Book Review: The White Spider by Heinrich Harrer

Since discovering a little fondness for mountaineering literature, I decided to do a little research into what was considered a true classic. Those who are familiar with the genre won't be surprised to learn that the first book I focused my attention on was: The White Spider by Heinrich Harrer. Everywhere I looked online suggested that this was a 'must read' for anyone who is even remotely interested in alpinism and mountaineering; I couldn't wait to start reading.

After the first couple of pages, I wasn't sure if this was the right book for me. The first part of the book focuses on the history of the Eiger and, while this is very interesting, I found the dated writing style quite hard to read and follow. However, I was determined to give this said 'classic' a fair chance and stuck with it; I was not to go unrewarded.

After the initial history and prologue, Harrer turns to the nitty-gritty and focuses on the early attempts on The North Face; the many failures and numerous tragedies. There a some shocking tales but by far the most hard-hitting is that of the tragedy of Toni Kurz. I don't think anyone could read this chapter and not be moved by such a sad tale - be they a climber, mountaineer or neither.

The book then becomes extremely enjoyable and easy to read, as the historical style changes to subjective accounts of attempts on The North Face. Harrer's personal account of the first ascent is a truly fascinating read; if you are a modern climber or mountaineer, it is quite hard to imagine the hardships suffered on The Face, as one has the comfort of modern technology and equipment - a truly magnificent achievement for the day.

Each chapter then focuses on either a different tale of a number of ascents or a landmark year for the Eiger's North Face. This keeps the reader interested, as each chapter is filled with epic tale after tale.  Harrer clearly carried out an enormous amount of research to piece all of these accounts together and lets the reader make up their own mind; where there is any doubt about what really happened on an attempt. He writes with a very open mind and does not pass any judgement whatsoever on his fellow alpinists, and I feel the author commands respect here and deserves a great deal of credit. Indeed, one can imagine that it would be easy to judge others and criticise individuals for the many fatal mistakes that were made over the years on The Face. On a personal note, I particularly enjoyed the account of the first rescue attempt from the summit that involved the use of a winch and steel cable - clearly a revolutionary tactic and a groundbreaking method at the time.

After being unsure about this text initially, I am so very glad that I persevered with it - as it is a true classic in mountaineering literature. A must-read for any climber or mountaineer.

Ben Lui Exped

Ben Lui Exped - Dec 2012 from Chris McMorris on Vimeo.

I had managed to finish work a week early before the 'mandatory' Christmas break at school so I was keen to make the most of the free time. Emily was still at school so I didn't want to leave her without the car so the train seemed like the sensible option. With the constraint of the train and the short winter day, it was inevitable that this trip was going to turn into a bit of an expedition - it was going to be a bit full on. A camp or two was inevitable, and so was a heavy pack; fast and light just wasn't going to work.

Emily and her family had been experiencing the joys of the Norovirus over the past week but, thankfully, I had managed to avoid it and was feeling good about the prospects of a winter adventure. I cut down on the weight as much as I dared, but the crampons, axe, poles, winter sleeping bag, stove, warm jacket and extra hat/gloves etc. all added up. I decided to go minimalist and take my Terra Nova hooped bivi instead of a tent; in the hope that it wouldn't be too wet! The forecast was quite favourable; very light wind, dry and cold. As it looked like it was going to be chilly, I didn't want to only take my light sleeping bag and run the risk of being cold.

With my large rucksack, I carted all my gear down to Edinburgh Haymarket Station and caught the train to Glasgow just after 5pm. Then I had a few minutes wait before settling on to the train to Fort William. As I sat on the train studying the map, it suddenly dawned on me that I had forgotten my watch - cursing at myself, I was thankful that I still had my iPhone to tell the time; not ideal. The train split in two at Crianlarich and I jumped off at the next stop: Upper Tyndrum. Needless to say, it was a lonely place at that time on a Sunday evening with no other soul around. The train hissed away into the darkness and I headed down the track to the main road with only the light of my head torch for company.

A deserted Upper Tyndrum Station

It was a fresh, chilly night and there was quite a bit of snow lying on the ground but the road down from the station was clear. There were plenty of lights on in the Crainlarich Hotel, but there wasn't much life about the place. I headed on down the dark street, past the By the Way Hostel, and up to Lower Tyndrum station. If I'd stayed on the other half of the train from Glasgow, I obviously could've alighted here, but I hadn't visited Upper Tyndrum station before and I'm not one to turn down an opportunity to see somewhere new! Leaving civilisation behind, I crossed the tracks and began the plod along the Landrover track through the forest.

Heading towards the Tyndrum Hotel

I made slower progress than I would've liked, as the track was extremely icy and I had to walk on the softer snow at its edges to make steady headway. There was some light sleet in the air but the night was completely still; not a breath of air to interrupt the blackening silence. It was soon broken as I was greeted by the sound of the River Cononish when I reached the main track. The sky wasn't clear and I could sense that the cloud was quite low around the hills that surrounded me, but it was still a pleasant night to be out. Another eventless plod later, and I was walking through Cononish - totally lifeless. I had read that there was a working gold mine nearby, but unfortunately my head touch didn't catch any nuggets lying around that might bring me fortune.

Heading through the forest towards Cononish

The track became narrower and more undulating as it left the roar of the river behind, and I soon passed a parked ATV that looked quite new - still no signs of life. I suddenly felt quite alone in the wilds - which was a good feeling; exactly why I had decided to get away for a few days. The plan was to head to the end of the main track to the Allt an Rund and have a good rest for the night. In the morning I wanted to make an assault on Ben Lui via Central Gully I ***. I predicted quite a slog with a heavy bag but wanted a decent challenge. If all went smoothly and I made good time, then I would pop along to bag Beinn a'Chleibh and come back down and camp at the bealach above Coire Laoigh. If things went well, I planned to get back to Tyndrum via Ben Oss and Beinn Dubhchaig before catching the train back to Edinburgh. This was a fairly ambitious plan, and I new things would have to go pretty smoothly and conditions would need to be perfect if I was to achieve all of those goals.

