Mountain Leader Training Association The Association provides opportunities for further education, experience and training, as well as access to an excellent insurance package.
You can join MLTA for £25. Visit the site on www.mlta.co.uk
Developments in coaching Reviews are now beginning for the MIA and MIC schemes to ensure that the qualifications remain at the cutting edge of instructional qualifications. MLTUK has been tasked to set up a parallel coaching qualifications structure.
You can click here to access the preliminary report on coaching, which led to the coaching project.
3
MLTUK diary. Here's what the Chief Officer has been doing for the last few months.
I won't bore you with the day to day stuff such as vetting registrations, writing dozens of emails, answering telephone enquiries etc.
Here are the fun bits (and the occasional holiday) that make this such a rewarding job!
If you would like to contact me about anything on this page, or just send feedback, please use the following link: steve@mltuk.org
28th December: We went down to my sister's house in Bishop's Stortford for a a family Christmas but today we were back in Wales with blue skies! Sion and I nipped out to the slate quarries to catch the afternoon sun. Unfortunately a bitter wind was howling, but we found shelter in California Quarry, a hidden slate hole beyond Blue Peris.The back walls were bathed in sun, so as a perfect finale for the year, we tackled Chris Parkin's immaculate "Waves of Inspiration"(E5 6a). I couldn't feel my feet at first but it worked out alright in the end. I think it was our first route for about a month, so we were very pleased with ourselves! Brilliant climbing and a perfect (but Baltic!) sunset. Appropriately we went over to Chris' house for supper.
22nd December: Did you get the cold bug that's been doing the rounds? I've just about shaken it off now but it had me down for the weekend. The office will be shut for the week from this evening onwards, once I've "cleared my desk". Despite the credit crunch the year has ended on a high note for Mountain Leader Training, with the production of our first ever "cross-Board" Provider newsletter, and the news just in that the funding we needed to develop a set of coaching qualificationshas successfully been sourced. On top of that the British Mountain Guides accepted my proposal to work in harmony to develop our marketing and qualifications together. All in all a good month, and I even managed to squeeze in a few days' skiing in deep powder snow. Last week we celebrated the end of a great year with a short ramble for the Siabod Cottage staff team, (we tested a Satmap GPS device en route), followed by a traditional Christmas Dinner.
November 2008
23rd November: The MLTUK celebrated a really successful quarterly Board meeting with a beautiful late autumn day out on the Howgills. A light dusting of snow covered the approach hike but it soon burnt off in the mid-day sun. We lunched at a magnificent sheepfold that clearly had aspirations to a sculptural art statement and cruised along the crest under a glowering sky, finally descending to Matlock in golden light and long shadows. It was a lovely day that inspired me to draft a new article for the MLTA library. (1/12/08) Unfortunately, after the Board meeting a whole bunch of issues came up that have caused me to postpone the writing but I'll let you know when the inspiration comes back.
A final Geeks' snippet for now: if you are a student or have offspring that are, you can pick up Microsoft Office 2007 Standard for less than £40 direct from their supplier. Google "software4students"
17th November: Official opening of the Blackpool dry-tooling facility with Gaz Parry. A busy week ahead but this event offered an opportunity to meet and chat with some colleagues about the work of the coaching National Source Group so I joined Martin Chester, Chief Instructor at Plas y Brenin for a quick raid up North. Despite the rain the impressive outdoor tower was a tempting spectacle and after Gaz had demonstrated an overhanging testpiece in fine style we all had the opportunity to get to grips with the climbing. We used a mixture of hand-tools but ordinary shoes, which felt a bit odd, but the climbing was great fun. I'm glad to be able to report that I reached the top of the wall, but it was more through stamina and winter experience than by technique. I can see that there is loads of scope for caoaching on a top-rope facility like this where the consequence of a slip is just a swing into space. Hooking the axe over the shoulders, hand switches, balance transfer and simply spotting potential hook placements... and of course its fantastic exercise. I felt totally pumped by the top of the wall; I could feel the clock ticking with only seconds left before lactic acid burn-out. A great work out for the shoulders and forearms but no strain on the fingers: perfect warm-up for a cold winter day!
