News

Rope assessments - Isle of Wight

2012-01-30T19:45:00.000Z

I've been over to the Isle of Wight over the last 4 days working on some rope assessments for PGL. I had a great welcome from all the staff but hopefully they can make the weather a bit warmer next time ;-) I was working on climbing, abseiling and ropes course assessment for staff who were returning for another season with PGL so they were, therefore, pretty slick. It was also really great to be working alongside my old friend Nick Banks.

Climbing Wall Award training - The Rock. Harlech

2012-01-24T17:00:00.000Z

I finished off the CWA training course at The Rock (Harlech) this morning with a look at some coaching of movement skills as well as developing and improving personal leading skills. The 5 candidates who took part in the course seemed to enjoy the experience and now need to consolidate and practise the skills covered on the course. It's a fantastic facility and I wish it all the success it deserves.

The Rock - Harlech

2012-01-23T20:27:00.003Z

I was over in Harlech today visiting the brand new indoor climbing wall called The Rock that officially opened last Friday. I'm running a Climbing Wall Award training course for some of their staff with a view for them becoming qualified in the near future. The climbing wall is very impressive and is well worth a visit as it only 10/15 mins from Tremadog (via the toll bridge) and has more than enough to keep you occupied for hours with not only bottom top roping but lead routes as well as a dedicated bouldering room. There's also a very good mix of grades on steep and not so steep walls.

I'm back to The Rock in the morning to finish the training course with some movement skills, problem solving and some leading.

Teaching Lead Climbing Part 2

2012-01-16T22:28:00.000Z

I was over at the Beacon again this evening to finish off the Teaching Lead Climbing course. This part of the course was all about problem avoidance, skill development, consolidation and a bit of an assessment at the end. I'm glad to say that both candidates passes with no problem.

Ropes assessments

2012-01-16T22:15:00.000Z

I was in Lancashire over the weekend conducting assessments in rope activities such as climbing and various ropes courses elements for PGL. The weekend was for senior staff to get them up and running for the new season. I'm glad to say they were very kind to me as the new boy. I was really glad that I took my big down jacket with me as it was freezing.

Carneddau

2012-01-13T18:50:00.000Z

I had a really nice day in the Carneddau today with a really keen group from London. We followed the ridge from Gerlan to Carnedd Gwenllian via Gyrn Wigau, Drosgl and Bera Bach with loads of navigation practice. We came down Afon Wen and Afon Caseg.

Moelwyn Mawr and Moelwyn Bach

2012-01-12T21:14:00.000Z

I was out with a group of teachers from a public school in London today. The school come up to Snowdonia annually for some mountain skills training and are usually rewarded with some terrible weather conditions including rain, snow, hail, sleet, gale force winds and zero visibility. The weather, in contrast, today was stunning and we were rewarded with some beautiful views. We elected to go for Moelwyn Mawr (770m) and Moelwyn Bach (710m) from Croesor which none of the team had been to before. Looks like it's going to be another good day tomorrow.

Lead climbing Course

2012-01-10T10:46:00.000Z

I was running the first part of an in house lead climbing course at the Beacon Climbing Centre last night for 3 local instructors. The course looked at the key elements of teaching leading to novices on indoor climbing walls.

As you can see the Beacon are a growing business and now run 2 other climbing walls as well as manufacturing climbing walls and holds.

Happy New Year - Blwyddyn Newydd Dda

2012-01-03T15:59:00.000Z

I hope you all had a great Christmas and here's to a happy and fruitful New Year.

A windy day!

2011-12-13T18:31:00.000Z

I was out in the Llanberis quarries today and boy was it windy! Looks like we're in for another hit later in the week with a forecast of very strong/damaging winds on the way. This is a view of a very cold looking Carnedd Ugain from Twll Mawr. Looks like freezing level is about 850m with more snow forecast for tomorrow.

More weather!!

2011-12-10T14:31:00.000Z

Batten down the hatches folks. Looks like we're in for another hammering. Glad to say I'll be at home in front of the fire whilst the next meteorological battle plays out.

ML Assessment

2011-12-09T22:57:00.000Z

I was working for Blue Peris this week on an ML (summer!!) assessment. It was a big group so I was ably assisted by Mark Walker and Chris Guest. We had to put up with some awesome weather during the last 5 days with the last 3 day camp being particularly trying. We experienced rain, hail, sleet, snow and storm force winds so well done to everyone on the course and thanks to Mark and Chris for being total dudes and for the help and support under difficult weather conditions.

Yr Wyddfa / Snowdon

2011-12-02T14:42:00.000Z

Freezing level was at about 900m today with the snow level at about 850m. We didn't have much of a view but it was worth the trip to the summit just to get into the white stuff. The weather forecast was ok for this morning with rain (snow on high ground) arriving at about mid afternoon and sure enough its started to rain here in Caernarfon as I'm typing this blog. Endomondo

V12 and DMM Cosmetic seconds explained

2011-12-01T13:47:00.001Z

A great video explaining why cosmetic second are absolutely fine to use and a good way of saving some dosh.

Cheer up - Winter Inspiration

2011-11-30T16:45:00.000Z

Well, the weather isn't helping much but with the nights drawing in I thought I'd put some slides together to give people a bit of inspiration and hope for the coming winter season... won't be long now I hope. Enjoy :-) Click the caption on the photo and it'll take you to the photo set (or click here)

The Devil's Kitchen winter 2009

ML Ropework re-assessment

2011-11-28T19:39:00.000Z

With a strong, cold wind blowing from the south I decided to stay low to conduct an ML ropework reassessment today. I went to a rocky area above Llyn Marchlyn Bach which I'd never used for ML ropework before but was perfect for the job. The crag faces NE and gave use plenty of opportunity to shelter from the wind and had loads of anchors to choose from.
I'm glad to say Claudia pass with out a problem. Well done.

