Donegal Winter Adventures

 And so, Donegal has had it's 5 days of winter conditions and the ambient air temperature has shot back up to low teens and it seems very unlikely that the snow and ice will return to the uplands of the county, this winter. Just before the end of our short winter I ran a mountain skills course in Donegal and caught the last of the snow and ice in the North West of Ireland.

Donegal Winter Mountains

A Frozen Glenveagh

Ireland Winter Mountains

 As soon as the mountains were back to being green again, it was over to Cruit Island to run a mid February, weekends Rock Improvers Course. Since 1st January 2013 we have been on Cruit four times leading routes up to HVS in glorious sunshine and on one occasion it was mentioned it was beginning to get too hot. :-)

Donegal rock Climbing Course

 It is also the time of years to stand in front of large groups of people and talk, this winter I have did talks to the Irish Mountaineering Club in Dublin and at UCC for Kerry Climbing. Doing talks is a surreal activity and pretty much as scary as soloing a sea stack. The sponsor for the Cork talk was Alpine Sports.ie, have a wee look at their site for very competitive prices their huge range of mountaineering equipment.

Cork Mountaineering Talk

 No sooner back from Cork and it was into the Donegal hills once again, this time spring was very much in attendance.

 Ran a Mountain Leader Training Week based out of Ardara with 5 troopers on the course and a huge mixture of weather in the five days of training. 

Mountain Leader Rope Work

Mountain Leader Client Care

Mountain Leader Group Management

Mountain Leader Steep Ground

ML Expedition Campsite

Tormore Island 

 All in all a very varied two weeks in the great outdoors and with the diary pretty much full for March there are a few perhaps more unusual activities in the pipeline! :-) 

  

Donegal Winter Climbing

 Early January 2010 six hardy souls left the road end at the old church in Dunlewy and entered the the winter wonderland that was the Donegal mountains. After nearly six weeks of almost continual sub Zero temperatures and arctic tundra driving conditions the mountains of Derryveagh Donegal were in immaculate winter climbing condition.

Poison Glen in Winter 2010

 We split into three pairs of climbers and with each of us donning a full winter climbing kit each team picked a prime unclimbed route up three different faces in the Poison Glen. Alan Tees and myself climbed a 450m ice fall up the Bearna Buttress, with several grade IV ice pitches this route was an outstanding winter monster up one of Irelands highest mountain crags. 

Donegal winter climbing Guide

Pitch 5 Poison Glen climbing

Pitch 7ish 

Topping out in Poison Glen

 Anyways, three years later to the day, Jan 2013, four young (and not so young) men arrived on Cruit Island for a days winter climbing. This time there was no technical axes, no G14 crampons, no sub zero temperatures and no down jackets, there was outstanding summer sunshine.

Winter Climbing in Donegal

Traderg Wall, Cruit Island

Cruit Island Rock Climbing

Donegal Winter Sun

 And so, a day of warm Granite, lapping blue seas and sunny skies was the order of the day! The same day three years apart and at polar opposites of winter climbing conditions! :-)

Seasons in the Abyss

Just back from a very spring like Scotland and have a couple of talks lines up. 

Teachers Club in Parnell Square, Dublin for The Irish Mountaineering Club on 31st January 2013 at 9pm

Boole Theatre, University Campus Cork for Kerryclimbing.ie on 7th February 2013 at 7:30pm

 Following on from last years talks in Belfast, Dublin and Cork, this years talks will focus on a continuing mid life crisis, a mild compulsion to being truly alone ideally in mildly terrifying situations and off course the continuing journey deeper and deeper into the Realm's of Chaos.

A wee look over the Edge

 A couple of wee adventures,

 First Ascent of The Sturrall Headland  in South West Donegal and at 750m long this outstanding sea ridge is Irelands longest recorded rock climb. 

Sturrall Ridge Film

 First Ascent of Tormore Island at 160m high this is Ireland's highest sea stack.

 The second ascent (41 years after the only other ascent) of Eagles Rock in Glenade, Leitrim at 330m high this is Ireland's highest free standing tower

Eagles Rock Ascent Film

 First Ascent of Testament to the Insane, a new route up the UK's highest vertical sea cliff, this 477m long route was climbed in a continual 26 hr long push. St Johns Head in Orkney 

 Making the first ascents of over 60 previously unclimbed sea stack off the coast of Donegal. Have a wee look at The Donegal Sea Stack Guide.

 These are just a few wee adventures, I have been involved in other moments of mild concern include swimming with bull seals, paddling alongside a killer whale in Donegal, being blown out to see in a wee inflatable dingy until I lost sight of Ireland, conversing with an angel after falling 20 m into the sea off an unclimbed sea stack and watching my climbing partner die at my feet. 

 But, what all these adventurous days out have in common is that they contained an enormous amount of fun whilst being mildy terrified whilst under the watchful eye of The Reaper. :-)