tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54545000383148560912012-02-16T15:55:32.130-08:00Sea 2 Summit provides personalised outdoor courses. We are principally based in North Wales offering specialist rock climbing, kayaking and walking courses, for all abilities. We also run winter courses in Scotland and provide multi-activity packages for groups.Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.comBlogger2281100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-21124846190104338202011-04-10T14:17:00.000-07:002011-04-10T16:44:16.339-07:00

The start of this week it was wet and wild. Up to Force 9 on the coast (extremely strong) and lots of rain. The rivers rose and I got out on the Ogwen twice, Conwy, Nantgwryd, Dwyfor, Glaslyn. At times there was lots and lots of water. This weekend though all change. No wind, blue skies and warm. Fortunately I was working on a Sea Kayak course for PYB. The aim of the weekend was fun and ideally

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-82043390397296621262011-04-04T15:23:00.000-07:002011-04-10T15:07:57.229-07:00

Over the weekend we had two groups in, both having fun coasteering on Anglesey and sea level traversing. These activities are excellent ways to involve a varied group in something fun and adventurous. The coasteering is all about getting wet, with jumps, caves, waves and currents as you journey along the coastline. Sea level traversing uses ropes to create cliplines focusing on climbing up and

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-19950877330156509142011-04-01T15:51:00.000-07:002011-04-01T15:51:49.824-07:00

After all the dry and sunny weather it seemed unlikely that I would be on the rivers at the end of the week. Some localised rain brought up the Llugwy, Lledr and Conwy today, with all of them at a good medium level. We ran the lower Llugwy then the Conwy this afternoon just to stretch the arms. As the general saturation levels are currently quite low they seemed to be dropping reasonably

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-17503108223930924632011-03-31T16:50:00.000-07:002011-04-10T14:38:00.283-07:00

The last couple days I have been working on an ML training for PYB, with the ovenight camp coinciding well with the onset of rain. After it had been dry for so long! On the expedition we went up into the Carneddau camping over in Cwm Eigiau. We concentrated on the navigation and the many techniques that can be utilised to get from A to B. When darkness set in, after eating dinner, we headed out

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-77416903259626851502011-03-28T15:31:00.000-07:002011-03-28T15:31:28.212-07:00

Today I was working for PYB with a school group from Surrey. Scrambling was the chosen activity and they were all keen for the popular North Ridge. They proved to be a competent group looking after each other and easily tackling the various scrambling sections on the route. A little hazy again but no complaints were made about the blue skies and calm weather.

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-38478862071164305932011-03-28T15:18:00.000-07:002011-03-28T15:18:57.509-07:00

On Saturday I was out coaching Tom and Will on leadership for their upcoming 4 star assessment. We ran the river from the chipper all the way down to Bala. Each took turns to lead sections ensuring they kept line of sight and positioning themselves appropriately. Another sunny day but no good for the local rivers which are super low at the moment.

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-20868938846418022092011-03-27T02:09:00.000-07:002011-03-27T03:47:38.133-07:00

I have now returned to North Wales to be greeted by blue skies and sunny weather. Thursday, Friday I was out with Dell. He needed to do an update on his SPA for Cadets, a bit of professional development. On Thursday we went to Lion rock first and then Pont y Cromlech looking at setups and group issues at both. Handily Lou and Gareth were there with groups from Blue Peris and Kent Centre. They

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-5002675397471613532011-03-23T00:31:00.001-07:002011-03-27T02:11:00.941-07:00

Terry and Graham wanted to lead for real today, in particular looking at rock anchors. With the thaw happening all around we opted for a snow-less Curved Ridge as at least it had plenty of solid rock. As we started the drizzle disappeared and the sun shone. They both did a good job of leading all the main rock sections. I took over for the soft snow on the upper part. At least it is good for

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-32427144290932951122011-03-21T11:58:00.001-07:002011-03-21T15:21:31.551-07:00

Nice and warm today, I didn't have to wear to many layers. However the ice was a bit soggy and snow certainly damp. I was working for Abacus today with Terry and Graham again. We headed up the Ben in search of ice and a safe route to climb. The snow in the Ciste is certainly wet but generally stable, now in one homogeneous layer. There was however a fair bit of debris that had fallen down from

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-63437698528564060592011-03-19T13:37:00.001-07:002011-03-20T10:30:48.234-07:00

Team Ireland were on Stob Ban. The climbers, with Kath and Paul, ascended the East Ridge which gives great climbing at the grade. I took the others up the North ridge and over the top. A nice day with cloud free peaks. A fair bit of snow has now disappeared from the lower slopes. Higher up there was some firm slabby snow, though the freezing level felt to be near the top of the peak. Last

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-73836009295413990192011-03-18T11:38:00.000-07:002011-03-20T00:53:25.921-07:00

First outing of the season for the walking axe today. I was out with members of the Irish Christian Walking Club taking Peter, Ronin and Lorraine through there paces. Kath and fresh from assessment Paul were also with 3 fellow members Donncha, Conall and Martin on Dorsal Arete. It all started out nice and sunny but by midday the snow and wind came in. We wandered around the corrie looking at

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-69333302812334188672011-03-17T12:54:00.000-07:002011-03-18T12:15:31.518-07:00

Second day with my Dad and friends Tom and Will. Although the track is a no-go, with snow and stuck mini buses, it seemed rude not to head up to the Ben. There is a track that leads all the way to the CIC hut. From here we headed over to Waterfall Gully, climbing the first 50m in two pitches. This provided fun grade IV ice. While up there we also played on some steeper ice on the left. Gemini

