Moelwyn Adventures

We took Gavin to the Moelwyns for a second taste of multipitch climbing. The team pysche was not dampened by a shower during the walk in and we quickly quested up Slack - Gavins first Severe. You know when someone is putting the effort in when the climb draws blood! After a spot of luncheon we tackled the classic Kirkus Route Direct which features varied and at times exposed climbing. I would recommend the Moelwyns for anyone looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of the Ogwen and Llanberis Pass - its even a good bet in poor weather as the rock is extremely grippy!

Busy working, busy climbing...

I've been busy... can you tell? April has shaped up to be a fine month with plenty of spring sunshine and good temps. I'm having a well needed day off from both working and playing to try and let my body recover a little! I was shut down at Tremadog yesterday - not only did I feel like I had nothing in my arms but I was baffled by the technicality of the climbing there - too much pulling on crimps in the pass! My climbing is going well - got a good few E3s and E4s under my belt and a rather unstylish ascent of Cockblock E5.

I wont blog on too much instead I'll put up a few photos...

ML Refresher

Yesterday I headed out into the Moelwyns with Chris and Dan for a Mountain Leader refresher day. They had both done their training many years ago and wanted to brush up on there navigation skills before taking their assessment this year. Thankfully the grim weather that came through over night had passed over by mid morning so we had a very pleasant day walking on bearings, practicing pacing and timings and get to grips with navigating on both 1:50,000 and 1:25,000 scale maps. Both Chris and Dan were much more confident with their ability by the end of the day and I wish them the best for their assessment.

Axle Attack

Despite the worrying return to wet and windy weather in the mountains of North Wales I managed to get a quality days climbing in at the Great Orme, Llandudno. The best of the routes I climbed was the historic and superb Axle Attack. Nowadays it is well bolted and gets a sports grade of 7a+ but when it was first put up in 1981 by M Griffiths and L McGinley it was E5. This route initiated a new route boom at Pen Trwyn in the 80's, many of which where put up by the likes of moffat, moon and pollit. The orme is a great venue for when the weather is not looking good in the mountains and has a good mix of sport and trad climbing.

Christleton High School D of E

I had a fantastic 5 days with a Duke of Edinburgh Gold Training group from Christleton High School. The weather was amazing and the group did exceptionally well. We spent some time looking at navigational techniques, emergency procedures and I took the boys on their first grade 1 scramble which they loved! They then headed off on their own for 2 nights out in the mountains - which included hiking over both Snowdon and the Glyders. A big well done to Oli, Mouldy, Boz, Gaz, Jez, Oli and Rhodri... good luck in Nepal!

Spring is on its way

The sun is out and the birds are singing here in North Wales. There is that excitment in the air that only spring and the prospect of climbing after work can bring. I've been out this evening to a small crag called Drws y Gwynt in the Llanberis pass and climbed a couple of fine routes as the sun set over Llanberis. I also had a good day in the slate yesterday getting up an E4 and E5 on the yellow wall above Serengeti. The weather looks fine for the week which is great for the Duke of Edinburgh group from Christleton high school that I will be looking after for the next 5 days - no wet camps this week!

Skiing

I'm hooked! I love the powder, I love the speed! I'm not long back from a week long trip to Les Menuires in the Three Valleys with Yorston Lodge School. The snow conditions were perfect and from wednesday to saturday we were blessed with blue skies and sunshine! The children were fantastic were a pleasure to look after. I was also constantly amazed throughout the week at their level of skiing - watching a 4 year old ski down a red run in complete control is quite something! Thanks go to Lindsey who organised the trip, the rest of the staff, Karine our instructor who inspired and improved us all, the parents and most of all the children!

Poetry Pink

My fingers curl on to the inch deep "ledge". Respite... for awhile. Numb tips from the cold and from crimping sooo hard. The Mantel. If succesful I clip a bolt; faliure I take a 50 foot ground sweeping fall. In the zone now. I chalk and bring my left foot up to a small edge and left hand to a tiny crimp. I cant feel my tips, cant feel the hold. Reverse. Rethink. This time I rock up and reverse both hands, palming down on the edge, arms locked out, in the zone. My right foot creeps up on to the "ledge". Solid. Left hand to small crimp. Stand up. Clip bolt. Breathe. Its in the bag... well almost. E5.

I dragged myself up poetry pink today before the rain stopped play for Jim 'big guns' McCormack. My first E5 of the year so really chuffed!

Fell Racing

I entered the Moel y Ci fell race on saturday - my second race of the year. Its only a short course - 4 miles and 350m ascent so it suited me as the pace was quite high. I was really pleased with how it went and proof that dragging yourself up hills every tuesday night in the dark is worth it! I finished 10th in the mens race and 15th overall. The next race is Moel Winnion above Rachub in a couple of weeks - better get on with some more training!

Super Slate

5 minutes from my house are the Dinorwig slate quarries - a lifetimes worth of sheltered, quick drying routes - so what better place to go on a sunny friday in feb? It felt almost spring like this morning so I teamed up with a friend choo and made the massive 10 minute walk in to the Never Never Land slab. I got on a route called Short Stories E4 6a - one of those 'bolted' slate routes - the first bolt is a good way off the deck and there is some good air time potential higher up. Its definately not a sport route! It climbs nicely, being sustatined but never desperate and with big enough run outs to ensure you stay focused! Choo then got on its neighbouring route - Kublai Khan E4 6b/6a which definately feels easier. It has a hard crux right above a new bolt then steady climbing to reach a spot where you can lasso a metal spike to protect the last moves! Real cowboy action! A good entry to the E4 grade.
We then wandered down to the Mau Mau, a route which I have been wanting to get on for years. It goes at E4 6a and has a reputation for being strenuous and pumpy. It does however have excellent gear and it seems that all the training at the Beacon climbing wall is paying off as I climbed it without too much effort. A great route!
We then had a play on True Clip, a desperate 7b+ sport route with some funky moves. Choo had a go on lead and fell making the last hard moves! One to come back for.

Scrambling on Tryfan - Monday

What a fine spring like morning! The snow has all but dissapeared now - its still clinging on to the shaded spots on the highest peaks and cwms - so with the sun shining I headed up onto Tryfan with young Oli for a scrambling adventure. We decided on Nor' Nor' Buttress as this looked dry and free of any remaining snow. We moved quickly over varied terrain but unfortunately by the time we got to the top the cloud had come down and the wind had picked up. We donned an extra layer then bailed off down the rather unpleasant western gully - a quick way off the top but loose in places.