tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13089486575368641142024-03-14T10:16:47.421+00:00Steve Long's blogThe diary of a Mountain Guide and climbing coachstevewonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06375877966373992078noreply@blogger.comBlogger176125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308948657536864114.post-29408617677448985092015-01-17T12:53:00.001+00:002016-05-22T10:37:04.132+01:00AMI AGM Weekend and BMC TV filming<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It's been a busy and successful week! Starting with the AMI 25th anniversary AGM at Glenmore Lodge, and finishing with this film shoot for BMC TV in somewhat inclement conditions. Thanks are due to help from Andy Barker for organising the AGM, and all our volunteer helpers. Also, thanks to Glenmore Lodge for making it all run smoothly, and our brand partners Rab, Lowe Alpine and DMM.</div>
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It was a fantastic week and one that I will remember fondly for many years!</div>
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stevewonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06375877966373992078noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308948657536864114.post-43475190388971529722015-01-01T14:12:00.001+00:002016-05-22T10:59:05.182+01:00Leader training courses<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjntj_Jd8jJ7aP9WLQeLjJ1G17aAatxk94EeVC2RKQ3UALZpPmMtVmzNSCuUhK9eZYsXm-W9tLN3PKtYywED_9pCm9hfJ1Pq8_riOxnP9PGHyf4VnHTPknXi6YCkXPvIs3iqhHRwL-rrwoN/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" class="alignleft" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjntj_Jd8jJ7aP9WLQeLjJ1G17aAatxk94EeVC2RKQ3UALZpPmMtVmzNSCuUhK9eZYsXm-W9tLN3PKtYywED_9pCm9hfJ1Pq8_riOxnP9PGHyf4VnHTPknXi6YCkXPvIs3iqhHRwL-rrwoN/" height="225" id="blogsy-1420135920034.316" width="300" /></a> For a month during November/December I directed a series of courses for local leaders in Jordan. There is still a lot of work to do here on both the technical front and also helping develop a sustainable qualification framework but the courses were both interesting and challenging to run. We were working with the Jordan Tourist Board for these courses, with the long term aim of developing a sustainable qualification system that meets the UIAA Training Standards requirements.</div>
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It will be interesting to see whether an association representing local activists can be established and eventually take over the governance of qualfications. In the meantime hopefully we passed on enough skills and equipment for individuals to continue developing their mountain skills and pass them on to others.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Introduction to short-roping on the Bridge of Burdah scramble</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eiko high on Flying Buttress</td></tr>
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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.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The team, L-R: Takashi, Eiko, Will, Steve, Chris</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chris hanging out to leave room at the stance</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">William enjoying his first big climb</td></tr>
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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.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiawOOmg3M-qKc3_351gwn1RBmCfTcpilBenEGZissbYIhx1BnZ1V02n_6vuYL4Q0f8rBb1zBL8JR4h02n4X4iKtRpf8MnY8SxZOz_fm2NVE936mu8PNplztl0atWIr9QDjTM57gx1afl9N/s640/blogger-image--720451493.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiawOOmg3M-qKc3_351gwn1RBmCfTcpilBenEGZissbYIhx1BnZ1V02n_6vuYL4Q0f8rBb1zBL8JR4h02n4X4iKtRpf8MnY8SxZOz_fm2NVE936mu8PNplztl0atWIr9QDjTM57gx1afl9N/s640/blogger-image--720451493.jpg"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA7GKJD2a930AvWlshCTMcdRYTe9ttHFzljGE6oO9PufkzTfqxv8_6Qor238PsrJ8YJw85FWbjs9G8RNgeW8ZYgiO83Tl4oOUmVPE3S2EklhpJ_omZIZFmF49WVV5QrWSzw5_APuzaqXF8/s640/blogger-image--325639003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA7GKJD2a930AvWlshCTMcdRYTe9ttHFzljGE6oO9PufkzTfqxv8_6Qor238PsrJ8YJw85FWbjs9G8RNgeW8ZYgiO83Tl4oOUmVPE3S2EklhpJ_omZIZFmF49WVV5QrWSzw5_APuzaqXF8/s640/blogger-image--325639003.jpg"></a></div><br></div>stevewonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06375877966373992078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308948657536864114.post-41647767751467250602014-07-09T18:53:00.001+01:002014-07-09T18:53:34.260+01:00Stunning week of climbing in RodellarI 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. <div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcPig7s7kotpvH4uXTMYBbFocuj4H9-yPvQz534m8huzJ5x6nhq3sNZTcElUz91WJLm1pVlzQJIzDi8paFElq4Tet4id2_MV25UEMuN_Kwe_ueRy2o-HJMrPnfz1sa9ePHAwNoAPGYajG_/s640/blogger-image--1042762535.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcPig7s7kotpvH4uXTMYBbFocuj4H9-yPvQz534m8huzJ5x6nhq3sNZTcElUz91WJLm1pVlzQJIzDi8paFElq4Tet4id2_MV25UEMuN_Kwe_ueRy2o-HJMrPnfz1sa9ePHAwNoAPGYajG_/s640/blogger-image--1042762535.jpg"></a></div><br></div>stevewonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06375877966373992078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308948657536864114.post-45498766880789996422014-06-16T14:33:00.000+01:002014-06-16T14:51:57.555+01:00Group photo from Glacier skills workshop<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">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!</span><br />
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stevewonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06375877966373992078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308948657536864114.post-79232786606721132652014-06-16T14:00:00.000+01:002014-06-16T14:50:41.528+01:00Glacier skills workshop during Arc'teryx Alpine Academy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://flic.kr/p/o1QpJz">P1040201.jpg</a> by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/46624718@N03">SteveMLT</a> on Flickr.<br />
Spot the Italian climber! Immaculately dressed.<br />
Just follow this link to see and comment on this photo:<br />
<a href="http://flic.kr/p/o1QpJz">http://flic.kr/p/o1QpJz</a></div>
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stevewonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06375877966373992078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308948657536864114.post-26977430024216646852014-06-06T22:15:00.000+01:002015-01-01T09:50:09.047+00:00BMG Summer Training 2014<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-4AjAV1AcKcGZt-35rTvQIbmAvir3SQDYsEJZ5BcI2fGHiCDH1NWQ8FAkkGS-xPjCNXTM-bJGW-vunx4odws4h3rKpQzk-4ltt-MxKLutdYDBXEI47_itbAEi535tZlqrj53mumW8kYLR/s1600/P1040007-712197.jpg" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-4AjAV1AcKcGZt-35rTvQIbmAvir3SQDYsEJZ5BcI2fGHiCDH1NWQ8FAkkGS-xPjCNXTM-bJGW-vunx4odws4h3rKpQzk-4ltt-MxKLutdYDBXEI47_itbAEi535tZlqrj53mumW8kYLR/s320/P1040007-712197.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6021928174590524994" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">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). </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Not bad with 2 students and less than 5 hours available! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">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!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pitch 2 of Heather Wall</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paul Swail leading Javelin Blade</td></tr>
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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! </div>
