Winter navigation in Snowdonia. Concentrating on Identifying contour features

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Beautiful walking around Capel Curig

Beautiful walking around Capel Curig


Winter navigation. There can be far less features around like walls, fences and streams. Therefore it is much more important to interpret the shape of the land and use your compass more accurately in Winter. Winter navigation with Mountaineering Joe
Identifiying contour features.

Identifiying contour features.

Walking in Snowdonia and preparation for ML Training course

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Navigating on complex ground

Navigating on complex ground


Dylan is starting to preparing for the ML training course. He wants to get the most out of his training as it is a preparation for assessment not a basic mountain skills course . Today we looked at the level of navigation expected. Micro navigation in the ML award is a high standard and to reach this takes practice so his ML training will be fine tuning not a shock! Dylan certainly has a natural talent for navigation and he was finding his way around complex steep ground efficiently ! An excellent day with Mountaineering Joe
Beautiful views across the Snowdonia range

Beautiful views across the Snowdonia range

Ice climbing in the Cairngorms. A good day out in Coire An t-Sneachda above Aladdin’s Buttress

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Coire An t-Sneachda above Aladdin's Buttress we were on Central left hand with a steep ice pitch

Coire An t-Sneachda above Aladdin’s Buttress we were on Central left hand with a steep ice pitch

Ice climbing in the Cairngorms. A good day out in Coire An t-Sneachda above Aladdin’s Buttress we were on Central left hand with a steep ice pitch at the end which has had a good ice build up during the season. We went up to do Pygmy Ridge but it was total out of condition and noticed the ice pitch in the next gully!

Ice climbing in the Cairngorms. A good day out in Coire An t-Sneachda above Aladdin's Buttress starting the ice pitch

Ice climbing in the Cairngorms. A good day out in Coire An t-Sneachda above Aladdin’s Buttress starting the ice pitch

Ice climbing in the Cairngorms. Coire An t-Sneachda on Aladdin’s Buttress on Mirror direct with a good build up of ice.

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Ice climbing in the Cairngorms. Coire An t-Sneachda on Aladdin's Buttress on Mirror direct with a good build up of ice.

Ice climbing in the Cairngorms. Coire An t-Sneachda on Aladdin’s Buttress on Mirror direct with a good build up of ice.

Ice climbing in the Cairngorms. A excellent day out in Coire An t-Sneachda on Aladdin’s Buttress we started on Aladdin’s Mirror direct IV which had quite ice build up during the season. It has a couple of ice ledges which you can place ice screws easily. An excellent little route but longer and steeper this year.

Winter walking in the Cairngorms in the highlands of Scotland has been excellent

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Winter walking towards Cairn Lochan Cairngorms Scotland

Winter walking towards Cairn Lochan Cairngorms Scotland

Walking this winter has been very good in Scotland with the Cairngorms being in excellent condition plenty of Snow. An excellent time to get out.
Winter walking in Sneachda Cairngorms Scotland

Winter walking in Sneachda Cairngorms Scotland

Mountaineering Joe’s Winter Skills courses

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Kicking steps during our winter skills course

Kicking steps during our winter skills course

Mountaineering Joe’s Winter Skills courses develops the hill walking skills for walking during the winter. Thw wintewr skills course focuses on personal movement, use of crampons, use of an ice axe, self arresting, winter navigation, snow pack analysis, avalanche conditions, and emergency procedures.
Walking up Coire na Ciste in the Cairngorms

Walking up Coire na Ciste in the Cairngorms

A winter traverse of Crib Goch in Snowdonia with Mountaineering Joe

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Ascending the Ridge of Grib Goch

Ascending the Ridge of Grib Goch

An excellent day traversing of Crib Goch in Snowdonia. The powder snow made it more challenging and the cloud came in but an excellent winter’s day out
The sky clear as we ascended the Crib Goch ridge

The sky clear as we ascended the Crib Goch ridge

A great day out walking on the Carneddau in Snowdonia with Lindsey and Dylan

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Lindsey and Dylan looking relaxed having just summited Carnedd Dafydd

Lindsey and Dylan looking relaxed having just summited Carnedd Dafydd

We had a great out walking on the Carneddau. Lindsey and Dylan did a magnificent and long horse shoe walk around the Carnedd mountain range. Starting out by rock scrambling up the east ridge of Pen yr Ole Wen and summiting on Pen ye Ole Wen, then on to Carnedd Dafydd and finally the second highest mountain in Snowdonia Carnedd Llewelyn. We continued across to Bwlch Eryl Farchog and back down to the valley. Walking in freezing temperatures and very very cold winds, wind chill being -15c, Lindsey pushed through to complete the walk in a good time. Most impressive!
Lindsey walking up into Cwm Lloer, Carneddau Snowdonia

Lindsey walking up into Cwm Lloer, Carneddau Snowdonia

Lindsey walking towards Glyder Fawr

A Winters walk across the Glyder plateau in Snowdonia

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Walking towards Castell y Gwynt on the Glyders plateau

Lindsey walking towards Castell y Gwynt on the Glyders plateau

Lindsey and Dylan walking in Snowdonia on the Glyders. Lindsey wanted to walk the plateau but the Snow had come in a few days before so it turned to be Lindsey’s first winter mountain walk and she handled it with no problems. This is all preparation for the Welsh 3000s in the summer which I think she will handle it with ease! Excellent preparation Lindsey!

Walking up the Devils kitchen path in Cwm Idwal Snowdonia

Lindsey walking in Cwm Idwal

Winter Climbing, Ben Nevis area – Morwind grade III, 4 on the east face of Aonach Mor

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Approaching the crux pitch of Morwind

Approaching the crux pitch of Morwind

Morwind is a good 3 star winter buttress route on Aonach Mor taking one of the longest lines on Central Buttress on the east face in fact the whole cliff. The buttress is far less subject to avalanche then the gullies. We abseiled in to avoid easy gully route approach as it looked dangerous and hard going banked out with snow . An excellent mixed route!