AMImagazineISSN 2044-754X

THE MAGAZINE FOR MOUNTAIN PROFESSIONALS 1: SEPTEMBER 2010 £2.50

3THE AMI MAGAZINE :ISSUE 1 :SEPTEMBER 2010 :WWW.AMI.ORG.UK

EDITOR: JUDY WHITESIDE0161 702 6080judy.whiteside@zen.co.uk

DEVELOPMENT OFFICER: ED CHARDinfo@edchard.co.uk

NEXT ISSUE: DECEMBERCopy deadline FRIDAY 6 NOVEMBER 2010

Please send editorial copy to info@edchard.co.ukor judy.whiteside@zen.co.uk

AD SALES: If you would like to advertise in AMIMagazine, please contact Judy Whiteside viajudy.whiteside@zen.co.uk for a full media pack.

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FRONT COVER: Photo: Alex Ekins.

Note: The views expressed in this magazine are thepersonal opinions of the individual contributors.They do not necessarily represent the position of theAssociation or its committee.

3 Chair’s ReportTony Halliwell

6 Oh we do like to bebeside the seaside...Six tales of derring-do on the coast

10 Essential Skills: SeaCliff ClimbingBMC’s Jon Garside with some handytips for your trip

12 Essential Skills: Readingthe Coastal WeatherGeof Monk, MWIS

13 Mountain Instructorsand the SeaMark Garland talks tides

14 RLSS UK Water SafetyCliff Nelson

17 Sponsors’ PageNews from Mountain Equipmentand DMM

18 No Fankles on StancesGeorge McEwan with some tips forsmooth changeovers

23 National Centres’ Page

24 CPD and WorkshopsPaul Platt and Darren Saxton

28 From the Beginning...Simon Powell on the origin of the AMI

30 Introducing the Crag MartDr Neil Jordan

33 Gear and Book Reviews

35 The Nutrition PageFeaturing Ed’s Fuel Flapjack

in thisissue

AMImagazine

Welcome to the new look magazine. We’ve had arethink, we hope you like it, and if you don’t then it’snothing to do with me!

One of the changes we have made is to ‘theme’ the magazine, this one is allabout the coast and how we use it. We have got all sorts to ‘wet’ your appetitefrom coasteering and new RLSS awards to Ogmore and the Old Man of Hoy.Look out for two new pages that will be in every issue, National Centres pageand our sponsors’ page. In each you will find news, views and deals.

To keep our feet on the ground take time to read Simon Powel’s excellentarticle about how the AMI started, he was there and is, after all, member 001.George Mac has once again turned out a top article on tangle free guidingchangeovers; Pete Hill has news from the popular dry tooling series and loadsmore from our regular contributors.

Continual Professional Development (CPD) is a major step forward in keepingour association a modern and up to date professional body; Paul Platt has donea fantastic job at laying out clearly the way forward. Check out his article and ouroptions at the next AGM. Training for both trainees and qualified membersshould never be far from our minds. To that end Martin Middleton and DarrenSaxton have a great range of events to keep you up to speed, look out for theTrainee and CPD dates section.

We are in the process of putting together a forum to share professionalincidents for members. We are hoping in the next issue to have a ‘lessons learnt’section. This will be drawn from across the mountaineering industry fromNational Centres and big commercial bodies to sole traders. The industry hasnever been great at sharing information on incidents whilst working. It’s our viewthat we need to support members by having a way of discussing, reviewing andlearning from incidents on the hill.

Read on then, enjoy, and tell us what you think. By the way the next magazinein December will be about ‘training’, and the January issue will be all about‘winter’.

Thank you to all the folk who have taken time to submit articles, if we didn’t fitthem in this time we will in December.

Take care, Ed.

EDCHARD

4

� One is ‘doing a job for a living’ andAMI probably has more members whomake their living out of mountaineeringthan any of the other mountaineering-related associations (and a greaterproportion of its membership doing thisthan the other associations).

� A second definition is ‘workingsafely and responsibly and beinghonest and transparent about not onlyyour qualifications, but also your skillsand your experience’ – and the vastmajority of AMI members already fulfilthose criteria, as can be attested by ourinsurance claims record (which issecond-to-none in the outdoorsectors); by our reputation at outdoorcentres and our standing as technicaladvisers throughout our sector.(Personally I’ve always seen thesecriteria as the main measures ofprofessionalism and I believe that if youremain current, and conduct yourselfsafely and honestly, then you’re being‘professional’, no matter if you’reworking full time, part time orvoluntarily).

� A third is ‘belonging to aprofessional association which has acode of conduct/professional standardsfor its members to adhere to’ (whichAMI already has).

But some claim that to be a trueprofessional you need to belong to anassociation which insists on, ratherthan recommends, verifiable evidenceof currency/CPD and also claim thatour ability to call ourselvesprofessionals is incomplete if we don’thave this.

I think we can be confident that thehuge majority of our members areprofessional (as in 1, 2 and 3 above)but at this year’s AGM we will haveproposals which, if accepted, wouldhelp to complete all the abovemeasures of professionalism and, evenmore importantly, contribute towardsensuring every single membermaintains the standards most maintain.

At the beginning of August, I spentthe day at Glenmore Lodge taking partin the first of what we hope will becomeregular meetings between AMI, BAIML

and BMG, chaired by Steve Long whowas representing both MLT and MLTA,in order to develop areas of commoninterest. There is a palpable sense ofco-operation between the associationsat the moment. At the same time, all ofthe associations – BMG, BAIML, MLTAand AMI – have aspirations fordevelopments of their awards in thefuture. AMI will be much better placedto take a full, active and authoritativepart at these discussions if we are inthe same position as BAIML and BMGof fulfilling all the criteria to callourselves a professional association.

In addition, professionalisation ofqualifications is standard practice inalmost every other governing body inthe UK and, increasingly, for outdoorawards world-wide. As it stands at themoment in the UK, MLT awards areunusual in not requiring this and thatgap is already being bridged by MLT(via MLTA) at the introductory awardlevel for WGL, ML and SPA holdersworking professionally in the outdoors.

Is this important? Does it affect us?Well, yes. Regardless of whether or notyou want to work abroad, and even ifyou have no interest in workinganywhere other than the UK and Eire,part of the standing or status of ourawards is derived from their recognitionas models for leaders by the UIAA. ThatUIAA recognition actually alreadydemands the inclusion of EITHERrevalidation OR mandatory CPD. In thepast, MLT has argued successfully thatthis requirement is fulfilled by havinglogbooks to show currency. That is nowbeing challenged by other countriesand UIAA recognition of our awardscould be removed unless mandatoryCPD is included.

AMI’s members already follow aCode of Professional Conduct whichrecommends that members:

i) Keep up to date with current safepractice and techniques relevant to theareas in which they professionallyoperate. [3(D) Technical Skills]

There is every reason to welcome afocus on professionalism. At the AGMin January, AMI members will have the

choice of voting yes for arecommendation to change the aboverecommendation to a requirement andbecome a fully professionalassociation. It will make our associationstronger and strengthen theprofessionalism that is guaranteed viathe AMI logo and badge by INSISTINGon standards of currency beingmaintained by everyone and not just bythose who believe voluntarily in them –or voting no and sticking our heads inthe sand – not a good option.

