An Extra Dimension

In lieu of hill time, whilst I've been busy at work and the weather has been lousy, I plumped for having a go at some indoor climbing.   A couple of lessons at Craggy Island in Guildford sorts you on the basics of ropework, which is basically knowing how to tie yourself in to the rope (re-threaded figure of eight with a stopper knot) and belaying safely.   Under the guidance of an instructor you move through some easy climbs, finding your feet and balance and learning some basic movement.  Although the sessions were only 90 minutes it was hard work and odd muscles were protesting the day after!    All of the walls are graded, based on you sticking to the same colour holds for that route.  You soon start stretching yourself (literally), determined to crack a route...if you have the energy.  Though the pro's will no doubt say its skill and balance though I'd say strength and endurance definitely play a part as you move up the grades and my forearm and grip strength were sorely exposed!!  There is also a mental element with some moves a real jigsaw that need piecing together carefully. It's great fun and I can see it really helping movement and balance when scrambling.  It's pretty busy at the weekends but it's a great atmosphere, even if you're simply sitting in the cafe watching others over a coffee.

We spent a few days in Wales last week and while the weather wasn't great we headed over to the Beacon indoor climbing centre, a few miles west of Llanberis.   Confidently signing ourselves in as 'competent' (after reading a lengthy disclaimer!) we were let loose on the bewildering array of walls.  Taking responsibility for ourselves added to the sense of achievement and we managed to complete our first grade 6a route and left exhausted some four hours later!   The actual building has an interesting history as it was originally used by Marconi to transmit signals across to the US and Australia - ironic as the mobile phone signal wasn't great!  If you're in North Wales and fancy trying something different then its well worth a visit - but take a fleece as it's a little chilly in winter!

As we left Betws y Coed I couldn't resist popping into the Cotswold Outdoor Rock Bottom store as we were passing.  They had harnesses and climbing shoes on sale pending the arrival of new 2010 stock so I managed to pick up a Black Diamond Momentum harness and some Red Chilli shoes with 20% discount.   We were headed over to my parents in North Lincs so the next day took the opportunity to venture over the Humber Bridge to Rock City in Hull - an excuse to dirty our shiny new gear.   Having negotiated the practical test (tie-ing in and belaying) without embarrassing ourselves I was unsure what to expect, but we were greeted with the largest indoor wall I've seen so far.   A vast selection of routes/grades, easy angles, over-hangs, multi-featured walls and a couple of large bouldering areas.  At a fiver for a whole day (a bit more at weekends) and only a pound to hire a harness its also a very cheap day out, have fun and get fit into the bargain!

I'm actually kicking myself for not trying climbing earlier. I'd always imagined there was some kind of mystique about it but as I've gradually found my hill feet again and started a bit of scrambling, then a a spot of climbing was an obvious next step.   When the weather improves I'd like to have a crack at some outdoor climbing - adding an extra dimension to enjoying the mountains.

Snowdonia New Year

It's a little late but I thought I'd drop in a quick summary of our snowy exploits in Snowdonia over the New Year.  No winter wild-camp, base-camp was a small hotel in Betws-y-coed, but as we drove up  the weather was deteriorating as we headed west along the A5.  Snow...let there be snow!!!

Per my earlier post we spent the next morning and a few pounds equipping Michelle with some Scarpa Manta boots, Black Diamond Serac crampons and an ice-axe.   Suitably heavier with shiny new gear and lighter with cash we grabbed some lunch provisions and headed along the Ogwen Valley.  It was a fantastic sight seeing the whole valley covered in snow, Tryfan's jagged profile jutting into the heavy sky.  The weather was closing in with the wind and driving snow hampering kitting up by the car.  Bracing ourselves, he headed up the path towards Llyn Idwal and soon realised we were far from alone. The snow had tempted many out for a winter jaunt, from hard-core climbers jangling back-down from Idwal Slabs to grannies out for a bimble with the dog.  I'd considered heading up to Cwm Cneifon which tends to be sheltered from the wind but chatting to a couple of climbers coming downb they said they'd battled through waist- deep snow before giving up.  Instead we continued along the rising path to the east of Llyn Idwal, heading into the cwm and up towards Devils Kitchen.