Setting up camp below Ben Lui, Upper Glen Cononish

I reached the Allt an Rund and dumped my pack down on a flat(ish) dry(ish!) patch the other side of a steep bank at the end of the track; fairly sheltered. I wandered over to have a look at the river and if it looked crossable. To my disgust it was high and raging over the ford - might have to take an early morning dip to get across that! I turned my attention back to getting set up for the night and getting a hot brew going. It was at this point that the heavens opened right on top of me. Damn. The forecast hadn't been for any rain so I had elected to take the bivi rather than the tent; it was going to be a damp night. For those of you who haven't had the pleasure of getting into a bivi bag in heavy rain, then I can tell you that it is almost impossible to stay dry. Leaving my pack outside wrapped up in a survival bag, I zipped up the bivi and listened to the rain hammering against the Gore-Tex just a few centimetres from my face - brilliant...

It was a long, cold, damp uncomfortable night; I didn't sleep much. When I did manage to drift of, I was soon woken by my alarm at 8:30am. The rain had stopped during the night but was once again hammering down on top of me. I pulled back the zip a tiny bit and peered out. I could see that the mist was down all around. Not feeling overly inspired at all, I went back to sleep until 10:00am when, to my relief, the rain had ceased. Taking the dry opportunity, I packed up all my sleeping gear before getting a brew going and breakfasting. I wandered over to the river again for another look; I wanted to scope it out before picking up my bag. As I expected, it was even more higher and faster than last night due to all the rain. Looking to my left, I spotted a chap wading through the ford sideways and using his walking poles for balance. He made it across but he looked more than a little wet. I half watched him up the steep path on the other side and into the mist, as I looked for an alternative crossing point.

I grabbed my rucksack and headed a short way upstream to where I had spotted two large boulders as potential 'jumping stones'. Using my walking poles, this worked out well and I was safely across and dry- excellent. However, one of my walking poles had given up during the crossing and now refused to lock. Taking a closer look, it appeared it was beyond saving so I left it standing upright rather humbly at the edge of the ford; perhaps someone else passing this way will adopt it and make further use of it. With a single pole in hand, I headed up the path over the grassy slopes into the clouds. Looking back, there was a bit of a view down the Glen to Cononish and the track I had walked last night - then I disappeared into the mist and the view was gone...

Looking back down Glen Cononish

The path hugged the waterfalls of the Allt Coire Ghaothaich as I approached the snow line in the low cloud. The terrain then flattened a little and opened out into Coire Gaothach. Ahead of me I spied the same chap I had seen earlier at the ford, taking off his crampons in the snow. I joined him and we had a bit of a natter. Turns out his name was Campbell: a soldier home for Christmas from his post in Germany. He said he had turned back, as there was too much snow for him. He wished me well as we parted company and I pushed on into the deeper snow.

Heading into Coire Gaothach, Ben Lui

The mist was even thicker in the Corrie; with the lack of wind, the cloud was almost stagnant. However, there was no problem with navigation: I simply headed for the steepest ground and the deepest snow - time to get out the axe and crampons. It was hard going in the deep snow with my heavy pack and to say it was slow-going was a huge understatement. The quality of the snow was actually quite good. Initially, lower down, it was quite soft but as I got higher it was quite consolidated and seemed very stable. I had been reading up on Central Gully and it is a little renown for avalanches so I was keen to be cautious and not become a statistic! However, I knew that I could play it by ear and escape up onto the Northeast ridge if conditions weren't right. Fortunately, the snow continued to get firmer the higher I went - but there was a lot of it and it was hard going.

Heading into Coire Gaothach, Ben Lui

I was absolutely wiped when out of the mist I spied a huge cornice over the the left - thankfully not directly above me! There was absolutely no way I was getting over it, or through it, but directly above me there was only a small cornice. When I eventually got close to it, I realised that it was actually massive and solid but a spied a small weakness along to my right - I made directly for this 'kink' and started swinging my adze. It took a massive amount of work to hack a 'slit' that I could get through. I threw my heavy pack up first and I scrambled up after it: I was finally at the top. After catching my breath, I had a short dander to the summit cairn - made it. I took a moment to take everything in: there wasn't a breath of wind and I couldn't see a thing around me due to the thick cloud and the fading light; it was getting late. The ascent had been quite a straggle with a rather large bag and had taken a great deal longer than I had hoped. It was clear that Beinn a'Chleibh was going to have to wait for another day.

Approaching Central Gully, Ben Lui

I put on my head torch and headed down the Southeast ridge towards the bealach above Coire Laoigh. I had my compass out, as the nav was going to be a little tricky; there were a few obstacles (crags) to avoid on the descent and some of the slope was steeper in places than others. To add to the difficulty, the snow was way softer on this side of the hill but just as deep. This meant that it was extremely draining as I sank to my thigh (or more) with every step. After a while the slope got steeper so I started to traverse to the right in the deep snow to avoid the crags I could just make out below me. I paused to check by bearing with my compass and then I took my phone out to check the time. As I put my phone back in my pocket, I snagged the string on my compass and I fumbled it and it dropped to the snow. Before I knew what was happening, my compass was out of sight and disappeared towards the crags - gone. I cursed myself at what had just happened but I was thankful that it hadn't been my phone! I usually fix my compass to my chest pocket zipper to prevent this exact eventuality - but this time I hadn't... grrr!

Approaching Central Gully, Ben Lui

I pushed on and cleared the steeper ground - without my compass I still knew that if I continued to head Southwest, then I would easily clear all difficulties. After a short steep section, the ground began to level out slightly and, recognising a couple of reentrants, I knew where I was. The wind had ceased and I was now below the clouds finally so I thought about taking a breather and taking in a brew. However, it seems that the decision about where and when to pause was out of my control, as I began to experience a horrible feeling in my stomach and the sudden urge to relieve myself. It could only be one thing - the dreaded Norovirus. I will spare you the details of the next hour, but by describing it as "highly unpleasant" is a huge understatement! I knew that I needed to get plenty of fluid back into me, so I set about brewing some tea. I sat there waiting for the pot to cool, and I suddenly felt very cold, despite my extra layers that I had recently put on. I reached for my final spare jacket, but it made no difference; then came the cold sweat and I started to shake uncontrollably - not a good place...

