Gary takes on the Camino del Rey

In 1901 it became obvious that workers at the hydroelectric power plants at Chorro Falls and Gaitanejo Falls needed a walkway to cross between the falls, to provide for transport of materials, and for the inspection and maintenance of the channel. Construction of the walkway took four years and it was finished in 1905.

In 1921 King Alfonso XIII crossed the walkway for the inauguration of the dam Conde del Guadalhorce and it became known by its present name.

The walkway is one meter (3 feet and 3 inches) in width, and rises over 100 meters (350 feet) above the river below. It is currently in a highly deteriorated state and there are numerous sections where part of or the entire concrete top has collapsed away. The result is large open air gaps that are bridged only by narrow steel beams or other support fixtures. Very few of the original handrails exist but a Via ferrata safety-wire runs the length of the path.

More El Chorro Action

Craig climbing Arabesque 7a at Escalera Arabe


The wilds of El Chorro


The view through the gorge - climber on the classic Zepplin


Mel and Garry of the Olive Branch on the Camino del Rey


Garry struggling to come to grips with the exposure on the Camino del Rey

More El Chorro photos

Desplomilandia

View from the crag


Martin Seconding Liron Carete 7c

Its been pretty hot here the past few days so we have been seeking the shade! Yesterday I headed up to Desplomilandia - which is about 20 minutes from the Olive Branch - with Silvia, Martin and a few other guests. This was my first full days climbing since arriving so it was good to get stuck into a few routes. There's lots to go at here from 6a to 8a - and all good quality climbing. I got warmed up then managed to onsight two 7b's, which I was pretty chuffed at, then had a play on a severely overhanging 7c which gave me a good beating! Hopefully I'll get back on it tomorrow and get it done!

El Chorro sunshine!!!

I've been out at the Olive Branch in El Chorro for 3 days of sunshine and climbing. I have been taking some of Silvia clients - The Rock Climbing Company - for an Intro climbing course.

Today I took Mark and John on the Camino del Rey to Los Cotos where we did 3 climbs. We then made the long walk back to the Olive Branch for cold beer and swimming. Awesome day!


Walking to the start of the Camino del Rey


Mark balancing along a tricky section


View back down the El Chorro gorge


Crossing the river en route to Los Cotos


Nice slab climbing at Los Cotos


Finishing the day with a swim and cold beer

Scrambling Adventures

North Gully


Using the rope in Little Gully


Summit shot


View from Tryfan South Ridge

This weekend I was working for the Rock Climbing Company and took brothers Joe and Jamie for an Intro to Scrambling course. The forecast for Saturday was not great so we opted for some low level scrambling around Cwm Idwal. We played around on Gribin Facet and and looked at the use of emergency rope work, scrambling movement and route finding decisions. We braved the hail showers and made our way up the False Gribin Ridge before running away! Definitely a touch of winter in the air.

Sunday dawned clear and crisp and Joe and Jamie made their way, under my guidance, to the start of Little and North Gullies on Tryfan. This is an awesome and challenging grade 1 scramble that takes an improbable line up the east face of Tryfan. The guys climbed it well, resorting to using a rope for one tricky section and we made it to the summit for lunch. A leisurely descent of the South Ridge and Cwm Tryfan took us back to the road. A great day.

A Day at the Roaches

Phil on the delicate slab of Track of the Cat E5


Dave seconding The Swan E3


On my favourite boulder problem - Three Pocket Slab V3

With a good cold and crisp forecast I couldn't resist the lure of the grit so on Friday Phil, Dave and I made the trip to the Roaches on the western edge of the Peak District. The Roaches is my favourite of all the Gritstone crags as it has such variety, great rock, a beautiful outlook over the Cheshire and Staffordshire plain and it was where I first started to climb outdoors as a teenager.

