Sorting my life out

Walking out from the Mermoz in Patagonia, frustrated by yet more crap weather and conditions. With a bit of time to think about our trip there, the memory of the waiting is fading and the fire to return growing. Photo: Calum Muskett

During February Ive had a lot of sorting out of my life to do since getting home from Patagonia. These sorts of periods are never very good for your health. It’s not good for you to get less than 8 hours of sleep for long periods. So I have to be careful. However, I have got a lot of important stuff done or in progress.

First of all, I have been continuing to tie up my injuries book. I’ve been editing the text and  collating feedback from other I’ve shown it too. I’m most grateful for the feedback which has been excellent. John at Croft Eleven is preparing the illustrations and I have finalised the list of photos I need to take. It’s really taken a huge step forward over the past three months and I’m excited to see the last bits fall into place. I’ve read a huge amount of research over the past months and most eager to share the developments in the different fields of sports medicine that are relevant to climbers. 

A little help from friends. Kev and Michael helping place a lot of T-nuts in my new climbing wall.

Second, I’ve been preparing to build my uber, badass, kick ass, stormer of a climbing wall at my new place in Roy Bridge. I have a large double garage which is shortly to be the best private bouldering centre in Scotland. Hopefully, some of you will be climbing at it too as I might run some technique coaching courses here at some point in the future. Scott at Dream Climbing Walls is designing and building the wall with me. To say I’m excited to see it done is a bit of an understatement. The garage is emptied, prepared and painted and the panels are T-nutted ready for us to start building in a couple of weeks time. 

With various lectures and bits of work during Feb out of the way I was hoping to get out winter climbing, but there is a bit of a blip just now with some warm weather, which was needed anyway to consolidate the snow on the hills. Yesterday I was out on rock in Scotland for the first time this year. I was feeling not bad for a start to the season. I did a bit of bouldering and trad with Calum, showing him around the Polldubh crags.

Finally, I've been starting to plan my trips for the summer. I have at least three big trips to new place in Scotland in mind, and one big one to the alps. Most definitely motivation for training as the rain falls outside.

Calum on the less than well protected Centrepiece, E6 6b, Glen Nevis yesterday.

Calum enjoying Jahu, E6 6a, Glen Nevis

Two nutters walking straight up towards number 5 gully on the Ben on a Cat 4 day with tons of snow being blown around. Surprise surprise, they got avalanched a few minutes later. Some folk are so casual with their own chances of survival.

Trying a new route on Ben Nevis with Donald. The storm got worse and worse and Donald eventually lowered off a pecker hand placed over a flake. We had to crawl in a whiteout back to the CIC hut. Good to be out in weather like that.

Two huge avalanches in the Grey Corries, taken from my living room window last week. Cant imagine how much snow moved in these two monsters.