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Alpine training - Lake District

21/6/2019

Threading the needle - Napes Needle

We've just had a couple of absolutely fantastic mountain days out with Tracy in preparation for her forthcoming Alpine trip.
Being a relatively recent convert to scrambling, I think it's fair to say she has the bug. Such a great way to move amongst the mountains as is it.
First up was Cam Crag Ridge in Langstrath. A beautifully situated rocky ridge which is deserving of its 3 star status for views alone. Factor in the sublime rock, amazing situations, and very cool climbing and you have a 'must-do' route that really is good for all levels of scrambler as the grade can be varied from 1 to 3 quite easily. Blue skies and moderate winds gave us perfect conditions and we blasted up the route in super quick time.

For day 2 the bar was raised somewhat. With light winds and blue skies in the forecast this was always going to be a stunner. From Seathwaite in Borrowdale we took the Scafell Pike path as far as Styhead, then moved off onto the 'Climbers traverse' route under the majestic crags of Great Gable. Being steeped in mountaineering history, and having the most iconic piece of rock in the country, this place always brings a tingle to my spine, I love it.
There were climbers enjoying a tussle with 'Kern Knotts crack' - a classic struggle! We geared up shortly before reaching Napes Needle and it was decided we would 'thread the needle' and make this the start of our scrambling. This is also a traditional struggle, with some thuggy moves up the groove line, but it feels so wonderful. After this we continued on passing 'the dress circle' where we enjoyed great views back to climbers on Napes Needle and on Needle Ridge, all out enjoying the great weather.
Our route joins on to Sphinx ridge, which offers some really cool positions if taken directly (which we did), all perfect for that alpine like exposure that Tracy is looking for.
With the summit of Great Gable now close by, we detour slightly to fit in yet more scrambling up Pinnacle Ridge. This takes us almost to the top of the mountain and all with hands on rock.

A quick photo stop before we blast back down via Windy Gap.

Such a brilliant way to spend a day. For top quality scrambling and mountaineering in the Lake District, Great Gable delivers by the bucket load :-)

Thanks to Tracy and all the best for your Alpine trip.

Mark

Climbers descending after climbing Napes Needle

Sphinx ridge, Great Gable

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Stickle Ghyll - Gorge scrambling on a sunny afternoon!

14/6/2019

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Shower time in Stickle Ghyll!!

To we were joined by a great bunch of guys from Yorkshire. Visiting the Lakes for a Stag weekender. And what a brilliant way to start, Gorge Scrambling :-)
Wanting easier access from the Kendal area and a viewing path running alongside, it was Stickle Ghyll in Langdale where we headed.
After loads of rain recently I was expecting the water level to be high. It wasn't, but there was certainly plenty of it, perfect comes to mind.

After donning all the safety gear and nice warm wetsuits, it was off the the Ghyll we go. Everyone was well up for getting wet, very wet. So all walked through the waterfall 'shower', all jumped into all. the plunge pools too.

We wish all a fab weekend of fun and games in Kendal.

Gorge scrambling is a great activity for Stag and Hen weekends, it's so inclusive, and loads of fun. The Lake District offers some amazing gorges and we know all the best ones. If you're planning a weekend away and want to try something a bit different, give us a call and let's make a plan.

All the best

Mark

Going for a dip

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Wonderful walks after the rains

10/6/2019

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Looking over Windermere towards the Coniston fells

On Saturday I was joined by Claire and John who were visiting the Lakes with a plan to walk up Scafell Pike. However, the weather was looking pretty poor, with strong winds and heavy rain forecast. So we made a new plan to stay low, thus avoiding the strong winds and be able to enjoy some glorious Lakeland views.

From Elterwater we visited Skelwith and Colwith Force before moving on to the old quarries of Hodge Close and Cathedral cavern. Returning to Elterwater via Slaters Bridge and Little Langdale. All in all our route was about 9 miles or thereabouts, so a proper leg stretch.
With lots of water in the rivers and carpets of colour in the meadows and on the fells, it certainly has been a delight to enjoy this walk today. And with plenty of cloud shrouding the mountains, I'm confident we made the right decision to stay in the valleys rather than endure a high mountain walk.

Big thanks to Claire and John for great company and so many interesting stories.

Mark

Cascades above Colwith Force

The amazing Cathedral quarry

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Rock climbing day - Langdale

6/6/2019

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Enjoying the fine rock at Stickle Barn crag, Langdale

Yesterday we were joined by a family from Memphis Tennessee. Alice, Emma, and Harry all being regular indoor climbers were all keen to try out real rock. And where better than the English Lake District.

Starting at Lower Scout crags everyone climbed a variety of routes, all on dry rock despite the showers of the morning and rain the day before. We exhausted the dry routes by early afternoon so moved on to Stickle Barn crag, which is only a short walk away.

The climbs at Stickle Barn generally feel tougher, but by now everyone was ready for that additional challenge. A couple more climbs were enjoyed on the immaculate (and totally dry) rock here. Tiredness had definitely set in amongst the youngsters and with a steep walk ahead of us we called it time more or less in time for an early supper at The Stickle Barn Tavern.

The resilience and determination of Emma, Alice, and Harry was quite outstanding. They weren't for giving up at a tough move, but would keep on trying until they figured it out. Offering help to each other too. The biggest thing I noticed today though was the absence of mobile phones :-) Yes mum had one for photos, but the kids were here to climb, enjoy the view, look at the sheep, and that's what they did. To see kids really enjoying, embracing, and appreciating the great outdoors is truly wonderful.

Thanks to Robin, Emma, Alice, and Harry. Also thanks to Anna for helping out and lots of belaying today.

