Coaching at Canolfan Tryweryn

Friday 29th August I was woken up in the morning by a knock on the door and in half hour we were on the road.

We met Leo at the Tryweryn Whitewater Centre at 9. We spent half the morning practicing our techniques for breaking in and out we even had to try it with our eyes shut! Then we moved up to the NRA wave and I swam straight away.

A couple of minutes later i had an empty boat and and i was back up the rapid to try again. Will went first and this time it was his turn to swim having followed Leo's advice i cut further out and leaned forward to punch through the wave. Victory! We then continued to go through chapel falls no swimmers on this one. We eddied out and went up the centre for lunch.

In the afternoon we ran the lower Tryweryn, we followed the rapids down and nearing the bottom i was begining to feel tired. Leo then told us to follow him with and to try to keep river right after the first drop. I was last down again, at the bottom Leo said "Well done, thats Bala mill falls", we got to the take out and drove back up to the top. We said goodbye to Leo and left with grins on our tired faces.

I write this as I sit at home after another weekend at the Tryweryn two weeks later and realise how much Leo's coaching has helped my paddling. Thanks for your coaching and for boosting our confidence!

Harry Carr

Three go rafting mad in Austria (sorry four) D4DR weeks 5+6

Woke up on Sunday morning to find I had been attacked in the eye by the deadly Slovenian mozzies and I was looking like a close relation of Joseph Merrick. After breakfast we set off for Austria with a van loaded up and the ever useful tom-tom (sat nav). With only two stops between Slovenia and Austria to "RECALCULATE" we eventually arrived mid afternoon. Hans the local kayaking/rafting guru took us to the local kayak club where we were to stay for the next few nights. Surprise! It turned out to be a beautiful log cabin with stone fireplace inside and out and situated conveniently next to the slalom course. So of course we got on for a paddle down the Drau to the confluence of the Isel. The climax of the day had to be the visit to mcd's for (in the case of the guys) double mcmenu and for myself (the vegetarian) salad and pommes frites. Monday saw us bright and early pumping up a big blue raft and heading down a lovely bouncy and scenic section of the Isel, with some nice river wide stoppers. After lunch (glad to say not mcd's) we went higher up the Isel and got on a grade III/|IV section where upon Martin managed to hit a stopper sideways and send us all (I hasten to add not Geraint our raft guide instructor) flying out of the raft. On being hauled back into the raft and doing a count of injuries we discovered an extremely bent paddle which fortunately was fixable. Tuesday saw a late start as all the flying and swimming had tired our poor bodies out and everyone was constantly yawning. We eventually made it down most of the section we had rafted the day before with only a few mishaps, like losing Rob who happened to be guiding at the time and decided he would bounce out the back of the raft, or like crashing into a rock and all being thrown out over the rock (again I hasten to add not Geraint), but otherwise it was an uneventful trip with us practicing flipping and climbing back in to the raft. Although I don't recommend trying to flip a raft in less than a foot of water there could be some bruises. Wednesday we were up for a challenge and off we drove to raft the Gail. A beautiful stretch of river with not a lot of water and approximately two rafts wide (and they were the wide stretches), with lots of boulders, trees and potential strainers just lurking around every bend (and there were a lot of bends). Technically challenging as continuous corrections were needed, lots of spins (intentional of course) and large amounts of "hold on, get down" were being shouted, but after approximately 17km we emerged with only one event - that Rob he just loves to bounce out of the raft when he's guiding. Last day in Austria and I do my assessment from the slalom course (the Drau) on to the Isel. A long stretch but incredibly beautiful and after flipping the raft (and it's a monster) I'm a raft guide. After some lunch we head on back to Slovenia for the best ice cream around. Friday sees Rob and Martin doing there assessment. With the additional challenge of having a squidgy raft (not to be recommended), the guys put in an incredible performance - flipping the raft, jumping on and flipping the raft upright, then jumping in again and getting two clients (myself and a.n.other) back into the raft in a short distance - and they pass with flying colours. In the evening we go for a paddle down the lower section of the Soca and one of Deb's friends makes us an incredible mushroom risotto to finish off the week.

