New Year's Eve

Back in Cornwall.

Ssssssssshhhh!...........don't tell anyone, but I went sea kayaking today and I quite enjoyed it!

Scotland 2

Yeap, I went up again before Christmas. Again with Heather (and Milly). This time we went climbing in Corrie an T-Sneachda, cross country skiing in Glenmore and had 2 nights in the Ling hut, up in Torridan. Conditions this winter are unbelieveable. Theres been so much snow early on. Driving down the Torridan road was 'interesting', to say the least. I had a big day out on Ben Eighe, which included wading through knee deep powder snow on the approach and battling 60mph winds on the summit ridge in fading light. It was quite an experience, but I was pleased I could handle it well. Just need to get some new ski goggles - an essential item of winter mountaineering equipment!

Scotland 1

Have been up in the Highlands with a friend of mine from Aviemore. Heather Morning in the Mountain Safety Advisor for the Mountaineering Council of Scotland. She also is a member of the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team and has a Search and Rescue dog, Milly. Those of you out there who read Trail magazine will know of Heather's and Milly's exploits from many of Heather's articles! She's a very busy girl, but she managed to come out with me and spend a few days out West on some big hills. Conditions were great - cold and crisp, with a covering of snow on the tops. We stayed in a Bothy, which is like an open shelter, free to use, but very basic. Bearnais Bothy is in a very idyllic, but isolated location, but it suited our needs perfectly as a base to walk up some Munros and a Corbett. I am working towards the Winter Mountain Leader award and this trip certainly gave me a good opportunity to get some quality mountain days in for my logbook!

There be snow on the Moor - December 2010

Have been out with Duchy College students on Bodmin Moor. All quite exciting as there is plenty of snow (for Cornwall) and even some ice! We made an ascent of Cornwall's highest peak, Brown Willy (420m), travelling from South to North. The peak is a longish ridge and, although it presents no real difficulty, its felt quite exciting in these cold conditions!

November - Sunny Spain

10 days working for Duchy College on their Advanced Instructor Training Program. These guys and girls already have experience of working in the Outdoor Industry but want to further their experience and qualifications. Part of that course is having to go to the Costa Blanca region of Spain, a firm favourite of British climbers wishing to escape the cold and wet weather at home and climb on sun-kissed rock! The region is full of limestone crags on which are a variety of Sport and Trad style of climbs, plus Via Ferrata, Gorge scrambles and exciting ridge walking. We were hosted by Rich Mayfield of the Orange House. Rich has been climbing out there for a number of years and his local knowledge is extensive. The students all learnt how to lead and some found the transition from climbing on indoor walls to climbing on real rock quite difficult, but all were comfortable about being on the 'sharp end' by the end of the trip. Some of the 'superstars' were leading F6b+, which was fantastic. I reckon they'll find climbing on British 'Trad' routes a bit of a challenge though. With fellow instructors Mark Garland, Pete Smith and Lee Abdul, I climbed the big route on the Puig Campana on our day off. Fab!

16th October - A Journey to Ixtlan

A beautiful day today. The sun shone and the sea was calm. All good for my first visit to the majestic cliffs of Carn Gowla. Down here its the full adventure package (proper climbing) and none of that sport climbing rubbish. Definitely not a place for the faint hearted and where a strong survival instinct plays dividends. Went with Jerry from Helston. Check out the look on his face as he prepares himself for the big crux pitch!

I've been slacking

Well, firstly apologies for not updating my Blog over the last half of 2010. Lets just say things got very chaotic! There was plenty of climbing, surfing and mountaineering to be had in Cornwall and further afield, with a variety of friends, students and clients. Rather than try and write up what I've been up to over this period, it's probably best if I post some photos, so here they are: