3 Peaks Expedition report and Pictures

Last week-end I had the pleasure of leading a group form Mondelez (Cadbury, Kenco etc.) on a National 3 peaks Challenge in aid of Macmillan Cancer Research.

Very briefly for anyone not aware, the National 3 Peaks is a challenge to walk to the top of the highest mountains in Scotland, England and Wales i.e. Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike, Snowdon straight after each other. The key target is to accomplish this within 24 hours ( though many just go to try and finish), which has got increasingly more difficult with busier roads, stricter speed limits and now speed limited mini-buses which can't go above about 65 mph even on a motorway.  Add to that stricter laws on hours of driving and tacographs for commercial drivers, and the pressure is now on for teams to be swift on the hill because the road section is all about damage limitation.

This effort was also a two day push, meaning we started out form Chester on Saturday morning and were climbing Ben Nevis that same evening, whereas the majority of attempts involve driving up to Scotland the day before.

So, I met my team at Chester services at 0530 and they were in a bouncy, excited mood even at that time - the joys of youth !  The drive up was slightly complicated by having to pick up two of the team at Glasgow airport and then we were delayed by roadworks round Loch Lomond and an extreme triathlon between Crianlarich and Glencoe - the CIty to Summit race involving swim the Forth at Edinburgh, cycle 110m to Glen Coe and then a marathon finishing up and down Ben Nevis - wow !  Given the delays we arrived at Fort Bill at around 1415, and driver laws meant our man had to have 9 hours break so we couldn't finish on the Ben until after 2315.  The other Mountain Leader, Bryan, and I  had a quick conflab and decided on a 5:00-5:15 target time and a set off time of 1815.

Ben Nevis:
We started in good spirits, great weather and a consequently over fast pace which caused no small amount of suffering higher up, though most people were quite wowed by the sudden onset of winter on the summit plateau as passed the snowline and into the cloud. The steady stream of heroic triathletes - including one D.McCloud supporting a friend - staggering up and down the Ben provided much needed encouragement. Despite the pain, our gallant team got up and down in around 5:15 and were heartened to see the bus arrive just as we approached - so no waiting and no lost time.  
Drive section 1:
The faffing at the end was kept to a minimum and we all experienced the joys of trying to get changed, have a wet wipe wash and eat whilst our driver did his best to keep the foot on the floor round the windy roads.  Most of the team seemed to get to sleep but I - sans pillow and a cramped seat - could do no better than an odd doze. A compulsory pit stop of 45 mins at Annandale Water provided the opportunity to sort kit out for the next leg before a few more zzzs on the last section to Wasdale.
Scafell Pike:
We piled out of the van at Wasdale and set off in good time with a target of 3:30 and a beautiful morning though on the west side we were going to be in deep shade nearly all the way. The team had been forewarned about the steep grind up the lower section of Scafell but it still tested some of them to their limits, though again they all made it to the top of a cloudy but clear summit and some amazing views. The steep descent on rocky ground also - proved testing, followed the knee breaker path but we made it in 3:25 slightly better than target - nice !
Drive section 2:
The early part of this is a white knuckle ride round very narrow, twisty, single track roads with kamikaze sheep and dozy tourists, but we survived with nothing worse than slightly queasy stomachs and tried to sleep on the motorway section to Chester.  At this point we had a driver change and acquired Frank a scouser and born entertainer who kept us occupied with a stream of jokes, stories and special musical compilations on top of a sterling job at getting us to Pen-y-Pass ahead of schedule.
Snowdon:
With tired legs but grim determination the team set off knowing anything better than 4:15 would give us a sub 24 and the regular shouts and chants of encouragement indicated nothing less would do.  We went up the PYG track and summited in a little over 2 hours, the view as we reached the bwlch was amazing and revived even the most tired.  But, with tired bodies and minds Bryan and I decided a decent down the miners path  - though over a km longer - would be safer.  Despite a few flutters of panic from some of the team based on earlier experiences, we made it back safe and sound in 3:45 - smashed the sub 24 by 30 mins !

