Book your Winter Skills Courses in The Lake District or Scotland. Courses Starting December 1st 2013 and ending April 30th 2014.

Winter officially starts this coming Sunday and winter conditions already exist in the Scottish Highlands where a number of winter climbing routes have already seen ascents. Winter is a magical time of year as can be seen from photo one taken in February last year - indeed, this was a very special day in the Cairngorms. As can be seen here - mountains under a Winter mantle of snow & ice are even more beautiful!

Winter, of course, brings with it new challenges in the form of a blanket of snow of all consistencies from soft powder through to bone hard neve and ice. Our Winter Skills Training Courses are designed to teach you all that you need to know to be self sufficient and knowledgeable to safely go walking in the UK mountains in Winter.

Amongst other skills that you will learn on one of our Winter Skills Training Courses, Ice axe braking is probably one of the most important ones to know. There you are walking above a precipice in thick mist and without warning the surface changes from soft snow to ice and you slip and accelerate into a slide. You still have a hold of your ice axe though; and have been shown what to do.

There are a number of ways you may slide - face first like Gary here in photo two, head first on your back, feet first on your back or tumbling uncontrollably. The thing to do is to get on your front with your head facing uphill, get your weight over that ice axe pick to make it dig in and stop that slide. On our Winter Skills Training Courses this is one of the very first things we will show you!

Another aspect of Winter Skills Training is Crampon Technique. Crampons should be worn when snow becomes hard and a slip without them becomes more likely - mind you, you'd be amazed how many people seem to wear them in soft snow when in such conditions they are useless! On one of our Winter Skills Training Courses you'll be shown how to correctly fit your crampons to your winter boots and how to tackle icy slopes of all angles during ascent and descent. The team in photo three are using the "Pied a plat" technique for descending hard ice - bending their legs at the knees to keep all of their crampon points in contact with the ice, doing this is most important!

As well as Ice Axe and Crampon Techniques, we will also show you techniques for protecting yourself on ground where a slip could turn into something more serious such as a fall.

In situations like this, you should consider using a climbing rope - even if it is just to get up or down a short steeper section of snow slope or cornice - but how does one anchor themselves to snow?

There are many techniques you can use - the boot/axe belay being demonstrated in photo four by Cherry is a quick & convenient way to lower someone down a slope. Other methods include the Stomper Belay and it's Scottish variant (for use where there is limited snow depth) and the "bucket seat" belay which may be backed up with a Deadman (metal plate), snow or ice bollards or buried ice axes - all used to anchor you to the snow slope. On one of our Winter Skills Training Courses we will teach you all of these techniques.

As well as teaching you all of the above techniques, we will also show you how to dig a snow shelter should you become lost or benighted in Winter conditions. There are many variants of snow shelters such as the lean to/sitting bivvi occupied by Steve in Photo five. The best plan is to find a steep bank of snow - dig straight in and then upwards to make for a quick and spacious shelter, but depending on on the depth of snow and your location - this may not always be possible.

On our Winter Skills Training Courses we will show you all of the various types of shelter you can build and we will also teach you about Avalanche Prediction.

What is an avalanche? it is a layer of snow on top of another layer which for a number of reasons becomes detached and begins to slide downhill burying everything in its path. These are not something you want to be caught in so we will teach you have to examine a suspect snowpack to check for the likelihood of avalanches. A good starting plan is to obtain a copy of the Scottish Avalanche Information Service's local forecast and stay away from any slope aspect indicated grade 3 or above, but there is more to avalanche prediction than that; and we will teach you what you need to know!

Conditions for running Winter Skills Training Courses tend to be more reliable in Scotland, however, in recent years, good winter conditions have also returned to The Lake District on occasion - so keep an eye on the forecast and if it is looking promising  then give us a call. Courses can be arranged at short notice in either Scotland or the Lake District and start at £75 per person per day for a minimum of two persons. The price per person decreases as the number in your party increases. Helmets and harnesses are provided as part of the fee as are ropes and other technical equipment. You will need to provide your own walking axe, crampons & winter boots but we are happy to advise on what to buy or where to hire.

We do advise that people book our two day Winter Skills Training Courses as it takes this long to deliver all of the information that you will need, however, it may also be possible to do this on a one day "modular" basis if you cannot make two consecutive days.

To book your Winter Skills Training Course in Scotland or The Lake District Iain can be contacted at short notice on 07761 483364 or you can also contact us via the website if you would like to make a more advance booking or have questions regarding the itinerary of our Winter Skills Training Courses. We look forward to joining you this Winter to teach you those essential skills and to have fun in the snow!