Geeks' corner: Psst! here's another great piece of software: "Radiotracker" (find it online. Free for limited version. Less than £15 for full version). It surfs 70,000 internet radio stations for mp3 tracks from your selected artists. You get the odd bit of DJ waffle but its legal and free. You can always buy the ones that you really like later.(1/12/08) I've just noticed It's currently available at £9.95 from http://www.serif.com/SerifExtra/TemplatePages/Product/595/2344/1.htm)
16th November: I was kicking the walls this morning because it was raining yet again; it feels like months since I last had the chance to climb properly at Gogarth (well, it's been 6 months, so no wonder). Suddenly the sun came out and Snowdonia was beautiful again. Sion and I dashed out to the quarries for the fleeting direct sun and grabbed a few lines. Here's Sion leading a nice little 6a at the sidings (I think its called "N Guage" a recent additation in the Thomas the Tank theme from Josie Ball, a local lass to watch out for in the next few years.
15th November: class of 2008. What sort of people attend an MIA course these days? Here's a snapshot of a course I bumped into when I walked into Plas y Brenin one morning. Career backgrounds varied: can you guess who is the corporate strategist? Knowledge manager? Climbing wall manager? Outdoor Ed teacher? College lecturer?
I collated a brief list of their recent favourite outings from the group, which included:
Trip selection: Snow Canyon (Utah), Wendenstock (Switzerland), Lundy, Dolomites (Italy), Pyrenees Haute Route, Mont Blanc, Patagonia, Arctic dog sledging, Arolla, The Ogre (Pakistan)
Route selection: Sloth, Right Unconquerable, Missing Link, Dracular, Arctarus, Golden Slipper, Lliwedd Route 2, Albion, Diamond Solitaire,Steeple, Prore, The Axe, Brachiation Dance, Living on the Edge, Rebuffat route, 3 Blind Mice, Banzai Pipeline, Regent Street, Hurricane, Clean Sweep,
14th November: The pace of development has, if anything, accelerated! The month started with a UIAA accrediation visit to a Single Pitch Instructor award at Joshua Tree in California. I know what you're thinking: that sounds like a jolly! Well, while I was there I did manage to squeeze in a few classics, but I came away full of ideas and energy after having the opportunity to reflect on our own practice and systems after examining them in a very clear and well-engineered "mirror". The similarities were remarkably consistent but the really interesting thing was the differences, and I will be exploring the full implications of these in our own practices and policies over the coming months.
Since you ask, here are some photos from Joshua Tree. If only we had the same amount of sunshine hours! An interesting difference is that many of the outcrops have distinct summits that can only be reached by climbing or scrambling: Outside the remit of our SPA award. The AMGA qualification includes the issues of dealing with this sort of venue, including more advanced problem solving skills.
8-9th November: This was the event of the autumn, and if you weren't there you had better sign up as soon as possible with MLTA so that you can access some of the reports, presentations and resources that we have collected from it! Unfortunately those of you who couldn't make it will have missed out on the networking opportunities, 25% discount at Cotwolds and dozens of "freebies" from our event sponsors, but the good news is that we are currently working on developing a full programme of workshops and regional conferences for 2009 as a major part of our stated commitment to encouraging and providing ongoing training for qualified and trainee mountain and climbing leaders and instructors.
October 2008
28th October: This has been a busy month, with a series of strategic decisions to discuss. I'll be posting a summary of the recent MLTUK Board meeting up on the main news page later this week.Lots of development for the MLTA. If you're not already a member check out www.mlta.co.uk for more information. This week though I'm taking a few days off to catch up on some house work and hopefully a bit of climbing. On Sunday I travelled over to Llanymynerch but the rain arrived at about the same time as we did. Gary Gibson had been tempted by the same weather forecast, so we learned a bit about the history of the place (Gary created most of the routes there. Always a controversial figure, many of his routes have nonetheless stood the test of time) We did manage a couple of damp 6c+ routes before the deluge really set in.
8th October: Prime Minister's reception at 10 Downing Street.. Unfortunately Gordon wasn't in, but about 100 climbers made themelves at home, heard some impassioned speeches from Charlie Clarke and Leo Houlding followed by a constructive response from the Sports Minister, Gerry Sutcliffe. This was the furthest I have ever travelled for a no-show date (Indian Creek is a long way from London!) but it was an historic step forward for mountaineering to be recognised as worthy of political interest.
Steve and John Mason from MLTUK pose outside number 10, along with Dave Turnbull (BMC CEO), Sir Chris Bonington, and a glimpse of the shy and retiring Al Hinkes, hiding behind me
September 2008
30th Sept-7th October: International climbing meet at Indian Creek, Utah. This was the most amazing week's holiday in years. As president of the American Alpine Club, Jim Donini made me his personal guest and together we climbed Scenic Cruise in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, followed by all the classics at Indian Creek. If you would like to read more about the event, check out Lucy Creamer's blog; she was another UK guest on the meet, and she can climb cracks. Here are a couple of photos to whet your appetite; the rest are online; click any picture to see the slideshow. Or try this link for a new tableau format I'm trying out.
