Blog - Winter Conditions

4GEE Community Cinema Club

POSTED: 19th July 2017 BY: Dan
CATEGORIES: Bolting, Family & Group Adventures, Gear Reviews, Qualifications, Staff @ Play, Technical Committee, Technical Courses, Video, Winter Conditions, Young People

For me, when I was young, a trip to the cinema meant a 40 min drive and a rare occasion. It has been great to work with EE, we have been one of the first to experience a screening from the 4GEE Community Cinema Club. What a treat… to finish a day’s rock climbing on Gimmer Crag with a movie snuggled up with a brew on a portaledge!

Our team carried 984kg of kit to...

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The Ben - Compression Crack

POSTED: 4th February 2011 BY: Dan
CATEGORIES: Technical Courses, Winter Conditions

Back up to The Ben for another day with Paul, the weather looked like this was the last chance to get out this week, with 100mph winds forecast for the afternoon on Thursday and tropical and even faster winds for the Friday.Paul was keen to try out his newly discovered leash less skills on some steep ice. Due to the immanent weather and high avalanche conditions we headed...

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Comb Gully - Ben Nevis

POSTED: 31st January 2011 BY: Dan
CATEGORIES: Technical Courses, Winter Conditions

Today Paul and headed up to the Ben to see what was in condition and climbable. The temperature were a little high so we headed to the higher routes. Weaving our way carefully around the patches of wind slab from island of safety to island of safety we managed to reach the base of Comb Gully. Paul had not climbed on true “Nevis Neve” before, what a delight.We...

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Kendal College Winter Skills Course

POSTED: 28th January 2011 BY: Dan
CATEGORIES: Technical Courses, Winter Conditions

This week Kendal College have been on a Real Adventure in the Cairngorms learning about snow and ice and winter mountaineering. Neil Mathews and Sally Ozanne, 2 of our instructors, ran the course out of Ardenbeg Bunk House. The week was catered for by Real Adventure, Ronnie Dunn a local chef cooked in the evenings and the team ate well.The week’s weather...

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Boot Failure

POSTED: 30th December 2010 BY: Dan
CATEGORIES: Staff @ Play, Winter Conditions

Today we headed over East where it is a little colder and more snow. We skinned into the Corrie’s to climb Aladdin’s Mirror Direct, head out over the top and back down the ski runs. The plan was scuppered when Andrews boot fell apart, one of the bolts that hold the thing together fell out rendering his progression disabled so we limped back to the van and out...

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Testing the Limits of Soft Shell

POSTED: 29th December 2010 BY: Dan
CATEGORIES: Staff @ Play, Winter Conditions

Alan Halewood was free to climb with so we headed in to have a look at what was safe and possible during this slight thaw and mild conditions. As we walked in the ice in the Castle Coire was so obvious that we went to Compression Crack. we solo’ed up to the foot of the first steep ice pitch for me to take the first lead of the day.
The second pitch traversed right...

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Sgurr Finnasg-aig Falls

POSTED: 27th December 2010 BY: Dan
CATEGORIES: Staff @ Play, Winter Conditions

Driving through Glencoe ice fall after ice fall were cascading off every crag and gully line. The Screan, No. 6 Gully where both in. Elliot’s Downfall was close.

It would have made sense to stop on the way through but as my climbing partner for the week was still in Kendal alternatives had to be found.
Bridget Thomas and Andrew were easily persuaded to join in...

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Grey Mere’s Tale

POSTED: 26th December 2010 BY: Dan
CATEGORIES: Staff @ Play, Winter Conditions

So the van was packed with toys for a weeks play in Scotland with a pall from the Lake’s & keys hidden for him to drive to Moffat to pick me up after escaping from the family. Andy, Ellen, Frith and Alex dived into Andy’s car. We met another Andy at Southwaite Services before joining the swarm of Boxing day climbers.Frith lead Alex and Ellen up the RH...

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Cautley Spout on Christmas Day

POSTED: 25th December 2010 BY: Dan
CATEGORIES: Winter Conditions

Whilst many are at home opening presents cooking Christmas dinner or watching The Snow Man for the 30th year in a row, Ellen and Andy (2 old friends) and Frith headed over to Cautley Spout to climb it once more whilst it is in such fantastic condition.Happy Christmas to you all.Time for Family and food now, home for a well earn’t Christmas dinner.Not bad for...

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Coutley Spout

POSTED: 23rd December 2010 BY: Dan
CATEGORIES: Staff @ Play, Technical Courses, Winter Conditions

Roger Chaldecott, Rich Maywhort, Steve Stout and I headed over there early this morning. We all had commitments at 9am like work and meetings so an early start it was!Conditions where good, less ice than the time I was on it back in January at the beginning of the melt but also less water!The Bottom pitch is superb, protectable via rock gear on the left and ice...

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