Thursday, 30 August 2012
IML training day (Sunday26th August)
Following the recent good news that I am now accepted onto the IML, I need to start getting ready for the navigation speed test which is carried out during the training week. Passing this within the required time is a pre-requisite for progressing to the main (summer) assessment – hopefully next year. So as an ML already why do I need to practice ? Well, accurate navigation is one thing, doing it under time pressure is another and the reality is that is very rare for MLs to have to use their nav skills to the level required for assessment, so its easy to get rusty especially as I am not out every day like full time MLs.
We had a long and productive day in the area around Capel Curig, Julie setting targets and me having to find them, which on the whole I managed pretty well.
The day was brightened by sunshine in the afternoon, doing the beautiful scenery full justice, and by a small herd of wild welsh mountain ponies and their gorgeous young foals, who were torn between curiosity and fear as we approached.
I also had a go at naming some of the wild flowers we found, with less success, however a posting on ‘Wild About Britain’ soon got me sorted
Wednesday, 29 August 2012
Pyrenean Odyssey - the final chapter !
Well its been a long haul but here it is, the final exciting instalment of our Pyrenees road trip (some pics to follow via flickr) ...
Lacs de
Neovielles:
With the end
of the holiday nearing, I was keen to get two more mountain days in, so despite
my legs feeling like lumps of lead we decided on a circuit of the Lacs de
Neovielle, starting and finishing at the Tourmalet mid station in the - now
returned - glorious weather. This was a long day - over 8 hrs with temps
above 30C and over 1500M of ascent, but we were rewarded again with amazing,
contrasting scenery, an array of beautiful lakes in which to cool feet, and a summit, the
Pic du Madamette. The pictures say it better than I could, see next post for flickr library.
Lac Bleu:
Thursday saw
the final walk of the holiday - a trip up the other side of the valley.
Starting from a car parking area on one of the higher switchbacks, we
shunned the popular but crowded trek to the observatory on top of Pic du Midi
du Bigorre and took a trail up and over the Col d'Aoube (high point) to the
Lacs Bleu and Vert - an unusual trek for us in that the start and destination
are at the same height with an 800m climb in the middle. Highlights of
the day were seeing sheep trying to find shade for their heads, including
improbable perches on rocks and putting them down holes ! We were also treated to the majestic sight of a
couple of huge Griffon Vultures circling high over the col, a pair of Peregrine
Falcons near the lakes and the lakes themselves. Lac Bleu was quite a large
lake, crystal clear close up but with a bright blue colour from a distance.
We spent a while relaxing and drinking in the glorious scenery for the
last time this trip and even enjoyed a few dips in the lake, but the contrast
between 30C temp out of the water and what felt like 0C in it (complete with ‘ice
cream head’ when I tried to swim) meant they were short ones :-)
We had a strong
motivation for making good time back to the car and campsite – we had been
promised a jacuzzi in the Hotel du Tourmalet by David, so we hot footed it back
to the site, showered and trekked back up the hill. We had the jacuzzi to ourselves and it did
not disappoint, just what the doctor
ordered after an active week ! This was followed by another glorious meal, copious
amounts of wine and putting the world to rights until 1am with some hotel
guests and the management… maybe there is something in this hotel malarkey
after all ;-)
The following day saw a leisurely start with sore heads, a stop off in Luz to stock up on local madiran wine - vaunted by some as the secret of the longevity of the locals (the longest lived in France despite a diet high in saturated fat), and a few presents before starting the long haul back to the Chunnel, thoughts of a possible October return keeping the worst of the 'end of trip' blues at bay.
Monday, 27 August 2012
Stop press ! IML here I come
I have found out that I have been accepted onto the International Mountain Leader (IML) award scheme and onto the next training course at Plas y Brenin at the end of October. The IML award effectively extends the remit of the Summer ML into Europe (in some countries e.g. France it is a legal requirement) and brings in winter elements in non glacial environments - more details on the IML award on their website: http://www.baiml.org/
Gaining this award will help me get work in Europe and ultimately facilitate the setting up of an outdoor activities operation in France - I hope !
Gaining this award will help me get work in Europe and ultimately facilitate the setting up of an outdoor activities operation in France - I hope !
Pyrenean Odyssey pt 4 - Cycling drama bonus !
