Guided Winter Mountaineering Days in Scotland. A traverse of the famous Aonach Eagach. March 5th 2016.

Well, we might as well be honest about it, we've missed out on this awesome Winter Season almost completely this year. Iain has been unable to consider going to Scotland - until early March at least!

You all might have seen some reports about our forays into the Lake District Mountains in January and February. Conditions were thin and only good at higher levels. However in Scotland things have been good - certainly since early February.

Photo one sees returning client Darren Willis as we approached the summit of Am Bodach in our quest to traverse the mighty Aonach Eagach Ridge which forms the northern boundary of Glen Coe - an equally as famous valley in the western highlands.

Darren  has done  a lot of stuff with us since he first met Iain at the Kendal Mountain Festival in 2014. We started with scrambling Skills Training in The Lake District and then last year Darren came to Glen Coe in February and performed really well in the winter environment on both Mountaineering and Winter Climbing terrain. Darren also joined us on our Cuillin Ridge Traverse Trip in May last year and is coming back again this May. We enjoyed each others company in September during a weekend away in the western Lakes and then Darren joined us for a day out on Helvellyn in January and it was then that he indicated he'd be keen on a Winter Climbing Weekend in Scotland as soon as Iain was ready. By March 5th, Iain reckoned he was ready!

We'd set off up the eastern end of Am Bodach at 08:30 having been dropped off by one of  the people whose guest house we were staying at. After a steady climb of some two & a half hours, we were at the summit of Am Bodach (photo two) in calm, windless conditions. The summit of Ben Nevis is hidden in cloud beyond Darren to his right. Just stunning!

On  arriving at the summit, we had a clear view all the way along the Aonach Eagach. We got kitted up right away as the fun was about to start within a few hundred metres of the first summit!

And that fun is getting down off  Am Bodach on to the ridge proper. There is a steep down-climb which is better abseiled in winter and a conveniently places large block at the top around which a 60 metre rope "doubles" nicely.

As we arrived to do this first descent, we were joined by another group who offered us their 60 metre rope to set up so they could follow us down. As Iain got Darren on to the ropes ready to abseil one of this group said "Is that Mr Gallagher?" It turned out that we were only in the company of another well known Lake District based instructor on a weeks Winter Climbing in Scotland. Small world isn't it! Photo three sees Darren abseiling down this first descent towards Iain.

Photo four was taken some 45 minutes and 3/4 of a mile later as we all approached the summit of Meall Dearg - the first Munro Summit on the ridge.

After our abseil,  there was one further tricky down-climb; and then after that, it was steady away upwards towards Meall Dearg Conditions were certainly more wintry than when Iain had last been here with Alison & Matt February last year. However, this time route finding was easier as there was no cloud at all! There was more snow & neve than the previous visit, and we had to be careful of the poorly  bonded wind-slab on top of the neve which had a habit of sliding off when you stood on it!

Once beyond Meall Dearg, the crest of the ridge falls for a while before rearing up again and it is at this point that one encounters the famous "pinnacles" seen here in photo five. An initial exposed down-climb (best protected by lowering someone who then spots you down!) gets you to the start where in all honesty, you'll probably find things aren't as bad as they looked. Two 480cm Dyneema slings & karabiners are useful here with which to lasso the pinnacles so that you can  use them as running belays whilst your partner belays you across. Once up the other side, you have a choice of direct belays with which to belay your partner across to you.

A further 100 metres beyond the pinnacles finds you descending towards a drop. Descend a groove on the Glen Coe side of the ridge here and hopefully you'll find (as we did this time but not last year!) a thread containing some abseil tat and a maillon just below. Once again, our 60 metre rope doubled through the maillon was more than enough to reach the bottom of what would otherwise have been another "dodgy" down-climb. Photo six sees Darren following Iain down this abseil.

