Way back in time before the onset of adulthood I enjoyed countless days heading into the hills of Yorkshire with nothing more than a squashed sandwich & youthful sense for adventure!
Despite long past youthful and work commitments keeping me in the city, the sense of adventure and love for the outdoors never left me. After digging my boots out and returning to the hills I attended a number of courses to improve my hill knowledge and skill base, during one of these courses it was suggested I join the Mountain Leader Training scheme and was delighted go on to gain the MOUNTAIN LEADER Award in April 2012.
As well as spending time on the hills and mountains of the UK I have also enjoyed trips to the Nepalese Himalaya, Swiss & French Alps, Mallorca’s Tramuntana, Andorran & French Pyrenees, Morocco’s High Atlas, Tanzania’s Mt Meru & Kilimanjaro, Argentinian & Chilean Patagonia and winter expeditions to Norway’s Hardangervidda.
Since gaining the ML I have also gained the SINGLE PITCH AWARD, INTERNATIONAL MOUNTAIN LEADER AWARD and the WINTER MOUNTAIN LEADER AWARD. I am now enjoying working in a freelance role whilst trying to get out climbing as much as possible.
The end of November saw me travel to Morocco with intention of climbing a few 4000m peaks, including Toubkal, and get my winter 2014/2015 season under way. I would be joining members of the Llanberris Mountain Rescue team and some of their friends as well as an expedition led by my 'mountain mentor' and friend (despite 4 years of unflattoring remarks about my weight!) Rob Johnson of Expedition Guide and Bryn Williams.
Due to a deep 'kink' in the Jet Stream Morocco had experienced exceptional levels of precipitation in the weeks before we travelled which had led to some roads having been washed away in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains and the unfortunate deaths of some people washed away in flood waters, it had also led to approximately 4 metres of snow fall high up in the mountains.
Arriving in Marakech on the Saturday afternoon we were told travelling to Imlil would be impossible that evening as rainfall had again washed part of the route away and so we headed to a riad in Marakach and spent the evening looking around the food market and medina. Travelling up to Ilmlil on Sunday morning damage from the recent weather was obvious though the road had now been repaired and we arrived after a couple of hours, as there had been a further half a metre of snowfall forecast for the mountains during Saturday it was decided that we would spend Sunday night in Ilmlil to give the snowpack time to settle before starting our walk up to the refuge Monday morning.
Monday - leaving Imlil after breakfast we set off to make our way up the mountain track that would take us to 'Refuge Les Mouflons' which would be our base in the mountains for the next week. Rising from Ilmlil at 1740m to the refuge at 3200m we would take the journey slowly to hopefully keep any symptoms of altitude sickness at bay. We found the snow line at around 2200m and the amount of snow on the ground quickly increased until we were following a track which was knee deep at the sides. The path took us under some terrain where there had been obvious avalanche activity with snow pack mainly in the form of 'sun balls' or 'point releases' ( where the sun had warmed rocks which had then led to a warming of the snow pack causing small slides) and we kept some distance apart from other member of the group whilst we passed these areas.
They had had a spot of snow at the refuge!
Tuesday - Myself, Stuart and Mountain Rescue Rob headed up following the gorge that runs through the high valley above the refuge to gain some height for acclimatisation and also to look at the snow pack. We found an area where we thought would be good to dig a snow pit to see if we could find any obvious week layers and dug a snow pit down to ground level some 2.5metres below! We found a top layer some .55m deep of fairly soft but compacted snow followed by a layes .6m deep of harder snow, below this were several layers made up of hard Icy layers and some of weak layers containing large rounded snow crystals.
I then followed this by practicing building an emergency shelter as I will have to do during the Winter Mountain Leader assessment in February next year where a shelter big enough to provide protection from the elements has to be made within 20minutes using only an ice axe, I hope the snow is as soft in the Cairngorms as it is here this week and I have a willing client like Bob to try it for size. This simple scrape to 7minutes.
Imperial Bob gets cosy.
Bit of a snow pit!
Wednesday - rested and acclimatised myself, 'Mountain Rescue Rob' and 'Rock Bottom Stuart' decided to head from the Refuge up the valley to the 'Tizi n Ouagane' col at a height of 3735m if possible. We would put a track in on snowshoes that we could retrace the following day if we were to attempt the summits of 'Ras' and 'Timesguida', this would also give us further benefits in relation to acclimatisation. Heading out at 9am the weather was crisp to say the least though as we continued up the col we soon began to warm up. Taking note of what was happening around us with the weather and snow we continually discussed our route and plan of action. On reaching ground which was steepening beyond the use of snowshoes we switched to crampons and ice axes before ascending up a rocky outcrop in the middle of the ascent to the col after which we found ourselves in deep snow which we all had reservations about. We were on a slope of not much over 20 degrees but the gradient ahead of us was noticbly increasing, after doing a couple of quick snow stability tests which failed easily we decided to forget making the col and return down the slope.