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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. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Soloing a perfect corner crack</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsg3j07q5UfiNYGYFfB06mF42Ql8zk6EaTpLa8-Vt4IvKM6eLytxsZlV1Pn9IHskmV0bqc1lAVyCjoGOCWNNMGRcI3AzwG-88LlLfEY0_UFBFs_kyCvu_JiyOWSPo6frftvwzgcgN8O11Z/s1600/P1090730-714469.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsg3j07q5UfiNYGYFfB06mF42Ql8zk6EaTpLa8-Vt4IvKM6eLytxsZlV1Pn9IHskmV0bqc1lAVyCjoGOCWNNMGRcI3AzwG-88LlLfEY0_UFBFs_kyCvu_JiyOWSPo6frftvwzgcgN8O11Z/s320/P1090730-714469.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6021919162931668786" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 13px;">A passing camel train at sundown</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTgefVGqeAOhSanNmPE1fT2hOALidU_Nggu9GthTTOQuvgV5kK2_pIh1JWayf9Twz2Q7AT0TcB6JEz8U2jMtAy3GZrw_yVVh2pKmX8FeS8HijFuvFBalAqQDHOOSHzGcwCfYV5mjrFg5jy/s320/DSC03144-700205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="Black orchid of Jordan" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTgefVGqeAOhSanNmPE1fT2hOALidU_Nggu9GthTTOQuvgV5kK2_pIh1JWayf9Twz2Q7AT0TcB6JEz8U2jMtAy3GZrw_yVVh2pKmX8FeS8HijFuvFBalAqQDHOOSHzGcwCfYV5mjrFg5jy/s320/DSC03144-700205.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6021909651720090402" title="Black orchid of Jordan" /></a>The 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.</div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">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. </span></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;">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.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP97F_vreM7AcyzCGLfUbyUnyZG5CEI-dPUChg1Ot77va7GskM_TnRAGcqrLdrq8xMtdiIR1IJfaGStcfEAm5HAesNUea9H_eIqrBduKL_poTQ8ureLYrmzb5y2PyJlo8gMji77APOokBt/s1600/P1090262-797680.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP97F_vreM7AcyzCGLfUbyUnyZG5CEI-dPUChg1Ot77va7GskM_TnRAGcqrLdrq8xMtdiIR1IJfaGStcfEAm5HAesNUea9H_eIqrBduKL_poTQ8ureLYrmzb5y2PyJlo8gMji77APOokBt/s320/P1090262-797680.jpg" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6021909641343019362" title="The Monastery in Petra" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Monastery in Petra</td></tr>
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 20 metre abseil that forms a natural barrier for most groups.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4zWV7IfVcpOHQsnEw3R6s4ehtaM4s2ppwEHH3ZdAT_GtvCv_37OLEi2jrAvHmIbBiLmiJnuQEI_yBcycOs-IyEbcmkWFZE_cAw63VimzVXjjoZfrF9d4sw1ytk2T-XTELo6ZeLVuPjYhp/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4zWV7IfVcpOHQsnEw3R6s4ehtaM4s2ppwEHH3ZdAT_GtvCv_37OLEi2jrAvHmIbBiLmiJnuQEI_yBcycOs-IyEbcmkWFZE_cAw63VimzVXjjoZfrF9d4sw1ytk2T-XTELo6ZeLVuPjYhp/" /></a>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.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDo46AlV1DyNDhlcfKsmpeuh1CV1_7n2Kr5rVnnziWHUXjMl5By7RgNPo1da15S2XboZt-R1p-sN3ePxbAoIvpoRj6vwJ593sD7BIStqEy-p4V3J1lWdxdtZBu5tsssdYQYTMKsUT0ZKaM/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDo46AlV1DyNDhlcfKsmpeuh1CV1_7n2Kr5rVnnziWHUXjMl5By7RgNPo1da15S2XboZt-R1p-sN3ePxbAoIvpoRj6vwJ593sD7BIStqEy-p4V3J1lWdxdtZBu5tsssdYQYTMKsUT0ZKaM/" /></a>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.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/116638386@N06/12875887524/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="P1010826.jpg"><img alt="P1010826.jpg by stevemountainguide" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7394/12875887524_9f17cd60df.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="margin: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/116638386@N06/12875887524/">P1010826.jpg</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/116638386@N06/">stevemountainguide</a> on Flickr.</span></div>
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.<br /><br />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.<br />
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Notice also that we were playing with some of the only "Switch" tools currently available in the UK, as demand has massively outstripped availability.</div>
stevewonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06375877966373992078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308948657536864114.post-19399368327243017332014-03-08T18:55:00.001+00:002014-03-08T19:31:06.850+00:00International Mountain Leader Assessments in the French Pyrenees<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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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. <br />
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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.</div>
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stevewonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06375877966373992078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308948657536864114.post-39074411535844323352013-11-25T16:51:00.000+00:002013-11-25T16:51:01.672+00:00A documentary to watch out for<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">This is BBC production is a review of last winter and contains some very good information about avalanche hazard and how we interact with it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">Filmed with advice from (and endorsed by) the Scottish Avalanche Informaiton Service, it gives a refreshingly unsensational and balanced view of the harsh winter of 2012-13. </span></span><br />
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Its focus is the winter that we have just experienced in Scotland and draws on experiences and knowledge from further afield which helps illustrate the challenges of hazard evaluation, human factors and the impact of avalanche tragedy..</div>
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It is a very powerful programme and I would recommend you take the opportunity to watch it</div>
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stevewonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06375877966373992078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308948657536864114.post-67018505636184559392013-11-25T11:59:00.001+00:002013-11-25T11:59:04.112+00:00Upskill Climbing Blog by Lee Cujes<a href="http://www.upskillclimbing.com/2009/02/how-to-bolt-rock-climbs-and-how-not-to.html">Upskill Climbing Blog by Lee Cujes</a><br />
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This is an useful contribution to safe practice for bolting climbs. I would like to make use of this material or something similar within the UIAA Training Standards recourses.stevewonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06375877966373992078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308948657536864114.post-77851557224944579132013-11-10T11:37:00.001+00:002013-11-10T12:45:43.435+00:00At last I have in my hand one of the first 2 copies of the Englishlanguage version of this long standing collaborative project!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/10775341674/" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3702/10775341674_43cb9ce178_m.jpg" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/10775341674/">at last I have in my hand one of the first 2 copies of the English language version of this long standing collaborative project!</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/">SteveMLT</a></span></div>
The main consignment is still being shipped, but thankfully my colleague from the Petzl Foundation, Philippe Descamps, was able to bring one o the first 2 copies he received. This is another milestone achievement for the UIAA Trainng Standards and we already have advanced orders from many countries as well as requests to translate the book into other languages. <br />
