Winter Scotland 2010  unfortunately I haven't any remaining availability this winter. You'll find the contact details of some other experienced instructors on the Mountain Instructors Community website. Alternatively, if you'd like help finding an instructor, feel free to give me a call or drop me an email.

North Wales - rock climbing  courses and instruction will be starting again just before the Easter period 2010. A bit of early season instruction could be the ideal way of kick starting a great climbing year, giving you all the necessary skills for moving your climbing along. Alternatively, a day or two of guided climbing will give you stacks of rock mileage, improve your climbing technique and shake off the winter's cobwebs. Just email or call 07921 312 905 to fix something up. A look at the summer gallery will give you an idea of where you could be climbing.

Blog  I wish I had the spare time to write a blog or to be honest, I just lack the literary skills that would make it anything worth bookmarking. Instead, I try to upload a photo or maybe two each week to the winter gallery or summer gallery. These galleries let you see some of Scotland's and Wales' mountain areas where I've been walking and climbing with clients and friends.

Winter conditions  two of the better sources for sussing current winter climbing conditions are the reports compiled by Nick Carter and James Thacker. Their posts are more discerning than most. Telling it as it is rather than bending to commercial interests and always painting a positive picture. Some of the forecasters with the Scottish Avalanche Info Service also give some very useful daily comments on current mountain conditions. These can be found on each individual area's forecast page, via a tab/link entitled 'Observed Avalanche Hazard'.

Skye 2010  if you love mountains you'll love the Cuillin ridge on Skye. An intricate chain of sharp peaks rising straight up from the Atlantic and made from some of the finest rock imaginable. The Cuillin's rock climbs are typically long and adventurous. The scrambling is second to none. The peaks themselves give incomparable views over the ocean to the Hebridean islands and the mainland mountain ranges. So why wait? If you'd like to arrange a trip to explore this fantastic mountain range just email or call for a quick chat and we'll put together an itinerary and quote you a price for a trip to one of the coolest spring time mountain ranges on the planet, no kidding ! There's guided climbing on routes of Alpine length, guided scrambling journeys across stunning mountain terrain ...and of course, the classic Cuillin traverse.

Scottish Rock - spring 2010  if you can get to Inverness, which these days is pretty easy, you can be picked up and taken on a Highland road trip to climb some all time rock classics.
For classic rock aficionados, a 3 day trip to the far north west could see you climbing the Old Man of Stoer (the mainland's tallest sea stack), the Cioch Nose on the Applecross peninsula and finish with an esoteric route on Stac Pollaidh, the iconic Assynt mountain.
If hard rock is your thing, 3 days is enough time to visit Skye in pursuit of the classic Grey Panther on Kilt Rock, wrestle with King Cobra in the heart of the Cuillin and finish with an 'enchainment' of three star routes on the huge cliff of Sron na Ciche.
The Old Man of Hoy ranks as one of the coolest climbing adventures in Britain. This sandstone column stands 137m above the Atlantic at the most westerly point of the Orkneys. 4 days is advisable to allow time for ferry crossings and to keep a day in hand to get the best conditions for an ascent.
If you'd like more information on a Scottish rock climbing trip in late April, just call or email. You'll get a quote and an exciting climbing itinerary for whatever time you have available with all the logistics, gear and guiding taken care of.

Discounted climbing gear  book a day's guiding or instruction in North Wales and you'll qualify for a discount at V12outdoor whilst you're here. This small independent shop has an incredibly comprehensive selection of quality climbing gear and rock climbing footwear, all of which is already keenly priced. You'll also get good honest advice to help you choose the right gear for the type of climbing you're into. The coffee's good too.

North Wales guide books  hopefully you've already got your hands on the 2nd edition of North Wales Rock - a beautifully produced selected climbs guide book which is packed with inspirational photographs and detailed info on over 670 classic climbs. The long awaited Llanberis slate guide should be out in time for the spring.