28th September: MLTUK Board Meeting at Tollymore, Northern Ireland. Another ground-breaking meeting! We agreed on many important policy decisions, including a new focus on CPD for award holders, the outline structure of the forthcoming Indoor Leading Award, and a development plan for MLTA. On the Sunday we all went walking and climbing in the Mourne Mountains, where several Board members enjoyed various classics on Lower Cove crag.
23rd-26th September: Climbing at Fairhead, Ireland. Oh yes! Mike Raine was greeted at the cafe with "You were here last time the sun shone" (in May!) We made good use of dry conditions and enjoyed some great classics, including Halloween, Born to Run, Rusty Halo and Track of the Cat at E4, Ocean Boulevard and Hustler at E3 and Mizen Star at E2. The worst climb encountered was Jams and Joints (E2) from which we cleaned a large loose block but agreed was "only as good as Vember on Cloggy"! Fairhead is truly a world-class crag!
13-14th September:UIAA Mountaineering Commission meeting in Bodrum, Turkey. This was a successful meeting hosted by the Turkish Mountaineering Federation, a fast-growing organisation which already has 20,000 members. I was able to give further feedback from the moderation visit conducted by John Cousins in 2006. The main meat of the meeting was presenting the work of the New Zealand Outdoor Instructors Association in cross-crediting overseas qualifications as a possible way forward for further developing the success of the Training Standards. We also worked on the wording of the Tyrol Declaration, an important international statement about ethics anc style in mountaineering and mountain-based industry, which it is hoped will gain full UIAA approval at the coming meeting in Teheran. Between meetings, Phil Wickens (Alpine Club, Mountaineering Commission Secretary) visited some fascinating Roman ruins and put up a new 2-pitch route at about E2, 5c - an exciting endeavour because we only took slings and quickdraws as we had hoped to find previously developed crags. The route is an instant classic, though I say so myself! - and I've tentatively christened it "The Style Council" in reference to the topics of debate! We also rediscovered one of the world's best but least publicised bouldering venues at Lake Bafa, set among goatherds and 2nd century ruins.
6-7th September: The Mountaineening Council of Scotland annual gathering and Mountaineering Co-ordination Group (MCG) meeting at Glenmore Lodge. The MCG meeting was in many ways an historic development, as the National Source Group paper was presented and discussed prior to recommendations being made, with full support from all the National Councils. After many years of debate, there is now a clear mandate to create a qualifications pathway for coaches in all aspects of mountaineering. Within this broad scope there is an urgent need to develop a coaching structure to equip climbing coaches with the skills needed to work more effectively with all levels of participants from novice through to elite performance. A formal request for MLTUK to manage the project will be presented at the next Board meeting on 27th Septembe, and the National Source Group has been tasked to begin collating the costs required to develop a coaching structure that could work in harmony with the existing scheme: to quote the chairman "an evolution not revolution" . Attending the evening's AGM was also very interesting and gave me an opportunity to compare the issues and procedures with the BMC's AGM in April.
After the AGM the MCofS hosted a very interesting discussion about the Alladale Estate project, with the charismatic general manager, New Zealander Hugh Fullerton-Smith defending the property's fencing policies against universal condemnation. As I pointed out to him, the only animal that will always find a way through any fence is the human being, so this is far less effective than a combination of education and engagement. You can follow the discussion further at Chris Townsend's blog and www.walkhands.co.uk
On the way home Mike Raine (BMC Cymru chair) and I stopped off to climb the excellent but serious Wayfairin' (E2) and Rat Race Direct (E4). We climbed the latter in a single pitch with a single rope, requiring long extenders that made the crux traverse very exciting. It also seemed very hard for 5b: it was only when I looked at the photo in "Extreme Rock" that I realised that we had done the much harder original finish by mistake!
August 2008
28th August: Took a much-needed day off. Sion and I climbed 10 pitches at the secret crag on the A55. It's about time that somebody published the route details now as there are about 40 completed routes.
23rd August: The National Source Group for coaching in Mountaineering finally completed its report for sumbmission to the Mountaineering Co-ordinating Group (comprising the UK and Ireland National Councils). This is the culmination of a series of meetings over two years and in the wake of a successful Olympics offers timely advice for developing the coaches of the future.