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-83075466852353901552011-03-16T13:42:00.000-07:002011-03-16T13:57:27.908-07:00

Sunny, sunny. Blue bird day today. My dad has come up for two days for his Scottish winter hit along with two friends from the Wirral. We stomped into the Lochan to find our place on a route. The track in is good, but the snow is deep elsewhere. A fair few teams about today. Wanting to avoid anything with quantities of snow I initially headed over to the Pinnacle area - bit busy. We slotted

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-351804027576403642011-03-15T14:32:00.000-07:002011-03-15T15:00:54.707-07:00

It did the job. A track was in place, gave the required grade of climbing and an opportunity to look at rock anchors - plus being safe. We were joined by Tim and his assessment team that included Si Lake, James Thacker and Chris plus another 3. Sociable start but everyone managed to find their place and climbed quickly. The assessment team went up and over the others abseiled back to the start.

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-34052040706447618522011-03-14T11:34:00.000-07:002011-03-15T14:43:23.870-07:00

Today I was with Terry and Graham, working for Abacus Mountaineering. With all the fresh snow I wanted something low down that would ideally have a track leading to the base. Fortunately a Jagged Globe team had set off up to the Lochan ahead of us. Roger and Dave with clients Nick and Stuart did a great job of ploughing through waist deep snow, thanks. We took over for a few steps when we caught

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-20673857871201808852011-03-12T05:50:00.000-08:002011-03-12T05:50:07.690-08:00

Day off today. With all the fresh snow I went up to Nevis Range to sample it on skis this morning. Good snow down to the bottom of the Goose, with many of the surrounding slopes and upper plateau very much scoured. We found the snow on the back corries with 3 runs down Chancer which was deep and dreamy. It is now snowing hard down to sea level and the winds have dropped, so unfortunately for the

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-41582247395414796062011-03-11T13:15:00.001-08:002011-03-12T09:06:09.403-08:00

Today I was with Tim and Stuart while working for Jagged Globe. It was the last day of their course. Yesterday they had done some dry tooling and I thought it would be good to put it to action. We headed up to the Lochan in Glen Coe and climbed Raeburn's (IV). There has been a fair bit of snow and it is easy to find waist deep drifts. Fortunately there was a line of exposed boulders leading up

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-34727047771129318292011-03-10T11:22:00.000-08:002011-03-10T13:24:54.986-08:00

Today I was out with just Peter. Again a windy snowy day. We opted for North Buttress with the intention of abseiling back down the route, so avoiding wind and snow higher up. This offers some great mixed climbing. There was a mixture of snow on the route, from crusty snow from Tuesday to fresh graupel (and lots of it) from today. When we walked out fresh snow was just starting to stick to the

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-37229176465998276822011-03-10T11:18:00.000-08:002011-03-10T11:33:00.314-08:00

Fresh snow down to the Fort on Wednesday morning and a bit of strong wind high up. Pete and Dave were keen on some climbing at the back of the Ciste so we went up to see how much snow had been deposited and where the wind had transported it. As we stood on the slopes below Moonlight Buttress there were large scoured areas of old neve but also significant dumps of windslab - which happened to be

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-26424530903763398402011-03-08T13:24:00.000-08:002011-03-10T11:24:08.678-08:00

With the possibility of drier weather in the morning we raced East to get ahead of the incoming ming. Leaving a wet Fort William we arrived in a drier though windy Aviemore. We headed into the Snechda, with the idea that Peter and Dave took over today. With incoming snow and not too keen on the idea of wandering around on the plateau we opted for Goat Track Gully. This offered some lean but icy

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-90498330392590548422011-03-07T11:16:00.000-08:002011-03-07T11:16:10.121-08:00

With another reasonable forecast, before the snow tomorrow, Dave and Peter opted for another Ben day. Dave always had his eye on NE Buttress, calling him on each walk-in to the North Face. So this was the route of the day. The first rock step was a little dry but otherwise all good. In some places where there is usually snow lower down it had been replaced with bullet hard ice. Misty again so

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-69901963181007572732011-03-06T10:56:00.000-08:002011-03-06T10:57:49.244-08:00

Day 1 of a 5 day course with West Coast Guides. Peter and David wanted to do some classic grade IV and V climbs. With the weather getting snowier and windier each day we decided to jump in with two feet, and as Point 5 was quiet it seemed rude not to. First time placements all the way up, the colder temperature last night had done a good job at freezing the snow. Both enjoyed the steeper pitches

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-27523178752254904332011-03-05T13:11:00.000-08:002011-03-05T14:15:29.622-08:00

I met Richard and brother Robert off the sleeper this morning in Aviemore. They were up for the weekend and today the aim was enjoyable grade II/III routes. We head into Snechda with fine views and hard snow under foot. It was reasonably quiet on arrival and fortunately with a view of the routes, allowing myself to note the white lines that are left. Red gully has a mix of ice and rock at the

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-45175498231051701722011-03-04T14:32:00.000-08:002011-03-04T14:49:23.562-08:00

Shorter day today for the final outing for the JG team. I was with Mary and Jim today who were keen on some ice to swing two tools at. We used the lifts to quickly gain height up to the East Face, abseiling in and wandering over to an icy Left Twin. There was some good fun ice to climb, though damp and little mushy on the surface. Calm again, and a little sunshine on top all was good. The other

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-50333495823084728072011-03-03T13:48:00.000-08:002011-03-03T13:48:48.590-08:00

