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14.03.2012 11:26:40

Rhydian Wilson

Q: Where to go in Scotland if you've only got 5 days - Friday to Tuesday to do it in & Wales play Scotland (Rugby) on the Sunday?

A: Loch Lomond & the Trosachs, Crainlarich, Ben More Lodge!

It's only a 7 hour drive to Crainlarich from Tregaron... so we arrived around 1am. The "shed" was warm & it didn't take us long to fall asleep.

To only problem with B&B, as oposed to self catering, is that you can't leave early. Breakfast was 8-9am so we weren't ready to leave before 9am on the first morning. We'd decided to "do" Ben More first... for some reason we also decided to walk the 2 miles down the road to the start!?! It looks a steep slog up Ben More from the road... & it was! After a sweaty ascent the steep grassy slopes give way to rock & snow & then up the short summit cone to the trig point. The snow on top was crunchy but didn't require crampons. We saw a couple of chaps on the top, miserable individuals who wouldn't say hello! The decent to the coll was fun with a fair bit of "skiing", the snow helped to even the ground out a bit. From the coll to the top of Stob Binnein was just a slog, dropped the rucksacks behind a boulder & went up & down as quick as poss.

The decent from the Beallach to the track was about 450m & steep. By the time we reached the road we were, well I was anyway, regretting walking to the start. 2 miles on tarmac at the end of the day is no joke... but it could be worse.

Ben Vorlich was a quick day, because Wales were playing Scotland at 3 o'clock. Parked at Inverugulas & hoofed it 2 miles (again!) down the road & up the access road towards the dam at Loch Sloy. From the road we looked up to the coll above... "that dosen't look like it'll take an hour" says I to Aid. "Remember we're in Scotland man" he says, "everythings bigger!" ... He was right, 500m up & an hour later we stood at the coll, with another 200m up & over 1km to the top I was starting to worry about missing the rugby. After speed marching, as best I can these days, up from the coll & back - the weather was bad on top anyway, blowing a hoolie & poor vizibility - we ecended quickly back to the road. A swift, shin aching march back to the car saw us arrive back at the lodge having missed the first 5 minutes of the match. Not bad.

Our third day saw us heading up the glen from the A82 towards Cruach Ardrain. A bimble up the track, a steep climb up to the ridge & then a long walk along grass & heather untill a final steep section of snow & rock to the top. Thank you whoever sculpted the "seat" out of the snow near the top, it was a great spot for some grub & the views were the best we'd had in 3 days. It was an easy walk, steep to begin with, down to the col & up to Beinn Tulaichean, again dropped our rucksaks in the coll for collection on way back. We decided to go bach via Stob Gals Bheag, well to contour around underneath it anyway. I was still harbouring ambitions of doing another 2 monroes at this point.

We'd seen some deer fur & tracks about in the snow but I was still surprised when, rounding a boulder, I found a deer carcas. I've always hoped to find a set of antlers "in the wild" & I was like  a little boy as I turned the skull over to find it was a male & had two lovely antlers with four points each. One had broken off, I suppose the deer had fallen over the cliff, but detaching the other took some time which meant i didn't have time for the other Monroes. Much to Aidan's horror I insisted on taking the antlers home in his car. Thanks Aid.

It was a great short break. Totals of 45Km of walking & 3673m of ascent/descent. I''d thoroughly recommend the area for walking though I expect it gets really busy in the summer!

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09.01.2012 23:03:51

Rhydian Wilson

Had another good day out on Cadair idris on the 2nd of January... couldn't quite make it out on the 1st! My Dad & cousin Deri for company.

The path up from Minffordd is a classic, winding steeply up through the trees until you reach a fork in the path. Right is Mynydd Moel, our decent for the day, & left is on up towards llyn y cau.

It was quite chilly on the ridge. The wind was gusting around 25-35mph & we had a few hail showers... but nothing as exciting as snow

There were quite a few people out, as you'd expect on around new year, but we didn't share the shelter of the hut at the top with more than a few at a time... yes we did have a leisurely lunch... after a spot of catalogue posing at the trig point!

It was nice to get out after the Christmas binge eating & drinking (not too much of the drinking obviously!) A lovely walk off the plateau with some amazing clouds, wish I had a better camera.