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I'm writing this update from Brussels as I await an evning flight home after yet another very busy but rewarding month. At the UIAA Mountaineering Commissoin Training Standards Panel meeting this year's valdiation reports were all approved. This means that now the following countires have new Training Standard accreditations: Serbia, Portugal, Russia, Chile, UK (JSMTC) and Turkey and we have a whole new round of applications to service. <br />
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Meanwhile we are working on a complete overhaul of the UIAA website along the lines of what UK readers will be familiar with on the MTUK's site, which is now driven by a very powerful online database - I am convinced that this will completely revolutionise the UIAA and the way that it serves the federations, and just in time too as the 2 biggest federations (DAV and OeAV) rejoin! I don't think we are going to be getting bored in 2014!</div>
stevewonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06375877966373992078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308948657536864114.post-7487441168029129722013-11-07T08:37:00.001+00:002013-11-07T08:37:17.410+00:00Filming a Dream of White Horses<div style="padding: 0; overflow: hidden; margin: 0; width: 500px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/10694436865/in/set-72157637350138036/" title="DSC05497.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2849/10694436865_5ef19bbf21_s.jpg" alt="DSC05497.jpg" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/10687136145/in/set-72157637350138036/" title="DSC05502.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2836/10687136145_bf95b87ee6_s.jpg" alt="DSC05502.jpg" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/10687178114/in/set-72157637350138036/" title="DSC05489.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5510/10687178114_d384e99a23_s.jpg" alt="DSC05489.jpg" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/10687361793/in/set-72157637350138036/" title="DSC05475.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3736/10687361793_5ca0d86b8c_s.jpg" alt="DSC05475.jpg" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/10687173706/in/set-72157637350138036/" title="DSC05465.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2840/10687173706_de5d29d015_s.jpg" alt="DSC05465.jpg" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/10687356593/in/set-72157637350138036/" title="DSC05457.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7323/10687356593_3bba3182e7_s.jpg" alt="DSC05457.jpg" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><br clear="all"/><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/10687168224/in/set-72157637350138036/" title="DSC05449.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3731/10687168224_1b7502303a_s.jpg" alt="DSC05449.jpg" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/10687119385/in/set-72157637350138036/" title="DSC05445.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7411/10687119385_d1b28d705b_s.jpg" alt="DSC05445.jpg" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/10687163854/in/set-72157637350138036/" title="DSC05440.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3733/10687163854_e6739bbf2c_s.jpg" alt="DSC05440.jpg" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/10694444565/in/set-72157637350138036/" title="DSC05503.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3742/10694444565_557fde6e16_s.jpg" alt="DSC05503.jpg" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/10694418425/in/set-72157637350138036/" title="DSC05480.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3714/10694418425_fb28109478_s.jpg" alt="DSC05480.jpg" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/10694450524/in/set-72157637350138036/" title="DSC05464.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 0 0 10px 0; width: 75px; height: 75px; float: left;"><img src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3731/10694450524_4a9135d734_s.jpg" alt="DSC05464.jpg" style="border:none; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 75px; height: 75px;"/></a><br clear="all"/></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 5px"><p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/sets/72157637350138036/">Dream filming</a>, a set on Flickr.</p></div><p>Well! what can you say about this one? What a day! This job came out of nowhere but for me it really was a dream as I have enjoyed this climb for so many years in all conditions, day and night. I could write about the time that John Silvester and I motorbiked straight over from a disco to climb it at night, or finishing up Dream after an epic traverse from the far end of Main Cliff. <br /><br />But this was a very enjoyable day, all the more remarkable for fine weather in early November. Watch out for this episode when it gets broadcase on BBC Coast.</p>stevewonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06375877966373992078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308948657536864114.post-85654705823765788082013-11-07T08:33:00.001+00:002014-03-08T19:07:55.074+00:00Climbing in San Gabriel<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/sets/72157637404555396/">Climbing in San Gabriel</a>, a set by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/">SteveMLT</a> on Flickr.</div>
I've had to reload all my photos because Flickr dropped one of its partner organisations. Here goes"<br /><br />During the accreditation visit to Chile I also delivered an advanced ropework session to the FEACH rock climbing instructors. I was also lucky enough to get out for a day of multi-pitch climbing with my friend Felipe Gonzales on a deligtful series of jamming pitches culminating in an impressive overlap breached by a bottomless groove and guarded by a rope-grabbing crevice.</div>
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stevewonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06375877966373992078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308948657536864114.post-48748206858247392302013-11-07T08:14:00.001+00:002014-03-08T19:13:33.071+00:00ski mountaineering in Chile<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/sets/72157637403814155/">ski mountaineering in Chile</a>, a set by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/">SteveMLT</a> on Flickr.</div>
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In October I visited the Chile to accredit the qualifications delivered by FEACH for ski mountaineering and winter mountain leadership. Both courses were run at a high standard and I was impressed with the organisation. The courses were delivered in relatively serious and remote mountain territory within surprisingly easy reach from Santiago.<br /><br />Its always very satisfying to observe well-run courses and to exchange ideas and techniques with fellow instructors and coaches.</div>
stevewonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06375877966373992078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308948657536864114.post-57945813673744682032013-10-13T15:01:00.001+01:002013-10-13T15:01:42.180+01:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This is the address from Ang Tshering Sherpa at the UIAA's General Assembly this October. I think it deserves to be seen so I'm posting it here until it appears on the UIAA's website.<br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Mr. Chairman,</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Delegate Members of world mountaineering and climbing federation,</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Ladies and Gentlemen,</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Very Good Morning and Namaste,</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">On behalf of Nepal delegation and myself, I would like to express my sincere thanks and appreciation for giving me this opportunity to address this prestigious gathering at the UIAA General Assembly here in Pontresina, Switzerland. My address is focused on questions raised during yesterday's international conference on "Mountaineering and Climate Change". During the conference many questions were raised to our attention such as the Everest incident in Spring 2013, commercial and non-commercial mountaineering and adventure tourism, traffic on Everest, fixing of ladder at the Hillary step, garbage on Everest, impact of Climate Change and Global Warming in high Himalayan regions and the threat of catastrophic glacial lake outburst floods etc. The following are our views:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">1. <b>Everest Incident:</b> This was a very unfortunate incident, not only for Nepal but for the entire mountaineering community. As soon as this incident happened, the Government of Nepal formed an investigation committee and both sides in the conflict admitted their mistakes and submitted in writing their errors in the presence of representatives of the Government and other expeditions. We hope that this single incident will not ruin and tarnish the image of the country and century long reputation of all Sherpa's hard work, dedication, deliberation, honesty, courage and sacrifices for the sake of putting so many climbers on the top of Mt. Everest and other Himalayan peaks.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">2. <b>Commercial and non-commercial mountaineering and adventure tourism</b>: The mountaineering and adventure tourism in developed countries and under developed countries are completely different situations. In developed countries, mountaineering is perceived as a sport, adventure, leisure activity and a source additional income. Where as in less developed countries, it is a fundamental source of livelihood where many are surviving on a hand to mouth basis. Of course, mountaineering is as much a philosophical exercise as it is a physical. So, I request that when a global organization that is the UIAA makes any decisions; please look at the local circumstances before passing judgment on appropriate climbing styles. It is also important to note that climbing may be actively discouraged in our host countries if the economic needs of the local communities are not fulfilled and yet the seemingly indulgent desires of international climbers are seen to be fulfilled.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">3. <b>Fixing of ladder at Hillary step:</b> During our time at the Conference, we heard many rumors and criticisms that the Nepalese authorities were going to fix a ladder at the Hillary Step. Nepal has not made any such decision. I cannot understand why without discussions and consultation with us, especially the Nepalese authorities who were present at the conference, these rumors and criticisms were allowed to be voiced on the stage during the conference. Furthermore, we are very upset that we were not given the opportunity to express our views on that matter at the time of discussions. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">It is true that many suggestions and ideas are received by the Nepalese authorities, which includes the idea to fix a ladder at the Hillary step, just like at the second step on the China Side. Mt. Everest is an international icon and a natural world heritage site, so of course it goes without saying that we are very conscious and concerned about the impacts of our actions. It is our intention to protect our mountains and that does mean that we have listen to new ideas, deliberate on their consequence and make informed and democratic decisions.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">4. <b>Traffic on Mt. Everest:</b> In the last few years a lot of criticism has been circulating on the issue of traffic jams on Mt. Everest that there are traffic jams on her slopes. This criticism came to its apex in 2012 when pictures were published showing a long line of climbers snaking up the normal route. Unfortunately, these pictures gave a very misleading impression to the world. From the beginning, it is important to note what the circumstances were that led to such a situation and how it can be avoided in the future. Nepal learnt from the previous years and took corrective action this year, and as a result there wasn't a single report of at traffic jam this year (2013).</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">To explain in more detail, the pictures from 2012 were taken towards the end of the month of May as the monsoon was soon to arrive. Rope fixing efforts were delayed due to dangerous conditions on the mountain, injuries and a lack of strong coordination and leadership of the rope fixing team. This delay resulted in many weather windows being missed and climbers getting anxious for their success as the monsoon was coming in soon. When finally the rope was fixed to the summit on third week of May, all climbers went at the same time in fear that this may be their last chance for a success. As a result it led to overcrowding of the route. So the problem was not that there are too many climbers on the mountain, but rather that they were all attempting to summit at the same time.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This year, the Nepal Government authorized the Expedition Operators Association to coordinate the rope fixing efforts officially. This led to a strong rope fixing team being assembled, good quality equipment used, double ropes were fixed at bottle necks and the ropes were fixed to the summit in the first week of May. This resulted in climbers going for the summit at different times of the many remaining days of May, bottlenecks were easily passed through and the rope was clearly identifiable due to its uniform color and quality. This all led to a safer and more secure climbing season with no reports of traffic jams. These improvements will continue in the future.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">5. <b>Garbage on Mt Everest:</b> It is a common misconception that Mt. Everest is a dirty mountain. In fact, if you speak with many international mountaineers, they will testify that Mt. Everest is amongst the cleanest of the popular peaks. the reputation of Mt. Everest being a dirty mountain started in the 1980s when international publications featured it as a "garbage dump." Since then great efforts have taken place and government policies have been implemented to clean up the mountain with a great deal of success. For example, my son, Dawa Steven's own efforts on the Eco Everest Expedition has collected over 15,000Kgs of previous expedition garbage from the slopes of Mt. Everest under the Asian Trekking's "Cash for Trash" program. Also more than 800kgs of human waste produced by our own expedition teams and 5 dead bodies brought down from the slope of Mt. Everest for dignified burial and funeral.