Stag Events with Kendal Mountaineering services. Caving in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Saturday November 23rd 2013.

After his two days of Navigation Skills Training in Borrowdale, Iain was straight back out the next morning - but this time in the Yorkshire Dales National Park with a group of lads on a stag event arranged by their mate Alex Mathews.

Alex had decided to arrange a Stag Event with a difference and liked the look of our Caving Sessions in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. He had contacted Kendal Mountaineering Services some time previously to book a full day out for himself & the lads.

Photo one sees the group near to Alum Pot. The party had met Iain & Al at Inglesport (our usual meeting point for all of our caving sessions in the Yorkshire Dales National Park) and then we headed off to Selside to park, get kitted up and walk in the half mile or so to Long Churns - one of our favourite Introductory Caving Session Venues in the Yorkshire Dales National Park and a great one for adults & children alike!

As we arrived in Long Churns Lane there were no other vehicles - then suddenly about another six arrived - all full of people intending to go underground. One couldn't blame them, the weather was good, dry & sunny if cold, but with little water around - just what we really needed, but we didn't need the other groups there!

Photo two sees the lads underground in Long Churns and en route to the famous Cheese Press - one of the most talked about and remembered caving challenges for anyone who has been there.

Mention caving and Long Churns and soon, someone is bound to say "is that where the Cheese Press is?" Sometimes it gets called the "Cheese Grater" much to our amusement!

Out of  today's caving group of eleven, only eight turned up! The first night of Stag partying had taken it's toll with a few people feeling rather the worse for wear. The guy nearest Iain for example, looks really pale - but don't worry, that's only because of the camera flash!

Right at the start, we chucked this group in at the deep end. Usually, on an Introductory Caving Session, we would enter Long Churns via Middle Entrance - a larger & easier route in to the system, but on this occasion, with a horde on our heels, we wanted to get the lads to the Cheese Press without having to queue and besides...the crawl encountered just before the chamber in photo two is ideal prep for the even tighter squeeze that is the Cheese Press.

Photo three sees Ben coming out of the Cheese Press and we say "Good effort" to him because this guy really didn't feel too great at the start of the session. It has to be said - caving is a great hangover cure!

After success for five at the Cheese Press, we headed back out via Lower & Middle Long Churns to Middle Entrance and then on upstream to emerge above ground at the top entrance with everyone having enjoyed the challenge of the waterslide at Doctor Bannister's Washbasin. Most of our Stag party were still pretty dry so, after having some lunch without getting changed; and attempting to locate two of the missing party who turned out to be at The Station Inn at Kendal (Not the Station Inn, Ribblehead!) we turned our attention to what to do with the Stag Party for the afternoon.

This bunch of lads from The Wirral were a tough, strong lot, but a few, already weakened by the effect of the "night before" decided that "enough was enough" so, it was with a smaller group that Iain & Al were to head down into Calf Holes and Browgill Cave.

The lads had already done a level 1 Introductory Caving Session in the morning and had coped well with that, so Iain decided - why not give them a taste of more vertical caving as in what we call a level 2 caving trip? Level 1 caving involves vertical pitches of no more than 2m/6 feet. A level 2 trip involves vertical pitches of 18m or 60 feet so is more of a challenge.

The drop into Calf Holes is only 11 metres but is enough to give anyone a first intro to level 2 caving and an opportunity to try the strenuous (but not too strenuous if you do it properly) task of climbing a caving ladder. In photo four Alex, the Stag Party organisor is lowered by Iain down the 11m pitch and to his right can be seen a caving ladder typical of the types used to climb such pitches. We do, of course, belay you with a rope during such ascents to protect you should you fall off the ladder!

The final photo of the day sees the Stag Party at the downstream exit to Browgill Cave along with Iain's assistant for the day - Alyn Griffiths.

To get the lads to the downstream exit, we firstly had a 200m walk down a roomy passageway to the point where the accompanying stream sinks out of sight on the left and the way on lowers to a crawl and a hole disappearing on the the left (Hainsworths Passage). The route is through this passageway and dropping down through a tight hole in the floor brings one back to the stream. Beyond here, the passageway gains in height on its way to a 6m waterfall which is avoided by a crawl to the right and climb down to the foot of the fall. A high rift passageway leads onwards to another short crawl next to the stream and a walk out to daylight - as in this photo. A truly great introductory level 2 caving through trip!