We would spend probably a further 45 minutes covering the last 500 metres  of difficulties before we reached the col at the foot of the slope leading up to Stob Coire Leith and these consisted of a number of climb ups and downs with a lot of short roping and belaying required along the way.  When we finally reached that col it was good to know that the technical difficulties of the ridge were over. The time was about 15:30 so we had around a further 3 hours of daylight left.

Photo eight is one of those "selfies"" people often take these days and this one was taken at the top of Stob Coire Leith looking back at the most technical section of the Aonach Eagach which is right above Darren & Iain's heads. The summit of Meal Dearg is the snow covered cone to the left of Darren.

The walk on from here to the summit of Sgorr Nam Fiannaidh (the highest Munro Summit on the ridge) was relatively easy - a gentle descent to the bealach followed by a gradual rise to the higher summit.

We reached the summit of Sgorr Nam Fiannaidh at 5pm (photo nine) and began a descent that would take the best part of 3 hours by the time we reached Darren's pickup truck at the Clachaig. The direct route would have been down the side of the Clachaig Gully - dangerous at the best of times so we chose to take the route off the lower western top of Sgorr Nam Fiannaidh towards the top on the right of this photo (Sgorr Na Ciche - the Pap of Glen Coe) before dropping down west to pick up the single track road between Glen Coe Village and The Clachaig.

It had been a long day - eleven hours or so, but that's what to expect on the Aonach Eagach Traverse in Winter. It is a long and technical traverse which requires time and respect. It was a brilliant "tick" for Darren who was so knackered that he refused the offer of a further climbing day the next day. Indeed - Iain was back in Kendal by 3pm on the Sunday!

We'll hopefully be back in Scotland during the Winter of 2016-17, in better shape and with a lot to offer anyone looking for Winter Skills Courses and coaching or guiding on Winter Mountaineering Routes or Winter Climbs.Watch this space - we look forward to working with you!

The Fenix HL35 head torch. A real contender for group use cave illumination? Here's what we think!

In our role as Outdoor Adventure Specialists, we are regularly contacted by companies wishing to offer us "deals" on equipment. Fenix Lighting contacted us specifically with regards to a head torch which they reckoned could out perform the competition - hands down!

OK - then  send us one we said; and they did! And as a result  - here is our review of the Fenix HL35 Head Torch.

We used a recent caving day with  two clients to put the HL35 through it's paces. In photo one Alice (left) sports one of our tried & tested Petzl Pixa II torches whilst Jess (right) started the day with the HL35.

As can be seen, both head-torches have thick adjustable headbands which allow them to sit well on our caving helmets (standard climbing helmets). The HL35 comes with an additional "over the top of the head" elastic strap to stop the light sagging down if worn directly on one's head. We can see that this additional strap might well be useful in that scenario (the Pixa II doesn't have this additional strap), but in this situation,that extra strap wasn't needed.

At a glance. The fenix HL35 (the left hand head-torch in photo two) is about two thirds the size of the Pixa II weighing 150g as opposed to the Pixa II's 169g. There's not much in it in terms of weight - not that you'd notice with it on your head anyway!

The HL35's canister is constructed of anodized aircraft grade Aluminium as opposed to the Pixa II's all plastic construction. Our concern here was that the HL35 wouldn't with withstand knocks & bumps as well as the Pixa II and indeed, the HL35 is "fall rated" to 1.5 m as opposed to the Pixa II's fall rating of 2 m. However, looking beyond this, the HL35 begins to "outshine" (excuse the pun!) the Pixa II in other respects. Firstly the HL35 has an IP68 rating as opposed to the IP67 of the Pixa II. What does this mean? well, the HL35 is fully waterproof if submerged to a depth of no more than two metres. The Pixa II is waterproof to a depth of 1 metre but only for 30 minutes! On that note  - we wouldn't advise you take either cave diving but, the HL35 is the more waterproof of the two and Fenix clearly have faith in their product as they will guarantee it for 5 years against faults & defects. Petzl only offer a 3 year warranty on the Pixa II.

