Monthly Archives: May 2010

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BMC Technical Committee Meeting

BMC Technical Committee Report for AMI By Dan Robinson

For the BMC’s Summit magazine the technical committee produce the Tech Skills section. this is about researching the technical aspects of equipment that aid us in what we do. The research informs the readers as to the strength, construction, choice when considering a purchase and more, Dan Middleton is the guru from the BMC that rights the main article, a suitable person is then contacted to right the Q & A’s. The committee are welcome to ideas of what to cover in future articles, have a look in the equipment advice area of the BMC’s website at the history of what has been covered and let me know if you have a moment of inspiration.

The Helmets Booklet is now complete and available as a free download from the BMC’s website, go to the equipment advice section of the site and hit “technical Booklets”. I am sure many of you use these booklets as part of the further reading on technical courses or qualifications so thanks to the BMC for yet another great resource.

The next booklet to come out is “Ropes – a climbers guide”, the text is being worked on at the moment. It will include essential info, using a rope, choosing a rope, history of ropes, rope construction and more. These booklets take time to produce, ill let you know when it is ready to download from the BMC’s website.

The Next UIAA Safety Commission meet is in June, held in Italy this year and will last for 5 days. A huge thanks goes out to Neville McMillan for representing the UK over the years, Rob Foster receives the baton and has now been accepted to replace Neville. This meet will look at and debate the technical aspects and practical uses of equipment and the standards that they are tested to. Textiles, metal parts& connectors, bolt corrosion, via ferrata connectors, crampons strength, etc will be cover over the week with a visit to the test lab. Information on failures from each participating country is looked with regards to changing the standards to increase safety for climbers and mountaineers.

Canoeing on Coniston

Every other year year we take the tinny ones from Langdale school over to Coniston Water and paddle out to Peal Island, the famous Wild Cat Island that stared in Swallows and Amazons.

I picked the team up from the school and we headed over in the Real Adventure minibus with the canoes on the trailer behind.

Its impressive how a team of eleven 5, 6 & 7 year olds can all get together and carry a canoe to the lake!

We rafted the canoes, split into 2 teams and quested to the island for a spot of lunch and a few games then back to our ships for the journey home packed full of fun including Excalibur and brain freeze.

MLTE Board Meeting

I stand as the AMI representative on the Mountain Leader Training England Board.

Today was the AGM and General Board meeting held at the BMC offices in Manchester.

Westmorland Gazette

The westmorland Gazette phoned after hearing about the Cumbria Bolt Fund work I am doing asking for information.

I am impressed with how many little points they got wrong in the article.

Corrections consist of £30,000 worth of bolts.

Also take out the Peaks of the Lake District as bolting hear is strictly prohibited.

Its also interesting how that if a climber where to climb on them they would die, makes good reading I guess.

AROUND 30,000 potentially dangerous climbing bolts are being replaced on Cumbria’s peaks and rock faces in a major safety drive.

The five-year programme to replace the bolts used by mountaineers and rock climbers will be carried out by volunteers from the Cumbria Bolt Fund.

Chairman Dan Robinson said: “This job is about replacing old, rusty and dangerous bolts and putting new bolts back in place.

“If they don’t get replaced then people don’t climb the climb. If you climb on some of these old, dangerous bolts then you would fall and die.

“It’s a job that’s needed to be done for a while now.”

Volunteers will abseil quarry and cliff-faces to take out the bolts, replacing them with new ones. Some of the old bolts date back to the 1960s.

Mr Robinson added the operation would purely consist of replacing existing bolts and that no extra ones would be added.

The British Mountaineering Council and the Fell and Rock Club are funding the replacement bolts.

© Copyright 2001-2010 Newsquest Media Group

http://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk

South Barking Ghyll – Barbondale

During the November Floods a large boulder in a ghyll we regularly use with groups moved after a considerable amount of water washed away the smaller rocks and river bed that was pinning it in place. This boulder was then on the blink of moving down the ghyll and it was feared that if it moved it would crush anyone in the its path.

Attempts had been made to stabilise it but not to a sufficient extent that would satisfy us to be happy to stand underneath it whilst spotting our groups as they climb over it.

2 weeks ago Tom Redfern and I headed over there to move it but ran out of time, just as we where leaving the boulder decided to move with out us touching it and confirmed our concerns as to its stability.

Today I went back to South Barking Ghyll with Ingleborough Hall to complete the removal of the dangerous boulder. After a couple of taps with a large hammer the boulder split as predicted and fell down the ghyll and cracked into a further 2 pieces. This section of the ghyll is now safe for groups to climb past and minimal damage has been done.

Whilst I was there I popped up to the Key Hole in the upper part of the ghyll and removed a selection boulder that where blocking the smaller key hole, now you climb through both.

A good days work.

Sargent Crag Slabs

Alan and I headed up to Sargent Crag Slabs with the Bolt Fund kit to replace the lower off.

The walking decent off the cliff is a SSSI and is not recommended due to the erosion it has created in the past, The BMC local area group made a decision that the dangerous peg abseil station should be replaced with a bolt lower off at the left hand side of the climbs.

Bolt lower offs on mountain rock is a very controversial subject and each decision is talked about and argued at length before a conclusion is made.

In the past there has been an anonymous resistance to the thoughts of the people at these meetings and the bolts have been removed.

Due to the dangerous state of the pegs it is felt that an abseil station is the only safe way forward for this location.

Our methods where quite traditional, we climbed 5 great routes there today – Terminator 2 HVS 5a, Lakeland Cragsman HVS 5a, Aspasia E2 5b, Endurance HVS 5a and Quicksilver E1 5b. The bolting kit was carried on my back seconding Al up Endurance then an eco friendly resin chain and ring lower off was placed in the holes that where there originally.

I hope that this is third time lucky and the lower off is left for the use of everyone.

AMI Trainee Short Roping Day

Today I ran one of the AMI trainee days in the Lakes.

This day was designed around looking at Short Roping and allowing the trainees to consolidate and learn new tricks before there MIA assessment.

We headed up the decent path of Raven Crag then up the decent of Gimmer Crag then on to the scrambles on the side of Pike ‘o’ Stickle.

That evening I met up with Alan Hailwood and legged it up to White Ghyll, Al is from the North so rock that is dry, quick to get to and not covered in moss was a delight for the lad.

I led him up Waste Not Want Not E1 5b, Do Knot Direct E1 5b, Slip Knot VS 4c and Laugh Knot then to the pub.

Spain – El Chorro

Sally and I headed out to El Chorro to clip some bolts and look at the venue for future guiding.

The Teva tan has been topped up and a great selection of climbs from 5+ to 6c+ where climbed over the 5 days we where there.

We stayed at Olive Branch which we really reccomend for anyone wanting a really nice chilled out climbers place to stay, they have a selection of styles of rooms from on-suite to bunk to camping and make a great breakfast, but most of all Mel and Gary the owners are really nice.

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