Alpine work 2013

Alpine 2013, a set on Flickr.

What a great season! These pictures speak for themselves. I'm so glad that I still get to do work like this in the mountains. Its such a joy and a privilege.

Robinwood staff training 2013

Robinwood staff training 2013, a set on Flickr.

Another delightful week of work! Coaching highly motivated and supportive staff from Robinwood Outdoor Centres. The mission was to help staff develop their confidence and skills using single pitch venues in North Wales. We spent the first two days on esoteric but beautiful crags in Nant Gwynant and at Moel y Gest, and then grabbed some slate routes between showers and finally enjoyed some showery adventures at Penmaenhead on their way home.
My most exciting moment personally was enduring a deluge two metres above a bolt on the upper crux of Hotel 70, possibly the most "run-out" 6c in the area!

Climbing Development Pilot workshop

Coaching Development Pilot workshop, a set on Flickr.

The North Wales Climbing Academy coaches attended the pilot coaching development 2-day workshop this week. This course was delayed for various reasons, but the general feeling was that any earlier would have been premature for the personal development of most of the candidates. A really enjoyable and useful course; I am confident that we are onto a winner with this one. All that remains now is to pilot the assessment, finish the handbook and start recruiting more trainers in order to roll out the MTUK Coaching Qualifications. Another milestone day!

First Ascent of "Half a Dolphin" Great Orme, Llandudno

Sion Long on first ascent of "Half a Dolphin", Great Orme, Llandudno.
Originally uploaded by SteveMLT

One advantage of checking routes for guidebooks is that you often spot opportunities for new development. I abseiled into Dutchman's Zawn at Llandudno a couple of weeks ago to check the grades of some classic sports routes that have been languishing until recently re-bolted. On that occasion I climbed the excellent "Zawn Creature" and spotted a natural line with plenty of protection straight up the back of the zawn. Shortly afterwards a mother and baby dolphin swam by. So the chance arose for a closer look and I abseiled in with my son Sion. The result was a remarkably worthwhile "trad" climb which we named after one of my climbing heroes, Arthur Dolphin.