Haute Pyrenees - Bareges:
With only a week left we still hadn't made it to the 'Haute Pyrenees' so, after the deep cleansing and overnight recuperation at our excellent municipal campsite and a leisurely start on a bright sunny morning , we set off for Bareges by way of the Col du Tourmalet (which I was pretty excited about, being a Tour de France fan) driving into gradually worsening weather which we could see from miles away. We hit the cloud low on the drive up the eastern side of the col and actually saw nothing of it due to near zero visibility and driving rain, which made it quite a scary drive, especially as cyclists were still toiling up it. Bareges is part way up/down the Col on the west side and the last major village on the famous Tour de France climb, where Bradley Wiggins effectively sealed his 2012 TDF victory by not getting wasted by his rivals. We arrived in the village on Sunday afternoon in heavy rain and with not much open, so first impressions were not the best, but we did encounter a very colourful campsite host, who liked to tease me about being English and decided to call me Wiggins - a nick name I was quite happy with, especially after seeing the huge 'Wiggo' and the mod target painted on the road in the middle of the town :-)
Once the sun re-appeared on Monday afternoon, and there was some life back in the place, Bareges turned out to be a really good place to stay – lively but without the manic bustle and traffic of Luz at the bottom of the valley and despite a couple of concrete eyesores, still a traditional looking mountain village.
Col du Tourmalet:
Ever since I first watched 'Le Tour' as a teenager, I had harboured an ambition to cycle some of the big climbs, especially the Col du Tourmalet - the most used, and (with respect to Alpe d'Huez) arguably the most famous, of the great 'hors category' climbs. The total climb is 19km with an average gradient of around 8%, but with some flatter bits and a small downhill section, the gradient much of the way is a lot more, getting up to 15% on the final ramp - eek !
With not enough time in the day for a mountain day or climb, I decided it was now or never, made sure everything was spot on with the bike and set off down to the start. Each km is marked with a sign showing how far completed, the distance to the top and the average gradient of the next km; this in general is good, although a couple of times I was a bit psyched out as I huffed up to a sign only to find the km was even steeper !
The start is not too bad, but then it stiffens up to 8% for a few km as it approaches and goes through Bareges, before slackening off for a while as it approaches the ski station. From this flat area, the rest of the climb, now above the treeline and complete with multiple switchbacks opens out - inspiring and scarey !
Things get more serious from now on, with multiple 9% average kms, so I enjoyed the brief respite with some easy peddling along the flat and steeled myself as the gradient kicked in once more. I found myself caught between welcoming and resenting the short flatter sections sometimes encountered between switchbacks – yes, I got a small rest but with an average gradient at 9% it meant the steep bits were even steeper :-( The painted names and slogans increased dramatically now, I found one particularly inspiring - "Pain is just weakness leaving the body" and repeated this to myself over and over on the really tough bits. Round one switchback was what I can only describe as hundreds of sperm painted on the road all swimming upwards round the corner - bizarre !
Once I hit the 3km marker, I started to believe I would succeed - this was a 9% km but I knew the penultimate km was a little less before the final lung bursting 10% final km and 15% final ramp. In the event, the penultimate km didn't really let up except for a short flat section just before the start of the last km (bloody averages again !). My legs were beginning to really suffer with lactate now and I could feel the beginnings of muscle cramp in my calves, but now inside the last km it was simply a matter of grinding it out and as I hit the final ramp I was forcing my legs over pretty much by will power alone. The summit is really busy and as I rounded the last corner someone was standing in the road, blocking my way ! Knowing I was spent and would not be able to get round without falling off, I screamed incoherently and he got the message, moving just in time to allow me to cross the summit line and collapse over my bike ! An amazing, painful experience – with an average speed of just over 10km/hr, I won’t be signing pro forms just yet, but I was really chuffed to make it on the little cycling that I do. Mucho respect to the TDF boys who do this twice as fast, as part of much longer day and after a couple of other big climbs.
Unfortunately the pics I took at the top were on my stolen phone, but this was one big tick on my list of 'must do' life experiences :-))
That evening I managed to make my legs work enough to walk up to the newly re-opened Hotel du Tourmalet, now owned a British couple who also run an outdoor holiday and Gite operation in the village, where we managed to get an Olympics TV fix – our first of the holidays – and enjoyed a superb recovery meal, a tapas with regional specialities and plenty of medicinal wine, as well as making the acquaintance of David, the Hotel manager, who (with his partner Wendy whom we met on a subsequent meeting) was both a superb host and really nice guy.
