 gully and up onto the plateau before heading back along the corrie edge to 1141 and back to the car.

There was plenty of snow in the corrie with quite a lot of drifting going on due to the strong westerly winds, which were also helping the rime to start building. The turf that we crossed was not frozen, however good conditions reported on Fingers Ridge by a team of 3 that made a fast ascent. There were also people climbing on The Runnel, Genie, Original Summer Route and The Message however we did not chat to these teams so can not report on conditions.

Looks like more snow is going to be put down in the next few days and it looks like it is going to stay cold next week as well.

Profesional Development

2011-12-01T10:26:00.000Z

Cairngorm Ski Area this morning

The start of December is normally CPD time of year for Mountaineering Instructors and this year is no different. Yesterday I was at Glenmore Lodge for a Report Writing workshop, although not the first thing you would think of for a Mountaineering Instructor it is actually a very important part of the job for NGB courses. Saturday sees me at the MLTS Providers workshop, Wednesday at an Avalanche workshop, Thursday and Friday is Mountain Rescue Training at Glenmore Lodge. Followed by my first winter work and then some more training. So all go for the start of the season. In between I hope to get out and play in the snow that is now falling!

Is this winter?

2011-11-25T10:03:00.000Z

Could this be the start of winter we have all been waiting for? Well it looks like it is going to warm up a little over the weekend but the general trend is for it to cool down over all, in fact some forecasts are predicting large amounts of snow to fall in the mountains over the first few weeks of December!

With the likely onset of winter I have managed to time it badly with a injury! However a visit to the physio has told me that my Achilles is strained and nothing worse so a few days rest and some rehab exercises and I should be fine for when the snow comes.

Crag Problems

2011-11-19T12:17:00.000Z

Will showing the strain!!

Bill and his team abseiling past a knot

Will lowering a client past a knot

I have spent the last 2 days out with the 3rd year students from West Highland College looking at crag problems and solutions. I was teamed up with Will and Lauren, we headed to Glen Nevis on Thursday and used the Pinnacle Crag area to look at escaping the system (anchors in reach), unassisted and assisted hoists in the system and lowering past a knot. It was dry up till lunch but then the heavens opened! On Friday with the rain lashing down in Fort William we headed east to Huntley's Cave were it was dry! After a short session looking at escaping the system anchors out of reach we then spent the day setting up some scenarios for Will and Lauren to solve with what they had learnt over their 3 days of coaching. Another great day with some really motivated and keen students, thanks guys.

Ripping up the Trails

2011-11-19T12:03:00.000Z

A last minute change on Tuesday night meant I was working on the bike on Wednesday rather than rock climbing, variety is the spice of life and all that! I spent the day biking with a group of 2nd year students from West Highland College and Mike Pescod. Mike know much more about the trails around Lochaber being a local and so I really just followed his lead for the day which was great. We spent some time in the morning doing some maintenance and coaching skills before heading down Glen Nevis to ride some of the natural trails down there.

It was great to be on some new trails and watching someone else run some sessions. Great weather, spicy trails and awesome fun!

1st Aid Course

2011-11-15T19:56:00.000Z

Over the weekend I have been on a 1st Aid Course that was being run by Bill Strachan for Outwardly Mobile. It was a very good 2 days and I can recommend Bill and Outwardly Mobile if anyone needs to re do their 1st aid qualification.

12,000 Years in a Day!

2011-11-15T19:52:00.000Z

For the last day of my IML training we spent the morning out with Keith. We spent the day heading out to the green lochan doing a circuit looking at what we would have found in the area up to around 12,000 years ago just after the ice finally receded and then applying this to what we might see in the Alps and further afield.

It was then back to the lodge for a few final lectures on using alpine huts, the winter training and the summer assessment. It has been a great week and I am now looking forward to my assessment this coming summer out in the Alps.

Chains and Flowers!

2011-11-10T20:23:00.001Z

For day 4 of my IML we had a split day between the mountain environment and uising fixed gear on routes. After a session indoors in the morning looking at some of the theory of Mountain Environments we headed out for a day on the hill. With the groups split into 2 I spent the morning with Keith looking at various points of the environment, this was really interesting and whilst I think I have a reasonable knowledge of this topic already there is still certainly much to improve on! In the afternoon we joined Nancy and Jon to look at using fixed equipment to look after clients in an exposed area with just a rope, 2 krabs and 2 slings.

It has been dry all day although at times it has been fairly windy and a quite cold. The last day tomorrow looks like it is going to cover some more environmental info plus a few other lectures.

A theory day

2011-11-09T22:19:00.000Z

Day 3 of my IML training has been a bit of a theory day. We have spent most of the day inside looking at Medical issues including cold problems, heat problems, drug use and dosages, altitude issues and then a ropework session in preparation for tomorrow.

A good day but quite classroom heavy! Back outside tomorrow though.

Windy day in the hills

2011-11-08T23:42:00.000Z

We were out on the hill today for the second day of my IML training, after a 45min session of translating our route for the day from German! My group headed into Corrie an t Sneachda with Nancy looking at the environment, having a re-cap on navigation and then looking at some of the technological tools used for navigation i.e. GPS and Altimeter. We also spent sometime discussing emergency issues and how we might deal with these in different locations in the world.

It was then back to the lodge for a few lectures on 'Working for Trekking Companies' and 'Marketing'.

Another good day and it stayed dry all day although it was very windy in the mountains.

IML Training - Speed Navigation

2011-11-07T21:48:00.000Z

I am at Glenmore Lodge this week, but this time as a student! I am doing my International Mountain Leader Training (IML), this is the award needed to lead other in rolling Nordic type terrain elsewhere in the world.

Today after a chat in the classroom discussing the plan for the week, we had to do a speed navigation test. To do this course you have to have passed you Summer ML and so a test of your navigation is carried out over orienteering style course using ML style navigation legs. There is a time limit to this worked out at 4kmp and 1min/contour, although this sounds easy it is actually quite challenging as it does not leave much time for mistakes, poor route choice and some fairly unpleasant terrain that you have to cover. Each course is around 3 hours long and thankfully I came in with 1hour and 1minute to spare!

The rest of the day was spent in the classroom looking at the remit of the award, professionalism, legal issues and alpine weather.

It has been a glorious day here in the Cairngorms but I don't have any photos sorry too busy rushing around whilst out!

Performance Rock Climbing Clinic for WHC

2011-11-05T17:43:00.000Z

I was back at West Highland College yesterday to run a performance rock climbing clinic for some of there students. With a damp forecast on the west Ben and I decided to take our 4 students to Kingussie Crag across near Aviemore. The drive was worth it as we stayed dry for most of the day, although the rock was a little damp.

Andrew and Adam had done a little bit of outdoor climbing, lots of indoor climbing and had spent the previous clinic looking at gear placement and belay construction so were keen to look at actually leading routes. We had a recap of gear placements and belay construction and introduced them to some new ideas for this. We then spent some time looking at self protecting an abseil and a set up for this before getting them on the sharp end for some leading, albeit with a ghost rope as the crag was a bit slippy by this stage after some rain.