 

By now the visibility was reducing as the wind whipped up the snow.  The ice-axe's came out to help balance when you were unsure of whether your feet were dissappearing into 2 or 20 inches of snow.  Heading up to the rocky outcrops at the head of the cwm, where the main path ascends into the gloom of Devils Kitchen, we found an over-hang deep enough to pass as a shelter of sorts for lunch.  The frozen cheese and ham roll was devoid of taste, but swiftly surpassed by a welcome flask of sugary tea.

We decided don the crampons before setting off, hoping no-one would notice how shiny and new they looked!!  A few tentative steps later and you realise how much extra grip and confidence twelve spikes afford, especially when descending.  With no let up in the weather we decided, rather than head up into the gaping mouth of Twll Du, to head down the main path via the west shore of Llyn Idwal and back to the car to thaw out.  We'd managed to find our winter legs.

Looking up into Devils Kitchen (Twll Du)

Two days later we woke to a clear blue-sky.  A quick breakfast and detour into Cotswold Outdoor and once again we headed along the A5.  With a sharp northerly wind I selected Cwm Llloer, below Carnedd Daffydd as a likely candidate offering some shelter and the option of ascending the east ridge of Pen yr Ole Wen (a grade 1 scramble) or heading further up in to the cwm.  A similar route was featured in the Routes section of a recent Trail magazine that I had to hand.   Parking on the A5 we geared up and crossed the road ascending the path which was submerged beneath the snow.  Ahead of us were a couple of guys with cross-country ski's strapped to their pack's.  It was a tough slog up with around 8-12 inches of snow, much of it un-trodden.  We met a family coming down who had turned back from trying the east ridge, which they described as an ice-rink and a no-go without crampons. We by-passed the start of the east-ridge and decided to head into the cwm to explore.  It was the first time I'd been here and although the drifting snow made it difficult to see the profile of the land or the lake I'd imagine it would make a good wild-camp spot.

Look carefully and you can see some bodies ascending

 

Stopping for a quick snack we met some climbers heading for the very head of the cwm, but I could see a few people ascending the south wall of the cwm up a shallow gully.  Crampon's donned we headed for the foot of the gulley, kicking steps through the frozen layer of snow.   The route quickly steepened and the kick-kick-plunge routine became a steady rhythm as we gained height quickly.   Stopping to back and we realised it was steeper than we thought and Michelle began to get a little nervous.  As we gained height the the snow became firmer and we crunched through the top layer with each step, whilst convincing Michelle there wouldn't be an avalanche.  Eventually we reached the top of the ridge and were exposed to a strong biting wind and smooth, wind-blasted ice surface.  We met a group who had just summitted and were on the way down.  Michelle was tempted to join them but I persuaded her to push on to the summit which was only another 50m higher.   But for the wind the summit would have been a glorious place for lunch.  The sun was breaking through the clouds but the biting wind meant for a barren, deserted plateau devoid of shelter, so after few pics we headed back down towards the East Ridge.

A frozen Pen yr Ole Wen summit

The route down the ridge was fairly obvious and didn't seem it would merit a grade 1 scramble, even in winter, but for one short-lived section.  We reached the main path back down to the road just in time to be overtaken by the guys on cross-country ski's...now why didn't I think of that!  

No big epic trip, no snow-bound wild-camp, but two glorious winter days in the mountains and more experience gained.

Sunnto Core Update

Over the weekend I took some pic's for comparison.  What is noticeable is the difference in readability of the reversed LCD screen in different situations.  Outdoors in daylight the negative screen is much more readable and in bright sunlight actually more readable than the standard screen.   In poor indoor light the standard screen is more readable, and clearer than the second picture suggests.  Given that the watch is going to be used outdoors I've decided to go with the All Black - which I'm also more likely to wear on a casual basis at the weekends. I also find the larger bezel of the All Black easier to rotate and the luminous compass sighting marks more practical. Ok, I know I'm just trying to convince myself!!

Suunto Core...First Look

My new Sunnto Core watch arrived on Wed and my initial response upon turning it on was "mmm, it's not that easy to read". I'd chosen the All Black model with the reversed LCD display.(see pic below) but was already aware that owners tend to be polarised over the readability of the reversed display. You can enter the service mode and adjust the contrast of the display but it makes little difference as it adjusts contrast, not brightness. Indoors I was finding I had to really squint at the display or use the back-light just to read the time. The display is better and crisper outdoors in natural light but forum comments from other owners suggests they get used to the poor display.  I decided to order a Regular Black model with a normal, or positive, LCD screen so I could do a side-by-side comparison. Ordering midday on Thur the watch arrived from Gaynors on Friday morning.