We could have turned around, retraced our route and climbed the ladder at the pitch, but time was getting on, the light was starting to fade and the lads in this Stag Party were very satisfied with what they had done during their Stag Event with a difference. Apparently, they have done many activities in The Lake District during previous visits, but reckoned this was the best one by far!

We were pleased to hear that this Stag Group had enjoyed their Caving Day in the Yorkshire Dales National Park with us and we enjoyed providing them with a day out packed with excitement, variety and challenge; which was what we figured they wanted.

We always try to go the extra mile to give all of our clients the best outdoor activity session or skills training course possible and if you were disappointed then we would be too. So far - touch wood, we have never disappointed and hope we never will, after all our motto is "Giving you what you want!"

To book your Stag or Hen Event with a difference contact us to arrange a memorable day out - after all, that is what you want on such a special occasion. We look forward to working with you.

Bespoke Navigation Skills Training Course in The Lake District. November 21st & 22nd 2013.

Once again, it's been a while since we have posted up any thing on the Kendal Mountaineering Services Blog but, we have been away on holiday (more about that later) and then there was the Kendal Mountain Festival. This post is about the great work that Iain has been doing since all of that!

Photo one shows John McMurray and his Fiance Suzanne during Thursday last week when they were attending one of our Bespoke Navigation Skills Training Courses. As the pair were staying in Borrowdale, Iain jumped at the chance to join them and run his first ever Navigation Skills Training course in this beautiful valley.

John & Suzanne had travelled up from Norwich the previous day and were keen to get some practice in before attempting Scafell Pike from Borrowdale on Saturday. For the duration of their Navigation Skills Training Course, the pair were to be staying at Borrowdale Youth Hostel so Iain met them there. Photo one shows the two working out their location - en route from the Youth Hostel to Rigghead Quarries.

We spent the day starting from the basics as usual - how to orientate the map, measuring distance on the map and pacing it on the ground before setting off on our walk under Johnny Wood towards Scaleclose Force and on to the quarries.

Whilst on this route, we discussed "tickoff features" and found lots along the way, this really got the pair focused on reading from map to ground and it worked well!

Eventually, we arrived at the climbing hut at Rigghead Quarries where we enjoyed some lunch and then moved on to the topic of grid references - something that both John & Suzanne picked up quickly. The next task was to use their compasses to take a bearing between grid references and then walk on that bearing to find the next grid reference.

By now we were heading up on to the small plateau on top of High Scawdel and here, Iain got the pair to find some small features such as a stream junction and some small pools of water and they were successful in finding all of these. The second photo was taken as we began our descent to Honister Pass and was of the sunset - viewed through Black Sail Pass.

The weather on day one of John & Suzanne's Bespoke Mountain Navigation Skills Training Course had started off with an odd wintry shower and a cold north easterly breeze but conditions improved as the day went on. There was a dusting of snow on the mountains above 2000 feet and it felt like a real Winter day!

The weather had been forecast to improve over the duration of John & Suzanne's course and it certainly did. We all awoke next morning to calm and sunny blue skies - a perfect day indeed!

Iain decided to offer the pair the option of continuing their course in a different part of Borrowdale today and we chose to go to Rosthwaite Fell - a little to the south.

To start the day and build on their experiences from the previous day, Iain asked John & Suzanne to get us all to Tarn At Leaves from the Youth Hostel. This pretty little tarn is to be found on Rosthwaite Fell nestling under Bessyboot - the true summit of the area. Photo three shows Tarn at Leaves with a covering of snow on Great & Green Gables way in the distance. We stopped here for lunch and it was pleasant in the sun - however, stepping left into the shade en route for our next grid reference felt like walking in to a deep freeze!!

We spent the remainder of the day on Rosthwaite Fell navigating around it's many small peaks and hollows - finding pools of water, stream junctions and contour features - true Mountain Walking Leader Standard Navigation stuff and the pair found every point. We also tried "boxing" around an obstacle and using the compass to working out what "unknown" features were from a known point of reference. During this time, the weather remained calm & sunny, and the views were fantastic.

John & Suzanne had requested a slightly earlier finish today in order to prepare for their walk up Scafell Pike on Saturday and all too soon it was time to head back to the Youth Hostel. Photo Four is taken on our descent route down the side of Combe Gill where the temperature was already starting to drop below freezing again.

