Multi-activity day in the Lake District. Abseiling, canoeing & kayaking. 24th September 2010

Jay Keshur booked this multi-activity day with
Kendal Mountaineering Services for himself and his family & friends whilst on a weekend of training here in the Lake District - before they all head off to Africa to climb Kilimanjaro.

The party had decided to do a half day abseiling session first, followed by some canoeing & kayaking. Since they were travelling from near Kendal, Iain arranged the abseiling session to be at Cathedral Quarry in Langdale and for the canoeing & kayaking to be done on Windermere at Waterhead, Ambleside, where there would be scope for learning both some flatwater & moving water skills.

Iain met the group at Skelwith Bridge and took them to Cathedral Quarry where he rigged the short abseil which even though it is only 40 feet in height can be quite challenging - particularly when some of the party had not abseiled for some time. Here, Raxa descends the abseil first of all and she did really well.



We had six members of the party for the half day abseiling session. Raxa has just done the abseil and waiting to take their turn are (left to right) Jay, Tara, Dhilan, Reena & James.

Everyone had two goes at this shorter abseil before we moved on to the higher more challenging of the two abseils to be found at Cathedral Quarry.




The third shot shows James about to descend the long slab on the big abseil at Cathedral. This abseil is at least 3x higher than the other and is a very popular one - used regularly by all manner of groups seeking an adrenaline rush.

One descends this slab for about 90 feet before dropping over an overhang and finishing the last 40 feet or so free hanging. Eveyone found this more challenging - but thoroughly exhilarating. Whilst each person abseiled at their own speed on the white rope Iain belayed them from above - connected to them by the red rope.

This is essential as, if James had let go of the abseiling rope with his controlling (right) hand, he would have plumetted out of control down the slab. However
by being attached to Iain via the red rope - he was secure at all times; and this must always be the case when abseiling.



Well, after three abseils each, the morning had disappeared and we were into afternoon activity session time.

After a short drive to Waterhead and some lunch, the party were ready to get
on the water and had been joined by Parisa (left) and Kresimir (dark glasses) for the afternoon Canoeing & kayaking session.

As can be seen, everyone was ready & raring to go! They were all properly kitted out for the session - wearing wetsuits, fleeces, cagoules, bouyancy aids and helmets - just in case we got on to moving water. Here at Kendal Mountaineering Services, we always do our best to make sure you are kitted out as appropriately as you can be for any of our full or half day activity sessions - and you can be sure that all of the kit is provided as part of your fee. We don't do hidden extras!


In this final shot, the group relax for a moment whilst on the river flowing into Windermere at Waterhead. It hadn't all been plain sailing due to the fresh northerly wind blowing on to us from the hills in the distance and some of the girls had struggled getting to grips with paddling a canadian canoe together whilst the wind did it's best to push them into the middle of Windermere!

But, with a but of perseverance, everyone had a good time and they all enjoyed their half day abseiling & canoeing/kayaking session here in the Lake District with Kendal mountaineering Services.

It must be mentioned that this weekend away for the group was part of a training plan to climb Kilmanjaro to raise money for the charity Gift of hope trust ltd who are building a school for homeless & orphaned children in India. You can visit their website here for more information and should you wish to sponsor Jay & the rest of his party you can do so via here.

Kendal Mountaineering Services have pledged £20 + £5.64 tax relief to this worthwhile cause and if you read this blog post perhaps you may wish to follow suit. Anyway, Iain wishes the team the very best of luck both with their ascent of Kilimanjaro and the raising of funds.

The rest of the photographs from this multi-activity day can be viewed here.

Ghyll scrambling & canyoning courses in the Lake District. Church Beck, September 23rd 2010

Four days after getting back from Scotland
Iain was back in the thick of it again.

Jenny Weinstock booked a half day ghyll scrambling session with Kendal Mountaineering Services for herself, her sister Michelle and brother Lewey whilst on holiday together in The Lake District.

The party were staying at Grange over Sands, so Iain reckoned that Church Beck at Coniston was as good a place as any to meet them.

As can be seen in this first shot however, water levels were up significantly, so Iain had to be careful how he ran the session to ensure that we all stayed safe yet still had a good time.



