Talisman Newsletter |
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Newsletter Edition Number 4 22nd December 2005 |
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Merry Christmas
Happy New YearTalisman Activities UpdateThe summer has past and as the days get shorter, we are looking forward to the winter season. In fact, it is snowing heavily now and everything is blanketed with a cover of snow. In fact since the above was written it's taken so long to get this edition out that the days will be getting longer soon. So it's time to wish everyone a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year...! So far we have had several good weeks of skiing and winter climbing throughout November and early December 2005. See the following links below: http://www.winternet-scotland.co.uk/reports/macmountaineering/latest.htm http://www.winternet-scotland.co.uk/reports/east/latest.htm So it all bodes well for a great winter season in 2006. We were away in the Alps for most of the summer and more of that below with some tales from trips to Skye and the Lake District... Summer 2005
The summer season's activities got off to a good start with a trip to Skye guiding for the Bank of Scotland's Hillwalking Club. We all enjoyed two great days of scrambling on the Cuillin Ridge and despite the poor weather forecasts, managed to bag five Munros - Sgurr Dubh Mor and Sgurr nan Eag on day one and Bruach na Frithe, Am Basteir and Sgurr nan Gillean on day two.
After some climbing days on the nearby crags in Strathspey and Moray, we headed off to the Lake District for a change of scenery. The choice of routes and crags for climbing was amazing and we had four days of excellent climbing. A return trip is planned for next year and more details will be available on the website soon as to the dates and prices for this trip.
In June we changed location from Aviemore to Chamonix, our base for the summer. Ron's new motorhome (the Talisman Basecamp) proved to be a big success and enabled us to take some time off to explore and climb some of the 4,000 metre peaks in Switzerland.
James Ravine and his friends Charlie, Jim and Julia travelled out with the goal of climbing Mont Blanc. Their first week was spent trekking up and down the fantastic trails around the Chamonix valley so that they would be fit and acclimatised for their attempt on Mont Blanc. They met up with their Guides, Smiler Cuthbertson and Jonathon at the Albert Premier Hut for the second stage of their adventure and proceeded to climb the Aiguille du Tour, practice techniques for glacier travel and crevasse rescue and gain more acclimatisation. The weather forecast for their summit attempt did not look good and it was with a great deal of trepidation that they all set off for the Gouter Hut and the "voie normale" up Mont Blanc. Despite the strong winds turning many other groups back, Smiler and his associate, Dave saw all four safely to the summit and back down again. Smiler was heard to say that we'd got everyone so fit he had trouble keeping up! So well done everyone.
Shan joined us in Chamonix too as he was heading off on a trek to K2 Basecamp and wanted first-hand experience of glaciers before encountering them on his trek. After a night at Talisman Mont Blanc Basecamp Fi walked up with Shan to the Albert Premier Hut where they met up with Henri who was to be Shan's Guide for the day and provide instruction in how best to tackle movement on glacial terain. We also met Rob who attended the New Year 2005 winter mountaineering course. Rob was putting the skills he learned then to good use with attempts on Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn.
Back in Scotland and a return trip to Skye and the Cuillin Ridge. Again the weather forecast was horrible and the rain at times was torrential. We managed to be on the right peaks at the right time and stole three days from the weather. Michael and Colin had their first experience of the Cuillin with a successful ascent of Bla Bheinn. Lawson joined us for the next day and we hoped to be able to climb the Inaccessible Pinnacle but the winds were so strong that it would have been too risky to continue. All was not lost though and we continued along the Ridge, "bagged" Sgurr na Bannachdich then descended in winds that continually blew us off our feet. The last day saw us scurrying up the Great Stone Chute to Sgurr Alasdair. Just as we reached the summit, the clouds parted and the sun shone. Skye at its best! Last minute news Some last minute news from our good friends, Andy and Mandy who have just returned from a highly successful climbing trip to Nepal where they successfully reached the summit if Island Paek. Also, our globe trotting Shan just popped into Aviemore from his pre-trek training weekend before flying out on yet another Himalayan expedition. Good luck Shan... more details on both these trips in our next Newsletter. Ron’s bit…The climbing was so good the earth moved...!Yes, it actually did! There was a
minor earthquake of 4.6 on the Richter scale on Thursday 8th September
in the Aiguille Rouges near Chamonix, Mont Blanc. The epicentre was
around the Col des Montets and it gave the rock face we were climbing on
(the multi-pitch la Kinou) a huge rumble and shake. Fortunately, I'd
just belayed at the top of the second pitch and was about to bring up Fi
when the tremor hit. Luckily we were both safely attached to the bolt
belay anchors. When the tremor hit I was convinced the rock face was
collapsing around us and would have fallen off if I had still been
climbing. At the same time on the stance 50 metres below Fi was
convinced that she had imagined the whole event and was losing the plot!