Both head-torches have adjustable beam angles and both take 2 x AA batteries. Now, on to performance!

The HL35 has eight different settings from two switches and two LED's. The smaller round button operates the red LED. Press once and the red LED illuminates, press this button again and the white LED is illuminated in a Morse Code SOS pattern. Pressing the button a third time enables a flashing red LED Mode. Press & hold for more than 1 second to select off.

The larger button enables the user to select from five different levels of brightness from "Moonlight Mode to high which is 200 lumens. Pressing & holding for more than 1.2 seconds selects "burst mode" which is an impressive 260 lumens with an Alkaline or NI-MH battery delivering 1.2 - 1.5 volts. However use Fenix's own 14500 Li-ion batteries and burst mode jumps to an all illuminating 450 lumens - having recently received a set of these batteries, we'll be adding an "additional" to this review soon!

By comparison, the Pixa II is a simple beast sporting a big chunky knob which rotates from off  to two brightness settings of 30 & 40 lumens on our caving units (we understand that they have recently been upgraded to provide 20 & 80 lumens respectively).

In terms of distance of illumination, the latest version of the Pixa II will now illuminate to 55 metres though that's still 35 metres short of the HL35's maximum range. Battery life with our Pixa II's at 40 lumens is stated as being around six hours whereas using the nearest comparable setting on the HL35 (70 lumens) sees the batteries last half as long again (9 hours). This appears to demonstrate that under normal use, the HL35 is almost twice as efficient as our Pixa II's!

With respect to drained batteries. The Pixa two enters reserve mode when the batteries are getting low and indicates thus with a double flash before dropping to an intensity of something less than 30 lumens but still providing a workable beam for ten hours (indeed - we have never had a Pixa II fully extinguish after entering this mode!) The HL35's beam intensity gradually reduces until once the battery reaches less than 10% capacity, the red LED illuminates to warn that battery replacement is required.

So how did the Fenix HL35 performs on one of our caving days? Well; and with no problems we would say! The unit was used for a duration of seven hours on visits to to caving systems in The Yorkshire Dales National Park. The head-torch functioned on its medium setting of 70 lumens throughout using two basic Alkaline batteries.

We visited Long Churns in the morning; and some readers may recognise this place as being the famous Cheese Press Bedding Plane crawl where Jess emerges sporting the HL35. We spent around 3 hours underground here.

After some lunch, we moved across valley to the Calf Holes/Browgill Cave system where we spent a further 3 hours underground. The HL35 was used in a demanding environment where where knocks against Limestone were all too likely, yet at the end of the day, it still looked undamaged.

What did the clients think of the HL35?  Both initially had problems getting to grips with the settings buttons as compared with that chunky switch on the Pixa II, the HL35's buttons are harder to feel/locate and we could see this presenting a real problem  for gloved fingers. However, they both commented on the warmth of the light and the way they felt it illuminated the caves features better and not just in a brighter way than the Pixa II. In the final photo from this equipment test report, the HL35 is seen lighting up the waterfall at Doctor Bannister's Washbasin in the Long Churns Cave System.

What did we think of the HL35? Well, we were in agreeance with our clients comments, otherwise we were impressed with the HL35's performance - not just in better overall efficiency/extended battery life, but also in the products versatility. Combine that with the products extended warranty compared with the Pixa II and  its competitive pricing means that we will certainly consider  adding a number of these lights to our stock of group use caving lights in the near future.

Guided Caving Days in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. February 29th, 2016

Winter here at Kendal Mountaineering Services has been pretty quiet. The awful prior to Christmas wasn't conducive to encouraging people to venture into the outdoors, however once we were into the New Year enquiries started to arrive.

One of these was from Alice Courvoisier who was interested in booking an Introductory Caving Day for herself and friend Jess.

By the time we ran this day for the pair, the weather had settled down and was dry & calm if not a little chilly. Photo one is taken in front of the Alum Pot - one of the Yorkshire Dales deepest potholes at 104 metres.