D4DR Rafting/Rescue action weeks 5 and 6

So we awaited the arrival of Geriant, which was to be quite a few hours after the departure of Leo. Geriant arrived and wasted no time in slipping past the welcoming committee and heading straight toward the nearest McDonalads, which is where he text the welcoming committee to let them know. With his meal out of the way it was the short trip to Trnovo. The following days were spent in the raft, usually on the section from the Prijon shop down to Trnovo. Spending our time on the trips going though various exercises and manoeuvres, such as leading the raft down correct lines, flipping, and retrieving of lost paddles and people. During the course of the week we also covered lots of the SRT whitewater rescue technician programme and stopped off at various times during our trips to practise these things, such as swallow water crossing, swimming (both defensive and aggressive), live bait and many different types of rope rescues and knots. I would highly recommend this course to all whitewater paddlers.
During the week there where some unplanned instances of practising these newly learned techniques, such as late in the afternoon whilst rafting down from Srpenica 2, Martin spotted some kayakers in the distance going though an interesting line around some large rocks and asked if we could follow them, Geriant wasted no time in replying yes of course and instructed me (seeing as I was the one guiding the raft at that point) to follow them though the gap, which seemed just a little tight for a raft. Geriant's last words as we set off after them was, “bet we be stuck here till flipping midnight”. We managed to hit the rock and wrap the raft totally around it without hurting anyone. Martin got washed into a nearby eddy, leaving me, Deb and Geriant scrabbling up the rock. Luckily for us as we were trying to sort out unwrapping the raft, the raft did the job for us and come unloose. And so we leave for Austria, with it's bigger volume runs, and the only thing I can think about, is not to listen to Martin's suggestion when guiding!!!

White Water Safety and Rescue and River Leadership Training 3 Open Canoe Training 2007

In 2007/08 Whitlingham OEC in Norfolk sent a team of L2 and L3 kayak coaches to Leo Hoare at Getafix.com. The aim – to raise the standard of river leadership, safety and rescue and improve our open boating skills.

One day at the centre we counted up how many Level 3 Open Canoe Coaches we had and quickly got to none. We double checked – still none. Things had to change.

After a quick bit of research I called Leo. I’m not sure why but his experience looked just what we needed or maybe his appearance on BBC’s Paddles-Up programme 20 years ago left and indelible impression on my mind!

“Lets start with White Water Safety and Rescue and lead into the new Four Star” says Leo. Good idea but we need something a bit different, not too kayak biased, can you give us WWSR for the discerning open boater? No problem – I’ll put on three days WWSR with extra open boating river leadership skills and problem avoidance.” Yeehaa!

After the excitement of setting up the course for eight paddlers the pre-course nerves set in for those of us whose white water paddling, particularly in open boats, was a distant memory. Would we be up to it?

Day 1

Starting at The Mill on the River Dee at Llangollen, Leo broke us in gently covering the basics in his progressive, thorough way, moving on only when we had grasped the concepts and the practicals for bank based rescues, and defensive swimming through stoppers! Then it was time to hurl throw-lines, first at stationary targets then onto more challenging moving targets being swept down the drops of The Mill. It was here that we perfected the technique for aiming at the swimmers head not beyond it - sometimes with alarming results as we learned what a screwgate karabiner feels like when it hits your nose attached to a 25m line.

Before we know it Leo is taking us through rescue scenarios. Then he’s setting up a scenario with an entrapped swimmer above a waterfall. He sets the boundaries, gives a safety briefing and the team is away – there’s; lots of shouting, some misguided throwing, lots of looking at each other for guidance/support, but the casualty isn’t moving anywhere and its not going well.

It’s at this point that we see Leo’s talent for changing his style to match the occasion. Our performance was dreadful. He brings us together and leaves us under no misunderstanding that we didn’t perform but he gets the group to identify why and turn our disaster into success. A new problem and this time the team is slicker, faster, and better co-ordinated operating with a sense of purpose. Result - the casualty is retrieved safely and before hypothermia sets in! Time to move on to introduce vectors and synches to make casualty retrieval more effective and give us a broader range of options.