All in all a great effort by an enthusiastic team who although quite young and fit were inexperienced hill walkers and had to dig deep on the steep uphill climbs. So well done to them for a great personal achievement and for raising over £7000 for Macmillan - superb.

And for once I even took some pictures ! View them on flickr here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shandyd05/sets/72157633911593988/

Tryfan + Bristly Ridge = Classic Snowdonia Mountain Day

Yesterday I was out in Snowdonia with two clients, Mike and Hayden.  Both are pretty experienced in the hills and are on the ML trail, having completed their training.  They were after  a day on steep ground including some easy (grade 1) scrambling on classic routes to gain further experience - and they don't come any more classic than the Tryfan N Ridge - Bristly Ridge - Y Gribin round !

We met at the lay-by right under Tryfan just after 9.30 am and after the usual faffing set off at almost 10 am in pretty reasonable weather, cloudy but dry and warm with good visibility, though we knew the forecast was for significant deterioration in the afternoon.  

A plague(?) of Scouts ... Almost immediately upon starting the route, we were amongst a large group (20-30) of young scouts aged we thought, around 13-15 with some leaders dotted here and there.  Now I don't know the level of competency of these kids, or the qualifications of the leaders, so I don't want to cast too many aspersions but I thought the level of supervision looked suspect and I was glad I didn't have the responsibility - however, my two clients who are both teachers and CCF leaders were aghast at what they saw !

Tryfan Rescue ... With a little thought on route choice, we largely managed to avoid the main crowd apart from at the usual bottlenecks, though some of them seemed to follow our route once they had seen us !  Otherwise, it was a very pleasant ascent of scrambling and rough walking until we encountered a father / son pair who asked for help.  They had become cragfast after venturing too far round to the west on one of the steeper sections.  The father was able to retreat to safe ground but his teenage son had got into a position where he couldn't go forward and didn't want to go back over some wet slabs. After a quick recce, I decided the quickest and safest approach was to drop a rope to provide him some security to climb up to me.  He was able to climb easily onto a ledge more directly below me, I put a sling round a huge block, dropped a rope loop down to him and asked him to step into it and tighten it. I then set up an Italian hitch and belayed him up to me.  The poor lad was shaking like a leaf and struggling for footholds, but with the security of the rope and some gentle coaxing made it to the security of our position, still shaking.  His Dad joined us shortly after and with a mumbled thank-you and something about having done the route ok previously, set off with his son up the next section - nice to know our help was appreciated and that the father had his son's well being at the top of his agenda !!  My guys were impressed with the simplicity of my solution and we debated the fact that use of this system is not within the ML Summer remit.

The rest of the ascent happened without incident and on reaching Adam & Eve, we scuttled straight off to the south summit for a bite and drink to ensure a bit of peace and to be well away from potential 'Scouts fall while jumping Adam & Eve' incidents.

There is a message here, which is ... Tryfan is a serious proposition and is often underestimated by walkers beguiled by its roadside location.  In poor visibility, it is especially difficult with no clear track and many false trails.  Make sure you are properly equipped and have the experience to deal with it in poor conditions, or seek the services of a qualified mountain professional.

Bristly Ridge in the wet ... After a bit of ML ropework practice on our way down, we reached Bwlch Tryfan and started up towards Bristly just as the cloud came in and a light rain started - the forecast was going to be pretty accurate it seemed.  Bristly Ridge, though shorter, is a tougher proposition than the standard Tryfan route (though Tryfan can be made harder) and in the wet requires a lot more care as some of the rock is quite smooth. My two guys certainly found it more of stretch and towards the limit of their comfort zones, though no rope use (planned or unplanned !) was required.  Surmounting the headwall at the top of the gully got the award from both of them as least comfortable moment, even though we took the old style 'thrutching' option through the hole.  The pinnacle also lived up to its 'intimidating' description as we approached it, but once the guys saw the fairly easy descent to the gap, they relaxed.  Once through and round the pinnacle back to the ridge, the scramble peters out onto the plateau of Glyder Fach and we passed the cantilever, climbed onto the summit - made much more delicate by the greasy rock - and found a spot for a second bit of lunch and hot drink in now dry and clearer weather.