Approaching the summit, Ben Lui

After plenty of tea and attempting to eat a little of my food, I decided that I needed to act rather swiftly as this had the potential to turn into a bad situation. I figured that I was likely to get worse over the next few hours, before I was likely to get better and on the side of Ben Lui in this remote part of the world was NOT the place I wanted to be right now. I slowly made my way around to my original destination: the bealach above Coire Laoigh. When I finally reached the wide plateau, my fever felt worse and I was starting to hear 'things' - far from ideal. I took another breather and thought that I should check in with Emily. To my horror, I discovered that my iPhone had 'crashed' and now refused to turn on - despite having plenty of battery life left in it. The dreaded "connect to iTunes" icon... This was now a bad situation all round; no doubt about it. The mission now was to get back to civilisation asap and in one piece! My main concern was not being able to check in back at base by texting Emily to let her know I was ok. It was settled then; I headed down into Coire Laoigh and started following the Allt Coire Laoigh. The terrain was fairly easy and I soon picked up a stalkers' path to follow. But I was not in a good place, both physically and mentally, so it was a real internal battle for me to keep going... not fun.

Approaching the summit, Ben Lui

After a while, I finally arrived at the ford where I had camped the previous night. To my delight, the river was much lower and I had no difficulty walking across the shallows to the start of the main track. I collapsed there and tried to find the energy and the motivation to brew some more tea and to eat something else; needless to say, I was feeling rather sorry for myself. I thought about camping - but my stomach really didn't want to. I was worried that if I got any worse, then I was still quite far away from civilisation. Annoyingly I had no idea of the time - but I estimated that if I could make it back to Tyndrum asap, then it wouldn't be too late to call Emily from a pay phone and beg for a pickup!

Ice axe on the summit cairn of Ben Lui

I decided that this was the best option to aim for, as my fever was now worse and I was trying not to vomit with each step forward. After what seemed like an eternity, I reached the farm at Cononish and I took a rest to change the batteries in my head torch. I could hear the low hum of a generator coming from somewhere in the trees, but this was the only sign of life and there were no lights on in any of the buildings. Struggling on, I was thankful to reach the track heading up through the forest to the left and my route back to Tyndrum. Progress was painful, as well as being painfully slow. If I had thought I was slow heading up Central Gully earlier in the day, then this was a different league altogether. It was a cold night; very clear and fresh. The clouds had cleared and the stars were out. At any other time it would be a fantastic night to be out walking in the hills.

With relief, I came out of the forest and crossed the tracks; to civilisation. I passed the hotel by the main road and I could see that they were turning off the last of the lights in the bar and shutting up for the night - it was perhaps later than I thought. I've never been so happy to hear Emily's voice; on the other end of the pay phone - she was on her way... what a star!

I spent the next 36 hours recovering form the virus and had time to reflect on the epic I had just experienced. I was annoyed that I had forgotten my watch, dropped my compass, broke my walking pole and that my phone had given up. These things annoyed me more than getting ill, as the latter couldn't really be helped. The trip had been an emotional roller coaster to say the least. But I mainly remember the elation and the sense of the situation that I experienced in Central Gully. I can honestly say that it is one of the most enjoyable climbs I have completed, including summer and winter - a true classic and a journey I will never forget!

Lecture: Andy Kirkpatrick Special Lecture in aid of HEAT

This weekend Emily and I are staying in Northallerton visiting the family. Another reason for coming South, was to attend Andy Kirkpatrick's lecture in aid of HEAT. The event was being held this evening at Ashville College, so Emily and I spent most of the day doing some Christmas shopping in Harrogate.

On arrival at the school, it was immediately clear that the event was well supported - well over half the hall was full of folk and everyone was going mad for the refreshments, as we waited for the arrival of Andy.

We didn't have long to wait and Andy was soon in full flow; cracking one joke after another. He started by telling us a little about himself and his upbringing in Hull. Moving on, he showed a few slides of his climbing exploits from over the years and around the globe - a very impressive resume. The main focus of the story was on his recent ascent of Troll Wall in Norway.

Unfortunately, Ella was feeling a little under the weather so didn't take to the stage to give her account of climbing El Cap. Instead, Andy showed a couple of slides of the recent trip to Yosemite but we got the sense that he very much felt that it was Ella's story to tell.

A great evening for a good cause. I would encourage everyone to attend one of Andy's shows/lectures, as he is quite a character and extremely entertaining.

Film Review: Odyssey

After the huge success of The Long Hope, there has been a great deal of hype about the latest film from Hot Aches Productions. Thankfully, Odyssey - A Climbing Road Movie, more than lives up to the attention.

The film documents a group climbers at the top of their game, as they make their way around England and Wales, ticking off some of the UK's hardest trad routes. The group includes Hansjorg Auer, Hazel Findlay, Caroline Ciavaldini and James Pearson. We begin in Northumberland with some very impressive on sights of a number of E6s and E7s. James, a personal hero of mine, talks a bit about how he has progressed in his climbing career over the years and how important the history and the style of British trad climbing to him. Hazel speaks about how it is important to get over the fear of falling in order to push your grade on trad - there is plenty of footage that features her taking some particularly large falls!

As the trip heads to Llanberis, the group set their sights on some impressive goals. The highlight surely has to be their attempts to on sight Strawberries E7 6b**. So many great climbers have come unstuck by this amazing crack-line and over the years it has seen only a handful of successful on sights. Hansjorg, however, makes it look rather smooth and effortless - very impressive stuff.
James then comes into his own as he has a very successful day at Nesscliffe - E8 flash, E8 onsight and E9 headpoint... not a bad day's work!
The film is beautifully shot throughout and has a very polished feel to the final edit. All of the characters are extremely down-to-earth and very inspiring as well as being rather modest and humble. If you are looking for inspiration to visit amazing crags and attempt hard trad routes, then this is definitely it. It's a close-run thing to decide which is the best climbing film I have seen this year - The Long Hope or this masterpiece. Overall, I think I prefer this film, but only slightly. I think the main reason for this is that I can relate more to the climbers and the routes in this film, and there is not much stopping anyone from getting out there and heading to these crags if they are motivated enough to do so. A very inspiring and excellent film - hats off to Paul Diffley once more.