MOVING HOMEAs from 1 September, AMI’s service

contract is moving to Mountain LeaderTraining. Moving is always hard and thisis a decision that has not been takenlightly, as the links with those friendlyvoices and faces at MLTE have rundeep over very many years. The staff atMLTE have been the first point ofcontact for hundreds of AMI memberswhenever we have needed informationor help – and that help has always beengiven unstintingly.

As the contract renewal came aroundthere were a number of reasons whywe felt the time to move has come. Oneof these is the increasingly widespreadcollaboration across the professionalassociations and Home Nation Boards.MLT is our awarding body and it holdsour registration, training andassessment records. A good numberof our members are also BAIML, BMGand MLTA members and this movebrings together the associations underone roof.

So, at this point, on behalf of all AMImembers I want to pass on a huge voteof thanks for all the bend-over-backwards help that we’ve had fromMLTE over the years. Our thanks go toAndy and to Mal, but most of all they goto the people we talked to mostregularly: Cath and Cat, Lucy morerecently, and Shirley in the past.

The telephone line should be movingwith us, so the telephone numberremains unchanged. We will letmembers know email contacts as soonas we have them.

Welcome to your new ‘Mountain Professionals’ magazine.What does ‘professional’ mean to you? Different folk havedifferent definitions; here are a few...

BY TONYHALLIWELLTH@TNR.GB.NET

AMI PEAKAREAMEETINGSMAT GALVIN, CRAIGOFFLESS, PAUL LEWIS

We’re delighted to announcethat the schedule for the Peakregional group begins with asession working with Edale MRTon Saturday 11 September. Ifyou are Peak based, you shouldhave received an email. If you’dlike more details, please emailpeakrep@gmail.com

The next date will be Saturday11 December. If you have anyareas you’d like to see feature inthis programme or links thatmay be useful, please get intouch. The aim for sessions is forthem to be free or at cost.

Finally, remember: Use it orlose it!

MLTA NEWSRACHAEL HINCHLIFFEMLTA COORDINATORRACHAEL@MLTA.CO.UK

Our CPD Policy is in its final(well hopefully!) version and willbe submitted for the reveredopinions of the great and thegood in mountaineering at theforthcoming round of boardmeetings.

The policy will require fullmembers of MLTA (that is thosemembers holding qualifications)to undergo 20 days ofpersonal/leading experience andaccumulate two credit pointsevery five years. The policy is theresult of twelve months carefulconstruction, rigorousdeconstruction and survey of themembership and otherstakeholders. We think thebalance is right and that allmembers will be able to easilymeet the requirements.

The aim is to implement thepolicy from January 2011.

We are planning already aweekend of skills with BAIMLmembers next year, as well as aweekend at Glenmore Lodge inJune next year.

There’s loads going on – get intouch, look at the websitewww.mlta.co.uk.

MMLLTATA

Chair’sreport

STOP PRESS: SECRETARY POSITION VACANT FROM JANUARYThe post of AMI Secretary will be vacant at the next AGM. When I stepped up to the post in 2009, I

agreed with my wife it would only be for a year, to support Tony, Steve and the committee. Due to increasedwork and family commitments (we’re expecting our second in January), it will be harder to find the timeto do the job properly. This has been a very hard decision to take, as I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the role,working with such a committed, professional, hard working committee. If you are interested in standingor have any questions about the role, please email me at mjogalvin@gmail.com. Thanks, Mat Galvin.

5THE AMI MAGAZINE :ISSUE 1 :SEPTEMBER 2010 :WWW.AMI.ORG.UK

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FACE THE ELEMENTS WITHTX.DIRECT

THE ASSOCIATIONS’COLLABORATION WORKINGGROUP GLENMORE LODGE, 2 AUGUST

This new group, gathered as a working group of the main MLT (UK) board,brings together delegates from the UK-based associations representingMountain Guides, Instructors and Leaders who operate in the British Islesand further afield. The delegates are:

British Mountain Guides – Mark DigginsBritish Association of International Mountain Leaders – Issie InglisAssociation of Mountaineering Instructors – Tony HalliwellMountain Leader Training Association – Steve LongThe aim of the group is to act as a forum with the potential to contribute

to the work of MLT by providing usable information from all relevant awardholders and enhance the mutual understanding between associations sothat they can co-operate more effectively and harmoniously.

Through discussion at the meeting it was apparent that there are manyways in which this forum could enable all Associations to work more closelytogether and provide practical information which could be used for the futuredevelopment and cohesion of all UK awards.

The group was chaired by Steve Long, Chief Officer MLT. During themeeting the following Role, Aims and Objectives were identified andproposed to the Board.

Role of the Group: To support MLT by providing information which will:� enable better understanding of how the Awards are currently used inpractice� explore how all Award associations could interrelate more effectively� determine how Awards might be more aligned, workable and easilyunderstandable by all (MLT, the Public, UK Award Associations, Awardholders).

Objectives: To create:� opportunities to share ideas� a clear understanding of all awards processes and objectives� clear and unambiguous information about the awards and theassociations to the public� mutually beneficial cooperation between Associations.

Suggested Discussion Topics and items1. To develop a full mutual understanding of all the current awardprocesses

a. Training and assessmentb. How and where the Awards are used

2. Professionalism, accountability and standards3. Effective ways of presenting the award structure to the public4. Ongoing development after gaining a qualification5. Collaborative communication and marketing.

7THE AMI MAGAZINE :ISSUE 1 :SEPTEMBER 2010 :WWW.AMI.ORG.UK

A Bigger Splash is a sensational high level traverse with great exposurerequiring muscles on the first pitch and nerve on the second. For the fulleffect this sustained climb should be done when there’s a high sea runningand big waves are crashing into the cliff. The first pitch was originally soloedby Pat Littlejohn. Although Pat couldn’t recommend it as a solo, he said, ‘Ifyou catch the tide right, there’s up to eight feet of water covering the jaggedrocks below’.

I remember listening to two leading lights from the Bristol climbing sceneafter they had fought their way along this mighty traverse, exclaiming that itwas probably the best E3 in the South. I think it is one of the best E3’s in thecountry.

I have had a long association with this route and have climbed it at leasteight times with various people. They have all been spellbound.

It begins by reversing down a climb called Siren to a hanging stance. Thefirst pitch starts easily enough but after six metres or so the leader movesstrenuously around the arête and then they are on their own. It’s impossibleto hear each other if there are waves crashing into the cliff once the leaderclimbs out of sight. There have been a few epics because of this lack ofcommunication but my favourite story involves two local climbers who wishto remain anonymous, Mick Learoyd and the late, great Charlie Heard.Charlie, who was twice the size of Mick, was leading the first pitch and hadclimbed out of sight when he fell off. As Charlie fell, Mick thought, ‘Wow!Charlie’s climbing quickly today’ and paid out rope as fast as he could.Fortunately Mick soon realised that no one, not even Charlie could climb atthat speed and stopped his fall just inches above the sea.

If you split the first pitch after about thirty metres, you can watch andencourage your mate once they climb around the arête.

The final pitch although easier (5b) is very exposed as you traverse the lipof a massive overhang. I always have trouble placing gear at the start of thispitch and Ali’s picture betrays my poor style. Fortunately the gear is goodwhere it matters and you are soon on top, belayed to a couple of old rustystakes.