Back down via Y Gribin ... Sadly the respite form the rain and cloud was brief and by the time we set off, the cloud was closing in, wind rising and rain starting again.  After a brief detour towards Glyder Fawr  (I initially missed the route onto Y Gribin in the murk - doh !) we headed back round the lip of Cwm Cneiffion and found the top of Y Gribin.  We had just started the descent when we bumped into a party coming up - a group of teachers out with an instructor for some ML steep ground work and a wild camp.  They were most impressed with my scrambling gloves - in reality a cheap pair of gardening gloves with rubberised fingers - and in the weather conditions they were certainly going to get their wish for a wild camp !  A slow, careful descent of the steep upper section in heavy rain and low viz got us to the football field and then down to Llyn Bochlwyd  where a bit more 'naving' was required to get us onto the path back to the car park and the car at about 7.30 pm.  All in all a great 9.5 hour day out, which the guys seemed to enjoy, good company and a little added rescue drama- now that's what I call a Quality Mountain Day !

Cheers to both Mike and Hayden for making it such an enjoyable day, I think they got quite a lot out of it and MIke has a further two days booked with me soon.

Fast and light in the Carneddau

This week-end saw me return to the mountains of Snowdonia in summer mode - sort of !  With winds gusting up to 50 mph, the 0C isotherm at 900M, cloud base at 700-800m and with sleet and hail across the plateau it didn't feel much like summer !

I was out with Mike, an experienced trail runner and triathlete, who wants to build up his mountain days whilst pushing his fitness.  So, with some trepidation (I'm not the fastest runner in the world) I agreed and we set off from Chester at around 6.30 am  with a plan to do the Carneddau from Pen yr Helgi Du round to Pen yr Ole Wen and possibly up onto the Glyderau.

When we arrived at our start point we quickly agreed that in the conditions a Carneddau round would be sufficient, something for which Mike's dog William, affectionately known as 'Willy', would be grateful !

The plan was always to walk briskly up hill and run the flats and downhill where possible, keeping moving and hopefully warm with relatively little kit.

Kit / equipment: I wore running leggings, my amazing X-bionics thermal, a thin fleece gilet, trail shoes rather than boots, a hat and thin windstopper gloves.  We each carried the bare minimum I considered safe: energy drink, energy food (a couple of bars and a bag of walnuts), waterproofs, first aid kit, belay jacket and spare gloves.  Mike also carried a small flask of coffee.  I must say it did feel quite exhilarating to be so light after a winter lugging round heavy packs in winter boots. In future though,  I think will add a blizzard bag to the list.

To avoid getting lost in the murk that was enveloping the plateau, I had a map and compass and my trusty Garmin fenix watch as a navigation aid and GPS fall back tool.  I had also calculated some rough timings based on a brisk walking pace of 5kph and 30s per 100m just as a guide for how we were doing.

We set off at a good pace up the broad southern shoulder to the summit of Helgi Du, waterproof jackets already on as it was raining hard.  I elected not to wear waterproofs trousers at this stage but Mike did -his was probably the right decision as my legs did get quite cold and wet and when I eventually donned them higher up, my legs took quite a while to warm up.  Once on the top of Helgi Du we were slowed quite a bit by the steep scrambley descent on the far side - it was slippy in the wet requiring caution, but the main issue was Willy - he really didn't like the steep descent much at all.  Once down to the col we made good time back up and onto the summit of Llewellyn in around 1:45, some 45 mins faster than my schedule - not bad, maybe there is something in this fast and light thing.  Some careful nav was then required off the summit in very poor visibility to ensure we headed across towards Dafyd rather than continue out to Yr Elen.  With the aid of a bearing we set off in the right direction and soon picked up the main path across the plateau and despite being pelted with hail in our faces made reasonably swift progress across to Dafyd and then on towards Pen yr Ole Wen where we slowed a little by numerous pee stops - despite having drunk only half a litre !  As we approached the summit we saw our first people of the day, fully kitted heading in the opposite direction - enjoy !

