Eskdale Tyrolean

Sunrise from Wrynose Pass

For the last couple of days I've been running an atmospheric Tyrolean Traverse in Eskdale for the Outward Bound Trust. The weather has been pretty changeable but we've been quite sheltered tucked away in the gorge. The drive over the passes has been quite eventful with plenty of surface water but also a stunning sunrise.

Plenty of space below his feet!

Threading the Needle

 Threading Napes Needle

Today I've been out with a group of managers from Outward Bound Eskdale. None of them had explored the Wasdale valley before so we trekked up to Sty Head Tarn between the showers. From the MRT box we picked up the Gable traverse path which leads below Kern Knotts to the iconic landmark of Napes Needle. Threading the Needle was tricky in the damp conditions but with everyone safely over we continued the adventure by climbing behind the Sphinx as well. A fairly direct descent brougght us back to the Wasdale Head Inn in order to sample some of the local ale.

Scrambling across Gable towards Sphinx Rock

Descending back into Wasdale

10 Peaks, 10 Hours & 10 Ladies...

 

 www.10girls10peaks10hours.com

ITACE Team Training Weekend

 Early morning light in Newlands Valley

This weekend the majority of the ITACE team made the long drive north for a training weekend in the Lake District. The wet and windy weather of the last few weeks had given way to blue skies and sunshine - perfect conditions to train for an Antarctic crossing although we suspect Ian was happy with a dose of sunshine as he's heading south with Ran Fiennes in a couple of months for a winter Antarctic traverse as part of the Coldest Journey expedition.

Saturday saw us walking into Borrowdale over the top of Walla Crag. After an 'important meeting' at Shepherds Cafe we spent the afternoon hanging around on some string looking at crevasse rescue and abseiling. The midges eventually drove us away and we found our way up to Millican Dalton's cave in the dark for a bivi. The following morning we shouldered our loads for the climb over Cat Bells and down into Newlands Valley. Our final activity was a descent of Stoneycroft Ghyll which provided plenty of fun and a few bruises!

Ian topping out on Brown Slabs at Shepherds Crag

ITACE 2014 Team Training from Mountain Zac on Vimeo.

A dry Shepherds Crag!

That move on little Chamonix (VD)

 The weather had eventually dried out so for the final day Jude, Sue and I headed to Shepherds Crag to get as much climbing as possible. There were still patches of damp rock but we managed to climb Eve (VS), Ardus (HS) and finished on the classic Little Chamonix (VD) leaving them to make the long drive home with very tired arms!

Cathedral Quarry abseil

Looking towards Little Langdale over Cathedral Quarry

Another soggy day in the Lake District although with an improving forecast. This mornings driving rain followed us to the slate quarries which lie to the north of Coniston. They offer plenty of entertainment when the weather is more suited to kayaking. Cathedral Quarry has a number of old mining tunnels which give an interesting and impressive approach to a 40m abseil down a undercut wall. We used this to experiment with using a prussick for self protection and safeguarding from below. We also had a quick controlled trundling session to clear a series of stacked blocks from the wall just below the top on the right hand exit. The day finished with a self rescue workshop which looked at tying off the belay, escaping the system and hauling.

Jude 'dancing on slate' - pretty slippery today

Exiting the quarry through the old tunnels.

Pinnacle Ridge

Puzzling out the suspended slab

Rain, wind, hail, sunshine and repeat, paying special attention to all those walkers still attired in shorts! We were slightly better dressed as we headed up Grisedale and the classic Pinnacle Ridge. Heavy showers were sweeping across from the west but there was just enough sun and a drying wind to allow us to make an uneventful ascent. Overall the friction was pretty good with just the occasional greasy foot hold to focus the mind. Full marks to Sue for innovative use of a nut key to hook the top edge of the suspended slab which was just out of reach! We extended our day by traversing over Fairfield for a late lunch in the Priest Hole before descending the long Hartsop Above How ridge.

Topping out on Fairfield

Pigs in the attic...

Jude on Corvous in the rain in 2011

It has been suggested that MIC stands for 'meet in cafe' or 'must ingest coffee!'. Both correct today as we retreated from Borrowdale in the face of driving rain. A few hours later we were back and braved the elements to head up Comb Gill, everyone's favorite location for climbing in the ming. However we weren't heading for the classic Corvous, which we'd climbed in similar conditions last year, but for Dove Nest Crag on the opposite side of the valley. This promised an interesting Diff and a couple of scrambles on a unique cliff. A large landslide has created a playground of chimneys and tunnels among a series of stacked blocks. It is still potentially unstable and the caving aspect should be avoided but the face and chimney routes provide plenty of entertainment. We started up Outside Route, a 75m Diff. The first pitch proved harder than anything on Corvous so we diverted on to the Attic Cave scramble which wriggled and twisted through some very impressive scenery to the obvious cave. We descended by the same route and squelched our way back to the car.

As for the pigs in the title. Well a very surreal moment where we were ambushed by two large Gloucester Old Spots as we crossed the first field on the normal Corvous path. An unusual sight in the Lakeland fells but they were friendly enough, just wanting a quick scratch between the ears!

Beating the weather on Gimmer

Gimmer Crag in the sunshine

This week I'm out on the crags after some more Classic Rock ticks. Jude & Sue efforts are gathering pace and today we opted to return to Gimmer to complete its trilogy of routes. Rain and high winds were forecast for the afternoon but an early-ish start and a quick walk in in the sunshine allowed us to enjoy dry but greasy rock on Bracket & Slab (S). However for the first time in 16 years of instructing I managed to take a wee tumble while working. A foot slip exiting the infamous Amen Corner had me bouncing of the ledge below and coming to rest ten foot lower. Nothing hurt except my pride so plenty of jokes at my expense for the rest of the day. We topped out in good style as the sky darkened before an abseil descent and a quick scoot back to the ODG as the rain started.