First impressions of the Regular Black was that the screen was much more legible, although you do notice the large expanse of blank screen on some views, more so than on the reversed LCD.  A straw poll of a few friends showed a clear pattern - the All Black won praise for its looks while the Regular Black was clearly more legible.  The Regular Black does look better in the flesh than in the Sunnto photo, whereas the All Black probably looks better in the photo than on the wrist.

Size wise, I did wonder whether Core would look rather ridiculous on my not so large wrist but it wears its size well, is light and comfortable..  Although both watches have the same body and strap, side by side the Regular Black actually look slightly larger  The regular LCD screen make it appear larger in diameter and the slimmer bezel makes the watch slightly flatter in profile.  The All Black's bezel includes luminous markers for sighting a bearing and its more bulbous profile makes the bezel easier to rotate (especially if wearing gloves).  The All Black display is definitely better when viewed outside in stronger light but the regular display still wins out wherever you are.

The menu and user interface is fairly straightforward with the main view switching between time, Alti/Barometer, Compass.  Each main function allows you to select a smaller supplementary display (e.g.in Time you can also choose to show either day/date, second time, sunrise/sunet, stopwatch, timer).   The Altimeter/Barometer works by measuring absolute pressure and hence needs calibrating to a know altitude or sea level pressure. As with all ABC watches this does mean you need to select either Alti or Barometer mode according to your activity.  If you are not changing altitude then using Baro mode will track the change in pressure and give an indication of weather changes.  If you're heading up then switching to Alti mode means altitude change is tracked.  The Core also includes an Auto mode which switches between Alti/Baro depending on whether it detects vertical movement. The Core also includes a storm alarm if it detects the pressure dropping.  One slight problem is that my high frequency hearing has been affected by one of my chemo drugs so I can barely hear the alarm.  I have an old Casio G-Shock and I can't hear it's alarm at all, though at least the Core has a multi-chime alarm and I can just about hear one of the chimes, though it wouldn't wake me up!

On the Suunto forums there are plenty of people who have a collection of Suunto's, some even own a number of different style Core's but for me one will have to be returned.  A decision will have to be made over the weekend.  Looks versus legibility, form versus function - superficial I know!  The All Black display is definitely better when viewed outside in stronger light but is very poor indoors.  Out of the box the Regular Black was a bit plain but is actually growing on me - I quite like its more utilitarian looks and the the slightly larger/flatter profile.   Tough, important decision.....watch this space!

It's your fault!

Well, spurred on by your suggestions on my previous post that I treat myself I did just that and ordered a Suunto Core All Black watch.  I've been u'mming and a'arghing for a while on buying a ABC watch.  Since I ditched my Garmin GPS I do miss the convenience of having an altitude reading (a useful aid to navigation) and the built-in compass will serve as a handy back-up for when I next lose my hand-held compass.

There are some active forums for Suunto watches and it is well-documented that earlier versions of the Core suffered from reliability problems but these seem to have been resolved with the later firmware.

The hardest decision was choosing from the umpteen colours/styles of the Core, but I couldn't resist the stealth looks of the All-Black despite the negative display being allegedly less readable than a positive LCD display.  I'm hoping it will arrive tomorrow and I'll have a play and report back!

All Clear!!

This week has seen the awkward few days wait between having a CT scan and getting the results. I trundled over to the Royal Marsden this morning to receive the news that my scan was clear and the 'lump' which was visible on my lung from my last scan has actually shrunk slightly, which backs up the consultant's original view that it was probably scar-tissue from my last operation. It's now two years since my last treatment, which is a bit of a milestone having previously twice re-lapsed after 6 months, and the risk of recurrence is diminishing with each passing month. I think I need to treat myself to a mountain-top or two to celebrate!!

Snowdonia lives up to its name!!

I haven't had chance to write up our trip up to Snowdonia at New Year, but I have posted some photo's online here.