Swimmer taking the bottom drop at The Mill showing defensive swim position






Day 2

The Mill gave us a good venue to learn these new skills but Day 2 Leo takes us up stream to the Serpents Tail and the stakes rise. Higher, faster, intimidating water and we’re nervous. Leo gives us the safety briefing and we’re in the water and this time it feels like its for real.

I’m standing on the slippery rocks at the top of the “Tail”, a section of the Dee where the river gets squeezed from 25m to about 4m. The water speed accelerates into a foaming series of drops and you pray that the water is deep enough to avoid entrapment. I’m scared, but the boys need a swimmer to rescue, so….. I glance back, Leo gives the thumbs –up and the team do the same. I drop onto a shallow ledge in the water and edge into the main stream, plunging in I turn onto my back while taking in the cold-shock of the water as it fills my not-so-dry salopettes. Now the training kicks in as my mind focuses on the drills not on the water. Feet up and pointing downstream; hands controlling and steering, keeping my body in-line. I wait for the lads……will they get a rope to me?

The answer comes with a shout from the bank “SWIMMERRRRR!” I look up and left, then, BLAT! a 25m. throwline (now without screwgate) wacks me on the head and suddenly I understand! I know where the ropes is and I grab it. I would have no chance to retrive it if the line landed in the water beyond. Good work boys ! I’m on the line, gripping it to my chest with the floating rope over my shoulder waiting for the tug. In the tumoil of the frothing water I hear a shout “VECTORRRR!” and I know the team are preparing to bring me into the bank.

With all the group through this drill the stakes get raised again and this time we’re looking at worst case scenario’s and how to manage a “livebait” retrieval of a casualty as safely as possible. Leo explains “ Livebaiting is only used when there are no other options as it requires a rescuer to enter the water”. We practice anchoring and belaying techniques and experience that sinking feeling when the safety-line goes tight in fast flowing water.

Again the safety briefing and the team know they’re dealing with a training exercise in a very real and potentially dangerous environment. This time the task is optional but somehow its my turn again and I’m up to “Livebait” Mike who rapidly descends the Tail towards me. I’m attached by a line from my Bouyancy Aid harness to Aran who will belay me and the swimmer. Standing on the rocks above the foaming water I know that I have to time my jump to perfection, too late and I will miss Mike and he’ll be out of reach too quickly. Jump too early and he will be upstream of me and difficult for me to take control of. I jump allowing for the water speed and adopt the “chest-first” position of a sky-diver which prevents either the head or the feet entering the water too deeply and getting snagged. I feel the impact as I hit Mike’s helmet – “BULLSEYE!” I swing round to grab his shoulders and control both him and I in a defensive swim position. The line on the back goes tight and I feel us being pulled down and sideways as the lads get the vector side-pull working to bring us to the bank. Big sighs and we know we all did good. We’ve come along way since our tentative rescues the day before. But then again we had just spent two days with Leo Hoare.


The stakes rise as the option is given to the team to perform a livebait rescue in fast deep water – note the line on the back of the rescuer and the swimmers hand emerging from the water.






Day 3 – River Leadership – Open Boats

The team is buzzing from two days of safety and rescue training but now Leo takes us on a great trip from XXXXXX to Llangollen. Its great grade 2 paddling solo open boats. Now the agenda has changed and Leo is taking us through how to keep a group safe and entertained and how to avoid problems rather than solve them. Starting before we get on the water we discuss the merits of a clear briefing, how to prepare a group for a journey and how to keep them from harm. Swim and manual handling briefings are very much drilled home as is the need for effective warm-up of cold sore muscles from the previous days exploits.

Paddling the Dee in Autumn is a beautiful experience and Leo is using the river’s natural features to point how we keep the group safe and use how we can adopt differing strategies for the variety of obstacles that each rapid presents Communication, Line-of sight, Avoidance and Position of most usefulness are thoroughly rehearsed.

We descend towards Serpents Tail this time with a healthy respect from our work the previous day. Today’s challenge is different – to run the rapid in open canoes! There’s a different feeling in the group now. Leo has given new skills and a confidence has grown within the team so that we approach the challenge in a more relaxed frame of mind. After checking out the Tail and getting a briefing we decide on our line and set up bank based throw-lines to protect the tandem crews. This time though our boats are equipped with something new – swim-lines to buy us time and keep the boats straight through the narrow channel of the Tail.

