June 08 Conditions

Sunday 29th June 2008

Back in the UK after a couple of weeks in the Swiss Alps. Amy and I enjoyed some alpine walks and a couple of exciting Via Ferratas. The Alps had had a lot of bad weather and Spring snow but it's settling down now.

During my second week there I attended an International Mountain Leader assessment so I'm now qualified to take folk walking in parts of the Alps.

Wednesday 11th June 2008

This evening I was out with Scott and Heather. Scott wanted to have an ML ropework refresher prior to doing his assessment.

We looked at indirect and direct belays and ascending and descending short rock steps with a rope. We also looked at route finding on steep ground, group management and confidence roping.

There were quite a lot of midges around this evening but a breeze kept them away most of the time.

Friday 6th June 2008

Just back from a great week of climbing sea stacks. Mike and Jim were lucky enough to enjoy a week of unbroken sunshine for their sea stack tour.

We climbed the Old Man of Stoer just north of Lochinver. We then travelled North to climb Am Buchaille near Cape Wrath and next to the beautiful Sandwood Bay. We had a day climbing at Sheigra before we headed across to Orkney to climb the Original Route on the Old Man of Hoy. This 137m high sea stack is the highest in the UK. It was base jumped off for the first time very recently.

I was working for Martin Moran this week.

Thanks to Keith for the use of his photos.