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 !!

Skye Cuillin Traverse

Rob and Rich had been looking forward to their attempt on the traverse for some time, and although with quite a lot of experience in some of the high place of the world, the reputation of the route did give rise to some trepidation. So it was with a real sense of adventure that we started out early on Thursday morning from Glenbrittle, luckily the weather held until after the Tearlaich Dubh Gap and we reached our pre-stocked camp without suffering too much from the sleety showers. The dawn mist evaporated quickly on Friday to give us a splendid day to complete the ridge, with stunning views in all directions. With tired legs it was with a sense of relief and accomplishment that the summit and Sgurr Nan Gillean was finally reached and our whole route was visible behind us and the beckoning pub laid out before us - It was a memorable experience for us all - so thanks and well done guys !

Shower dodging

More showers this week in the Wye Valley - thankfully the extensive tree cover has mostly left the rock dry with only the exposed paths suffering the consequences of the rain, allowing introductory and lead climbing courses to progress without too much disruption, we even had the chance to look at some mountaineering style ropework with big boots and rucksacks, great for me, as I'm off to The Isle of Skye on Wednesday for a Cuillin Ridge Traverse with two new clients Rob & Rich ( fingers crossed for good weather and no midges ! )

Thanks to Rado, Milo, Jonathan, Jake and Alex for their enthusiasm,  relaxed company plus tea and cake !!  

Summer showers

A busy weekend, with an early morning visit to Tintern Quarry ( parking is limited and I was hoping to beat the expected crowds ) in the end it wasn't too bad, with around 6 teams out, these quarried cliffs do suffer from loose rock and we definitely felt happier with helmets on ! Torrential rain woke me at around 04.00hrs on Sunday and I was half expecting to end up at the climbing wall for the introduction to climbing course, it was quite a surprise to find the rocks at Symonds Yat dry under the tree cover, and we enjoyed some of the classics, including the Longstone Pinnacle. Thanks to Sean & Tracey for dodging the falling rocks and Adam, Simon, Rachael & Lynn for an enjoyable couple of days out - Happy Birthday Lynn

More lead climbing courses

A day off today - unusual for a Bank Holiday - but I'm quite  grateful as it is torrential rain here this morning. We managed to squeeze in quite a bit of climbing over the last few days , especially as the weather was much better than predicted and Mark, Rado and Dimitar all managed to progress their lead climbing - with just enough excitement to give climbing experience at the sharp end and a real sense of adventure on the Prow of the Longstone Pinnacle for Rado and Dimitar - well done guys !
We could of done with some more challenging weather in Snowdonia last week, as I was helping out on a mountain navigation course with Rob Johnson - as it was the dazzling sunlight made the use of map and compass a little redundant - but I'm not going to complain too much, a day out in theses beautiful mountains is always going to be a treat.

Lead climbing courses

We've enjoyed a good day out climbing some Symonds Yat classics  on Matt and Jason's lead climbing course - moving onto some leader placed protection after the sport climbing at Tintern Quarry - both found being at the sharp end of the rope an exciting experience, and we looked at how to cope rationally with the rising panic that can sometimes affect lead climbers - luckily they both survived and succeeded on their respective climbs.

Summer rock climbing

It has been a very busy few days - with people taking advantage of the extended holiday period and some stunning weather - we have all enjoyed some excellent climbing in some beautiful surroundings, and for those new to the area, quite an eye-opener as to what this part of the UK has to offer - especially for John and David who had travelled all the way from Northern Ireland and were rewarded for their efforts with a perfect day. We were able to progress courses well this week with Matthew , John, David and Kieran completing first leads outdoors - Zoe being more comfortable with heights, Laith pushing his grade and Jo realising that climbing can be fun !

A little quieter today after the Bank holiday - giving us the choice of routes today for some pre-trip training for Russell and Lucy, who are heading out to the 'Via Ferratas' of the Italian Dolomites. We were able to do some long traverses on the steep limestone cliffs, giving us a facsimile of the character of the steep rock that they might encounter !