Thursday 21 August 2014

Hosting friends from Japanese Workers' Alpine Federation

Eiko high on Flying Buttress


This has been a really international couple of weeks! My friends from the JWAF came over from Tokyo to stay with us and sample the delights of Welsh climbing. Despite the vagaries of August weather we managed to climb every day and they sampled most of the major climbing venues. For the final couple of days we were joined by William Leigh, a member of the Beijing branch of the Chinese Mountaineering Association, a keen walker but with no climbing experience. So we took him with us to Holyhead Mountain where by coincidence we met a German team who I had climbed with 25 years previously! We followed this experience with a mass ascent of the magnificent Flying Buttress on Dinas Cromlech, for which we were also joined by my friend and fellow Guide, Chris Parkin.




The team, L-R: Takashi, Eiko, Will, Steve, Chris
Chris hanging out to leave room at the stance
William enjoying his first big climb

Saturday 12 July 2014

Week 1 of Joint Services Alpine Meet

The first week of this year's meet was not blessed with what one might call fair weather! We spent the whole week ducking and diving between storms and showers. At times the passes wee shut due to snow drfts! Nonetheless by keeping things flexible we enjoyed some good routes and worked our way through the training syllabus.

Wednesday 9 July 2014

Stunning week of climbing in Rodellar

I joined my friends from Lisbon for a climbing holiday for the first week of July. We had a brilliant time: the highlight was probably an ascent of the world-class "Fiesta de Los biceps" at Riglos, but other great memories included on-sight leads of nearly a dozen routes at grade 7a and above plus several other excellent pitches. Every evening was a dinner party with some of the nicest people you could ever hope to see. And the scenery is beautiful, the deep heart of Spain. 

Monday 16 June 2014

Group photo from Glacier skills workshop

A group photo from the first day of the Arc'teryx Alpine Academy. A small group so I was able to give the group more autonomy to practice skills. A fun day in a beautiful office!

P1040157.jpg by SteveMLT on Flickr.

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Glacier skills workshop during Arc'teryx Alpine Academy


P1040201.jpg by SteveMLT on Flickr.
Spot the Italian climber! Immaculately dressed.
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Friday 6 June 2014

BMG Summer Training 2014

This is a blog I forgot to upload from the summer! Today I was working on the second of the two summer training courses for the British Mountain Guides. I was lucky enough to be assigned to work with Paul Swail, a former colleague from the coach development work I was involved in a couple of years ago, and it was a real pleasure to work with him today. As you would expect from an AMI member he delivered a first class teaching day. We climbed Heather Wall (VS) and Javelin Blade(E1) and finished with Tennis Shoe Direct (HVS). 

Not bad with 2 students and less than 5 hours available! 

Here Paul teaches some of the finer points of belay construction with the wonderful Llyn Idwal in the background. It was good to be working back in my office again!
               
Pitch 2 of Heather Wall


Paul Swail leading Javelin Blade


Jordan site visits (stage 4) Wadi Rum


Lawrence's Seven Pillars of Wisdom
The Wadi Rum! The name conjures up images of red sandstone towers looming over endless plains of sand. Its a wonderful place and I would love to return to climb (I had to content myself with soloing a couple of pitches and  a bit of scrambling). The colours are simply incredible; its too red to be real! 

We spent a couple of days visiting climbing sites and meeting some of the locals. Sleeping in bedouin tents in the desert after enjoying local hospitality and music is quite unforgettable.  
Soloing a perfect corner crack

A passing camel train at sundown

Jordan site visits: stage 3 Dana to Petra


Black orchid of JordanThe landscape between Dana and Petra is a landscape of ravines and mountains, with many sculpted sandstone monoliths. We travelled up from the lowest point on earth, the Dead Sea - over 400 metres BELOW sea level to the mountain plateaus which are surprisingly luxuriantly vegetated in places. Its a paradise for botanists and bird watchers, with a huge variety of native and migrant visitors. One of my favourite birds was the tiny sunbird, with glossy black and emerald foliage and acrobatic habits. We visited at the tail end of the flowering season of Jordan's national symbol, the magnificent black iris.

No visit to Jordan would be complete without a visit to Petra! This sprawling city is undoubtedly one of the ancient wonders of the world, mainly because of the Nabateans' practice of carving architecture from the sandstone, which has withstood the onslaught of centuries of earthquakes better in general than free standing buildings. Its interesting to reflect on how much of the city is now reduced to heaps of rubble: Perhaps the wonderful architectural facades that we still see were simply sideshows among glorious free-standing structures, long-since collapsed. We shall never know. 

