Pascale nous montre comment faisaient les anciens dans les passages difficiles:
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
La danse des infideles
En triant des photos et des videos, j'ai retrouve celle-ci. Il m'a fallu a peu pres 10 minutes pour faire la voie, avec un repos. J'ai edite la video pour qu'il n'y ai pas trop de temps mort, elle fait dans les 4 minutes.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Monday, October 05, 2009
Saturday, October 03, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
Wet week in the Cheviot hills
I worked on a gold Duke of Edinburgh expedition for Solihull college. On our way to Wooler, on the Scottish borders, we stopped at the angel of the north:
The leaders stayed in a cottage in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by real free range chikens:
And then it started raining, and we started to earn our money checking all the participants were alright. On the 2nd day, Grigor and I walked 26km, most of it not on footpath. By the end of the day, our river crossing skills had been properly tested. Here's a google earth picture of our track:
The rain stopped on the last day, so I took the camera on the hills. Here are a few pictures taken on Scald Hill:
The whole area was flowded 2 months earlier. Some bridges like this one were damaged in the flowd 2 months before. The rain we had wasn't as bad, just enough to make wadding through the rivers a real challenge!
The leaders stayed in a cottage in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by real free range chikens:
And then it started raining, and we started to earn our money checking all the participants were alright. On the 2nd day, Grigor and I walked 26km, most of it not on footpath. By the end of the day, our river crossing skills had been properly tested. Here's a google earth picture of our track:
The rain stopped on the last day, so I took the camera on the hills. Here are a few pictures taken on Scald Hill:
The whole area was flowded 2 months earlier. Some bridges like this one were damaged in the flowd 2 months before. The rain we had wasn't as bad, just enough to make wadding through the rivers a real challenge!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Froggatt with friends
To celebrate being a student again, we joined climbing friends who were camping in the Peak. Yesterday, we climbed at Froggatt. I started with Chequers Buttress and belayed Heather and then Louise:
Click on the picture to open a slide show of Heather climbing chequers buttress or here to access the set on flickr:
Same for Louise: click on the picture for the slide show and here for the set:
I climbed Sickle Buttress Direct, a route i'd never done before and belayed Louise and Scott up it. Meanwhile, Heather was leading the very nice Allen's Slab. By the time i got to the camera, she was at the top:
Rob and Angie joined us. I havne't seen Rob look so happy for a long time, so here they are:
Inspired by Heather, I lead Allen's Slab. I managed to place the three "friends" given to me as a leaving present by my ex-colleagues. Mike fetched my camera and took pictures of the finish, while the audience heckeled me for "posing"
Only Louise followed me up that one. Then, Slab recess direct with Louise and Scott.
Finally, Jaimie gave me the chance to try downhill racer on a top rope. It's too hard for me, and if Scott puts his pictures on the web i won't look so good then!
We then retreated to the pub under the thin drizzle. What a great day!
Thank you to Heather, Louise and Mike for taking these pictures.
Click on the picture to open a slide show of Heather climbing chequers buttress or here to access the set on flickr:
Same for Louise: click on the picture for the slide show and here for the set:
I climbed Sickle Buttress Direct, a route i'd never done before and belayed Louise and Scott up it. Meanwhile, Heather was leading the very nice Allen's Slab. By the time i got to the camera, she was at the top:
Rob and Angie joined us. I havne't seen Rob look so happy for a long time, so here they are:
Inspired by Heather, I lead Allen's Slab. I managed to place the three "friends" given to me as a leaving present by my ex-colleagues. Mike fetched my camera and took pictures of the finish, while the audience heckeled me for "posing"
Only Louise followed me up that one. Then, Slab recess direct with Louise and Scott.
Finally, Jaimie gave me the chance to try downhill racer on a top rope. It's too hard for me, and if Scott puts his pictures on the web i won't look so good then!
We then retreated to the pub under the thin drizzle. What a great day!
Thank you to Heather, Louise and Mike for taking these pictures.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Outdoor Instructor no more!
Last Friday was my last day working as an outdoor education instructor at Beaumanor Hall. The instructors gave me this card:
And the ground staff this one:
Let's include this drawing courtesy of Sophie:
I don't have any pictures of the speach: Clive took me to the high rope store, where all the people with whom i worked were waiting. We went to the top of the zip wire tower, and i was presented with the cards and three "friends" (climbing equipment).
We were then invited by the YHA leaders to join their end of the summer camp bbq:
I will miss the pleasure of working in a beautiful place, delivering exiting high ropes and climbing sessions to young people and adults. I won't miss the awful management practice. I'm glad that my last moments in Beaumanor were on the high ropes, in the store and in the cabin furthest away from the beige building and the shenanigans it contains.
And the ground staff this one:
Let's include this drawing courtesy of Sophie:
I don't have any pictures of the speach: Clive took me to the high rope store, where all the people with whom i worked were waiting. We went to the top of the zip wire tower, and i was presented with the cards and three "friends" (climbing equipment).
