New blog to go with the new website...

I've just launched my new website 'MountainZ' (offering Expedition & Mountain Training and Mountain Safety Consultancy). Alongside this I now have a new blog detailing my adventures and mountain work. Please redirect your browsers to the following link and thanks for following. Blue skies.

www.mountainz.co.uk/blog.html

The Seam IV 5

Chris topping out on the Seam IV 5. Team in the background on Invernookie III 4

'Sam' at the base of Fiacaill Couloir having fallen 80m from just below the obvious col. Self rescued with help from the other team in shot and walked out with a broken wrist.

 Photo from Adam (Hughes Mountaineering) of myself just past the crux on the Seam IV 5

Returning the compliment - Adam and his team plus a couple of soloists in Fiacaill Couloir II/III

Alpine day on Creagan Cho Na

  Checking out the abseil options

Huge cornices over Recovery Gully

Abseiling in to the left of Anvil Gully

Chris on the top groove of Anvil Gully IV 4

Carrie topping out on Anvil Gully IV 4

Chris descending Recovery Gully to check out some other work options

Back on North Buttress IV 4

Approaching the base of the route on good snow

 Climbing in parallel on the top pitch

 Abseiling back in to Glencoe

Zig Zagging through the MIC

Carrie enjoying Zig Zag Direct III

This week I'm working with Chris who's making his final preparations for his MIC reassessment. The forecast was terrible with a challenging avalanche forecast so we kicked off on Zig Zag Direct (III) on Grear Aonach before descending via the Zig Zags (II). In the event conditions were fairly benign and even pleasant at times and we had a great climb despite the soggy snow.

The view east through Glencoe as far as Schallion

Topping out on Grear Aonach

Looking west to Loch Leven

Chris short roping us on the descent of Zig Zags II

ITACE 2014 Antarctic training

 Testing Terra Nova's new Polar Storm tent

I've just run five days of Scottish based training for the Imperial Trans Antarctic Centenary Expedition which aims to make a complete crossing of the continent later in the year. They'll also be attempting a crossing of the Greenland icecap in May as part of their training. www.south2014.com

The week focused on the technical as well as the physical and mental skills required to operate safely in these enviroments.

We were joined by photographer John Pickles who took these stunning black and white images. More of his work can be seen on his website at www.johnpicklesphotography.com.

 Summit of Cairngorm

 Big loads and long days on the Cairngorm plateau

 A spot of snow holing to work on the personal admin

 Testing the expeditions Jottnar kit

Breaking Davina!!

Today the Comic Relief Challenge for 2014 rolled in to the Lake District. We were running mountain safety for Davina McCall and a BBC film crew on her Beyond Breaking Point challenge with a planned mountain walk from Seathwaite to Langdale via the summit of Scafell Pike. Fresh from a 130 mile cycle from Edinburgh, which had taken her 15 plus hours in horrendous conditions, Davina cycled into Seathwaite Farm and the delights of the camping barn in which to prepare for the hill. We'd made the decision to shorten the route due to full winter conditions on the hill. Seven hours later we arrived in Langdale with a very bedraggled looking film crew but Davina was in a far better state than when we first met her!