Scrambling Skills Training half Day. Borrowdale. Monday 18th May 2015

A couple of day after getting back from Skye, Iain was back out again discussing all things Skye and teaching David Meckin appropriate Scrambling skills in order that he can head on to The Cuillin Ridge in June with his son.

David's desire to gain some knowledge in scrambling skills comes from the fact that he has three "Munro objectives" when he travels to the ridge in June and they are Sgurrs a' Ghreadaidh & Mhadaidh from An Dorus which he identified as being tricky; and also gaining the summit of Am Basteir from the Bealach a' Basteir which involves down climbing a tricky 8 foot step on the ridge.

Iain collected David from his hotel accommodation in Keswick and took him to Nitting Haws Ridge in Borrowdale which he thought would be a suitable place to teach David the skills he will need for the ridge. We started by looking at short roping (photo one) before moving on to look at the various types of  direct belays David might use on the Cuillin Ridge on the two tricky sections identified.

As well as looking at techniques for scrambling & climbing up at An Dorus and Am Basteir, Iain also showed David how he could use a direct belay/anchor to safeguard another person down-climbing at either of these two places and then use the anchor to safeguard himself in descent by abseiling down the rope - using the other person at the foot to counterbalance his descent and to also back up the dead rope and prevent a "plummet" should David let go. All in all, with a few slings and a single climbing rope, David and his son should have the techniques to help them safely deal with most scrambling scenarios they will encounter on the Cuillins this month and we wish them the best of luck with their endeavours.

David had this to say about his half day Session with Iain.

"With a planned week on the Cuillin Ridge with my son, I wanted to ensure I had the necessary rope/scrambling skills to ensure we could safely tackle the various peaks. A one-to-one session with Iain not only provided the requisite skills, it also greatly improved my confidence. Iain is not only a great tutor, he is also great company. I would have no hesitation recommending his courses to anyone wanting to improve their mountaineering skills."

David Meckin

Our Scrambling Skills Training Courses in The Lake District cost £160 per day for two persons and include the provision of ropes & rack, helmets & harnesses and coaching from an experienced Mountaineering Instructor. We do recommend a minimum of two days coaching to give you the opportunity to learn and consolidate these scrambling skills which will give you the knowledge necessary to stay safe of scrambles anywhere in The Lake District Wales and Scotland. However, if you only want a day or a half day then we will accommodate your wishes. Contact us to book your Scrambling Skills Training Course here. We look forward to working with you