Please note! The map below is for illustration purposes only & is NOT meant as an aid to navigation. You should always have an OS, BMC or Harvey map of the area you will be walking in & know how to use it!

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04.12.2011 22:42:28

Rhydian Wilson

Well Nordenskjold is ‘in the bag’ so I guess the cat can be let out of
it as well? This particular cat being that we think ours is the first ascent
of the mountain which at 2354m is the second highest summit on the island.

It has for long been assumed that Christian de Marliave had made the first
ascent in the 80’s.  However Christian himself had very honourably and
kindly pointed out to Tim Carr that this was not the case. Tim had told me
this some time ago when we were discussing ways of improving the record of
historical ascents in South Georgia. The erroneous initial assumption had
simply been repeated in various publications and reports since then until
corrected by Christian himself. His bold and determined solo effort had seen
him getting high on the mountain but not to the summit. I have to emphasise
that I still have to confirm this version of events with Christian himself

whom I do not know personally (See Note). I ran out of time before departing on this
expedition and had not pressed the issue earlier because the historical
misunderstanding had kept the path clear for us to make our earlier attempt
two years ago followed now by our successful ascent of the NE ridge. Certain
elements of the ‘opposition’ were in any case beginning to suspect my
aberrant interest in this peak. Stephen Venables had only recently been
spotted stalking its approaches making sinister utterances along the lines
that all was fair in love and war. Make no mistake, that bluff exterior
conceals a predatory competitor if ever there was one. It was lovely to
receive his congratulatory message. ‘Well done you b.....d!’

So, on to the gory details of how Richard Spillett and I faired in our
derring-do. Time is very tight to achieve anything significant during a one
month charter. Unless you have the luxury of having the boat on continuous
standby to take advantage of a break in the weather for a lightweight dash
then the only alternative is to go heavy. Keep moving up in bad weather with
enough shelter, kit, food and supplies to sit out any very bad periods.
Hopefully we would then be in a position to take immediate advantage of any
good days without being too extended.

Two years ago we had skied from the beach but there was much less snow this
year. The first day was spent thinning out our loads to two heavy packs
apiece which were carried up to on to the glacier to the point where we
could start using the sledges, though not the skis which had to be added to
the loads. The next day we commenced our approach proper. The ice fall was
nearly completely ‘dry’ this year. Everything as hard ice with all
crevasses visible and open. It became a very torturous and slow process
navigating the sledges through the labyrinth. The glacier appears to
breaking down with large areas of new depressions and major inward collapse,
giving us a somewhat surreal passage through. One cannot but help to wonder
and draw parallels with the decimation of the whale stocks in the last
century. Is this the next stage of change wrought by man, this time on the
very physical fabric of our surroundings?  As the glaciers spew their
entrails, are we witnessing the murder of the last leviathans? Places I
carried loads to over a week ten years ago can now be sailed to in open
water. Change is occurring very quickly. No one will ever see the fabled
filling and flushing of the huge and mysterious Gulbransen Lake any more.
The Neumayer glacier has receded four kilometres in the last 10 years. It
looks like the same will be happening to the Nordenskold sometime soon.

Finally we crested the ice fall and found the first skiable ribbon of snow
‘ the yellow brick road’ heading gently downwards into another
collapsing basin. We donned the rope in case of suspect snow bridges and
sped on, happy to be using the skis at last. Richard had not used
mountaineering skis for a while and complained they were turning outwards.
Keep your knees together and think of England was not the kind of advice
Richard was hoping for. Skip had lent us his old Skis and we were nursing a
cracked moulding on the binding so we could not afford to mess around with
them. The spare binding and tools had been ditched in the rationalization.
Any problems would have to be resolved with the climber’s perennial string
and gaffa tape solution. My flippancy was to be short lived. As we skinned
up out of the bowl my own binding came off three times in quick succession.
Uh-oh, perhaps my scrounging of Julian Freeman-Atwoods skis from Skips
container had been a false economy? I was soon expounding on the parentage
of Silvio Berlusconi and more particularly Italian boot manufacturers. The
back half of my sole unit had come completely unstuck and was uselessly
flapping around. Disaster, this could scupper the entire expedition. My
brain started racing, a) spare pair of boots under the forward bunk on the
boat,  b) Pat (Lurcock) might have a spare pair at King Edward Point as
well. The pelagic contingent had both been on a walk yesterday and been
invited on to a cruise ship. That little combination meant tiredness plus a
skinfull of booze equalling a likelihood they had not yet left Cumberland
Bay. A couple of frantic calls on our Sat Phone confirmed the scenario. The
boots were on their way. Dave Roberts on the Pelagic was not the sort of man
to be deterred by crashing surf laden with ice blocks when it came to
piloting his zodiac on to a rocky beach. He was up to his neck in freezing
sea-water but got the boots ashore, assisted by Jules, Jim and Marcello.