24th August: Alan George's Ball. This was the party of the year - have a look at the guest list! Mark Reeves and I acted as photographers for the event and we've posted a large selection of great shots on the internet here. The George twins have done stirling work for MLT over the years and are among my oldest friends in the climbing community - I first met them in the early 1980's in Snell's Field.I am filled with admiration for Alan in the way that he has coped with cancer, which has kept creeping back into his life.
18th August: Arrived back after a week in Hong Kong. While there we visited Day 2 of the Olympic three-day event, an insight into an adventure sport that has become part of the Olympic portfolio.
Have you ever seen so much rain? Fortunately the slate dries almost immediately. Here are two nice new little pitches at Fr 6a. The right hand shot was climbed on 29th August as part of a brilliant journey down a series of rusting old ladders down to the base of "Mordor" through a cave into the "Lost World" and then up the amazing crackline of "Dinorwig Unconquerable (E3 5c or 5.10b more like!) Take plenty for cams from 1.5 to 2.5 for this gorgeous climb.
July 2008
30th July: Today I received the following link request : http://www.azizcorp.com "Presentation Skills Training - Executive Coaching and Media Training The Aziz Corporation provides training courses. Leadership skills, presentation skills and media skills training are amongst some of our courses - all of which are designed to improve leadership skills by coaching executives the art of spoken communication". Normally I don't post up links unless they are from our partner organisations but I was so flattered that they had described this site as having impressive content, structure and accessibility and specifically cited "very good content" on this blog that I couldn't help but include their link here! You may wish to check out their free tutorials on presentation skills. (To tell the truth I was starting to wonder if anybody other than my family ever reads this stuff!) Meanwhile, I'm sure that you will be relieved to read that my mysterious back pain has all but gone, though today I woke up with extreme cramp in my leg; so maybe something similar caused it. This proves that sleeping can damage your health, so Sion and I snuck out before the deluges set in to climb a couple of short but enjoyable slate routes high up in the Bus Stop Quarry on Monday night.
28th July: A strange weekend! Spent Saturday night propped up in a chair as lying down brought extreme back pains. Can't think of what I've done to bring it on but I seem to have trapped a nerve or pulled back muscles. Perhaps it was caused by the sustained bridging of Joe Brown's "Far From the Madding Throng" (E2 Llanberis Pass) climbed on Thursday, or more likely the uncomfortable seats at the Theatre Gwynedd, where my son Sion appeared in the last ever production to be staged before demolition - looks like he literally brought the house down!
22nd July: I should be unpacking really, but it was a cool dry evening and local activist Chris Parkin was looking for a partner so we called in at Clogwyn y Grochan. Chris led Mural (E3) and I joined the cruxes of Corruption and Puss in Boots with the top pitch of Spectrum to give a sustained eliminate that I have unofficially christened "Shrek2". According to the individual pitch gradings its E3, but it feels pretty good value for that (I've done easier E5's!)
05-18th July: MCI Alpine meet in the Bregaglia. I've wanted to get involved with this for years so it was great to join this as one of the coaches. Despite some "unsettled" weather that included some remarkably consistent downpours lasting days at a time, we enjoyed several consecutive dry days for each of the courses, allowing us to make ascents of snowy peaks such as Cima di Rossa, Cima Sissone and Cima di Castella as well as some great rock routes on Pic Casnil, Punta del Abigna and Spazzacaledeira as well as some shorter "cragging routes". The Bregaglia Alps is a fantastic unspoilt region with great climbs at all standards (except hard ice) and I can thouroughly recommend the area in general and the Vicosoprano campsite in particular. The Chef de Guides, Mick Tighe presided over guiding matters in his inimitable style, Stuart Garland and his partner Catherine organised the event, Eric Pirie Guided and played first fiddle, while Declan O'Keeffe provided lyrics and vocals as well as helping to ferry groups around the region!
June 2008
End of June: Various MTT meetings dominated the end of the month as well as a trip to Mancheter for a BMC officers and AMI meeting. In the evenings I was able to get out a few times, and with Sion belaying managed to lead a couple more E5's cleanly: Chain Gang and Central Sadness, plus various sports routes.
