Norway has become one of the most popular venues in recent times for ice climbing. Consistently cold temperatures and steep valley sides form ice readily. The Sogneford cuts deep into the south western seaboard and the many, many valleys that radiate from it hold a lifetime of exp... more>
The Vallee Blanche is perhaps the world's most famous off piste run - and for good reason. Around 2800m of descent over 17km amongst an unrivalled vista makes this a 'must' for many skiers. There are a number of variations to the Vallee Blanche - the Voie Normale being the trade route of mode... more>
John and Louise joined me for 6 days on both the French and Italian sides of the Mt Blanc Massif. We started in Chamonix in bitterly cold temperatures and climbed at La Cremerie (near the Grand Montets ski resort). For the remaining time we based ourselves again at the more>
Cogne in northern Italy is a short drive through the Mt Blanc tunnel from Chamonix. On arrival though it feels like your a thousand miles away. The pace of life and atmosphere is way more laid back and the coffee three times cheaper. Graham and I climbed for 5 days together. During the week w... more>
The Italian valley of Cogne is world famous for it's reliable and quality ice. Conditions are generally good from December to the end of February and this season is good. European Water Ice grades are generally 'one grade harder' than their Scottish counterpart i.e. WI 4 equates to Scottish V... more>
The Mountain Leader Training Association (MLTA) is part of Mountain Leader Training (MLT) and provides a network for members who hold, or are working towards the MLT National Governing Body Awards. Over 4 days I delivered two workshops based... more>
The Climbing Wall Award (CWA) is a relatively new qualification. It's designed to cater for those running sessions at walls - mainly novices. It covers a wide range of skills such as group management, injury prevention, bouldering, group abseiling and lead climbing etc. During the course you v... more>
Winter climbing conditions in Scotland are superb at the moment. Whilst there is not really an established base of snow in the corries it is down to the road and consistently freezing. Tamsin and I based ourselves at Fort William and climbed in Glencoe and the Southern Highlands over a few day... more>
Scottish winter climbing success can be hard won. Blair Fyffe and I have had a couple of days walking in to climb some very hard routes. We didn't get up them! We did however have a magical day on Beinn Bhan in the NW Highlands. The vista towards Torridon was worth the walk alone. Blair climbe... more>
On Boxing Day Tamsin and I headed to Royal Deeside to climb on Lochnagar. The snow is down to the road and what is normally a pleasant 2 hour approach turned into a 4 hour endurance test. I've picked a bad time to leave my skis in Chamonix!
The climbs are undoubtedly in full winter condi... more>
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