There was plenty of snow in which to try out some new kit including Black Diamond Serac crampons. Michelle managed to pick up a bargain at Cotswold Outdoors Rock Bottom store in Betws-y-coed - a pair of new Scarpa Manta's for only 60GBP(!!) courtesy of CO's boot guarantee policy which allows punters to return boots if they are not happy with them (and they haven't been worn outside). Returned boots can't be sold as new so find their way to the Rock Bottom store. I suspect the fact that we bought the BD crampons and Michelle bought a DMM Cirque ice-axe helped us get a bargain on the boots!

Carneddau Capers - 13th/14th Dec

Better late than never (I hope!). I've been meaning to write-up a few recent trips but Xmas and New Year is a such a busy time!

After my last swine-flu aborted trip I was determined to fit in a quick weekend before Xmas. With the a wet November giving way to a cold and crisp December my iphone weather app was showing five clear rain-free days so I chucked all my gear in the boot of the car and headed up to Snowdonia. I was still unsure whether to stay on a camp-site and do a couple of day walks/scrambles or brave a winter wildcamp. After a quick cuppa in the Pinnacle Cafe in Capel Curig I decided on a wildcamp and set about packing my OMM Villain....and un-packing it...and packing it again as I rummaged around the jumble of gear and clothing in my boot. I had a loose idea of heading N-W from Capel Curig up the flank opf Pen Llithrig y Wrach and then onwards either to Melynllyn reservoir or Llyn Eigau.

Looking back into Cwm Eigau

Heading off along the A5 I crossed the stile and headed north up towards Llyn Colwyd. The map showed it was about 7km to Llyn Eigau and since it was already almost 3pm I knew I'd have to get a move on before the light faded. The ground was sodden which made it hard going and I quickly found my feet and socks soaked, having stuck with my TNF Hedgehogs rather than switch to boots. Upon reaching the southern tip of Llyn Colwyd I continued up and N-W aiming for Bwlch y Tri Marchog, a small pass where I could then drop down into Cwm Eigiau. The cluster of contours made the drop look pretty steep on the map and on reaching the top in fading light and with cloud closing in I felt I was standing on the top of a black-run as the ground fell-away! Melynllyn was now well out of the question and whether I would be able to reach Llyn Eigiau without torch-light was questionable, so out came the Petzl Tikka in readiness. I picked my way down the mountainside, slipping a few times on the sodden grass and rock to eventually reach the valley floor some 700 feet below. The sun was well behind the imposing cliffs of Cwm Eigau and my trek was hampered by the boggy ground and a patch-work of streams, some of which I had to backtrack and detour around. My head-torch seemed overwhelmed in the vastness as I searched around near the lake for a suitably flat and relatively dry spot to camp. My definition of dry quickly changed to 'without running water' and flat changed to 'looks flat in the dark, by torchlight' as the tussocks of grass meant several unshapely mounds underneath the floor of the tent.

I pitched by torchlight and un-packed - that awkward time when you realise what you have and what you have forgotten. No spare socks!! My feet were sodden - I took off my socks and wrung them out and wrapped my feet in my sleeping bag. I was resigned to the fact that I'd be putting on wet-socks in the morning. A quick cup-a-soup restored morale as I organised my tent for the evening ahead - nights are long in the winter.

I was tempted to go for a wander but the thought of donning wet-socks persuaded me otherwise. One luxury I had packed at the last minute was my down-jacket, which although a little bulky was a god-send. I was looking forward to my Mountain House pasta and bolognaise and had just added the boiling water when upon reaching for the spoon to stir I dropped the bag, spilling the contents over my lower leg, bare ankle and trainer. Luckily the spill was in the porch but as I had earlier removed my socks the boiling water scalded my ankle, not to mention the rather awful mess and that my hot dinner was no more. I laughed at the ridiculous mess, cleared it up as best I could and resigned myself to another cup-a-soup and some chocolate.

The sky was clear and cold but as the night wore on I could feel the damp air permeating my down jacket and sleeping bag with the down loft gradually subsiding. The night was peaceful and I was warm enough but my wet socks were half frozen by morning. After a hearty pot of porridge I broke camp around 9am and headed back up into Cwm Eigau.