16-19th June: British Mountain Guides summer training course. This year Plas y Brenin took on the organisational and "bridging facilitator" role and I just headed up a couple of sessions. It was an exceptionally well-received course; Martin Chester and Tim Neill did a great job on coaching processes and we were joined by an all-star cast including psychology lecturer and Guide Lew Hardy, marketing guru Dave Cheetham, professional standards officer and author Pete Cliff, and other Guides from Plas y Brenin including Martin Doyle and Rob Spencer. The course included two sessions with real students: some of the pictures below show members of the Anglesey outdoor adventure club enjoying the evening climbing session in Ogwen.
15th June: I'm developing a new time management strategy after some illuminating meetings with my management mentor, Keith Robertson. His metaphor of sharpening the axe rather than forever chopping, persuaded me to take some time out to develop smarter ways of working. Early days yet but it has been quite a relief to replace my job list with a set of time blocks for specific tasks. Slipped out various evenings for some climbing (The Bloods, Axle Attack, Contusion, Stroll on, Quasar, Leftover) I finished editing the National Source Group for coaching in mountaineering report just in time to distribute to the other group members before the BMC National Council meetings. On Father's Day, Sion and I visited the slate quarries and climbed 9 pitches, including several recent additions (Steps of Esher, Tomb Raider, Obsession, Kubla Khan, 362.) Launched up "Never Never Land" as well, but didn't fancy leaving the metal spike runner behind as it is the only runner in the first 50 feet of climbing and if it snaps in a fall the result will be hospital or mortuary. Discretion won; a shame really as I had done the crux, but was unwilling to risk a proper fall onto the spike.
2 visits to Westminster and I didn't get any photos! Here's my official visitor pass - I did at least keep t6hat as a souvenir! Martin Doyle and I traveled down to the National Skills Academy celebration where we met a number of skillsactive representatives and ministers. The Sports Leader UK event included an electronic treadmill so I worked off a few calories: ironically, the first time I have worn a suit this year and I ended up running!
7th June: The BMG open day was a very successful event with almost 30 prospective candidates arriving on the day. After discussing the training scheme we departed for Llanberis Pass. Despite being such a big group we somehow managed to spread reasonably thinly over a couple of crags. I was most impressed by a "flashed" on sight ascent of Cockblock (hard E5 6b) from Tony Stone, so much so that I went back the following week and led it myself, though not in the same immaculate style as Tony.
There are some interesting events lined up over the next fortnight. A reception for the successful bid for the new National Skills Academy (NW region) at Millbank on the 4th, and on the 9th I have been invited to an exhibition in the House of Commons by Sports Leader UK. This marks what appears to be a satisfactory conclusion to our discussions about an appropriate quality control ("moderation") system for the Award in Basic Exhibition Leadership. With this matter settled I am hoping that we can generate closer links between this award and the WGL and ML awards. I will also be working on the British Mountain Guides summer rock course II for a few sessions, as well as helping at the Guides open day on 7th June.
End of May
This period was mainly taken up with writing reports and catching up on some jobs that I had to postpone for the UIAA seminar. I also had a few days off during the school holiday. Sion and I couldn't get our much as he is revising for his exams, but we did get to Tremadog to climb Fingerlicker clean at hard E4 and swung leads on Scratch Arete (HVS). We also climbed Brant Direct. Early in the week I also visited "crag X" on the A55 again and climbed a bunch of routes from 6b to 7a+.
May 2008
Whitsun weekend
Inspired by the style and commitment demonstrated on the BMC International Meet I have decided to up my game this year. So it was a good start with the Whitsun weekend! Climbing with Mike Pyecroft and Andy Boorman I led the crux pitches of 2 brilliant E5's at Gogarth: the aptly named "Run Fast, Run Free" and the classic main wall feast: "Hunger". We enjoyed a warm day in the sun, with a drying breze, and watched a team from Plas y Brenin cruising Positron (E5) next door. There's nowehere better in the world than Gogarth Main cliff and that's a fact.
BMC International climbing meet
18/5/08:The second half of the international meet went just as well: the perfect weather lasted until the last day. We swapped partners around for a day and I climbed with Corne Brouwer from the Netherlands. A cool breeze was blowing so we chased the sun into North Stack for ascents of Blue Peter and South Sea Bubble, followed by an asent of a very damp T.Rex, armed with a very large cam that Jack Geldard kindly lent us. The following day saw another tour de force from Rolando, with on-sight ascents of Warpath, Dreams and Screams and the Jub Jub Bird. Click here to check out my photo gallery: or click here to watch the web-hosted film that was made of the international meet "Global Gathering"
14/5/08: My sixth summer meet, and yet another week of beautiful weather! I was teamed up with Rolando Larcher from Italy, and was lucky to be assigned a partner who not only climbs brilliantly but clearly has masses of experience in all kinds of climbing. During the first three days we climbed Left Wall, Memory Lane, Resurrection and King Wad in Llanberis Pass, West Buttress Eliminate and the Axe on Cloggy, and Weaver, Atomic Finger Flake and Strawberries at Tremadog. Rolando looked set to make a coverted on sight "flash" of the latter, but got the exit sequence out of the crack wrong and tok a fall.
