I'm currently in Norway on what has become an annual pilgrimage to the land of the midnight sun. I'm based in Aurland on the shores of the Aurlandsfjorden which is home to porpoise, sea otter and many sea birds. Which is just as well as this year temperatures have warmed up a bit which has kep... more>
I've been delivering more avalanche avoidance courses in the Chamonix Valley this week. The Alps are experiencing a great snow season with 'little and often' being the norm puntuated by the occasional massive dump. Again I worked out of the Grands Montets resort which has a great transceiver p... more>
I've just completed a regular slot of work I carry out on behalf of two UK Instructor Associations: the Mountain Leader Training Association (MLTA) and the Association of Mountaineering Instructors (AMI). Both organisations ask their members to attend and log continuing professional developmen... more>
Winter has well and truly arrived in the Alps! Already we have experienced more snow than last season and we have had a few 'category 5' days. I've been out and about, mostly skiing with friends and family enjoying the great conditions. Around Christmas and New Year I mainly skied in the local... more>
The great autumnal conditions have broken in the Alps and the long awaited snow has finally arrived. I've been doing a mix of things recently; lecturing, a bit of dry tooling and more recently getting back on the planks (skiing). For the second year running I've co delivered the more>
The weather in the Alps has been stable for what seems like an age now, with high pressure in control. The big north faces have been coming into condition with approaches being easy and quick; perfect conditions to get bigger, commiting routes done. The Chamonix valley is also quiet at the mom... more>
I've had a nice week away in the North East of England working on a couple of MLTE courses. The first was a Walking Group Leader (WGL) Assessment for the Royal Grammar School, Newcastle. This was the second 'wave' of candidates through and we have now had 5 teachers pass this award out of 11 t... more>
Corsica was called 'Kallistè' by the Greeks. Literally 'the most beautiful' and things have not changed much. It's about half the size of Wales, with stunning beaches and a granite mountain massif rising to over 2700m. With so much variety there is always something to do here, from long granit... more>
The Peutery Integral is a climbers climb. Not as famous as the Eigerwand or perhaps as hard, it is however on every alpinists wishlist. And the reality is that is where, for the most part it stays. There are good reasons for this.
One, it's committing beyond belief. You need best part o... more>
My Dad, like his son is a busy bloke, so it was good to finally match a date and meet up in Chamonix. Last time he was here the weather wasn't up to much and we only got a glimpse of Mont Blanc through grey skies and rain. This time I'm pleased to say the more normal trend of anti cyclonic con... more>
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