With the need to get back to the car, we took the east ridge option off the Ole Wen towards the col near Ffynnon Lloer to save about 2km walking along the road.  This is an interesting descent route, mainly steep walking but with a little easy scrambling and here again we hit a bit of an issue with Willy, who despite being a collie is definitely not SARDA dog material.  By now he was looking petty tired and bedraggled and not at all happy with our choice of descent.  Eventually, he was coaxed, cajoled, dragged and occasionally carried over the trickier sections and we made it to the col.  He got his revenge on the remainder of the descent though, as I executed a number of perfect banana skin slips onto my back whilst trying to run down the sodden wet grass, while his four legs kept him comfortably upright.  A quick jog of just over 1 km back up the road brought us back to the car, a rest for tiring legs and a very relieved looking dog who jumped straight in the boot and didn't move again !

So had the fast and light ethic worked ? we covered 15.5km including 1200m of ascent in 4:15 - an average speed of 3.6 km/h.  But we had been stationary for about 54 mins for a variety of reasons - mainly dog / steep ground related - and our moving average was 5km/h.  These figures don't sound fast in running terms but they are both significantly faster than an average walking pace in that terrain - we were about an hour faster (20%) than my 'fast walk' estimate.   It was a actually faster than that though really, because my estimate made no allowance for slowing down on the steep descents when my recorded track showed that the slowest parts of our journey by far were the descents off Helgi Du and Ole Wen.

Put another way, we covered a full days walk for many people in half a day and could have been faster.  Plus, I felt that in those conditions moving quickly and unencumbered was more pleasant (less unpleasant ?) than the slow, steady slog involved with bigger sacks and thicker clothing. Ill certainly be doing more of this.  BUT it does rely on having competent, fit participants and decent equipment - if we had got lost and/or moved more slowly in those conditions we could easily have got hypothermic and been in trouble, so I certainly won't be doing it with clients generally.

There is no failure ... except in not trying

During last year, I finally accepted that fear of failure was holding me back.  Not the rational fear of injury or death or hurting someone else, but rather the stupid, irrational fear of not succeeding, of looking silly or not being as good at something as I thought I was.  So I made myself a promise (acknowledgements to @Mountaincaro and the Project Mountain blog for some of the wording) :

 "I’m going to try things and fail. For it’s only by failure that we learn where our limits are, and push those limits. Fear and failure make us stronger, and not being afraid to fail helps us get better at whatever it is we are seeking to do. So – I’ll abandon the warm coziness of my comfort zone, I'll abandon a job I hate and which enriches nobody's life - least of all mine - I'll try and climb harder and fall off (safely!) more, I'll run, bike and walk for longer, talk to more people and no doubt get ignored by more, try to do work that brings a genuine smile to people or at least enriches them in some way whilst making me smile too ... and if I fail I’ll pick myself up and try and work out how to do better next time. If I’m scared it might not work out I’ll ask myself what’s the worst that can happen and if that worst is unlikely to be life-threatening or cause harm to others,  then I’ll try and push myself forward. I won’t always succeed, but I'll learn and be a better, happier person for the experience."

So far, it's been a good start,  but no doubt - nay hopefully  - plenty more challenges to come throughout this year .... but whatever happens, at least I'll feel alive :-)

Winter ML last word: Syllabus review

Ok , so I've gone about Winter ML in various guises for a few blogs now, so this is my last post on this subject - honest !

As promised in a previous blog, here are my  - hopefully constructive - comments on the WINTER ML SYLLABUS and process as sent to George McEwan.  Some of this needs to be seen in the context of a UKClimbing forum discussion on the introduction of an intermediate award for less serious mountain terrain such as Dartmoor/Exmoor and the Peak District (see bottom of this blog for more info).