SANDY PATERSON

TONY PENNING MIA (07909833242) AND ALI TAYLOR BED, MIA TRN(07814555378) RUN MONSTERCLIMBS – ROCK CLIMBING, TRAINING,MLTB APPROVED PROVIDERS, WALKING AND SCRAMBLING.WW.MONSTERCLIMBS.COM... PANDER TO THE MONSTER IN YOU!

Blue Sky, Pembroke...‘I’ll let Guy abseil first’! I always find abseiling into routes

a little daunting and, as this was my first abseil approachsea cliff route, it was certainly no exception. Guy and I hadbeen down in Pembrokeshire for about five days, however,we had been dogged by bad weather. Being based Northof the border this was a little frustrating to say the least,especially as our friends had been singing Pembroke’spraises for years, including the weather record!

So which classic should we start on? No need to consultthe guide book, which had been done at length in manycafés. Blue Sky seemed like the ideal route; a two pitchVS classic on good rock with great gear.

The abseil was easy to rig and one 50m abseil gets youto a nice platform above the crashing waves. Having letGuy abseil first I also let him lead the first pitch. There isa trend forming here (much to Guy’s disgust) but I got awaywith it by informing him that the second pitch was technicallyharder!

He soon disappeared from sight around a corner where anHVS (which is also great) carries straight on and I was left to myown thoughts which jumped between ‘I wonder how Guy isdoing’, to marvelling at the beautiful scenery around me – sodifferent to the Scottish mountain routes I was used to.

A quick tug at the rope and a shout of ‘safe’ brought me backto the moment and I was soon climbing. Wow! this is good.Steep solid limestone with climbing wall size holds led uparound a corner and a few little steps to a small but perfectlyformed belay ledge where Guy was ensconced.

My pitch seemed to look a little steeper but that was probablybecause I was on the sharp end this time, thankfully it was justas good, with gear where you needed it (and then some) andbig jugs to pull on. It was in much the same style as the firstpitch and I was soon back on the top, clipping into the abseilanchor and bringing Guy up. One Pembroke classic ticked andwhat a cracker, great for the first trip, just enough adventurewithout pushing the boat out. Perfect preparation for somethinga little more challenging!

A Bigger Splash E3 5c - Ogmore,South East Wales...

Asclimbers, we know that to commit to a sea cliff often means the chance to come away with some memorableexperiences. Although cragging at a local venue can give some great moments, personally my hairs stand onend whenever I lean back on the abseil and descend into unseen sea cliff challenges, be it at Gogarth, Pembrokeor anywhere else around our beautiful coastline. We asked six climbers to recount some favourite times battlingwith the rock above Davy Jones’s locker. We hope you enjoy their tales...

PHOTO:

ALEX

EKINS

8

‘There we go, committed!’ said Nat with his usual wild grin asthe abseil rope came clattering down after us into Wen Zawn.Leaving an ab rope in place had seemed like a cop out the nightbefore, after a couple of ales at the Vaynol Arms.

‘We’ll ab in, pull the ropes, knock off Dream and dive back infor Wen. Back in time for a couple more pints of this,’ he said,heading for the bar for what my head was now telling me wasan ill-advised third. Even now cutting off our escape routeinduced an irresponsible rush of adrenaline. I’d heard all aboutthe ‘Gogarth grip factor’. Balls to that, this was just theadventure I was after and I was chomping at the bit to get on theroute.

Heart pounding, perched on the ledge ready to down climbinto the traverse line of the first pitch. That much salivated-overimage of Ed Ward-Drummond tip toeing across on nothings,the spray spitting at his ankles, flashed through my mind. Easymoves, some good gear, a harder move, no gear, on smallholds now, never mind, another move, what happens if I fall now,do I go in the sea? What do I do then? Wish the sea would shutup, I can’t concentrate. Rock’s a bit greasy, wish I had somegear..... ‘Watch me here Nat!’

So this is the Gogarth grip factor, I pondered as I hung frommy harness. Six pieces of gear in the belay when the twoobvious bomber pieces would have done, and an overwhelmingfeeling that some awful, unspecified tragedy was about to befallus. Like the whole cliff collapsing. Or Rick Wakeman releasinga new concept album. Above me Nat was belly-flopping his wayup the second pitch, struggling to get in the swing of things.Looking down I saw a seal, floating on its back and seeming tobe casting the critical eye of a seasoned armchair climber onproceedings above me. I shouted up to Nat to share my childishexcitement but my words were carried away in the wind and thesurf. Soon I was laybacking up the aesthetic flake line, rejoicingin the position and the moves, but with the nagging knowledgethat I was about to get on the sharp end and lead the longtraverse around the back wall.

All afternoon I’d been eyeing that last pitch, caught betweenimpossibility and stomach churning space. There simplycouldn’t be a 4C line around that holdless, crumbling wall, couldthere? I traversed to an in-situ nut, now how the hell do I getround this flake? Suddenly it’s all flowing. Big holds, bags ofgear and gorgeous rock-overs that make you feel like a superstar. A massive grin spread across my face as I relaxed andenjoyed the position, savouring every move. Nat grinned back,buzzing off the enjoyment I was getting out of the pitch. A tip-toe across a slab, up a groove and that’s it. Tingling from headto toe with the sheer joy of life I bring Nat across and he shoutswith pleasure. Up the groove he comes grinning from ear to ear.We lay on the grass enthusing about what both of us knew wasthe best route we had ever done. As the adrenaline subsided, Iasked the question that was hanging in the air, ‘Back down forWen?’ To my great relief the answer came back, ‘No f***ing wayI’m abbing back in there. Mine’s a pint and it’s your round!’

CRISPIN CHATTERTON IS A LANGUAGES TEACHER AT KINGEDWARD VII SCHOOL IN SHEFFIELD AND WHEN HE GROWSUP HE’D LIKE TO BE AN MIA INSTRUCTOR LIKE HISCOLLEAGUE MR GALVIN!

Gogarth, Big G, the Promised Landor that terrifying place on Anglesey; Iguess because it’s got so manynames speak volumes. My affectionfor Gogarth began in 1988; I was justshy of turning eighteen and climbingwith a fourteen year old who I met onthe BMC’s youth meet. The day beforewe’d both led Comes the Dervish andI remember hearing one of the Scottishcontingent say, ‘You lads should doThe Moon at Gogarth’. Well that’sanother story but let’s just say wesurvived the day and I was hooked.

So in May 1994 I was a little morecalculated, had many routes atGogarth under my belt and, moreimportantly, knew how to get myselfout of trouble! Ian McNeil and I droveto North Stack with the intention ofdoing 20,000 Leagues under the Seaif I remember correctly. After abseilinginto North Stack wall, we began thetraverse to the arête and got hit by awave – I was soaked so we returned tothe boulders under North Stack Wall tosun bathe and dry boots.

That’s when I heard Ian say, ‘Youshould do The Cad, people say yourbetter than you think.’ Whenever I wentto this part of Gogarth, carried in mysac were six micro thin slings (red tapefor those that remember it) just in caseI got my head together for just that route.

So had I done the groundwork, was Ibold enough and good enough? Idon’t want to clip that bolt, but thatmust mean its E6! Surely I’m not goodenough for that. Well most of us haveexperienced that doubt at some point.