Technical Ropes Assessor and Consultant – PGL

2011-11-26T12:57:00.001Z

I headed down south on Wednesday to start a new role as a technical ropes assessor and consultant for PGL Adventures. I'll be working alongside a few other ropes assessors during next year which will take me across the UK and Europe assessing PGL staff on activities such as abseiling, climbing and high ropes courses. I used to do this kind of work for PGL about 10 years ago and was very involved with setting up their training and assessment standards so it's familiar territory for me and it's very nice to be back. The last couple of days was predominantly about getting familiar with the current systems and assessment standards as well as meeting up with some senior staff who were on a ropes update seminar.
I'll keep you posted, as usual, during the coming year as to where I am and adventures I may be having (I'll have to get used to posting from my htc I suppose!!)

NICAS Induction - Beacon

2011-11-23T10:46:00.000Z

I was over at the Beacon climbing wall last night running an induction course for 6 people who wanted to deliver the National Indoor Climbing Achievement Scheme on various walls around North Wales. This course lasts 4 hours and consists of a presentation and chat regarding the scheme and then about 3 hours looking at the practical application of delivering and supervising the scheme. Everyone on the courses were really enthusiastic and keen to contribute.

ML (summer) training course

2011-11-18T16:57:00.000Z

I've just finished directing and working on a Mountain Leader training course for Blue Peris. I had 5 candidates on the course with every day covering a different aspect of the scheme. We had a centre based day on Wednesday with a quick jaunt over to Nant Ffrancon to look at the practical application of river crossing as well as discussions on emergency procedures, equipment and camp skills. We were out for the last couple of days on a 2 day expedition over in the Moelwynion. The weather was tough going with strong winds (gusting 55mph) throughout the 2 days and heavy rain over night.

A happy team on the way to our camp site

Carnedd y Filiast and Elidir Fawr

2011-11-15T14:11:00.001Z

Elidir Fawr (923m) from Mynydd Perfedd (812m)

Barti on the summit of Carnedd y Filiast (821m)

I just had to get out on to the mountains this morning to take advantage of the beautiful weather and to take Barti for a walk. I tracked the journey on endomondo .

Mountain Leader (summer) training

2011-11-13T22:05:00.000Z

I'm directing an ML training course this week so I kicked off the course with some navigation skills on Cefn Du before heading back to have a chat about mountain weather and forecasting. Looks like the weather's going to be ok until the end of the week. Bad weather forecasted for Thursday - just in time for the overnight camping trip!!!

What a morning

2011-11-13T07:51:00.000Z

2011-11-11T20:31:00.002Z

In-house Assessments

2011-11-11T13:17:00.001Z

I was working down in London over the last couple of days - unfortunately we were right under the flightpath of Heathrow Airport!! I was conducting some in-house assessment for a private school which I'm the technical advisor for. The school has two outdoor climbing towers one of which you can carry out group abseils from. The strangest thing about being in such an urban environment is having flocks of Rose Rings Parakeets flying above your head all day which are now native to parts of the south east, I also spotted a number of red kits hunting along the M40 which was a pleasure to see - glad to be home though.

AMI Trainee workshop

2011-11-06T18:00:00.000Z

What a stunning day. The weather was perfect for a short roping day for trainee members of the Association of Mountaineering Instructors - crisp and clear. We started the day on the left edge of Tryfan Bach looking at the technique of short pitching we then made our way up onto the Heather Terrace (Llwybr y Lechen Goch) to make an ascent of Bastow Buttress variant (3) with a descent of Bastow Gully (2).

Tim, Leo, Stuart and Phil

Tryfan Bach

Bastow Buttress variant

Yr Wyddfa/Snowdon

2011-11-04T22:04:00.000Z

It was a bit gloomy on Snowdon this morning but at least it stayed dry until about 50m from the top and then the rain remained heavy on the descent until after halfway house. I didn't have much of an opportunity to take any nice photos but I did get a bit of a view down towards sunny Caernarfon and Anglesey in the distance. I tracked the trip on Endomondo so if you're interested click here.

Lon Las, Llanberis

2011-11-01T22:04:00.000Z

ML Expedition

2011-10-30T09:37:00.001Z

The last part of the assessment takes the form of a self sufficient 3 day trip in the mountains. We swapped teams for this part as I could then meet all the candidates before the end of the course. The other assessor and myself decided to disappear into the Carneddau for a few days so that we could have a look at the candidates ability to navigate at night and during the day as well as their route finding, camping and ML ropework skills. The weather was very changeable and we experienced poor visibility, strong winds and rain as well as dry, sunny conditions so pretty perfect for an assessment!! We covered at total of 27kms (17miles) and ascended over 1740m (5709') during the 3 days.

Foel Grach (976m)

Carnedd Llewelyn (1064m)

Steep ground in Cwm Moch above Cwm Pen-llafar

ML Assessment Day 2

2011-10-26T19:51:00.000+01:00

We were over in Cwm Idwal today to look at some leadership on steep rocky ground and a bit more navigation as well. We went up Seniors Ridge to the top of Glyder Fawr (1001m) and then down Y Gribin Ridge. The weather wasn't too bad with the worst of the weather (heavy rain and hail) coming in by mid afternoon but it didn't last very long. We even had some sunshine on the summit of Glyder Fawr (above)

ML Assessment Day 1

2011-10-25T21:00:00.000+01:00

I'm directing a Mountain Leader assessment this week for Blue Peris. It was a navigation day today so we made our way over to Cwm Tryfan to see if we could shelter from the winds. By the time we arrived at Llyn Caseg Fraith the wind had died away and the sun was trying its best to break through. We made our way down the NW ridge from the llyn back to Gwern y Gof Uchaf.