Iain met the pair at Inglesport in Ingleton - our favourite meeting point for Introductory Caving Sessions in The Yorkshire Dales National Park. We then drove to  Long Churns lane, got kitted up and headed underground for a morning exploration of Long Churns - the area's best Introductory Caving Venue. We had a good explore all around Long Churns - marvelling at the many Speloethems (Limestone formations) to be seen and enjoying challenges such as the famous Cheese Press seen in photo two.

After lunch, the pair decided that they fancied the idea  of something a little more challenging. Iain took them straight across Ribblehead to the Calf Holes/Browgill Cave System which is definitely a "step up" from Long Churns.

Long Churns is termed a Level One or Introductory Caving Trip, Calf Holes & Browgill is a Level Two Caving Trip and definitely not somewhere you would take novices for their first caving trip - not via the Calf Holes Pitch anyway! Level One Caves are deemed to contain vertical pitches of more than 2 metres in height whereas a Level Two Caving Trip can have vertical pitches of up to 18 metres in height.

Photo three sees  Alice being lowered by Iain down the Calf Holes Pitch which although only 11 metres high is still quite challenging - and a lot more exciting! Jess was the next one down, followed by Iain.

At the bottom of the pitch, we all took off our harnesses and stashed them as we would be coming back. We then headed downstream to the point where the water sinks into the floor on the left and continued down a lowering dry passage which leads to a small hole also on the left - Hainsworth's Passage.

We crawled about 5 metres through this and then dropped through a  hole in the floor (The Slot) re-emerging next to the stream which we followed down a deepening canyon to the top of a waterfall. We could have done another lower here, but it was quicker to bypass the waterfall by climbing up & out of the canyon into a parallel passage which leads, via a down-climb in to a big rift beyond the fall. From the far end of this rift, the way is again, on with the stream, to emerge in daylight at the entrance  (or downstream exit) to Browgill Cave (photo three).

All we had to do now was retrace ours steps  back to the foot of the Calf Holes Pitch. This route, is, in fact, only classed as a Level One Caving Trip as far as the Calf Holes Pitch - it's that climb back out that makes it Level Two!

On the way back, we took a slightly different route emerging into Hainsworth's Passage from the challenging looking "Letterbox" crawling back out over The Slot and out of Hainsworth's. Ten minutes later after a further 500 metres of stooping along the low passage, we arrived back at the Calf Holes Pitch.

We got harnesses back on and then Iain jumared back up to the pitch head before lowering the caving ladder down to the pair waiting below. Climbing a caving ladder is strenuous work - especially if you don't so it right, but Iain had instructed Alice & Jess to keep their bodies straight and climb moving alternate hands & feet.  Iain was prepared to "haul" if necessary, but that wasn't needed as both climbed up & out  rapidly. Jess is the last one out in photo four.

So that was it - we packed up and walked back to the vehicles before parting company. Two very satisfied clients!

Alice & Jess paid just £75 per person for the full day out of caving with Iain and that fee included the use of caving over-suits, wellington boots, helmets with caving lights, caving belts and harnesses as well as a full day of guiding by Iain. As this trip proved - Caving is something all of the family can do in Winter when it is too cold to do anything else; and you'd be surprised how much shelter you get underground!

Contact us to book your caving experience in The Yorkshire Dales this Easter - we look forward to working with you!

Our Cuillin Ridge Traverse Trip. May 7th - 14th 2016, is going ahead!

We now have only three places currently available on our Cuillin Ridge Traverse Trips due to run between May 7th & 14th. There are still six places available for the week of and 14th - 21st 2016.

This means that the first week will now, definitely, be going ahead - so if you've been waiting to see if the week is definitely running before committing to book a place, well, now you can!

If you are interested in joining either of these weeks, then please - contact us now.

This is an excellent opportunity to experience the Cuillin Ridge of Skye. Participants often have differing objectives for attending, some may wish to bag the 11 munros on the Cuillin Ridge, others may want to complete a traverse of the Cuillin Ridge. Here, both can be done together.