The first really big waterfall to be encountered in Church Beck was awesome on this day. We normally climb up between two waterfalls at the right of today's shot but as can be seen it was one massive waterfall and we wouldn't have had a chance, so we climbed up on the left. There is so much spray flying around in this shot that it showed up in the flash photography.

Ghyll scrambling (gorge walking) can be a very hazardous activity in high water and a good guide will know when to call it a day or find an alternative Lake District venue. Iain has a number of smaller ghylls earmarked for use when water levels in all of the best Lake District gorge walking venues are too high, but today it was still ok to be in Church Beck.




However, we werent able to use the top lower in Church beck today as the water was absolutely jetting down the slab making it a dangerous place. Iain also considered that the bottom jumps looked too hazardous as well - so what were the alternatives?

Well, the left hand (more usual) descent route of the Miner's Bridge waterfall was out of the question on this day, but water was running down the right hand side and today this was a relatively straightforward lower & climb with the added value of a bit of water in which to climb up - providing a bit of an adrenalin rush.

So, Iain rigged an abseil/climb and Lewey was the first to try it out as can be seen in shot three.






And shot four shows Jenny getting well and truly rehydrated on her climb back up the waterfall having just been lowered down. The smile says it all!

All three had one go at Abseiling down the waterfall (aquaseiling) and climbing back up again. There was still plenty of time so Iain offered them another go, bit no - they had all had enough and were very happy with their ghyll scrambling session and were ready for the hot chocolate Iain had promised them at the end. More satisfied clients!

Additional pictures from this wetter than average session can be viewed here and if you would like to book a ghyll scrambling or canyoning session with us contact us here.

OM Skye meet, September 2010. Day four, 17th September.

Friday, our final day on the ridge, found us down to three people. Jo had decided to take the day off, so the rest of us returned via Coir An Eich to Sgurr Na Banachdich doing it in a mega-fast 1 hour & 45 minutes from the youth Hostel.

Up to this point, the weather had again been looking promising, a dry start, good views, then the cloud rolled in and the wind got up.

Iain was a little concerned as the knife edge of Sgurr A Greadhaidh is no place to be in bad weather, but whilst we had cloud for a while (as seen in this first shot on the Greadhaidh arete) once again, it cleared out.






And by the time we had descended to An Dorus via The Wart, we were again in warm sunshine and the views were once again, great. Here - in shot two, Chris gets the support of a rope as he back climbs down into the notch in the ridge that is An Dorus. Below, Sean looks on; and in the background is the Cuillin outlier of Sgurr Thuilm.

Sgurr Thuilm is a good peak in it's own right - being a most imposing looking peak right opposite as you descend in to the head of Glen Brittle. The ridge connecting it to Sgurr Mhadaidh (the west ridge) is a great grade 3 scramble too.

An Dorus is considered to be at the mid point of the Cuillin Ridge traverse and is often used as an place to leave or join the ridge. An Dorus is a basalt dyke as are many of the gaps or notches cutting through the Cuillin Ridge. Another famous one is the Thearlaich Dubh Gap and there are many others causing would be ridge traversers problems - such as the three splitting Bidean Druim Nan Ramh into three separate summits and the last "sting in the tail" beyond An Caisteal on the way to Sgurr Na Bhairnich!





Usually its Iain taking all of the shots of other people enjoying themselves on their outings with him, but here Sean snapped Iain (red jacket) as he brings Ray to the head of the climb on the second summit of Sgurr Mhadaidh.

Sgurr Mhadaidh has 4 summits and somewhere between each one there are sections where a rope has to be used - unless of course you know about the sneaky little route on to the 3rd summit from the gap between it & the 4th! Again - that's where hiring a well qualified guide with good local knowledge such as Iain can help you get a long way in a day on a Cuillin Ridge traverse!





The final summit of the day. Sgurr Mhadaidh, 1st top. Now all of the difficulties are behind us, Iain can put the rope away and we can all pack up our helmets & harnesses and enjoy the easy descent to the Bealach Na Glaic Moire and from there back to the car at the head of Glen Brittle via Coire A Mhadaidh & Coire Na Creich.

Behind Sean, Chris & Ray - left to right are Sgurr Dearg & the In Pin, Sgurr Greadhaidh with its top just in cloud and Sgurr Mhadaidh's main summit.

Whilst not completing the ridge in it's entirety, Iain had managed to get his party on to every Munro on the ridge
and everyone was delighted with what they had achieved during their four days on the ridge making it, from Iain's point of view, another success.