Syllabus general: Feels ok overall, a big step up from Summer (at least for those of us who had proper winter conditions and didn't get to use altimeters) but so are the conditions and consequences – we should not be tailoring awards down to a price.  I wouldn’t agree with the idea of a general intermediate award.  Though an area specific award for Dartmoor/Exmoor (already exists ?) and Peak District MAY be appropriate, what do you leave out ? There have been avalanches there this winter !  The Lakes and Snowdonia should only ever be full WML territory. 

Specific thoughts below:

QMDs: There were times when, as a Sassenach trying to get to assessment level, I cursed the ‘50% minimum in Scotland’ requirement and I do think that being lost in a blizzard in the Carneddau for instance, can be as serious as many Scottish locations. On reflection however, I think the requirement is needed to ensure the variety in experiences and it has made me more rounded as a winter leader.

Route planning and prep: While covered, does not seem to be a major element. This could be further emphasised, particularly in terms of avalanche awareness / avoidance as well as group fitness and exposure to the elements.

Use of Altimeters not permitted: Why not ?!  I have no problem with people being asked to do a leg without them, but IMO they are an invaluable tool in tough conditions and should be embraced, with people being briefed / taught on their use - and limitations - in training.

GPS: slightly more controversial maybe, but I think that these should also be brought into remit in a limited way e.g. to provide an accurate Grid Ref in extreme conditions or emergency. I personally think any Winter ML who doesn’t take a GPS device of some sort on the hill, could be seen as negligent.

Avalanche rescue:  I think the case is building for taking this a bit more seriously – a couple of questions on a home paper doesn’t really cut it IMO.  As Winter leaders we have a general responsibility to people out on the mountain, not just our own group and being trained in this area could save lives. Having done IML winter training I have had some exposure in this area.   However, some candidates on my assessment had probes but had never used - or been shown how to use - them except to check depth for snowholing.  Ditto transceivers – we were all asked to carry them due to the conditions, but I was the only one who had ever used one.

Snowholing: I personally quite like this, but its position in the syllabus and assessment seems ambiguous i.e. we have to do it but it’s not within our remit, even though - as I understand it – MICs don’t do snowholing for their assessment. If it’s just to keep us on the mountain then fair enough, but be clear what it is there for, or there are bothy / shelter options.

Assessment consistency: From what I pick up there seems to be some inconsistency in the assessment process e.g. 1 poster on the UKC thread said he thought the nav was actually a bit easier than Summer ML because he was allowed to use an altimeter – I was told on day 1 they are not in syllabus and therefore not allowed !  Also, it appears some assessors seem to think candidates should be thoroughly beasted to the point of cracking (setting a very high pace to tire people out, two night navs until the early hours etc.) whereas others seem pretty laid back.  Not sure what you do about it, except provide clear guidance backed up by feedback and moderation.

Feedback during assessment: I don’t see why candidates can’t be given some constructive feedback during the assessment process which would help them to give a better performance e.g. ‘your navigation isn’t currently quite as accurate as we would expect’ would allow the candidate to learn what is expected and give them the opportunity to tighten it up.

For anyone interested and prepared to lose themselves for a few hours, here is the relevant UKC forum post:

http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=539143

Winter ML Assessment tips

I intended to put this at the end of my previous post, but better late than never ...

These are a few key tips and learning points that I took from my assessment that may be of use to people preparing for next winter. They are all personal viewpoints from my assessment and may differ form other peoples experiences - so no suing me if they don't work for you ;-)

In a nutshell, Id can sum it up as: Be prepared and be a Leader !

Read the guidance from George McEwan (Executive Office, MTS) on the MT website

In a little more depth ...

Be Winter hill fit: plenty of long days out in all weathers and types of underfoot conditions.

