Winter Conditions Blog Category
← Older posts Newer posts →A selection of adventures from 2010
The Following Video is a selection of our 2010 Adventures.
Birkets Gully
The road to the end of the valley is passable and the conditions are good.
You can see the conditions for your self in the photo’s.
Stay safe out there and enjoy…
|
|
|
Dollywagon Gully
The Lads where out again on Dollywaggon
Another day of perfect conditions in the Lakes
Dollywagon Gully
Dollywagon Gully
Great End – Window Gully
Great End was in great condition, the snow was firm and the ice was solid.
Red Screes
With a thaw setting in for the weekend and a pile of work stacking up in the office an early morning was required.
Steve Stout and I headed up Red Screes for sun rise and climbed the water fall on the left of the cove before heading to a DofE Assessors Accreditation day.
|
|
|
Stickle Ghyll & Pavey Ark
Well after an interview with Mike Parr from Radio Cumbria and a morning of office work I tour myself away from the computer and headed over to Langdale.
After popping into Langdale School to say hi and pick up my copy of the Langdale School Express and quick jog I was at the foot of Stickle Ghyll. The Ghyll is a popular scramble in the summer time with groups, click this link to see a video of Langdale School and Real Adventure taking the classroom outside on a sunny warm day.
Conditions in the ghyll were thin but climbable with care, Whorneyside may not be in condition yet.
After topping out at the tarn a line on the L side of Pavey Ark enticed me in. It is not in the guide book but is worth doing. There was a pleasant grade II ice fall to start with then onto a section of I then at the top 20m of really good quality ice of a good depth and well frozen with no water (one step of III which is avoidable and would therefor go at II).
Topping out by sun set and a stroll over to Harrison’s Stickle before descending via the path at the top of Dungeon Ghyll with a short chill to look at the stars and I was back to the van for 1730.
Blog, Pizza, Beer, Sleep.
Tomorrow ill head up Red Screes before of Duke of Edinburgh event at Patterdale Hall and then see if we can sneak in a cheeky ascent of something afterwards too.
You Tube is just processing the video, if it does not work pop back soon.
BBC Radio Cumbria
This morning at 0750 I was on BBC Radio Cumbria on Mike Parr’s Breakfast Show talking about ice climbing.
Mike had been going on about how this cold was only a negative.
After the Interview I did for the Cumbria Bolt Fund earlier this year, I was invited back to talk about the positives that this weather brings.
Thanks to Mike for introducing me as Dan Robinson, Mountain Instructor who runs the out door company Real Adventure, and for not grilling me too much on the radio!
Scroll down and have a look at the video clips of the last few days below if you have time.
Head to
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00cgx3t/The_Mike_Parr_Breakfast_Show_08_12_2010/
use the listen again feature.
Scroll to 1h:25m on the time
Launchy Ghyll
Having to hold down a business and and take advantage of ice conditions is an even balance!
After a tip from a crew of palls from Manchester who were on it on Sunday, there was a burning need to not miss out.
Today I had a meeting with an Outdoor Ed group from Kendal College. We are taking them to the Cairngorms for a weeks winter skills course in January.
After all the slides and video’s of what we will be covering, outline of the week and all questions answered I ran out of the door and arrived at the car park with the token boater.
For those of you who followed last years “Winter Blog” there was a theme of taking a Real Adventure staff member with particular skills in falling down rivers in boats along to climb up the frozen water, comical…
Launchy is in good condition, a little thin in places and there is water running behind some of the ice. We chose our line with care and made an ascent, there was even enough ice to place a screw!
The top pitch required a quick approach to avoid getting too wet.
If any of you have been on anything over the past few week it would be great to here from you.
e-mail
dan@real-adventure.co.uk
Raven Crag Gully
Going by the knowledge of Friday’s outing at Low Water and a little word of mouth that someone had got up Raven Crag Gully. Paul and I got an early start to beet the crowds.
Driving conditions were great, am temp in Kendal at 0600 was – 3 Thirlemere Valley – 6.5
We met 2 lads in the car park who were dedicated to the cause, 8 hour drive to get to the Lakes for just one day’s climbing then back home tonight!
At the foot of the route we could hear a team in front which turned out to be a pal, Steve Stout when we caught them up.
Gearing up happened in lightning speed, the keen team were kind enough to let us past which was handy as at the top of the first pitch we counted 12 people!!!
Conditions were thin, not all the route had formed and this pushed us out onto the left rib for pitch 3 rather than sticking to the direct line. Paul from King Kong CLimbing Walls and his pall scratched up it and reported from below that is was a little like dry tooling up a damp water fall rather than ice climbing!
The top pitch was there and in fine fettle, plenty of ribbing back to Steve for they had decided to scratch their way left rather than pear back into the ghyll to spy the top pitch.
Stunning views and a pleasant walk back down in time for a stop into Needle Sports.
Chatting to others that were out today…
Sour Milk Ghyll was in, but thin, a lad had fallen up to his waist in a pool.
Others had reported lots of ice up Honister and clear roads to the top due to the slate quarry keeping it open.
Red Tarn Cove
After a enthusiastic phone call on thursday night to Paul the decision to come to the Lakes to learn more about winter climbing and crank up some routes in the Lakes was made with no hesitation, abbreviation or deviation, once run past with the Misses of course!
With the snow fall that came down last night I was pleased of the strategic & cunning phone call to Bob. Bob owns a beast of a 4×4 with really big snow chains. There was no stopping us getting to Greenside Mines.
Today we did Gully One, II to warm up then down Swirral Edge as the usual decent, the bowl to the right of Viking Buttress, was banked out and after inspection looked like it may trigger. A quick bite then we legged it over to V Corner III where we caught up 2 lads who had a really early start from Durham then saw Tom finishing the last pitch.
2 lads were on Rape and Pillage and made a perfect job of it.
After more flap jack on the summit we headed down Striding Edge and back home for tea and cakes.
The conditions where perfect, a fussy person would say a little warm but this warming will help consolidate the snow pack.
There is a base layer of old hard snow and we noticed 3 layers in places of fresh, some of these layers were releasing easily in the built up areas.
← Older posts Newer posts →
Real Adventure on Facebook
Real Adventure Tweets
