Winter Our winter is spent mainly guiding and instructing winter climbing. However, December and early January will often see us working with a lot of University clubs on winter skills courses. We head off to Norway for a couple of weeks mid Jan for some fantastic ice climbing (with no walk in's) and then it's back to Scotland for Scottish winter climbing and Mountaineering until mid April. During this time we will have a stay at the CIC hut on Ben Nevis and mainly operate around Ben Nevis and Glencoe, with the occasional raid north and east! If conditions and clients are right, we usually will have an attempt on a Skye winter traverse. To have the odd break from climbing, Richard will also work some winter Mountain leader training and assessment courses. Although staying in snow holes and wandering around in blizzards at night is an odd way to have a break!
(p.s. Hopefully I will squeeze in some time to go and play myself and try the odd new line. Rich)
Spring Time to put the axes away and think of rock and sun. We start our programme of Mountain leader and SPA courses at the end of April, often running training and assessment courses at the end of April and beginning of May
Then it's off to Skye for large parts of May and early June, as we run Cullin ridge traverses and Skye scrambling and climbing courses. This is one of the best times to be on Skye and no matter how many times you go up on the ridge, it always takes your breath away.
It's also a good time to do the big classic ridges and routes on Ben Nevis. Great for coaching ropework and scrambling techniques. Very alpine in feel with large snow patches everywhere. Towards the end of May the rock shoes are getting itchy for more technical rock climbing!
Summer Lots more NGB courses for ourselves and other organisations but now we get climbing! So much fantastic rock all over the Northwest of Scotland to play on. We run a lot of intro and intermediate rock climbing courses as well as a learning to lead and pushing your grade. Our courses focus on making you self-reliant and competent so that you can get out there to develop skills by yourself.
During this time Richard has long standing commitments to several Universities, outdoor centres and councils, running various courses in climbing and mountaineering.
Scrambling is also on the menu with a week at the hut on Ben Nevis as well as a week in Torridon and further jaunts to Skye.
Autumn Often a really busy time. Lots of Mountain leader, walking group leader and single pitch award courses. Both our own and also we are asked to run them for many other outdoor organisations, as Richard is an approved MLTS course director.
We also get across to Skye in September for two or three ridge traverses and a scrambling course.
By the end of October we have often got our first winter route in (you have to be quick!) and by mid December the NGB courses come to an end and it's time to get ready for winter again!