Friday night film - Lakeland 100 trailer

Lakeland 100

The 2011 Lakeland 100 start line

The Lakeland 100 is a classic 104 mile circuit of the Lake District with a 40 hour time limit now in its fifth year. Last year I failed to finish due to a foot injury but the extra mileage and ascent covered during the Tour du Mont Blanc a couple of weeks ago should stand me in good stead. The event starts from Coniston at 5.30 on Friday and heads off towards the Duddon Valley. This year you can follow competitors live at Sport Ident. All being well I'll have completed the route by 9:30 Sunday morning...

The video below is from my efforts last year

Trail Running magazine

Please check out the latest edition of Trail Running magazine available from today. There's a surprisingly good article on Head cams!!

MountainZ Photography

Topping out on Green Gable (BMC Summit magazine)

I've been working hard at my photography over the last few years, often in some pretty amazing environments and the results have been slowly improving. In the last year my images have been used by the Discovery Channel, the British Mountaineering Council, local press and Adventure Peaks. There's plenty more of my work on Flickr.

Geordie Stewart reaching Camp 2 on Everest (Discovery Channel marketing)

Above the Second Step on the North Ridge of Everest (Adventure Peaks & cover photo for The Guards Magazine - Winter 2011)

 

 Summit of Mount Everest (Westmoreland Gazette & Andover Advertiser)

  Descending from Camp 1 on Mt Vinson, Antarctica (Adventure Peaks)

The last few meters to the summit of Mt Vinson (Adventure Peaks)

 

 Summit of Mt Vinson, Antarctica (Adventure Peaks)

 

Walking in to Aconcagua (Adventure Peaks)

Summit of Cho Oyu 8201m (Adventure Peaks)

 

 Team photo on the summit of Cho Oyu (Adventure Peaks)

Descending from the summit of Stok Kangri (Adventure Peaks)

Fitting crampons on a winter skills course (BMC Summit magazine)

Practicing ice axe arrest (BMC Summit magazine)

Abseiling off Kern Knotts (Adventure Peaks)

Climbing Innominate Crack, Kern Knotts (Adventure Peaks)

Bucket seat belay in Scotland (Adventure Peaks)

Climbing Smith's Route, Ben Nevis (Adventure Peaks)

 

 Glacier training below Khan Tengri, Kyrgyzstan (Adventure Peaks)

Climbing Pk Chapeyev, Kyrgyzstan (Adventure Peaks)

Summit of Pk Chapeyev with Khan Tengri in the background (Adventure Peaks)

Trail Running photoshoot

Cumbrian light

Today I've been out on a photo shoot for an article I'm writing for Trail Running magazine. Clare, Ben and I took a trot over Walla Crag and back through the woods pursued by photographer Stuart Holmes. Lots of short sharp sprints for the camera and looks like we got some great images. Heading home a chance encounter with friends resulted in me signing up for the Latrigg Fell race, a short up and down blast from Fitz Park in Keswick. Having been focusing on endurance for events later in the year I was very please to get round in 25:22 and 34th place.

Mountain movement skills

 

Jude on the traverse of Pluto (HVS 4c)

Today I've been running a work shop on movement skills in the mountains. The ability to move efficiently and safely across a variety of terrain is the key to challenges like a traverse of the Cuillin Ridge which Jude has set her heart on. We headed into a very quiet Langdale and up to Raven Crag. The focus of the day was on footwork, moving your center of mass efficiently and becoming comfortable with the environment  We climbed up (and down!) Middlefell Buttress (D) and Revelation (HS) a couple of times before picking a route up the main crag using a combination of Original Route (VS), Pluto (HVS) and Bilberry Buttress (VS). The rest of the day was spent on the scree and scrambling terrain around the crag. Bring on the Cuillin in May!

Coledale Horseshoe Fell Race

Ben Bardsley on the climb up Eel Crag

It was a stunning cold but clear day for the Coledale Horseshoe, a British & English Championship counter for 2012. There were a number of snow showers as the runners set off up Grisedale Pike and some very chilly looking runners came past me on the scramble up Eel Crag. I was out taking photos on the second half of the course from Eel Crag, over Sail & Barrow and the final run into Coledale. Plenty more images on my Flickr page. In the event the good running conditions meant that both the mens and womens records were broken. Full results are on the FRA website (mens & women race).

A couple of Ambleside fell runners reach the Eel Crag plateau

A midnight bimble up Skiddaw!

The birthday party heading up!

Light pollution over Keswick

Howling Howgills

Cautley Spout

I'm just back from a couple of days out in the Howgills with students from the University of Cumbria. Cloudy conditions gave us plenty of oppurtunity to develop their navigation skills while a wet camp in Langdale tested their campcraft. Just the one boot was left outside to fill up with water! Our route took us past Cautley Spout, over the Calf and down into Langdale. Friday started with a stiff pull up Hazelgill and over towards Green Bell in some very windy conditions.

Scrambling below Cautley Spout

Perfect conditions for navigation practice

Expedition Medicine

Using a red smoke flare (photo from ExMed)

Today I've been working on Expedition Medicine's Lake District course for expedition doctors and medics from across the globe. After a full morning in the class room the group were eager to get out in to the sunshine and look at some basic ropework, casevac options and navigation. We finished with plenty of discussion on opportunities for work and some case studies just as the rain set in.

Winching a casualty (photo from ExMed)

Trail Runner photo shoot

A wee video from the team at Trail Runner magazine of our photo shoot from earlier this year. Just a stunning day to be out on the hills.