Benny Beg

Today the weather forecast was looking dry and still... but a little chilly! So instead of heading to the EICA, I wanted to make the most of the weather and get out on some real rock. I suggested that we head to Benny Beg - mainly because I had never been before and wanted to check it out. I had heard folk say that it was very accessible, had loads of easy routes, was a great place to take groups... and it was right next to a cafe. Sounds perfect!

Gearing up for the first easy climb of the day, Benny Beg

By the time we had set off, it was almost lunchtime - but only an hour and a half later, we were standing at the bottom of the crag. At first, we pulled into the main car park at the Benny Beg Plant Centre but we noticed the sign that directed climbers to an alternative car park about 100 yards further along the main road towards Crieff. After no more than a 30 second walk we were at the foot of the first bolts and spotting the numerous lines.

Trying to warm up my feet, Benny Beg

We spent our time ticking off most of the routes on the first sector; I lead and threaded the rope at the top and then Emily bottom roped. There was a little water trickling down the main crack lines but most of the rock was surprisingly dry and didn't feel too cold to the touch. The quality of the rock, the lines and the bolts are highly recommended and very worthwhile, even at the easy grades.

Emily trying to get some feeling back into her feet, Benny Beg

Before the first sector, the height of the crag is much lower and looked like the perfect spot for a group warm up with some 'hang on' or some 'follow the leader' traversing. It also looked like there were more lines possible between the bolted ones and plenty of good anchors at the top of the outcrop that would enable the use of further bottom-ropes. An excellent group venue for sure.

The view from the crag in the fading afternoon light, Benny Beg

Soon, the afternoon sun vanished and the temperature dropped. As the light started to fade, the cafe and a hot chocolate were calling. A great afternoon climbing and I can't wait to go back and tick off the remaining routes.

The excellent DMM Alpha Sport Quickdraw, Benny Beg

Civil Liability - Instructor Insurance

Today I managed to sort out some Civil Liability Insurance using my Mountain Training Associations (MTA) membership. I found a form to download from the MTA website so I filled it in and emailed it in to them. However, I was told that this was the older style form and the process can now be done through their website so I was advised to take out my policy here with Perkins Slade.

Just out of curiosity, I filled out the form for a quote as if I wasn't a member of MTA and was quoted £350! However, with MTA membership, insurance was only £169 - quite a saving, I think you'll agree and well-worth the £29 annual membership. With insurance now sorted out, I should be able to get cracking with my climbing coaching - watch this space!

Mountain Training Association (MTA) Membership

After successfully passing my Single Pitch Award (SPA) on Friday, I took the plunge and signed up for Mountain Training Association (MTA) membership. If you have ever registered for any of the NGB outdoor awards, you should have a record with them. They recently launched a new Candidate Management System so all you need to do is register and then you can login to view your awards and your training/assessment history. You can also see your profile and allow others to see it to verify that you have the qualifications you say you have: here's a link to mine.

It cost £29 to join and I would recommend any instructors to join. Membership gets you listed on the searchable database of instructors (here) as well many other benefits and discounts. The main reason I am joining is to take advantage of their discounted Civil Liability Insurance for Instructors, which I hope to have sorted out in the next few days.

Single Pitch Award (SPA) Assessment - Day 2

We met at Rosyth Quarry at 9am and geared up in the rain. After a lovely fresh autumn day yesterday at Traprain, the weather couldn't have been more different; it felt like a winter storm was coming. We headed into the quarry and we were each given our first tasks - mine was to rig a releasable abseil anywhere on the crag. I grabbed my gear and headed around the path to the top, trying not to slip and fall in the mud and the autumn leaves.
I soon had my rig ready to go and David was to be my client. Euan had asked him to undo the thread-back buckle of the waist belt of his harness, which I spotted almost immediately. It was an amusing moment, as David when pink and immediately apologised, as he felt bad about being involved in such trickery! David and Chris then ran their rigs of an abseil and bottom-rope respectively.
I was then asked to rig a bottom-rope using a ground anchor. At the bottom of Drizzle S, there was a conveniently positioned large boulder and a thread at the back of it - perfect. I then ran my bottom-rope with bell-ringing using the ground anchor and an italian hitch as the belay. By this time, the rain had turned into quite a heavy shower so Euan gave the word for us to pack everything up asap and make our escape.
We headed back to the EICA for a quick coffee before re-grouping down in the main arena. David was the first to play instructor and took Chris and I through a great 15-minute warm up. Then I took over and treated David and Chris as my two clients who were here for a one-off climbing session. I tied Chris in and gave a quick demo of belaying (up-down-slide-slide) before David took over while I backed up and coached along the way. After practicing lowering down, Euan instructed Chris to pretend to be stuck just over halfway up the wall. I then performed a bottom-rope rescue using my Gri-gri. Then Chris took over and took us through tying in using a figure-of-eight etc.
Euan than said that he was happy with everything that he was seeing from us so he said he wanted to 'workshop' bottom-rope rescues. When I performed my rescue, I tied off my Gri-gri as an 'extra' safety, but Euan told me that I didn't need to and showed us how to do it to avoid slack in the system. He said that what I had done was totally safe but he just wanted to show us how it could be done in fewer steps - very useful indeed and I could see how it was a much simpler method. He then showed us how to self belay on an adjacent climb with a separate bottom-rope. He said that this could be useful on a steep wall when it is difficult to avoid putting weight on the rope when climbing up to the stuck client. Again, very useful.
Euan said that the assessment was now at an end but it would take him a wee while to sort out all of the necessary paperwork so he asked us if we wouldn't mind waiting upstairs in the cafe. After a coffee and a scone, it wasn't long before Euan emerged and told us there and then that we had all passed. It was big smiles all round and after congratulating each other, Euan called me over for my individual debrief.
The feedback was very positive indeed and I was very pleased with how the two days of assessment had gone. He said that I shouldn't stop climbing, as this would make me a better coach and instructor. I told him that I really wanted to get more involved in coaching climbing and he gave some advice about what my next steps should be and what courses to avoid. I was told that now I had my SPA that I would be able to get insurance through MTA and I would then be able to coach at the EICA. Euan also recommended that I should try to attend the BMC's FUNdamentals of climbing workshops and also think about aiming for the Climbing Wall Leading Award (CWLA).
It was a great feeling to get this award done so that I can now move forward with my coaching goals and gain further experience and focus on progressing to the next stage (level). Many thanks to Nic Crawshaw and Euan Whittaker for yet another excellent course. More on Euan's blog.