A great day out and both Adam and Andrew have now started their careers as lead climbers.

Dry in the West!

2011-11-03T19:50:00.000Z

I was working across on the west yesterday with the 2nd Year Students from West Highland College. The day was a hill assessment for them which has a large element of navigation plus emergency procedures and equipment. My team and I headed up to the top Ben Nevis car park and headed up towards Meall an t-Suidhe looking at navigation and burn crossings. We then had a chat about emergency procedures and equipment over lunch before finding the return path to the CIC hut which we headed down for a while before crossing the Allt a' Mhuilinn and heading back to the vans to meet the other teams. My group did well and all passed their assessment, well done.

Today I have been at Glenmore Lodge helping out as a casualty on the WEMSI Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician course, which was great fun.

Back to West Highland College tomorrow for some rock climbing coaching.

7 Stanes Mountain Biking

2011-11-01T10:31:00.000Z

With Laura having a week off for half term it was too good an opportunity to escape to miss, but what to do during a time of year that is traditionally wet, windy and cold! Simple go mountain biking, so we hired a cottage down in Galloway sorted some biking friends and set off with the plan to cycle as much as possible in 5 days. It was a good plan until I came off my bike at speed on the 1st trail of the week, this was followed by a trip to the minor injuries unit at Newton Stewart to have my lower leg glued back together. I was told I had healthy skin though by the nurse!!

Thankfully I only had to sit one day out and after that was back on the bike. During the week we cycled at Dalbeattie, Ae and Kirroughtree. The trails are excellent, well maintained and something for everyone. We were though a little disappointed by the support infrastructure at the centres with the cafes closing early or being no existent in the first palace! Still and awesome week and a recommend it to anyone into mountain biking more info at http://www.7stanesmountainbiking.com/Home

Summer Mountain Leader Training

2011-11-01T10:16:00.000Z

I was working across on the West coast the week before half term with Bill Strachan, we were running a Summer Mountain Leader Training course based out of West Highland College. It was a full course with 12 keen clients, which was good as the weather was not the nicest! During our 6 days we visited a number of different locations and looked at the main skills that are required to be a Summer Mountain Leader. If you are interested in training to become a mountain leader then have a look at the following page http://www.sandypaterson.co.uk/index.php?page=summer-mountain-leader-training dates for next year will be online very soon.

Hot Rock - Toulon

2011-11-01T09:51:00.004Z

At the beginning of October I flew out to France to spend a week climbing with my friend Luke who is based in the Engadina teaching. With winter approaching in the Alps he was keen for a last fix of sun and I was keen for a first taste of sun from the summer! We decided to use the new rock fax guide to the Cote d' Azure and headed for the Toulon area (home to the French Navy!) although Toulon is not the most attractive city the surrounding area is lovely, lots of limestone which on the whole is well bolted and very few other people. We spent 5 days climbing at a different venue each day and generally enjoying the sun, at times it was a little too warm with the daytime temperature never really dropping below 25 degrees and one day it reaching 32 degrees, hot for a Ginger Scotsman.

There is loads to go at in the area for all standards of climbers and after a flick through the local guide books there is much more to see than what the rock fax have in. A word of warning though the grades are tough! The locals laughed when we mentioned this as suggested that the rest of the world was wrong and they were right, however they did agree!

An awesome holiday and great to catch up with Luke and Anne before Baby Boon is born.

Concerning court ruling

2011-10-15T11:08:00.000+01:00

I have just been sent the following link by Jagged Globe and it makes for some concerning reading.

http://pistehors.com/news/ski/comments/1024-three-months-suspended-sentence-for-forgetting-avalanche-beacon/

Feel free to add some comments on the Piste Hors website.

ABS Rucksack Test

2011-10-06T14:42:00.001+01:00

Our new ABS rucksacks arrived a few days ago and Laura and I got around to testing them today, they come with a spare gas canister to have a practice with!

I have been thinking about getting either an ABS rucksack or a SnowPulse one for a while and have taken the plunge, they are not cheep but the stats are very impressive. I decided to go with the ABS Vario system and have got a small 15L bag for day skiing and a 40L for hut to hutting, They also do a 25L that looks very good as well.

If you are interested in them I got ours from www.snowsafe.co.uk and you can find out more info there or from the ABS website http://abs-airbag.com/home.php?chid=1&lang=uk&m=17 also feel free to drop me a line if you want to ask any questions.

Now Laura and I are hoping for lots if powder when we go skiing at Christmas!

Scratch, Scratch, Scratch!

2011-10-06T09:43:00.000+01:00

We will soon be scratching!! Looks like it will melt quickly but winter is certainly just around the corner!

Scrambling Weekend

2011-10-03T19:38:00.000+01:00

I have been at Glenmore Lodge this weekend running an Introduction to Scrambling course. On Saturday Rachel, David, Danny, Craig and myself headed into Coire an t Sneachda with the aim of looking at personal movement skills, risk assessment, route choice and protecting each other with out a rope. We also looked at some navigation on the way in as the visibility was poor and they were all keen to brush up on this as well. Half way into the the coire we headed up to the Twin Ribs area and picked a line up onto the ridge discussing various issues including what the various scrambling grades meant. We then headed along the ridge taking various detours off the ridge to find some more scrambling. Once on the pleatue we headed back around to 1141 and back to the van looking at some more navigation. A great day was had even if it was a little damp.

On Sunday we headed to the Chalamain Gap with the aim of looking at some unplanned use of the rope.We spent the first half of the day looking at anchor selection and practicing ropework in the horizontal so we knew it was working before we took it to the vertical. We then spent the second half of the day testing out the ropework, abseiling and looking at different types of anchor and belaying methods. Although it was a dry (ish) day the rock was still wet and very slippery all adding to the challenge.

A great weekend, thanks for your company team. I have a few days off before heading out to France for a weeks climbing with my good friends Luke and Anne so I am currently dreaming off shinny bolts, warm rock and good red wine, fingers crossed!

3 New Munro's!

2011-09-30T21:36:00.000+01:00

I have been back across west for the last few days working with the 1st year students from West Highland College. The aim was for a 3 day back packing journey to look at camp craft, the environment, navigation and some emergency procedures. I love these trips for the college as there is no set location for the 3 days so I can go and explore a new area, and if I am lucky tick off some new Munro's. So after a quick chat with the students on Wednesday morning about equipment and our aims we had a look at areas on the map and found that none of us had been to the Munro's to the east of Loch Treig.

We parked at Fersit and headed along the track to the Strathossian House area were we set up camp next to the river and then headed up Beinn na Lap to see the sun setting. It was a great night as is shown by the photos above, it was then back to the tents for a good nights sleep. On Thursday we headed west up to Meall Dhearcaig and alone to Chno Dearg and then onto Stob Coire Sgriodain, this area was great for navigation as we were in thick cloud and rain from about 600m! We then headed south to a camp fairly low down and after a bite to eat headed out for 2 hours night nav. Finally today we spent the morning in and around camp talking about equipment, the mountain leader award, emergency procedures and river crossings before heading back to the college.

