A day in the Yorkshire Dales

This week found me walking up one of the famous Three Peaks of Yorkshire, Pen-Y-Ghent. At 694m it is the lowest of the three peaks with Ingleborough at 793m and Whernside at 736m. My companion wanted to have an 'interesting but not too taxing' day out. We got a little more than that with very low visibility for most of the day but she was very happy to summit in under 2 hrs after a long walk up from Helwith Bridge. The route back was via the Pennine Way into Horton in Ribblesdale followed by a walk along the river back to the car. The low visibility kept us to the main paths but even then close attention needed to be paid to the map at all times to ensure we met a pretty tight schedule for an important evening appointment of her 45th birthday meal! A good way to spend a birthday by any account!

Out perform in the Molwyns

Last weekend was spent out in Snowdonia with two guys. We were walking from the National Mountain centre at Plas y Brenin in Capel Cuig to the slopes of Cnicht and back with a wild camp on the tops thrown in for good measure!

The views from the ridge walk after Moel Siabod are spectacular.... If you can see them! We had about 20 minutes of visibility in an otherwise 'white out' two days! It was great for low visibility navigation but dreadful if you wanted to see where you were going or had been!

The wild camp was on a small dry patch - in an otherwise very damp mountain range - overlooking one of the three lakes in the Llynnau r Cwn on the tops of the Southern Molwyns.

The guys had a great time working out where they were and slogging the miles along the ridge. Day two was beset with mist and fog until we descended out of the higher cwms into the valley to finish at the village of Dollwynydd for a well earned pint and a late Sunday lunch!

Lessons from the weekend focused mainly on the need to be absolutely sure where you are at all times and to use the techniques of relocation on an almost continuous basis ..... otherwise retracing steps and changes of plans are inevitable and frustrating.

All in all though a great weekend with plenty of 'experiences' thrown in!

Running in Turkey

Just back from a week in 35 deg in Turkey to find the same heat here in the UK!

Spent a week technically on holiday but took the opportunity to do some climbing and running around the resort town of Kalkan in Southern Turkey. Great place if you can bear the thorns on the hills and avoid the snakes! Fantastic views but very hot and dry so hydration essential.

Sweatshop takes the Out Perform challenge

Tuesday to Thursday this week found 15 staff from running retailer Sweatshop in the Welsh hills on a leadership and communication training event with me. The weather varied between benign sunny and dry to torrential rain and howling winds. Normal weather for Wales! The teams were put through a series of tests and challenges including a wild camp experience.

The guys did a great job with all the event had to throw at them and so far the feedback has been very pleasing. From the very beginning the two groups (I was supported by two other trainers) really worked hard and put their shoulders into the many and varied tasks they had to complete.

The weather played its usual tricks with 50 mph wind and rain on the summit of Carn Fawr! Thursday turned out dry and the work we did on 'silent communication' went down very well indeed. It is so important to ensure that information is received and understood as well as given!

Mountain Leader qualified!

Last week was spent in the very wet hills and mountains of Snowdonia on a five (5) day assessment for the next level of my Mountain Leadership qualifications. I am delighted to report that I passed and am now, in addition to my Walking Group leader qualification, a fully qualified Mountain leader! 

Plas Y Brenin is the National Mountain centre and they conduct the assessment under pretty rigorous conditions on a gruelling, almost 24 hour, basis. To cap the pressure of being watched and examined all the time we had torrential rain and almost nil visibility on the night navigation exercise! 

With 6 candidates, all of a high standard, split into two teams of 3, it was very unusual for the assessment at Plas Y Brenin, but we all passed! 

I am now looking forward to running an three day OutPerform event for a UK sports retailer next month for 16 of their managers. I only hope the weather improves!

An 'epic' in Snowdonia

What a weekend! Wild camping up on the Molwyns on Friday night the wind was so strong that despite having the tend held down with rocks I had two guy ropes snap in the 60 mph winds which ravaged the area. See photo of the half flat tent! After only 3 hrs sleep fully dressed and packed ready to evacuate if necessary my weekend plans for two nights out had to be revised somewhat! I refused a bit of a breeze to spoil my time on the hills though and spent a very enjoyable day exploring some of the more remote and 'hidden' valleys to the NW of Blaenau Ffestiniog. Having scaled Moel Druman and then Allt Fawr I spent a few hours in the upper headwaters of the Afon LLedr which eventually runs into the Afon Llugwy at Betwys Y Coed. Ending the day by a fast decent of the path past Llyn Llagi to the road I had time to get into Betwys Y Coed for some spare tent pegs and guy ropes. Unfortunately under closer inspection the tent was more damaged than I thought so a B&B beckoned for the night! Sunday 08.30 and I was on Snowdon ready to have a go at the full Snowdon Horseshoe which I did in 5hrs 50mins. Crib Goch was its usual hairy self and even in a light breeze the central section was a nervous scramble. All in all I felt I had redeemed my lack of two nights out by a reasonable time round the Horseshoe and returned home pretty satisfied with a good weekend out!