Both John & Suzanne thoroughly enjoyed their Bespoke Navigation Skills Training Course in The Lake District with Iain and, with their long "wish list" of outdoor skills to be developed, we hope to see them again. Iain really enjoyed working with them - running a Navigation Skills Training Course from a different venue in The Lake District - but that is we we do for anyone! Let us know where you are to be based and we will happily come to you to run your course.

It must also be mentioned that Borrowdale Youth Hostel is a great place to stay, full of personality with a good bar, a great atmosphere and very competetively priced beds and food.

John & Suzanne each paid £160 for their two day Bespoke Navigation Skills Training Course in The Lake District with Iain and you have this option if you are looking for flexibility to suit your itinerary. We also run Mountain Navigation Skills Training Courses in The Lake District to suit people operating on smaller budgets and our 2014 dates for these courses are out now with these courses priced at £80 per person.

So, if you would like to book on one of our great value Navigation Courses then please get in touch. Also, with Christmas fast approaching, if you are looking for something different for that special person and would like a Christmas Gift Voucher to be redeemed against one of our Half or Full Day Activity Sessions or Skills Training Courses in 2014 - than contact us to arrange this for you. We look forward to working with you.

Navigation Skills Training Courses in The Lake District. October 26th & 27th 2013.

During the last weekend of October, Iain was to be found out on the Lake District Fells with Gary, Will & Sarah all of whom had booked on to our scheduled Mountain Navigation Skills Training Course.

We have run a number of these courses over 2013 and have mostly been blessed with good weather making the fells an ideal place to be to learn map reading and navigation skills in a pleasant, if not particularly difficult learning environment.

The weather for this weekend however, was not looking great with a heavy band of rain due to cross the area on Saturday afternoon and storm force winds potentially arriving late Sunday.

Saturday proved not to be such a bad day after all with only a light wind and hardly any showers. We headed on to Green Quarter Fell following the usual format of starting out by orientating the map, measuring distance and pacing, then making our way along a linear feature (a bridleway) finding at tick off features along the route.

By the time photo one was taken, we had progressed through grid references and were in the process of walking on our first bearing. Photo two was taken at the end of day one having continued the rest of the afternoon locating grid references (eight figure ones at that!) and walking on bearings to find them. We finished talking about & then practicing Naismiths Rule before heading back to arrive as the car just as the first drops of heavy rain started to fall - excellent timing!

On Saturday evening Iain received a call from Gary informing him that he would be unable to attend on Sunday so we were down to two delegates when we all headed up to Green Quarter  to start the day.

Sundays weather was very windy and we were lashed by heavy showers as we made our way over to the east side of Green Quarter Fell to try and gain some shelter on the slopes above Longsleddale. We continued on our theme from the previous day of locating grid references and using bearing & pacings to find them; and although this was made harder by the weather, Sarah & Will still performed well. Photo three sees the pair heading over towards the lee slopes of Shipman Knotts in an attempt to gain shelter from the strengthening wind where we continued to work with the pair doing well at finding grid references in the conditions.

The final photo from this post about our weekend Navigation Skills Training Course in The Lake District sees Will & Sarah crouching behind a wall having arrived at an "attack point" - in this case an obvious wall junction which we were using as a means to home in on a nearby stream junction.

By this time, the weather had become truly foul with gale force winds sweeping the ridge of Shipman knotts above us with heavy shower upon shower passing over. Despite continuing to smile throughout the weekend, Sarah was starting to get a bit cold. Because of this and the worsening weather, Iain decided we should call close to the day over two hours early. We had covered the remainder of the course syllabus and Will & Sarah had demonstrated competence throughout.

As we made our way back round the shoulder of Shipman Knotts the skies brightened somewhat; although the wind didn't drop. As we had a relatively bright & shower free drive back to Staveley, Iain wondered if perhaps we should have stuck it out a bit longer, but on the drive back to Kendal, having said goodbye to the pair, he was struck by a torrential squall. Just as well we called it a day really!

Gary, Will & Sarah all enjoyed their Navigation Skills Training Weekend in The Lake District with Iain who hopes that they all go on to enjoy their forays into the mountains even more following successfully completing this course.

Our next Mountain Navigation Skills Training Course takes place during the weekend of November 31st/December 1st 2013 and we are taking bookings now for this. Contact us here if you would like to book a place - supurb value at only £80 per person for the two day course.

Technical Advisory Services from Kendal Mountaineering Services. Gordale Scar, Malham. October 24th 2013.

