Evenings soloing

Nipped out in the sunshine this evening to try and find some of the climbs up at Butterhole, near Padstow. I've been searching for this crag, on and off, for a couple of years and tonight I hit the jackpot! A seam of pillow lava, just southwest of the entrance to the Camel Estuary sports some fab looking lines and some solid rock (almost unheard of in this part of Cornwall)! As time was getting on, I soloed up 'Little Robert', an absolutely brilliant VS, worth of 2 stars, at least! I'll be going back there soon to do some more!

More Crowd Control 7-9 June

Back at Adventure Okehampton for 3 days of kayaking and high roping. The kids loved it and many overcame their fear of water and heights. Also tried to get up to Blackchurch in North Devon one evening to do some personal climbing but it was raining hard when we pulled up in the car park. Oh well, maybe next time!

Out with the Girls 06 June

Had a fun day out with Fay and Karen of Salt Air Adventures, down at Carn Barra and Hella Point. The sun shone, tea was drunk and climbs were climbed! It wasn't work, just some mates hanging out and having a fun time, just how climbing should be!

Lizard Kings 05 June

Was invited by Dave Hope to help him with the Lizard section of the new climbing guide to West Cornwall. Dave's been doing lots of research and spending a lot of time down from his hometown of Bath to ensure he gets everything right. Its a complex area and very interesting geologically. His mate, Dave Issitt, came along too and before the end of the day, we had climbed 11 new routes graded Diff to E1! You'll have to wait for the guide to come out to get the details, and no, I'm not going to let on where the crag is, no matter how much you try and bribe me!

Early Morning Perfection 04 June

Up at 5 to surf at Crantock. Couldn't believe how sunny and warm it was at that time of day. Just me and my mate Jez catching glassy 2-3 footers. The wind had calmed down from the night before, making it a joy to surf. My arms were aching after the session the evening before and I missed the 'wave of the day' because of it. Doh! Note to self - get in the water more!

Surfs Up (again) 03 June

Jumped in the sea at Watergate Bay in the evening. There was a good swell creating 4-5 foot waves, but the wind was strong cross-shore making it lumpy. Still the sun was out, I was in a summer wetsuit, without booties and the after surf drinks at The Phoenix pub were great!

Crowd Control 23-27 May

A week of fun and games with young people at Adventure Okehampton. Based on the edge of Dartmoor, this YHA centre is perfectly placed allow youngsters to experience the fun of the outdoors - even if it's raining! I helped out with climbing, high ropes and a day's walking on the moor, including an ascent of Yes Tor and High Whillays, the 2 highest points in the southwest.
I managed to get a couple of evening's of personal climbing, firstly at Hay Tor Low Man where I led the classic Aviation and again at Compass Point, Bude where I managed to climb Crymtyphon before it chucked it down with rain. Well done Ross for hanging on in there!

Namaste! Lake District 17-10 May

Went up to the Lake District to put some Gurkhas through some Adventurous Training. It's been 10 years since I was last in Nepal and it was great to be around these wonderful people again, as they are so polite and proud. I taught them climbing, abseiling, kayaking and navigation. They taught me some Nepali, most of which can't be repeated on a family friendly site such as this blog! They all thought the views from Kentmere Pike were beautiful and reminded them of home. Thanks for your company guys. Stay safe.

Namaste!

EBO Internship 03-15 June 2011

Well, I've been busy,busy,busy! That's why I haven't updated the Blog for a while. I now have a couple of hours to catch up on everything (bills/emails/car maintenance etc), so here's the abridged version!!!



At the beginning of May I had two weeks teaching trainee outdoor instructors how to be climbers, to prepare them for their Single Pitch Award. We had 10 days of good weather and visited many of the super crags around Cornwall, including Bosigran, Sennen, Hawks Tor and Cheesewring Quarry. I worked with Jenny (mad) and Quintin (hole digger) for the whole period and it was great to see their confidence grow and their love of climbing develop. On the last weekend, they underwent SPA training with fellow MIA, Phill Matthews. It was smiles all round as both Jenny and Quintin coped well with the course. Keep climbing guys. It won't be long before you are ready for SPA Assessment!




Jenny and Quintin were on the Internship provided by EBO Training.