The Mollwyns in Snowdonia

Just back from a weekend in the often ignored, but wonderfully rugged Mollwyns to the E of Snowdon. Parked up the car near the famous Pen-y-Gwryd Hotel (famed as the place Edmond Hilary used as his base for climbing before he tackled Everest). Navigating my way across the bogs and rough ground tothe South I spend a hard day locating small and interesting features across the rolling slopes of Carnedd y Cribau before summiting Moel Merich and a breathtaking view across Snowdonia. Wild camped in a small valley leading from Llyn yr Adar overlooking Llyn Llagi. Day two was a gentle start and a leisurely breakfast with the spectacular valleys below cloaked in early morning mist. Climbed Cnicht (or the rather affectionately referred to Wales Matterhorn due to its sharp peak appearance) and then set off back down to Llyn yr Adar before skirting the ridge above Llyn Coch. The long walk back to the car was via the Ysgafell Wen ridge and the top of Carnedd y Cribau. All in all a fantastic two days of warm, almost perfect visibility and exhilarating walking. I camped alone, walked alone and only met four people over the whole weekend. I guess the hoards on Snowdon were almost oblivious of this wonderland of crags and ridges only a few miles away. Thankfully the vast majority of people never pass this was! May that continue for many years to come which leaves the beauty to the intrepid and adventurous few!

Kinder Scout

Yesterday was another day on the hills, this time on Kinder Law with Sean, friend who has recently moved his family to the idyll of the Peak District. 

The day was extremely mixed starting bright and clear with the walk out along Kinder Reservoir a delight. On the tops the weather changed and the mist rolled in though not before we were treated to one of the Peak District's famous phenomena as the Westerly wind blew Kinder Downfall waterfall back on itself. Having walked along past Kinder law in a total white out the cloud cleared long enough to get a magnificent view down over Kinder reservoir again before we descended back to Hayfield village. The wind was cutting on the top and there was still remains of the snow still clinging to patches of exposed areas around the tops. 

A great day out and a first for us both making it a well deserved pint in the pub later!

Snow in Snowdonia!

Now safely back off the mountains of Snowdonia the deep snow and icy conditions seem a long way away.

Monday and Tuesday this week were spent updating my Rescue and Emergency Care qualification in outdoor First Aid. The holding of the certificate, which has to be renewed every three years as a minimum, provides reassurance to those employing mountain and walking group leaders such as myself in the outdoors, that we are fully qualified and trained to manage and deal with any situation (medical or otherwise) in the outdoors.

Tomorrow I travel to Coventry to meet the other leaders for the Everest trip this summer. A full day briefing and reviewing the plans for the trip will be a long (Valentines) day for us all. However, planning well in advance of the trip will ensure all clients are well taken care of and their safetey is well managed throughout the trips.

Bad weather in Snowdonia claims another life

Just to show that the mountains in the UK can be very dangerous places for the poorly equipped and ill trained we received bad news this morning of another body being found on Snowdon last night. Following a climbing accident which resulted in a bad injury the montain rescue were scrambled from Snowdonia and in attending the climber (who was air lifted to hospital) the team discovered the body of a climber which seems to have been there for at least a day.

On training in the Mountain centre at Plas Y Brenin I have been out in the thick of the weather for the last three days and although well equipped and with international mountain instructors event we were not venturing on to the high tops!

So many people leave home with the expectation of a great day out which can end in tragedy. The centre at Plas Y Brenin provides fantastic training facilities and great trainers. My refresher courses over this weekend have brought me into close copntact with the winter conditions of Snowdonia and they need to be very much respected!

Plas Y Brenin training

I am currently finalising my kit in preparation for five days of training at the wonderful Plas Y Brenin outdoor centre in Snowdonia. I will be refreshing my skills around rope work as well as general mountain craft and some (hopefully) snow and ice work. The last two days will be spent on a Rescue and Emergency Care first aid course to keep me up to date on developments in outdoor and mountain rescue medical care.

It is essential to keep up your skills both as a leader outdoors and as a regular hill and mountain walker. With the snow as it has been and the recent spate of deaths and injury on the hills and mountains of the UK it is very important to refresh skills regularly. You may (hopefully) never need many of them but if you don't keep up the practice in the meantime you can guarantee that when you come to have to use them for real they can be worryingly rusty!

OUT perform

Last night's presentation seemed to go pretty well. It was great to have such a warm reception and a fair few questions - usually a good sign!

My main story concentrated on the experience of the Ice Warrior expedition to Geomagnetic North Pole in 2006. However, with the last couple of years' experience of a fair number of courses and training in the UK and Norway under my belt there is more to tell and consider when thinking about the lessons the outdoors can offer in leadership and team working.

Linking the need to consider team selection, training, planning, supply chain issues and logistics as well as managing a team under stress gives a whole new dimension to simply 'telling the story'

I am always happy to talk to people about my experiences and to do so for free! Contact me via this site or via Grant Thornton International in London.

OUT perform

Following on from my speaking engagement before Christmas I am again out and about on Monday next week speaking to the business development and marketing communications team at one of the larger of the top 'Magic Circle' law firms in London.

I will, once again, be drawing the parallels between extreme environment experiences and the 'real' world of business. There are so many similarities it is difficult to know where to start! However, I will be covering a variety of areas, illustrating them with photography not only from the Arctic but also from my more recent exploits.

The issues of team selection, training, goal focus and taking responsibility for your actions will be top of the list. So too will be the simple fact that most accidents do not happen on the way out the Pole or the summit but on the way back. this is when it is tempting to relax, lose concentration and think it is all over. For so many explorers and climbers throughout history it then is!