With only a week left we still hadn't made it to the 'Haute Pyrenees' so, after the deep cleansing and overnight recuperation at our excellent municipal campsite and a leisurely start on a bright sunny morning , we set off for Bareges by way of the Col du Tourmalet (which I was pretty excited about, being a Tour de France fan) driving into gradually worsening weather which we could see from miles away. We hit the cloud low on the drive up the eastern side of the col and actually saw nothing of it due to near zero visibility and driving rain, which made it quite a scary drive, especially as cyclists were still toiling up it. Bareges is part way up/down the Col on the west side and the last major village on the famous Tour de France climb, where Bradley Wiggins effectively sealed his 2012 TDF victory by not getting wasted by his rivals. We arrived in the village on Sunday afternoon in heavy rain and with not much open, so first impressions were not the best, but we did encounter a very colourful campsite host, who liked to tease me about being English and decided to call me Wiggins - a nick name I was quite happy with, especially after seeing the huge 'Wiggo' and the mod target painted on the road in the middle of the town :-)
Once the sun re-appeared on Monday afternoon, and there was some life back in the place, Bareges turned out to be a really good place to stay – lively but without the manic bustle and traffic of Luz at the bottom of the valley and despite a couple of concrete eyesores, still a traditional looking mountain village.
Col du Tourmalet:
Ever since I first watched 'Le Tour' as a teenager, I had harboured an ambition to cycle some of the big climbs, especially the Col du Tourmalet - the most used, and (with respect to Alpe d'Huez) arguably the most famous, of the great 'hors category' climbs. The total climb is 19km with an average gradient of around 8%, but with some flatter bits and a small downhill section, the gradient much of the way is a lot more, getting up to 15% on the final ramp - eek !
With not enough time in the day for a mountain day or climb, I decided it was now or never, made sure everything was spot on with the bike and set off down to the start. Each km is marked with a sign showing how far completed, the distance to the top and the average gradient of the next km; this in general is good, although a couple of times I was a bit psyched out as I huffed up to a sign only to find the km was even steeper !
The start is not too bad, but then it stiffens up to 8% for a few km as it approaches and goes through Bareges, before slackening off for a while as it approaches the ski station. From this flat area, the rest of the climb, now above the treeline and complete with multiple switchbacks opens out - inspiring and scarey !
Things get more serious from now on, with multiple 9% average kms, so I enjoyed the brief respite with some easy peddling along the flat and steeled myself as the gradient kicked in once more. I found myself caught between welcoming and resenting the short flatter sections sometimes encountered between switchbacks – yes, I got a small rest but with an average gradient at 9% it meant the steep bits were even steeper :-( The painted names and slogans increased dramatically now, I found one particularly inspiring - "Pain is just weakness leaving the body" and repeated this to myself over and over on the really tough bits. Round one switchback was what I can only describe as hundreds of sperm painted on the road all swimming upwards round the corner - bizarre !
Once I hit the 3km marker, I started to believe I would succeed - this was a 9% km but I knew the penultimate km was a little less before the final lung bursting 10% final km and 15% final ramp. In the event, the penultimate km didn't really let up except for a short flat section just before the start of the last km (bloody averages again !). My legs were beginning to really suffer with lactate now and I could feel the beginnings of muscle cramp in my calves, but now inside the last km it was simply a matter of grinding it out and as I hit the final ramp I was forcing my legs over pretty much by will power alone. The summit is really busy and as I rounded the last corner someone was standing in the road, blocking my way ! Knowing I was spent and would not be able to get round without falling off, I screamed incoherently and he got the message, moving just in time to allow me to cross the summit line and collapse over my bike ! An amazing, painful experience – with an average speed of just over 10km/hr, I won’t be signing pro forms just yet, but I was really chuffed to make it on the little cycling that I do. Mucho respect to the TDF boys who do this twice as fast, as part of much longer day and after a couple of other big climbs.
Unfortunately the pics I took at the top were on my stolen phone, but this was one big tick on my list of 'must do' life experiences :-))
That evening I managed to make my legs work enough to walk up to the newly re-opened Hotel du Tourmalet, now owned a British couple who also run an outdoor holiday and Gite operation in the village, where we managed to get an Olympics TV fix – our first of the holidays – and enjoyed a superb recovery meal, a tapas with regional specialities and plenty of medicinal wine, as well as making the acquaintance of David, the Hotel manager, who (with his partner Wendy whom we met on a subsequent meeting) was both a superb host and really nice guy.
Saturday, 25 August 2012
Pyrenean Odyssey - part 3
Having now returned to Blighty , I've relieved some of the depression by writting up the remaining accounts of out trip but it's turned out to be quite a tome, so I am staggering its publication, Harry Potter style to allow everyone to recover from each breathtaking instalment and to prolong the excitement :-)
BTW: apologies for the general lack of pictures, our small camera was being temperamental and I had my iphone, which I was using instead, nicked ! There are more towards the end of the trip so I'll probably post them via vimeo or similar ...watch this space.
So, on with the Odyssey (now spelt correctly for the eagle eyed) ...
Arieges - Tarascon & Foix, Quie de Sinsat:
In need of a climbing fix, we found a lovely campsite near Tarascon but in the country close to the well known climbing area called 'Le Quie de Sinsat' and claimed a huge pitch right by the river.
The climbing turned out to be a pleasant mountain bike + short walk away up the river, total time about 20mins. This is limestone climbing again, well bolted (although in the usual french style a bit economical at times) and well signed with a good mix of grades - plenty to keep us out of mischief for a couple of days - the highlight for me being a 30m single pitch classic on the 'grande dalle' (slab) with a 6a 'direct' option high up, which I took and successfully negotiated. There were also a number of longer climbs, but with a 60m rope these were out of bounds; based on my experiences this trip, I'd definitely recommend a 70m rope to get the best out of the climbing on these big crags.
After a day enjoying Foix and checking out property prices, we spent a night in a local english run Gite by the well known climbing area of Calames (check out Base Calames on the web), intending to spend a full day there armed with some local knowledge from our hosts. Alas, we had one of the very few weather let downs of the trip, waking to a morning of low cloud and drizzle. Following a re-stock of provisions, we prepared to move on but with improving weather, managed to sneak in a quick stop at Auzat, another major climbing venue but this time on granite which came as a nice change after two weeks of limestone !
Arieges - Mont Valier:
Now in need of more mountain days, we stopped in a small village called Bonac, in the heart of the Ariege Pyrenees, which had a cool 'camping car' halt right by the river, an open area with about 10 pitches and electricity, water and drainage facilities but nothing else. We had to pay at the local Auberge, so stayed and had a basic but enjoyable meal and a couple of beers. The following morning with the cloud still low we drove a few km to La Maison du Valier at the road head of the Riberot valley and put in a long day doing a GR route up Mont Valier, returning by one of the 'Chemins de la liberte' - these are tracks used by escaping prisoners and other refugees in WW II to escape the Nazis, by crossing the mountains into Spain. The 'chemin' was steep but ok in Summer with good gear, but in Winter without any special clothing or equipment it must have been an epic ! Unfortunately, most of the route was done in cloud so the views weren't often visible (though the nav practice was good !) but we did see the impressive Cascade de Neroch and have a period of sun for our pit stop at the Lac Rond.
BTW: apologies for the general lack of pictures, our small camera was being temperamental and I had my iphone, which I was using instead, nicked ! There are more towards the end of the trip so I'll probably post them via vimeo or similar ...watch this space.
So, on with the Odyssey (now spelt correctly for the eagle eyed) ...
Arieges - Tarascon & Foix, Quie de Sinsat:
The climbing turned out to be a pleasant mountain bike + short walk away up the river, total time about 20mins. This is limestone climbing again, well bolted (although in the usual french style a bit economical at times) and well signed with a good mix of grades - plenty to keep us out of mischief for a couple of days - the highlight for me being a 30m single pitch classic on the 'grande dalle' (slab) with a 6a 'direct' option high up, which I took and successfully negotiated. There were also a number of longer climbs, but with a 60m rope these were out of bounds; based on my experiences this trip, I'd definitely recommend a 70m rope to get the best out of the climbing on these big crags.
After a day enjoying Foix and checking out property prices, we spent a night in a local english run Gite by the well known climbing area of Calames (check out Base Calames on the web), intending to spend a full day there armed with some local knowledge from our hosts. Alas, we had one of the very few weather let downs of the trip, waking to a morning of low cloud and drizzle. Following a re-stock of provisions, we prepared to move on but with improving weather, managed to sneak in a quick stop at Auzat, another major climbing venue but this time on granite which came as a nice change after two weeks of limestone !