Neither of us initially said a word as Fi arrived at the stance until I
nervously asked if she had she noticed anything strange. Reassuringly,
we found that that we had the same experience. We decided unanimously to
abandon the climb and abseiled off very quickly! At the time we didn't
know there had been an earthquake and it was a decidedly nervous abseil
down to the ground several hundred metres below all the time expecting
the worse. What the above story does highlight is that you never really know what might happen in the grand scheme of things no matter how well you plan. Sometimes events outwith our control take command. So maybe our New Year resolution should be "appreciate what we have now and not put off our dreams and ambitions" because we never know what's really round the corner. Be adventurous, try something new, have fun, anything can happen! Winter 2005/2006…Snow-time! The winter skills weekends and winter mountaineering courses begin at New Year and bookings can be made until the end of November at last winter's prices. There are courses running throughout January, February, March and through to Easter so lots of dates to choose from! The winter skills courses run at weekends and more information is available here: Scottish Winter Skills Courses (Cairngorms) The winter mountaineering courses run from Saturday through to Wednesday so as to use up less of those precious days off or to enable course participants to have a few days after the course to try out their new skills. More information is available here: Scottish Winter Mountaineering Courses (Cairngorms) Winter walking holidays can be arranged and more information is available here: Winter Walking Holidays All courses will be based out of Aviemore in and around the Cairngorms and we have some exciting, alternative venues for when the weather is too bad for Cairngorm itself. The winter walking holidays will venture further afield and will explore Scotland's winter Munros. Advanced Mountaineering courses New for 2006, returning clients from our mountaineering courses can now enrol in an advanced course in March and early April were we will spend more time climbing and exploring some of the great routes in the heart of the Cairngorms and Ben Nevis. Contact us for more details.
And more…Ice Climbing in La Grave Over the past few years, we have spent two weeks in early January ice climbing and skiing around La Grave. La Grave is near Grenoble and fairly accessible by plane to either Geneva or Grenoble then by car to the village itself. For 2006 we are planning a Talisman Trip to La Grave so if you are interested in joining, please contact Fi by clicking here The trip is aimed at people with experience of winter climbing who wish to do their own "thing" in a new area but who would like the advantages of being with other climbers who are familiar with the routes. Instruction by a Guide could be arranged on request and we can advise on accommodation. Nepal / Aconcagua Long-term we still plan to return to Nepal and would like to hear from you if you are interested in a participating in a trip to the Khumbu area with possible ascents of Mera and Island Peak. We have also decided to look to other areas to visit with Aconcagua being one of the possibilities. If you are interested in participating in an expedition to Aconcagua or Nepal, please contact Fi by clicking here WinterNetWinterNet will be providing photos and reports on Cairngorm conditions and now that the snow is falling, pictures and reports are being regularly updated. Last winter stunning photos of ice routes across the far north of Scotland were also regularly posted by Macmountaineering, Inverness and we look forward to more from them this winter. See www.winternet-scotland.co.uk and www.winternet-scotland.co.uk/reports/macmountaineering/latest.htm Photos and Videos Many photographs and video clips are taken throughout the courses by Talisman and the course participants. As more and more people are using digital cameras, we are able to bring together all the photos and video clips taken during each course to produce CD and DVD’s. This means that everyone joining the courses can have a visual record of their experience. Accommodation in Aviemore We can arrange bed and breakfast accommodation in the Aviemore area at comfortable, local guest houses from £22.50 per person per night. Cairngorm Mountain Sport
Aviemore-based mountain equpiment shop which is great for picking up kit, hiring boots etc. Helpful advice and a cafe upstairs too! www.braemarmountainsports.com Macmountaineering Inverness-based mountain equipment shop and also mail order. See their website here http://www.macmountaineering.co.uk And finally…The ideas for new courses, trips and adventures come from hearing about what you want to do. We are not a big organisation that needs you to fit in with what we can provide which means we can fit in with what you want (to a certain extent!) Just give us a call or e-mail to chat. We look forward to hearing your exciting ideas! We are Ron Walker, Talisman’s owner, creator and web master, qualified Mountain Instructor and International Mountain Leader and Fi Chappell, qualified Summer, Winter and International Mountain Leader. Both are outdoor enthusiasts who find it very hard to stay indoors!
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, e-mail us and type REMOVE in the subject header. Newsletter Edition 3 can be found here |
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