Gritstone is an amazing medium to climb on. For those not use to its subtle nuances (thats me) it can at times feel desperate and frustrating but when it all comes together it gives an amazing climbing experience. The key with gritstone is the friction - its amazingly grippy, especially when its cold. Climbs are often insecure with few positive holds so faith in the friction is paramount - if you don't believe you feet will stick to the rock then they wont!

I climbed the classic Elegy E2, a route which I have aspired to climb since I first visited the crag. It features a run out up a holdless slab at the top of the climb - if you keep you head and keep the faith you will be rewarded with one of gritstone most elegant routes, if you don't then prepare yourself for a 10m cheese grating slide back down then slab! Brilliant

Steep fun at Pigeons Cave

Jim lowering off the stupidly steep Stiff Upper Lip (8a)


Chris Doyle pulling out the drop knee move on Stark (8a)

One of my climbing goals is to climb an 8a sport route so today I had my first proper session on an 8a - Stark at Pigeons Cave on the Great Orme. The most important thing I have learnt during recent sport climbing days is to try as hard as I can and not be worried in the slightest about falling off. This has been tricky for me as coming from a trad climbing background the emphasis has always been not to fall off. It takes awhile to make that progression to being able to crank out hard moves when your pumped and tired knowing full well that you are going to fall off. For me getting my head around that psychological barrier has been a big step forward. I managed some good links on the route and with a few more sessions I think I would have it in the bag. However it is likely to be next year now till I get back on it as I've a busy week of work over half term then its off to Spain. I'll just have to climb 8a out there!

Winter is on its way...

The weather is on the turn in Snowdonia - snow is forecast to fall on the tops over the next couple of days. Up in Scotland it looks like the Cairngorms might receive a good dump of the white stuff... but its not quite time to sharpen the crampons yet, as my Spanish trip is only two weeks off. Training for it is going well despite a lack of skin on my finger tips... I just can't wait to get out of the wall and on to some sun kissed limestone!

I'm also in the process of sorting out a trip to Chamonix in December for some skiing and climbing! Can't wait.

Last week I enjoyed training up Therfield School for their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award. They spent 4 days hiking over and through the hills of Snowdonia in preparation for their qualifying expedition in the Brecon Beacons next year. It always amazes me to see the determination these young people put into completing the award. Well done team.


View from Capel Curig to the Snowdon Horseshoe taken whilst waiting for my DofE group to reach the checkpoint!

My Office...

The Indian Summer rolls on - got slightly sunburnt today and in a base layer at 600m!!

Diamond Times

What a cracking afternoon at the Diamond - although frustrating for me as my lack of skin meant I did only 4 moves before calling it a day. Its such a nice place to hang out - especially as the late evening sun creeps round and then sets behind the Great Orme. I went down with Jim from V12 Outdoor and we were joined by a good local team.

Jim quickly fired off Never Get Out of the Boat, a tough 8a, on his second attempt and onsighted a 7b. Jon fell of the last move of his new 8a project and Doylo had a good burn on his project 8b?

The Diamond is an awesome spot for hard sport climbing but also a frustrating place to have a hard project. Its tidal and access is by a via ferrata from above 3hrs either side of low tide. Its also a tough place to get good conditions as it is often covered in a tidal grease that can take a long time to dissapear.

Tremadog....

... the climbing on the Dolerite cliffs of Tremadog is some of the best in the world. I spent both my days off this weekend at Tremdog - inspired by a good forecast - sun and northerly winds - and the new Tremadog guide. The climbing is very technical and skills such as route reading and improvisation are very important. On most of the routes it doesn't matter how hard you can pull down or how strong your fingers are as the climbing is very subtle and requires a wide repertoire of techniques - slabs, corners, grooves, aretes, roofs - and often all in the space of one pitch or even sometimes a few moves!

There is also a good range of grades there - especially for those climbing at VS and above - and is a great, friendly environment in which to try your first multipitch climb.