A great few days with a fit keen group. Now time to quickly change rucksacks and wash some cloths and off to Glenmore Lodge for the weekend for an Intro Scrambling course.

Getting drier!

2011-09-26T21:16:00.000+01:00

It has been a busy few days for me. Last Wednesday and Thursday I was across in a wet Fort William working for West Highland College. Wednesday was a day with the 2nd years looking at some navigation and personal hill skills as they get ready for an assessment in November. My group and I spent the day in some heavy rain in the Torcastle area looking at micro nav skills. On Thursday I was out with a group of 1st years again looking at navigation and having a general warm up before an expedition this coming week, it was again wet!!

I then drove down to Alyth in Perthshire to meet up with a Gold Duke of Edinburgh group from St Aloysius College from Glasgow. We spent 4 days doing a loop from Alyth as they prepare for their Gold Assessment in Iceland, we looked at the the usual Duke of Edinburgh things like navigation, campcarft, teamwork, emergency procedures. Thankfully the weather was much nicer as can be seen in the photo above.

Home for a day now before heading back across for 3 days with the West Highland College 1st years on a back packing trip and then a weekend at Glenmore Lodge. Looks like the weather is on the up for the end of September which will be nice.

Catch Up - But no Photos!

2011-09-20T09:41:00.000+01:00

I have been a bit slow to update the blog over the last week or so due to being busy and still not having a working camera, sorry!

Since climbing Castle Ridge with Mike I have met up with Wyn who was up from Wales on holiday and looking to progress his scrambling skills. We sent the first day on a very wet Zig Zag's in Glen Coe sheltering from the wind. During our ascent and descent we looked at rope work, placing gear, abseiling and other little tricks. Wyn then had a day off and I spent the day working for West Highland College running some Mountain Bike sessions on their induction week, it was great to meet all the new students and we had a lovely dry day! Meeting up with Wyn the next day it was again windy and wet so we headed east to try and escape the worst of the wet. We headed to the Cairngorms and up through the twin ribs area and along Ficaill Ridge taking in all the hardest bits, with Wyn doing his fair share of the leading putting in to practice what we had covered 2 days before.

After a few days off and a spot of Mountain Biking around Strathpefer it was back across to the west in what must have been some of the wettest weather so far this summer to work on a Summer Mountain Leader Training with Bill Strachan. Although the weather was truly awful the team did really well to keep focused and learn lots.

Next stop was a days biking with Jules Fincham around the Aviemore area, looking at some skills and riding top tips for the MBL Award, another glorious day in the sun. Strange how the good weather seems to fall on my biking days, one of the reasons I started biking was it was a good wet weather option!!

It was then onto Glenmore Lodge to run a Crevasse Rescue course for a group who are heading out to Austria in a few weeks for some glacier trecking.

Now back home for a few days with Laura and time to start updating the website ready for winter. Winter dates and courses will be released soon! Of back to Fort William tomorrow for 2 days with the College and then down to Perthshire to work on a Gold D of E, who said September was quiet!!

Summer Mountain Leader Training - New Course

2011-09-19T12:32:00.001+01:00

New date for a Summer Mountain Leader Training course.

I will be running a Summer ML Training with Bill Strachan on 16th - 21st October 2011, based in Fort William. The course is being run out of West Highland College but is open to all as long as they have registered with MLTB.

More information can be found at the link below, or please feel free to contact me at info@sandypaterson.co.uk

http://www.sandypaterson.co.uk/index.php?page=summer-mountain-leader-training

A weekend on the West

2011-09-05T09:28:00.000+01:00

Mike and I headed over to the West Coast for the weekend just gone. With a wet morning on Saturday we did not leave to early with the hope that the worst of the rain would have passed when we got there, not the case! Biking was the order of the day on Saturday so we headed for 10 Under The Ben at Nevis Range, I had done the World Champs course there a while back which was really good so I had high hopes for this. Unfortunately it was not so good, well rubbish really, it is graded red but 90% if on forest track and non technical single track with a few hundred meters of good downhill and a section of black that does not fit in with the rest of the course at all. It had rained solidly and so after a quick coffee we sent sometime at the little skills area before heading for a warm shower!

Thankfully the weather on Sunday was better and we headed up Castle Ridge on Ben Nevis, this was great and on the whole dry with the ridge coming in and out of the cloud. There are no route finding difficulties as you just follow the crampon scratches from winter and the clean rock. We then came down via ledge route and back to the car. A great dry day out and another the classic Ben Nevis ridges done.

Just the one photo this time as my camera is broken so am using my phone!

The busy and the quiet

2011-09-02T21:28:00.000+01:00

I have taken the last 2 weeks off to settle into our new house and help Laura with the start of a new job, running a boarding house for 75 teenage girls is a full on job! I have though managed to get a few days cragging in with Monty, a very busy day at Cummingston with all sorts of groups there and a very quiet day at Redhythe with no one there! I am across west this weekend for a little more play with Mike before it is back to work next week.

ML Assessment - Tour of the Tops!

2011-08-19T14:58:00.000+01:00

I have been at Glenmore Lodge this week working on a Summer Mountain Leader Assessment. The weather has been a mix of showers and sun with the odd swarm of midges to eat us, but on the whole it has been a good week. Monday and Tuesday saw us in and around Sneachda looking at emergency situations, river crossings, party management, steep ground and unplanned use of the rope. We then spent 3 days out on expeditions starting from Rothiemurchus Lodge and headed up onto the Braeriach area were we spent the night. On day two we headed along the tops in poor visability and dropped down to Corrour Bothy before heading back up to Ben Macdui. Night two was spent just north of Ben Macdui and we did some night navigation around this area as well. This morning we walked out to the Ski Car Park.

Sorry no photos this week, I work on the basis that on assessment people are already stressed enough without me sticking a camera in their face!

A week in a Freezer

2011-08-10T10:21:00.000+01:00

The last 10 days have been busy with weddings and visiting friends, however I have managed to squeeze in a 5 day ski instructors course (BASI Level 1) at the Tamworth Snowdome. The 5 days look at both your own personal performance as well as how to teach beginners and intermediates to ski. The 5 days covered both training and assessment which I am glad to say I passed.

I now have a few days off before working on a Summer ML Assessment at Glenmore Lodge next week. Fingers crossed the weather improves.

Catch Up!

2011-07-30T11:17:00.000+01:00

It has been a while since I have updated the blog as I have been away from home for a while (and still am!). Last week I headed down to North Wales to do some work for my friend and fellow MIC Rob Johnson. I headed south through some very heavy rain however a few days scrambling with clients for Rob were not too damp and we got away without waterproofs each day.

Last weekend I then caught up with Monty for a few days play! Thankfully the weather gods were on our side and we had wall to wall sunshine all weekend. It was a bit of a challenge finding crags and climbs that Monty had not done as he lived in North Wales for a while. However we had two great days climbing at Tremadog in the sun with no midges! Armed with the new guide book we found a few routes that had been cleaned recently, finding great solid rock and great friction.

