SPA Training in the Sun

Kev talking the team through a group abseil rig

Testing out their bottom rope set up!

Discussing anchors with Kev

Lead climbing skills at Cummingston

Group warm ups

Scotland at its best

I was back at Glenmore Lodge this week running an SPA Training with Kevin Rutherford. We went to Cummingston on Wednesday to look at personal skills and lead climbing and were treated to stunning weather and a deserted crag. On Thursday we visited a windy but mostly dry Kingussie crag to look at rigging for groups and group management and then on Friday we went to a quiet and sunny Huntly's Cave to look at some problems solving.

 

A great few days with a great team, good luck to them as they prepare for their assessment.

 

The weekend off now before heading to Skye for three days and then to Switzerland for some holiday!

Summer ML Training and Climbing

Alex leading the group through some broken terrain

Testing out some of the Blizzard products

River crossings

Nice spot for a camp just a little windy!

Heading back to the bus after our mini break

Hugh practising his South African abseil

I have been at Glenmore Lodge for the last 8 days. Last weekend was an Introduction to Rock Climbing Weekend, we had reasonable weather on Saturday at Cummingston and the very wet weather on Sunday. This aside we still managed to gets lots done.

 

Last Monday saw the start of a Summer Mountain Leader Training with a full team of 12. It was a great week with good weather and loads of input from the team. Good luck to them all as they prepare for their assessments.

 

I have a few days off, just enough to move house before heading back to Glenmore Lodge to run an SPA Training.

Catch up

I have been a bit slack over the last week or so with the blog, first due being busy and then due to man flu!!

After my trip to Skye I was working on an ML Assessment for Scotch on the Rocks Guiding where we had a great weather for our exped over the Creag Meagaidh hills. I then went staright on to a weekend Intro Scrambling course followed by a week of Rock Climbing for Glenmore Lodge where we had great weather.

I am back at Glenmore Lodge next week for some more climbing and an ML Training course so fingers crossed for some more nice weather.

Skye Scrambling and Climbing

I was on Skye last week working for Rob Johnson. I spent the week with Martin and Gez and we did a mixture of scrambling and climbing. On Monday we headed to the Cioch doing Arrow, Wallworkers and Yanks, it was cloudy but dry and warm all day. Tuesday had us down at Elgol to get the boat over to do the Dubhs Ridge, Wednesday was a day of rock climbing on Sunshine Pillar. To avoid the wild weather on Thursday we went to Preshal Mor to do Boswells Buttress. Finally on Friday it we did the Cioch Blabheinn Traverse that had a bot of snow on but was great.

 

A great week with the usual great rock climbing and scrambling and great company.

 

I now have a few days off before heading back west to work on an ML Assessment for Bill Strachan.

Travels and Rock Climbing

 

 

It has been a busy few days for me with lots of traveling. Last Saturday I was at the Mountaineering Council of Scotlands Coaching Symposium at Ratho. This was a really good day with a number of different workshopslooking at how and what we coach in climbing. Looks like this is going to become a regualr event so have a look at their website for info. It was then a long drive down to the Peak District for a meeting with the Association of Mountaineering Instructors. I then headed back home as our friends Anne and Luke were visiting from Switzerland. Luke and I have managed to get a few days out climbing on the local crags inbetween the showers, it still feels a little cold for mid May!

 

 

I am hoping for some warmer weather next week as I am off to Skye for a weeks scrambling!

SPA Training - In the SUN!!!!

I have been back at Glenmore Lodge for the last few days running an SPA Training for 4 candidates. For the first time this summer it was actually nice and warm and sunny on most days. We spent some time at a rather busy Huntly's Cave, a very quiet Cummingston and a breezy Kingussie Crag.

 

Thanks to the students for their company, I hope they enjoy getting out climbing in preparation for their assessment.

 

I have 2 days off before I am down to Ratho for the MCofS Coaching Day and then onwards to the Peak District for an AMI meeting, hoping for quiet roads!

Summer ML Assessment

New pylon bases going in just east of Wolftrax

I was out on Saturday working for Scotch on the Rocks Guiding on a one day Summer ML reassessment. I spent the day with Keith in the area just east of Wolftrax avoiding the snow. This was a great area for navigation if a little heathery at times, the only down side is the new dirt track and pylon bases that they are putting in at present.

It was windy but not nearly as wet as I was expecting and Keith performed well and achieve the standard required.

