i have a problem…

Disclaimer: I deserve no sympathy. I am actually an idiot who cannot afford another expensive hobby, hence the problem!

Last week I met Paul. Paul is a pilot and owns an aeroplane called G-SKNT. G-SKNT is a Pitts Special S-2A.

Ever since I can remember, I’ve wanted to fly. For a very long time learning to fly remained a mere pipe dream, until I found the means to actually do something about it back in 2008. I undertook my training at RAF Halton, which was conveniently just across the road from where we were living, and in 2009 I passed the skills test to gain my PPL. During the time I was training I quit my job as an engineer and then moved to Wales (I actually passed my skills test two days before we handed the keys back for the house in Aston). Since then I have worked the occasional contract, but primarily relied on my ever-so-long-suffering husband to keep me in clothing, cake and chocolate (the bare essentials), hence I had to stop flying simply because there was no way to afford it.

My most recent contract in Devon has given me the chance to get back into aviation – something I’ve been longing to do for…well…ever since I last stepped out of the cockpit back in 2009.

Brilliant! Fantastic!

So…where is the problem?

The problem originates with the deep rooted desire I have harboured ever since I first went to Halton and saw a tiny little stunner of an biplane in the hangar…I wanted to fly a Pitts Special.

I had no real thoughts of doing anything other than simply ‘having a go’ in one at some point, so when I got chatting to Paul, heading down to Shobdon to aquaint myself with G-SKNT seemed like an excellent idea – I was only going to have a look after all, with a view to one day maybe going for a spin.

Aerobatics. Seemingly an activity designed to provide a terrifying and expensive method of simulating the kind of hangover you wake up with the morning after having drunk two bottles of wine at your husband’s cousin’s bonfire party…So not something you’d particularly want to put yourself through really is it? A bit like winter climbing…and well, we all know how that goes… (in case you aren’t a regular reader – winter and ice climbing are my greatest obsessions.)

Last Tuesday I flew G-SKNT.

I will admit now that I was terrified when I climbed into the front seat of that aeroplane, I knew that Paul was going to put me through something terrifying and traumatic, and I had a good idea that I was going to find it as horrifying as the rollercoasters my niece dragged me onto at Thorpe Park a few years ago (I don’t like rollercoasters). Somehow though, I also knew the real reason I was so afraid: I knew wouldn’t be able to just walk away having ‘done it’…

I had no intention of even trying aerobatic flying, let alone deciding I wanted to learn to fly aerobatics. A superb instructor, and his beautiful little aeroplane G-SKNT have changed all that.

Damn you Paul.

http://www.alteredattitude.co.uk/

a Swiss holiday part 2: the valleys and being a tourist

The church tower in Evolene (definitely a tourist photo!)

The Aiguille de la Tsa (or Tza) – a peak I really want to go back and climb, it is also known as the Matterhorn of Arolla valley due to it’s unmistakeable shape

The Grande Dixence Dam, tallest gravity dam in the world at a mind boggling 285m high – well worth a click on the link to see some info about it, this dam is one of the start points for the approach to the Dix hut

Phil on the walk up to Lac Bleu

The Pyramids of Euseigne, bizarre features naturally sculpted out of moraine left behind by a retreating glacier – you actually drive through these on the drive up the valley to Evolene and Arolla. Very very weird.

a Swiss holiday part 1: the Pigne d’Arolla

Another long silence for which I will apologise, despite knowing that no-one cares about the apology…

I arrived back home late on Thursday after a marathon drive home from Arolla, Valais, Switzerland. Yes, I’ve been back to the Alps! This wasn’t an ordinary Alpine climbing trip though, this trip doubled as mine and Phil’s summer holiday, and also my first meeting with Alex*.