In addition to this there is a cafe there run by the famous Eric Jones (solo north face of the Eiger, base jumping etc), all the routes are fairly quick to access from the road (some less than 2 minutes from the cafe), it gets much better weather than the mountains, the rock is beautiful and the craic is good.

What are you waiting for?

You can buy the new guidebook online or in shop from V12 Outdoors.

Multipitch sea cliff climbing

On Thursday and Friday I was working for the Rock Climbing Company running a multipitch sea cliff climbing course. I was joined by Peter who had previous experience of traditional climbing from many years ago and sport climbs regularly indoors and outdoors. Peter wanted to broaden his horizons, get involved in some trad climbing again and have the confidence to climb in areas where sport climbing doesn't reach - big, gnarly multipitch sea cliffs.

On the first day we headed to Tremdaog to try and beat the weather and get Peter's multipitch systems up and running. We managed to climb Oberon and abseil off before the showers arrived. We then spent a bit of time looking at prusikking up a rope - useful for escaping from sea cliffs - before climbing Merlin in the rain!!

On Friday the weather was looking better so we headed to Anglesey. We spent the morning at Holyhead mountain looking at some self rescue skills, then when the sun came out we abseiled into Castell Helen on Gogarth. We climbed Lighthouse arete - a 3 pitch VS and Rap a tricky 2 pitch VS.

Climbing courses in Spain

As the nights start to draw in and the weather gets wetter (is that possible?) and colder my mind starts to thinks about clipping bolts and climbing with the sun on my back in El Chorro. I'm heading out to stay at the Olive Branch again for November and will be available for guiding and a variety of tailored courses. So if you're new to Sport Climbing and want to know what its all about then give me a shout. The Olive Branch is a very friendly guesthouse situated underneath Las Encantadas - just one of many great sectors in the area. For more information on my courses and El Chorro visist www.snowdoniamountaineering.com/Spanish Sport Climbing Courses.html

Mountain Leader Training

Last week I was instructing on a Mountain Leader Training course based at the Blue Peris Mountain Centre until a sudden attack of the lurg cut my week short. I always enjoys working on these courses and developing the skills and knowledge of potential mountain leaders. The course is for people for have already some experience of looking after themselves in the mountains and are thinking about leading groups in the mountains. Some does this as part of their career in the outdoor industry, some because they volunteer with Scouts or similar and some because they want to learn new but have not intention of leading groups.
After the training candidates can return once they have clocked up enough experience and are confident with their skills for a 5 day assessment. For more information on mountaineering qualifications visit MLTW and MLTUK.
Unfortunately my camera is still in the process of being fixed... come on Sony!

Llangollen Cragging

On Saturday morning Snowdonia woke to heavy rain... we didn't despair as we knew that the sun would be shining on the excellent limestone crags above Llangollen. So we hopped in my van and made the slow drive down. How right we were!! John, Jim and I spent a fine day climbing on Craig Arthur which is home to a fine set of both sport and trad routes. I climbed the classic of the crag Digitron E2 and a great E3 called Manikins of Horror. I also fell off the last moves much to my annoyance of a really good 7a+.

Its well worth a visit down that way if you are in Snowdonia and the weather craps out. It takes between 1-1.5 hrs depending how many caravans are on the A5! Unfotunately I have no photos as my camera has broken and is on its way back to Sony. Rubbish!

Navigation Course Testimonial

Rick and Claire sent me this testimonial following their navigation course in August... thanks guys.

Client Testimonial – Rick and Clare Marsh
One Day Navigation Course 14th August 2010


History

We had both got quite into walking and spending days out in the Lakes and Snowdonia. In July while summiting Scarfel Pike the weather conditions become quite poor with reduced visibility. Rick was quite happy at navigating and map reading but I had no knowledge and felt that should a situation arise where Rick was unable to take control then I would just panic. Returning home I researched various websites and courses but felt drawn to Rory as he obviously tailored each day to the individual.


The Day!