Mountain Rescue Rob and Rock Bottom Stuart battling the wind - I took that pic!
Thursday - with a weather report predicting a further 20cm of fresh snow to fall over night Thursday the desicion was taken to head back to Imlil later that afternoon. A fresh 20cm of snow on top of the snow pack which was starting to consolidate and form a surface crust due to being subject to the strong Moroccan sun through the day and sub zero temperatures overnight could have caused us concern if walking out the following day. We spent the morning in two groups, one looking at and practicing ice axe arrest whilst the other group built a snow shelter. Leaving the refuge at lunch time we descended along the valley following the track through the deep snow and over sections of avalanche debris until we left the snow line at approximately 2350m near the shrine at Sidi Chammharouch and reaching Imlil 4.5hrs later, unfortunately our kit would be arriving the following morning!
Siany practicing ice axe arrest.
Al gets cosy in the snow shelter.
Mountain Rescue Rob with compulsory 'man leg' pose!
Descending back to Imlil
Watch for this pair of characters in the mountains!
Over all another great trip. Despite not making any summits and in fact deciding to retreat from an acclimatisation col I took lots from the week. Summits are great and the main objective of most trips but I am at a stage where I need to be learning and experiencing the variables that can contribute to create avalanche conditions, reading books is fine but some of it actually sinks in when I'm seeing it in real time!
It was pleasure to spend the week with Rob (Expedition Guide), MTA Bryn, 'Imperial' Bob, 'Rock Bottom' Stuart, Ady & Amy, Mountain Rescue Rob & Siany, Rich & Jo, Al, Dan and Steven.
Having sampled a shorter than originally planned Snow Shoe Expedition to Norway in February 2012 (due to Ryan Air assuming we would prefer to enjoy 2 days in Stansted airport instead!!!!), I again joined Rob Johnson of Expedition Guide for a weeks snow shoeing in the Telemark region of the Hardangervidda National Park, Norway. Opting to travel with Norwegian Air (rather than the amateur bandit outfit that is Ryan Air!) I was looking forward to experiencing a longer period surrounded by the stunning landscape in full winter conditions, whilst also gaining log book days towards the International Mountain Leader training scheme.
The Hardangervidda National Park covers an area of approximately 3400 square kilometers and includes the largest eroded mountain plateau in Europe with a largely barren landscape of rolling hills and many lakes, pools, rivers & streams. With an average altitude of 1100m and winter temperatures regularly around -20ºC and below(!) the Hardangervidda has been the chosen training site for many pre polar expeditions, including that of Roald Amundsen prior to his expedition to be the first to reach the South Pole (though Norwegian's hardly mention the subject!).
The Telemark region of the Hardangervidda was also the setting for one of the most remarkable stories of daring, heroism and survival, and which played a major part in the outcome of the second world war - The Heroes of Telemark.
After meeting up with all the members of the group - Sam,Gary,Dave,John,Mike,Brett & Rob in Oslo we made our way by road to Hardangervidda and to the edge of Møsvatin, a huge expanse of frozen lake. Here we were met by snowmobiles to take us over the lake to out hut base for the coming week.
TUESDAY - and with a slightly dubious forecast for the coming week it was decided we would spend our first full day on snow shoes heading for the nearby summit of Laksanutane by making our way over the frozen surface of the lake and making our way through the trees that lined the far shore. From here we made our way to the summit avoiding any slopes that could pose a potential avalanche risk.
Looking from the slopes of Latsanutane.
On the summit!
Rob, Sam & Gary snow shoe to the summit.
WEDNESDAY - After a short trip to the highest point on 'our island' we built a snow shelter in which some of us would spend the coming night. By making a piling our rucksacks up before covering them in snow from the surrounding area we had the begins of our Quin-zhee shelter. By continuing to add to the pile whilst somebody walked on it to help consolidate the snow we were soon able to dig into the pile at ground level to retrieve our rucksacks, from this stage we then dug out the snow from the center to make the shelter.
The Quin-zhee takes shape
Brett digs out from inside.
Mike, Dave & John make their beds for a night in the shelter.
THURSDAY - with the dubious weather failing to materialise we took the chance to try our luck at ice fishing, which would involve traveling with the dog team, whist some of us had a go at Telemark skiing (some more successfully than others!). By drilling holes thru the ice using an over sized drill bit we made holes in the ice where we could drop lines and bait into the lake below.