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Unfortunately, it is cleaning expeditions like our own that also give continuation to the myth that Everest is a dirty mountain. When a layperson hears that so much garbage has been collected from Mt. Everest, they also automatically assume that each year an equal amount of garbage is being dumped on the mountain. This is very far from the truth. In our experience most of the garbage is very old as new expeditions take great efforts not to leave behind garbage. Furthermore, the government of Nepal can levy a huge fine an expedition which is found to be leaving behind garbage. Currently, the Government of Nepal is also in the process of creating a fund to finance cleaning and environmental educational programs. It is impossible to say how much old garbage remains buried and hidden under the glacier ice but each year as the ice melts and the glacier moves, any garbage that is uncovered on the surface is quickly collected and disposed. So, it is safe to say that each year, Mt. Everest is becoming cleaner and cleaner.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; letter-spacing: 0px;">6. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: underline;"><b>Impact of Global Warming, Climate Change and Glacial Lake Outburst Floods</b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">: </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">We had very interesting presentation from Professor Dr. Bruno Messerly about the impact of climate change and global warming and glacial lake outburst floods in the Himalayan region. The impacts of climate changes are highly visible and noticeable in high Himalayan Region. The rise of temperature in high Himalayan region is double the global average temperature rise. Therefore the white snow peaks and glaciers are melting fast and transforming into huge glacial lakes which are a great threat to the people living downstream. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Our knowledge of mountain geography and ecosystems allows us to be highly influential witnesses to climate change in our time and to extend that influence beyond the mountain community to everyone around us. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Our mountains are our heritage, glory, identity, prestige and the future of our nation. The mountain region needs conservation and sustainable development for the present and for posterity. And with this very goal, we the mountaineering fraternities should play very vital role by creating awareness for the conservation of this gifts of Mother Nature and carry out various developmental activities at the local level with the participation of local people. </span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Saving our Himalayas means saving ourselves, our future generations because the Himalayas are the Water Towers for three billion people in Asia. As per some scientists and environmentalists that by the end of the century, all the white snow peaks and glaciers will melt away and the glacial lakes will drain out. If the Water Tower for world’s almost half population are empty, it will not only create environmental problems but it will create humanitarian crisis and political problem on a scale never seen before.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">So let's think sustainably, work together and act now, what we can do today should not wait for tomorrow to save our Himalayas for us and for our future generation.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Thanks for your kind attention.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Ang Tshering Sherpa</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Honorary Member of UIAA (World Mountaineering and Climbing Federation)</span></div>
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stevewonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06375877966373992078noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308948657536864114.post-66827921715347377732013-10-06T20:35:00.001+01:002013-10-08T13:54:42.461+01:00Ogwen Valley BMC student seminar<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/sets/72157636259942686/">Ogwen</a>, a set on Flickr.</div>
Today was the multi-pitch climbing day of the British Mountaineering Council Student Seminar. Qualified instructors from the Association of Mountaineering Instructors were out in force to assist at the event, mostly as volunteers. I mentored some candidates in my role as Development Officer for AMI following a day of coaching, and was glad to see that they all gave their students a great day out. Meanwhile my colleague and friend Dave Evans was hard at work on a "Learning to Lead" course at Plas y Brenin and was clearly enjoying his job!<br />
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Its hard to beat Ogwen Valley on a clear autumn day like this!<br />
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For more information about the Association of Mountaineering Instructors check out the website at <a href="http://www.ami.org.uk/">http://www.ami.org.uk</a></div>
stevewonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06375877966373992078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308948657536864114.post-43586240543561074772013-10-04T14:55:00.001+01:002014-03-08T19:16:42.662+00:00Lisbon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/10083942214/in/set-72157636180158783/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 75px;" title="P1070237.jpg"><img alt="P1070237.jpg" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2839/10083942214_89e02be16c_s.jpg" style="border: currentColor; height: 75px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/10084051973/in/set-72157636180158783/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 75px;" title="P1070173.jpg"><img alt="P1070173.jpg" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2874/10084051973_b9dd023984_s.jpg" style="border: currentColor; height: 75px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/10084542126/in/set-72157636180158783/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 75px;" title="P1070116"><img alt="P1070116" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5495/10084542126_275b68440c_s.jpg" style="border: currentColor; height: 75px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/10084473884/in/set-72157636180158783/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 75px;" title="P1070112"><img alt="P1070112" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2864/10084473884_387da95651_s.jpg" style="border: currentColor; height: 75px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/10084480534/in/set-72157636180158783/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 75px;" title="P1070098"><img alt="P1070098" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2878/10084480534_c748359d7c_s.jpg" style="border: currentColor; height: 75px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/10084621933/in/set-72157636180158783/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; width: 75px;" title="P1070025"><img alt="P1070025" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5445/10084621933_8e877abb75_s.jpg" style="border: currentColor; height: 75px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 75px;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/10084492504/in/set-72157636180158783/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 75px;" title="P1070019"><img alt="P1070019" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7359/10084492504_8ecf488a91_s.jpg" style="border: currentColor; height: 75px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/10084635583/in/set-72157636180158783/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 75px;" title="P1070004"><img alt="P1070004" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2873/10084635583_955de24aa4_s.jpg" style="border: currentColor; height: 75px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/10084580916/in/set-72157636180158783/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 75px;" title="P1060986"><img