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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

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)

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.

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.

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 ...

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!

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

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 ...

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