I stepped off the boulder, I was onThe Cad. Doubt was gone. I will climbthis route. There’s a micro friend soon

after leaving the ground – maybe thisroute isn’t that bold? Superb faceclimbing leaving the friend behind withthe larger flakes taking those redslings. ‘Will they hold a fall?’ I thought.‘Don’t be stupid just don’t fall off!’ Theundercut flake reached and part one ofthe Cad was completed. Placing afriend I can now place the next size up,shit, I can now get the next size in ‘Ianthis flake really expands mate’. I emptymy rack of friends – quantity ratherthan quality! I step right and leave theundercut. ‘Keep your head youth!’ I’mtalking to myself – that must mean I’mbreathing!

The bolt and its rusty streak areabove. I don’t want to clip it but 80’ ofthin slings and an expanding flake Imust be mad not to. ‘Paul youpromised yourself it wouldn’t beclipped’. Reaching for an extender, it’sclipped – it’s crap anyway’. There’s acomfortable foothold at the bolt, timeto psyche up or realise you’re on TheCad and there’s no gear for a while.Hey I’ve turned into a human yoyo howmany more times can I step off thishold? Moving though the crux all I canthink of is don’t slap for the break andnow I know why. Gear above is goodand the technical difficulty eases off. Istep onto the horizontal scramble overthe wall, untie, fix the ropes and startto dance. Some minutes later Iremember Ian’s on the boulder, thetide must be nearly in. ‘Climb whenyou’re ready Ian that is awesome’. Mythanks to Ian for encouraging me onthat day and patiently belaying. TheCad was the catalyst for many moreroutes of that grade.

PAUL PLATT IS DIRECTOR OF BOTH ASCENT TRAININGWWW.ASCENTTRAINING.CO.UKAND APEX TRAINING WW.MOUNTAINLEADERCOURSES.CO.UKHE HOLDS THE MIC AND CIC AWARDS AMONG OTHERS.

Gogarth... The Big G...

A Dream of White Horses...

Original Route,Old Man of Hoy...

9THE AMI MAGAZINE :ISSUE 1 :SEPTEMBER 2010 :WWW.AMI.ORG.UK

The sea crashed below us as we set off.Although most of Bosigran is more of a cliff bythe sea than a sea cliff, it still felt ratheratmospheric. The early parts of Little Brown Jughad gone really smoothly as Kerry, my wife andI enjoyed some quality holiday time in Cornwall.Kerry was new to climbing at the time but hadtaken to it with gusto. We’d warmed up on someclassic lines and were now taking on somethingmore meaty.

The final pitch felt completely exhilarating. If Ireflect back on it quietly, I can still hear the roarof the crashing breakers below in the narrowbay, the feeling of the wind across my body,buffeting me on my upward progress and thebright glow of the granite, lit by a strongSummer sun.

The crux took some working out and a little bitof bravery to trust the rusty old peg to be morethan psychological and commit to thin movesupwards and onwards. The final huge flakesrequired a fearless, gung ho steep climbingattitude. Just as my forearms started tocomplain I pulled over the top, greeted by ahuge blast of wind sending chalk from my openbag upward like snow blown on a Cairngormstorm. Fantastic climax to a memorable climb!

Like so many other climbers, I enjoy many ofthe aspects of such a multi-faceted sport but,personally, my favourite place to climb has tobe sea cliffs or big mountain crags. The feelingsof genuine adventure shared with friends takesome beating.

Belay sorted, I called down through the wind,telling Kerry to set off. ‘It’s fantastic babe, you’lllove it.’ Only she didn’t! Slow progress from thebelay and some worried looks upward told meKez was not having the same experience I’denjoyed minutes before. ‘Mat I can’t do this bit,’she screamed from the crux. ‘Try getting yourfeet a bit higher,’ came the reply from a chillybelayer. ‘I can’t do it,’ returned the anxious

second, laying away athletically on some hugeflakes. As the ropes went straight down, havinga rest on the rope and working out someoptions was the obvious choice. However,despite repeated attempts to communicate this,Kerry was not interested.

‘I can’t hold on any longer,’ she screamed inCliffhanger-esque style.

‘Just sit on the rope.’‘NOOO, I can’t!!!’In my normal diplomatic way I shouted down,‘You’re being ridiculous, just sit on the rope!’‘I can’t,’ Kez shouted, white fingers clinging

with increasing desperation to the face.Now something that you must understand

about Mrs G, a former Captain in the RoyalSignals, is that she’s normally a pretty coolcustomer under pressure. Since we had beentrying to increase our number from pair to triofor a little while, one immediate explanationpopped into my mind.

‘You’re pregnant, babes.’‘No I’m not, you’ve just picked another route

that’s too hard.’The route eventually finished, we bobbed into

civilisation to get a test. Sure enough the twostripes appeared. We were over the moon andheaded back to Sheffield with some uniquememories of discovering more than weexpected on a Cornish sea cliff.

MAT IS AN MIA WHO SPENDS HIS WEEKDAYS TEACHING AT KING EDWARD VII SCHOOL,SHEFFIELD AND WEEKENDS RUNNING MAT GALVIN MOUNTAINEERING.

ANDREW NIBBS IS A HOPE VALLEYBASED CLIMBER AND FAMILY MAN.

Seal Hunt...Climbing for three –a Bosigran adventure...

MAT AND SON JOE... TWO AND A BIT YEARS AFTER THEBOSIGRAN ADVENTURE!

Across the step above the brightwaves. ‘He’ll sink like a stone if he fallsoff with that rack on.’

Three of us at the nice big belay ledge,the sun beating down.

Off up a short slab and round to atraverse. Thinking about the gear morethan the climbing. Suddenly lonely, awayfrom the two on the ledge relaxing andenjoying the sun. I’m now feeling morelike the seal than the hunter.

The traverse is Heart of Darkness HVS– don’t like traverses and I’m glad not tobe on it. Place some gear, it’s too hotand my hands are sweating too much.Too early to feel tired with the whole ofthe route still to do. It was a big dayyesterday.

Make some moves up to a hardermove. Too hard! Back down. Up againand it hasn’t got any easier. Hands wet,heart pumping, could I end up in thegreen, glistening sea? Fiddle in a smallnut, arms failing. Clip in. Anotherquickdraw direct to my harness andslowly, slowly weight the nut.

Failure. But safety of a sort that nolonger relies on fingers and arms. Deepbreaths and composure slowlyreturning.

Place a bigger, better nut. Lots of chalkand, after some deliberation, do themove.

Grasped higher. Various rests and lotsof good gear. The route eases and Ifinally pull over the top.

Bring the two seconds up and theysavour the route. Enjoying the climbingin a way I didn’t on the lead.

‘Nice one, good lead.’‘Sorry it took so long, I’m knackered.’The points of aid a disappointment to

me but nobody else cares.

Early last summer, when I was living inInverness, I received a phone call from a friendof mine, Charlie, announcing that he wasarriving tomorrow for a few days of Scottish rockclimbing and suggesting a trip to Hoy. I recruitedanother keen local climber, Will, and two dayslater the three of us found ourselves on top ofthe windswept desolate cliff opposite the OldMan.

To say the Old Man of Hoy is remote is anunderstatement. Despite living in Britain’s mostnorthern city, it had still taken a three hour drive,two ferry journeys, two rides in local taxis and a40 minute walk. We all felt pretty intimidatedlooking across at the stack but, not wanting toshow any weakness in front of each other,resorted to faux-bravado and muttering howstraight forward the route looked, and that weshould be up and down in no time.

‘Nice lead mate,’ I exclaim as I pull up on tothe belay next to Charlie at the top of the secondpitch. I quickly rack the gear on my harness andhead off up the 4b ground above, a noticeableromp after the awkward corner crack below.