UIAA mountaineering Commission meetings and Training Standards Seminar
3-4/5/08: This is going to be a busy month, so hang on to your hat! The month started in fine style with MLTUK hosting the UIAA Mountaineering Commission annual meeting. This was a great success, and after having concluded business the whole group visited the notorious Lockwood's Chimney resulting in the obligatory epic struggle and late dinner! If you've never climbed Lockwood's you have a gap in your CV! Incidentally it was where I took my wife on our very first date...
6-7/5/08: The International Training Standard seminar followed immediately after the commission meetings. This was also a great success, but you don't have to take my word for it: have a look at these action shots from the practical sessions. I will be publishing a report for the UIAA website very soon and will post links here. To see photos from the seminar, follow this link.
19/4/08: BMC AGM. I can't remember what the British Mountaineering Council called this weekend, but it was the most enjoyable mixture of fun in the sun combined with business meetings that you could possibly imagine. Hosted by the friendly Northumberland Mountaineering Club we sampled acres of immaculate sandstone with not a single "sandbag" delivered! The climbs can take care of themselves though; they are fierce little numbers that pack a real punch for their size. I certainly came away with a clearer understanding of why this region breeds such strong climbers.
The month started in great style with a family holiday in Antalya, Turkey. As well as visiting fascinating ancient ruins at Olympos and Perge, Sion and I drove several miles inland to the tufa paradise of Geyikbayiri for a few days of world-class climbing. The highlights of the trip for me were soaking up the atmosphere of the enormous stadium at Perge (shades of Ozymandias) and on-sighting the superlative tufa climb "Ja-ja City" (7a+). You can stay in wooden chalets at the foot of the crags, but for a change we stayed in a luxury hotel by the sea. Highly recommended!
March 2008
23/3/08: Just back from helping on the first IML winter assessment, based at Sixt in France: all eleven candidates passed with flying colours. Now we will be able to make any final improvements in the course handbook and send it to the printers after the next Board meeting.
14/3/08: Phill Thomas and I joined the BMC and MLTE staff at the Ordnance Survey OutdoorShow at Birmingham NEC. We were able to meet representatives from many different organisations as well as plenty of our award holders. The highlight of the event for me was being allowed to have a go in the qualifying stage of the climbing competition and completing the whole climb. Apparently I was the oldest and slowest climber to reach the far end successfully: so that's 2 records set...!
4/3/08: It just keeps getting better! Today Toby Keep joined us as observation practice for his Guides' training and we watched two teams climbing on the West Face of Aonach Mor. Bathed in sunshine and full winter conditions throughout this was about as good as mountaineering gets. We watched Golden Oldie Simon Hale in action with his team Martyn Frost and Rafael Salazar and discovered a natural cave out on the flanks to the North. In the evening the staff piled into a jacuzzi for a team debrief. Plas y Brenin wasn't this comfy in my day!
Geeks Corner: Here are some of my favourite bits of software. I thought this might make a change from all these climbing accounts. No. 1: Roboform. If you hate remembering passwords for all your web links, this is an absolute must! No.2: ACDSee. Brilliant for keeping track of your photo collection if you back up photos offline. Pretty good for basic photo retouching (Photoshop for the tricky ones). No.3: Xobni. Free software that integrates with Outlook, amzzingly good search and analysis tool for all contacts and emails. No.4: Outlook Duplicate Remover 5. Does what it says on the tin. Find it with a web search ("prayerware")
Other interesting recent events included the MLTUK Board meeting at Glenmore Lodge (1/3/08) I'll post a link here as soon as I've written a summary. The following day Allen Fyffe, Neil Johnson and I ran another workshop for prospective providers of the new Climbing Wall Award. Over 200 people have already successfully registered for the scheme.