Single Pitch Award (SPA) Assessment - Day 1

I couldn't put it off any longer: it was time for my SPA assessment. The summer had been quite a busy one but I had still managed to fit in lots of climbing, had practice lots of rigging and and Emily had been my 'client' to practice my rescues.

We met at the EICA at 8am for a few introductions. I knew David Walker from the SPA training course in June and Chris Ravey seemed like an interesting and splendid chap. With the formalities out of the way, Euan Whittaker talked us through the plan for the next two days. He told us that we had all performed well on the SPA training and he expected us all to do well on this assessment... no pressure then!

Euan Whittaker at the top of Overhang Wall, Traprain Law

We jumped into the Land Rover and headed to Traprain Law. When we arrived, we found that the right-of-way through the field to the crags seemed to have been ploughed over but there were no signs. Not wanting to aggravate a potential access issue, we jumped back in the 4x4 and parked round at the quarry on the North side of The Law. After some difficulty finding the correct path, we were finally at the foot of the crag gearing up. Nic Crawshaw met us there and it was decided that Euan would climb with me, while Nic would oversee David and Chris climbing together. I set my sights on Left Edge S** - I figured I might as well get the Severe climb out of the way for the day. The rock was drier than I was expecting and the going was good until I reached the prominent crack; that was dripping wet. Despite this, the climbing was actually quite nice. I placed plenty of decent wires and found a huge block at the top for the belay but I wanted an additional anchor, as it was an assessment after all! After some hunting around, I found a good cam placement high up the slope and then brought Euan up. After inspecting my belay and giving me some feedback, we headed back down and I started up Deception VD. To my surprise it was a very enjoyable climb, if a little damp. I continued up to the higher grassy rocks and used a single huge block for the belay. Euan came up soon after and told me that he had left a couple of pieces of gear in on the climb and asked me to abseil down and get them. I quickly rigged a personal abseil using the big block (and a secondary block) and headed down to get the gear. I stopped at each of the runners and used body wraps for safety. I was soon on the ground and sorting out my rack.

Chris running his bottom-rope with David and Nic as his clients, Overhang Wall, Traprain Law

Euan then dismantled my rig and joined my at the bottom of the crag again. Next, he asked my to rig a top-rope on Wheech's Overhang VS 5a*. I grabbed my rigging rope and headed up and around the right side of the crag. I found a huge block and a decent flake to use as anchors and I had soon rigged the semi-static line to these. Next was the dynamic rope which was made a little tricky by the awkward stance on the complex and steep terrain. Nevertheless I was soon ready to go and so was Euan, who was now being treated as my client. He tried to get up and over the overhang but the rock was soaking so he detoured around the side to get above the overhang. Then he became disgruntled, upset with me and refused to to lowered down (acting of course!) - so I quickly set up a y-hang and lowered down to rescue him. I made a slight error here and ended up too far below Euan - much to his delight; as soon as I had him safely attached, he jumped up in the air and crashed into me to demonstrate my error! Nevertheless, when we were back on the ground again, Euan said that it was still perfectly safe and that he just did that to demonstrate what could happen and to remind me not to do it again! Fair enough!

Chris running his bottom-rope with David and Nic as his clients, Overhang Wall, Traprain Law

I was then told to relax and pack up, as that was me finished for the day - I breathed a sigh of relief. Chris had been busy running a bottom-rope with David as his client and they were now finished too. As we headed back along the A1, I reflected on the first day. I was really happy with how things had gone so far and it certainly gave me confidence going into the second day of assessment tomorrow. Also, a great day climbing and the weather was rather fine indeed.

EMFF 2012 - Sunday Evening

THE FILMS

EYE OF THE STORM

A reflective ski film with some amazing footage of heli-drops in the mountains. Very nice shot and put together.

DAVE

A lovely short film by Lukasz Warzecha that looks at Dave MacLeod and his attitude to climbing and hard projects. The film features Dave climbing in Averstal (AKA: Magic Wood), Switzerland and repeating New Base Line F8b+**. One of the best short films so far.

COLD
A brilliant film by Cory Richards that documents his suffering in the bitterly cold winter with fellow mountaineers Simone Moro and Denis Urubko as they successfully climb Gasherbrum II. Some stunning footage and a lucky escape from a devastating avalanche on their descent.

MY OWN HANDS
A short artistic-style film about climbing trees. Not really my thing but very nicely put together.

THE LECTURE

ALAN HINKES - SURVIVING THE DEATH ZONE

Alan was a very interesting and funny chap. He had great videos and pictures from his ascents of all the 8000m peaks (although he didn't touch on the dispute about his summit of Cho Oyu). It's fair to say that Alan is certainly a true Yorkshireman - a very interesting guy.

A great end to EMFF 2012 and what a weekend it's been. Herbie certainly enjoyed it and said it was well worth the trip over from the Isle of Man. Many thanks to Stevie Christie and the rest of the volunteers for organising and running a great weekend - roll on next year!