Turbo SPA - Holyhead Mountain

2011-10-15T18:46:00.000+01:00

I was running a Turbo Single Pitch day today with 2 clients who were looking at doing their assessment very soon. We were looking at leading at Severe standard over on Holyhead Mountain and climbed Pigeon Hole Crack (S), The Wandering Primrose (S), Stairs (S) and Teenage Kicks (S). We covered topics such as the rack, placing protection, anchors, ropework and equipment. The wind was quite vicious and cold but the sun smiled upon us and took the edge off any unpleasantness.

ML Assessment

2011-10-14T21:07:00.001+01:00

After a very damp second day (too wet for my camera!!) looking at leadership skills on rocky terrain we decided that the 3 day expedition would be on Snowdon.

We started from Pen y Pass and made our way over to Gallt y Wenallt but unfortunately two candidates had to pull out of the assessment due to previous injuries. After a short delay we resumed the trip with an ascent of Lliwedd and then down to Cwm Tregalan for the first camp and night navigation exercise. The second day was across to Allt Maenderyn with some confidence roping thrown in and up to the summit of Snowdon via Bwlch Main. After a nice cup of tea in Hafod Eryri we made our way up Carnedd Ugain and down to Bwlch Cwm Brwynog to do some mountain leader ropework. We then made our way to Llyn Du'r Arddu to finish off the ropework, night navigation and camp for the night.

The morning dawned dry but misty which made the magnificent cliffs of Clogwyn Du'r Arddu even more spectacular. After a bit of macro navigation over to the ridge beyond Llechog we descended to Llanberis for a well deserved drink and a cake in Pete's Eats before returning to Blue Peris to sort out the results and paperwork. Well done to all the candidates for giving their all and keeping a brave face throughout the assessment.

Summit of Carnedd Ugain (1065m)

Cwm Tregalan

Above Clogwyn Du'r Arddu

Clogwyn Du'r Arddu

We covered a total of 21kms (13miles) and 1789m (5,870feet) of ascent during the 3 day trip.

ML Assessment Day 1

2011-10-10T17:51:00.000+01:00

I'm working on a Mountain Leader assessment this week for Blue Peris. Even though the weather forecast was a bit grim today we did find some shelter from the wind in Cwm Dyli and the Horns area to do some micro navigation using a 1:25,000 map. We also covered topics such and fauna and flora, geography and river crossing. We did encounter some strong gusts of wind but it was mostly the rain that was the major problem with some quite heavy downpours at times but it could have been worse!

Cragging

2011-10-04T15:34:00.000+01:00

I was climbing with an old friend of mine from my Plas y Brenin days today. Steve lives out in Chamonix these days so I haven't seen him for ages and haven't climbed together for years so it was fantastic to be out on dry warm rock with him and a great opportunity to catch up. We decided to visit Tremadog this morning as I had to be back home for the kids by mid afternoon. We climbed Leg Slip (E1 5b) and First Slip (E1 5c).

Steve on the first pitch of Leg Slip

Steve going through the roof on the second pitch of Leg Slip

Idwal Slabs

2011-10-02T21:00:00.000+01:00

The weather forecasts had been a bit unreliable regarding today as it had been changing to be more unsettled as the day approached - so with a 30% chance of light rain we decided to have a go at a mountain route. Roland and Michael were keen to have a go at Tennis Shoe (HS) on the Idwal Slabs but by the time we arrived our route had received a bit of a soaking from a heavy shower but as it was so warm the route was almost dry again by the time we had geared up so apart from the odd patch of moisture the route was on. The first pitch was soon dispatched and it looked like the weather was going to be ok but, unfortunately, it wasn't to be as the weather closed in again as we approached the last pitch so we had to escape to the descent path and miss out the last (sting in the tail) pitch.

As it had dried a bit by the time we arrived at the bottom of the slabs, and we had a bit of time to spare, I gave Roland and Michael the challenge of climbing the alternative start to Tennis Shoe which goes at Severe which, due the dampness, was a bit harder on this occasion. I think we were very lucky with the weather today as it had been raining all day in Caernarfon!

Idwal Slabs

Tennis Shoe (HS)

First pitch of Tennis Shoe (HS)

Tremadog

2011-10-01T22:17:00.001+01:00

I was working for Jagged Globe today and had an awesome day with Roland and Michael who were preparing themselves for a trip up Mount Kenya. We decided to beat the crowds by going to Tremadog and, true to form, it was relatively quiet considering that the Llanberis pass was absolutely heaving when I passed through this morning. We climbed Cnychwr (S), Xmas Curry (S) and One Step in the Clouds (VS) with a variation finish. A great day and fantastic weather.

Michael on One Step

Roland coming up to the stance of One Step

Roland and me on the top of One Step in the Clouds

Carnedd y Filiast and Elidir Fawr

2011-09-28T14:35:00.001+01:00

Elidir Fawr Summit 923m

Differential erosion

Fir Club Moss

Boy was it windy today it even made breathing difficult at times but it was incredibly warm which was a real bonus. I tracked the trip with Endomondo so if you're interested click here.

Moel Eilio to Snowdon

2011-09-20T23:10:00.001+01:00

The weather was very damp and misty this morning but the forecast suggested that it would clear after midday and sure enough it did clear at about one o'clock. The nice thing about this route is that you can bail out at almost any point if you run out of time or if you're not feeling up to the challenge. Once beyond Bwlch Brwynnog you are pretty much committed to an ascent of Snowdon or you could go down Cwm Brwynnog to Llanberis or the Snowdon Ranger path and catch a bus or train to Caernarfon. I was a bit short of time when I arrived at Bwlch Glas so I made a quick getaway down the Llanberis track to be home in time for the kids from school (I had 5 minutes to spare). I tracked the route on Endomondo if your interested.