After the weekend it was back to work as I meet up with Charlie to look at some navigation in preparation for her Summer ML assessment. It was then time for holidays as I collected Laura from Manchester Airport and we headed to The Lake District. Since then we have continued to have great weather and have been out on the mountain bikes as much as possible both at Grizedale and Whinlatter.

Looks like the weather is going to turn on Sunday, however that does not bother me as I am inside next week at the Tamworth Snowdome doing my BASI Level 1!

Wet - Dry - Wet

2011-07-19T19:34:00.000+01:00

Last weeks weather was timed to perfection, it was wet last weekend then dried up on Monday to Friday which was nice as I had 5 days climbing on a learn to lead course at Glenmore Lodge. We visited Cummingston, The Pass of Ballater, Kingussie, Redhythe and Duntelchaig whicg gave us a great tour of the single pitch crags around Glenmore Lodge. The on Friday night the weather turned and it was wet (very) over the weekend but that did not bother me too much as I was again at Glenmore Lodge but this time working on a Navigation weekend. I had a team of 7 for an introduction to navigation, they had all done very little however by the end of the weekend went away being able to use the 3 D's for their navigation in the mountains. After a great 7 days at Glenmore Lodge it was home to help Laura pack the house up (we are moving on Friday) as well as pack my own kit up as I am heading to North Wales on Wednesday for some Scrambling work, hopefully some rock climbing with Monty and then some more navigation work before some holiday time with Laura! July is as ever a busy month.

Rock Climbing in the Sun

2011-07-12T19:02:00.000+01:00

I am at Glenmore Lodge this week running a 5 day Learn to Lead rock climbing course. On Monday it was damp to say the least around Aviemore so we headed towards the coast and spent the day in the dry and sun at Cummingston. We spent the day looking at climbing calls, rope work, abseiling and equalising anchors. Cummingston was busy with all those who had fled the rain inland!

Today with a drier forecast inland we headed to The Pass of Ballater were we looked at placing gear, building belays and self protecting an abseil. It was nice and dry all day although some of the cracks were still drying out from yesterdays rain. A good start to the course, tomorrow it is the students turn to get on the sharp end of the rope and it looks like it is going to stay dry.

Dry on Curved Ridge

2011-07-10T14:14:00.000+01:00

I was across in Glen Coe on Friday to climb Curved Ridge with John and Rona. Both John and Rona have done a fair amount of hill walking in the past but were keen to try some harder scrambling. Curved ridge was the goal for the day and the forecast looked like it was going to be touch and go with heavy showers forecast. However as you can see from the pictures the sun was out while we were scrambling and we only had a 10min shower on the way down, a great result considering that 15 minutes after getting back to the cars the heavens opened. Rona and John did really well, copying with the technical terrain with ease making short work of the ridge.

I am off to Glenmore Lodge tomorrow for 7 days and then off down to North Wales for some work before some holiday time with Laura!

Busy on the Bike!

2011-07-07T10:26:00.000+01:00

The last week has been a busy 7 days even though I have not been working! I was down in the Lake District over the weekend for a stag do and some great mountain biking on the Altura Trails in the Whinlatter Forrest. We did the trails a few times from the forestry commission car park and they were awesome! The trails are man made but with quite a few tree roots playing a role as well, it was bone dry which was nice as a mixture of slate and tree roots in the wet would have made it all rather challenging! There is also a good bike shop and cafe there so a great set up for a full days biking.

After a day recovering on Sunday (not from the biking!) it was back out on the bike again to do some final preparation for my TCL Assessment that was on Wednesday at Glenmore Lodge. I am pleased to say that I passed! We spent the day looking at leadership, navigation, bike skills, trail side repairs and emergency issues as we did a loop out towards Neathy Bridge from Glenmore and back again. A good day and it only rain heavily for the second half of the day!

It is now back to work with a day across scrambling on the west tomorrow and then back to Glenmore Lodge for a 5 day learn to lead course followed by a weekends navigation course. Fingers crossed it might stop raining!

All is well that ends well!

2011-06-30T18:44:00.000+01:00

I have been down working around Aberfeldy over the last 4 days on a Duke of Edinburgh Silver training trip. Sunday was a foul day with non stop rain and a fairly cold and depressed group once camp was reached! I was a little gloomy myself and the forecast was predicting much the same for the next few days! However when I woke on Monday morning it was dry and then over the next 3 days it just progressively got better, till come Wednesday afternoon we were all a little pink!

My team did really well developing there navigation skills and all the other skills needed to be out in the wilderness for 4 days and 3 nights. They were also excellent company so all in all it was a great 4 days.

I now have a little time off that is going to be filled by heading south to the Lakes for a stag do and some mountain biking. Guy if you are reading this 'good luck'!

Busy at Cummingston

2011-06-20T14:27:00.000+01:00

Martin Teaching at the top of Cummingston

Kirstin leading under Martin's watchful eye

I was at Cummingston yesterday with Martin, Kirstin and John. Martin is preparing for his MIA assessment and had asked for some input on his teaching rock climbing. To help with this Kirstin and John had agreed to come along and act as mock clients for the day. We spent the day climbing routes looking at teaching points, session structures, the pace of the day, teaching lead climbing and generally enjoying the dry weather.

It was busy at Cummingston with a number of other pairs out and a big group from the Scouts doing all sort of things!

I now have a few days off before heading down to Loch Tay area to work for Fettes College for a few days. Will hopefully be out on my mountain bike and climbing, however I should be doing my tax return from last year!!!

Damp on the Zig Zags

2011-06-20T14:13:00.002+01:00

A little damp on the way down!

After a few days at home were I managed to get out on the bike for a first time in a while with Bill I was back across to Glen Coe on Saturday for some scrambling. I was out with Steve abd Caroline, Steve is preparing for his MIA assessment and wanted some input on his scrambling and general mountain day. The forecast was to be dry in the morning and wet in the afternoon, which was spot on as at 12.30pm it started to rain and by the time I got back to the van at 5pm I was soaked! We spent on the Zig Zags looking at the use of the rope in ascent and descent on broken scrambley terrain, topics covered were short roping, ledging, short pitches, lowers and managing 2 people on the end of one rope.

Knoydart Travels

2011-06-20T14:03:00.000+01:00

Looking back to the Corran ferry on Day 1

Glen Finnan on Day 2

River crossing on Day 3

Sourlies Bothy

I was working for Glasgow Academy last week on a Gold D of E training trip. The route started by crossing the Corran Ferry and then heading north up the loch side and along Cona Glen to camp at the end of the Glen on Day 1. Day 2 had us heading North past Glen Finnan and to a camp just North of Streap in Gleann Cuirnean. The weather was nice over the first two days with just the old shower, however this changed on day 3 with continual drizzle for the day as we headed to Glen Dessarry and down to Sourlies. By the time we got to the bothy were were all fairly damp so it was nice to use the bothy to cook and dry out in! Day for had us start early to head up and over the Mam Meadail col and down to Inverie for lunch in the Old Forge Inn. It was then a hope on a fast rib to head back to Mallaig and lift back to Corran to collect my car. A great few days through some wild areas. The team were excellent and should have no problems with their qualifying trip in the future.