After hopes of a colder day the freezing level was again just above the tops. Still plenty of ice and snow higher up, just a bit damp today. Due to the warm temperatures ice was falling down and the softer snow on the move. We decided to head onto a semi-direct version of No. 3 Buttress. Rock belays positioned under safe buttresses were taken. Some nice ice was found, with only the top inch

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-7576761734408926642011-03-02T14:51:00.000-08:002011-03-04T14:39:35.305-08:00

Last week I drove out to Austria, briefly stopping in Wales to move house. Staying outside St Anton I was part of a group of 10 keen for the skiing. A fortunate dump of snow at the start of the week transformed the slopes to powder fun rather than an icy nightmare. Further snow through the week kept fresh tracks possible, especially the last day were 30 minutes of uphill revealed an unblemished

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-86942738601378127722011-02-17T10:21:00.001-08:002011-02-17T10:21:06.452-08:00

Yesterday (Wednesday) I was working for Jagged Globe with Martin and John. We headed up into the Lochan and the mist, there wasn't much too see yesterday. The winds however were lighter than expected. We went up and climbed Rarburn's route to keep out of the gullys and away from large quantities of snow. Nice climbing and not too buried. There was a fair depth on the approach which we were

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-86347466169299338612011-02-15T10:46:00.001-08:002011-02-15T10:46:34.433-08:00

Today Dave wanted to concentrate on the art of creating belays. To avoid the snow we headed into the East Ridge of Stob Ban. There was a fair bit of fresh snow last night and it was quickly being transported around the mountain by the strong winds. The walk-in wasn't too bad just a bit of wading near the end. Nice climbing on the ridge but high winds higher up. The rope and rack were

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-1680535016683938772011-02-14T12:47:00.001-08:002011-02-15T13:08:42.345-08:00

High avalanche forecast today from the big dump yesterday and possible further snow today - which in the end didn't happen. Dave and I went up to abseil in and climb Morwind for some grade IV action. There was a lot of snow at its base but the route wasn't too snowy. There were various others about walking the tight rope by descending easy gully. They got away with it !

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-84071901469115890592011-02-13T12:11:00.001-08:002011-02-13T12:11:18.763-08:00

A lot of snow fell last night and during the day. We wanted to climb some grade III so we headed for Faulty Towers which is low down on the Ben. The approach slopes were quite loaded and we pitched up to the base of the South West ridge before watching the grade 1 gully release as the snow continued to fall. In the end we did a 3 or 4 pitches up the route before retreating by various abseils back

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-89896555834122756912011-02-12T12:27:00.001-08:002011-02-12T12:27:36.756-08:00

Snow overnight cleared to give a nice calm day. I was out with Andrew and Andrew today, one less name to remember. We walked in to the Mamores to the East Ridge of Stob Ban. A great route, 200 m long with grade II and III steps. We looked at a variety of anchors with the opportunity for them to try a bit of leading near the top. The new snow was quite damp all the way up the route with old

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-41225406510563274462011-02-10T11:37:00.000-08:002011-02-10T14:24:35.136-08:00

Yesterday was Ice Factor, today though was definitely a Ben day.  Blue skies, no wind, cold. The snow had certainly re-stablised compared to yesterday though there was a bit of new snow high up in the Ciste that was a little suspect. Last two days I have been working for Jagged Globe. I took Simon up Thompson's Route today which had a bit of crud on the surface but good ice underneath. We topped

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-51668304128477765262011-02-08T13:13:00.000-08:002011-02-08T13:17:14.349-08:00

I went up to the Lochan today in Glen Coe with Chris. A little bit of sleet on the walk-in, it soon cleared to give a fine day. We climbed Evening Citizen first which offered some fine mixed climbing. A little bit of clearing was required as there was a bit of fresh snow covering the crag but with old neve where needed. Upon completion we abseiled back down to climb the top pitch of Intruder we

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-5721179121018612322011-02-07T10:22:00.001-08:002011-02-07T12:42:48.546-08:00

Keen to give my knee an easy day I headed up the gondala with Chris for a bit of climbing. There was a fair bit of snow overnight, surprised to be kicking through it at the top station. Easy gully was out of the question so we abseiled in and climbed Morwind then Roaring Forties. There was a fair bit of ice on the buttress though a little crudy for decent screw protection. The bottom of the

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-90721779065032015992011-02-06T11:29:00.001-08:002011-02-07T12:43:57.838-08:00

A generally nice day, I took Jo and James up to the Lochan today with the aim of climbing a fun route while look at a variety of useful skills. I had eyed up Twisting Gully but was out flanked with teams arriving from the left and right. Instead we headed over to Raeburn's Route which was quiet. Lots of useful neve around with just pockets of fresh snow. In-fact some of the ledges had hard

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-65254478907070456742011-02-04T10:10:00.000-08:002011-02-04T10:10:42.055-08:00

Another stormy day up in Scotland.  Today I was working for Abacus Mountaineering with Alex. Out of the various options he went for a skills day, to keep out of the weather higher up.  In the morning we used Onich Slab and the rock beneath Ballachulish Bridge for some dry tooling technique.  He particularly enjoyed the slab which offers a variety of ledges to hook and stand on over 25m. This

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-35582006742749874972011-02-02T11:30:00.000-08:002011-02-02T11:48:45.202-08:00

Mat and I met up with an old friend Mark French down near Tyndrum. Boats and paddles were certainly the preferred choice of toys today with temperaure above the summits in the morning and loads of rain. In fact on the drive over there was enough to paddle the smallest of ditches.We jumped on the Cononish (4/5) which was high and offered lots of excitement. Continual array of drops, waves and

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-89672742126525487482011-02-01T08:11:00.000-08:002011-02-01T08:22:54.237-08:00

Yesterday afternoon I went out with Mat for a pleasant run down the Loy. With Level 5 assessment happening in April I am keen to make the use of the rivers when they are up, plus it was a wet day in the hills. Rain was falling at most levels, still cold again today to re-stabilise any wet snow.