We met at 9am in a local café and discussed what we both wanted to achieve. At the start of the day having looked at a map and decided where we were heading I then proceeded to face in the opposite direction! When asked to walk 100metres I stopped at 10metres – I think you are starting to get the picture! At this point Rory realised just exactly what he had taken on!

We were guided by Rory all day and I can truly say the knowledge and information he gave us was duly digested and absorbed and even Rick admitted he had learnt so many new things and reinforced lots of other bit’s. As for me I can safely say I now know which way I need to go, how to take bearings and check distance and ultimately feel safe to navigate the mountain in various weather conditions.

We cannot recommend Rory’s course highly enough he is a great communicator and has an ability to explain things in a way you understand and keeps reinforcing this throughout the day.

Pembroke Holidays

Deep water soloing Perfect pitch

I'm sat at home in sunny Snowdonia catching up on admin and emails before an afternoon out climbing. I've been pretty busy playing recently after a hectic August. I've been done to Pembroke for a good stint - first with Jen then later with Jim. We had great weather but at the weekend the sea was massive and made things a little frustrating as the starts of most routes where wet and the rock was very greasy. We got loads done and even sampled a bit of deep water soloing.
Here's a geeky tick list of all the routes I climbed:

Keelhaul E2 - Bosherton Head
Intensive Scare E2 - Bosherton Head
Bakers Door E1 - Bosherton Head
Unknown E3 - Bosherton Head

The Beast from the Undergrowth E2 - Huntsmans Leap
Shape Up E1 - Huntsmans Leap


Huntsman's Leap

Ultravixens E1 - Chapel point
Ultravox E2 - Chapel Point
Promised Hand E2 - Chapel Point
Green Peace E1 - Chapel Point

Mysteries E3 - Stennis Ford
Manzoku - Stennis Head

Sinecure E1 - Carreg y Barcud
Beyond the Azimuth E1 - Carreg y Barcud


Seconding Sinecure


Jen seconding Beyond the Azimuth

Perfect Pitch 6a+ - Lydstep DWS
Offshore Drift 6a+ - Lydstep DWS
Cellar Deck 6a+ - Lydstep DWS
Star Gate E3 - Mother Carey's
Mother Night E4 - Mother Carey's

Test Case E3 - St Govan's
Space Cadet E3 - St Govan's
Suspense E4 - Stennis Ford

Bloody Sunday E4 - Huntsman's Leap
Good Luck, Mr. Grondski E2 - Rusty Walls
Lucky Strike E1 - Rusty Walls

Navigation Course

Clare and Rick on the summit of Cnict

Today I had a great day out with Rick and Clare navigating our way over the great mountain of Cnict. We even managed to stay dry which makes a change from recent days!



Looking back along the summit ridge of Cnict

Sunny Gogarth

Yesterday I headed out to sunny Anglesey to venture onto the steep, loose and exciting Red Walls at Gogarth. These cliffs have now had the bird ban restrictions lifted so I was keen to get stuck in! Andy and I climbed the classic E3 Left Hand Red Wall - which has a fantastic 2nd pitch 100m above the sea.

3 awesome days of climbing instruction

I'm sat at home, belly full of fajitas and G&T, very contented after 3 great days of 'work'. Today I took out Adrian for his first sea cliff climbing experience. Adrian is over on France for holiday and thought he would like to have a good bit of Welsh adventure climbing. We met at South Stack, Gogarth and made the short walk down to the top of Castell Helen. This is probably the most amenable of the Gogarth sea cliffs - it has solid rock, big holds, great gear and a good selection of mid grade routes. It also has a fantastic outlook, amazing coastal scenery and today views all the way to Ireland and the Isle of Man! It is one of my favourite places to climb and I never tire of making the 60m abseil to get to the bottom. I love how disconnected and isolated you feel at the bottom of a sea cliff - despite the fact that there are tourists wandering the cliff side paths above your head.
Adrian turned out to be a great climber and after climbing Lighthouse Arete and Rap (both 'very severe') we decided to up the anti and get on North West Passage - one of the best E1's at Gogarth.
What a great day! I was working for my friend Silvi of The Rock climbing Company today.