ML Expedition

2011-06-08T21:35:00.001+01:00

It was day 3 of the ML Assessment today, and day 1 of the 3 day exped! As all the team had done their training exped on the main Cairngorm plateau Jon and Mark decided to head east and start from the Lecht area with the aim of walking back to Glenmore Lodge. We headed west from the Ski Centre staying high and taking in all the summits on the broad ridge line. Each member of the team took turns at navigating and generally leading and at our lunch stop we heard a few general interest talks on the mountains. Once at 'The Eag' I said goodbye to Mark's team and started heading back to my van which was at the Lecht via a short stop to chat with Jon and his team. A great few days and good to see how other instructors structure their assessment days.

I have a few days off before heading across to the west coast to join Glasgow Academy on a Gold Duke of Edinburgh training trip.

Steep Ground and Ropes

2011-06-07T19:38:00.001+01:00

Classic navigation weather in the Cairngorms

I was out on day 2 of the Summer ML assessment today with Jon and his team. The aim today was to look at managing a group through steep broken ground with and without the use of a rope. It was a little damp and windy when we left the ski car park today and headed into Sneachda! After a few nav legs on the way into the corrie we headed up towards Twin Ribs with the team taking it in turns to lead the group and pick a line up on to the ridge. From here we headed up on to the Plateau with various detours off the sides of the ridge. Once on the top it was time for some more navigation before heading back down the goat track and back to the bus.

A good day out even if the weather was not great, felt cold for June! Fingers crossed it is a little warmer tomorrow.

Summer ML Assessment

2011-06-06T19:39:00.000+01:00

I am at Glenmore Lodge till Wednesday this week shadowing a Summer ML Assessment as part of my CPD. Although I have worked on these courses before it is always in isolation and so it is great to be able to see how other instructors run assessment days.

Today I was with Mark and his group and we headed from the top ski car park towards the Allt Coire an t-Sneachda and then followed this back down towards Glenmore Lodge. On the way we looked at some navigation, burn and river crossings, emergency issues plus some environmental topics. Although a chilly day it has been dry in the Cairngorms with light winds.

Sorry no photos as I forgot my camera.

A' Chioch - Cioch Nose

2011-06-04T12:47:00.000+01:00

Looking down to John from the top of Pitch 3

For my final day with John and Lucy we headed to Sgurr a Chaorachain and the Classic Rock route of Cioch Nose. We parked at the Bealach na Ba car park and walked down to the route, always a novel way to approach a mountain rock climb. The climbing is great with solid rock and great protection mainly in the form of nuts, it was still wet though in areas some of the cracks on pitch one and the chimney on pitch two being particularly slimy! Still we had a great day with the classic pitch 3 being a great and airy as ever. After getting to the top we carried on along the ridge with another two pitches of V Diff and then lots of scrambling to get us back to the summit and a short walk down hill to the cars.

A great way to finish of a lovely weeks climbing with Lucy and John, thanks to them for there company over the week.

I have the weekend off before heading over the Glenmore Lodge for the start of next week.

Leading at Ardheslaig

2011-06-04T12:29:00.000+01:00

Great views out over the bay at Ardheslaig

Lucy leading the bottom section of Very Gneiss

John leading the top pitch of Encore

With the weather due to cheer up on the West coast during the morning John, Lucy and I headed over to Shieldaig on Thursday morning. It had been damp and windy over night but after a relaxed start and a coffee in the wee coffee shop in Shieldaig the sun started to come out and dry everything off. By 11am the crag at Ardheslaig was nice and dry so we headed there to build on the leading that Lucy and John had done the day before. Ardheslaig is a lovely little crag about 5mins form the road and around 35m high of solid gneiss with great friction, it has a range of routes from Diff to VS and some of the easier ones can be split into 2 pitches to create a great intro to multi pitch climbing.

Lucy and John between themlead 6 pitches with me along side to take photos and add a little help when needed. After this we had a short discussion on ropework for scrambling and how to take coils before heading around to Applecross and a lovely dinner at the pub there!

On the Sharp End

2011-06-01T17:37:00.000+01:00

With a windy forecast for the mountains today Lucy, John and I headed to Cummingston. The plan for the day was to get them on the sharp end leading some routes. I lead a few routes for us to warm up with and as we were doing this we discussed tactics and preparing to lead routes, we then looked at some bouldering to coach some movement skills. After all of this Lucy and John had a go at leading a few routes which they did with great style.

Although windy it stayed dry until just after 4pm and we had another great day. We are going to head up towards Applecross tomorrow with the hope of doing some routes up around there.

Almost dry on Fingers Ridge

2011-05-31T22:54:00.000+01:00

With a forecast of light winds and showers today Lucy, John and I headed into Coire an t-Sneachda with the plan of climbing fingers ridge. The corrie was quiet with a few other walking groups out but no one else climbing. The showers came and went but they were light although some were hail and snow! Although the rock was cold it was fairly dry after the first pitch and made for pleasant climbing.

We climbed the route in 4 pitches with Lucy and John building their own belays at each stance before belaying each other up. This gave them lots of practice at the ropework that they learnt yesterday and more practice at placing gear. They are now in a good position for leading some routes tomorrow.

Dry Rock!

2011-05-30T19:28:00.000+01:00

I have been joined for the next 5 days by Lucy and John for some rock climbing. With a rather damp forecast for much of Scotland I had been watching the rain radar carefully in the hope of staying dry. My hunch that our best bet after a coffee and chat this morning was to head to Duntelchaig and the Pinnacle crag area. Thankfully it paid off and after one short shower in the morning we had a dry and sunny day (my first on in May!).

We spent the day climbing routes, looking at belaying, equalising anchor points, abseiling, protecting abseils and gear placement. Fingers crossed the rest of the weeks weather is as good as today's!

D of E Assessment in the Rain!

2011-05-29T17:46:00.000+01:00

I have been out for the last 2 days assessing a Bronze Duke of Edinburgh group. The route took them from Killin to Lochearnhead via Balquhidder. Whilst it was not the most challenging of routes the weather was not making life easy for them with heavy rain, strong winds and unseasonal cold temperatures. Still they all did well and passed this part of the Duke of Edinburgh award.

I have a day off today to dry kit and myself before meeting Lucy and John for 5 days of rock climbing, fingers crossed for some dry weather.

Already thinking of next winter!

2011-05-24T09:03:00.001+01:00

Whilst Europe had a snow starved season, across the pond they had it good! Mmmm what will it be like next year......were to go!

Old Man of Stoer

2011-05-22T12:16:00.002+01:00

The Old Man of Stoer from the mainland

Bill on the far side of the tyrolean with Natasha on the way across

Me......getting a good soaking by some big swell!!!

Bill and Natasha on a slightly damp summit

It was an early start yesterday for me to meet up with Bill and Natasha in Inverness before heading north to the Old Man of Stoer. We were not confident we would even get out of the car at the other end as we drove up through heavy rain and strong winds. When we arrived at the start of the walk in it had stopped raining but was still very windy, so we headed along the coast to see what conditions were like. On arrival at the stack we were glad to see a tyrolean in place as the tide was high and the swell was big.......enough for me to get a good soaking as I went across the tyrolean!