3/3/08: I'm up in Scotland this week and have been enjoying perfect conditions on Stob Coire nan Lochan, Glencoe with a Mountaineering Instructor (MIC) training course. Today I watched a small team of candidates (Cath Wilson and Bryn Williams) with Tim Neill, a really inspiring day. We climbed a classic line on excellent snow ice named Langsam. Contrary to the name, we moved pretty fast!
The Coaching National Source Group met again on 29th February to begin working on its report to be submitted to the Mountaineering Councils in April. Excellent progress has been made on a consensus basis. Watch this space for further developments!
February 2008
Half term: We finished the week off with "A Dream of White Horses" but a biting wind made for cold conditions.
16/2/08: We had heard rumours of a new "crag X" in North Wales, so Sion and I went to investigate. Sure enough we found a small but exquisite crag and met the man who has been cleaning and equiping the lines. We were sworn to secrecy so I can't tell you who he is or where the crag is, but as you can see it gets plenty of sunshine and has several lines in the 5-6c grade range. Don't worry, it's whereabouts is bound to become public before long!
14/2/08: I'll fill this in this evening.It's warmed up now and I'm off to Gogarth!
Well, I'm home, and what an adventure. Sion and I climbed Positron, perhaps the best E5 in the world! We topped out as dusk descended. 3 pitches of sheer magic - I cheated slightly by using the Rat Race crux to bypass the awkward traverse on pitch 2: I think it makes for a better combination of pitches. I doubt if it's had many ascents in mid February, certainly not by a 15 year old! As a bonus I was able to get loads of great photos as well. Click here if you would like to see some.
Yesterday Sion led Icarus (HVS) at Rhoscolyn. It would have been a warm day if it was summer! As it is this week has been nothing short of outstanding. We also did some great routes on slate earlier in the week.
January 2008
26/1/08:Fresh back from Grenoble I joined Chris Parkin travelling to Horseshoe quarry for a meeting organised by the BMC for sport climbing activists from across England and Wales to discuss findings and standardise bolt placement and testing methods. A historic meeting that would probably have been impossible 5 years ago (without ending in a punch up!)
Gary Repents! Gary Gibson practices using a hydralulic bolt remover. Bolts placed in batches at Horseshoe Quarry will be tested over various years to see how long they pass accepted pull-gauge tests.
20/1/08:The chairs of the home nation boards met at Plas y Brenin today to discuss ways that we can pool resources to maximise efficiency while retaining autonomy. The results will be distributed for the next Board meeting on March 1st, 2008.
25/1/08:Pierre Humblet (the chair of the UIAA Mountaineering Commission) and I will meet Petzl head office to discuss strengthening the relationship between industry and mountain training.
18/1/08: The Climbing Wall Award is now a reality, and all the home nation boards have successfully inducted a number of providers. Registrations have been flooding in, and the Handbook has now been published. Our database has seen phase 1 of a major overhaul completed in order to manage the new award and also the significant changes to the International Mountain Leader scheme that were introduced last year. As always there were a couple of teething problems (not helped by some extreme weather and power cuts in Snowdonia!) but I think we've got those sorted now.
MLTUK is a member of the NW Regional Management Committee for the National Skills Academy. This is a major initiative that seeks to provide suitable training for industry needs and we are helping advise on the "outdoor sector". I am delighted that MLTUK has been involved in the consultation process, but naturally it is vital that we protect our awards, which have built a great reputation by serving the needs of both volunteer and professional leaders and instructors.
December 2007
Where did December go? Is the whole world getting faster or is it just my imagination? The month was filled by meetings and workshops plus the completion of the final draft of the Climbing Wall Award handbook for publication. (You can read it online at: www.mltuk.org/docs/documents/CWAHandbook-Dec19.pdf)
8-9/12/07: Working alongside Allen Fyffe, Jon Garside from MLTE/BMC and myself co-delivered some workshops at Glenmore Lodge and Extreme Dream for MLTS.
On Boxing Day my son Sion and I found dry conditions at Vivian Quarry and climbed "Last Tango in Paris" (E1 5b). On the walk in we met Joe Brown, an auspicious end of the year for me. Joe is of course one of the finest climbers of all time and was certainly one of my great inspirations when I took up mountaineering. His book "The Hard Years" was one of my favourite teenage reads. The belay station is set too far back to retrieve ropes so I abseiled down "Comes the Dervish". Before we could use the toprope opportunity the rain set in.
We had a great family holiday in Chamonix over New Year. It was great to get back on skis again, and my wife Anita finally got a pair of boots customised to fit her fused ankle so we were all able to ski together.