alt="P1060986" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7392/10084580916_0a19ca0ac1_s.jpg" style="border: currentColor; height: 75px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/10084565925/in/set-72157636180158783/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 75px;" title="P1060984"><img alt="P1060984" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7446/10084565925_b213dafcf6_s.jpg" style="border: currentColor; height: 75px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/10084592466/in/set-72157636180158783/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 75px;" title="P1060976"><img alt="P1060976" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7378/10084592466_6f913b6f91_s.jpg" style="border: currentColor; height: 75px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 75px;" /></a><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/10084599756/in/set-72157636180158783/" style="display: block; float: left; height: 75px; padding: 0px 0px 10px; width: 75px;" title="P1060974"><img alt="P1060974" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7458/10084599756_ce4e837411_s.jpg" style="border: currentColor; height: 75px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; width: 75px;" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/sets/72157636180158783/">Portugal</a>, a set by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/">SteveMLT</a> on Flickr.</div>
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Another visit to Portugal, this time to check out the governance of a training programme endorsed by the federation FCMP. Inter-federation rivalries make the politics a little delicate in Portugal (so what's new?!) but the training team are clearly doing a great job. <br />
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Whilst out there I was shown around some of the local attractions: the world-class aquarium and the excellent, though more esoteric Fenda. This delightful crag is a mini-canyon with a side so steep that it remains sheltered during rainfall - which was just as well as it rained almost continuously for the weekend.<br />
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This weekend was also a significant milestone for my climbing, because this season has been dogged by minor injuries, starting with a badly sprained ankle and finishing with severe tendonitis in my left hand. I've been losing weight with a less sedentary lifestyle, and gradually built up the fingers without completely stopping climbing and it seems to have worked. On the second day at Fenda I managed 9 clean leads of pitches from 6b+ to 7b and this continued afterwards with 3 clean leads in a row at 7a at our local indoor climbing wall, the Beacon, Caernarfon. It shows that periodisation works, but also surrounding yourself by strong climbers can help build a "can do" mentality. No big deal by modern standards but hopefully a step forward towards my ultimate goal of leading 8a as well as some return matches at Gogarth.</div>
stevewonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06375877966373992078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308948657536864114.post-20362240143178230732013-10-04T13:19:00.001+01:002013-10-04T15:39:30.990+01:00Report and discussion from induction visit to New Zealand in 2012 (recently published in the NZOIA quarterly)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">As Chair of the UIAA’s Training Standards Panel, I was invited to attend the annual NZOIA Symposium at the Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre at Tongariro, in October 2012. For those of you who had the misfortune to miss this seminal event, I can only sympathise! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Seminars</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">I’m a climber, right? So I don’t like getting wet (unless a Jacuzzi is involved). So I can’t comment on the other activities (although the participants looked happy, and wet, in the evening!) I attended refresher workshops for Rock 1 and 2 (presented by Dave Brash and Penny Holland) and Alpine 1 (led by Jim Masson). Both these workshops were excellent. The venues were perfect for the weather conditions, and the Alpine refresher focussed on similar skills that feature in the UK’s Winter Mountain Leader. Over here we would only use the word “Alpine” for glacial mountaineering, but that’s because we lost our glaciers several centuries ago and have to cross the Channel to find any.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The rock workshop raised some interesting issues for me about training and cross-accreditation of UK qualifications. Firstly, I would say that there has been a misconception about the scope of the UK’s Single Pitch Award (SPA), which has resulted in a skills gap that needs to be addressed at accreditation stage, rather than the current situation where it only came to light at revalidation. In the UK we would regard a crag with an awkward top access/exit to be generally beyond the remit of SPA: (I would anticipate that a strong candidate would be able to cope with a roped approach, but I wouldn’t necessarily expect this). So further training would make more sense to me than a subsequent deferral at revalidation – refresher courses should be a positive experience (and for the NZ-born candidates it certainly was!) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Cross-accreditation</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This brings me to my second observation, which is that whilst NZOIA has an excellent assessment system with robust quality assurance and very experienced staff, the training provision is currently under-developed at the “entry” level. This means that in New Zealand the qualifications are experiencing the best and the worst of what we had in the 1970’s in the UK - excellent standards and reputation but an intimidating prospect for newbies – it reminds me of the 1990’s version of our Mountaineering Instructor Award, where you had to pass the first two days of harsh assessment in order to get onto the training part of the course! Good for reputation but bad for trainees. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Opportunities</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">What I am suggesting here is that the potential for delivering high quality training courses in New Zealand remains largely untapped at the entry end of the market and could easily be offered on a franchise basis by NZOIA. Any doubters should look at how Mountain Training UK has reinvented itself over the last couple of years, with association memberships now at over 4000 people, all signed up, mostly voluntarily, to compulsory CPD (Continuing Professional Development). And by the end of 2013 we should have introductory hill skills available for our award holders to deliver.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Parties</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The final night celebration at the Symposium alone was worth the long hours cooped in a plane! We Brits know how to party (as I’m sure Dave Brash can confirm after attending the British Mountaineering Council’s trad climbing meet in June 2013!), but this was a memorable gig by anybody’s standards. Standout memories include the live band, the limbo dancing, the hand traverses across the beam and putting the world to rights at 4.00 am in a Jacuzzi in a hailstorm. Everybody knew that this particular adventure was high risk but we all went for it anyway. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>The UIAA</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">When it comes to international collaboration between federations and the sharing of good practice, the IFMGA (International Mountain Guides) is the most successful professional body, but it is tiny in comparison with the UIAA, which 74 member associations and five observers (including IFMGA!) in 55 countries – thereby directly representing about 1.3 million people and growing. The UIAA Training Standard is an exclusive service for member associations, using a tried and tested Quality Assurance system (similar to the UIAA Equipment Label) to validate leadership qualifications. Currently demand is so high that we are already working at full capacity, and will need to start recruiting additional assessors next year. In the meantime the UIAA has agreed to develop an online database and significantly upgrade the web presence of the Training Standards, which is currently virtually non-existent – so the escalating demand is currently all through word-of-mouth. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>The future</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Naturally I am hopeful that NZOIA will apply for accreditation via its member association the New Zealand Alpine Club. The current assessment-focussed system does fulfil the UIAA’s quality requirements so I am certain that we would accept a request for an accreditation inspection. The biggest question remaining is how the current level of quality will be maintained if training provision is given the big push that it deserves. However, a robust assessment process is an excellent gate-keeper and any shortcomings in training are quickly identified at assessment by picking up any common threads, allowing weak areas to be tackled strategically. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>My visit</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: 0px;">Apart from the NZOIA seminar I was also fortunate enough to be invited as a keynote speaker at the Outdoors New Zealand forum and enjoyed some great days climbing (and surfing, surprisingly!) with various NZOIA luminaries. My thanks are due in particular to Matt Cant for acting as my host, and John Entwisle for accommodating me in Christchurch (the first time I’ve been climbing during an earthquake…) I left New Zealand with many fond memories and some great new friends.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Steve Long. June, 2013.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0px;"><b>Replies (with apologies to "Candidate X" if he reads this!)</b></span></h3>
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<span style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1. Matt Cant, NZOIA Chief Execu</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">tiv</span></span><span style="color: white; font-family: inherit;">e</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Steve’s observations regarding the skills gap between the UK Single Pitch Award and Rock 1 have been incorporated into our online Cross Credit Matrix so future cross-credit applicants are clear about this aspect.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">In the UK, Mountain Training has a required training pathway for candidates for the Summer Mountain Leader (Bush 1 equivalent) that comprises a 60 hour training programme (or apply for an exemption), then a further 40 days of logged mountain experience, then apply for assessment. This is typical of many overseas schemes, and the lack of an established pathway like this is a recognised gap within the NZOIA system that needs to be addressed if we are to achieve UIAA Accreditation. What we do have are ‘pre-assessment’ training courses that are valued by those who attend them, and we strongly encourage more candidates to take advantage of these opportunities. </span></div>
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<span style="color: yellow; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">2. Dave Brash, Senior trainer</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have a few comments which were sparked by Steve's article:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1) In the second paragraph Steve comments on the fate of an SPA holder (let's call him X) who was cross crediting at a refresher workshop, at Kinloch. He makes the valid point that 'a crag with an awkward access/exit is outside the scope of SPA', and that 'further training is preferable than a subsequent deferral at revalidation'.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Steve of course is right in this - in my admittedly fast reading of an encyclopedic 55 pages of SPA syllabus, incredibly I saw absolutely no mention of instructor cliff top safety. A failing in their award?? Even at the most top-friendly crags such as Stanage, there are beginner TR set ups that should require an awareness of instructor safety to set up. However, it's not written down in their award. So yes, cross crediters should be aware of this, and be able to prepare. On reading the syllabus this is not the only difference between SPA and Rock 1 - top rope rescues are not tested in the SPA, nor abseil ledge rescues, yet we only ask cross creditors to demonstrate climb/set up/clean/abseil off a sport route. There are other minor differences of course. We (NZOIA) need to read their award more closely, and inform cross crediters of the differences that they need to train up on, or align more with other awards.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, back to the situation of X. Was he unfairly treated? He was actually at the refresher to have his sport climb/setup/clean/abseil off assessed and then be rubber stamped for his Rock 1, but his incompetence was so egregious that we had no option but to ask him to undergo further training, and sit the full Rock 1 award at a later date. His personal safety at the cliff top (after being asked pre refresher to prepare, then a ground level practice with feedback, then finally the cliff top) was only one element; putting this aside X should not be out there and it is disingenuous to suggest that he was deferred due to being sandbagged on cliff top safety. My report was not passed on to the assessor pool, so here is the summary of the reasons for our decision in that report:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span lang="EN-AU">X was in the process of converting his British SPA qualification. The main concerns with X’s practice were:</span></i><span lang="EN-AU">· <b>- </b></span><i><span lang="EN-AU">Demonstrating his teaching topic at ground level, which was ‘personal safety system to access cliff top’, he used a prusik to get to the cliff edge without back up. After feedback, X could not put this into practice at the cliff top. He came up with an alternative which involved abseiling off a rope looped around a tree, with one end of the rope tied to his harness and abseiling off the other end with an incorrectly backed up abseil device. While correcting his prusik length, he was taking his hand off the rope.<br /><o:p></o:p></span></i><span lang="EN-AU">· - </span><i><span lang="EN-AU">Top rope anchor off two bolts: the linking sling was set over a rock spire, which he pointed out as not ideal, but had not corrected. The screwgates connecting the sling to the bolts were both undone.<br /><o:p></o:p></span></i><span lang="EN-AU">· - </span><i><span lang="EN-AU">Modelling an introductory top rope session: X used the bowline as a tie in. He clipped the belayer’s carabiner into the cowstail larksfoot, not the harness belay loop. Despite pointed prompting (‘Anything else before the climber leaves the ground?’) he performed no double checks, and this was not picked up before the climber left the ground.