We had had every type of weather imaginable thrown at us during this week
- sometimes all of it on the same day! We had worked well together on the ridge and gotten on well together at all other times, drunk lots of beer, eaten some great meals and thoroughly enjoyed each other's company whilst having an amazing time. This is what the OM Skye meets are famous for.

Iain will be organising the next OM Skye meet for next May in March and following that there will be another one scheduled for September. If you want to come to Skye with me watch out for the thread on OM or to book your own Cuillin ridge traverse contact us or check out the Kendal Mountaineering Services website viewing the Cuillin Ridge traverse page. If you want to see the rest of our pics from this week on Skye you can view them here.

We look forward to working with you.

Regards

Iain

OM Skye meet, September 2010. Day three 16th September.

After a successful Tuesday on the northern
end of the ridge, Iain gave the clients the opportunity to choose two more days out of the following three.

As the weather appeared to be forecast to improve, no-one made any move to get Iain up early on the wednesday. Obviously the group had made the decision to use Thursday & Friday as their remaining ridge days.

Iain & Chris took the opportunity for another "full english" in Portree before Iain decided they really should do something; and as Macleod's Tables were beckoning across Loch Bracadale they went & climbed those - two fine wee little hills!

Shot one on the following day shows the view into Coire Lagan towards Sgurr's Mhic Choinnich and Alasdair - at this point looking quite promising. Weather permitting, the plan was going to be to head straight up to the Bealach Mhic Choinnich and traverse Hart's (Collie's) Ledge on to Sgurr Mhic Choinnich and then continue on to Sgurr Dearg to climb the Inaccessible Pinnacle if possible, before continuing on to Sgurr Na Banachdich and Sgurr A Greadhaidh if time & conditions allowed.


Unfortunately, after arriving in Coire Lagan, the cloud rolled in and it began to rain very heavily - no conditions for attempting a traverse of Hart's Ledge! and so the team ascended An Stac Screes to the bealach Coire Lagan.

Here, the wind was gusting and the weather consisted of showers of rain, at times containing hail and some snow.

It was decided to attempt to gain the summit of Mhic Choinnich from the bealach and this is a view from the Bealach Coire Lagan to Mhic Choinnich (left of centre) and Sgurr's Alasdair & Sgumain (right of centre & right) during a break in the weather. The party did succeed in reaching the top of Mhic Choinnich before backtracking to the bealach in, at times, particularly foul and cold conditions, but we made it!





In shot three we were halfway between the Bealach Coire Lagan and the summit of Mhic Choinnich.

Following our return to the Bealach Coire Lagan we ascended the basalt dyke running up under An Stac all the way to the Inaccessible Pinnacle.

Even though it seemed to be drying up, there were still tremendous volumes of water pouring down into the coire below and the In Pin was dripping wet,
unfortunately, it didn't make it ideal for an ascent!




Whilst we were on top of Sgurr Dearg however, the weather again cleared up, the sun came out and once again, the ridge and almost all of Skye put in an appearance for us - another sunny finish to the day!

We made short work of the traverse from here to the summit of Sgurr Na Banachdich from where shot four was taken looking back along the whole of the southern part of the Cuillin Ridge. We lingered here awhile enjoying the views before decending via
Coir An Eich to a waiting car at Glen Brittle Youth Hostel - a satisfying end to another satisfying day.

OM Skye meet, September 2010. Day two, 14th September.

After our enforced day off, we knew that the weather on Tuesday was going to be better - showery, but with a fairly strong south westerly wind.

Iain made the decision to head to the northern end of the Cuillin Ridge where he felt we would be afforded some protection from the wind. As can be seen in shot one from this day - it was much better than the previous day and often, the ridge was clear inbetween showers of heavy rain.

Here, we were walking in from Sligachan to Coire A Bhastier. Our objectives - the west ridge of Sgurr Nan Gillean, the northernmost Munro, followed by an ascent of Am Bhastier and Bruach Na Frithe - both also Munros.

Walking in to Coire A Bhastier, Pinnacle Ridge looms as a fantastic skyline above us. This is a classic grade 3 scramble on to the summit of Sgurr Nan Gillean - starting from the left hand side of the ridge you have pinnacles 1, 2 & 3.