I feel like I’m racing along and eager to cover

the ground quickly, I place just enoughgear to reassure Charlie and Will belowthat I’m not being reckless. Approaching ashelf, I place both hands on top, pull upand come to a sudden halt. Facing me ateye level less than a foot away are acouple of fulmars. I had encounteredthese aggressive birds on sea cliffsbefore but never this close. Instinctively Iduck back down just as the birds’ first salvo offoul vomit flies over my head. I scrabble aroundfilling every available crack with gear as I plan away to outflank them. There is no other way; Ihave to get past them. After coming all this way,retreat is not an option and the embarrassmentof failing due to two little sea birds doesn’t barethinking about.

I wonder how quickly they can ‘reload’. I’m nottoo bothered about being splattered but I can’tget it in my eyes. I bob my head above theparapet again. The birds arch their heads backand another salvo of bile flies over my head. It’snow or never – I make a dash upwards. Thebirds make a racket and convulse in unison butby now I’m above them and they only manage

to soil the bottom of my trousers. I consolemyself with the knowledge that Will and Charliewill have to run the same gauntlet and may notbe so lucky.

An hour later the three of us stand victoriouson the summit taking the applause from thetourists on the cliff top opposite before startingthe notorious descent. The adventuresurpassed all our expectations... even if we didend up smelling a bit fishy.

ANDY WARDLE MIC IS BASED ON THE EASTERNEDGE OF THE PEAK DISTRICT AND RUNS FOCUSMOUNTAINEERINGWWW.FOCUSMOUNTAINEERING.COM.

10

1. CHECK THERESTRICTIONSEvery year the BMC produces an

access focus and seasonalrestrictions leaflet. Available fromclimbing walls, the office, and online,it lists the seasonal restrictions thatapply to cliffs in England and Wales.Most restrictions apply to sea cliffs,and some places, such asPembroke, have quite complexrestrictions, so be 100% sure whenvisiting new venues. Climbers havean excellent record of respecting birdnesting restrictions, and maintainingthis is critical. A considerable amountof effort from BMC voluntary accessreps, and the full time access staffgoes into negotiating access, fromwhich we all benefit.

2. FAUNA AND FLORALarge birds such as gulls can be

very aggressive if you get too neartheir nest, and being mobbed by oneis very unpleasant. So if you findyourself near a nest, be especiallycareful not to disturb the chicks.Along with the sea birds there areplenty of other animals to see. Stoodat the bottom of a zawn you often seeseals bobbing their heads above thewater – they may be concerned fortheir seal pup hidden on the beach,so watch your step. Dolphins andbasking sharks also visit our inshorewaters. Coastal cliffs provide aunique environment for plants, andgardening can remove seemingly‘boring’ plants such as the uniqueOrme Cabbage at Pen Trwyn. Try toavoid removing vegetation when youclimb.

3. TIDE TABLESMany cliff bases can only be

accessed around low tide. High and

low tide times can be found in tidetables, these are available fromtourist information, post offices,chandlers and climbing shops.Alternatively contact the coastguard,or have a search online. The moonaffects the tidal range: spring tideshave a larger range than neap tidesand so a spring high/low tide will behigher/lower than a neap high/lowtide. Spring tides occur soon after afull or new moon, and neap tidessoon after a half moon. It’s easy tomis-read a tide table, as you will mostlikely have to make adjustments foryour venue, compared to the port thetable has information for, and thetimes are in GMT, not British summertime. Check and check again!

4. GET A WEATHERFORECASTThis may sound obvious, but a big

tide combined with a weatherdepression will produce a big sea.Even if the sky is bright blue, the seacan still have a big swell if there hasbeen recent bad weather.

5. APPROACHAbseil? Walk? Scramble? Read the

guidebook, and ask around – youmay find someone as confused asyou! Some sea cliffs are topped withsteep convex grassy slopes, makingapproaches difficult or hazardous,and abseiling down such terrain cansometimes be a very good idea.Luckily, many sea cliffs do not requireabseil approaches – if it’s your firsttime consider a venue such as that.

6. GETTING AROUNDAll large cliffs are confusing, and

sea cliffs are no exception.Wandering around the top, you can’tsee the climbs to help locate your

line. Guidebooks go a long way toaddressing this issue but, if in doubt,walk along to an overlooking buttressto get a feel for where you are. Youdon’t want to abseil into the wrongarea where the routes are too hard toget out.

7. ABSEILINGPopular venues with abseil

approaches often have fixed gear,

which must be checked. Whenabseiling consider using an autobloc, covered in both the last ClimbSkills and our free publicationClimbing Outside. Think how far youwill be abseiling before tying a knotin the end of your rope. If your abseilrope ends up in the sea then the knotcould catch, but if it doesn’t reach, aknot can be reassuring as you aredangling above the deck! Using a

We may have unreliable weather, but our coasts have some of the best sea cliffclimbing in the world – and it’s always sunnier at the seaside! From Berry Head toSt John’s Head there’s limestone, granite, sandstone, quartzite, gneiss and schist toname but a few. So if you want to finish your day with an ice cream this summer,then read on for our top ten tips.

Essentialskills:Seacliff climbing

BY JONGARSIDEJON@THEBMC.CO.UK

RUNNING IT OUT ON NORTH STACK WALL, GOGARTH PHOTO: BMC INTERNATIONAL MEET 2008

11THE AMI MAGAZINE :ISSUE 1 :SEPTEMBER 2010 :WWW.AMI.ORG.UK

low stretch rope is a very good ideaas you are less likely to dislodgerocks above as you abseil down –which would likely end up hurtlingtowards you. I use a 70m low stretchrope, which is fine for most of thevenues I visit.

8. THE CLIMBINGENVIRONMENTIt’s all that’s great about trad

climbing in Britain – exciting andadventurous in a beautiful naturalenvironment, and rich in history. Afew things to think about: You maycome across the odd peg, but treatall fixed gear with suspicion. Much ofit has been exposed to the salty seaair for twenty years or more, with theirburied part rotted away. Think ofthem as vertical cairns, marking theway. The tops of many sea cliffs areloose, so helmets are a good idea.

9. ESCAPEBe fully aware of the implications

should you not be able to completeyour climb. If you walked in you canalways walk out, even if it meanswaiting twelve hours for the next low

tide. If you abseiled in, then it’s likelyyou’ll have to climb or prussic out.Take two prussics or a smallascending device like a Tibloc orRopeman – and practise using them.People drown easily; don’t think ofswimming unless you’re sure you’reup to it. In case of an emergency dial999 and the coastguard willcoordinate with the appropriaterescue services.

10. DON’T FORGET YOURICE CREAM MONEY!

MIC HOLDER JON GARSIDE ISTHE BMC/MLTE TRAININGOFFICER. JON WORKS ONAWARD DEVELOPMENT ANDQUALITY ASSURANCE ANDGOOD PRACTICE EVENTS ANDPUBLICATIONS, SUCH AS THENEW EDITION OF ‘SAFETY ONMOUNTAINS’.Article first published in Summit

COASTEERINGNEWS FROMTHE RNLI

Agrowing number of people are participating incoasteering but, with no formal accreditationscheme for coasteering centres, the RNLI and

other water safety organisations urge participantsto choose carefully which centre they go with.