EMFF 2012 - Sunday Afternoon

THE FILMS

WHY

This beautifully-shot film by Corey Rich was one of my favourite short films that I have seen this year. It features climber Alex Honnold, kayaker Dane Jackson and biker Rebecca Rusch talking about why they continue to push the boundaries and do what they love the most. A brilliant short film.

DOUGIE DOWN THE PET

This film follows the journey of a father taking his 4-year-old son on a canoe trip down the Petawawa river in Canada. Dougie is certainly the star of the show and the film is full of cute and funny moments - certainly a feel-good film.

IN SEARCH OF SNOW - HELEN RENNIE'S STORY
This rather short film tells the brief story of Helen Rennie's quest to ski on snow for 25 consecutive months. A truly amazing achievement... if not a tat mental!

OF WET AND WILDNESS
Another chance to see this fine artistic piece from Paul Diffley.

FEEL THE HILL
The longest film of the day followed a group of French long boarders and their pursuit of bigger, faster hills and pushing the limits of what you can do with a skateboard. A very nice piece indeed. 

THE LECTURE

SIMON WILLIS - THE ACCIDENTAL SEA KAYAKER

I didn't know much about Simon Willis but I had read that he was the author of the Scottish Sea Kayak Trail guidebook so I was quite interested to hear about his tails from the Western Isles. Emily and I have visited many of the Western Isles of Scotland but we still have many to explore and I've always fancied a sea kayaking trip around some of them. Unfortunately, Simon's main focus of his lecture was talking about how he and Gordon Brown had made their instructional sea kayaking films. I felt that this lasted a little too long and may not have suited the audience that was present. However, he finished with some amazing tales, pictures and footage of a trip he made to St. Kilda a few years ago that was very inspiring - the highlight for me.

EMFF 2012 - Saturday Evening

THE FILMS

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS

A nice short film about mountain biking featuring the world cup from Fort William. Some great footage  of the downhill and good interviews with various pro riders.

SMITTEN

Believe it or not, this film follows Australian climber/BASE-jumper Lucky Chance (yes, that is his real name!) and some of his crazy stunts. The film is very very funny and Lucky comes across as a real character - especially when he talks about his narrow escape on a jump where his canopy fails to open! A must see.

DARK SIDE OF THE LENS
A very artistic short film featuring surf photographer Mickey Smith and what he puts himself through to get the perfect shot. Not much surfing in this one, but a very nice poetic short film by Mickey.

SKETCHY ANDY
I had seen this excellent short film about the 'Slacklife' of Andy Lewis once before but I was really looking forward to seeing it again. Andy has, almost singlehandedly, pushed the development of slack lining and trick lining. Andy is an amazing character and this film really captures his personality. The film was just as enjoyable as the first time I saw it and I'd encourage everyone to check it out - even if you're not into BASE-jumping or slack lining, you can't help but appreciate Andy's talents... and his craziness! Randomly I remember seeing Andy performing with Madonna at the Superbowl 2012 halftime show - what a guy!

ALL I CAN
Emily and I had already seen this short skiing film but we didn't mind watching it again, as it is very different from any other skiing films we've seen. It focuses on uban skiing tricks and is beautifully shot and edited. A must see. 

THE LECTURE

LEO HOLDING - AUTANA - THE YOPO WALL

This is what I had been looking forward to the most in the EMFF line-up. Leo is a climber who I have been following for a number of years now and I have been extremely inspired by his adventures and achievements. Leo started off his talk by talking about his early like in The Lakes and his early climbing achievements on the Hold Man of Hoy and El Capitan amongst many other things! He then talked a bit about his climbing accident in Patagonia and his recovery. Leo then talked briefly about his expedition to Everest and The Asgard Project before moving on to the main event: Cerro Autana. Recently, Leo had led an expedition to Venezuela to climb the East Face of Cerro Autana (along with Stanley Leary, Jason Pickles and Alastair Lee). He told some amazing tales of the tribes, the jungle, the journey, the climb, and the logistics involved in such an expedition. It was quite fascinating to hear about all the logistics involved in adventure film-making and all the political obstacles that had to be overcome to make such a trip possible. Can't wait for the full film!

EMFF 2012 - Saturday Afternoon

THE FILMS

PUSH IT

A film by Jen Randall about female climbers pushing their limits. This film had a couple of interviews with elite female climbers, including Natalie Berry, talking about their climbing projects and achievements. However, the film's main focus seemed to tell the story of Jen's attempt, and success, to climb El Capitan with her friend. There were some amusing moments in their practice attempts, particularly involving hauling. I was hoping for more of an insight into the top female climbers, but this seemed to be the secondary point of the film. Nevertheless, very well done to Jen for putting together a great short film... and for climbing El Cap!

BONGO BAR

This short film documented a unique and privileged opportunity to a couple of competition winners run by Gore. Two lucky women travelled to Norway to climb a new route on a (mini) big-wall with Dave MacLeod. A very well put together short film by Paul Diffley and what an amazing prize!

ICE REVOLUTION
I've been lucky enough to see this excellent short film about Tim Emmett and Will Gadd's quest to climb the overhanging ice of Helmcken Falls once before. Even if you're not that into ice climbing, you can't help but be touched by the enthusiasm and entertainment value provided by Tim Emmett - what a guy!

THE LECTURE

ZOE HART - THE ALPINE PRINCESS

I must be honest here and admit that I hadn't heard of Zoe before, but I had Googled her before the show and was quite looking forward to hearing what she had to say. She didn't disappoint and told her story about how she became a guide in the Alps. She had some good video clips of some of the situations and epics that she and her husband had been involved in. It certainly looked like she is living the dream, guiding from Chamonix and getting to grips with motherhood.

EMFF 2012 - Saturday Morning

THE FILMS

THE LONG HOPE

I have seen this epic film once before in Sheffield, and I couldn't pass up the chance to see it again. Another great film made by Paul Diffley that tells the story of Dave MacLeod's quest to free the Longhope Route. The film portrays the great history of the huge adventure in Hoy that was first climbed in 1970 by Ed Drummond and Oliver Hill. There are also interviews with Dave Turnbull & John Arran who talk about the route, the history and their first free-ascent in 1997. Dave's goal was to free the headwall crack that Turnbull and Arran avoided - he thought a more direct line was possible. The film and the story is fantastic and features some amazing climbing by Dave and Andy Turner to complete the climb in only 10 hours! There is also a very emotional journey that sees Ed Drummond return to St. John's Head to the route. Well worth the DVD purchase, I would say.