Sadly, the weather was once again against us and we got very little done climbing-wise (only one super easy ‘acclimatisation’ route and some bimbling on a cruddy little sport crag actually, although the chilling out and wandering the valleys was really rather lovely), but I would just like to confirm that the campsite in Arolla is fabulous for bumming around on continually making tea and eating biscuits, although needing 1F coins for the shower is a little bit of a pain.

Anyway…

The Normal Route on the Pigne d’Arolla, 3796m (Facile)

The Pigne d’Arolla is a lovely mountain at the head of the valley overlooking Arolla itself. Two huts serve as bases for an ascent – the Vignettes hut and the Dix hut. Often the peak is climbed in conjunction with Mont Blanc du Cheilon as a long traverse – the route up and over the Pigne being graded Facile, and the ascent of the East ridge of Mont Blanc du Cheilon being graded AD (the normal route on MBdC, and the descent from the traverse is a PD).

Our plan had actually been to make an ascent of Pigne d’Arolla, from and back to the Vignettes hut as our first ‘acclimatisation’ foray, hopefully to be followed by an ascent of l’Eveque, also from the Vignettes hut. Sadly this wasn’t to be as the weather didn’t want to play ball and we had several days of storms, snow and general mank meaning we abandoned the idea of heading up l’Eveque. (We also later abandoned our plans of heading up Mont Blanc du Cheilon from the Dix hut too owing to a combination of bad weather days and me falling ill on the last [irritatingly clear] day).

After ‘tagging the top’ via the Facile route, Alex and I headed straight back down with a brief stop back at the hut to retrieve the kit we had stashed behind and to have a drink of tea.

The route up itself is pretty unremarkable, being as it is a simple snow plod and a short section of moraine path, with only a few obvious crevassed sections to negotiate. The views however, are stunning. The views on the approach are fabulous but from the summit the panorama truly is breathtaking, with the Matterhorn visible in one direction, Mont Blanc in another, and lots more in between.

The Pigne d’Arolla as seen on the approach to the hut

Alex and the glacier approach (that for once was refreshingly straightforward – I do hate crevasse hopping!)

One of the stunning views of l’Eveque from the balcony of the Vignettes hut, an objective sadly abandoned due to the weather

The Vignettes hut, as seen on our way back down.

Alpine climbing is a wonderfully varied experience – from the hustle and bustle of Chamonix or Zermatt with their expensive shops and even more expensive uplift options (cable cars, trains etc), to quiet secluded village bases such as Arolla. Where you base yourself has a huge impact on your experience in the mountains, a place like Arolla granting you the very basic essence of it all – the mountains themselves all around you, with no flashy shops or expensive bars to distract you from what it’s all about. I liked it, lots, although I do still hate long hut walk-ins…

*Check out Alex’s blog: Glencoe Mountaineer.

navigation

Well it looks like I’ve passed my navigation assessment for the team. Excellent.

This also constitutes number 76 off of the 101 list!, or at least it is a massive step in the right direction, and the only way of really defining it.

the board

In all its glory!

list number 17: build a training board

Well it is finally done. I have my own garage ‘woody’ – a 30 degree overhanging plywood board with a roof to finish. I need more juggy holds to put on it though because at the moment even the easiest ‘rainbow’ problems to the high jugs are probably V0+/V1 ish!

Pictures to follow.

Penderyn, welsh single malt whisky

Welsh whisky!

Not bad, but not stunning either. If it were £20-25 for a bottle I’d buy it, but seeing as it is priced (varyingly) at £30-40, I think I’ll pass – it simply isn’t that good, not when compared to similarly priced scotch.