Meanwhile we had established ‘Boot-Camp’. A lash-up with a prussic loop
had made a surprisingly robust crampon attachment to my boot. This was
holding the whole caboodle together, perhaps good enough to climb on? But if
it all came apart on an exposed ridge it would be a nightmare scenario.
I’d have to return to sea-level to get the spare boots. I knew Skips
enormous plates of meat would mean I could probable use them as a sledge
rather than boots. The thought of trying to front point in them later with
three extra inches of leverage was already bringing tears to my eyes.
Perhaps staring down at their wonderful style and colour scheme will ease
the pain. They would undoubtedly improve my attractiveness, perhaps even my
sex life apart from the small technical detail of my darling wife being 8000
miles away. Still, it’s the thought that counts.

So back down, through the belly of the beast. I took a more circuitous
route, avoiding any soft snow and bridged crevasses. More hidden ledge
systems and through passages were discovered as I descended. Everything went
smoothly and I was back at the beach by mid-day. I had a quick refuel on
some previously abandoned chocolate before setting off once more. I was back
at boot camp by early afternoon. I was racing to beat the advancing fog to
the lip of the glacier, but in the end had to stop to deal with the
inevitable blisters that were developing. I took solace at the sheer beauty
of these boots. One has to suffer for art, usually someone else’s.  It was
good to be back.

Next day we made an early start pulling sledges once again with crampons. We
found a way through a lateral moraine that led to the toe of the ridge
extending down northwards from Sheridan Peak. There is then a steep climb,
just on the limit of what is possible with skins. This went surprisingly
easy compared to last time and we were soon over the lip and on to the third
section of the Nordenskjold, a vast broad snow covered valley leading up
alongside the western slopes of Sheridan Peak. A truly enormous wind scoop
forms a moat adjoining this.  It’s another sign of the that the ablating
glacier is also melting top-down and not just bottom up. We gave the
dizzying drop into the wind scoop a very wide birth. Roped up again we
marvelled at how skis and sledges crossed crevasse after crevasse without
any breaking through, even in hot soft conditions. I knew from previous
experience that terrain like this would be murderous if we were only on
foot. By early afternoon we were near to our high camp from two years
previously. This time we camped out on the glacier flat away from the
avalanche danger and snow dumps that had done for us on that occasion.

This time I was determined to establish our advanced camp at the foot of the
technical climbing rather than begin our climb from here. We were still to
far away. The next morning we loaded rucksacks and climbed the long steep
snowfield that led to the upper stage of the Nordenskold Glacier. It
by-passed a long and heavily crevassed ice fall to the NW. It took us two
carries to get all the gear up. I trailed an empty sledge during the first
carry. We had wet snow and very poor visibility all day. We reached the
shoulder navigating by memory  from two years ago. Returning to locate the
last load was  a very real test of Richards GPS skills. He navigated us
right back to the dump in a complete white out. All that practise on Clapham
Common with his daughter Lottie was paying off! We struggled back up to the
shoulder leaving the other empty sledge and the skis behind. I knew it was
only a few kilometres at most to the site of our final camp and did not
fancy the effort of setting up camp now, early, when we could press on.
Richard was having none of it though. We were soaked and tired. Also in the
white out we might site the final camp in a threatened spot in any case and
only have to move it again. We were soon ensconced in our scratchers making
another hot dinner.

Next morning we set a likely location by lat/long on the GPS so we could
progress in the continuing whiteout. Odd breaks enabled me to remember the
lay of the land. As we finally pulled on to the final flat a brief clearing
enabled us to get our bearings and choose a good spot. We anchored the tent
with guylines attached to sections of buried engine hose. We always use
these or buried bags of snow.