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-17357282311740287982011-01-31T02:12:00.000-08:002011-01-31T02:17:47.416-08:00

Today Syam wanted to climb a nice route while learning about building belays andplacing runners. We headed up to the Lochan in Glen Coe climbing Raeburn's route(IV). This offers lots of good rock belays and protection, so plenty of opportunity to practice. The route itself was in good condition with the rocks looking white and plenty of useful neve on the ledges. In all it wasn't a bad day with

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-57683544574042206022011-01-29T14:15:00.000-08:002011-01-29T14:36:07.681-08:00

Today I was working with Syam who was up for the weekend. With a good day in store he was keen for Point 5 action but unfortunately so were numerous other parties. Instead we opted for a much quieter Hadrians Direct. A little bit more ice on the first pitch than the other day, it again offered great climbing. By the afternoon the skies cleared and later an inversion to the south. There was a

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-85806900238118599372011-01-28T13:18:00.000-08:002011-01-28T13:34:03.178-08:00

Chris and I went back up to the Ben today, keen to swing our axes at more bomber neve. After speaking to Mike yesterday about nice ice on the route we decided to head up to climb Pinnacle Buttress Direct which offers continual interest with a variety of icy bulges up to the Great Tower.With a bit of time spare we then nipped back down and into Glovers to ascend a The Gutter which also offered a

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-5562158910582244672011-01-27T11:21:00.000-08:002011-01-27T11:38:40.347-08:00

Up in Scotland now for work and play. I see i haven't blogged for a while - too many other things getting in the way. I have been out though with a trip to NW Scotland over New Year and kayaking in Wales when the rain fell (unfortunately washing away all the snow too).Anyway today I headed up onto the Ben with Chris to revel in the frozen snow. We decided to climb a well formed Hadrians which

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-39233983095274051832010-12-20T14:11:00.000-08:002010-12-20T14:25:24.657-08:00

Today I took Mark out for his first day on ice. Keen for a well made trail, Idwal was the obvious choice. After finding some icy steps lower down to play on we headed up to climb The Ramp. This is an enjoyable 3 pitch route with a grade III section part way. As we dropped down we had a little excursion up Devils Kitchen itself before heading back to the car park.The ice today was climbable but we

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-8769227623424651202010-12-20T14:01:00.000-08:002010-12-20T14:10:46.702-08:00

A great day on Ski Sunday. Kath, Paul, Tom, Mat and myself toured up Dafydd from Gerlan, then over to Llewelyn, Foel Grach and down. Obviously a lot of snow about. Some areas had been scoured and some hard slab had formed on the exposed parts of the ridges though still plenty of soft and enjoyable snow to ski.Photo courtesy of Kath Bromfield.

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-67450477451313672422010-12-16T15:17:00.000-08:002010-12-17T02:51:07.623-08:00

Tuesday I took Rajiv and Gary up Snowdon. A calm dry day, it was just unfortunate that the cloud came in as we neared the summit. Good frozen snow underfoot as we ascended the zig-zags. Trinity face looked thin but people had been climbing on slithers of snow.Wednesday I had a look at Face Route with friends Paul and Si which unfortunately wasn't quite complete. With warm weather we opted for a

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-50726571942092818712010-12-13T13:33:00.000-08:002010-12-13T13:48:32.095-08:00

The thaw did a good job of stripping the snow with most of the crags looking bare and black. However there are some slithers of ice still hanging in. My friends Tom, Will and Garth found grade III ice to play on up in Nameless Cwm. I went up to the Ladders today with Si and Greg and climbed Icefall Lefthand. This was complete and in good condition taking screw runners and lots to swing at. Two

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-1770113837173820142010-12-08T14:32:00.000-08:002010-12-08T14:49:54.173-08:00

A further 4 new routes since the last blog, there are still a few winter lines left. These included 'The Whiskey Made Me Late' V,6 up in Lloer with Paul and Dave and some winter ascents of summer lines down the Nant Ffrancon Valley with Matt and Chirs. Fellow instructor Tom Morris and Will McCormack also climbed 'Don't Forget Your Sole' III in Lloer too.Today I went out with my Dad and his friend

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-33501117642233381242010-12-04T07:08:00.000-08:002010-12-04T07:17:50.938-08:00

On Wednesday Kath, Paul and myself climbed Oblique Gully on Glyder Fach. A great looking line that produced 3 interesting pitches of 5,6 and 4. Yesterday I went up into the Carneddau again to climb 3 new routes - Turf Stomp IV,4; The Capstone Heel Hook V,7; and Wander Why IV, 4. All giving interesting mixed and turf climbing.A little warmer today but with temperatures dropping again tomorrow it

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-2994120373331701902010-11-30T16:09:00.000-08:002010-12-04T07:08:18.683-08:00

With cold temperatures there is certainly a fair few mixed routes in condition. I went out last Thursday to do a short route high up but today was much more productive with frozen turf above 700m. With Baggy I put up a new 5 pitch route "George" in Cwm Glas Bach, Carneddau which was nicely sustained around grade V. After being keen for kayaking I have now got my head into the winter climbing

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-82448485619203058912010-11-16T14:06:00.000-08:002010-11-16T15:28:48.342-08:00

It appears I have been neglecting it for a month or two now, still I have kept it more up to date than in previous years. Now things have slowed down and the dark evenings are upon us I'll try and get back on it.Few photos below of Surf and Climb in Portugal, Yosemite climbing on El Cap and Washington Column and October sunshine in Pembroke.