Setting off for a suitable site on the far side of the lake we were assisted by a team of 11 dogs & the musher Olav. Not as laid back as shown on travel shows, traveling with dogs involves a lot of running when going up hills!
Skiing on the lake surface.
The dog team head for the fishing grounds.
Olav de-ices the sled runners whilst the dogs eat.
N.B No fish were caught in the making of this expedition!
FRIDAY & SATURDAY - would be the culmination of our week with a 2 day trip involving a days snow shoeing to spend a night in the Lavu (wigwam like tent) before returning back to the hut the next day to the end of our wee.
Leaving after a good breakfast we made our way over the lake where it was noticeably colder than previous days with the added wind chill. After crossing Møsvatn we made our way up and onto the plateau before heading down to over night camp.
The evening was spent in the excellent company of Olav who introduced us to a 12month old trout delicacy & some tunes from his mandolin, all assisted by a drop of Whisky!!
With some of us spending the night in a nearby tent and not the Lavu with its stove it was a little uncomfortable with an outside temperature of -30C!
Waking to frozen boots, frozen water bottles and lots of expletives(!) we all hungrily ate breakfast before packing up camp and setting off for our return journey back to the hut. Making our way via a different route than our journey to the Lavu we made the most of some stunning views on our last day. Again the temperature on the lake was bitingly cold in the cross wind!
Making our way to the lavu.
Stunning Norwegian scenery.
At the Lavu site with dogs being fed.
Olav entertains!
Sunrise over camp -30C!
Making our way over the flat surface of the frozen lake.
"Have I got something on my lip?"
Rob Johnson's video of the weeks expedition.
Norway Snow Shoe Expedition - 2013.
All in all an 'excellent adventure' and a trip I would highly recommend!
As I mentioned in my previous blog (http://wearyourboots.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/december-scottish-winter-mountains.html) the hills & mountains become a new and much more serious proposition under winter conditions requiring an additional level of pre planning, awareness, equipment & skills. So it was with some disappointment that I set off on my journey to the West Highlands for my long planned 10 days of Scottish winter routes & Winter Mountaineering course (http://www.expeditionguide.com/snowandice.php) after a Christmas & New Year period that had seen mild temperatures and very little snow fall! As fate would have it it took me 36hrs or so to complete the journey to Fort William due my long suffering work horse vehicle suffering a couple of mechanical breakdowns (unbelievable - only has enough miles on the clock to have circled the globe 8 times!).
Arriving in Fort William on Tuesday after my much prolonged journey I set to work researching routes that would be under winter conditions for the upcoming days using guide books, maps, mountain area weather forecasts (http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/loutdoor/mountainsafety/), avalanche forecasts (http://www.sais.gov.uk/) & information taken from blogs reporting which areas instructors had been using recently (http://www.expeditionguide.com/blog.php).
After considering all this information and provisionally deciding on a suitable route I then went over all the information again at least once. I would in no way suggest this was due to my meticulous preparation but very much down to the 'more than slightly twitchy arse sphincter factor' involved when planning solo winter mountaineering routes. Though looking to increase and build on previously gained experience and skills, the knowledge that a simple mistake involving an unsafe snow pack or a slip thru not fitting crampons at the right time could prove somewhat 'problomatic' was a constant thought - especially as I'd paid for a hotel and wouldn't want to spend a night on the mountain with no refund!
I started with a solo route on Bidean nam Bian in Glencoe followed by a day shadowing Rob Johnson to look at teaching skills before a solo trip up Ben Nevis via 3 Gully. The weekend brought fresh snow and I took the chance to cross the Carn Mor Dearg Arete to again reach Ben Nevis summit. Sunday saw heavy snow falling and I took a trip to Aonach Mor via Easy Gully which in retrospect was a bit 'dodgy'!
Monday I again joined Rob Johnson for a Winter Mountaineering Course to look at movement over snow terrain, avalanche risk assessment & winter rope work. My week of Winter Mountaineering culminated in an outstanding day when we traversed the Aonach Eagach ridge where we enjoyed exceptional winter conditions!
Overall I managed to complete 4 quality Winter Mountaineering log book routes, reach 5 new Munro tops for myself , complete 4 Grade I winter climbs + be on Ben Nevis summit in a clear spell which is rarer than rocking horse sh*t!
Wind blown col across before the climb to Bidean nam Bian summit.
Approach to Ben Nevis from CIC Hut. Number 3 Gully right of center.
After returning from Scotland I met up with AL & James who had been on a 5 Day Winter Skills course in Scotland, we took advantage of the winter conditions in the Lake District with a crossing of Striding Edge to Helvellyn.
An air temperature of around -5C added to a 30-35mph wind gave us a wind chill of around -17C which added to the days adventure!