Navigation:

• As always a core element - keep practicing in all conditions esp. poor visibility.  
• Be comfortable with both pacing and timing, but IMO (and that of the qualified people I have spoken to) pacing is the core tool in poor visibility.  
• Be comfortable at both 1:50000 and 1:25000. I had previously assumed that 1:50K was de-rigeur for Scottish Winter, but we were asked to have both and some nav points were not on the 1:50K. If no scale is specified at the start of the day, I'd suggest asking the assessor which map he is expecting you to use and if he is non-committal be prepared to check both. I used 1:50K exclusively on expedition, but others used 1:25K.  When I looked back at our routes later, some points would definitely have been easier and more obvious with 1:25K.  1:50K just misses some of the little contour kinks and turns which your assessor probably knows intimately.
• If your reading vision is not great, it is perfectly acceptable to use 1:50K magnified to 1:25K, but be careful it is an accurate magnification and that you have the coverage. I use Anquet map software which allows me to print to a variety of scales and on A3 paper.
• BMC / Harvey 1:40000 maps are superb IMO,  but they are not used by anyone I know for training or assessment, so I would beware becoming too familiar with them.

Prepare for the technical bits well:

• Be practised, slick and confident on steep ground / ropework in a variety of scenarios and be aware of the best choices for those scenarios. Above all, be safe AND look safe !
• Make sure your own personal skills such as crampon work and ice-axe braking are up to scratch - get someone qualified to observe if possible; my cadre all know what we were doing but we had let small errors creep in.
• Have a basic lesson plan in mind for winter skills and make sure you act in role of observer as well as demonstrator, so you can see and comment on what your 'students' are doing well or wrong.

Know your shit w.r.t to avalanche awareness, safety and route choice: 

• Read, learn, and practice. 
• Get into the habit of looking at weather forecasts, making assessments and then looking at SAIS forecasts to see how you did. Read the detailed observation reports as well as the forecast.
• Observe while out and about; look for cornices, scour, slab, riming etc. Look at the snow underfoot and make 'on the hoof' assessments to double check the SAIS forecast - remember that if the weather has changed since the forecast, it may no longer be accurate. 
• Make sure you know how to do the basic 'on the hill' tests and interprete what you see, also remembering that these days, the tests are seen as a way of confirming what you already know than a 'should I  /shouldn't I' tool in their own right !

Look after your group and act like a leader: 

• Keep checking they are all there (!), in reasonable spirits, warm enough etc. look for signs of anything being amiss. I think a buddy system and a tail-end charlie work well but they are aids to help you, they don't absolve you of your responsibility, so make sure you eyeball all your group regularly.
• Although this wasn't really an option on my assessment, move around your group rather than always be at the front if conditions allow, let someone else lead if the way is straightforward.
• Ensure you give them time to eat and drink - and make sure they do so.
• Weather permitting, try and engage with your group on topics of interest.
• Be prepared to be quite firm and directive if conditions dictate it.
• Think about route choice in terms of what is best for your group rather than what is easiest for you e.g. straight up and down between peaks and colls may be easier for nav but with a tired group in strong winds may not be the best choice for them.

This last element  - in my assessment at least - was more strongly emphasised than in Summer ML, and formed a major part of our group de-brief.

Winter ML assessment - a victim's eye view

Most of this winter has been focused around one thing – successfully getting through my Winter ML assessment, so I think its worth sharing my suffering by forcing you to read a blow by blow account !  There are no pictures, I couldn't stop concentrating long enough to take them and in any case the visibility was so poor there was nothing to see !

By mid February, I had the remaining holes in my logbook plugged and had also attended a very useful week of CPD with Phil Dowthwaite, re-visiting the skills required and ways of teaching them.  Following a brief interlude for my IML winter training  - which had some cross-over but not as much as expected – and a family ski holiday, I headed back to Scotland for the final push.  This was to be 2.5 weeks including the assessment in the last week and I had partners and groups lined up for a mini exped and skills / ropework as well as some enjoyable winter and climbing days.  However, fate stuck a huge spanner in the wheel when,  after a hard 4 days with my Alps buddies,  I came down with flu – just 1 week prior to assessment. After trying to ignore it for a day, I limped back home feeling very sorry for myself and ended up in bed for 3 days, the assessment now an impossibility – gutted !