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-81306707420300166302010-08-14T11:19:00.000-07:002010-08-14T15:19:54.770-07:00

A busy time of year with lots of different courses being run and not much time to update the blog!JulyJuly consisted of a visit from staff and friends from Connah's Quay High School - a weekend of team building and fun! Saturday was spent kayaking on the Menai Straits. Sunday brought heavy rain, wind and rough seas leading to a morning of sea level traversing and brighter skies in the

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-7188325919890864692010-07-19T15:38:00.000-07:002010-07-19T15:47:35.537-07:00

Over the last week we have been busy with a variety of groups and schools, from white water with Barnston Scout Group and Royston School to Multi-Pitch climbing. The rivers have all been full over the last week providing local venues for courses and early morning runs down the Ogwen before work.Even with the rain we have also found dry rock, using various coastal crags including Tremadog,

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-92147953073210186962010-07-11T15:02:00.000-07:002010-07-11T15:09:08.968-07:00

Last week I took Tiny and Mat out climbing. They wanted to enjoy some multi-pitch routes but also begin the process of becoming independent climbers.After a little bouldering we went up Western Slabs on Dinas Mot then with the onset of rain some belay building at Willy's Crag over in a drier Ogwen Valley.The next day started a little wet. We went down to Tremadog and jumped on Striptease which

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-9596436605723662292010-07-06T14:39:00.000-07:002010-07-06T15:03:40.914-07:00

On Monday I was out with a friendly and enthusiastic group of sixth formers going extreme in the gorge. We managed to ascend and descend before most had started.More Photos

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-37258706716384267762010-07-04T14:57:00.000-07:002010-07-06T15:05:43.128-07:00

The end of last week I took Hal out for his first experiences of kayaking. Fortunately the rain returned overnight on Thursday providing high enough levels for the local rivers and sunshine to enjoy it in. We had a trip down to Jim's Bridge on the Llugwy.

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-85579942407422361552010-06-27T16:12:00.000-07:002010-06-27T16:26:02.353-07:00

With the consistently warm temperatures James, Ian and myself decided to take the opportunity to traverse the cliffs around Gogarth Bay. We scrambled down by North Stack, going through the cave into Parliment House and all the way along until we exited at the end of Main Cliff.Along the way we found some nice climbing sections, a few jumps and a bit of swimming to keep us cool.

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-44255019201938779992010-06-22T09:51:00.000-07:002010-06-22T09:55:34.729-07:00

Today I enjoyed the warm and sunny day up on Cyrn Las, Llanberis Pass. We climbed the Skull (E4 6a) which is a magnificently positioned route especially the top pitch. Unfortunately I wasn't cruising today with 6a pitch being a bit of a battle, good practice for Yosemite though! The last pitch is certainly the best, with great exposure.

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-70322439273289687612010-06-21T15:56:00.000-07:002010-06-21T16:02:40.306-07:00

Over the weekend I had a pleasant time with year 8 & 9 pupils from King Edwards School, Birmingham. All were keen to become hardened white water paddlers. First stop Mile End Mill on the River Dee. As you can imagine other venues were extremely dry, but there was more than enough to do on the River Dee. I'm not too sure though if the kids enjoyed the kayaking or the swimming and jumping at

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-50794654574889573282010-06-16T13:54:00.000-07:002010-06-16T14:01:39.582-07:00

Upon return to Wales it seems the summer conditions are back.Yesterday I went to Rhoscolyn with Rich leading the Mask of the Red Death (E3) and Savage Sunbird (E2). Both great routes on good rock. Fortunately there was a faint breeze keeping the temperatures pleasant.Today I went up to Clogwyn Y Geifr at the back of Idwal to climb Devil's Fissure (E2) and a pitch of Hell-Bent (E2). Both provide

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-54406676017024645212010-06-13T15:15:00.001-07:002010-06-16T14:02:32.204-07:00

I returned to Wales today after 24 hours of driving across the Europe, fortunately with all 4 wheels. The wishbone was making funny noises and with no last minute parts available the Slovenian mechanic assured us it would all be ok as long as we travelled slowly along the 'rail road' (I think he meant motorway). "No more than 120 km/h" he said - I wasn't planning on going much faster.It has been

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-16917586211929601512010-06-03T15:37:00.000-07:002010-06-03T16:13:47.548-07:00

I'm currently out in Slovenia ready for a white water course I'm running next week. This week though it's just a holiday and I have been exploring the Soca Valley. There are few sport climbing venues in the area, many interesting canyons and we also took the opportunity to hire some quad bikes for the afternoon.

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-84423663737408959842010-05-27T15:47:00.000-07:002010-05-27T16:06:43.187-07:00

With the super warm weather last weekend the high, north facing cliff of Cloggy was a welcome relief. Though not fully dry there was enough to climb with myself and friends Rhys and Si ascending the classic (even with the grass?) Bloody Slab (E3, 5c) and the fun Jelly Roll (E2, 5b).On Monday I took a friend up some VS's in the pass - though had to lead in my trainers as I didn't realise I had

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-83690619784362615502010-05-27T15:43:00.000-07:002010-05-27T15:47:46.918-07:00

This week we have had 60 children from Connahs Quay School, Deeside attending a multi activity week in North Wales.With 30 young people attending at a time they have been kayaking, rock climbing, jumping into the sea and sliding down zip lines. Throughout the week we have been looking to challenge and demonstrate that success is attainable with that extra determination and self-confidence.