Our package allows for considerable flexibility. We will have six full days of which four will involve being guided by Iain Gallagher, Mountaineering Instructor, with the ultimate aim of a complete traverse. There are also two rest days allowing us to be flexible and make the best of the weather when choosing our four Cuillin Ridge traverse days.

The price is still only £450 per person and is excellent value for what is on offer. This package includes 7 nights self catering accommodation in a comfortable cottage, a guided traverse of the Cuillin Ridge of Skye from end to end done, if possible, over a maximum of 4 days. Please note that we cannot guarantee a complete ridge traverse as it is often weather dependent, but we will do our best!

As the accommodation is not too distant from the Cuillins, we make daily forays into the ridge allowing us to complete the traverse section by section but spending each night in a comfortable bed and getting a good meal at the end of each day - this itinerary has been proven to work well. There are a maximum of six places available on these Cuillin Ridge traverse trips and all of these places are allocated on the basis of deposits received. First come, first served!

To achieve success on this trip, you need to be a fit and active hill-goer, able to carry all of your own personal equipment for each day out on the mountains and you will be expected to carry additional climbing equipment such as ropes as well.

Everyone must be equipped with a helmet & harness which can be provided as part of the course fee. You will need plenty of liquid each day and high energy food is advisable.

Interested people also need to be aware this is a committing and sustained 13 km alpine style ridge traverse often on scrambling ground of grade one standard but also frequently with sections of grade two & three ground where roping up is essential. There are also sections of rock climbing such as the Thearlaich Dubh Gap (severe) and the Inaccessible Pinnacle (an optional but polished Diff) and a number of abseils to be made. Therefore previous experience of scrambling is a must and some previous experience of ropework, preferential. Ideally, you should have a good head for heights and be comfortable with a degree of exposure.

The Cuilllin Ridge is a challenge, but don't be put off; if you have the pre-requisites listed here, then you should be fine.

The Cuillin Ridge Traverse is definitely the best mountaineering expedition of its type in the UK and Kendal Mountaineering Services have a great track record in guiding on this ridge. We cannot guarantee your success in completing the full traverse, only the weather & your ability will allow us to achieve this, but with his help and your commitment to working together as part of a team, success is a real possibility.

With regards personal equipment for the ridge traverse; people must have good quality foul weather kit and bring plenty of warm clothing plus hats & gloves. On Skye, even in September it can be wet or cold (or both on occasion). On a number of previous occasions, in May - we have even had snow to deal with!

Due to the nature of the terrain, please do not come expecting to traverse the ridge in approach shoes! They are totally inappropriate for this traverse; stout leather or fabric boots with good ankle support, a solid and preferably cleated Vibram sole are the order of the day for this mountaineering journey.

People have ignored Iain's advice in the past and then experienced difficulties on the ridge - slowing down progress for all concerned.

If you would like advice about equipment, additional information about the Cuilllin Ridge or would like to book a place on one of these fantastic opportunities, then please contact us and we will be happy to help.

Photographs from top to bottom are:

Looking South along the Cuillin Ridge From Bruach Na Frithe

The Southernmost part of the Cuillin Ridge from the top of the Great Stone Chute

Reaching the top of the Inaccessible Pinnacle

Loch Coruisk From Sgurr A Ghreadaidh

Sunset over Loch Bracadale and McLeod's Tables from our accommodation

Read about our last trip to the Cuillin Ridge of Skye in 2015 on our blog here.

Join in the conversation about this trip on the Facebook Event Page here.

We look forward to working with you and sharing your adventure on Skye next May!

Winter Climbing in The Lake District. Wednesday, January 20th 2016.

Last Wednesday, The Lake District was still enjoying the Winter weather that had arrived the previous Saturday. However, a lot of snow had gone at lower levels despite MWIS predicting that freezing levels  would remain at valley floor levels through until Tuesday.