The RNLI, the charity that saves lives at sea, takes an activeinterest in coastal safety – when incidents happen, it is often theRNLI’s volunteer lifeboat crews or lifeguards who respond.

Working with other key groups and organisations, the RNLI aimsto provide clear safety information for participants and advice onbest practice for coasteering centres, to help prevent incidentsfrom happening in the first place.

The charity is a member of the National Water Safety Forum(NWSF). As part of its role in this forum, the RNLI heads a nationalgroup comprising water safety organisations (including the MCA,AMI, MLTUK and RoSPA) and coasteering providers to addressthe varying standards between different coasteering centres.

A national training framework for coasteering guides, safetyprotocols and emergency action plans are being developed bythe group, and are being trialled by various coasteering centresaround the UK.

THE RNLI’S COASTEERING SAFETY ADVICE IS ASFOLLOWS:

At present, there is no formal accreditation scheme forcoasteering schools so people should select a school carefully.The RNLI advises only taking part in coasteering as part of agroup, which has:

� Professionally trained staff(both technical and water safety based)

� Adequate insurance cover� Safety equipment (helmets, wetsuits etc)� Emergency evacuation/accident procedures� Pre-defined routesWhen coasteering is conducted by a well-trained leader using

appropriate techniques and equipment, there is a much lowerrisk of incidents occurring.

Steve Wills, RNLI National Beach Safety Manager, says,‘Coasteering is an increasingly popular activity but, like all othercoastal activities, it’s not without risk. The RNLI has been workingclosely with other water safety organisations to develop a trainingframework for instructors, and safety procedures and guidelineson best practice for coasteering centres.

‘We fully encourage people wanting to participate incoasteering, as it’s a great way of exploring the coastline andhaving fun at the same time, but we strongly advise choosing anorganised group with professional, trainedstaff, full insurance cover and safety kit.’

For more information on coastal safety,visit www.rnli.org.uk/beachsafety.

AN OCEAN OF ROCK AND AN OCEAN! PHOTO: BMC INTERNATIONAL MEET 2008

PHOTO:

EDCH

ARD

12

To those climbing on particularlywest coastal cliffs, a very familiarpattern on a fairly sunny morning,with the wind blowing in off the sea,is to see cloud initially forming justabove coastal headlands, but notnearby bays. Through the day, thecloud often disappears progressivelyinland, leaving the cliffs fine andsunny. There are several intertwinedreasons for this – all due to seabreezes. Cloud first forms onheadlands as thermals preferentiallystart where sun facing slopes(particularly rocks) are warmed by theearly sun. The warmed air is a littleless dense than the surrounding air,and tends to rise (and is quicklyfound by soaring birds). As the airrises, typically fairly humid earlymorning air soon saturates, and trainsof low cloud start to form, thesemoving inland with the wind.Unheated air sitting over the nearby

sea then begins to make a bee-linetoward the sun-heated cliffs, is thenitself warmed, and becomes the nextrising thermal. The process repeatsitself. But a second consequence isthat, where there is a series of baysand headlands, air from neighbouringbays converges on the interveningheadlands. Leaving that aside for thenext paragraph, as a typical dayprogresses, the land warms, theindividual headland effect diminishes,but the sea air still moves inland,replacing the less dense heated airto, on some days, a distance of 40 or50 miles inland.Lets look at a real example – Devon

and Cornwall – when a gentle windblows from the south west (more orless along the spine of the peninsula).Initially every little headland will haveits thermals, and cloud may form.Gradually coastal cloud is restrictedto the more major coastal headlands(where the air significantlyconverges), until into the afternoon,the south west peninsula acts as oneheadland. Unbroken sunshine maywell result on the beaches and cliffs,whilst along the spine of thepeninsula it is cloudy and, should itbe a day on which showers form, one

shower after another will take thesame track. Now the interesting case.The Boscastle storm occurred due

to converging sea breezes – but it’son the coast! Suppose the wind isn’tquite blowing along the peninsula,but is a little more southerly. Quitesimply, the developing cloud andshower line lies closer to the northCornish and Devon coast (technically,because the progress of the seabreeze inland is impeded by thegeneral wind direction, but near thesouth coast is aided by the wind).Thus, the line of showers – or, on theday of the storm, thunderstorms – liesvery close to the coast. Interestingly,once formed, the shower line canpenetrate hundreds of miles. Therewas a case with local flooding inOxford due to a succession of heavythundery showers – their origin,thermals near Land’s End! The effectsare often mirrored on other majorpeninsulas. So the moral is, if you areclimbing on a major peninsula insummer, for most sunshine andlowest threat of rain, keep to the coastwhere the wind is more likely to becoming in off the sea. Even inScotland, you can sometimes seecloud (or shower) lines emanatingfrom major bays or peninsulas, butthe Scottish topography is socomplicated that the cloud lines areoften temporary and rarely extend farinland.In passing, the opposite can

happen in winter, when we get whatis called ‘Lake Effect’ convection.Take the Irish Sea. Winds say blowingfrom the north or north west undergoconvergence as cold air streams outof major bays on the Irish coast, andparticularly the North Channel.Showers at this time of the year tendto form over the warmer sea ratherthan the land, and resulting showerlines can often give almost persistentrain (or hail or snow) on some coastalareas of Wales and south westEngland. There’s been a couple ofoccasions when major roads in southwest England have been blocked bylocalised heavy snow – due entirelyto showers developing south all the

way from the North Channel.Frustratingly, arrival on coastal cliffs

from an inland location can begreeted by strong winds or onoccasion by damp rock due to seafog. Particularly in the winter, fairlystrong winds over the sea (onoccasion) near gale, may make onlya few miles progress inland and thenappear to fall calm. In fact, a climb upa local hill will reveal where the windhas gone – a couple of hundredmetres (sometimes less) above theground. On these occasions, theforecast chart, with the isobars, willreveal that, in fact, there are likely tobe windy conditions. More difficult toforecast is local strengthening aswinds blow around major coastalheadlands, again mainly in the winter.Those sailing offshore are very awareof stronger winds near headlandswhen the wind is blowingapproximately along the coast.Finally, sea fog can be difficult to

anticipate. Often it forms overnight,and is difficult to spot on satelliteimages until after dawn. It can easilylift into very low cloud that can givevery fine, but still damping drizzle.However, in almost still air, as greeteda group from Edinburgh Universityclimbing The Old Man of Hoy, it canresult in amazing conditions, with therock more or less dry.

SATELLITE PICTURE SHOWING CLOUD LINESSTARTING AT MANY COASTAL HEADLANDS,AND PARTICULARLY ON THE MAJORPENINSULAS. HEAVY SHOWERS DEVELOPEDWIDELY. NOTICE THAT AS IS OFTEN THECASE, THERE ARE COMPLICATIONS, WITHMORE EXTENSIVE CLOUD OVER N ENGLANDAND SW IRELAND, AT LEAST TEMPORARILYDAMPENING THE COASTAL EFFECTS.(COURTESY BERNARD BURTON, WOKINGHAMWEATHER)

A SHALLOW LAYER OF SEA FOG AS SEEN FROMTHE OLD MAN OF HOY, JANUARY 2008.(COURTESY BECKY STEADHAM).

Essentialskills:Coastal weather

BYGEOFFMONKWWW.MWIS.ORG.UK

Coastal weatheraround the BritishIsles can often bevery different,sometimes just a

mile or two inland. It is thecomplicated coastline,especially the peninsulasand areas of semi-enclosedwater such as the Irish Seaand Bristol Channel thatimpact local weather.