We were then invited by the YHA leaders to join their end of the summer camp bbq:
I will miss the pleasure of working in a beautiful place, delivering exiting high ropes and climbing sessions to young people and adults. I won't miss the awful management practice. I'm glad that my last moments in Beaumanor were on the high ropes, in the store and in the cabin furthest away from the beige building and the shenanigans it contains.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
Tight beam walk
Having spent many a high rope sessions wondering what it would feel like to walk on the top beam,
I finally had a chance to try. Clive had asked me to glue some stamps on the trolleys at the very top, and to try the new harnesses:
Instead of climbing to each of the two trolleys, i decided to gather them in the same place and then to glue them. This worked very well as the caps were glued to the tubes, and i had to slash open the tube. I would not have liked to have to downclimb with open glue tubes in my hands!
It felt very wobbly up there at first:
But i soon felt more confident:
These trolleys are seldom used and were a bit rusty. In fact, the one i was attached to needed pulling along:
Allan and Mark were up there with me. A big thanks to Mark for taking these pictures!
Now glueing the stamps
Then retrieving and threading the tracers:
It started raining as i started to thread the second tracer:
Writing this post made me wonder if "normal" participants feel as stretched on the high rope course as i felt at the very top. I felt exhilarated after walking the beam!
I finally had a chance to try. Clive had asked me to glue some stamps on the trolleys at the very top, and to try the new harnesses:
Instead of climbing to each of the two trolleys, i decided to gather them in the same place and then to glue them. This worked very well as the caps were glued to the tubes, and i had to slash open the tube. I would not have liked to have to downclimb with open glue tubes in my hands!
It felt very wobbly up there at first:
But i soon felt more confident:
These trolleys are seldom used and were a bit rusty. In fact, the one i was attached to needed pulling along:
Allan and Mark were up there with me. A big thanks to Mark for taking these pictures!
Now glueing the stamps
Then retrieving and threading the tracers:
It started raining as i started to thread the second tracer:
Writing this post made me wonder if "normal" participants feel as stretched on the high rope course as i felt at the very top. I felt exhilarated after walking the beam!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
budgie sitting
We are Budgie sitting. The poor bird is so lonely, it wants to play with our rats. It mimicks the rats when we feed them:
It even stalks them all the way to their cage:
It even stalks them all the way to their cage:
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Les Maeso-Hugounenc de passage
Quelle chance! Des amis du sud, en route vers l'Irlande, ont profite de leur long voyage pour passer un weekend chez nous, a Nottingham.
Nous les avons acceuillis avec un barbecue dans le jardin, suivi d'une promenade autour du lac du campus de l'universite:
On a fait une pause BN au bord du lac. On a finit notre promenade au bac a sable. Pierre en a profite pour passer a ses enfant le virus de la grimpe:
De retour a la maison, on s'est bien sur arrete au pub.
Le lendemain, on est alle se promener au Peak District, a Burbage north. Pique nique au bord de la reviere:
Il y avait suffisament de vent pour s'amuser avec les cerf-volants:
Pour finir un super weekend, Pierre s'est fait couper les cheveux!
Un grand merci a Pierre et Sabine de nous avoir rendu visite. Ils sont arrive les mains pleines de bonnes choses: fromages, saucisson, tomates, brugnons, peches, des bonnes bouteilles... Des gamins fantastiques, de la bonne humeur. Que du bonheur!
Pour voir le reste des photos sur flickr, cliquez ici Les photos des enfants ne sont visibles que sur invitation.
Nous les avons acceuillis avec un barbecue dans le jardin, suivi d'une promenade autour du lac du campus de l'universite:
On a fait une pause BN au bord du lac. On a finit notre promenade au bac a sable. Pierre en a profite pour passer a ses enfant le virus de la grimpe:
De retour a la maison, on s'est bien sur arrete au pub.
Le lendemain, on est alle se promener au Peak District, a Burbage north. Pique nique au bord de la reviere:
Il y avait suffisament de vent pour s'amuser avec les cerf-volants:
Pour finir un super weekend, Pierre s'est fait couper les cheveux!
Un grand merci a Pierre et Sabine de nous avoir rendu visite. Ils sont arrive les mains pleines de bonnes choses: fromages, saucisson, tomates, brugnons, peches, des bonnes bouteilles... Des gamins fantastiques, de la bonne humeur. Que du bonheur!
Pour voir le reste des photos sur flickr, cliquez ici Les photos des enfants ne sont visibles que sur invitation.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Walking in the Lakes
A week ago i was leading a Duke of Edinburgh gold expedition in the Lake district. We were blessed with great weather for the whole week. The participants were great, the organiser friendly. They drove all the way from Brighton. I had to toughen up their chosen route, and the rose up to the challenge beautifully.
Here are some views i took during the week. At the start of the expedition:
Day 2: waiting near the top:
Day 3: waiting for them to arrive, with a book and a box of quality streets:
Day 3: on the way down
The cottage where we (the organisers) stayed:
To see the rest of the pictures click here
Here are some views i took during the week. At the start of the expedition:
Day 2: waiting near the top:
Day 3: waiting for them to arrive, with a book and a box of quality streets:
Day 3: on the way down
The cottage where we (the organisers) stayed:
To see the rest of the pictures click here
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