However .... once able to get out of my sick bed, I set about investigating options for booking an assessment elsewhere, determined to try and keep the momentum rolling and hoping the insurance would help with the cost.  I looked no further than Pete Hill, who is not only the biggest provider of assessments, but also the cheapest :-)  At this stage, I was still feeling ropey but reasoned that another 3 weeks would see me right.  In the end though, it was mighty close and I finally set off for Scotland on the Wednesday prior, still feeling below par, no guinea pigs available this time and with my previous confidence ebbing away, a less than encouraging forecast only added to my angst.

I managed a couple of light days around Choire Cas and Choire na Ciste, brushing up on steep ground and movement skills before a more encouraging day navigating in Glen Feshie and headed off the guest house in pensive mood.  The guest house, Kinross House in Grantown, certainly helped to lift my spirits.  This is a well appointed, comfortable place with a great guest lounge, superb breakfast and owners who understand walkers / climbers – at the end of the day our wet kit was whisked away to re-appear nicely dried when we came down for breakfast.  My room-mate was also a good guy, an ex marine called Steve who would be my partner for the next 4.5 days.

Day 1: Ben Rinnes, poor vis, strong winds, snow.

 This started with introductions to Pete (a giant of a man) a review of the home paper and the weather / avalanche forecast – so far so good. 

After two days of falling snow and strong winds, the amount of drifting snow caused the road to Cairngorm to be closed and we went to a location close to Pete’s home in Aberlour, called Ben Rinnes. The emphasis of the day was on personal skills and teaching including self arrest, step kicking and cutting, crampon technique and related snowcraft skills, as well as leadership, navigation and emergency shelter construction. Unfortunately, we had to use maps provided as Ben Rinnes was off the maps we were asked to bring and these were 1:50k. Now, as I am no longer a spring chicken, my close up vision is not what it was, so when I use 1:50k maps I blow them up to 1:25k via my Anquet map software so I don’t have the issue of trying to use reading glasses.  So, with the slightly faded map provided, seeing where I was supposed to be going at the original scale was a bit of a challenge, and at this stage I also found out that Altimeters were not going to be allowed :-( I’m still not sure how I did on the nav ! The skills work seemed to go ok, though we were all pulled up on our ice axe arrest, told we had all made the same mistake on our head first / stomach down runs and asked to work out what it was for homework. Beyond this, we were given no feedback at all (Pete had warned us that we wouldn't) which made it hard to know how we were doing.

Additionally for home work, we had to prepare a 3 day / two night expedition for a group of fit novices with the possibility of using snowholes using the forecasts expected that week – this to be ready for Wednesday. 

Day 2: Ben Rinnes, snowing, even more windy, even less vis ! (no access to Cairngorm plateau)

With the Cairngorm road still closed it was off to a different location in the Ben Rinnes area again, this time with Malcolm ‘Ginge’ Lee MBE, former OC of the RAF outdoor AT Centre at Grantown.  The emphasis of this day was on navigation (again), group management, steep ground issues, emergency use of rope, snow anchors, confidence roping. We did a bit of confidence work on the way up – sans rope. Conditions were testing at the steep ground location, soft snow over heather with little hard base. We had to use anchors of our choice for group descent scenarios – I chose a stomper, boot axe belay and also a west coast stomper which proved controversial ! This technique really seems to divide instructors – I demonstrated it to be safe to Ginge and he accepted it but also made it clear he personally did not like it much !  We also had to demonstrate and use an abseil anchor – snow bollard was the choice for all of us.  Following the abseil we had to build an emergency shelter in the bank below which was then useful to sit in and eat lunch out of the wind and snow :-) After lunch we went into nav mode in what was now a white-out and full blown blizzard.  One of the guys had a ‘mare on his nav leg, not finding his destination and then spending quite a time trying unsuccessfully to find it.  We then took it in turns getting us off the hill in worsening conditions. Once a degree of vis was restored, we finished off with more confidence rope work before a final briefing and welcome feedback – we had all done at least ‘well enough’ on the rope work - phew !

