Summer days

A mixed week  for courses, with some showers making the rock at Wintours Leap very slippery on Friday, adding to the adventure. With conditions improving quickly for a charity abseil  off Mitcheldean Church Spire, which drew a good crowd of supporters - although I could of done without the photographers from the local papers - they do get in the way !! Sunday was a fantastic day for an introduction to climbing outside course, with the Wye Valley showing itself off at its best, with golden warm limestone under the tree dappled sunlight; suprisingly  there were not too many teams out, given the forecast had long anticipated a good day. Thanks to all the  abseilers for their determination and Ian, James, Jo, Lyndsay and Chris for the climbing.

Wet weather

With a flexible schedule and a lot of tree cover we managed to stay dry during the weekend's unsettled weather - topping up our caffeine levels in the cafe until the worst of the rain was over and even enjoying some sunshine with a late finish on Saturday - the rock was reasonably dry - with only the paths causing us any problems ( rock shoes and mud don't mix - with the bruises and muddy clothes to prove it ) Thanks to Dimitra, Alison and Neil for making the most of the conditions - a challenging introduction to climbing outside, I hope it hasn't put you off
completely !!

Refresher courses

A busy week this week - making the most of the good weather, with lead climbing and refresher courses running, thanks to Martin, Steve, Nick and Adam for their good company and enthusiasm - hopefully we've taken a step towards their aspirations. It's got me thinking about a project for this year, as at present I have no trips planned. The Matterhorn trip last year provided a good focus over the summer, however, so far this year I only have some very vague plans about getting away and time is sliding by ! Spain / Alps / Italy / Tintern Quarry??

Forest of Dean Climbing

Lovely weather for climbing courses in the Wye Valley this week , with the sunshine and warm rock creating a very relaxed atmosphere and encouraging a lot of teams out, even mid week - including some old clients ( Ossian, Matt, Rado, Dimitri ) good to see you out enjoying yourselves, guys ! We avoided the crowds yesterday morning with a trip to the technical slabs of Shakmantle Quarry to introduce Lauren and Simon to the difference in technique required for slabs, and to clipping bolts , finishing the day on top of the Longstone at Symonds Yat without having to que !!