Next day was my birthday. Laura had packed me a special candle which we
ceremoniously placed in a mini Christmas pud. Today was the rest day. We
triangulated the various weather forecasts and tomorrow looked to be the
day. Timings had worked out well for once.

We got out of bed late at 2am on the 26th finally getting away by around 4
after the ritual faffing. The right hand side of the North face is
threatened by regular serac falls. But by skirting the rocks on the left of
the face you can avoid these. There was much less snow and ice cover than
before but the line was still there. A convenient spindrift avalanche cone
bridged the bergschrund and we were on to the face. We moved together
heading up and right, aiming for the foot of a steep gully that broke
through the rocks. The bottom part is the steepest. As we passed the 500’
mark we started to become aware of the worrying void. On this kind of
terrain its essential to have a clear instinct for every crumbling step.
It’s a mixture of rotten ice and powdery snow but you know by feel when
they are good for the job. You have to trust each other and concentrate on
not making a single error. To move fast you cannot afford the luxury of
belaying and climbing in stages. The rope is only out so as to be ready to
be deployed when needed in a hurry. As I reached the start of the gully I
Placed our first ice screw. We kept moving together only stopping when all
the ice screws had been used up and swapping them back to the leader. As we
emerged from the gully it was a relief to find the ice was slightly softer
than before.

I remembered the harrowing night we’d had descending this on our earlier
attempt. Weary down climbing over hard ice in continuous spindrift
avalanches. The first down would place an ice-screw just before the stances
so if the leader decided to take a jump the resultant 300 footer would not
come directly on to the belay.

Now we made quick progress and by 8am we where we’d been at 5pm before! We
crossed various rubble shoots and broken terrain. This naturally safeguards
a pair as the rope runs over intervening spikes, without having to resort to
the time consuming placement and removal of other running belays. At last we
reached the crest of the east ridge. The rock is hilariously rotten. In high
winds chunks are simply blown off! All those years Richard and I had spent
climbing on the shale of Devon sea cliffs were now paying dividends. After
Tin Tagel we were not as fearful of  this tottering heap of Weetabix as
logic might otherwise dictate. We wove the rope in and out of towers and
blocks to safeguard our progress. One has to always be prepared to jump the
opposite side if a companion was to slip.

The boiling broth thickened. Soon all I could see was a thin shard of dark
shale soaring skyward. Eventually this ran out leaving us with ‘white on
white’. Things were now becoming a bit abstract as we started to depend on
the subtle differences of whiter shades of pale. The angle of the crest was
not extreme but the north side fell away very steeply.  I crawled forward on
my belly in the strong wind and pocked my head over the south side. Oh dear,
it was an impressive drop. The ice was now glass hard along the crest. The
saving grace was a ribbon of wind-blown snow glued to it like a rooster’s
comb. If you choose your spot carefully and drove down hard enough it
enabled you to get the shaft of your left axe in to the hilt and provide
good purchase. Meanwhile one could  use the pick of the right hand axe in
the hard ice for the other hand and progress like some sort of demented
crab. We shortened the rope and always had at least one ice screw between us
to ward off disasters. When the wind dropped we could stand up instead and
balance along this precarious banister rail. Every now and then the snow
comb would develop into a proper cornice. This is when an overhanging wave
of snow builds up on the leeward side. It’s often a treacherous structure
that breaks off without warning, It’s all to easy in a white out to wander
to close to the edge of one of these with unfortunate consequences. If
you’re lucky your mate will remain on the other side and you get away with
a protracted bout of swearing and nothing worse. However it’s best not to
test this theory, but only to hold on to it as an article of faith.