Lockwoods Chimney

"The most traditional of routes. To gain full satisfaction it is best to do the route by moonlight; the party should be large and of large men (preferably drunk!). "

This is the description of Lockwoods Chimney from the old Tremadog and Cwm Silyn guidebook!! I climbed the route first in my uni days as part of a party of 20 odd, on a grim November night after a few ales in a local pub!

So with a terrible forecast for the day and Dom, Tom and Dunc up for a bit of adventure I decided it was time for another visit. It certainly lived up to its expectations and felt a lot harder than I remembered it being (no alcohol this time though!). Its certainly a tough old battle - especially as it was very wet and slippery. It definitely had the boys eyes out on stalks at times - both from the exposure at the top and the strain of wiggling up the tight chimney!

The Welsh Monsoon

Well the weather for the past week has not been fantastic - in fact its done the same as it has for the past 4 years. The promise of a nice spring and a beautiful June has given way to the wind and rain of the Welsh monsoon - nicely timed for the start of the school holidays!
Its great weather for those of you wanting to brush up on your navigation skills but not ideal for rock climbing in the mountains!
Thankfully here in North Wales we have a few venues which are pretty reliable when it is wet in the hills. One of these is the Great Orme at Llandudno. I took a trip out there on Friday afternoon and after a quick warm up got stuck into my long term project - a 7c sport route. The photo topo below is taken from the North Wales Limestone Wiki .



2. I've Been a Bad, Bad Boy 7c/7c+ ***
Mark Pretty, 19.8.1988.

I've got the first half up to the traverse pretty well dialed in now I just need to get fitter and stronger and work out the most efficient way of doing the traverse section - lots of hard work needed!

On Saturday I was working for Seren Ventures and took Peter Feller and his team over the Glyders on a wet, foggy and windy day. They were doing some last minute training for Kilimanjaro which they hope to climb in a couple of weeks time - good luck! The views from the top of the Glyders are awesome and should look like this,



unfortunately we couldn't see for more than 20m in front of our faces for most of the day. We definitely earned our cream teas from the Pen y Gwryd Hotel that evening!

Top Ten Mountaineering Moments

On top of Pt. Lenana, Mt Kenya

With all the bad weather we have been having in Snowdonia over the past few weeks I have been spending quite a bit of time indoors on my computer. So I have been doing some virtual climbing - I have put together a list of my top ten mountaineering moments from the past 5 or so years. Check it out by following the link below to my website - maybe it can provide you with some inspiration on a rainy day!

Top Ten Mountaineering Moments

The sun is actually shining this morning so it time to shut my laptop down and head to the Great Orme for some climbing!

Peak Limestone

On Thursday I had a spontaneous trip over to the Peak District to meet up with friends Jim and Choo for some steep limestone sport climbing. We headed down into the depths of Chee Dale to climb on the Cornice - a crag that has not been dry for 3 years! I've not been sport climbing much this summer as the mountain crags have been dry and felt pretty unfit for this style of climbing. Never the less I had 2 great days on this beautiful crag and managed to drag myself up a couple of routes!

A change of scene - The Brecon Beacons

Last week I swapped Snowdonia for the Brecon Beacons to work with Therfield School and their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Expedition. I have worked with this school and teacher/friend Helen for the past couple of years. Its great to work with young people for a change and help them to achieve their goals.


View from the Black Mountains

We had 5 great days and apart from a blip on Sunday, fantastic weather. For the expedition the teams have to plan and complete a 4 day expedition across wild terrain, remaining totally self sufficient. Most teams will end up walking around 80km - a fair way considering the weight of their packs! All our teams did exceptionally well and completed the challenge - so well done to you all!