It has to be said that Petra suffers a little from its own popularity. The sheer human pressure of so many visitors adds to the natural erosion and feels at times like a relentless tide pouring through the long sig (gorge) that forms the justly famous entrance. However if you spend a few days here as the site deserves, you will succeed in finding quiet moments for contemplation. Quite awe-inspiring really.
The Monastery in Petra
Camels in Petra

Canyoning in Jordan (Stage 2)

During the reconnaisance  trip to Jordan we visited most of the venues where mountain activities have already been developed. The Mujib Siq (Gorge) is a very interesting example of an activity that has been developed commercially with a balance between guided trips and self-explore with safety crew stationed at strategic spots. From what I can gather this is more than just a commercial exercise: the gorge is a popular outing but potentially very serious, and there were some serious accidents over the years. The area is managed as a nature reserve, covering a unique range of habitats. Therefore the current arrangement appears to be something of a compromise for the wardens, who have to juggle responsibility for conservation with safety in the gorge.

We were the first group this year to hike in through the conservation area. This was a pleasant hike following a 4-wheel drive track for most of the way.

The final section is still awaiting repair after the winter rains, which have a massive impact on the gorge, meaning that considerable work is needed each year before visitors can be let loose inside the gorge.  The through trip involves a short abseil alongside a waterfall; for other groups the base of this step represents the far point for their trip.This is a fantastic day trip that provides welcome contrast from the desert conditions that prevail outside.



Safety standards seemed pretty good, however it still requires careful management as the area is prone to flash flooding, which could have devastating effect. Also it does require a fair bit of fixed lines, fencing etc to steer people away from sumps. It's an interesting balance. I'm sure the pristine environment with no ironmongery would feel more primeval but it is still a wonderful outing and is justifiably popular as an adventure for both Jordanians and foreign visitors.
The 20 metre abseil that forms a natural barrier for most groups.

Site visits in Jordan. Stage 1

On a recent visit to Jordan I travelled from the north of the country right down to the southern tip visiting many of the established sites for mountain and climbing activities en route. This was a reconnaissance trip for the UIAA's Training Standards: I'm hopeful that we might be able to deliver a seminar on climbing, trekking and perhaps canyoning. Of the many highlights, one of my favourites was this close encounter with a young honey buzzard that had been rescued from a trap and was recuperating at a camp in the Ajloun area in the north of the country.

The Ajloun area has recently been equipped by Catalonian climbers with many sports climbs, providing possibly the biggest concentration of sports routes in the Middle East, at a full range of grades up to 8a. My only concern about this, as in so many other areas, is who is going to maintain the bolts and ensure that they remain safe? Currently there are very few locals climbing for pleasure so there will be little motivation to check the bolts or to continue developing the area, which has a lot more potential for sport climbing. It's also a great area for hiking.


Saturday 8 March 2014

Indoor "ice climbing"

P1010826.jpg by stevemountainguide
P1010826.jpg, a photo by stevemountainguide on Flickr.
As AMI Development Officer I was asked to head up some instructional sessions at the Telegraph Outdoor Show in London. We worked in partnership with DMM using a training wall built specially for us by Steve Mayers of the Beacon Climbing Wall.

We were inundated with demand and ended up running sessions for kids between the main sessions. It was exhausting but fun! Thanks are due to J.P. Edgingon, Hiday Sharon and Edd Stone in particular for their enthusiasm and professionalism in what turned out to be a very demanding few days.

Notice also that we were playing with some of the only "Switch" tools currently available in the UK, as demand has massively outstripped availability.

International Mountain Leader Assessments in the French Pyrenees

P1010972.jpg by stevemountainguide
P1010972.jpg, a photo by stevemountainguide on Flickr.
My latest assignment was a fortnight working for Plas y Brenin in the French Pyrenees. The course was held at the chalet run by Altitude Adventure leaders Ian and Angela Pendry in the Font Romeu region of the French Pyrenees, this really was the perfect location for this course, with masses of soft powder making snowshoes the logical kit for exploring woodland and crossing frozen lakes.

All the candidates were well prepared and the assessment results showed this. For longer journeys I prefer to travel by skis but for exploring the woods in search of wildlife, snowshoes are the perfect means of travel. It's also pleasant to be wearing comfortable boots. Certainly worth considering also for approaches to ice climbs.