A sure fire bet for great weather is to be working and so it proved this weekend at Plas Y Brenin, as 100 or so Mountaineering Instructors descended on North Wales, timed to clinical perfection as the first snows of the winter fell on the mountains of North Wales.
The reason for this gathering was the annual meeting of the Association of Mountaineering Instructors (AMI) and as one of the major sponsors of the association (the other one being DMM) I was duty bound to gather up the giant ME flag and do my best to wave it around.
The Association was formed some 19 years ago, and represents all professional mountaineering instructors who hold either the MIA or the MIC award. As such the weekend is a mix of important nitty gritty regarding the workings and direction of the Association as well as an opportunity for qualified instructors to gain further training and professional development in a variety of disciplines, hence the programme of workshops.
And thats where we came in again, ensuring that two of our Pro Partners (Dave Macleod and Andy Turner) would be delivering some of those workshops. For Dave that meant delivering a rock climbing masterclass session and for Andy sharing his intimate knowledge on the dark art of Dry Tooling - both focussing on personal climbing as well as coaching.
On the Saturday evening Dave also gave a lecture, one of the first he has given focussing on his massive project on St. John's Head on Orkney. After that it was to the bar, from that point the details are somewhat sketchy, but I do remember being very definitely not the last one to leave at around 1:45am.....I am told the committed professionals kept going until nearly 4am.
Wednesday, 2 December 2009
Tuesday, 1 December 2009
"Everest '09" Premiere - Oslo, Norway
7th December'09 sees the Premiere of “Everest 09” at Chateau Neuf, Oslo, Norway.
The documentary tells the story of Mountain Equipment Norwegian Pro Partners Lars Oma and Petter Nyquist who summated Mount Everest on 21sts May’09. After returning to Advance Base Camp they received the message that a fellow Norwegian climber hadn’t reported back after his summit attempt. The following day Lars and Petter organized a rescue party. Petter scrambled together enough money to hire the best and strongest sherpas for the rescue attempt. The team of Sherpas managed to find Climber Jarle Traa in the “dead zone” just below the summit of Everest miraculously he was still alive, however was suffering from severe frostbite and hypothermia after spending the night exposed at altitude. Lars a trained medical doctor managed to stabilized Jarle at a higher camp so he could be carried off Everest.
Everest 09 will then go out prime time on mainstream Norwegian television later in Dec’09 check back here for the link to watch online.
For more info go to
http://www.everest09.no/
http://www.billetservice.no/
The documentary tells the story of Mountain Equipment Norwegian Pro Partners Lars Oma and Petter Nyquist who summated Mount Everest on 21sts May’09. After returning to Advance Base Camp they received the message that a fellow Norwegian climber hadn’t reported back after his summit attempt. The following day Lars and Petter organized a rescue party. Petter scrambled together enough money to hire the best and strongest sherpas for the rescue attempt. The team of Sherpas managed to find Climber Jarle Traa in the “dead zone” just below the summit of Everest miraculously he was still alive, however was suffering from severe frostbite and hypothermia after spending the night exposed at altitude. Lars a trained medical doctor managed to stabilized Jarle at a higher camp so he could be carried off Everest.
Everest 09 will then go out prime time on mainstream Norwegian television later in Dec’09 check back here for the link to watch online.
For more info go to
http://www.everest09.no/
http://www.billetservice.no/
Thursday, 19 November 2009
Kendal Mountain Film Festival
If you are braving the weather and heading for Kendal Mountain Film Festival this weekend make sure you go and check our pro partners and their lectures
Thurs 19th - Brewery Centre Screen 2 - Andy Turner - Phari Lapcha Expedition
Also Andy Houseman will be hanging around fresh from his 1st ascent on Chang Himal, Sandy Allan will be there with information on his guiding company Team Ascent, Artist and legend Andy Parkin and some off our very own team will be hanging around most likely near a bar! after a heavy week of Winter 2010 sales meetings.
more info and tickets head to the ticket desk at the Brewery Centre or see the website
Wednesday, 18 November 2009
Ran Fiennes Interview on BBC i-player
Check out BBC 4's - Mark Lawson interview with adventurer/explorer and long standing friend of the brand - Sir Ranulph Fiennes
Watch the interview on BBC i-player here
Friday, 13 November 2009
This Months Climb Magazine
I've just had the latest issue of "Climb" magazine (Dec'09) land on my desk - go out and grab a copy, then checkout Tom Richardson's write up on all you need to know about 'Down Jackets' - Our Vega and Greenland Jackets are featured
see the website for more info on our insulation collection
see the website for more info on our insulation collection
Thursday, 12 November 2009
Chang Himal North Face ED+ / M6
This time last year Nick and I returned to Kathmandu early and empty handed, literally, after having our base camp robbed and grand old sum of zero climbing. Things went a bit different this year, everything seemed to just work out, great weather, great mountain, brilliant base camp cook, no robbers and a summit.
Summit joy! Photo - Nick Bullock
North Face of Chang Himal, Central Spur, 1800m ED+ / M6 (Bullock & Houseman 29/10/09 - 02/11/09)
The awesome 1800m North face of Chang Himal (6802m) was quite daunting to wake up to each morning, looking directly across at it, 1km away over a jumbled glacier/moraine mess. Having filled our cook 'Buddy' with confidence after failing to reach the top of some nearby 6000m bumps and taking two attempts to get up the local trekking peak, 'route finding errors...', dawn on the 29th October saw us a good way up the lower part of the face and fighting off the initial signs of a bout of Gardia, perfect timing!