Looking back up to Bwlych y tri Marchog and Pen yr Helgi Du in the morning

I had worked out a route of about 20km to take me back to Capel Curig. I'm still getting to know the Carneddau, picking them off piece by piece, but their scale and bulk still surprises me each time. As I reached old mining ruins near the head of the cwm the path headed north and up the side of Gledrffordd. As I trudged upwards with increasing effort the cloud starting descending and the first few flakes of snow appeared in the air. As I neared the top of Gledrffordd I just had time to do a quick check of my location by compass before visibility fell to around 200 yards and the snow and wind became stronger. I set a bearing for the N-W shoulder and trudged across the strange landscape, counting paces for around a kilometer. I was pleased with myself when I reached a wall I'd spied on the map as a handrail - who needs GPS!?! The path dropped slowly down and around Clogwynyreryr and then I headed south to the dam on Llyn Eigau for lunch.

Coming off Gledrfford with Clogwynyrery on the right

Re-fuelled I headed south-east up Hafod y Rhiw I picked my way around numerous rocky outcrops, each time expecting to see Llyn Cowlyd, but each time being dissappointed. It was a strange sesnation knowing where I was - yet I wasn't quite sure! I was a little annoyed at myself, particularly as I'd managed so well the day before, but I'd underestimated the distance on the map. And then I lost my compass - I kept thinking I ought to tie it on somewhere but was content to loop it around my wrist. The sun was breaking through so I'd taken off my gloves and I'm always conscious that if you're carrying more than one thing in a hand, its easy to drop something without noticing - and so I did!!

Luckily I knew that I wasn't far from the lake and the route back was straightforward. Looking back west I could see snow settling on the high ground of Carnedd Llewelyn and five minutes later Llyn Cowlyd reservoir thankfully came into view. It was a long trudge along the shore of the lake which is 3km long but on reaching its southern tip there remained only a steady route back down into Capel Curig. I hadn't seen a soul for 24 hours!

Snow settling on the high ground of Carnedd Llewelyn in the distance

My first winter wild-camp, a few lessons learned (some the hard way!) and more experience gained - all from an un-planned quick trip! What more could I ask?

Whiling away the hours..

Swine flu meant I had a whole long week of nothingness to fill and without the internet I think I'd have gone stir crazy!!! What did we do before t'internet?..or did we just not get ill!!

In view of my plan to climb Mont Blanc next summer I spent a wee while trawling web-sites for info on alpine climbing and came across a few interesting articles and video's including the one below {it currently appears to have dissappeared from Vimeo) but was here.


Ueli Steck is somewhat of a legend in speed soloing, not just climbing by himself, often without protection, but doing it bloody fast! In 2008 he set the record for climbing the north face of the Eiger in 2hr47min and then followed it with the Grand Jorasses North Face, some 1200m ascent including a 95-degree ice-wall in 2hr21min. This guy climbs quicker than I can get up the stairs (well, actually getting of the sofa was a major effort last week).

More info and some great photo's can be found on the Alpine Exposures web-site.

I think I need to get fit!!

The weekend that wasn't...what a swine!!

It was all planned as I headed up the M6 on Thurday afternoon. After picking up my nephew at Charnock Richard services, another 90 minute drive saw us into Ambleside for last minute provisions, before heading for Great Langdale camp-site.

I'd been feeling a little ropey over the past few days - a bit of a sore throat and a few snuffles, typical of a brewing cold. We pitched up the Tadpole at the NT campsite and after sorting our stuff headed over to the Stickle Gill Barn for dinner. The weather was overcast and though the forecast didnt look great, I was still hopeful. Retiring to the tent I proceeded to have a terrible night's sleep... hot then cold, searing headache, streaming nose and little actual sleep. At breakfast I really wasnt feeling well, so we decided that rather than the planned wildcamp, we'd leave the tent at the camp-site, go for a day walk and see how I felt.

The weather was OK as we headed along into Mickleden valley along the Cumbria Way to where the path splits; right to Stake Pass and left heading up the eastern flanks of Bowfell to the col between it and Rossett Pike, our planned route up to Angle Tarn and Esk Hause. It had been a struggle even walking along the floor of the valley and I realised then I just didn't have the energy to start heading up, so with regret we headed back to camp and packed our gear.

Looking up Mickleden to Rossett Pike

A prolonged five-hour journey on a Friday afternoon saw us arrive at my parents house, where an early night was followed by the whole of Saturday and most of Sunday in bed with flu. Following the NHS Swine-Flu Questionnaire I was afforded an on-line prescription of Tamiflu - a little late I suspect!!

Looks like the Lakes had other ideas this weekend, as Robin over at blogpackinglight also had his trip cut short. Best laid plans and all that......!!!