Welcome to the team week... Helena Robinson

The final new member we'd like to welcome to our pro partner team is Helena Robinson. 

Helena is one of a rare breed of Guernsey climbers. At the age of 14 she began sea level traversing along the island’s south coast, armed with a book of treasure map style topos called ‘Guernsey Coastal Walks and Scrambles’. Illogically, this led to an interest in winter mountaineering which became her passion when she studied at Edinburgh University, and is still her favourite discipline today.

Helena recently spent a year in Switzerland as a climbing nanny, exploring the mountains around the house by ski and by foot, which led her on to compete in her first ultra trail running race.
Helena is currently based in Llanberis, North Wales having just started a PhD in cancer research at Bangor University.

We first got to know Helena after she won herself a place on the Gore Tex Experience tour trip to Norway with Dave MacLeod back in August and were all pleased to have her onboard, and look forward to seeing what she gets up to over this winter season.

You can keep up to date with what Helena's been up too at her blog here

Jellyfish Paranoia

I never thought I would get on with DWS very well. I like climbing and I like swimming but the thought of falling off a grassy and loose sea cliff top out into ledge-infested water had never appealed. And I suffer from severe jellyfish paranoia.

Tom Bunn on Rainbow Bridge 

However, I had never been to Berry Head before and turning up there on possibly the most glorious day of the summer was temptation enough. The Rainbow bridge section of the crag is so perfect it is as if it has been designed for the sport. Low, solid limestone cliffs into deep, calm and ledgeless water. Me and my two new friends – Tom and Alex (who we met in the car park), also totally new to dws, thoroughly enjoyed the first bit of Rainbow Bridge. Then we took a long and chilly swim back to the start after an unintentional pop at the 7b+ Barrel traverse!

Alex Waterhouse at the mouth of the Old Redoubt cave

After lunch and some warming star jumps we set off on the Magical Mystery Tour which starts through the highly impressive cave at the bottom of Moonraker. This is technically easier than Rainbow Bridge but requires a bit more attention to avoid the ledges and was probably made extra interesting by the ultra low spring tide. Sophie had somehow recruited a fisherman and his boat to our party and convinced him to give her lifts between all the different areas, he seemed quite excited by the whole thing and enthusiastically followed us round, shouting useless beta when anyone seemed in trouble.

Sophie Whyte keeping her shoes and chalk bag dry 

It was all over far too soon and with the winter fast approaching I won’t get another chance this year. But I will definitely be back next summer to face the imaginary jellyfish again.

Helena.