Foel Gron

Snowdon from Bwlch Glas

Llanberis

Approaching Allt Goch

SPA refresher

2011-09-17T16:47:00.000+01:00

Alwen

Wynne

Sera

I had 3 clients today who are going for their SPA assessment soon and wanted to brush up on some key techniques. The weather forecast earlier in the week suggested a grim day today but as the day got closer the forecast improved to lighter winds and heavy showers. With that in mind I decided the best place to be (apart from the Beacon!) was the Upper Tier of Pant Ifan. We covered subjects such as top roping, bottom top roping, group abseiling, anchors and belaying.

Crib Goch and Snowdon

2011-09-15T22:22:00.000+01:00

With a nice weather forecast and a keen group we went for a traverse of Crib Goch today. The conditions were perfect and the group made a fantastic effort and were smiling all the way (well, almost!)

Y Garn 947m

2011-09-15T22:05:00.000+01:00

I had a great day on Y Garn today with a group from Kent. The weather was a bit depressing but the group put on a brave face and made the most of the dry, windy and cloudy condition.

A Blustery Snowdon

2011-09-13T20:48:00.001+01:00

I went for a quick journey up Snowdon this morning with Barti (click here for a link to endomondo). The wind was pretty stiff from Clogwyn Station with strong gusts on the summit but nothing too major to worry about. I went up and down the Llanberis track and was pleasantly surprised how few people there were about but, as usual, I encountered some poorly equipped groups and individuals. All in all, a really nice morning.

P.S. I do wish people would realise how long a banana skin takes to decompose in the mountains - I must have come across over a dozen. Oh, it's 2-5 years by the way!

A dry Tremadog

2011-09-11T22:51:00.000+01:00

Boo Boo Slab

Yogi

I was back to Tremadog today with my trainee MIA candidates but this time they had clients to look after from the Bremex Trust. It was a really good experience for both Laurie and Tom as they will be going for their MIA assessment in a weeks time. Apart from having real clients the biggest bonus was that we were dry all day. A big thank you goes out to the Bremex Trust for helping us with running a really successful and constructive day.

A wet Tremadog

2011-09-10T21:14:00.000+01:00

Lawrie and Tom at the end of the day still smiling!

I was working on an AMI multi pitch climbing workshop today with two trainee members. The weather forecast was bad for most of the day but we elected to give Tremadog a go on the pretext that it would be less wet, less windy and warmer. The rock did manage to dry for about half an hour at the end of the day but we did manage 3 routes (Cnychwr S, Yogi VS and Boo Boo Slab Diff). We covered subjects such as stance management, rope management, client progression, abseiling, anchor choice and use, equipment etc. Good luck on your assessment in just over a week guys.

Y Garn. 947m

2011-09-09T20:28:00.000+01:00

It was a rather misty day today but Kevin was keen for a walk so we ventured up Y Garn via the Devil's Kitchen and then down the NE Ridge. It did stay dry but the wind was quite strong at times- when the cloud did eventually clear we were rewarded with some stunning views.

Big day - Big Route

2011-09-04T21:54:00.000+01:00

Andy and Gwen wanted to have a big mountain day experience today so with a favourable forecast we decided to give Amphitheatre Buttress a go. We had the whole of Craig yr Ysfa to ourselves and the rock was dry up until it started to spit with rain toward the end of the afternoon. A fantastic day and a brilliant route. Amphitheatre Buttress is graded VDiff and is almost a 1000 feet in height.

It's Mushroom season

2011-09-02T22:26:00.003+01:00

Gruffudd, Barti and myself went for a walk around Llyn Padarn this morning and we were stunned to find so many fungi growing along the side the road. This is just a small selection of what we found:

Idwal Slabs- Ordinary Route Diff

2011-09-01T22:03:00.002+01:00

As a special treat (for both of us) I took Gruffudd up the Idwal Slabs this afternoon seeing as the weather was perfect and his big brother was playing at his friends house. We climbed the Ordinary Route which is graded Difficult and is 140m long. I cut some of the pitches short so that I could see him all the way up the route. I shouldn't have worried though as we was in his element and coped well with the climb as well as the descent (ascent!). Not bad for a short afternoon and we were rewarded with a deserted route as well.

Idwal Slabs

Pitch 1.

Stance - Pitch 1.

It's been a busy August

2011-08-31T20:16:00.001+01:00

I've been a bit busy with family commitments this month but here are a few photo's to keep you happy and interested. Back to work in a few days so business as usual soon.

Grasmere

Grizedale Forest

Camping in Hawkshead

Helm Crag

Liverpool

Skydiving - Lakes

Eisteddfod Wrecsam

NICAS Induction course

2011-07-23T21:00:00.000+01:00

I travelled over to Shropshire today to run a National Indoor Climbing Achievement Scheme induction workshop for course directors and staff. The weather was stunning so it was a bit of a drag having to spend the whole day indoors but the guys on the course made the day enjoyable and interesting which made the trip worthwhile. I was running the course at a large activity holiday centre with its own indoor climbing wall as well as a number of outdoor climbing towers.

Cwm Idwal

2011-07-21T23:28:00.000+01:00

It was Jon's last day today and the objective was to do some more scrambling and have a bit of a revision of some emergency ropework for hill walkers. We decided that the easy way up the NW Face Route would be a good challenge to get on to Seniors Ridge and would also give us plenty of opportunity to have a look at some emergency rope work. We then made a descent of the lower section of Seniors Ridge.

Snowdon Horseshoe

2011-07-20T19:49:00.001+01:00

I was out again with Jon today. The main aim of the day was to have a go at Crib Goch but Jon did so well we ended up doing the Snowdon Horseshoe as well in fine style and in good time. A fantastic day, stunning views and great weather.

