Climbing in Nant Gwynant

DSC00662
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

Yet another great day in Nant Gwynant. Here's Mike Pycroft on Femaelstrom (E2) which was as good as the guidebook suggested. We followed this with the awesome Prowler (E5). The top wall turned out to be harder than expected with a peg tantalisingly out of reach. An ash twig with a quickdraw lashed on sorted that out though!

Wizard

Wizard
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

Another sunny afternoon! Snowdonia is the place to be. Armed with the Tremadog guidebook my son Sion and I have been working our way through some of the obsurere classics. This was Tuesday's offering: Wizard.This pitch requires a delicate touch as its steep but friable. Well worth the effort though.

Magnum_05

Magnum_05
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

Another breezy morning, so Mike Pycroft and I drove over to Nant Gwynant, which seemed a good choice based on experience gained earlier this week. We climbed the Gwynant Needle by the contrived but enjoyable "Priapic Worship" (E2) and followed with this rather enjoyable little groove in a steep wall, again at E2. Now I have to decide whether to go over to the BMC AGM. We didn't get an official invitation this year, hope we are not in the BMC's bad books!

Nant Gwynant climbing

Nant Gwynant climbing, a set on Flickr.

A sunny day today, but with a cold breeze. I figured that Nant Gwynant, normally too still and therefore prone to midge attacks in summer, would be ideal, and so it proved. Facing southeast, the crags were warm and sheltered. We linked the start of Easy Riser to its neighbour, the popular Sunrise, to give a longer and more sustained pitch, taking in the best moves of both routes. Eloquence (E3) and the surprisingly fierce and sustained "Taylor-Made" (E1) provided good sport to follow.

UIAA Mountaineering Commission in Bern

UIAA Mountaineering Commission in Bern, a set on Flickr.

The Mountaineering Commission meetings were highly productive. We made huge progress on the Training Label business plan and also found time afterwards to climb together at Interlaken. We also firmed up plans for an internal training seminar for technical advisors to be held in Arco in September, as well as reached an agreement witht he Petzl Foundation work to continue the leader training programme project in India

IML winter training

IML winter training, a set on Flickr.

On the way to the UIAA Mountaineering Commission meetings I stopped off for a moderation visit for an International Mountain Leader winter training course. Conditions were exceptionally lean for this time of year, but you can see that there was still plenty enough for teaching. Plenty of good teaching going on to a competent set of candidates. The scheme looks pretty healthy to me!

Pen Trwyn Sport climbing

Pen Trwyn Sport climbing, a set on Flickr.

A great day at Pen Trwyn! T-shirts on Mayfair Wall at this time of year, whatever next? It got a bit chilly when the crag lost the sun though. It was nice to see Rob Greenwood back in Wales; he's recently returned from climbing the North Face of the Eiger in winter. I coached him on his first Alpine Route a few years ago on a Convuille Trust course!