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Blog - Winter Conditions

Ice Climbing – The Ben

POSTED: 28th February 2010 BY: Dan
CATEGORIES: Technical Courses, Winter Conditions

With a high Avalanche risk today and Glen Coe out for climbing in we headed to a safe location for a great little piece of ice to teach John and Sarah how to climb ice, they had given it a go inside in a large fridge but wanted to see what it was like on the real thing.
Just past the dear fence and close to the path back to the CIC hut from the top of The Ben there is a...

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Winter Hill Walking and Skills – Mam na Gualainn

POSTED: 28th February 2010 BY: Dan
CATEGORIES: Technical Courses, Winter Conditions

This weekend is a winter skills course for the civil service walking group. We are staying at Kinlochleven with 18 in the team and 5 instructors.Today I was out with the hill walking team. With the avalanche condition as they are we made a choice to stay lower and out of the main risks. After a quick shuttle in the morning we headed up Mam na Gualainn.There was a really...

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Lakes Winter Skills Day – Red Srees

POSTED: 25th February 2010 BY: Dan
CATEGORIES: Technical Courses, Winter Conditions

A very humbling experience… John, what a star (you will see what I mean when you see the video clip).
We headed up Kirkstone Pass and onto Red Srees, only just made it to the top. The griter had cleared it by the end of the day.

Skills included -




weather report interpretation, route planning and avalanche awarenes

foot work and step cutting

crampons skills...

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Intro to Ice Week

POSTED: 19th February 2010 BY: Dan
CATEGORIES: Technical Courses, Winter Conditions

This week I have been working for Jagged Globe on an “Intro to Ice Climbing week” Day 1 - Lochan, refresh climbing skills. Day 2 - Ballachulish horse Shoe, Mountaineering Day

Day 3 - Ben Nevis, Ice Climbing
Day 4 - The Buachaille , Curved Ridge


What a week for it. We had a little snow overnight on the tuesday which meant we had to alter plan a little and...

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Creag Meagaidh

POSTED: 15th February 2010 BY: Dan
CATEGORIES: Technical Courses, Winter Conditions

Wow, just stonking Scottish winter excellence.
It was great to be out with one of my oldest climbing pals.

A dawn till dusk day, we climbed Pumpkin and Last Post.

Perfect ice, really fat and plasticky. First time placements nearly every hit, a delight

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No. 6 Gully – Aonach Dubh

POSTED: 14th February 2010 BY: Dan
CATEGORIES: Technical Courses, Winter Conditions

After an early start from Kendal we planned to have a short day on the Saturday then a larger day on the Sunday, hopefully the opposite of what other people had planned.
Well this worked and we had the route to ourselves, No.6 Gully and The Screen are still in condition.

After topping out we had wished we had more time that day to get a little higher as Bidean looked...

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Coniston Old Man

POSTED: 6th February 2010 BY: Dan
CATEGORIES: Winter Conditions

Today a saw really warm temperatures on the South side of the hill with perfectly still conditions.The North side has a good covering of snow with some of the more defined routes still been done and appeared continuous.Hope the photos give you a good impression of what the climbing might be like, today was one of those days that was worth being on the tops of the rather...

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Lakes Conditions & Winter Skills Day

POSTED: 26th January 2010 BY: Dan
CATEGORIES: Technical Courses, Winter Conditions

Great conditions on the hill today.
The néve is well consolidated and the gullies have plenty in them, there is still ice around up higher.

There where several teams out behind Red Tarn climbing and chatting to them the routes seamed perfect.

Viking Buttress had a team on and there was even a snow hole occupied by a hound!

Today was the first time Alan and Loraine had...

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Winter Skill Training for Patterdale MRT

POSTED: 26th January 2010 BY: Dan
CATEGORIES: Technical Courses, Winter Conditions

This course was provided by Mike Margeson of Mountain Recreation and myself and was designed for Mountain Rescue Team by Mike and the team leader.
Day 1 - snow & avalanche revision, self arrest practice, snow belays, confidence roping and navigation.

Day 2 - rock belays, pitching, taking coils, short roping, lowers & abseiling steep ground, slope stability...

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