Once on the route the first pitch (the normal second pitch) passed quickly on dry rock, however it started to rain and the rest of the route was a mixture between greasy and wet! It was a bit of a fight to the top but we all got there and Natasha did brilliantly for her first time climbing outside. We then abseiled back down to the to top of our second pitch and then another short abseil back to the start of the tyrolean (that started from the end of the normal first pitch).

A great adventure although next time I think I will pick a dry day to climb it!

I now have a few days off before some Duke of Edinburgh assessments and then a weeks climbing with clients next week. It would be nice if it stopped snowing in the mountains, it is meant to be summer!

Thursday 19th - Sgurr Alasdair

2011-05-20T17:10:00.000+01:00

The forecast was again not great for today but we were keen to get back onto the ridge after our days rock climbing yesterday. We headed into Coir a' Ghrunnda in the dry and then entered the rather damp cloud just above coire level. We climbed Sgurr Alasdair via the South West ridge taking the chimney option not the bad step. From the summit of Alasdair the plan had been to head over Sgurr Thearlaich and onto Sgurr Mhic Choinnich via either Collies Ledge or the King's Chimney, however it was getting wetter and wetter and a little to windy so we headed down the fast Great Stone Shoot.

A great final day and nice to get to the top of Skye's highest mountain even if we could not see anything!

I have a day off tomorrow before heading up to climb the Old Man of Store in Saturday.

Wednesday 18th - Rock Climbing at Elgol

2011-05-20T17:03:00.000+01:00

Mick preparing for some steep Sandstone!

Rob on belay duty

The forecast for today was not good, persistent rain and gusts of 75mph, not what you want for scrambling on exposed ridges! So we headed around to the village of Elgol for a spot of rock climbing. We spent the day doing some climbing on School House Buttress that gives a handful of steep VS routes in lovely rough sandstone. We managed to avoid the worst of the showers and were happy we were not up high. After we all had tired arms and sore fingers we went and had tea and cake in the Elgol Coffee shop!

Tuesday 17th - Bidein Druim nan Ramh

2011-05-20T16:54:00.000+01:00

Heading up The Spur on Sgurr an Fheadain

The team below the 3 tops of Bidein Druim nan Ramh

Mick and Stu on the central summit of Bidein with Loch Coruisk behind

Rob, Gez and Martin leaving the central summit of Bidein

The forecast for day 2 was for it to be breeze in the morning but dry and then things going a little wrong in the afternoon. So with a slightly earlier start we headed into the ridge via the Fairy Pools in Glen Brittle and up The Spur (Grade 2) on Sgurr an Fheadain. This give a great approach as you get the most possible scrambling in as the route starts low down. Once on the main ridge we traverse the 3 tops of Bidein Druim nan Ramh, this involves some tricky scrambling and a few abseils in some exposed positions but the weather stayed dry for us on this section. After this is was back to grade 2/3 scrambling with a traverse of An Caisteal and its two gaps to jump (or scramble around!) and another abseil into the gap between An Caisteal and Bruach na Frithe. At this stage it started to rain a little but we still managed to make it to the top of Bruach na Frithe and started off down the North West ridge before the heavens really opened! It was fairly wild on the way down the ridge and back to the car but we still made good time.

A classic day with lots of technical mountaineering terrain covered, just what the Cuillin is best for.

Monday 16th - Am Bhasteir & Bhasteir Tooth

2011-05-20T16:36:00.000+01:00

I am on Skye this week working with Rob Johnson and 4 clients. The forecast for today was looking a little damp and windy however keen to get onto the ridge we headed up into Choire Bhasteir and up the east ridge of Am Bhasteir via the bad step. From the summit we continued heading west with an abseil and took in the summit of Bhasteir's Tooth before heading down the kings chimney via a few abseils and back to the cars. The cloud was in all day and although the wind dropped the rain did not stop. Still we all had a great day with the squeezing through the cave and abseil in the Kings Chimney being the highlights!

No photos today as it was a little too damp!

Summer Time!

2011-05-12T20:58:00.000+01:00

I have been out with the 1st Year Students from West Highland College today. The aim of the day was to look at leadership styles and the COLT Model for Leadership. We headed to the end of Glen Nevis and headed up to the Col just north of Meall Cumhann and then on to its summit. On the way we used some role play games to look at position of a leader in the group, style of leadership and dealing with common issues. We also found some rocky steps above the col to look at group management through steeper terrain. On the way down just for good measure we through in some common medical issues that a leader might have to deal with.

A great day with a keen team. The weather was not so great! We had a mixture of heavy showers, some sun and strong winds.......it certainly did not feel very summer like!

I have the next few days off before heading over to Skye on Sunday for 5 days, fingers crossed the weather improves up there for next week.

Climbing Indoors and Out

2011-05-11T19:16:00.000+01:00

I was working for West Highland College again yesterday with their 2nd Year students who were running indoor climbing sessions for a group of P6 Primary School children at the Ice Factor. The students did really well running fun and safe sessions, all good experience for them as they work towards doing the Climbing Wall Award Assessment.

It was climbing outside today! I was joined by Martin and Kirstin and we headed into Glen Nevis. The aim of the day was to look at different rope work systems that Martin will need to use as an climbing instructor. With a less than inspiring weather forecast we aimed to stay on the easier routes and spent the day looking at climbing in series, parallel, some of the common issues with both of the systems and then multiple abseil retreats from crags.

It was a good day even through at time a little damp and chilly. The odd midge was out and I fear it is only a matter of time now till they are out in force!

Sorry no pictures today for some reason every time I try to upload them my computer thinks it is a security threat!!

Enjoying the good weather!

2011-05-05T17:30:00.000+01:00

View from the top of the 1st pitch of Grand Diedre

Bill on the 1st pitch of Grand Diedre

Wild fire in Glen Sheil

I am just back from another trip across to the west. On Tuesday I was at the Ice Factor assessing 2nd Year students from West Highland College who were running indoor climbing sessions for Primary School children. It was not a great day to be indoors but all 3 students did really well. That evening after a quick solo up some routes in Glen Nevis I headed across to Skye to meet up with Bill the next morning.

So with another stunning day forecast Bill and I headed into Coir' a' Ghrunnda with the aim of doing some climbing. We headed to Commando Cracks first which we did in 2 pitches not the 4 or 5 it mentions in the guide books! We then headed back down to the bags via the chimney on the side of Sgurr Alasdair. After this we wandered along to Grand Diedre to the right of the TD gap. This gave 2 awesome pitches of climbing and finished at the ab point into the gap. We abseiled into the gap and then scrambled down the broken gully and back to the bags. It was then time to walk out and head to the pub!

This morning the original plan had been to head back up into the Cuillin but the weather changed over night and so we left Skye and headed back east. A quick mornings climb was had a Moy before heading home.

A great few days. Fingers crossed this damp spell does not last too long!

Warm in the Sun!