Pinnacle 3 is easiest abseiled into the gap between it & pinnacle 4 (known as Knight's Peak) although if you have nerves of steel it can also be downclimbed on its eastern side.

Getting across Knight's Peak is not quite as bad nor is reaching the top of Sgurr Nan Gillean from there. Kendal Mountaineering Services offer Pinnacle Ridge as one of their classic Cuillin Scrambling routes and it is undoubtedly the best way to get the the top of this peak!

Our route, however, was up the r/h ridge (the west ridge) entailing a lot less ropework to get to the top. Iain's usual route is to rope clients up Tooth Chimney and return via the same route using a stacked abseil. Often, there is also a section higher up - particularly slippery in the wet which requires further ropework as a slip here would see you hurtling down Deep Chimney. On this day the rope was certainly necessary here!

On starting up Tooth Chimney prior to bringing up his clients, Iain found himself in the middle of a hailstorm for some moments followed by some snow.

Before he chose to retreat however, he could see that despite the odd shower, the weather did seem to be improving from the west, so he brought up the others and they continued on to the summit of Gillean which is where shot three was taken. This is a great view with Bla Bheinn in the background and mostly, from here on, the weather just got better & better.

We had one nervous moment though! At the foot of Tooth Gully, having gotten everyone down there was a flash & a bang. Thunder had been forecast, but Iain didn't believe it - how could we get thunder when it was so cold!

Fortunately there were no further rumbles or flashes - only blue sky coming in from the west. The team tackled Am Bhastier well and then made our way around it's base heading for Bruach Na Frithe.

And then the weather just completely cleared out! We could see the whole of the ridge - in fact the whole of Skye and some of the outer Hebrides. The sun was out and the wind died as we reached the summit of Bruach Na Frithe - how lucky!

We then enjoyed a long descent out of Fionn Choire down to the Allt Dearg Mor - back, en route, to the Sligachan Inn where it had been decided we would have evening meal. Shot four is taken from the Allt Dearg Mor looking

up into Fionn Choire with Pinnacle ridge again making up the l/h skyline. Today had been much more like it for a Cuillin Ridge traverse day.

Back at "the Slig" we found the main bar was shut to the public so we went to the Old Inn in Carbost instead. We all agreed it was a much better plan. If you are in the area you must visit this fantastic pub!

Be warned however - don't overdo it with the booze and assume that the local bobbies will be sat in the police station in Portree some 20 miles distant - they are often to be found sitting in wait outside of the Old Inn for unsuspecting pubgoers - ready to breathalyse you as part of that "routine check". You have been warned!

OM Skye meet, September 2010. Day one 12th September

Well, its been a busy couple of weeks for us here at Kendal Mountaineering Services as you'll see from all the following blog posts. Iain's been so busy with work that he hasn't had time to catch up. So - sorry to all of those eagerly waiting to read about your recent adventures with us. Anyway - here they are!

After the success of the Outdoors Magic May 2010 Skye meet, Iain offered a second Skye meet and was able to do so in September. Rumour had it that the weather in September was likely to be as settled as that in May making it ideal for a Cuillin Ridge Traverse and/or any of the other suitable scrambles on the Cuillin Ridge of Skye. In reality though, all of the delegates knew it was going to be somewhat different!

The first shot of this post shows Iain's four clients for the week, left to right - Jo, Ray, Chris & Sean - the latter two being returning clients. Chris has been twice to Skye already with Iain - having attended previous Cuillin Ridge traverses and both Chris & Sean have been on our famous winter skills courses
and also our Lakes based Learning to lead scrambling courses. Anyway, day one saw us depart Glen Brittle and head up into Coir A Grhunnda to start the ridge with Sgurr Nan Eag - the southerly-most Munro on the Cuillin Ridge.

The weather was mixed, cloudy with the occasional shower, but dry for the time being. We knew from the forecast that it was going to rain later - and it did!

Shot two shows the team on the traverse under Sgurr Dubh an Da Bheinn with the Caisteal An Gharb Choire behind us. People who don't know this way climb up on to the summit of Sgurr Dubh an Da Bheinn before having to descend the ridge to get to Sgurr Dubh Mor - the second Munro on the ridge only to then have to backtrack to Dubh an Da Bheinn to continue the traverse of the main ridge.

