We have had a few more pictures added to the gallery from the recent club trip to the Peak District. Looks like it was a good trip with some classic routes been done
El Chorro – Spain
April 6th, 2011 by admin No comments »Dale recently organised a last minute budget trip to El Chorro in southern Spain. Four of us went for a week and it is a superb climbing venue. There is so much rock to be explored and it appears less popular than other venues such as Kalymnos.
We stopped in Ardales, a short drive from El Chorro village but central to many crags, for the week. The high light of the trip was the ‘King’s walkway’ of ‘camino del rey’ a via ferrata along a disused and crumbling walkway, which we did on our rest (i use the word loosely) day.
There are a few pictures in the gallery, some of which are below
Alex Mac Hut, Scotland – 25 Feb 2011
February 27th, 2011 by admin No comments »Four of us left Wolverhampton at 19:20. It was 11 degrees, so the hope of any winter sports was low. By the time we reached Glencoe it was raining but cooler. The roads had been quiet, a sign the more sensible majority had stayed at home.
Saturday
In true WMC style we got up and debated the few options we had. Neil, Monika and Richard left for the Nevis range ski centre while Matt, Andy and Sarah went for a walk.
Seven of the eleven ski lifts were closed but the runs, the ones that were open, were in ok condition. A snow shower helped cover the ice patches with a (thin) fresh layer of powder and improved the upper runs noticeably. The hardest part of the day came when we decided to go for lunch. We were directed to a run which was far from complete. It was more grass than snow and after an arduous decent to a bowl of soup we decided to call it a day. We had a better than expected day skiing despite the recent thaw.
Andy, Sarah and Matt parked in Glen Nevis and made their way up the summit track and once at the loch they followed the path to the North Face of Ben Nevis and the CIC Hut. After checking out the venue they headed down to the North Face carpark and back to the car.
Sunday
Sunday morning was spent procrastinating. Neil, Monika and I only had skiing equipment and after the final arduous decent on Saturday we were reluctant to ski. Matt was the only one with ice climbing gear and he was eager to get on some ice. We eventually decided to try out the indoor ice wall at the Ice Factor. Now I know heads will be shaking at the idea but it was good fun, never before have I been able to push my self on ice without worrying about that dodgy ice screw or what the belay above me was like. It was also a great place to work on technique and give each other guidance. There are a good few routes to have a go at in the 2 hour slot we had and we were all pumped by the end. The only thing missing was a gale force wind and spin drift.
Andy and Sarah, keen to bag another visit to a remote hut (as an alternative to bagging Munros) decided to go to Glen Nevis again and walk up to the Steall Hut via Steall falls which itself is worth visiting.
Our next meet is next weekend at our club hut in Snowdonia
Only four of the eleven lifts were working
The snow was reasonable higher up
The lower runs were far from complete
Tal-Y-Braich | 12 & 13 Feb 2011
February 15th, 2011 by admin No comments »We had a good turnout this weekend at the club hut in Snowdonia. On Saturday morning there was a cold breeze so the mass decision was for a scramble across the Nantlle ridge, a grade 1 scramble. Seven of us started from Rhyd-Ddu after a cup of tea at the pub while a second car was left at the other end of the ridge. After a brief hale shower we started to climb Y Garn, once at the top we had our first lunch. From there we scramble up the ridge to Mynydd Drws-y-coed, which had its moments of excitement. From the summit we dropped down and followed the ridge to Mynydd Tal-y-mignedd where a second lunch was taken next to the Obelisk. The wind had started to pick up so we didn’t stop for too long before heading around Cwm Silyn and back to the car and then to the pub at Rhyd-Ddu where you can buy a £11 Honey Roast Ham meal (which turned out to be a very expensive ham sandwich. For that reason the pub is best avoided).
Sunday started of wet and after much lounging around in front of the fire a small team set out to tackle the north face of Llanberis high street. The ‘Pete’s Eats direct route’ was successfully completed and after breakfast (and probably lunch aswell) an “indirect finish to V12 completed the day.
Our next meet is in Scotland and hopefully the conditions will be great!
BMC 2011 Climbing Restrictions Poster
February 14th, 2011 by admin No comments »The 2011 climbing restrictions poster is now available to download
The UK is internationally important for a number of bird species, which are often vulnerable during the nesting period. The BMC works in partnership with conservation bodies to ensure any restrictions agreed are as minimal in extent and duration as possible, whilst still allowing birds to nest successfully. In many cases restrictions are lifted as soon as the chicks fledge the nest.
The BMC asks all climbers to check restrictions for the areas in which they climb. Climbers have an excellent record of respecting bird nesting restrictions and continued goodwill is important to develop and maintain good relations with landowners and conservation bodies. The 2011 poster should be appearing at walls, shops and cafes over the next few weeks, but a downloadable version is available here.
The BMC’s Regional Access Database (RAD) should be the every climber’s first stop for up-to-date access information. The RAD is a searchable database of all the crags in England and Wales with special access and conservation considerations, including all the agreed nesting restrictions. Check the RAD here.
2011 Meets
February 2nd, 2011 by RichardAW No comments »Well its better late than never but the WMC 2011 meets card is finally here. We had a few technical glitches which have prevented us from publishing it in pdf any earlier but the clubs calendar was updated late last year so hopefully no one has missed out.
You can download a copy of the meets card here - http://www.wolverhamptonmountaineeringclub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/WMC-meets_2011.pdf
This month we have a slideshow in the pipeline, we are off to the club’s hut in Snowdonia and venturing to Scotland for some ice climbing at the end of February. Hopefully we will see you there!
Annual Dinner Meet
November 21st, 2010 by admin No comments »This weekend (22 & 23 November) was the club’s annual dinner, this year held in Coniston in the Lake District. It was a smashing weekend with around 40 members in attendance. Numerous groups formed on saturday and went of to do their own thing. A few brave teams climbed in the Coppermines valley while most other walked up The Old Man and continued around the ridge to Wetherlam before decending back the the huts in the Coppermines valley. Another team headed off to Pavey Ark in Langdale for an ascent of Jake’s Rake, a grade 1 scramble along a rising traverse gully.
For the dinner itself we returned to the Crown Hotel. It was a nice pleasant meal, and the staff did a tremendous job keeping all 40 of us happy. After the food the chairman did his usual and enjoyable awards ceremony in which he awarded members useful items in response to acts of stupidity, bravery or bad luck. 3 members were given padded knickers for slips and trips at home or on foot paths. Those who had greater falls whilst rock climbing were given a certificate of airworthiness as they achieved airtime. And one member received a tick remover for getting a tick on his… we better not say where.
Sunday was a relaxed day. Many members enjoyed an easier day while others went braved the bitting wind to summit some peaks or do a spot more scrambling. Some members sacrificed themselves and went to the cafe for a hearty breakfast, well some one had to! All in all it was a great weekend. Next year we are back in the Peak District. See you there!
Wild campers face first Scotland ban
July 10th, 2010 by admin No comments »In Scotland you can camp pretty much any where which is different from England & Wales. It seems that this freedom is now under threat thanks to vandals and the irresponsible who are causing problems around Loch Lomond.
A small minority of campers from nearby cities are vandalising property, leaving litter and cutting down trees despite years of failed attempts by the police to stop the reckless behaviour.
You can read the full article on the Guardian website by clicking the link below
Wild campers face first Scotland ban | Travel | guardian.co.uk.