<br /><o:p></o:p></span></i><span lang="EN-AU">· - </span><i><span lang="EN-AU">Lead sport route to clean anchor and abseil off: Communication at the top was unsatisfactory (didn’t acknowledge belayer’s ‘Off belay’ call, no eye contact with belayer). X’s safety at the bolt anchor was a double sling looped through the rings, inverted triangle fashion. Apart from inefficiencies, setting up for the abseil off gave considerable abrasion potential to this sling.<br /><o:p></o:p></span></i><i><span lang="EN-AU"> </span></i><i><span lang="EN-AU">Requirements: Both instructors (by the way, great to have two present in this situation) agreed that there were too many deficiencies in X’s practice to recommend conversion to Rock 1. Recommendations: to gain extensive experience in observing and instructing under supervision with feedback, and undergoing a training course, before sitting the Rock 1 assessment.</span></i>2) Compulsory training: this question was brought up at the symposium last year. Worth considering?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3) (Not in Steve's article) Steve had an interesting suggestion for the first activity in the refresher: Ask the participants to select and climb a route of the grade and style (lead or top rope) of their choice. Quite a lot should arise from this. I have a refresher coming up soon; may just try this.</span><br />
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<b><span style="color: yellow; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. Steve Long, me</span></b></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm glad to deduce that the NZOIA magazine has been published! I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all again for the hospitality that was extended to me last year. I am proud and excited to be associated with the UIAA's Training Standards Panel and I'm sure that exchanges such as the visit last year can be mutually beneficial for mountaineers all around the world.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You may be interested to learn that the UK's Single Pitch Award does not currently meet the UIAA's requirements for a Training Standard. This is partly because of the lead climbing grade required ("Severe", which is only UIAA IV) but also because it was originally conceived as a "Supervising" award and has a very strict crag definition for its remit - walking access to the top and bottom of the crag. But perhaps the most significant difference is the lack of ongoing CPD requirements.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the UK the qualification is given "for life" and assumes that the holder will take a mature and enlightened approach to maintaining their currency and competency. The employer/deployer is expected to check the logbook and make an assessment about any further training/assessment that is required. Some (including myself!) would argue that this demands too much judgement from the employer, who may not be qualified to make these distinctions. This is an inherent weakness of the UK scheme and the reason why we introduced the Mountain Training Association - membership of which is optional but requires evidence of Continuing Personal Development - combining both further experience and attendence at recognised workshops . This now has over 3000 members and is steadily growing, showing that the award holders recognise the benefits of some form of revalidation - even if the Boards are unwilling to make this compulsory.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not surprisingly, most of "Candidate X"s deficiencies highlight specific gaps between the UK's Single Pitch Award and the NZ Rock 1scheme - an almost perfect test case! These were probably compounded by the fact that he was probably at the minimum level required to pass the SPA in the first place and hadnot subsequently gained further experience. By contrast I would expect every member of the UK's Association of Mountaineering Instructors to pass the revalidation comfortably, because all these aspects of access and egress and personal safety using a cowtail are covered in the Mountaineering Instructor Award scheme, and members also have to attend ongoing CPD in "core" syllabus areas. AMI members are accredited by the UIAA as meeting the requirements for a rock instructor qualification (Multi-pitch 'trad" in this particular case).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Take home messages for me? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1. The UIAA Training Standards are a better yardstick for cross-creditation, because if the remit of the award matches, you can be confident that the same minimum standards have been met. Hence I am confident that the single pitch qualifications administered (for example) by AMGA, Zirve, FEACH, FCA (all UIAA accredited) would meet or exceed the requirements of the NZOIA Rock 1.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2. It is possible to pass the SPA without ever having climbed a sport route, and until fairly recently this was also the case with the MIA. This suggests to me that the anti-bolt lobby in the UK dismissed the transferable skills that are gained from experiencing a wide variety of climbing styles and we now have some catching up to do in the UK - it may also explain why registrations for the SPA have declined, while the growth of the Climbing Wall Award has been exponential. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">3. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In recognition of the above we have started to cross-credit UIAA-accredited qualifications in the UK for direct entry to the "higher" awards. This means that UIAA-accredited walking qualifications can now gain direct entry to MIA and IML with the appropriate UK experience. Knowing how conservative the UK establishment is, this is a significant advance for the UIAA standards.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4. There is fantastic potential in New Zealand for NZOIA-branded training courses. They are more fun to work on than assessments!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">5. I would dearly love to have somebody from NZ on our Training Standards Panel, either as a full or a corresponding member. However, you need to be "in it to win it"!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finally, it was great to meet you again, Dave, at the BMC's International Climbing Meet this year! If any of you are thinking of coming over to the UK in 2014 it would be worth considering coming along to the winter meet in Scotland's Cairngorms.</span></div>
stevewonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06375877966373992078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1308948657536864114.post-54974262351534048362013-09-18T21:42:00.001+01:002013-09-18T21:42:09.382+01:00North Ridge Tryfan<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/9806425284/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5533/9806425284_8960332151_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/9806425284/">P1060728.jpg</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/steve-guides/">SteveMLT</a></span></div>Today I was out with the Plas y Brenin Centre Assistants taking photos of walking and scrambling activities. This shot shows how to safeguard somebody on an awkward little down-climb on the North Ridge of Tryfan.<br /><br />This was the day that the our of Britain cyclists passed by Plas y Brenin's front door - luckily we had finished the photoshoot and I had reached home before they shut down the road to Llanberis Pass for the late afternoon.<br clear="all" />stevewonghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06375877966373992078noreply@blogger.com0