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-56728097641736307412010-05-20T14:01:00.000-07:002010-05-20T14:39:34.493-07:00

With permanent dry weather settled over North Wales it seems wrong not making the most of it. Long evenings have been perfectly filled with cragging and bouldering. At the start of the week I asecended Mabinogion, Craig Ddu (E2 5c) and Zig-Zag and up around Cwm Glas Bach to climb Weasles Rip My Flesh (E4 6a) and Spitting Image (HVS) which had a great jamming crack.More sun at the weekend and it

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-77109037053124656732010-05-20T13:57:00.000-07:002010-05-25T15:28:51.102-07:00

This week we have had two groups of up to 90 children on various activities. Mountain walking, kayaking, climbing and team building, it has been go, go go!Obviously I couldn't manage all 90 at once, so had a team of 9 talented instructors showing them all the outdoor way.

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-50499817765846354312010-05-16T05:54:00.000-07:002010-05-16T15:40:22.811-07:00

Busy weekend of courses. Sander and Nicole from the Netherlands have been trying out white water kayaking with a trip down the sunny Menai Straits yesterday and the River Dee today. Nick and 8 year old Sophie were trying climbing outdoors for the first time. Lastly a group of 14 were on a Stag-do enjoying jumping in to the sea around the Range near Trearddur Bay.Now onto a residential week with

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-2905957174964906002010-05-13T15:29:00.000-07:002010-05-13T15:47:40.530-07:00

No Pembroke trip as originaly planned (boo!) but Gogarth made for a good substitute. I went over there with 8 other friends.This morning, with the tide being high, Mat led his first E1 at Gogarth - NW Passage. This provides fun and interesting moves all the way.This afternoon we went over to main cliff, escaping the wind, and I made a clean ascent of The Needle (E3) which is a great sustained

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-56463178479386620192010-05-11T13:45:00.000-07:002010-05-11T14:09:46.963-07:00

The last two days I have been in the Peak for a quick trip with friends Mat, Paul and Rich to play on the gritstone crags. I always find the climbing very different and as a result a bit harder but we managed to do 18 or so routes over the two days, even though it was snowing most of Monday!We visited Millstone, Stanage and Curbar and ticked various calssics including L'Horla, Toy, Plexity,

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-22296946137135009202010-05-09T15:29:00.000-07:002010-05-09T15:41:32.660-07:00

This weekend I provided a kayaking course for James and Caroline. They wanted a mixture of skills to be soundly initiated into the wonderful world of white water kayaking.On Saturday we were seeking shelter on the Menai Straits, covering various flat water strokes in the morning and playing on different tidal flows in the afternoon. With the wind being against the tide as we returned some big

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-72786526742384853962010-05-06T15:36:00.000-07:002010-05-06T15:47:26.677-07:00

Today I took 13 year old Hal out for his first day on real rock. He showed a lot of confidence and ability jumping straight on some classic multi-pitch routes.We started out on Boo-Boo then progressed onto Christmas Curry. To finish the day we played on Oberon Slab, completing 3 different variations.Upon finishing I managed to bump into Tim and Keith who kindly let me join them for a few routes.

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-66330667032594548882010-05-04T11:21:00.000-07:002010-05-04T11:32:17.922-07:00

After the VHF course yesterday Dave and I nipped down to South Stack for a bit of Freebird / True Moments combination. I can't remember which pitches we did, but it was all very pleasant in the evening sun.Today I went up Assassin and then Hyena on main cliff (E3). The wind was a little cool, but pleasant enough in the sun.

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-11021778123595746212010-05-04T11:07:00.000-07:002010-05-04T11:33:55.927-07:00

On Sunday, for the second day of the course, Dave and I hid from the Northerly winds and led the group down the Straits. With the wind behind us and the tide changing not much paddling was required. We put on near Beaumaris, stopped for lunch at Menai Bridge and finished in Felinheli. Nice.Monday I obtained a VHF licence so I can now officially use a VHF radio on the sea.

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-56637728817976275492010-05-01T15:55:00.000-07:002010-05-01T16:02:29.685-07:00

This week I have mainly been in a sea boat. With a relaxing trip down the Conwy Estuary on Tuesday, after initial skills on the lake the day before, and a trip from Benllech to Moelfre with the same group.Today I have been working for PYB ticking off caves and cliffs, as in the title of course, but no lighthouses as yet. They did get a bonus encouter with arches, a blow-hole and a seal though.

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-17287771631564022762010-04-28T14:49:00.000-07:002010-04-28T14:57:51.318-07:00

This afternoon I went over to Fedwr Fawr, near Penmon on Anglesey. Myself, Suttie and Steve went to clip bolts and found a range of quality routes from F6a to F7a. They are mostly steep on a mix of limestone and a 'pebble-dash cover' of quartz. A few routes were a little crumbly in certain patches but on the whole they are solid and safe.

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-29411460757490220402010-04-28T14:43:00.000-07:002010-04-28T14:48:37.962-07:00

On Sunday Dave helped set-up the rope safety for filming with Cwmni Da TV Productions (http://cwmnida.tv/).The coastguard were being filmed simulating a rescue on the cliffs around Penmon Head. Sea 2 Summit providing the safety cover, enabling the cameraman to position himself for the vital shots.