Rain, mist, wind and a lost Spaniard

2011-07-19T22:10:00.000+01:00

I was out and about with Jon today who wanted to be pushed a bit on some scrambles here in sunny Snowdonia - well not so sunny today. The weather was pretty grim (wet, windy and misty) but we decided that the North Ridge of Tryfan would be appropriate but we made such good time that we managed to bag Bristly Ridge as well.

It was really unusual to have the summit of Tryfan to ourselves today and we only saw 7 people and a lost Spaniard all day. I thought he was joking when he asked us where he was as he was supposed to be heading for Pen y Pass!!

AMI Open Workshop

2011-07-18T11:41:00.000+01:00

Despite the weather the guys that turned up for this weekend's workshop were really keen to get out and consolidate some skills. With a slightly better weather forecast for Saturday we decided to look at short roping and then improvised rescue on the Sunday. We went over to Cwm Idwal and climbed the NW Face Route up to Seniors ridge and then made a descent of Seniors Ridge Direct which takes a line just below Suicide Wall.

Mike, Rich, Mat and Simon at the start of the NW Face Route

Simon and Mike nearing the bottom of Seniors Ridge Direct

The second day was a bit of a wash out but we decided to go to Tremadog and hope that we could get some shelter from the rain - fat chance! We took shelter around the Oberon area and worked on some key rescue skills separated by a "chat" in Eric's Cafe.

Association of Mountaineering Instructors - Trainee Workshop

2011-07-04T23:31:00.000+01:00

I was running an AMI Short Roping Trainee Workshop today, The weather was absolutely stunning so we decided to start off on Tryfan Bach and then progress on to the East Face of Tryfan. Denny, Mat and Mike did a great job climbing North Buttress Variant and then we made an descent of North Gully and Little Gully. We covered topics such as coils (hand and body) and locking them off (or not), moving together, pitching, anchors, belaying, lowering Top photo: Tryfan Bach. Bottom photo: The start of North Gully Variant.

2011-07-02T18:00:00.002+01:00

I was working on Snowdon Today for Jagged Globe looking after a charity fund raising event in the area. It was a great day for the competitors to make ascent of Snowdon as it was perfect weather. The team were taking part in the Snowdonia Charity Challenge which entailed Cycling around Snowdon, Making an ascent of Snowdon via the Rhyd Ddu path and a canoe race on Llyn Padarn. Well done everyone for a big effort and raising money for a good cause. The photo is taken from Bwlch Main looking towards Yr Aran.

AALS Inspection

2011-06-30T18:01:00.003+01:00

I was over on Craig yr Undeb (Yellow Wall) today to inspect a rock climbing activity on behalf of the Adventure Activities Licensing Service.

Hot Dog!

2011-06-27T20:49:00.000+01:00

With an OK weather forecast I decided to take Barti for a walk up Snowdon and with a high pressure system building to the SW I was hoping that we would pop out of the cloud at some stage. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be and we were in the cloud for the whole trip. We made fast time up to the summit of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) so I decided to go down the Snowdon Ranger path and then up Moel Cynghorion.

It was disappointing to see so much rubbish on the way up Yr Wyddfa and so many empty plastic water bottles - don't people know about a thing called a tap! The day did have it's up side though as we came across a couple descending from Clogwyn Station with a horse having made an ascent on horse back - a good effort.

Although it was very warm today at least the sun didn't come out to bake us to a frazzle. As soon as I turned right off the Snowdon Ranger path everything went quiet and we had the hills to ourselves apart from a group who were gutted to find out how far they were from the summit of Snowdon and they hadn't even reached the top of Moel Cynghorion by that stage.

Stone Crop - Fachwen

2011-06-25T16:46:00.001+01:00

Safety cover - Sea to Summit charity event

2011-06-18T18:24:00.000+01:00

I was working for Jagged Globe again today on a charity event which had teams start at Llanfairfechan and finish on the summit of Snowdon. There were some teams starting at Ogwen and others at Pen y Pass with the Ultra teams going all the way from the coast to Snowdon. All the teams were raising money for the The Intensive Care Society.
I was responsible for the looking after the safety cover on the Carneddau so it was an early start for me in order to be on the summit of Drum (770m) by about 7.30a.m. 12 teams were doing the Ultra event and as soon as the last team went through I followed them as far as Carnedd Llewelyn (1064m), I then handed over to the other marshals on the route so that I could go back to Aber to pick my car up - a round trip of 23kms and a total of about 1200m of ascent.

Garri (shop) and Chris with one of the teams on the summit of Carnedd Llewelyn

Cladonia Coniocraea on the summit of Carnedd Gwenllian

Ysgolion Duon (Black Ladders) from Carnedd Llewelyn

Fairy Ring Champignon or Button Mushroom (Marasmius Oreades)

And it stayed dry all day although it was bitterly cold in the strong wind but the wind did die down a lot by late morning. Visibility was a bit hit or miss this morning but improved a lot by the afternoon. Apart from the cloud cover the weather forecast was wrong again today but I'm not complaining as the error was the correct way!

Afon Ddu - AALS

2011-06-15T20:00:00.001+01:00

I was in Afon Ddu near Dolgarrog today inspecting an activity being run by a provider from the NW of England.

Carnedd y Filiast (821m) and Elidir Fawr (923m)

2011-06-14T17:39:00.000+01:00

Elidir Fawr from N. of Mynydd Perfedd

Dwarf Willow on the NW slope of Elidir Fach

Stag's Horn Clubmoss (Elidir Fach)

A lovely day here in Snowdonia and not to be ignored so paperwork this morning and out and about this afternoon before the boys got home from school. I tracked the journey on endomondo if you're interested click here

AMI Navigation and Environment workshop

2011-06-12T20:00:00.001+01:00

What a contrast from yesterday! I was helping some AMI trainees with their navigation and environmental knowledge today so with the weather forecast predicting gales and rain we decided to stay low and use the area around Llyn Cwmffynnon and Moel Berfedd. It was wet and cold but at least we were sheltered from the wind. As you can guess, it was a bit too wet to get my camera out - I should invest in a waterproof one I suppose.

