I often find myself in awkward situations when I’m out helping people learn to climb, or climbing for my own pleasure. As a Mountaineering Instructor I have a duty of care to ensure the safety of others as well as my own clients and myself. It is difficult to ignore a member of the public who […]
Morocco – Trad Leading Mecca
I knew nothing about Morocco except what I could glean from the new guide book and emails with Paul Donnithorne. You have to plan your gear for something big, but nothing could have prepared me for the sight of endless valleys of unclimbed rock. The Anti Atlas Mountains are south of Agadir, and are divided into […]
Climbing Lemons – Accident Prevention
I recently ran a CWA Training Course at BUCR and came across the term Climbing Lemons for the first time. Basically if you look at climbing like a one armed bandit when you pull the arm, one lemon might come up – you are belaying and are distracted by someone or something but NOTHING happens. […]
Outdoor Climbing Day with St.Neot’s School
Although the students all came from St. Neot’s Preparatory School, it was more of a family climbing day, as Mums and Dads came along too. Climbs were set up on a bottom rope system using GriGri’s tied off to trees which meant students could belay each other as well as Mum’s and Dad’s. It was […]
Trad climbing in Pembroke
Since the disastrous summer of 2012 I have become a dedicated weather watcher. When I have free time on my hands I check the weather forecast and convince a buddy to go climbing where the sun is shining. Pembroke was the destination on this occasion. The beautiful coastline is a mecca for sea cliff trad […]