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-89153385016121207062010-04-28T14:35:00.000-07:002010-04-28T14:42:45.141-07:00

For Sarah's 30th we made it down to the Llyn. In the sun we sampled the bouldering at Porth Ysgo, on the rough and plentiful problems. The surf was also rolling in for a splash in the sea (though my arms quickly tired on the paddle-outs).

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-73354892534509453792010-04-22T16:33:00.000-07:002010-04-22T17:03:56.462-07:00

I have had a few days off so I made sure I didn't let the sunny days go to waste.On Tuesday I went up to Drws y Gwynt in the Pass to notch up routes like ' Too Hard for Jim Perrin' 'Little Sepulchre' and 'A Touch of Class' amongst other E1 cracks . Surprisingly cold though out of the sun. Yesterday I went bolt clipping and falling (bit of rock broke away to send me plummeting down head first,

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-73732303900859154842010-04-20T15:04:00.000-07:002010-04-20T15:41:04.871-07:00

Last Thursday until Sunday 12 students from King Edwards School, Birmingham completed there Gold training expedition.Over 4 days they paddled from Aberffraw around to Benllech, including a circumnavigation of Puffin Island to play with the seals.Fortunately the headwind on the first day didn't tire them too much. By the last day the sea was like a mill-pond.Now they need to decide where they are

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-4807506033138960222010-04-19T12:29:00.000-07:002010-04-19T12:39:46.369-07:00

Today I had my Dad and Peter going through the necessary skills to enable a successful roll. We used the pool and the lake to perfect both the paddle position and most importantly the hip flick.Success was attained by Peter with my Dad coming along well demonstrating the skills - the next step being putting it all together with the necessary timing.

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-24829272930715429772010-04-13T15:14:00.000-07:002010-04-13T15:43:43.997-07:00

For the past two days I have been working for PYB on an Introduction to White Water.Yesterday we used the various tidals flows down the Menai Straits, while today we were on the River Dee at Llangollen.A varied group, it has kept me on my toes - keeping the coaching relevant for each individual. While John has been 'flat spinning'on waves and pulling cartwheels, Steve and Jim have been developing

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-70350261705376324872010-04-11T08:59:00.000-07:002010-04-12T15:32:42.326-07:00

Sea 2 Summit has been busy over this Easter period with a range of kayaking and climbing courses. Over the last couple of days, while I have been clipping bolts, there has been three different climbing courses running and a white water day yesterday. Tremadog has been a popular venue choice though some courses members went down Llanberis Pass to make the most of the warm weather. Yesterday a

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-24912441271346917452010-04-09T02:45:00.000-07:002010-04-11T09:25:40.350-07:00

As Sarah was on her Easter holidays we decided to get away for a couple of days. Initial thoughts turned to Spain and cheap flights, fortunately though I realised I was looking at the wrong dates before I purchased. The real prices during the holiday period being a little bit too high for a short hit.Instead we headed to the limestone, sport climbing haven of Portland and with blue skies and

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-69199564152964654582010-04-06T11:28:00.000-07:002010-04-06T11:35:59.742-07:00

In storm force winds Hans and Laura showed fine style leading up 2 pitches at Lion Rock this morning. We created an abseil descent and then went to the warmth (? ish) of the Beacon. This was timed nicely with the incoming rain.Indoors we looked at a variety of climbing techniques and skills. To finish the week off, some uses for the prussic loop were covered for self-rescue, basic hauls and

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-61940862513066913522010-04-05T14:50:00.000-07:002010-04-05T15:32:04.097-07:00

I was hoping for some action over near Holyhead, but with strong winds forecast all day and large swells coming it was going to be a little wild. Rain in the mountains so we went for the shelter of Tremadog.This morning Hans was keen to lead so took the reigns on the second pitch of Boo-Boo and in the afternoon the first pitch of Oberon with Laura confidently seconding. Mark and Gemma climbed One

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-1430609502647792762010-04-04T13:27:00.000-07:002010-04-04T14:55:17.520-07:00

We went down to catch rays in Tremadog, though unfortunately a few other people had a similar idea.I took Laura and Hans up Christmas Curry playing on Yogi slab this afternoon looking at runners and belays. Mark took Gemma up Christmas Curry too, Grim Wall Direct and Salamander.It was nice to be back on rock again, in fact Mark and I felt obliged to make best use of the weather and had an after

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-74710759686202581412010-04-03T16:05:00.000-07:002010-04-03T16:12:47.834-07:00

The combination of showers and melting snow brought up a variety of rivers in the area. I decided on the beautiful upper Conwy (III with a drop of IV).This turned out to be ideal for Aussie Jef and Craig who wanted to improve their fluidity on the river and ability to read rapids - so reducing the number of swims when paddling grade IV.To finish the roadside cafe at the take out provided bargain

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-55717641434099362202010-04-02T14:09:00.000-07:002010-04-04T13:43:48.742-07:00

Day 1 of a five day rock climbing course. We initially went to Cromlech boulders and then Lion rock, making the most of the dry morning and getting lots of climbing in with Laura, Hans and Gemma.As forecast the rain drops appeared at 1pm and so we made our way to a packed Caban in Brynrefail. In the afternoon, as it cleared, we looked at some rope work then climbed on the quick drying slate (

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-90048309749991638902010-04-01T05:22:00.001-07:002010-04-01T09:33:23.967-07:00

