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!