Day 3-5 Expedition Day 3: Cairngorm Plateau, more wind, snow flurries and windblown snow, poor vis

Following another weather and avalanche check, we set off for expedition. Pete negotiated passage past the snowgate to the Ciste car park and we set off from there. This day included navigation, route choice in the avalanche conditions (basically avoid avalanche angle aspects that didn’t have an 'East' in them somewhere !) some general questions on environment and snowhole building. We used Ciste Mhearad, not what Pete would have liked in an ideal world as it was too popular and too close, but the sensible choice in the challenging conditions. Digging the hole was also a challenge due to a hard icey layer below the softer newer stuff but we got a break after about 1.5 hours when we broke into part of an old hole which we could enlarge somewhat, thus creating an inner chamber and providing a luxury 2 room hole complete with guest lounge !  After a brief rest and dinner it was out on night nav, wandering round in blizzard conditions for nearly 3 hours hoping we had hit our spots before returning to the hole, a welcome brew, cake and a surprisingly comfortable sleep.

Day 4 was very much more of the same though more of an emphasis on group management and care with some avalanche awareness thrown in and more blind navigation / relocation than previously – all of this in very poor visibility and strengthening winds – stronger than expected; it looked like the forecast storm for Friday was coming in early.  This was a hard and stressful day with very little visibility to inform us of our accuracy and the added pressure of concentrating on the welfare of our group.  The last exercise of the day was a group plan back to the snowhole from near the goat track.  I really didn’t fancy the path over Cairngorm as it was in prime avalanche aspect but after stating my case twice didn’t seem to get much buy in from the group who wanted to take a line over Sneachda to point 1141, then over Cairngorm to make navigation easier. At this stage I should have stuck to my guns but didn’t and we took the proposed line, me leading the leg off.  When we got to the ascent of Cairngorm it was clear the snow situation wasn’t great and Pete basically told Steve who was now leading that he needed to traverse round and avoid the steeper section – lesson learned but major mistake, could it cost us a pass ?  Once back near the Ptarmigan, one of the other guys just had to lead us back to the hole, but inexplicably, after getting to the ski tow didn’t go to the end and take a new bearing.  He just kept walking and after 500m it was clear we had missed it. I had an idea which direction, but another guy felt it was in the opposite direction – this was soon shown to be wrong by the slope angle and aspect and we headed off in my direction, though Pete decided he wanted to show us where we were by use of a GPS Grid reference as conditions were now truly appalling.  After getting back to the snowholes and relaxing a little, Pete called a conflab; the weather was worsening and we should probably walk out now as morning would only be harder and we’d probably be clearing the snowholes all night. Decision made, we had a tortuous walk down through the ski area, 80 mph winds constantly trying to knock us off our feet.  A brief respite behind the cafe for a group debrief, was followed by an even worse stagger along the access road – at one point I felt like doing a ‘Scott of the Antarctic’.  Finally we made it back to the cars ... where I found I had a flat battery and an engine bay full of snow - some idiot had left my lights on :-/ With much appreciated help from Pete and the other guys and Pete’s jump leads I got the van started and we skated down to the snow gate, parked up and waited one by one for the individual debrief and result.  I’d agreed to go last and one by one the others came back with ‘deferred’.  My turn and I was sure this was my fate also, particularly as the discussion started with 'areas for improvement' and we discussed the judgement error on the last leg back to the snowhole. However,  a number of positive comments later, I was still shocked to be told I had PASSED - I could have kissed him, ginger beard and all  :-)

All that remained then was to high tail it back south before the roads were shut. I floated all the way on cloud 9, despite a slippery Drumochter Pass and the jack-knifed lorries over Shap !

Having now had time to recover and contemplate, I regard it as one of the toughest things I have done and passing it is one of my prouder achievements, particularly as I definitely wasn’t fully fit, the aftermath of the flu bug was still lingering as a cold and hacking cough. I also thought Pete got the assessment week about right, tough but not overly so and fair, though I do think a bit of feedback does no harm.  Assessment IS tough, but then again the conditions in which a WML operates can be tough.  I have thoughts and comments about the WML syllabus, which I have fed into the current review and will post here shortly, but overall I think it is about right – but then again I guess I would say that now I’ve passed :-)