Wednesday saw Iain & Nigel head  into Deepdale with the intention of checking out what was available on Greenhow End - that's the buttress in the middle of photo one.

There are some nine winter climbs listed on or around this buttress with grades ranging from II through to VI'. Our objective for the day was to try a couple of winter climbs on the north side of the buttress - either Deepdale Gully or Central Gully- both grade III. These can be seen above & right of Nigel - in photo two. Central gully is the more obvious line at the head of the scree cone.

It was surprising how long it took us to walk in to the foot of the crag - best part of 2 & a half hours from the Land Rover, parked at Bridgend at the foot of Deepdale. The walk in is 3km and height gain is 420 metres so, it's a fair walk in - but this, we knew! What we thought was that this high level & north facing crag would have routes that were in condition; and the nearer we got, the more it became apparent that they weren't!

Whilst from a distance, there looked to be a lot of snow, on Greenhow End, there wasn't! Nor was it neve either, just wind-slab with a light crust on top. There was ice, but that wasn't to be found in any quantity, so when Nigel offered to lead the first pitch of Central Gully, Iain was quite happy to let him!

Photo three sees Nigel at the top of the first pitch just below the first crux. Below here, the gully had some snow which would neither support weight nor the use of ice axes. There was no frozen turf. It was what should have been an easy grade II gully, but in truth, it was just a "thrutch".

Iain arrived at Nigel's stance and then moved up to try the steeper ice above. This would have been a great little pitch in good conditions, but again, there was little ice and what was there disintegrated with a blow from Iain's Rebels. At this point, we decided to call it a day - with the climbing at least!

We moved out rightwards on to the buttress and moved up & across further right to easier ground before deciding that really, the rope wasn't necessary either.

The day wouldn't be completely lost, but could be put to good use as a bit of mountaineering and winter walking. After all, despite the crappy climbing conditions, it really was a beautiful day with great views in all directions.

Photo four sees Nigel as he reaches the top of the steepest part of our snowy scramble amid rock & turf. At this point, Dollywagon Pike and Nethermost Pikes had become visible over the top of Deepdale Hause as well as the top of Falcon Crag - now that's supposed to be a place well worth visiting for some higher grade Lake District Winter Climbing Routes!

Just above here, the angle relented and we were soon on the top of Greenhow End.

The question now was how to get down again. There were a number of options - walk up right to get over to Hart Crag and then descend back to Bridgend via Hartsop Above How (the ridge running from left to right in the middle of  photo five) or descend via "The Step" into Link Cove and then drop down into at the head of Deepdale.

The latter was the quicker option; and time was getting on!

The final photo from this post about an "attempted" Winter Climbing Day in The Lake District sees Nigel as we arrived back in Mossydale. Greenhow End is the prominent buttress just right of centre; and Link Cove is the valley to it's left. All we had now was an hours walk back to the Land Rover.

As far as Winter Climbing went, it was disappointing. A lack of snow & consolidation/freeze thaw meant that there was no climbing worth speaking of; and after this weekend of mild temperatures; well, the chances are what there was has disappeared altogether now. However, it was a day of quality exercise and views and we went on to enjoy a few beers at The Brotherswater Inn on our way back to Kendal; and later, we also got to enjoy Ju's fabulous Fish Pie.

Thanks to Nigel for his company on the hill and to Nigel and Ju for entertaining & feeding us later on.

All in all, a quality day then.....really!

Winter Mountaineering Days in The Lake District. Helvellyn Red Tarn Face. 17th January 2016.

January has seen, as it often does, a gradual cooling down with temperatures dipping below freezing more & more often. However, it took until last Saturday for us to get our first really decent snowfall of the season -  falling to lie right down to sea level where it remained for over 24 hours.

The MWIS forecast for last Sunday looked promising and Iain was itching to get out and use his ice tools in order that he could get back into the swing of things in readiness for the forthcoming Winter Climbing Season.