Finding the shortcut to Sgurr Dubh Mor requires careful route finding and knowledge such as you'll get with Iain at Kendal Mountaineering Services!


Having completed the traverse of "the Dubhs" it started to rain as forecast; and everyone agreed that a traverse of the famous Thearlaich/Dubh Gap would be a bad idea - very slow going in rain and a strengthening wind which would only have left everyone feeling very cold indeed.

It was the right decision therefore, to head for the easy chimney under Sgurr Alasdair to get us on to that summit. Iain roped the group up in pairs and this shot shows Ray topping out closely followed by Chris. Chris was quite happy to come this way having done the TD Gap with Iain (in glorious hot sunny weather!) in May 08.

Once everyone was up, it was a quick & easy scramble to the summit of Sgurr Alasdair - the highest summit (and a Munro) on the Cuillin Ridge.




We descended almost as fast to the head of the great stone chute of Coire Lagan and by now the weather was most foul - heavy rain & strong winds making the thought of traversing on to Sgurr Thearlaich and Sgurr Mhic Choinnich (the next Munro) completely out of the question.

We descended the stone chute into Coire Lagan and followed the path back out to Glen Brittle. Everyone was happy with what we had achieved despite the weather - as normally we would have continued along the ridge getting at least as far as the Bealach Coire Lagan on day one. However, as can be seen from the final shot of the day, everyone was looking like drowned rats and the thought of a nice dry cottage/hot shower was uppermost in everyone's minds. We were back at the vehicles at Glen Brittle just after 5pm and Iain was heard to remark that this was one of the earliest finishes he had ever had to a Cuillin Ridge day!


We all knew that the forecast for the next day was worse than ever so going on to the ridge was not a plan. We all awoke to horizontal rain and low cloud. Ray went off though to climb the Quirang whilst Iain & Chris headed into Portree for a full english before going off to find Chris some waterproof pants. Jo & Sean also spent most of the day in Portree.

Ghyll scrambling & canyoning courses in the Lake District. Church Beck, Coniston. September 8th 2010.

Beth & Gavin booked a half day ghyll scrambling session for themselves as part of their week's holiday with parents staying in the Lake District. Having recently had a new addition to the family - this was their first bit of time for just the two of them together for quite a while!

As they were staying in the southern lake District, Iain suggested they meet at Coniston for their ghyll scrambling & canyoning session and the pair had a great time in the ghyll on what was a warm sunny day. Being mid-week, for a change, we saw no-one else in the ghyll. The first pictures is taken close to the get in on the upstream (ghyll scrambling) ascent of Church Beck and the second shot is of Gavin just emerging from a wet duck under a log is about halfway up the ghyll - this is an exciting & refreshing challenge although not everyone wants to do it!

The third shot shows Beth about to be lowered down Miner's Bridge waterfall - the second lower of our canyoning descent of the ghyll. This was easier than the first lower which was very slippery owing to the slime which had accumulated on the slab above the fall - due to the warm sunny weather we had been having!

The final shot shows Gavin - about to slide off the chockstone at the final waterfall on the descent of the Church Beck canyoning element of the session. This fall is actually known as the chockstone pitch as the massive rock is wedged in the narrow bed of the ravine.

Gav had to go first - just to show Beth it could be done, but despite being a little nervous she soon followed suit and did extremely well.

We are busy at the moment - the bookings just keep coming in for half day ghyll scrambling & canyoning sessions in the Lake District. Iain has another two booked between now & the end of September not to mention, a caving group this Saturday and a multi-activity on Friday for 8 who are abseiling and canoeing & kayaking here with us in the Lake District.

We also have a climbing course booked for October and an all day Canadian canoe river journey for three to be done on one of the Lake District's rivers. No doubt more will follow - Iain is getting a little concerned as to whether or not he'll have time to write it all up!

We have done a lot of ghyll scrambling & canyoning half day sessions in Church Beck this year but it's worth remembering wherever you are staying in the Lakes - there is a ghyll near you that we can use whether it be the Ullswater valley, the Keswick area or Thirlmere - or even the west coast! Contact us and we'll do our best to accommodate your requirements and check out our website for up and coming courses. There is always lots on offer with Kendal Mountaineering Services.

The next write up to follow is about Iain's recent trip to the Isle of Skye where he has just run another Cuillin Ridge traverse. Watch out for the report on the blog!