Mark

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Pillar high man - The final Nuttall

4/6/2019

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Ian on the summit of High Man

Last year Ian joined us for a day on Pillar. The aim had been to tick the summit of High Man. However, even before leaving Wasdale Head we had our doubts due to the unsettled weather. Still we kept with the program and went for 'a look'! Arriving at Robinson's Cairn it was now feeling more certain the weather gods were to stay against us. As it's such a long walk to reach Pillar, we continued the short way further to reach the base of High Man. With a cold wind swirls, rain, and wet rock, it was with heavy heads we walked away without the prize.

Sometimes the right decision is to walk away, sometimes the line is vague and that decision is a tough one. It's arguably the most difficult thing we do. Although the actual decision can be straightforward, breaking the news that plan A is cancelled is always a toughie!
I was asked recently if I had a 'proper job'. It's an understandable question, as when looking in on this type of work, it does all look very lovely. I'd agree, it is very very wonderful and I love what I do. But it is work and making judgement calls in challenging conditions, keeping people safe at all times, and ensuring a great day is had regardless of conditions, that reminds me I'm at work.
Thankfully, along with all that, there's a lot of fun :-)

Yesterday Ian was back for another attempt at Pillar High Man. We met at Wasdale Head and the strong wind caused us both to be in big jackets, hats, and gloves. Hardly a good start - and yes it is June!!!!

The forecast was reasonable, so off we went. As we neared Looking Stead the wind was close to 'blow us off our feet' velocity. This did not bode well. However, there was a fairly good chance that High Man would be in the lee of the wind, so on we went.

Looking onwards from Robinsons Cairn we only saw mist! Still, there was very little wind, so we focused on the positives and continued. Arriving at the gearing up spot things were already looking better, we could actually see our route (less than 100m away) and it looked fairly dry. Not much wind either.

We roped up before descending to the start of the route. The gully used to reach the start of Slab & Notch is very loose, so worth using the rope for protection. We cruised through the route, even with thick gloves on (wow it was cold) and soon Ian had reached his goal. To be standing on the summit of Pillar High Man. By now the clouds had parted and we were blessed with outstanding views into the Ennerdale valley and to the Buttermere Fells. IT is such a privilege to stand in these magical places and soak up the atmosphere.

As it was so cold, we didn't stay long. An abseil was arranged as down we went into Jordan Gap and a finish via Pisgah summit before returning to our bags (and more warm clothing).

We returned to Wasdale via the summit of Pillar, thus ticking two summits today, one being notably easier than the other. We both knew that it had come close to calling it off again today, but happy with the decision that was made. And very happy for Ian to have now ticked off the most difficult Nuttall in the round.

For inspiration to get out into the mountains or simply go and do something active, Ian is in his 70's and like a mountain goat. We completed the whole trip in 6 hours 47 minutes. And it's a big day. Don't think that 40's, 50's, 60's is too late to start getting active. It isn't. Start today!

For anyone wanting information about Pillar High Man please feel free to get in touch. And for guiding on this or many other Lakeland routes, we can help with that too.

Thanks for reading

Mark

#guided-ascent-of-pillar-rock-lake-district

High Man from the gearing up spot

Cruising up the crux to the notch belay

#mountaineering-instruction-lake-district

Pillar rock now forms the background as we fly on up to the summit of Pillar

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Esk Gorge - Stag do activity day

1/6/2019

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One of many massive waterfalls in the Esk

Today we've been over to Eskdale to play in the mighty Esk Gorge with a visiting Stag group. The Esk is the ultimate Lakeland gorge scramble / canyon trip. The scenery, wilderness like as it is, is enough. But there's so much more. Deep pool after deep pool of pure Lakeland water, and yes it's often fresh from the sky!!

Depending on water levels will depend on how much scrambling is available. During low water there's loads of rock scrambling on offer and this definitely enhances the trip for most. However, after heavy rains there's still lots to do in here, it's simply more watery, makes sense right.

Today was one of those more watery days, so we hunted out all the best jumps, often doing them multiple times. Sections of easy scrambling joined these. For some additional rope play we set up a Tyrollean traverse (zip line) across the gorge, with a waterfall gushing noisily below! Starting from one side, everyone had to pull themselves over the gorge using the fixed ropes. Looks easy, but does require determination. Thankfully everyone had plenty of that :-)

After more play time in the water we fixed up the final challenge of the day. An abseil right next to a massive waterfall and we had a little surprise! The abseil terminates in a deep pool, so we engineered it for the rope to be a little bit too short. Under normal circumstances having a short abseil rope is very bad and not to be recommended. When abseiling into deep water it's actually beneficial to have a short rope. As each person descended they realised that 'oh wow, the rope doesn't reach' so simply dropped off the end to take the plunge into the deep pool.

A sterling effort by everyone. Big thanks to Sam Marsland who was running the activity today, top job as always :-)

This was the first trip out and test trip for some of our brand new wetsuit gear. Some of the wetsuits have already seen some action, but the new neoprene jackets hadn't, until today. The combination of wetsuit and neoprene jacket worked well, keeping people warmer for much longer. In fact we were starting to strip off on the walk out, so warm we were. So thanks to Lomo for this great kit.

Mark

We rigged a Tyrollean traverse too

Abseiling in Lingcove Beck to finish the trip

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Alpine training - Lake District

Stickle Ghyll - Gorge scrambling on a sunny afternoon!

Wonderful walks after the rains

Rock climbing day - Langdale

Pillar high man - The final Nuttall

Esk Gorge - Stag do activity day

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