AMI Scrambling workshop

2011-06-11T19:33:00.000+01:00

I was out with Tim, Richard and Mark today on an Association of Mountaineering Instructors trainee workshop. It was a bit grim first thing this morning but it soon cleared to give a lovely sunny day. We climbed Tryfan Bach and then on to the Heather Terrace to do North Buttress Variant with a descent of North and Little Gully.

ML Training

2011-06-10T22:27:00.000+01:00

Mountain Day - North Ridge of Tryfan (Nick, Tom, Freya and Laura)

Expedition - Cnicht - Moelwynion (Liam, Matt and Lewis)

Camp.

Cnicht (Lewis, Liam and Matt)

I've been directing a Mountain Leader Training course for Blue Peris Mountain Centre this week. Here are a few photos taken during the week.

Safety cover - 3 Peaks event

2011-06-05T19:13:00.001+01:00

Evening sun over Moel Eilio.

First sign of daylight @ 4 a.m.

Snowdon summit in mist.

I was working for Jagged Globe over night on Snowdon last night on a 3 peaks challenge. There were 32 teams taking part in the charity event with between 3 and 6 people in each team. The weather was misty and very windy at times but I was positioned at the finger stone at Bwlch Glas (at about 1000m) which was quite sheltered from the wind and mist. Fortunately, it was dry all night and the rain didn't start until about 7 o'clock. Well done every one for the massive effort in achieving the goal of completing the 3 peaks (Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon in less than 24 hours) and raising money for Action Medical Research.

Moel Eilio (726m)

2011-06-02T21:01:00.000+01:00

With a good forecast and a couple of kids on half term break I decided that we needed some exercise so after a bite to eat in Llanberis we agreed to give Moel Eilio a go. The weather was a bit overcast and the tops were under cloud so we didn't hold out much hope of seeing anything from the top. As we hit the cloud at about 550m everything disappeared and visibility was down to about 50m but as we progressed the cloud began to thin, the sun got brighter and just before reaching the summit we popped out through the cloud and into the sun. We had fantastic views over to Snowdon and Carnedd Ugain as well as Elidir Fawr.

ML Ropework

2011-06-01T00:07:00.000+01:00

We went over to the Ogwen Valley again today to spend the day looking at ropework for the mountain leader.

Mountain Leader Training - Blue Peris

2011-05-30T21:14:00.000+01:00

l-r: Adam, Lucy, Katy, Jack and Dena

The Canon on the North Ridge of Tryfan

This was the second day of an ML training course. We wanted to look at group management on difficult terrain so we went up Tryfan via the North Ridge and then descended the East side back to the road. It started out to be quite a grotty day with low cloud and some drizzle but it soon cleared up by mid morning to give a lovely day with the occasional glimpse of the sun.

Technical Advisor work

2011-05-26T21:00:00.002+01:00

I'm working over in Coventry for the next four days conducting some in house climbing wall, abseil tower and ropes course assessments.

A good weather forecast

2011-05-24T14:40:00.000+01:00

This is a view of Snowdon under cloud this morning from the summit of Moel Cynghorion. I started from the parking spot by Afon Goch and then up Moel Eilio (726m), Foel Gron (629m) and Foel Goch (605m) before making the long slog up Moel Cynghorion (674m). The descent was via the North Ridge back to the path and the car.

Sgurr na Stri (497m)

2011-05-19T20:00:00.007+01:00

It looks increasingly like the weather will be bad for the remainder of the week so with an ok forecast today we decided to make an ascent of Sgurr na Stri from Sligachan. It was a long walk (19kms) but well worth it for the fantastic views. Even though the mountain is quite low in altitude it's scale is awesome with great views over to Soay, Rum, Eigg and Canna as well as an almost unbroken view of the Black Cuillin (well, if the weather would allow!!). A great day with a brisk wind and only a couple of showers.

Top: Andy and Gwen just before the summit with the Dubhs ridge in the background.
Bottom: Loch na Cuilce and the Scavaig River from the summit.

Spar Cave

2011-05-18T18:30:00.001+01:00

After the long day yesterday we decided to have an easy day so, as the tide was just right, we went to visit the Spar Cave near Elgol.

Dubhs Ridge - Skye

2011-05-17T09:30:00.000+01:00

With a good weather forecast we decided to go for the Dubhs ridge which is a Moderate scramble and 920m in length. The route ends up on the summit of Sgurr Dubh Beag (733m) and then on to Sgurr Dubh Mor (944m). Unfortunately, the weather forecast wasn't quite accurate and as we arrived on the top of Sgurr Dubh Beag the cloud descended upon us with strong winds and rain. We had already decided that we were going to have a bit of an adventure as we were going to catch the boat to Loch Coruisk and then we were going to walk out back to Elgol. The descent slowed us down a bit due to a lack of visibility but we managed to make it back to Elgol before dark. A stunning route but just a shame about the weather.

Top photo: Chris, Gwen and Andy on the Dubhs Ridge.
Bottom photo: Andy and Chris on the way to Sgurr Dubh Mor.