13THE AMI MAGAZINE :ISSUE 1 :SEPTEMBER 2010 :WWW.AMI.ORG.UK

MOUNTAIN INSTRUCTORSAND THE SEA

It’s wet and wobbly and comes inand out, right. Well there is more of ascience to it than that. So here is abrief, back of a fag packetexplanation that should be enoughto get by on.Tides are periodic rises and falls of

the sea, caused by the gravitationalinteraction between the Earth, theSun and the Moon. The gravitationalattraction of the Moon causes theoceans to bulge out in the directionof the Moon. Since the earth isrotating while this is happening, twotides occur each day.There are two main types of tide –

Spring and Neap – that rotatethrough a rough monthly cycle. Soyou can predict what will behappening in the next fewdays/week/month.

Spring tides don’t have anything todo with the season but are especiallystrong tides. They occur when theEarth, the Sun, and the Moon are ina line. The gravitational forces of theMoon and the Sun both contribute tothe tides. Spring tides occur duringthe full moon and the new moon. Asthe polarity is all in one direction, thiscauses a highest tide at high tideand a lowest tide at low tide. ie. itgoes out the furthest and comes inthe furthest.Neap tides are weaker tides. They

occur when the gravitational forcesof the Moon, the Earth and the Sunare at right angles to one another.Neap tides occur during quartermoons and the tide doesn’t go outas far or come in as far. ie. lessmovement.

These is more to it than this, ie.waxing and waning crescents andgibbous happen in-between springand neaps, and the Moon doesn’talways travel at the same distance tothe Earth – it rotates in an egg shapegetting closer and further andcreating larger and smaller tides. Butlet’s accept the above for now.The tide is generally accepted to

come in for six hours (flow), stop(slack) and then go out for six hours(ebb) and repeat. The slack createsabout an hour causing the tide to belater the following day. The pattern inwhich it comes in and out is calledthe Rule of Twelfths.The Rule of Twelfths describes the

amount of water moving at differenttimes throughout its cycle. Assumingthe tidal cycle and a period ofapproximately six hours between lowwater and high water, then the rulestates that:In the 1st hour one twelfth of the

tide comes in.In the 2nd hour two twelfths of the

tide comes in.In the 3rd hour three twelfths of the

tide comes in.In the 4th hour three twelfths of the

tide comes in.In the 5th hour two twelfths of the

tide comes in.In the 6th hour one twelfth of the

tide comes in.This is repeated when ebbing and

means half of the tide comes in orout during the middle two hours.Now, couple this with a spring tidewhere it needs to travel much furtherand this creates a massive amountof movement and speed. Hencepeople getting cut off especiallyduring spring tides.

There are also other factors, ie.high and low pressure can increaseor decrease the tide, swell andonshore wind can bring the tide insooner and the beach morphologycan all alter the tidal state. So alwayshave an escape route, be it accessout or an ab rope left in place. I hopethis helps a little, happy sea cliffclimbing.

MARK GARLAND IS ANMIA, ABRITISH SURFINGASSOCIATION LEVEL 4 COACHANDBCU LEVEL 3 SURFCOACH ASWELL AS, DAREWESAY, A COASTEERING GUIDE.

BYMARK GARLANDMARKGARLAND@LINEONE.NET

As Mountain Instructors we may find ourselves operating near thesea and, during training, we should have had someintroduction to this. Some of us even find ourselves asTechnical Advisers for coastal traversing or coasteering but,during a recent workshop, many people asked for more

information and greater understanding of the tide. So here goes.

SPRING TIDE: SUN AND MOON ALIGNED

NEAP TIDE: SUN AND MOON PERPENDICULAR

14

WATER SAFETYMANAGEMENTThe focus of the new Water

Safety Management Programmeis prevention and aims to equipleaders and operators with the

knowledge to understand waterhazards so they are more able tomake appropriate and informedjudgements.The WSMP is based around a

generic core ‘Basic Water SafetyAwareness’ module comprisingof two units. Unit 1 is two hourself study followed by Unit 2,afour hour guided tuition module.Key elements taught in this coremodule include:� How do people drown?� Physiology of drowning and

medical conditions� Hazard identification and

water-based risk benefitmanagement

� Group management� Principles of operating

procedures and emergencyresponse

� Selection and use ofpersonal (protective/rescue)equipment

� Principles of rescue andpractical exercises usingrescue equipmentThis core module is entry level

and would be suitable for schoolteachers taking children on afield trip in close proximity towater. It will also be aimed atPark Rangers responsible formanaging aquatic features intheir local environment.

Following the basic watersafety module candidates areoffered a selection of site-specific modules, most takingapproximately three hours. Eachmodule includes a classroomintroduction to hazards and asite visit where candidates willengage in hazard identification,initiative exercises and low levelimmersion (not much more thanankle deep). Other modules onoffer include beach, river, flatwater, pool, in-water rescue,emergency response and first aid.

NEXT STEPSThe WSMP was piloted at Plas

y Brenin in April and,subsequently, seven trials havebeen successfully completed.The programme has been testedwith different user groups,including school teachers andexperienced outdoor leadersand been very well received onall fronts.Currently the course is in final

development and the aim is torun regional launches early nextyear. If you would like furtherinformation please do nothesitate to contact Cliff Nelson,Programme Manager via emailat cliffnelson@rlss.org.uk.

ROYAL LIFE SAVINGSOCIETY UK WATERSAFETY MANAGEMENTPROGRAMMEBYCLIFF NELSON

In the UK, approx500 people drownevery year. Almost50% of all drowningincidents occur in

inland waters, makingthis the highest riskaquatic environment. Inresponse, The Royal LifeSaving Society UK(RLSS UK) has developeda new innovative andflexible Water SafetyManagement Programme(WSMP) and specificallyprovides solutions foractivity leaders, groupsupervisors andeducational deliverersin, on and around thewater margins.

COASTAL ACCESSCURBED

There has been much speculationrecently as to how government cuts willaffect the roll out of the new coastalaccess provisions around the coast ofEngland.

Natural England has now released anofficial statement. The latest informationon work to secure a long distancefootpath and associated spreading roomaround the coast of England suggeststhat, as a result of a five percent cut to thisyear’s budget, Natural England mustassess the scope and delivery of some ofits in-year programme (NE press release,August 3rd).

Five local authorities (Cumbria, EastRiding of Yorkshire, Somerset, Kent andNorfolk) are involved in theimplementation of the first phases of theroll out of the All England Coastal Path.Work at the Weymouth stretch of thecoast path is continuing but the five localauthorities have been informed that thescale and scope of the initial roll out intheir areas will need to be reduced toaccommodate the reductions in thisyear’s budget.

However, there is still uncertainty overwhat will happen beyond theestablishment of the initial section nearWeymouth, which is due to be ready tocoincide with the 2012 Olympic sailingevents.

Earlier media reports are incorrect ininforming the public that the coastalaccess project has been shelved; theavailability of funding for a wider rollout ofcoastal access schemes will becomeclearer following the ComprehensiveSpending Review (CSR) processexpected to be completed in October.