I was becoming increasingly aware that our progress along this perch was
only possible if the winds remained low as they were. Richard meanwhile was
becoming increasingly demented by the satsurgei effect. These downward
pointing ribs of snow kept snagging any slack rope. This necessitated a
horrible decent off the banister on to the hard ice in order to free the
rope. I looked on in bemused horror as he cursed and swore, unpicking
various  macramé. We inched onwards and after a while reached a more level
section where we could walk. The mist cleared briefly and revealed bulbous
overhanging ice pillars disappearing into the southern depths in a grotesque
phantastagorasmiasm. If Gaudi had designed mountains, this would be one of
his. Things got steeper again. We had already passed the ‘false knob’
and surmised this was the real one, a distinct lump visible from afar, high
on the summit ridge. We crept over the top and down climbed a steep pitch of
pure best crystal to reach the saddle beyond. It was the sort of place where
you make the final commitment to go for the top. We distinctly felt like we
were space walking now, out on the upper limbs. Visibility got even worse
but we knew we must be getting close and prayed there would not be horrible
obstacle at the last. Richards bank of instrumentation, altimeters aand GPSs
were registering summit proximity. Providing he did not short circuit in
satsurgei  fury  we might be in with a chance. What appeared to be a huge
long S in the ridge reared up ahead. The mist was playing tricks with us and
we passed it in less than a rope length. Gradually the angle eased off and
after 4000’ of climbing what looked like a typical South Georgia summit
assumed its form. A flat platform crested by a 10’ rounded bollard with a
slightly higher whaleback a little to the right. All plastered in hoar
frost.  We staggered up together. Everything fell away in all directions. I
waited and peered through breaks in the broth to make sure there was nothing
higher nearby. It was the top. We logged the point on Richards GPS it was
midday. We said what was on our minds almost together, right we’re half
way there. Lets get our god dammed asses off of here in one piece. We
stepped down on to the platform and gave Pat a call at King Edward Point on
our VHF radio. We had hoped they would have been able to see us on the
summit. We offered to do a highland jig? He suggested setting fire to some
bushes. We turned tail for the long haul home.
------------------------------

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21.11.2011 17:43:18

Rhydian Wilson

Correction for the Blog. The Webber Grill Co is owned by the Steven Brothers who are aboard not Webber Brothers. Yhey are 2 of 12 siblings!

Blog Text 3: 16 November

We have had steady sailing in calm conditions  (by Southern Ocean standards that is) with winds no more than 35 knots, All of the familiar birds still ply austral skies. No Albatross has been shot so we have yet to see the ice that was here, the ice that was there, the ice that was all around, it neither roars or howls, nor moans or growls, no noises in a sound;. Yet. We expect to reach bird sound by 9 this morning. It’s 3am now and I have just finished the graveyard watch. It was cold and grey, with worrying fog banks but no ice bergs lurked within as they did 2 years ago. We do cheat by the way by using a radar as well,  but even that does not show up the ‘growlers’ that lurk just on the surface. The next watch has taken over and I’m cosyed up next to the diesel stove. Soon to snu ggling down into my scratcher, The day before yesterday playful dolphins accompanied us for many hours, racing around us at will.

Yesterday afternoon we passed the magnificent Shag Rocks towering out of a misty sea. Sometimes we have sailed straight between them, not this time though. I remembered the time I was battling past them on a dark and stormy night going back the other way. On that occasion I was the sole escort on a Russian long liner we had arrested for poaching. The patrol ship followed behind when its engine had not broken down. It was a rather lonesome voyage as understandably I was not their most popular passenger. Fortunately their sense of fate preserved me on that occasion. My filleting knife under the pillow was an unnecessary precaution. Their engine was so knackered it took us a week to reach the Falkland Islands  but even  that felt quick compared to the following due process of the law. < /p>

Suddenly  breaking water to one side. Christ, is it Black Rock!  It’s a horrible shoal that prowls near these parts. No, a  Whale, a big Sei Whale. It stayed with us for half an hour until both it’s curiosity and our wonder wore off.

Down below then, into the Pelagic’s magnificent workshop. We could probably build another boat from within should we suffer a slow sinking, and spring forth once more. This time though its to sharpen our spade. This too has fashioned a refuge anew on several occasions when our tents have been destroyed. I never travel these parts without it these days. Its biding its time, a gleaming edge, ready to dig a snow hole in iron hard neve should it be needed. Crampons and ice axes next. A bit of work now might mean easy efficient progress when we are climbing steep ice, instead of the all to usual frustrating smashing of dinner plates and cramping hands. Finally the  reglueing of skins onto skis. The old glue might come unstuck  and so would we!