Rain, rain and more rain

2011-05-15T18:31:00.002+01:00

I'm over on the Isle of Skye this week waiting for a weather window for the Cuillin Ridge. We all went for a long walk today as we needed to blow some cobwebs away after the long drive yesterday. We walked from Elgol over to the Camasunary bothy up to Loch na Creitheach over the Am Mam back to the road at Kilmarie and then back to Elgol. About 17kms in all but not much in the way of views and it was pretty wet all the way round with very low cloud but we did have some tantalising views of the lower ridges at times. It doesn't look good for the next couple of days but lets cross our fingers for later in the week. Photo: Camasunary Bothy - Gwen, Ali, me and Chris

Carnedd y Filiast (821m) and Elidir Fawr (923m)

2011-05-11T16:03:00.000+01:00

I was lucky to dodge the showers this afternoon and had some wonderful views over to Ogwen. I started from the road head above Deiniolen and then up to Carnedd y Filiast then to Mynydd Perfedd and then on to the summit of Elidir Fawr. After all the rain and the wind it was really nice to be out in the dry again.

ML Expedition

2011-05-08T18:07:00.000+01:00

I concluded the ML training course with a camp over the last 2 days. We had a good weather forecast so we opted to go over to the Moelwynion. How wrong can a forecast be! We were battered by heavy rain for most of the trip but we did manage to avoid the rain over the night navigation exercise at least. Everybody seemed to cope OK with the conditions and looked like they were enjoying themselves. Well done team. For more photos check out the link to Flickr

Office and catch up day

2011-05-06T23:04:00.001+01:00

Hawthorn blossom

I had lots of work to sort out and arrange today but still managed to get out with the dog in the afternoon.

ML Training Day 3

2011-05-05T19:35:00.002+01:00

I was joined by Sam Benson today to help cover ropework for mountain leaders. We went over to the Llanberis Pass to look at movement skills, confidence roping, rope types, anchors, belaying, lowering and abseiling. The weather turned out to be ok this morning but the afternoon was cold, very wet and windy. Top photo: Lunch spot and bottom photo l-r: Neill, Sam, Dave, Sarah, Paul, Andy and Ewan.

ML Training Day 2

2011-05-04T20:42:00.000+01:00

The aim of today was to look at group management over difficult and rocky terrain so we went over to Ogwen and made an ascent of Gyder Fawr via Seniors Ridge and then down Y Gribin. The weather was perfect again today but quite cold on the summit with a brisk wind. Looks like things are changing for the end of the week.

ML Training Day 1

2011-05-03T20:12:00.010+01:00

I'm directing a Mountain Leader training course for Blue Peris this week. The six candidates have already completes their Walking Group Leader Award and are keen to progress onto more challenging terrain. We went over to Pen y Pass today and covered some micro navigation skills and environmental topics around the back of the Youth Hostel. The mountains are bone dry at the moment so we didn't have such problem travelling over terrain that is usually quite boggy and wet. No problems with the weather and visibility today. As soon as we were back at the centre and had some food we reconvened to have a chat about weather and how it relates to mountain leaders.

A windy day in Llanberis

2011-05-02T19:36:00.000+01:00

The wind was strong again today and as the boys were playing with friends for the afternoon Barti and I went for a very pleasant walk around Llyn Padarn and Llyn Peris taking in the Dinorwig quarries along the way. A really nice walk of about 14kms and well worth doing whatever the weather.

Three Cliffs - Gower

2011-04-28T21:13:00.000+01:00

We had another fantastic weather forecast today so we headed back over the the Gower to do some climbing at Three Cliffs. It was a bit of a blast from the past as the last time I was there was nearly thirty years ago. The tide wasn't quite right but we managed to climb 4 routes before the sea came in. We climbed :

Scavenger (VS 4c - 26m)
Inverted V (HVS 4c - 16m)
Joggled Wall (VD - solo)
Joggled Wall Direct (HS 4a - 18m)

Gareth also soloed Left Corner II (Diff) and Bulge (VD). What a fantastic end to a perfect week of climbing.

Penallta and Cwmaman

2011-04-27T19:57:00.003+01:00

We went over to a natural sandstone crag by Penallta this morning and climbed a couple of routes just to get a taste for the place. We climbed Devils in Hell (VD - 25m) and Alley Oop (S 4a - 18m). The biggest problem was the amount of broken beer bottles all around us so we had to careful with the ropes. There was evidence of a fire from the day before but the park ranger warned us to be vigilant in case other fires were lit deliberately by local youngsters whilst we were climbing. An experience!

We also went over to Cwmaman in the afternoon to do some sport climbing on the very hard, compact sandstone quarry above the village. We climbed Evil Ways (F6a - 15m) and Yank the Plank (F6a -15m). These routes were well worth doing and were recently re equipped with new bolts and lower offs.

Fall Bay

2011-04-26T20:00:00.006+01:00

We went over to Fall Bay today on the Gower and climbed on King Wall and Lewes Castle. The climbing was terrific with routes of all grades and steepness available. The weather was overcast and a bit breezy but perfect for climbing. We climbed the following routes:

Fafnir HS 4b
Sweyn HS 4b
Ragnarok HS 4a (below)
Frigg VS 4b
Balder VS 5a
Osiris VS 4c (left)

It was really quiet today with only one other party turning up later in the afternoon. A fantastic days climbing.

Taffs Well Main - Pine Tree (VD - 73m)

2011-04-25T17:00:00.011+01:00

I arrived in Cardiff this afternoon to be picked up by my mate Gareth and was surprised that he wanted to go cragging straight away so off we went to do Pine Tree at Taffs Well for a bit of an adventure in my glad rags. I hadn't climbed here before and I will never complain about the traffic at Tremadog again as the noise at Taffs Well was deafening. Nice route but not a lot of gear.

