Month: February 2012

I have for the last couple of months been spending a lot of time typing away at my computor, one of the reasons that I haven’t been blogging as much. Either thrashing out code or attempting to write a non-fiction book on the history, science and culture of Mountaineering. It does have a working title, but I won’t share it here.

My plan is to release it as a eBook eventually, however as many of you who read this blog may be aware my typing and grammar can erratic at times. I am therefore looking for a few people to proof reader the chapters. If you are interested in what I have produced then please contact me if you have the time and I can send you the first few chapters as word documents, to have a look see.

Anyway, I have read through the first 8 chapter over the last day or so, and only have a few more to go. So far the book interests me, however I would also be interested if you do want to help out, whether it interests you?

Well Here are the photo from Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. It pissed it down on Saturday, so I rested, not sure if any snow remains on tops as the clag is down!

Well, for the last three days I have been out on the hill. Wednesday I headed up Pen Yr Ole Wen, with a group from Bangor University for the Conway Centre. Volunteering my time to get some days in charge of a group in Winter, in order to be able to register on my MIC (Next piece of paper in the qualifications ladder after doing my Winter ML last year). A great day out, and we managed to get them to have a go at using Ice Axes and Crampons for the first time.

The next day I headed up to Glyder Fach, with Lakey, and climbed Arch Gully a great V,6. Really good climbing, but like many people not all turf was frozen. I lead the first pitch, and simon lead the last two. As I am relatively rusty with my mixed climbing, still a good day out, the second and third pitches are classic, I had to take an easier line on the first pitch as I couldn’t commit to getting on the large flake. Well worth three stars. We did extend the second pitch to belay on good spikes at the base of the pinnalces, making it about 30m. Seemed like a better place to belay than the guide suggests, and the tata on the belay, makes you think someone had a hard time on the pitch above.

The final pitch has some excellent hooking and torquing to gain a small roof. Wild moves over this lead to another torquing crack. Lovely stuff.

Then today I was back out doing some voluntary work for the University again. This time with the second or third years. One of them had done reade’s rotue the day before. We headed up to below Cryn Las, and played about all day on the ice, which is much more my winter cup of tea. Eventually getting about half way up Sargents Gully, before we escaped off left and back down to the minibus. Great day out, they seemed to be buzzing, and hopefully learnt a little bit as well.

I have some pictures, just need to upload them, probably tomorrow as I am goosed. A massive thanks to the Conway Centre for letting me get some of my post Winter ML assessment days in, so I can register on my MIC. Sadly the big thaw looks set to come through this weekend. So maybe that was it, maybe it will freeze again next week though?!