Arieges - Mont Valier:
Now in need of more mountain days, we stopped in a small village called Bonac, in the heart of the Ariege Pyrenees, which had a cool 'camping car' halt right by the river, an open area with about 10 pitches and electricity, water and drainage facilities but nothing else. We had to pay at the local Auberge, so stayed and had a basic but enjoyable meal and a couple of beers. The following morning with the cloud still low we drove a few km to La Maison du Valier at the road head of the Riberot valley and put in a long day doing a GR route up Mont Valier, returning by one of the 'Chemins de la liberte' - these are tracks used by escaping prisoners and other refugees in WW II to escape the Nazis, by crossing the mountains into Spain. The 'chemin' was steep but ok in Summer with good gear, but in Winter without any special clothing or equipment it must have been an epic ! Unfortunately, most of the route was done in cloud so the views weren't often visible (though the nav practice was good !) but we did see the impressive Cascade de Neroch and have a period of sun for our pit stop at the Lac Rond.
Despite a long day in the mountains, I was under orders to find a campsite with a shower so we hot footed it to Castillon-en-Couserans where by sheer luck we found a good municipal site with excellent facilities and cheap - result !
Monday, 6 August 2012
Road trip pt2 - Into the mountains
Big weather here in Haute Pyrenees so it must be blog time !
Where was I ? Oh yes, Font Romeu ...
FR is a winter ski resort and -whilst not as bad as some - feels like one ! It does have plenty to offer in the summer but in that very commercialised way of ski resorts and that extended to our campsite "Huttopia" a kind of center parcs with a campsite bolted on - excellent facilities but camping area clearly not designed by campers ! After a day cycling round and relaxing in coffee shops we headed up for our first mtn day - a col and peaks straddling the border via the beautiful vallee d'Eyne renowned for its flora & fauna, the col being the Col d'Eina and the peaks of Eina (2786) & Nuria (2794). The walk lives up to expectations as it wends its way gently up the valley through trees and alpine meadows awash with beautiful flowers and butterflies, bell laden cows, stunning views of the slopes above andbest of all, red squirrels. Eventually we arrived at a high valley above the tree line and from here on it resembled the plateaus of snowdonia more than the alps, rolling sparsely grassed slopes with little crags and steep streams. a shortish, steep section eased by the zig zags that characterise European hikes, brought us to the col and the border, where we indulged in the standard pastime of straddling the border to be half in France and half in Spain :-) a couple of quick jaunts to either side bagged the peaks, ensuring full satisfaction and a +1000m height day. Views from the top were a bit of a disappointment mainly because the ridge seemed to be a weather boundary with thick low cloud on the spanish side. We lingered more on the descent to fully appreciate the surroundings and sit by the mountain pools eating the remains of lunch. Overall a superb day, quite long at 22k, 7.5 hrs and 1100m ht gain, but never too strenuous and, after the first hour, quiet as well.
The following day involved domestic chores in the morning and travel to Sinsat in the Ariege for, hopefully some more climbing ...
Where was I ? Oh yes, Font Romeu ...
FR is a winter ski resort and -whilst not as bad as some - feels like one ! It does have plenty to offer in the summer but in that very commercialised way of ski resorts and that extended to our campsite "Huttopia" a kind of center parcs with a campsite bolted on - excellent facilities but camping area clearly not designed by campers ! After a day cycling round and relaxing in coffee shops we headed up for our first mtn day - a col and peaks straddling the border via the beautiful vallee d'Eyne renowned for its flora & fauna, the col being the Col d'Eina and the peaks of Eina (2786) & Nuria (2794). The walk lives up to expectations as it wends its way gently up the valley through trees and alpine meadows awash with beautiful flowers and butterflies, bell laden cows, stunning views of the slopes above andbest of all, red squirrels. Eventually we arrived at a high valley above the tree line and from here on it resembled the plateaus of snowdonia more than the alps, rolling sparsely grassed slopes with little crags and steep streams. a shortish, steep section eased by the zig zags that characterise European hikes, brought us to the col and the border, where we indulged in the standard pastime of straddling the border to be half in France and half in Spain :-) a couple of quick jaunts to either side bagged the peaks, ensuring full satisfaction and a +1000m height day. Views from the top were a bit of a disappointment mainly because the ridge seemed to be a weather boundary with thick low cloud on the spanish side. We lingered more on the descent to fully appreciate the surroundings and sit by the mountain pools eating the remains of lunch. Overall a superb day, quite long at 22k, 7.5 hrs and 1100m ht gain, but never too strenuous and, after the first hour, quiet as well.
The following day involved domestic chores in the morning and travel to Sinsat in the Ariege for, hopefully some more climbing ...
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