Lon Eifion

2011-04-24T16:00:00.000+01:00

Ramson

Fachwen nature

2011-04-23T18:46:00.001+01:00

Forget me not

Ivy-leaved Toadflax

Milestone Buttress Part 2

2011-04-21T21:27:00.000+01:00

It was Gruffudd's turn to experience the delights of multi pitch climbing today. The weather looked perfect but a bit overcast at times so we ventured up to Dyffryn Ogwen to have a climb on the Milestone Buttress. Gruffudd was keen to do the same route his older brother had done previously so after a quick reminder of the safety rules we started up Pulpit Route (V Diff). Gruffudd was really fired up by the whole experience and is very keen to do some more routes like this one.

Marin trail - Betws y Coed

2011-04-20T17:50:00.001+01:00

Another day in the office!

Tryfan Bach

2011-04-19T17:36:00.002+01:00

I've just spent the last couple of days running rock climbing activities for a group from London. We spent both days at Tryfan Bach with lots of bottom top ropes (not all at the same time I may add!) to suit all abilities. The weather has been stunning here in Snowdonia and it looks like its set to be good for the weekend as well. Fantastic.

AMI Teaching Multi Pitch Climbing

2011-04-17T19:28:00.000+01:00

We decided to try and avoid the crowds by going to the Milestone Buttress today.. and it worked. There was only one party on the crag when we arrived at about 10 o'clock. I was joined by Mike again today as well as Denny and Jim and we looked at a whole load of issues regarding teaching multi pitch climbing with clients which included parallel climbing, stance management, rope management, descents, protecting the leader and protecting the clients. Photo: Mike, Jim and Denny just about to top out on Rowen Route.

AMI Trainee workshop

2011-04-16T21:57:00.001+01:00

I was running a scrambling workshop for the Association of Mountaineering Instructors today. I was joined by Mike, Mat and Mark and they opted to go over to the Main Cliff of Glyder Fach and climb Sharks Buttress with a descent of Bristly Ridge via the steeper east side. We looked at route finding, carrying coils, locking off body coils, managing stances, belays, lowering two people at the same time and counter balance abseils. The weather was a bit mixed with a warm walk into the mist and quite a chilly ascent to the top of Glyder Fach. All the best for your pending assessment guys.

ML Assessment Exped

2011-04-15T21:11:00.001+01:00

Had a great time on the ML assessment 3 day expedition. Weather was perfect for assessing ML with poor visibility for most of the three days and very wet and windy on the first day. As the weather was coming from the south west I opted to conduct the expedition in the Carneddau to get some shelter from the worst of the weather. This is what we did:
Day 1:    Cwm Eigiau - Foel Grach - Carnedd Llywelyn - Yr Elen and camp by Ffynnon Caseg.
Day 2:    Yr Elen - Cwm Llafar - Crib Lem - Carnedd Dafydd - Carnedd Llywelyn - Ffynnon Llyffant.
Day 3:    Ffynnon Llyffant - Cwm Eigiau

We covered a total of 27kms (17miles) and ascended over 2035m (6677 feet)

WGL Training

2011-04-12T19:11:00.000+01:00

In order for the ML assessment guys to see another assessor I handed the day over to Glyn for the Mountain day and I worked on the second day of a Walking Group Leader training course. The weather was a lot better today but cold in the wind. We covered navigation, fauna and flora, geology and geography as well as emergency procedures. We went for a walk to the south east of the Pen y Gwryd and up as far as Nant y Llys before turning back to look at some steep ground.

I'm back with the ML assessment tomorrow for a 3 day expedition into the mountains. I hope the weather forecast is wrong and that it stays dry until Friday. ;-(

ML Assessment

2011-04-11T19:18:00.001+01:00

I'm directing a Mountain Leader assessment this week for Blue Peris. Today was the first day of the 5 day course - we covered micro navigation using 1:25,000 maps around Cwm Dyli and over the Horns and then down the PYG track back to Pen y Pass. The weather was grim and very wet in the morning but it cleared up by 11.30 and it turned out to be a glorious afternoon.

AMI Trainer workshop

2011-04-09T22:35:00.000+01:00

The Association of Mountaineering Instructors offer workshops for trainees who are progressing through their Mountain Instructors Award. The workshops run from April to October and cover topics such as short roping, teaching multi pitch climbing, personal climbing skills and improvised rescue techniques. To kick off the new season I and a number of AMI trainers got together for a meeting at Plas y Brenin today to discuss issues that have arisen from previous workshops and to discuss how the MIA scheme is delivered at the centre all the way through from registration to assessment. We were helped throughout the day by Carlo and Keith who did a great job in filling us in with how the MIA scheme is currently delivered and the problems that some trainee's encounter during training and assessment courses.

In house assessments - Coventry

2011-04-08T23:56:00.000+01:00

What a glorious day but, unfortunately, I had to spend most of it in the car as I had some in house assessments to carry out over in Coventry for a sport development company. I conducted the climbing wall assessments in the afternoon and I'm glad to say that everyone passed so well done everyone.

Carnedd y Filiast (821m)

2011-04-07T22:11:00.000+01:00

Not much of a view today. I was hoping, with a combination of high pressure building and low cloud, that the tops would be out of the cloud. Unfortunately, I didn't get even a glimmer of the sun and in fact the weather got worse as I got higher with the light drizzle turning to proper rain on the summit. I was down by late morning and by the afternoon it was lovely - ah well!!!!

Management event

2011-03-31T21:51:00.000+01:00

I was running and coordinating an event for a company from down south over the last couple of days. I had planned some low key activities for the team to experience including rock climbing, canoeing and a walking challenge around Llyn Padarn (which included a series of questions). The weather wasn't very kind to us at Lion Rock yesterday morning but the canoeing in the afternoon was blessed with lovely weather which made all the difference. Today started early as the team were keen to get started for home by lunch time.

I went for a walk in the afternoon with one of the director who decided to stay on for a bit to experience the Snowdonia mountains. We went for a walk over Moel Eilio, Foel Gron and Foel Goch which was clear but very windy.