Costa Blanca Rock Climbing Course

I have just got back from a long weekend in the Costa Blanca with Victoria, Jo and Jess.
Friday:
We flew from Bristol to Alicante and drove to Calpe where we had an apartment booked for the weekend. After a quick lunch we headed to Toix and enjoyed some single pitch sport climbing in the afternoon sunshine.

Saturday:
We went back to Toix and spent the morning coaching movement skills on the single pitch crags. I used the video camera to give the ladies some feedback on their climbing styles and to allow them to see how they looked compared to how they thought they looked.
We put it all into practice in the afternoon by climbing their first multi pitch rock climb, Lara grade 4.

Sunday:
We headed to Sella. Unfortunately Victoria was unwell but still managed to get a couple of routes in during the morning. In the afternoon Jo and Jess decided they were ready to get on the sharp end and I taught them to lead. They both lead a couple of routes and finished the weekend with big smiles on their faces. Well done all!

Monday:
Flew home from Alicante to Bristol.

You can view the photos from the trip here: http://www.expeditionguide.com/gallery.htm

Snow in Wales

I have spent the weekend working in the Brecon Beacons with fellow AMI colleague Pete Stacey. We were providing a training course for 6 women that are working towards becoming Walking Group Leaders (WGL). The WGL award is administered by MLTUK and is for leading people in non mountainous terrain within the UK.

We spent the two days looking at navigation, mountain weather, leadership skills, water hazards and steep ground within the context of the WGL.

Sunday saw the temperature drop and we spent a couple of hours in heavy sleet. It was very nice to get to a warm pub at the end of the day! All 6 women were good company and an enjoyable and informative weekend was had by all.

I spent the weekend at the AMI AGM. It was a great event and I attended a 2 day coaching processes workshop. This was 2 days of CPD aimed at increasing coaching skills for Mountaineering Instructors. It was a good practical course with plenty of climbing and even some skiing thrown in for good measure!
Monday and Tuesday were spent running and advanced scrambling course in Snowdonia with 2 clients. We had beautiful weather on Monday and did the Clogwyn-Y-Person Arete which is shown in the photo. The ground was frozen above 900m and there were large icicles about - the first signs of winter!

Yesterday we went up the Idwal Staircase with occasional showers and heavy winds on the tops. All in all a good 4 days.

Ding Dong the bells can now chime!

Yesterday was a bit different from the norm. I was asked to rescue a weight from a clock that had fallen down a local church tower.

The weight is part of a counterbalance and had fallen half the height of the church tower into a pit about 6 feet deep and 1 foot wide. I rigged up a basic pulley system using a length of static rope and managed to attach the rope with a clove hitch to the weight. It was very heavy but the pulley worked and the weight was restored to its hook. And now the church clock is working again - hoorah!