Also keen, were friend Mike Burns and we had a call from Darren Willis, a returning client on any occasions over the last year, who was also keen to join us if we were going out.

Photo one sees Mike in blue behind our Land Rover and Darren stood in front, as we prepared to leave on our walk in to Helvellyn from Greenside Mines on Sunday morning.

Getting to Greenside from Kendal proved to be an adventure in itself. It was fortunate indeed that we have the Land Rover as conditions on Kirkstone pass necessitated the use of just such a vehicle. You'd be surprised though; at the number of idiots in cars - not set up for winter conditions (ie no winter tyres!), that we encountered sliding down the north side of this pass. Fortunately, too, we were able to get up the track to Greenside and this allowed us to get a head start on many others who were compelled to leave their cars in Glenridding and walk the mile & a half to the mines.

An hour and a half later would find us approaching the shores of a largely frozen Red Tarn (photo two). The summit was still visible at this point and on the walk in, the wind had increased as we gained height and was now gusting fairly strongly. It was also picking up large quantities of spindrift which is most unpleasant when it is thrown in your face - hence Darren's expression!

We made  our way around the north side of the tarn looking for shelter from the swirling snow laden wind and of course, found none! In the end, we had to dig out the group shelter in order that we could get geared up for the route we had in mind; and get something to eat - in comparative comfort as opposed to sitting out in the elements. It really was bitterly cold!

Despite spending some time in the group shelter, we were all pretty chilly when we emerged and Iain was suffering from a fairly severe doze of hot aches in his fingers which took a while to go, but as we climbed several hundred feet into the base of Gully 1, we were all warmed up again.

We could see a party on Viking Buttress IV'4 above us to our right and another party snook in below them and set up a belay just left of where Darren is stood in photo three. These people would, in Iain's estimation, gain a great deal from a rock climbing course as their anchor set up at their stance was pretty abysmal. One anchor above and one level with the belayer's left knee; and not a screw-gate in sight!

As Iain was not officially working today, we decided that as Mike had given the impression he was happy soloing up to grade III, he would lead on in front. Darren would follow; and then Iain would bring up the rear.

Mike set off up the groove above him in photo three and gave the impression of not being too happy exclaiming that there was "not a lot of ice about". He did, however, reach the top & disappear out of sight.

After that, Iain decided to rope up with Darren  (just a simple bowline, nothing more was really needed), lead on up; and then belay Darren up the pitch.

Photo four sees a rather "puffed" Darren approaching Iain at his belay. Darren had been glad of the rope exclaiming that he was "at his limit" and also "f*****g Knackered!" He was noticeably slower than Iain at climbing the pitch.

Having made Darren safe at this stance, Iain whizzed off up another rope-length to some rocks, found a fine "direct belay" and brought Darren up quickly. There was easy ground and the summit cornice just above so Iain sent Darren straight on up to where Mike was waiting.

At the summit, we had whiteout conditions. Cloud, blowing spindrift and a strong cold westerly wind.

We managed to get some shelter in the largely "snow filled" summit shelter  (a crossed stone wall) jostling for space with other climbers who were also emerging from routes on the North East face.

A quick bite to eat and a mouthful of coffee and we were off for the top of Swirral Edge and a quick exit. Photo five sees Darren & Mike next to the cairn that marks the true summit of Helvellyn. Iain can remember when this cairn used to be a lot bigger!

Half an hour later, we were well on our way down Swirral Edge (photo six) which was not technically difficult  - just rather snowed up! It's a common place for novices to slip though; and during Iain's time in Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team, we would often be collecting casualties from the base of either the south (Red Tarn) side of Swirral or the north (Brown Cove) side in conditions such as we encountered today. Either way, it's a bad place to slip and a long way either side to tumble if you do; and as Iain recalls, the mortality rate of unlucky people here, is pretty high!

