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Talisman Newsletter |
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Newsletter Edition Number 1 27th March 2004 |
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Now booking! There
are still some places available on the Easter Winter Skills Weekend (£120)
and the Easter Winter Mountaineering Week (£300). Both
courses start on Saturday 10th April 2004. Heavy
snow has been falling in the mountains so it looks like Easter may give us
some of the best winter conditions. Call
or e-mail to book.
+44(0)07803
617769 +44(0)01479
841576 info@talisman-activities.co.uk Now
Booking! Spanish Hot Rock Private
guiding / instruction in the Call
or e-mail to book.
Also
Booking! Mountain Walks Navigation Weekends Introductory,
Intermediate and Advanced Rock Climbing Classic Climbs Skye
We're on the Web...
The website is full of information, pictures and so
much more.
3 Railway
Cottages, Slochd,
Phone / Fax +44
(0) 1479 841576
Mobile +44 (0)
7803 617769
E-mail
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First Edition! It may have been a
while since you joined one of our courses or it may have just been earlier
this year, anyway, hello and welcome to our first newsletter. We have news about
the current winter season, upcoming courses and activities for spring and
summer. Also, we never cease to be amazed by what Talisman clients go on to
do after the courses – Read more about these
adventures below. Winter Season 2003/2004 Whilst most people
were sleeping off their New Year hangovers, one of the first winter mountaineering
courses was running with Lyndsey, Ioan, Anja and Carl starting off
the week learning about the use of crampons, ice axes and how to travel
safely in the mountains. After sessions on mountain weather, avalanche
awareness and basic snow belays, they were able to complete their first Grade
1 climb in Coire an t-Sneachda. Jacob’s Ladder is
normally a straightforward snow climb but they encountered a tricky final
pitch which involved climbing with axes and crampons on rock. It was
definitely harder than Grade 1! February was a busy
month with both winter skills and winter mountaineering courses running. Sue
and David Swinson, Mark and David took part in the
winter skills course with Jane and Ian extending the course for an overnight snowholing trip. On the return journey back from the snowhole, they encountered typical Cairngorm winds
gusting up to 100 miles per hour! Rob, Matthew, Ernest and Mike had a week of
good conditions during which they became experts in snow belays which they
put into action climbing in Coire an Lochain.
Stephen and Phil joined the last of the courses in February and we were
impressed by the speed by which they romped up the Couloir in Coire an Lochain digging ice axe belays all the way. David and Kevin
both took part in winter skills courses last year and returned this winter to
experience winter climbing. The weather forecast was good for the first day
of their course so it was straight over to Hell’s Lum
to climb an ice route called The Escalator. A big day but the walk back over the
Plateau was an experience in itself – clear skies, a full moon and sparkling
stars! Mandi and Andy will be going to the There is another
course being run over the Easter weekend in April and some places are still
available. April is a lovely month for climbing as the days are longer and
the weather is often more settled. Summer
Activities As the days get
longer and the snow retreats, we start to look forward to dry rock to climb
on – the classic climbs in the Loch Avon area, climbing on the sea stacks,
bivouac and bothy trips to more remote mountain
areas and possibly some mountain bike outings too. In April, October
and November, trips to Spain are organised - a chance to thaw out after the
cold winter months, to climb on warm, dry rock with no crampons or ices axes
but just chalk bag, t-shirt and shorts! One week of guiding or instruction by a UK qualified instructor (AMI) with
the emphasis on the clients leading costs £395 including self-catering
accommodation in the Costa Blanca area, transport and airport pick-up from Alicante. This course is suitable for the complete novice
to those leading V. Diff and above. Your money back if you are not leading at
least one grade harder by the end of the week! Alternatively, you
can join us in We’ll be based in Back in All of these
courses will be running in May and June and again in September. Walking days and
navigation courses especially for women lead by Fi
can be arranged. Please call her on 01479 810265 to discuss these. Looking further
ahead, we are planning a trip to Arctic Antics, web links and more In February, Rob
Wheeler joined one of the winter mountaineering courses as the first step in
his training plans for taking part in the 2004 Polar Challenge. He will be
skiing to the
North Pole as part of a team of three, all of whom will be towing their kit
on pulks (special sleds!). The race is to be shown
on BBC2 in August. Good luck Rob, watch out for the polar bears! Winter courses in Winternet Winter conditions
at Cairngorm continue to be regularly updated and the site gives access to so
many other useful websites – weather forecasts, the Anja and Carl who joined the winter
mountaineering course at the start of the year run Snowdon Lodge. They provides comfortable bunkhouse accommodation close to Photos and Videos Many photographs
are taken throughout the courses by ourselves and
the course participants. As more and more people are using digital cameras,
we have been able to bring together all the photos and video clips taken
during each course from which CD/DVD’s are produced. This means that everyone
joining the courses gets a visual record of their experience to take away. And finally… You may have some
trips or routes that we can help you to achieve. We are always keen to hear
about new ideas…call or e-mail to chat these over. We are
From the rambler to the scrambler let Talisman be your guiding light for safe adventure activities! Future newsletters
will follow but if you don’t want to receive these please e-mail us at newsletter@talisman-activities.co.uk
and type REMOVE in the subject header. |
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