Natural England is continuing with theroll out in the five pilot areas and will awaitclarification from the CSR process aboutthe long term budget that is likely to beavailable for funding rollout in these areasand elsewhere. However, this week theParliamentary Under-Secretary of Statewith responsibility for the NaturalEnvironment and coastal access, RichardBenyon MP, confirmed that theGovernment had not stopped the roll outof the English coastal access pathindefinitely but ‘shall be looking at theimplementation according to theresources available’.

The BMC has campaigned long andhard to secure better coastal accessaround our English coast and wereheavily involved with shaping Part 9 of theMarine and Coastal Access Act as it wentthrough Parliament under the previousgovernment. It would be a realdisappointment in the present climate ifour new coalition were to decide this wasnot a priority in shaping our ‘Big Society’particularly as coastal access will involvevolunteers and the wider communityworking together to create a grassrootsscheme. In the meantime, the BMC andthe Ramblers will be continuing with theirtraining programme for coastal accessvolunteers.

The BMC will be launching a campaignto help ensure the delivery of bettercoastal access remains high on thepolitical agenda.

AN AUSSIE BEACH PHOTO: CLIFF NELSON

GREVE DE LEQUE RIPSPHOTO: CLIFF NELSON

15THE AMI MAGAZINE :ISSUE 1 :SEPTEMBER 2010 :WWW.AMI.ORG.UK

Safety onMountainsFirst published in the mid 1970s,

Safety on Mountains has been aroundfor a long time, and the fifth edition willbe hitting the shelves this autumn. It isdesigned for new and experienced hillwalkers, and has been a perennialBMC bestseller, popular with DoE,Scout Groups, schools andUniversities.Whether you’re planning a short

summer walk or a multi-day winter trip,Safety on Mountains highlights theessential skills and techniques. Topicscovered include: clothing andequipment, hazards, mountainweather, navigation, walking in winter –including axe and crampon use,camping in the hills, access andconservation, emergency proceduresand first aid.Whilst it may

not be the sort ofhandbook AMImembers woulduse as areference tool, itwould likely beappropriate formany clients. Theretail price hasnot yet beenfinalised but

there will be a discount for BMCmembers. Any AMI members affiliatedto Mountaineering Ireland or theMountaineering Council of Scotlandcan also benefit from the BMCmember’s price – just get in touch:jon@thebmc.co.uk or 0161 438 3329.Previous editions have commonlybeen bought in bulk, and furtherdiscounts will be applied to bulkpurchases.

BMC StudentSeminar9–10 October, PyBSponsored byV12 OutdoorThis ever popular event is aimed at

students, providing them with essentialclimbing, hill walking andmountaineering skills to help in the

running of their clubs. In total,about 100 students come alongto learn from over 30 volunteers.Most of the seminar is practical

in nature, with Saturdayafternoon, and all day Sunday,spent out in the hills and on thecrags. In previous years MIAtrainees nearing assessmenthave found it very beneficial asthey get the opportunity to taketwo clients multi-pitch climbingfor the day.

In parallel to the seminar, an AMItrainee workshop is being held on 9October in which multi-pitch climbingwith clients will be the focus. Thoseattending that day can then take two ofthe students attending the seminarmulti pitch climbing on10 October, enabling them to put theirskills into practice. This day will beoverseen by a trainer and will have areview period at the end.I am still looking for volunteers, so if

any AMI member is able to volunteerfor the weekend please get in touch:jon@thebmc.co.uk or 0161 438 3329.The BMC cover volunteer travelexpenses and provide food andaccommodation for the weekend.

New BMC AccessOfficerAccess and Conservation is seen by

BMC members as the organisation’smost important work area. With thedeparture of Guy Keating, Rob Dyerhas been appointed as the new BMCAccess & Conservation Officer(Regions). Rob is a keen climber fromBournemouth and joins the BMC fromthe Environment Agency in Cardiff. Hestarted work in the BMC office on12 July and will work specifically onregional and local issues.Rob joins Cath Flitcroft and Elfyn

Jones in the team of national andregional Access and ConservationOfficers.

BMC NEWSJON GARSIDE

BMC Winter Lectures Sponsoredby Lowe Alpine and AsoloWant to whet your appetite for the wild winter ahead? Make a mental

note to tell your clients to head to one of the BMC’s winter lectures thisNovember. Yes, we know it’s only just become summer but, with2010/2011 sure to see another killer winter, there’s no point in hangingaround. Tamsin Gay (accomplished winter mountaineer) and TimBlakemore (Mountain Guide) will highlight all the skills required to explorethe winter mountains: equipment, clothing, navigation, footwork, routeplanning, avalanche awareness, climbing and more. Plus plenty of talltales and photos to inspire. For more information and tickets, go tothebmc.co.uk/winterlectures

Dates:Colwyn Bay: Tuesday16NovemberManchester: Wednesday17NovemberDurham: Thursday18NovemberLondon: Wednesday 24NovemberLeicester: Thursday 25NovemberCheltenham: Friday 26November

Responding to the demand fororganised drytooling events in theUK, MIC and tooling fan Pete Hillhas set up drytoolinguk.com.Despite only having the companyand associated website up andrunning since the end of last year,Pete has found himself very busywith events and enquiries aboutfuture workshops, tasters andcompetitions.

Pete, who is based in the NorthernCairngorms as well as thesomewhat flatter lands ofHampshire, set up the businessfollowing the success of the ScottishTooling series, in which he has beencompeting for some time. ‘The

Scottish series has beentremendously successful and hasbeen a great event to take part in,’says Pete. ‘The problem was that,once the series finished, there wereno other local events for theparticipants to move on to.’

He ran two competitions for AMIin 2009, one at Keswick and theother at Glenmore Lodge, plus aworkshop at a previous AGM. Hewill be running another series ofworkshops at the next AMI AGM inJanuary.

2010 started well, with events atShropshire climbing centre andKendal wall, with the big wall atCalshot, Southampton, hosting a

two-day event inApril. At the timeof writing anumber of otherfacilities acrossthe UK weregetting ready tofinalise dates.

‘The great thingabout drytooling isthat everyone canhave a go, even ifyou’ve neverpicked up an axebefore. The tastersessions are

designed so anyone wanting to try itout can, and they receive somecoaching along the way.’

The events, which are most oftenrun over a weekend, includeworkshops. These allow climberswho want to improve theirtechnique get coaching on axetechniques and movement, and aredesigned to demystify manoeuvressuch as Stein pulls, short-toolingand figures of 4 and 8. Master-classes are the next step up; idealfor climbers who have already usedaxes on winter ground, coachingtheir use in the drytoolingenvironment.

Competitions, which are the mainfocus of the weekend and normallyrun all day on the Saturday, areopen to everyone. Routes are setso climbers who have never usedaxes before can have a good daytrying out various routes andtechniques, and more testing linesare set for experiencedcompetitors. There will often be avariety of obstacles such aswooden logs, tyres and chainsincluded to provide problems forthe competitors and entertainmentfor the audience!

For younger participants, as wellas those who want to try a different

but really effective way of training, anumber of Schmoolz D10 indoortraining tools are available for use.‘These are excellent for training aswell as being a discipline in theirown right. It means folk can climbroutes that haven’t been set up foruse with conventional axes, whichgives a huge amount more scopeto the events’.

Upcoming events are advertisedon the website, where there is alsosome further information abouttechniques and pictures fromrecent workshops andcompetitions.

INTRODUCING DRYTOOLINGUK.COM

PAULINE SANDERSON ON HER WAY TO WINNING THESENIOR FEMALE CATEGORY