2011-05-02T17:15:00.000+01:00

I have been climbing down at Cummingston today with Monty. It was a popular choice today with around 15 other people climbing. As you can imagine the rock was bone dry but it is still chilly in the shade with a cool breeze coming in off the North Sea, that said when in the sun it was t-shirt weather!

I am off to Fort William tomorrow to do some work for West Highland College and then onwards to Skye to take advantage of the good weather, fingers crossed it holds. Then on Saturday I am doing some CPD on Movement Coaching with Dave MacLeod at the Ice Factor.

Sorry no photos today!

Summer ML Video

2011-05-02T10:02:00.000+01:00

A short video from last weeks Summer Mountain Leader Training......note the awesome weather!

Airbags and Avalungs

2011-04-30T08:46:00.000+01:00

An interesting video of the use of Avalungs and Airbags.

The music makes it all sound rather jolly I am sure that is not what was going through the skiers mind at the time!

ML Expedition

2011-04-30T08:39:00.000+01:00

For our 1 night mini break Bill and I took our teams to the mountain north of Loch Leven that we had been looking at all week from the hotel. On day one we headed up Mam na Gualainn and then across to the col just south of Doire Ban (Spot Height 405m) for the camp. A night time ascent of Doire Ban had us looking at night navigation and and then the next morning we headed back to the road via Tom Meadhoin.

The aim of the trip was to look at camping skills, issues and ideas plus lots and lots of navigation! This area was great for that as there are plenty of slope angle changes, contour shapes, ring contours etc etc.

The weather was again kind to us and it was a great end to the week and ML Training run by Scotch on the Rocks Guiding, thanks Bill.

Emergency Scenarios

2011-04-27T17:13:00.001+01:00

Day 4 of the ML Training had us looking at emergency scenarios. We spent the morning in and around the classroom, looking at a number of scenarios before discussing equipment that should and should not be carried by a mountain leader. This lead us into looking at common medical situations that we might be faced with and then how we might deal with them. Finally we spent sometime looking at river crossings before heading off to pack for our 2 day expedition that starts tomorrow.

Needless to say it has been another stunning day here on the west coast.

Mountain Leader Ropework

2011-04-26T21:15:00.000+01:00

Another glorious day in Lochaber, I could get used to this!

Today we were looking at unplanned use of the rope. We headed to Buachaille Etive Mòr and the ground to the east of the Coire na Tulaich approach. We spent the day looking at anchor selection, ropework systems for getting clients up and down rock steps, abseiling and some confidence roping. This day often has lots of different challenges for different people depending on if they come from a climbing back ground or a walking back ground, however the team did really well.

Looks like the weather is going to continue to be great!

Steep Ground and Group Managment

2011-04-25T21:13:00.000+01:00

It has been a lovely day across here on the west today. The plan of action for today was to look at some steep ground skills and managing a group through this sort of terrain.

We headed to Meall an t-Suidhe and the ridges that drop down towards the normal route up Ben Nevis. On the way in we looked at using a 1:25,000 map, timings and the usual navigation structure. Once on the steeper ground we spent sometime looking at coaching movement skills, spotting and what is in and out of remit of the Summer Mountain Leader Award. We headed up and down the one of the ridges before heading back to the hotel to have an evening session on ML ropework in preparation for tomorrow.

ML Training and some Micro Nav

2011-04-24T23:02:00.000+01:00

I am working for Bill Strachan this week in Glen Coe on a Summer Mountain Leader Training course. Today was day 1 so we spent sometime indoors looking at the ML Scheme and what is involved and then we headed to Torcastle to use the orienteering maps of the area to introduce map reading and how we coach it. The evening was then finished off with a talk on weather and nutrition in the mountains.

Sorry no photos today.

Back to Work!

2011-04-24T22:54:00.000+01:00

Now back from the Alps it has been back to work for me. This started with a Bronze D of E training in the Calendar area. The weather was warm and sunny on Friday which actually made for quite hard work for the group and after 6.5 hours they were happy to make camp. Over night on Friday the weather changed and it was a damp morning on Saturday, however the group made the end of the journey on time at Brig O Turk.

Next up is a Summer ML Training course in Glen Coe.

Navigation Article

2011-04-20T13:54:00.000+01:00

What to do when lost?!? Below is a link to a navigation article that I wrote for UK Hillwalking.

http://www.ukhillwalking.com/articles/page.php?id=3371

A return to Summer

2011-04-19T10:13:00.000+01:00

It has been a while since I posted mainly because I have been traveling back home and generally doing admin......no one wants to hear about that!

Laura and I had one more day skiing since our trip to St Grand Bernard unfortunately my foot swelled up and it looked like I may have given myself a stress fracture, however with 7 easy days and a few drugs it seems to have gone back to normal, fingers crossed.

This is a good thing as well as I am back to work on Friday with a D of E trip and then straight up to Glen Coe to work on a Summer ML. Summer has started in the Highlands and I often find this one of the best parts of the year as the mountains are quiet, the midges are not out yet and it is often dry. I have a bit of availability in June and July, so if you are interested in some instruction or guiding please just drop me a line.

Skinning, Monastery and soft crusty snow!

2011-04-11T08:26:00.002+01:00

I headed up to the St Grand Bernard Monastery last week with Laura, Matt and Chris. The skin up was nice and relaxed on Thursday, although a little warm it was technically easy and a good firm track was in place all the way up as it is clearly a popular location. It is advisable to start early though as there is some steep ground either side of the track that could slide. The monastery is a great location and not like a normal alpine hut, we had a 4 person room to ourselves, enjoyed a look around the museum, had a short presentation on the history of the monastery, a great meal and a good night sleep!

On Friday we skied a short distance back down the track and then cut off towards the Col de Barasson. Ski touring is all about being on the right slopes at the right time for both skiing pleasure and avalanche safety. On the way up to the col it was clear that the snow higher up on north facing slopes did not have a crust to support skis and we were a little concerned about the slope stability. This lead us to cut the ascent short and head down a little early, the ski down from 2600m to 2300m was unpleasant but below 2300m was excellent, nice firm spring snow. Not far from the car we came across a large avalanche that was not there the day before that had crossed the tracks we followed on the way up, a good indicator that an early start is a good idea.

Although the ski down was not as good as we would have like it was a great trip and I am sure I will be back as there are lots of options from the monastery and it is such a calm and peacful place to spend a night.

Ski Coaching

2011-04-06T21:29:00.000+01:00

I spent today at Les Grand Montets with Matt, Laura and Chris being coached by Alison Culshaw. Although the conditions were not great, ice in the morning and slush and soft in the afternoon it was perfect at us as we wanted to work on skiing in bad conditions for when we are out touring. We all had a great day and were worked hard by Alison who is a great coach.

Sorry no photos today I was too busy working on my skiing! We are off to the St Grand Bernard area tomorrow to spend a night in the hospice so I will put up and update on Friday when I get back.

Spring Touring

2011-04-05T14:15:00.001+01:00

Laura skinning up

A stop to take pictures of the French Army!

