Lodestar Adventure

Finished. The 2wish & JT Expeditions 3Peaks Challenge Team safely back at Pen y Pass after a torch lite ascent of Yr Wyddfa. A fantastic effort by all 6 of the team to not only complete the challenge but to raise money for a very worthy cause. 👏👏👏
Excellent transportation by BusyBus

Scafell Pike smashed by the 2wish & JT Expeditions 3 Peaks Challenge team on top for sunset and half way down before the headtorches were needed. Currently heading south towards Eryri(Snowdonia) to tackle our 3rd and final peak of the challenge Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon). Trying to get some sleep on the BusyBus

Ben Nevis done.
Great effort by the 2wish team up and down in just over 4½ hours.💪
JT Expeditions BusyBus
Heading south through the stunning Highlands heading to Scafell Pike next.

Arrived in Fort William thanks to BusyBus .
The 2wish & JT Expeditions team are fed and watered and heading for an early night.
Starting our 3 Peaks Challenge bright and early.

A bit of apprehension and trepidation ahead of the challenge, but then it wouldn't be a challenge if you weren't!

And so the Journey north begins.

Starting the 3Peaks Challenge for 2wish Charity and JT Expeditions with BusyBus driving us about.

Fabulous sunny morning for a family 30 metre Abseil at Split Rock, Wells. Thanks Ben and John, working towards their RCI awards, for your assistance.

Lovely day running two climbing sessions for Special Friends today at Burrington Combe.

Great morning in the Mendips with Dan and Ollie mountain biking for their Silver DofE skills. Covering mountain bike skills like track stands, wheelies, manuals and endos plus line choice and navigation. Good skills all round.

Excellent morning at Split Rock, refreshing John's abseil setup, lots of options covered and plenty of discussion about best practice and considerations when setting up a group releasable abseil ready for his a Rock Climbing Instructor reassessment. Mostly managed to dodge the showers too - bonus.

Some photos from Saturdays exploration of the Plynlimon mountain range and the source of River Severn and River Wye.
Didn't see anybody but plenty of Red Kites, lichens, mosses, meadow pipits and even frogs!
Testing out the new waterproofs and practiced some navigation in the murk.

An epic ride exploring the Elan Valley. Mixed weather some steep climbs, boggy bits, mud and some great single track. Some navigational challenges too. Awesome views and plenty of ride kites circling above.

Today we went for a walk up to the North Face of Ben Nevis with the thoughts of doing a climb but on reaching the CIC Hut in the persistent drizzle with temperature of 5,5C and waterfalls everywhere he decided just to head back down.
Still we had fun crossing the burn.

Escaping the rain and wind at the climbing wall.

Another rubbish weather forecast with 60+ mph winds forecast and heavy rain/snow predicted we opted for a low level run up Glen Nevis to Steall Falls and beyond and then a blustery Scramble up Scimitar Ridge. Pays to be able to evaluate the forecasts and be adaptable.

With a sub-optimal weather forecast of 60mph SW wind and heavy rain/snow forecast for the afternoon. Some solid planning using MWIS and SAIS forecasts and checking recent climbing blogs and posts led us to go and have a look at the Grade I South Gully of Stob Ban, figuring a sheltered walk up the valley and then the NE aspect of the gully would provide a sheltered approach to just short of the summit, at which point if our heads got blown off by the wind we could retrace our steps back down the gully and run away bravely.

As it turned out the walk in was blustery at times and the gully a solid sheltered snow plod and only 35mph wind when we topped out, so quick summit photo and descend the East Ridge to the col and back down the valley before the rain thanks to an early start

All in all a grand day out salvaged from a seemingly awful weather forecast.

Always rewarding to get positive feedback.🙂

"Excellent coaching. I climbed many years ago at school and 'uni but I learned more in this session than all my time as a youngster. And I'll definitely be back as it's such a great way get a work out whilst having fun and leaving all the pressures of life behind."

Introduction to climbing at The Arc Chippenham this evening for colleagues from Siemens Mobility, Chippenham.

Bouldering, climbing, belaying and using auto-belays.

A great way to experience a new activity, good team building and great way to unwind after work.

Get in touch if you would like to book a session for friends, colleagues or you family.

Did you get some new winter boots for xmas?
Remember to break them in before you get out in the mountains to avoid problems.
Best check your crampons fit too.

Struggling to think of last minute Christmas presents?
Why not gift an experience?
We offer the following:
Rock Climbing Tasters
Indoor climbing learn to lead courses
Runners navigation courses
Winter Walking Skills
Mountain Navigation
Mountain Biking

Get in touch to discuss.

Really useful article from the folks at Glenmore Lodge on how to read/interpret the SAIS Avalanche forecasts to help you make informed decisions to stay safe and enjoy the Scottish Mountains in Winter.

https://www.glenmorelodge.org.uk/how-to-read-a-uk-avalanche-forecast/

Reading the Scottish Avalanche Forecast - Glenmore Lodge If you plan to head into the mountains this winter, understanding how to find information on where to go is an essential part of the planning process.

Some photos from our Special Friends Rock Climbing sessions yesterday at a very sunny Burrington Combe.

Useful article about steep terrain and contours.

Steep terrain and contours by Nigel Williams Contours show two things, slope steepness and the direction the slope faces (slope aspect). Together they represent ground shape, the 3rd dimension of map information and the only thing on the map we can feel almost continuously as we journey. They are usually measured from the mea...

Two great family rock climbing taster sessions today at Burrington Combe.

Our next sessions are 9th and 24th July to book email [email protected].

All set up waiting for our first family to come and try our Family Rock Climbing Taster.

Another fantastic Waterfalls Walk working for JT Expeditions and The Pituitary Foundation (UK)

We still have availability for our Family Rock Climbing Taster sessions on 19th June. Fathers Day present perhaps?

£60 for a family upto 6 people at 11am or 1pm

Message us or email at [email protected] to book.

Tidying the loft and found this. Hands up if you had one of these bad boys back in the day.😂