The weather is forecast to hold fair up to the time we plan to be dropped off then its turning foul for three days. Probably best to get ourselves ashore though. Its fatal to cling to the comfort of the boat though,  little is usually achieved if that state of mind sets in.

News from home! Owen’s friend Isabella came to tea. They baked cakes together. He’s very exited about  going to be an evacuee next week. Has the Euro crisis got that bad? I better not tell Richard.  Eleanors friend Catriona is coming to stay as well. I wonder at the chaos and work that Sian must be calmly navigating. Such is the life of a runaway expeditioner. I miss you all dearly mind. Though I'll focus on what we have chosen to do here for a while I think of you all and look carefully to each step.

Well, the scratcher calls. I’m on watch again in less than 5 hours.

----
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14.11.2011 22:51:45

Rhydian Wilson

The intrepid team are all at sea now, having left the Falkland islands they're heading for South Georgia.

Follow this link to see where the Pelagic is now...

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01.11.2011 01:16:12

Rhydian Wilson

I've had the pleasure of being out in the hills on my own without any groups to worry about... I've got to admit it was great, though I also have to admit it's harder to practice than to preach!

A circuit of Moelwyn Mawr - Cnicht on Tuesday  11/10/11 was great fun. The Weather was clagged in from the start. Extensive hill fog (above 250-300m) meant we didn't see much all day but that mattered not. It rained... well the cloud was low anyway, I didn't put my waterproof trousers on quick enough & had soggy legs, & eventually boots, for most of the day. It was very mild, just a base layer & a shell all day.

The forecast said high winds.... & it was right. Nearly got blown off my feet on Moelwyn mawr, it was strong enough to move you on slippery rocks. I made the classic mistake of putting my head down as I navigated off the summit of Moelwyn Mawr & ended up bearing SE instead of E. Luckily I was pacing & noticed I wasn't where I should be withing 200m. A timely reminder that concentration is essential in bad weather.

We passed through Croesor & Rhosydd quarries, with the buildings & spill piles looming eerily out of the mist & fog... looks like a great place for an adventure picnic when the weather's good!

Cnicht from the NE isn't very exiting, especially in 150m visibility! The scramble down is fairly straightforward, I remember doing this on my ML training. The only thing I'd change on the whole day is the direction I did it in. Next time it's clock wise from Croesor NOT anti-clockwise!!

Aran Fawddwy & Aran Benllyn

I was out again yesterday, 30/10/11 this time a circuit in the Arans. I walked here a while ago with Simon, we had similar weather that day too. This time I decided to do the walk clockwise from Blaen Cywarch, to get the steep bit out of the way first (did I mention my knees?...) & to go out from Aran Fawddwy to Aran Benllyn as well.

As the clocks were going back I made sure my iPhone would automatically change during the night, set my alarm for 7 & fell asleep. Alarm go's off, I jump out of bed, get ready, leave the house, text my mate to say I'm on the way... he texts back saying "It's 6.45 not 7.45 you Muppet!" I was just texting back to tell hi  to stop taking the mick when my phone changed back an hour! Thanks to Apple I was early for a day out for probably the first time ever!!! Laugh?

Weather was good. Mild in the valley but a bit chilly on top. Cloud was around 850m when we started but dropped to around 650 before we got to the top... sods law being what it is, it lifted off the tops completely when we got back to the car!

It's not very navigationaly challenging once you get up out of the valley. Follow the fence.... then the ridge/fence... then on the decent, the fence again, this time off at right angles to the SE. That said it was a nice day out, good exercise & an OK time of 5hrs.45 mins (not great by super Simon's standards but OK for me!)

Here's looking forward to more days in the hills. Cheers.

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03.03.2011 00:05:19

Rhydian Wilson

Hi all,

We're very excited this week

Our AALS licence has been renewed and will be in effect from the 21st of March.

This year we have added Abseiling & Climbing (single pitch crags)

I've enjoyed climbing for many years & am very excited about this new development for I.C.Y. It'll be a great addition to our already exciting activity programme & will make a great addition to our summer camps.

If anyone fancies a day out on the rock.... give me a ring 011974 298940 or email me rhydian@icyuk.co.uk

See you on the hill!

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