We spent 5 days on the face, covering well over 2000m of ground, the second been the slowest and crux with run out climbing up to Scottish 7/M6 on steep rotten ice/snow over loose rock. Gear and belays seemed to take an age to uncover, finding something if you were lucky. Any un-comfy second night on a 30cm snow ledge was eased slightly hoping the crux section was, hopefully, below us. After a few hours simu-climbing the third day ended with 3 pitches bringing us up into the steep Peruvian style snow flutings below the summit.
Andy starting out from the Bivi on Day 2. Photo: Nick Bullock
Waking, not sure if we'd climb ourselves into a dead end Nick peeked over into the next fluting returning with a grin, game on! Leaving all the gear at the bivi we managed to grovel up the final flutings to follow the east ridge for the last 100m to the summit.
Nick heading up the second and crux pitch on Day 2
Over a year of looking at photos, nearly two weeks staring, watching from base camp – will it? won’t it? To finally be sat, along with Nick, one leg either side of the knife edge summit, wow! I can’t begin to describe.
Down climbing back to the last bivi we spent another night there before abseiling the rest of the face in 14 hours and crashing out in a small cave at the base, bodies trashed but big smiles.
A massive thanks to everyone who supported this trip, Mountain Equipment, Black Diamond, Scarpa, Mammut, DMM, SIS (Sports in Science) and the Lyon Equipment Award for their continued help with gear and financial support from The BMC, MEF, Nick Estcourt Award, Mark Clifford Award, Shipton/Tilman Award. This trip couldn’t have happened without it, your support is much appreciated, thank you.
Summit joy! Photo - Nick Bullock
Monday, 9 November 2009
Welsh Mountain Skills: Round Up
Well the final week of our Welsh Mountain Skills ended with Autumn gales, Autumn deluges and Autumn illness!
Unfortunately Tuesday did not dawn as promising. The forecast gave us barely a few precious hours of relatively dry weather. And so Rich and myself headed across to Tremadog to give Rob and Laura (Mountain, Trek and Travel) and X their first experience of multi pitch rock climbing with an ascent of Boo Boo.
By the time the fourth and final course started, Rich and I were feeling little better so it was left to Martin, Alec and Russel to carry the torch, enjoying, if that is the right word a thoroughly wet ascent of Snowdon from Ynys Ettws in Llanberis.
The final day ended very much on a similar theme, Rich spent a very wet dry, climbing very wet rock at Tremadog with Kevin from Facewest, Jane brushed up her navigation with our southern sales manager Alec and everyone else experienced scrambling 'on steroids' - climbing swathes of rock in a full-on mountaineering experience.
And so that brought to an end our Autumn series of mountain training events. Over the past two weeks we have provided training to some 35 retail staff from all across the country, from large multiples to small indepedents, all of whom who will now hopefully be able to provide our customers with even better service and knowledge of our products. I'm just waiting for the next one now....
Our team approaching the summit of Y Garn
Monday dawned bright, distinctly colder and showery. Our objective that day was to be the North East Ridge of Y Garn followed by a traverse around onto Glyder Fach and then a descent down the Y Gribin ridge and back to Idwal Cottage. Finally some proper weather. A cold North Westerly air stream was feeding in a regular flow of showers and as we headed higher these turned increasingly wintry. By the time we were on the Glyders and well above 900m we experienced our first flakes of snow of the 2009/10 winter.
Picking their way up Y Garn's NE Ridge
Unfortunately Tuesday did not dawn as promising. The forecast gave us barely a few precious hours of relatively dry weather. And so Rich and myself headed across to Tremadog to give Rob and Laura (Mountain, Trek and Travel) and X their first experience of multi pitch rock climbing with an ascent of Boo Boo.
From there things, personally speaking when abruptly downhill. Rich Bailey promptly keeled over with flu like symptons and several hours later I too was knocked sideways by a fever and soaring temperature. We both headed for the protection of beds and duvet covers.
So whilst we moped around feeling ill, Martin and Russel Thompson from WL Gore headed across to Llanberis for a damp ascent of the Parsons Nose. Clogwyn Y Parson Arete is the classic grade 3 scramble thats rears up out of the upper reaches of Cyrn Las towards the skyline of Crib Goch / Crib Y Ddysgyll.
By the time the fourth and final course started, Rich and I were feeling little better so it was left to Martin, Alec and Russel to carry the torch, enjoying, if that is the right word a thoroughly wet ascent of Snowdon from Ynys Ettws in Llanberis.
The soaring ridge line of Cneifion Arete (Mod)
The final day ended very much on a similar theme, Rich spent a very wet dry, climbing very wet rock at Tremadog with Kevin from Facewest, Jane brushed up her navigation with our southern sales manager Alec and everyone else experienced scrambling 'on steroids' - climbing swathes of rock in a full-on mountaineering experience.
And so that brought to an end our Autumn series of mountain training events. Over the past two weeks we have provided training to some 35 retail staff from all across the country, from large multiples to small indepedents, all of whom who will now hopefully be able to provide our customers with even better service and knowledge of our products. I'm just waiting for the next one now....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)