SPA Assessment

Releasable Abseil

New information board at Huntly's Cave

Leading routes at a damp Cummingston

Just before the rain started

On Thursday and Friday I was running an SPA Assessment at Glenmore Lodge. We had a day at a semi damp Cummingston looking at personal skills and a day at Huntly's Cave looking at group skills. The 3 candidates did well and performed at the standard or above and all passed well done them. I hope they enjoy their work as an SPA.

SPA Training

Last week I was directing an SPA Training at Glenmore Lodge. It is great running these courses at Glenmore Lodge as they now allow 3 days for the training rather then the 2 that they used to be, 3 days just allows more time to practice and cover the syllabus.

 

I was working with Andy Townsend and we spent time at Cummingston, Kingussie and Huntlys Cave as well as a wall session at Glenmore Lodge. Over the 3 days we looked at at Personal Climbing skills, rigging bottom and top ropes, group abseils, running climbing wall sessions and dealing with common problems at the crag.

 

A great 3 days with only a few showers and a good bunch of students who I wish all the best in preparing for there assessments in the future.

Rigging and dealing with problems at Huntlys Cave

The fixed nut in The Slot Direct......no longer fixed!

Slacking

 

I have been slack at updating the blog over the last month as I have been busy and away in Europe for a while. Since my last blog I have worked on a Learn to Lead week and Winter ML Assessment at Glenmore Lodge. It was then time for some holidays with a weeks skiing, a week in Fontainbleau and then a week in North Wales for some rock climbing and staff training.

 

Top of pitch 2 in Ficaill Couloir

Top of the 3rd pitch on Ficaill Couloir

Below the ice bulge in Central Left

Busy digging snow holes

Enjoying a ski tour with Chris

Looking down on a James Bond style dam!

Lovely blue sky

Abseiling in at Gogarth

Winter Mountaineering in the sun

Still cold in the sun on the way up Cairngorm

Looking across to Braeriach from Ben Macdui

Happy Team on top of Ben Macdui

Looking into the Northern Corries

Afternoon sun on the Cairngorm Pleatau

Last week I was at Glenmore Lodge working on a Winter Mountaineering course with Gareth, Oliver, Nigel and Rob. The team have aspirations of climbing a 6000m peak in the future so we based the week around preparing for that sort of trip.

We had stunning weather everyday apart from Thursday when it was a bit damp, still 4 out of 5 days in the sun and snow is good going! Over the week we looked at most fo the basic movement skills, avalanche assessment, naviagtion and ropework. We also go a chance to bag Cairngorm, Ben Macdui and Creag an Leth-choin.

Thanks to the team for a week of great banter and company and good luck to them for the future

Stunning Winter weather and conditions

I was working for Jagged Globe again last week, this time with Will and Leigh for a weeks private guiding. Will and Leigh had been up to Scotland last year for an intro week and then had spent some time in the Alps this summer, this meant we could get straight on with some climbing! On Monday we climbed Curved Ridge, Tuesday was Twisting Gully, Wednesday had us doing some rock climbing and ropework in Glen Nevis, Thursday was West Gully on Ben Udlaidh and then finally on Friday they lead themselves up West Gully on The Douglas Boulder and down the East Gully.

The weather was stunning for the whole week with most routes being in great condition.

Thanks to Leigh and Will for their company over the week.

I am now back at Glenmore Lodge for the next 3 weeks.

Winter Summits

Checking out the slope

I spent last week working for Jagged Globe on a Winter Summits course based on the West Coast. During the week we had a mix of snow  and weather conditions. We spent the week on Ben Nevis, Stob Coire Nan Lochan, The White Corries and Aonach Mor doing some summits and looking at various skills that will allow the group to become self sufficient mountaineers.

Thanks to Andy, Mel, Anne and John for their company.

 

It has warmed up now with freezing levels above the summits but hopefully next week will see some cool calm weather as I am back at Jagged Globe climbing this coming week.

Wild week for Winter Skills

A little bit snowy but still happy

Looking at sample pits which in turn make some shelter!

Not all wild, lovely day heading up west side of Lochain

I was back at Glenmore Lodge last week working on a winter skills week. It was cold all week with some wild winds at times, 120mph on Cairngorm on Wednesday. We had a mix of snow conditions and visibility over the week that allowed us to cover all the main topics of winter skills.

 

I now have a few days off before heading over to Fort William for a few weeks work for Jagged Globe.