On of the great things about working in the outdoor industry is that every day is different. True - you may often be using the same venues but with a different group or in different weather conditions. Variety is the spice of life although Iain would be happy if every day were a sunny one!

Two days ago, Iain hadn't thought he would be working here. Photo one shows an area known as The Meadows on the approach to Gordale Scar near Malham in The Yorkshire Dales National Park - some distance from The Lake District.

Iain had been contacted by an outdoor provider from Central Lancashire looking for a Technical Expert to endorse some of their instructional staff for gorge walking at Gordale Scar. Having recently undergone an inspection by the Adventurous Activity Licensing Authority, the centre was advised that it needed to receive "Statements of Competence" for members of it's instructional team working at Gordale and that they needed to engage an independent Technical Advisor in order to achieve this requirement.

As a Mountaineering Instructor with vast experience of delivering Gorge Walking, Ghyll Scrambling & Canyoning Sessions here in The Lake District, Iain is able to work as a Technical Expert in this field and able to endorse other users with Statements of Competence on behalf of the Adventurous Activities Licensing Authority. In the middle of photo two can be seen the waterfall for which the centre's instructional staff needed to be endorsed.

For Iain, the endorsement involved meeting with the centre's instructors at the venue and gaining a detailed insight into their knowledge of the site specific risk assessments, group management issues and the technical requirements that the site presented.

Due to the amount of water coming down Gordale Beck, the two instructors (nearest Iain in photo three) had already decided that it was too wet to allow the visiting group to attempt climbing the waterfall, but there was no reason why they could not demonstrate to Iain the techniques they would use to manage their clients and explain to Iain how they would manage client groups and the risk situation. Fortunately a trainee instructor was on hand to act as a "client" so that the pair could demonstrate their rope work skills to Iain.

After a few hours with Pete & Mike (the instructors), it was clear to Iain that they both had a good understanding of the venue and risk assessments and knew how to manage different client groups here. As such, he was happy to write them both Statements of Competence to meet the AALA requirements.

It was a most pleasant day working in a different capacity in one of The Yorkshire Dales most beautiful areas and the sun shone throughout!

If you find yourself requiring Statements of Competence for any of your staff following an AALA Inspection then give contact us for a quote for a professional & friendly endorsement of your centre staffs capabilities at any gorge walking venue. We will be happy to help.

Half Day Kayaking Session in The Lake District. Sunday 20th October 2013.

After running a Scrambling Skills Training Course in The Lake District on Saturday, Iain was back out the next day running a Introductory Kayaking Course for Stephen & Emily Scott and Claire and Wayne Meehan who had travelled over from West Yorkshire for the session. (Photo one)

The weather on Sunday afternoon was not ideal for a first introduction to kayaking with rain showers sweeping across Windermere accompanied by a fairly strong south westerly breeze blowing on to the beach at Waterhead.

The four were keen to give it a try though and Iain made sure they were well kitted out with wetsuits, cagoules, bouyancy aids and we also provided spraydecks to keep the water out of the kayaks. One good thing about the weather was despite being wet & windy - at least it was reasonably warm.

Due to the breeze, Iain was keen that the group reach the river mouth as he suspected that some shelter could be found there in order to learn basic kayaking skills and we found a small sheltered bay a few hundred metres up river. Here, we looked at honing the groups forward, backward, stopping and turning skills and also moving the kayak sideways (photo two). Of the group, Stephen & Wayne had some previous water experience having recently undertaken the Great Glen trip in Scotland from Fort William to Inverness in Canadian Canoes, Emily appeared to paddle from the outset as if she had done so all her life (even though that apparently wasn't the case!) and Claire who also hadn't paddled a kayak before struggled to go in a straight line initially, but improved greatly throughout the afternoon.

After our basic skills session on the river, we headed upstream towards where the flows from the Rivers Brathay & Rothay combine - hard work against the strong flow! We ventured up the Brathay a little way and tried the advanced skill of forward & reverse ferry gliding across the flow and all four were able to do this.

Time moved on fairly quickly and as we returned to the lake we had little over an hour left to undertake a short journey to Pull Wyke Bay. On entering the lake from the river there was quite a swell and waves were breaking over the kayaks - just as well Iain had issued spraydecks!. Iain was quite concerned about the conditions but the group were relaxed and happy and Claire was suddenly paddling in a straight line without difficulty (funny how this often happens!) On reaching the small  island near to Pull Wyke Bay, the wind and swell dropped so we made our way straight across the lake to the old stone boathouse a few hundred metres south of Waterhead with the skill level of this group having come along greatly during the afternoon. Well done!

