Talisman Newsletter |
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Newsletter Edition Number 7 25th December 2008 |
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Merry Christmas & New Year 2009
The Winter Skills and Mountaineering Courses have already started and we are taking bookings for both courses from now until Easter. Private guiding days can also be arranged to provided a tailor-made course and this applies not just to the winter courses but rock climbing and trekking as well. We're also planning ahead for the Spring and we plan to return to Skye with our rock climbing and scrambling courses in May and June and also to offer guided climbing on classic mountain routes The Talisman Mountain Diary, our blog, has given us a great record of the courses and activities this year so rather than reproducing them here are the links to some of the photos, videos and key times of the year. We also have well over thirty YouTube videos taken during our Talisman Mountaineering courses and personal climbing. Of special interest are some of the winter ice climbing and off piste skiing videos that give you an unique insight into these spectacular activities, the dramatic Scottish winter mountain scenery and the Scottish weather...!
All the videos can be found at http://www.youtube.com/RonWalker1955 Winter 2007 / 2008 was a very busy one for us from Christmas onwards though we took two weeks out in January to play on the ice in La Grave. It's interesting looking back at the mixture of weather, everything from storms to blue skies and sunshine and towards the end of the winter, Cairngorm was looking positively Alpine.
So many different people joined the courses and lots of young mountaineers brought their fathers along too! We saw Daniel return with Bryony for another Winter Mountaineering Course in preparation for their attempt on Mont Blanc later in the year and more about this later. See the archive pages by clicking on these links http://www.talisman-activities.co.uk/blog/2007_12_01_archive.html http://www.talisman-activities.co.uk/blog/2008_01_01_archive.html http://www.talisman-activities.co.uk/blog/2008_02_01_archive.html http://www.talisman-activities.co.uk/blog/2008_03_01_archive.html The great conditions continued into April and with some fantastic ski touring opportunities and perfect ice climbing on Ben Nevis. By the end of the month we were out rock climbing with Sara and Chris at Kingussie on warm, dry rock with a stunning Alpine back drop provided by Cairngorm. http://www.talisman-activities.co.uk/blog/2008_04_01_archive.html In May we had some great days out with Laura and Robin who had travelled over from Holland for a holiday and found a bit more snow on the hills than they bargained for. After some wintry days in the West and a day's scrambling at Cairngorm they were making plans for a summer holiday trekking and scrambling in Bregaglia area of Switzerland where we joined up with them for a few days. Tower Ridge also provided a great day out for Cat as part of her training for her Alpine trip in June. The pleasure of rock climbing at Stone Valley was a new place for us to visit and great fun on lovely rock again. http://www.talisman-activities.co.uk/blog/2008_05_01_archive.html http://www.talisman-activities.co.uk/blog/2008_06_01_archive.html At the end of June we travelled over to the Alps and Fi's Blog has details of the routes we climbed and the trips we experienced! Most notable though were the two successful Mont Blanc holiday we organised firstly with Stephen and Julie and then Daniel and Bryony. In preparation for their climbing week with guide, Jonathon, we enjoyed trekking around the Chamonix valley in a mix of weather and two fine overnight bivouac trips.
http://www.marmotte.co.uk/blog/2008_09_01_archive.html http://www.marmotte.co.uk/blog/2008_10_01_archive.html Back home and some more rock climbing then winter was back with us in October. Booking for winter 2009...Winter Skills, Winter Mountaineering and Winter Climbing courses Booking now for summer 2009...Guiding on the Skye Cuillin Munros and Rock Climbing Scottish Hillwalking and Navigation And more…We will again be running our popular Hot Rock trips to Spain. So book early to avoid disappointment. A few photos from our November trip can be found at http://www.talisman-activities.co.uk/blog/labels/hot%20rock%20climbing%20holidays%20spain.html
Trips overseas...Winter ice climbing trips to Norway, trekking in Nepal, exploring the Tatras mountains, Alpine walking in the Bregalia around the mighty Piz Badile as well as the popular Mont Blanc areas. All of these trips and more can be arranged. If these interest you, please contact us to discuss your ideas. After a successful Summer 2008 Summer 2009 is looking very positive and we have already received several confirmed bookings for our Trek and Climb Mont Blanc trips in July. So come and join in on the fun at the top of western Europe... Following a really enjoyable summer trekking and rock climbing trip to Bregalia we are now running a trekking trip to the area. This recce trip will suit previous clients and friends and it will be at very competitive rates. This brand new trip over and around the high passes surrounding Piz Badile will suit clients who have climbed the Munros in the Skye Cuillin and who are confident scramblers using fixed equipment such as ladders and rungs.
All images can be enlarged by clicking on the thumbnails Talisman BlogYou can subscribe to the Talisman Blog RSS
feed by clicking the orange feed icon
http://www.talisman-activities.co.uk/blog/mountain_diary.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. Clients Photo Album All our group and client photos from 2007 and earlier can be found on our Talisman clients photo album at http://www.talisman-activities.co.uk/images/album/album.htm Accommodation in Aviemore We can arrange bed and breakfast accommodation in the Aviemore area at comfortable, local guest houses from £25 per person per night. Cairngorm Mountain Sport
Aviemore-based mountain equipment 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. They now have brand new website and stock a wide range boot sizes up to 47 and a great selection of quality climbing equipment used by the professionals. Orders can be placed online. See their website here http://www.macmountaineering.co.uk And finally…We are Ron Walker, Talisman’s owner, creator and web master, qualified Mountaineering 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 6 can be found here |
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