Yorkshire 3 Peaks Ice snow and a 'First"

Just back from completing a very icy and cold Yorkshire 3 Peaks challenge with three very intrepid colleagues! The Three Peaks of Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough were completed in 11 hrs 50 minutes with the last 4 hours in the dark. We had decided to make the attempt (locals said it was the first of 2010 with a peak tackled at night!) taking in the most direct route and accepting this would mean ice and snow sections in the dark.

Crampons would have made some sections easier but we took a series of precautions and avoidance measures to ensure that whilst the ice and snow was significant in places, we managed to complete the route without the use of 'extra assistance'!

This was one of the hardest attempts I have done. There were some very icy sections on the approach to both Whernside and Inglebourgh and the route off Ingleborough was extremely icy indeed.

The guys did a great job on all sections although due to injury we lost one just before the last peak and left Tom in the Old Hill Inn to wait for us to pick him up. He suffered a torn hip muscle and there was no way he could have dealt with the ice wall and subsequent climb up to the top of Ingleborough. It was a tough choice to bail out but he made it and it was the right call.

A wonderful day with a torrid end to the night but a very satisfying and successful Three Peaks day out!

China and the Great Wall

Just back from 10 days in China. An amazing place. Working with the leadership of a reasonably sized Chinese business on their marketing and business development strategy..... and of course taking the chance to relate this to the great outdoors!

New Year in the Berwins

The first day of the New Year, and a new decade, was spent in the Welsh Berwin Hills. It was a perfect, blue sky, winter day and ideal for a low level trek though the woods and lower reaches of the hills. The tops were beset by fierce blizzards so it was simply safer to take my 'snow novice' around the interesting snow filled lanes and tracks to the South East of Corwen. Fantastic day and some idyllic scenes. Temperatures at around -5 degs and a wind chill of more like -10 degs made for an interesting day out! Sastrugi filled the upper lanes head and wind blow made for a great drive home the following day.