That’ll be number 40 off the list then.

the list: day zero

So what the hell is this all about then – Day Zero…the easy answer is go check the website: http://www.dayzeroproject.com/
In short, this is a pretty pointless exercise, but one that the super-anal list maker and ticker in me loved the idea of – 101 things to be done in 1001 days. Of course it is unlikely that I will complete all of them in that time, but I will of course be trying.
So the stats: this frigging list has taken me some 3 weeks or so to write (you have no idea just how many things 101 is until you try to make a list of them, oh and the vast, VAST majority of other people’s lists will be full of ideas which to you will seem tedious and insignificant (in the words of a friend of mine - ‘banal’), and so will fail to provide any inspiration at all). Phew.
My start date is somewhat contrived to include a couple of routes that I have climbed recently into the count figures so that everything is legit (the only exception: my summit of Mont Blanc is included in my 15 Alpine summits goal even though it was done before my start date, simply because it really was quite a major thing for me, and it wasn’t all that long before in reality…)
Start Date: 15/09/2009
End Date (1001 days): 12/06/2012
Climbing

1.	Climb F7a (sport)
2.	Climb F7b (sport)
3.	Climb F6c onsight (sport)
4.	Climb 20 routes of F6c and up	(4/20) In progress
5.	Climb another 20 routes of E1 + (trad)	(4/20) In progress
6.	Climb E2 onsight (trad)
7.	Boulder font 7a or V6
8.	Climb WI5+ (ice)
9.	Climb VI onsight (Scottish winter)
10.	Summit the Matterhorn
11.	Summit the Eiger
12.	Climb the Frendo Spur
13.	Attain 15 Alpine summits	(5/15) In progress
14.	Summit a 6000m+ peak
15.	Do the Cuillin Ridge traverse (summer)
16.	Do the Cuillin Ridge traverse (winter)
17.	Build a training and drytooling board in the garage	Completed 12/11/09
18.	Do a winter route using a vintage ice axe
19.	Go to a climbing themed lecture	Completed: 17/11/09 BMC Winter skills, 21/11/09 Andy Kirkpatrick at Kendal, 26/11/09 Doug Scott, 19/02/10 Nick Bullock in Rjukan, PyB/UKC Alpine Festival
20.	Do a route on a sea stack
21.	Climb 10 routes that feature significant traverses	(2/10)
22.	Learn to jam
23.	Climb 30 grit routes (trad)	(0/30)

Creativity

24.	Write an article and have it published
25.	Make a great photo collage
26.	Get a Wedding photo album made
27.	Photograph a landscape from the same spot in all four seasons	(0/4)
28.	Create 5 instructional videos for my blog	(0/5)
29.	Take a photograph of the Greenwich Meridian line
30.	Build a big, elaborate sand castle on the beach and photograph it
31.	Write a paper diary of this list	In progress
32.	Take (or have taken) 101 pictures of myself that I actually like	(0/101)
33.	Bake some Yorkshire Fat Rascals

Experiences

34.	See the Northern Lights
35.	Go to a Mountain Film Festival
36.	See a West End show
37.	Volunteer as a Special Constable
38.	Do a tour of a mine
39.	Eat a vegetarian diet for 1 week
40.	Try the Welsh single malt whisky (Penderyn)	Completed 3/11/09
41.	Ride on the London Eye
42.	Visit Llanberis Slate Museum
43.	Visit Powis Castle
44.	Visit a WW1 battlefield
45.	Visit a former Concentration Camp
46.	Go to an Air Race
47.	Go to an aerobatics competition
48.	Do a motorcycle track day
49.	Go to a classical music ‘prom’
50.	Go caving with Dave W
51.	Be a tourist in Paris
52.	Have a go at kite boarding
53.	Be a tourist in Stockholm
54.	Go to Switzerland	Completed (Arolla Aug '10)
55.	Go to Russia
56.	Go to Ireland
57.	Drive something cool (like a tank or a rally car?)
58.	Visit a vineyard

Fitness

59.	Run a marathon
60.	Run the Midnattsloppet with Anders
61.	Run 2 miles with a sub 7 minute pace
62.	Run around Lake Vrynwy
63.	Do sets of 20 pull ups
64.	Do the Welsh 3000’s
65.	Have a sports massage	Completed 22/08/2010
66.	Ride the MTB runs at Llandegla
67.	Ride the MTB runs at Coed y Brenin

