Surf's Up 20 Jan

Managed to surf twice today. At South Fistral in the morning and then again at Watergate Bay in BIG surf! Sets were double overhead and the sneaker sets even bigger! not many out, most of whom were sat inside, catching the smaller waves. I was out on the rhino chaser and managed to drop into some BIG waves. Haven't been out on the Chaser for a long time. Great fun. More please

Surf's Up 19 Jan

Mellow waves at South Fistral with my mate, Jez (SUP rider). 'Twas sunny too. Happy Days :-)

Duchy AITP Climbing - 17 Jan

Well, its back to proper work. Had a day working with fellow MIA and all round climbing loon, Mosseeee, with a small group of students from Duchy College. Pity it was damp and miserable. Still, undeterred we headed down to the Dewerstone (lovely crag by the River Dart, close to Plymouth) and got the guys and girls to solve problems and escape the system!

Surfs Up - 15 Jan

Surfs Up! 4 foot grinders at Harlyn. Best I leave my longboard behind and go on something shorter, otherwise I'll have two halves of a longboard!
Update: and very nice it was too :-)

Scotland 3 (early Jan)

Yeap, I went off to Scotland again. This time was a solo trip into the Cairngorms to get some Quality Mountain Days under my belt in preparation for my Winter Mountain Leader. A good friend of mine (Heavy Whalley) dropped me off at the Sugar Bowl so I could walk through the Charlemagne Gap to access the Lairig Ghru and on to the Corrour Bothy. Conditions were superb - blue skies, no wind, cold temperatures and not a soul about. I took my time and got to the bothy after about 6 hours and it was nice to find the bothy empty. The next day I ventured up onto Cairn Toul and Angels Peak. Strong winds and poor visibility made going slow, but I then returned to the bothy and enjoyed a fine evening with the bothy mice (the little buggers kept me awake for ages). The next day I walked over Ben Macdui and across the plateau in complete whiteout. When this happens, it is very difficult to see any features or the horizon, making travel and visual navigation difficult and one has to rely on walking on compass bearings and timing/pacing. Fortunately I eventually recognised the edge of the Northern Corries and dropped down through the ski area to a well-deserved bath and vegetable stirfry!

First Aid Course 6/7 Jan

One of the necessary evils I have to undergo as an Outdoor Instructor is First Aid courses. I need to remain current for professional reasons. Trouble is, I've been subjected to these courses every year for nearly 25 years. Surely I should be exempt from doing them now?

New Year's Bouldering

Went down to Little Fistral to test out my new Alpkit bouldering mat. The rock was a bit damp, but I had a couple of hours fun!