On the way down

Yesterday was a wash out with rain up to 2700 for most of the day, so we had a lazy day watching DVD's. However today has been totaly different with a good freeze last night and a few mm of fresh snow above 2100m it was the perfect day for a quick tour. Matt, Chris, Laura and I caught the Les Contamines lifts to col just north west of the Aguille de Roselette, we then dropped off the south side and headed towards the Rochers des Enclaves. One option had been to ski up to the Col de la Fenetre but we did not fancy the East facing slope the otherside and they have now closed the Gorge Cable Car which would have meant a boring walk back to the van! So we headed out to the col between Rochers des Enclaves and Tete de la Cicle. The ridge from the Enclaves back down to the ski area did not look great, lots of rocks poking through so we just headed back the way we had come and cut down to the ski area before our original starting point.

The snow was in great condition taking ski weight but not boot and as we headed down around 11am it was nice and soft on the surface, awesome. There were a few other teams out including a big one (30 plus people) from the French Army who seemed to be practicing ropework things on the way up to and down form the Col de la Fenetre.

Off to Chamonix tomorrow for a day with Alison after we re-arranged the day from yesterday!

Les Contamines

2011-04-03T14:42:00.000+01:00

Laura and I have joined Matt, Kate, Neil and Chris for the next ten days. Today we went to Les Contamines and had a great morning and early afternoons skiing in the sun. Although it is warm the skiing is great untill around 1pm on the slopes and the resort has done a great job at keeping the slopes in a good shape.

We are heading up to Chamonix tomorrow for a day with Alison Culshaw to work on our technique so I am predicting that we will have very tired legs tomorrow.

Plan C!

2011-04-01T21:37:00.000+01:00

Looking down on Martigny - Early morning cloud

New Helmet team!

Point release avalanche

Days in the mountains rarely go exactly to plan and I am always telling my clients to not have there plans set in stone. Today was one of those days, Laura and I got up early and headed into Switzerland and Bourg St Bernard. The plan was to catch a bubble car up to the Col Nord de Menouse then ski down to the Plan de Tcholeire before skinning up to the Col de Barasson and then back to the car. We were a little late leaving, but not to matter we would still be there for 9am and the first lift. The only problem was that when we got there the lift was not running (and did not look like it had done in sometime) even though the website says it is running till 16th April 2011! Plan B skin up the route to the Hospice du St Grand Bernard before cutting off up to the col de barasson. Unfortunatly by the time we had broken off the beaten track to the hospice the snow was getting a little too soft. Plan C, skin as far as possible before the snow becomes too unpleasant and then ski home!

Plan C was not a bad option at all and we had a good day, blowing off the cobwebs and getting in some good turns. Lots of fresh avalanche debris around now as the weather has gone very spring like. The touring is still good with firm spring snow on most aspects, however by midday you want to be back at the car or hut so some early starts are needed.

Powder to be found!

2011-03-31T16:52:00.000+01:00

Laura and I are now out in the Alps after a great few days catching up with Family. We were a little concerned with all the reports we had been hearing about there being no snow and it is looking fairly lean for the end of March, however for a warm up day today we headed to Les Grand Montets and managed to find some good powder to ski before lunch on the Rochers Rouges off the top of the Bochard. After lunch things did get a little damp however it was a great first day. Laura can be seen above warming her legs up in the powder and enjoying skiing in her new helmet!!!!

It is rainning (so snowing up high) as I type this although looks like the temperatures are going to go very warm on Saturday. We are going to head over the boarder to Switzerland tomrrow for a warm up tour before meeting up with some Friends on Saturday. Fingers crossed the temps drop a little after the weekend.

Back on the Planks

2011-03-17T18:50:00.000Z

With just 3 days work left before heading out to the Alps for some Ski touring I thought it would be good to get out today and have a little warm up. Monty and I headed to Cairngorm and took advantage of their new Ski Mountaineering lift pass that gets you up to the top lift. From there we headed up Cairngorm, off the back of this were the snow was fairly wind affected and then along the tops of the Northern Corries before skiing down Lurchers (which was the best snow of the day) before skinning back to the car park.

A great short day out, now looking forward to getting out to the Alps. I just hope they have some more snow!

I am off to the west again this weekend so will report back on conditions across there.

Let is Snow!!!!!

2011-03-17T18:37:00.000Z

I was joined last weekend by Rebecca, Rob and Martin on a winter skills weekend. The forecast was for it to snow (a lot) so I decided to get a full day in on the mountain on Saturday to cover as many skills as possible. We headed up to the top car park and up towards the Cas area, there was a mixture of neve and windslab around so some careful route choice was needed. We looked at boot work, step cutting, route choice, ice axe arrests and general issues with kit. From the Cas area we headed around to the restaurant and then back down to the car park. As we got to the car park it was clear all sorts of things had been going on as the ski area had closed early due to the weather and there were a number of damaged cars at the side of the road.

On Sunday I woke to a good 15cm of snow in Aviemore and the news that the ski road would not be open all day! Not that is made much difference as with the amount of snow that had fallen over night (and was still falling) any movement off skis in the mountains was going to be very difficult. We decided to stay low and looked at avalanche searches and transceiver work, plus snow shelters and some avalanche awareness. It was a great day and was still snowing hard as I headed home at 6pm that night!

Sron na Lairig

2011-03-17T18:25:00.000Z

For the last day of Gareth and Andy's course we headed to Glen Etive to do Sron na Lairig which is a grade II ridge on the south side of Glen Coe. After a good walk in and some awesome trail breaking from Sam (thanks Sam) we geared up and headed off. The 3 of us soloed the first 50 meters before Andy and Gareth put the rope on and lead 4 pitches themselves. After these 4 pitches I jumped on the rope and lead the team to the top, although Dave (another Jagged Globe Instructor) had done the hard work of breaking trail up the ridge, thanks Dave!

Once on top we had a quick conference and decided we did not like the look of the usual decent route that heads back north so we descended south to Glen Etive with Dave leading the way and taking us straight back to the cars.

A great end to a great week with Andy and Gareth. They guys have done really well and are well on the way to being independent winter climbers.

Ice Factor Day

2011-03-10T18:18:00.000Z

It was truly wild this morning when I drove to work and so a plan was made to head to the Ice Factor! We spent the morning looking at some ropework and dry tooling before having a spot of lunch and then climbing on the ice wall. Although it is always a shame to spend a day inside, the guys learnt loads and also got to work the arms lots!

Another windy forecast for tomorrow but we still hope to get out in the teams last day of there forecast.

Lots of Fresh Snow

2011-03-09T18:33:00.000Z

With more wild weather today forecast and snow down to 200m this morning I took Andy and Gareth to do the east ridge of Beinn a Chaorainn. The guys were keen to get on the sharp end so after I had lead 2 short pitches up the hardest line as a warm up I came off the rope and let the team lead 3 pitches with me along side to add some advice. After this time was ticking so we took the rope off and soloed by an easier line to the summit.

It was wild on the summit with white out conditions and strong winds, but this allowed us to do some pacing across the summit to find the decent. A good day out with lots learnt and loads of new snow.