Flying

68.	Fly to France
69.	Get a taildragger rating
70.	Fly solo in a Tiger Moth
71.	Land at Barra
72.	Take David flying

Skills

73.	Join a Mountain Rescue Team	In progress - NEWSAR
74.	Shoot for food
75.	Cook a meal without using any shop bought ingredients (hunt, forage, grow etc)
76.	Learn to navigate well (on foot)	Happy! Passed NEWSAR hill team nav assessment 23/06/2010
77.	Do a mountain/wilderness First Aid course	In progress - NEWSAR training
78.	Do a night hike
79.	Bivi	Vallee Blanche 11/07/10
80.	Build and sleep in a snow hole
81.	Learn to ski
82.	Learn some basic Welsh
83.	Learn some basic Norwegian (for trips to Rjukan)
84.	Learn to canoe properly
85.	Learn some basic photography skills
86.	Learn to SRT (caving)
87.	Learn to identify some of the constellations
88.	Ride a motorcycle offroad
89.	Get another job…	Semi-completed (short term contract work)

With Phil

90.	Visit RAF Cosford	Completed 28/02/2010
91.	Visit Duxford
92.	Get the guns back
93.	Do a long distance walk or canoe journey
94.	Canoe on Lake Vrynwy
95.	Cycle round Lake Vrynwy and have a picnic
96.	Visit a Brewery
97.	Visit another 5 whisky distilleries	(0/5)
98.	Learn to use the sextant
99.	Stay in an ice hotel
100.	Do 5 extra things of Phil’s choosing	(0/5)

Continuation…

101.

Start writing a new list…

another 6c!

Margin of Error, the 6c next to Traction Control (my first 6c lead). The route had a very similar style of climbing, and one that suits me down to the ground – fingery, extremely technical and requiring precise footwork. Gorgeous. Anyway, I had only really hoped to get it clean on top-rope, so that I could come back and lead it on another occasion, but after I’d got the sequence dialled and had toproped it cleanly and with ease it seemed silly not to just go for it.

To cut a long story short, I was cold and fluttery. My climbing was nowhere near as smooth as I would have liked, but nonetheless I did it. My second 6c. What a brilliant feeling. Another 6c, done in a single session. Maybe I really am getting better!

Oh and a huge thank you to my dearly beloved for belaying me without complaint and just being fantastic.

a new found love

Sport climbing. Maybe it isn’t so bad after all.

On Tuesday I managed to red-point my first 6c, an absolutely cracking limestone route called ‘Traction Control’ at Trevor, Llangollen. I’d first tried this route with Patrick at the end of on Saturday’s easy sport climbing, where we’d just done loads of routes in the 5 – 6b region, I decided I wanted to have a go at this 3 star 6c, as seeing as it was easy to get a top-rope on it (as the lower-off was right next to the lower off for another route Patrick climbed), we had a crack.

The start sequence took a while to fathom, but once that was sorted the rest of the route just sort of fell into place. I didn’t try leading it that day, because by the end of the session I was shattered and my fingers were just crying for a rest.

So, a couple of weeks later I headed back with Mick (and his clip-stick – oh my goodness what an amazing invention. I want one.) Had a couple of goes on a top-rope then just decided to get on with it. Anyway, to cut a long story short, I cruuuuuuuuiiiiiised it. Awesome!

So, on to a new bolt-clipping challenge. Having never even attempted a route harder than 6b before this one, and having found this lovely 6c actually quite straight forward (all the moves were fine, it was just the working of the sequence that proved a challenge), me thinks it is time to actually find a 7a to work on (and yes, I know I’m missing the grade of 6c+ out completely there). Could my goal of climbing 7a sport actually be achievable before the end of the year? We shall see…

Meanwhile, I still need to get my trad head in gear. Maybe this weekend will see a return to some kind of form? Again…we shall see…