I was delighted to wake up yesterday to find snow outside my window in Wales, on the first rock climbing course of the year!Paul and Fran had come to find out why rock climbing is great. Not the ideal day, but we still had fun. In the morning we went indoors to the Beacon to go through belaying, tying-in and climbing techniques. The afternoon brightened, and with the snow line above Lion Rock, we

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-6936661068936514932010-03-30T12:09:00.001-07:002010-04-01T09:27:51.163-07:00

Snow chains were needed this morning on the way up the Ben track (wearing the required gloves while fixing them in place). On the walk-in the winds stopped us dead at times. No wonder most people were walking the other way.With the snow forming slabs on various aspects we decided to keep things simple climbing the remaining ice right of the CIC falls. A fair bit of new ice had formed overnight

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-22246962450918120402010-03-29T12:31:00.001-07:002010-04-01T09:32:28.834-07:00

Fortunately the drive back north was worthwhile, finding good and enjoyable conditions on Point 5 today.I had promised my mate Tom that we would do the route this year, and with the season coming to an end we had to take our chances. We found great neve all the way coupled with fine views. I think Tom just wished his calves didn't hurt so much!Other teams were on Hadrians, Green, NE Buttress, No.

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-58273650932839885682010-03-28T16:09:00.001-07:002010-03-28T16:09:36.662-07:00

Sun and warmth on the Dee today, very different from when Leo and Gary last came up. Back in January the site was on its way to freezing over!I finished off their 3 star assessment today, which I'm pleased to say they passed. We journeyed up the canal then returned down the river. Currently driving back up to Scotland for a final quick hit. Though saying that it looks like winter is coming back

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-68464110462381364112010-03-27T15:11:00.000-07:002010-03-27T15:18:07.014-07:00

The rain came as promised on Thursday night, being heavy enough and lasting long enough for the Glaslyn to rise. I was in a little turmoil at the start of the day as it had peaked at 3am and had already dropped to medium levels by 5am (according to the data on 'Fishing Wales'). Fortunately the question to drive or not to drive south was the toughest part of the day, with ideal levels found upon

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-63094294933111899212010-03-25T10:44:00.000-07:002010-03-25T10:47:38.799-07:00

With dropping river levels we had to keep driving East to Llangollen to find white water. The site was at 4 on the gauge.We used the whole site, working on skills in the morning up by the railway bridge and running the main rapids in the afternoon a couple of times. It has started to rain again, so to save the drive it would be great if the Glaslyn came up. We will see.

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-33708275218335167092010-03-24T13:04:00.000-07:002010-03-24T13:10:23.843-07:00

A little bit of rain overnight provide the necessary top-up for the local rivers.We put on at Pont Cyfng, taking out before the Ugly House. The river was at a low level, but ideal for the PYB course I was working on.Stu and Terry showed off their new-found skills at Forestry Falls (III), running the rapid with ease.More Photos

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-10819871027808739662010-03-23T16:43:00.000-07:002010-03-23T17:10:00.154-07:00

The levels had dropped this morning to a medium/low level. This enabled us to re-run the sections down to Jim's, but this time working a variety of circuits at Jim's itself. Yesterday we had focussed on breaking in and out of the flow, today we brought in the concept of ferry gliding and a little river leadership. An alternative style of leadership was demonstrated by a local LEA centre for

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-84176854204254239152010-03-22T14:55:00.000-07:002010-03-22T14:59:39.305-07:00

Today I got the opportunity to sit in my boat, first time since early December. I am running a white water course this week for PYB.Since the middle of last week warm and wet weather have stripped the snow in the mountains, bringing the river levels up. I presume the ground is now quite wet as it didn't take too much rain for the Llugwy to rise to a good medium to high level this afternoon.We

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-75727908899820071022010-03-18T01:26:00.000-07:002010-03-18T01:33:01.336-07:00

For the last 4 days I have been on assessment, which I'm pleased to say I passed.The weather turned this week to a more normal wet and wild forecast, making the decision making a little more troublesome after being used to low level ice venues.Through the week we have been on Curved Ridge, which was a little rocky, Boomerang Arete, which was a little loose in the thaw, Thompson's Route on the

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-15312789804901657552010-03-12T11:12:00.000-08:002010-03-12T13:35:51.143-08:00

With the promise of a dropping freezing level we decided to find ice. It has been so fat in Udlaidh recently, a wee thaw hadn't affected it too much.Pete and Jon, on a Jagged Globe course, led the initial snow pitches before I took them up the upper ice. At the top we did a left hand variant that provided great climbing on chewy ice.Back to fine views and dry conditions today. Other teams were on

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-22630451547932841992010-03-12T11:10:00.000-08:002010-03-12T13:36:30.800-08:00

The guys were keen to do some leading themselves, so Dorsal Arete was the target for the day. This provides fun and straightforward climbing on the initial pitches with various good belays on spikes and nut placements. To finish I took them over the final rib.Not much in the way of views with a gusting wind throwing snow into our faces as we made the top, a reminder of what normal Scottish

Gareth Davieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06995794866566341507noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5454500038314856091.post-56414607013946375102010-03-10T10:47:00.000-08:002010-03-10T11:04:44.418-08:00

With a change in the weather tomorrow we decided to take the opportunity to do a good route on the Ben. Castle Ridge was the objective and it turned out to be a good route.With a hard frost last night the snow low down was well frozen and good neve up the Castle Gullies led us up onto the ridge itself. The main pitch was quite dry but elsewhere there was some great neve and ice in the grooves.

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