After that it was back to Waterhead to pack up. Stephen, Emily, Wayne & Claire enjoyed their Introductory Kayaking Session in The Lake District with Iain and will now be looking to take it further by joining a local Kayaking club near to where they all live. We wish them the best of luck with this. To find out further details about our Kayaking & Canoeing sessions in The Lake District contact us here.

Scrambling Skills Training Courses in The Lake District. Saturday, October 19th 2013.

A couple of days after enjoying a glorious day of Climbing with Matthew Carroll and Marissa, Iain was back out again with another couple - Ioan and Charlotte who had travelled over from Yorkshire for a few days.

As the pair enjoy hill walking and are planning to attend an introductory Alpine Course next Summer they decided to look into the possibility of getting some scrambling skills training in The Lake District and found the Kendal Mountaineering Services website. Photo one shows the pair at our venue for the day (Tarn Crag, Langdale) during the initial stages of their one day Lake District Scrambling Course when we were practising the skills of "spotting" which is generally all that confident scramblers will need to use on grade 1 scrambling terrain.

Spotting involves moving together, unroped, with the most confident person bringing up the rear and holding the feet of the person in front on poor foot placements or pressing into their back etc. The idea is to stop the front person from slipping off or falling off backwards and is an efficient & fast way of moving toegther on easy scrambles.

However, in wet conditions such as those we experienced today, the rain can make even a grade 1 scramble a tricky & questionable proposition and the rule of thumb is that if it is likely that a slip could turn into something more serious such as a fall. If this is deemed possible, then the rope most be employed so that safety can be maintained when moving together on more serious ground.

Photo two  shows the pair who are being "short roped" by Iain so that they can experience what is required when executing this scrambling skill. The idea is that the lead scrambler keeps any "second/s" as close to them as possible on a tight rope to prevent any slips. On easy terrain two or three people can "move together" without too much stopping, however, as soon as the leader is unable to maintain their own personal safety whilst doing this then a different approach must be adopted.

This different approach will see the leader "pitch" more difficult sections to get to a safe stance before "bringing up" the seconds. The "pitching" may be short steep steeps of no more than a metre or two in which case the leader will employ the use of a reservoir or hand coils to allow them to shorten or lengthen the distance between themselves and their seconds; or it may well be that some of the "chest coils" will be dropped in order to allow a long pitch to be ascended. If there is an risk of the leader falling - then techniques applicable to climbing must be used instead!

In the time that we had during this one day Scrambling Skills Training course in The Lake District, there was no way that Iain intended to allow the pair to get on to grade three terrain where climbing techniques might be needed.

After demonstrating "short roping" Iain coached Ioan and Charlotte in the techniques they would need to be able to effectively employ short roping themselves. We also looked at the various belaying techniques that would be used on steeper ground up to grade 2 in standard and these included indirect or body belays such as Ioan is using here in photo three to protect Charlotte during their ascent of East Rib on Tarn Crag in Langdale.

An indirect belay should be used where a braced "standing"stance would not provide suitable protection for either the leader or second in event of the second slipping; or in a situation where the leader is unable to arrange a more secure belay.

Where possible, scramblers should use the most secure belay possible in any situation and also one that can be arranged quickly. In photo four, Ioan uses such a belay to protect Charlotte on a short steep step toward the top of East Rib and this consisted of arranging the rope to run behind an upward projecting rock spike in a situation known as a direct belay.

Direct belays should be used on sound, solid rock; and therefore need a thorough inspection before being used - by means of kicking, pushing and pulling! If they make a noise or move - don't use them! Also, there most be no possibility of the rope coming off whilst loaded or being cut by the rock when in use.

Having topped out on Tarn Crag in a brief spell of clearer, sunnier weather, we spent some time practising the knots the pair will be likely to use when scrambling,also - how to arrange a counterbalanced abseil for retreat and how to properly coil a climbing rope before heading back down to the cars at the Sticklebarn Tavern - just as the heavens opened once again.

Both Ioan & Charlotte enjoyed their Scrambling Course in The Lake District with Iain and go away with some new skills to use in the mountains. They hope to return at some point to gain some experience of grade 3 ground with Iain who looks forward to seeing them again.

Autumn is a time of year when you can still enjoy scrambling as a great way to get to the top of a mountain so if you would like to book a day of guided scrambling with Iain or would like to learn the skills to go and scramble yourself then contact us here. We look forward to working with you.