BEN

I have had the pleasure of seeing this short film online prior to this screening. A lovely piece by Kate Owen that looks at a few individuals who make use of Ben Nevis and Glen Nevis everyday. It features a local farmer, fell-runner, photographer and climbers Dave MacLeod and Kevin Shields.

WHITE SILK ROAD
This film followed a group of Australian snowboarders to the slightly unusual ski destination of Afghanistan. I found the film, journey and story very enjoyable and quite different to many of the other snowboarding/skiing films I have seen over the years. There was a huge contrast between the war-torn city and the poor villagers who live in the snowy mountains. Some great footage of first descents and of the group teaching the locals to snowboard and build jumps.

EMFF 2012 - Friday Night

It's that time again: The 10th Edinburgh Mountain Film Festival.

This year, the lineup was looking amazing and with a rare completely free weekend, Emily and I went all in and bought full weekend tickets. My Dad was also keen to come over and check it out as we had told him so much about it.

Last year, the Friday night session was at the EICA but this year every session was to be held at the George Square Lecture Theatre; a large venue with great facilities. Herbie's flight was delayed from the Isle of Man so he had a bit of a mad dash from the airport but only missed a couple of minutes of the first film that was changed due to some 'technical difficulties'.

THE FILMS

OF WET AND WILDNESS

A short film by Paul Diffley that follows a group of kayakers exploring some rapids in Spain. The film is short but highly atmospheric and poetic; featuring dramatic narration and stunning HD slow-motion images of kayaking tricks.

ECHOES

A brief portrait of the current life and routine of Nick Bullock. Now a professional climber, Nick left his full-time job in the prison service to focus solely on climbing and adventures. I had already seen the film online and his latest book (also called Echoes) is next on my reading list. But I was more than happy to see the film on the big screen as it is one of the most inspiring short films I have seen this year and has matched up with my own thinking and direction of late. A brilliant short film.

HIDDEN GULLY

This short film was made by a couple of Scottish skiers who made a ski ascent of Hidden Gully, a grade II climb on Aonach Mor. It was clear that these guys were quite accomplished skiers and they had some great footage of scottish skiing as well as some of their runs in the Alps earlier in the year. Their message was: sometimes the best adventures are in your own back yard!

I BELIEVE I CAN FLY (FLIGHT OF THE FRENCHIES)

This was only a small portion of this full-length film that follows a group of French folk who travel to Norway for some BASE-jumping and high-lining. This film had some stunning footage and was also very amusing, with the personalities of the individual characters really shining through. The highlight was a clip of one chap free-soloing on a high-line - crazy stuff but very entertaining.

THE LECTURE

BORGE OUSLAND - AGAINST ALL ODDS
I must say: I was really looking forward to hearing about Borge's adventures to both the North and South poles and I didn't really know much about the guy. He didn't disappoint. Borge came across as a very interesting and humble chap, who I could have listened to all night. He spoke of various adventures that he had embarked upon including: successfully reaching the North pole in winter and walking across the Arctic Circle solo. The highlight for me was his story about arriving at the North pole and seeing a helicopter land in front of him and out stepped an Arab Sheikh who had also decided to visit the North pole that day! A riveting talk - certainly one of the best speakers I have heard.

Bynack More

Bynack More - Oct 2012 from Chris McMorris on Vimeo.

Ready for the off at Glenmore Lodge

An Lochan Uaine, Ryvoan Pass, Glen More

With the October holidays upon us, Emily and I headed to Nakiska for the week - I was hoping for an early cold snap for the Scotswinter! The weather was looking like it would be best today, with a fresh dump of snow last night. There hasn't been any cold spells to speak of so far so it looked like an early winter climb was out of the question. Instead, we set our sights on Bynack More - the most Northern Munro of the Cairngorms.

Autumn Trees, Ryvoan Pass, Glen More

Emily on the cycle in towards the River Nethy, Cairngorms

Looking at the route in from Glenmore Lodge, it looked like quite a way in so we opted to take the bikes. Some good organisation and an early breakfast, saw us getting on our bikes just after 9am. It was a chilly morning and the cloud was low and rain was threatening. Sure enough, a few minutes into our cycle, the heavens opened and we reached for our waterproofs. The track was pretty much a road through the forest and we made swift progress through the trees and arrived at An Lochan Uaine in no time at all. The rain had stopped but still threatened and there was now a fair breeze. We headed down the steps to admire the water, but were halted by a film crew who were busy making a Norwegian dance video. We weren't too put out, as the water was rather 'choppy'.

Looking South down Strath Nethy from the River Nethy, Cairngorms

Heading into winter in the Cairngorms, Bynack More

Heading on, the track quality degraded and became undulating as we rode through the Ryvoan Pass. We took the right branch of the fork and headed around the corner and up a rather steep incline - much to Emily's disgust. I think it's safe to say that she isn't the biggest fan of cycling up-hill!

Loving winter in the Cairngorms, Bynack More

Emily heading into winter in the Cairngorms, Bynack More

After working hard, our reward was a gentle run down to the footbridge across the River Nethy where we left the bikes. Looking South through Strath Nethy, the cloud base was down to around 700 metres but the air was still and the rain still absent. Now on foot, we made quick progress on the good path and gained height quickly. Into the cloud, we stepped into winter and a fair amount of snow and frost. It was interesting to see the vegetation that was all around - it appeared as though everything had been frozen in the state of spring or possibly summer. Due to the return of winter in May this year, many of the new shoots of the plants have been late in emerging; now frozen once again.