I won't bore you with the day to day stuff such as vetting registrations, writing dozens of emails, answering telephone enquiries etc. 
28th December:
22nd December:
17th November:
16th November:
15th November:
Since you ask, here are some photos from Joshua Tree. If only we had the same amount of sunshine hours! An interesting difference is that many of the outcrops have distinct summits that can only be reached by climbing or scrambling: Outside the remit of our SPA award. The AMGA qualification includes the issues of dealing with this sort of venue, including more advanced problem solving skills. 
8th October:
23rd-26th September:
28th August: 
15th June: I'm developing a new time management strategy after some illuminating meetings with my management mentor, Keith Robertson. His metaphor of sharpening the axe rather than forever chopping, persuaded me to take some time out to develop smarter ways of working. Early days yet but it has been quite a relief to replace my job list with a set of time blocks for specific tasks. Slipped out various evenings for some climbing (The Bloods, Axle Attack, Contusion, Stroll on, Quasar, Leftover) I finished editing the National Source Group for coaching in mountaineering report just in time to distribute to the other group members before the BMC National Council meetings. On Father's Day, Sion and I visited the slate quarries and climbed 9 pitches, including several recent additions (Steps of Esher, Tomb Raider, Obsession, Kubla Khan, 362.) Launched up "Never Never Land" as well, but didn't fancy leaving the metal spike runner behind as it is the only runner in the first 50 feet of climbing and if it snaps in a fall the result will be hospital or mortuary. Discretion won; a shame really as I had done the crux, but was unwilling to risk a proper fall onto the spike.
2 visits to Westminster and I didn't get any photos! Here's my official visitor pass - I did at least keep t6hat as a souvenir! Martin Doyle and I traveled down to the National Skills Academy celebration where we met a number of skillsactive representatives and ministers. The Sports Leader UK event included an electronic treadmill so I worked off a few calories: ironically, the first time I have worn a suit this year and I ended up running! 
Inspired by the style and commitment demonstrated on the BMC International Meet I have decided to up my game this year. So it was a good start with the Whitsun weekend! Climbing with Mike Pyecroft and Andy Boorman I led the crux pitches of 2 brilliant E5's at Gogarth: the aptly named "Run Fast, Run Free" and the classic main wall feast: "Hunger". We enjoyed a warm day in the sun, with a drying breze, and watched a team from Plas y Brenin cruising Positron (E5) next door. There's nowehere better in the world than Gogarth Main cliff and that's a fact. 
The month started in great style with a family holiday in Antalya, Turkey. As well as visiting fascinating ancient ruins at Olympos and Perge, Sion and I drove several miles inland to the tufa paradise of Geyikbayiri for a few days of world-class climbing. The highlights of the trip for me were soaking up the atmosphere of the enormous stadium at Perge (shades of Ozymandias) and on-sighting the superlative tufa climb "Ja-ja City" (7a+). You can stay in wooden chalets at the foot of the crags, but for a change we stayed in a luxury hotel by the sea. Highly recommended!
23/3/08:
Other interesting recent events included the MLTUK Board meeting at Glenmore Lodge (1/3/08) I'll post a link here as soon as I've written a summary. The following day Allen Fyffe, Neil Johnson and I ran another workshop for prospective providers of the new Climbing Wall Award. Over 200 people have already successfully registered for the scheme. 
Well, I'm home, and what an adventure. Sion and I climbed Positron, perhaps the best E5 in the world! We topped out as dusk descended. 3 pitches of sheer magic - I cheated slightly by using the Rat Race crux to bypass the awkward traverse on pitch 2: I think it makes for a better combination of pitches. I doubt if it's had many ascents in mid February, certainly not by a 15 year old! As a bonus I was able to get loads of great photos as well. 
Yesterday Sion led Icarus (HVS) at Rhoscolyn. It would have been a warm day if it was summer! As it is this week has been nothing short of outstanding. We also did some great routes on slate earlier in the week.
On Boxing Day my son Sion and I found dry conditions at Vivian Quarry and climbed "Last Tango in Paris" (E1 5b). On the walk in we met Joe Brown, an auspicious end of the year for me. Joe is of course one of the finest climbers of all time and was certainly one of my great inspirations when I took up mountaineering. His book "The Hard Years" was one of my favourite teenage reads. The belay station is set too far back to retrieve ropes so I abseiled down "Comes the Dervish". Before we could use the toprope opportunity the rain set in.