An hour & a half later, we were back at the vehicles after what had been a hardcore, but truly exhilarating day out. The route we climbed (Gully 1) was one that Mike had had his eye on for some time; and it was another new winter route for Darren who spent quite a bit of time with us in Glen Coe Last February. For Iain, this was probably his tenth ascent of Gully one. He first climbed it during "Winter Training" with the team 30 years ago!

So, Winter conditions are here in The Lake District at the moment and are ideal for Winter Mountaineering, Winter Climbing. There is also enough "Neve" to make Winter Skills Courses a possibility too!

Give us a call if you fancy having a go at Winter Climbing or Winter Mountaineering and if you want to learn how to be self sufficient in the mountains in Winter and know how to use that new pair of Crampons  and the walking axe you got for Christmas, we are available and will be happy to help you! Winter Skills, Winter Climbing & Mountaineering are all available to you for only £75 per person per day (minimum of two persons)!

In to 2016 and out on the very first day of the New Year! Navigation Skills Training Courses in The Lake District.

Friday, January 1st, 2016 was one of the first really decent days we had had for weeks by the time it arrived. Last November & December were just truly awful and wet; and some of you may remember our report about a Navigation Skills Training Weekend in The Lake District which we aborted after the very first day during the last weekend in November!

Well, Darren Willis & Emma Kershaw had been the clients on that occasion and had paid up in full, but Iain still owed them their second day of map reading skills. After enquiring, Iain found that both were happy to go out on New Years Day. Photo one sees the pair on the west side of Shipman Knotts in the Kentmere valley - often the scene of day two of our Lake District Navigation Skills Training Weekends!

We set off from Green Quarter - having a recap of skills taught the last time we'd been out. We briefly spent time learning how to use the compass to confirm the identity of features we could see from a known location before setting off up the BOAT (Bridleway Open to All Traffic) between Green Quarter & Sadgill  in the Longsleddale Valley.

Finding ourselves walking into a bitter east wind, Iain decided we should stay on the sheltered side of Shipman Knotts. We followed a footpath and paced to three curious squares marked on the map which turned out to be small walled enclosures and then headed straight up to a ring contour (small summit) on the top of the ridge. (photo two)

Here, we found that actually, the wind was no longer quite so chilly, so we made our way along Shipman knotts going from grid reference to grid reference. The pair got a real feel for how different pacing can be on moderately steep ground as opposed to walking along the flat on tarmac. Hopefully, they will remember to modify their pacings per 100 metres to what they found on the various slopes we were on today.

Eventually, we reached the top of Shipman Knotts where we enjoyed a bit of lunch in shelter below the boundary wall. Photo three sees Darren taking a compass bearing to the next grid reference - a stream head/spring a little over a mile away.

We spent the whole day walking from one grid reference to another using the compass and measuring the distance. Every now & then, Iain would ask the pair to identify something they could see from a known location - particularly to the east where what they were looking at was often off the 1:25'000 sheet they were using but on the 1:50'000 map instead. So, they had to "transpose" from one map scale to another to work out what it was they were asked to identify. The pair actually did very well at this. Well Done!

We continued on from Shipman Knotts to our stream head and then on to the summit of Kentmere Pike.

The last few hundred feet to the summit were snow clad to a degree. For the first time this winter - it actually felt and looked a bit like winter up here!!

Photo four is taken from the summit of Kentmere Pike looking towards Harter Fell which looked very bleak indeed. By this time it was past 2 pm; and time to be considering heading back before darkness set in.

We arrived back at the Land Rover at 16:30 so timings were about right. Both Darren & Emma were very pleased with their second day of Navigation Skills Training in The Lake District and were able to progress from what they had learnt on day one.

Details of our 2016 Navigation Skills Training Weekends can be found here if you are after a full weekend of training for only £80 per person. These courses are ideal for people getting ready for a Summer Mountain Walking Leader (MLS) assessment or re-assessment as a Navigation Refresher Course. The first course will be running during the last weekend of March.

Contact us here to book  your place on one of these fantastic value for money Lake District Based Map Reading & Navigation Skills Training Courses. We look forward to working with you!