Wintery Tors on Bynack More, Cairngorms

Emily enjoying the winter in the Cairngorms, Bynack More

We made swift progress in the cloud along the flat and the snow was a little deeper - possibly two inches. Randomly a woman and young boy appeared in front of us, out of the mist, and walked by. The boy looked frozen and seemed to lack any kind of appropriate clothing; only an anorak. The path then started to climb up the North ridge of the main event: Bynack More. Emily and I were commenting on how new the path looked and how good it was, when I spotted two bright orange jackets in the mist just up ahead. These two guys were braving the weather and hard at work building the rest of the path we were actually walking! We stopped to shake their hands and to thank them for all their hard work - we also commented on the frozen boy we had passed and they agreed that they had also been concerned by his unsuitable clothing - some people...

Emily on the summit of Bynack More, Cairngorms

On the summit of Bynack More, Cairngorms

The path disappeared, visibility decreased and the snow got deeper. I lead the way up the ridge and we passed some interesting (and rather wintery!) granite tors - a welcome sight in the limited visibility. The West side of the ridge was rather blustery so we traversed left to gain shelter and continued up the East side out of the wind. At the the top, we spent a few minutes hunting in the clag for the summit cairn - which we soon found a triumphantly climbed to the top. There was a large amount of fresh snow at the top, but no sign of any ice - much to my dismay! We descended back down the ridge and found a sheltered spot for some lunch. As we set, the cloud started to thin and the sun tried hard to make an appearance... but didn't.

Looking West to Stac na h-lolaire after descending Bynack More, Cairngorms

Looking up towards the North ridge of Bynack More, Cairngorms

We headed down the same way we had ascended the ridge. The path builders had long gone, and as we walked down onto the flat once again, the clouds lifted, the sky turned blue and the sun shone down on us. We had stunning views to the West towards the crags of Stac na h-looaire - stunning. The way back down to the footbridge was extremely enjoyable and we were soon preparing to jump on the bikes. It had been tough going on the way in, but now I was reminded why I had insisted we bike into the bridge; the descent was now fast and exhilarating - much to our delight. In what seemed like a matter of moments, we were standing on the banks of An Lochan Uaine. Its turquoise waters were now completely still and we had it all to ourselves. Now we could see what all the fuss was about in the various guides and literature - this is truly a special place indeed. After snapping numerous photos, we sped back down the remainder of the track to Glenmore Lodge.

Looking Northwest towards Meall a' Bhuachaille, Cairngorms

An Lochan Uaine, Ryvoan Pass, Glen More

Before heading back to Nakiska, we stopped at Loch Morlich to enjoy the last of the day's light (and I also wanted to see what the Northern Corries were like!). The loch was lovely and still, as the sun disappeared behind the trees on the faraway bank. Looking up at Coire an t-Sneachda and Coire an Lochain, I could see that there had been a considerable dump of snow, but it looked like it was all melting and things were looking rather black. Nothing looked like it was in condition, so I was happy that we had made the most of the winter day. Things were now feeling rather mild, and I was pretty sure most of the snow would be gone by tomorrow.

An Lochan Uaine, Ryvoan Pass, Glen More

Sunset over Loch Morlich, Cairngorms

We headed back to the car and reflected on what a great day it had been. It had certainly been a day filled with everything that Scotland in winter has to offer.

Cairngorm and the Northern Corries from Loch Morlich

Book Review: No Way Down: Life and Death on K2 by Graham Bowley

After reading, and greatly enjoying, Psychovertical by Andy Kirkpatrick, I was keen to see what other gems of mountaineering literature were out there. A quick look along the bottom shelf of my bookcase revealed yet another book that I had been leant by a family member but never got around to reading: No Way Down.

I can remember Herbie going on about it a few months back and saying how 'nuts' the story was and how so many people had died. Intrigued, I decided to make it my next read - and I very glad that I did.

The book starts with a brief history of the K2 and some of the (very!) early attempts to conquer its mighty summit. Some crazy tales of how vast royal entourages made an assault on the mighty peak. This, I must say, was the most enjoyable part of the book for me personally; as I am extremely fond of mountaineering history. The main story then starts by setting the scene in early August back in 2008 by introducing the reader to each of the mountaineers who were planning a summit bid. Bowley has clearly researched each individual's history and personal story and it is clear that even in high altitude mountaineering: there are folk who come from many different backgrounds and from all walks of life - but on the mountain, everyone is equal. It was interesting to read about each of the mountaineers; their previous success and near-misses. What is clear from the background of these mountaineers, is that no-one stood out as being 'under qualified' to be on that mountain and all deserved to be there and making a push to claim the top.

The tale of the cerac collapse then begins by describing the mass approach to the summit, the long train of climbers, how slow the progress was, and how late in the day events were unfolding. It is at this point that I was thinking that some sort of human error or mistake would lead to accidental death or a multitude of tragedies, as Bowley builds up the suspense. After most parties summit, the real tale of death and survival unfolds before the reader's eyes and we are given an account from many of the mountaineers' perspective - a truly fascinating read. It is at this point that Bowley inserts minor elements of speculative fiction (e.g. some of the final thoughts of those that perished, and some small elements of what actually happened at the very end), but without this, the story would not flow as well and the reader may well feel a little 'cheated' and wanting more answers. Where fact is unsure, Bowley offers opinions of others that were actually there and other possibilities in an attempt to answer most questions and doubts that the reader may have.

Picturing the tragic events that unfolded that day and imagining oneself in that position is a difficult thing to do and the reader wonders what they could have done differently or if there were any other alternatives to the decisions that were made. A brilliantly well-written and fascinating story that will strike fear into the heart and soul of anyone, whether they are a mountaineers or not.

I think I found this book so enjoyable because it focused on the facts about what actually happened and not on the minor details or the 'nuts and bolts' of mountaineering. The focus of the story is very much on the individuals who where there and those that lost their lives on K2 over those eventful few days. The result is a text that many folk will be able to relate to and appreciate the fear and hardship that these brave souls endured.

I would be interested to know if anyone who has read this book has gone on to summit K2, because I can tell you right now that it has certainly put me right off!