One crew at time we descend, each having its own “epic”. Mike and I capsize. After taking a line too far right we steer left but over-correct and boat tips over despite our best efforts. We’re in the water rushing down the rapid but heading towards the back of the boat where we grab the swim-line and bring the boat under control, keeping it straight to avoid pinning. Then, BLAT!, BLAT, BLAT! three throwlines hit our heads and we know the lads are keen to get involved ! Lesson learned – sometimes swimmers don’t need rescuing so keep it simple and wait for them at the bottom!

A great three days full of learning and exctiment topped with Leo’s relaxed but client focussed approached to getting results.

Add to it fantastic accommodation at Ffynnon Wen Hostel and here’s a training package that is hard to beat.

Ian Hayward
Whitlingham Outdoor Education Centre
Norfolk

7th/8th July level 3 canoe training

Its strange heading to North Wales to go paddle the River Dee in July with the prospect of warm weather. Thanks to the BCU for planning the end of the Level 3 Coaching scheme in July, which meant those of us who leave things to the last minute were guaranteed of a warm weather experience! Result!

Heading cross-country from Norfolk to NW, Mike, Andy and I reflect on the past year and the amazing training programme we’ve undertaken with Leo Hoare at Getafix.com.

Starting with WWSR and river leadership training (see previous Blog) and then tackling the Dee and the Tryweryn for Four Star Training our open boat skills had certainly been transformed. Our personal skills were much slicker, and Leo had us “feeling” the water better by exercises like reverse ferry gliding blindfolded!

But we decided that we couldn’t let the opportunity of becoming level 3 coaches (old scheme) pass us by, mainly for the good reason that our home county is very short of L3 open boaters and progression to three star is difficult for club paddlers without local trainers/assessors.

So back to see Leo and what could we expect this time?

Its not often you get exactly what you want and less often that what you get is what you need. Leo pitched it just right, here’s how…..

First things first – coffee and a briefing about the plan for the weekend. “Well”. says Leo, “ I reckon we done all that we need to do for river leadership and so how about we focus on Traditional skills and coaching?

“Bring it on” So we get geared for paddling solo and we’re on the Dee getting warmed up and getting the “feel” of the water. Poling first and Leo takes us through the teaching points – using half poles to start then working to a full pole; bent knees, differing feet position, pole angle, short, sharp pushing action. No problem, but then Leo notices (he always notices) that we’re edging towards the faster water and we want to be tested.

Leo shows us how. Clearly poling up-stream through shallow fast-moving water isn’t easy. Leo’s puffing but making progress up the 40m stretch of water, taking care to use the natural eddies in the water to ease passage.

Then it’s our turn and quickly our technique and fitness is tested. Its hard and without precise pole position, quick stab actions and holding strokes on the off-side we don’t make progress. We work these techniques all morning and its hard. Of all the techniques we’ve learned in open boating this has to be the hardest – one slip, one small missed placement on the river bed and you lose a lot of ground.

With aching thighs and a whole new appreciation of the art of poling we move onto tracking and setting up the 25-30m lines needed to guide a boat upstream through moving water from the bank. “Its like flying a kite” Leo informs us as he sets up the “bridle” then the boat’s away and Leo is pulling it through the fast, deep water up-stream.”

Then its our turn to work through the teaching points and set the boats up. It really is like flying a kite and the moment when the boat pulls through a small drop it looks like an engine is powering it upstream.

Techniques mastered, we drop downstream to the bottom fall at The Mill and our skills are tested in harder conditions. Then we’re onto lining boats downstream and mastering lining multiple boats down a rapid as a team.

After a session on sailing rigs we reflect on a great day of new skills and teaching points learned. Tomorrow? Well, that’s for coaching tandem…..

Day 2

Day 2 shaped up to be a full-on day and we arrived slightly nervous about what was expected. With no messing about Leo demonstrated a sequence of break-in/outs and high crosses which we then repeated. This session was all about quality coaching. Three runs each of about two minutes duration with individual feedback after each run.

First run we were like kids – too excited, not focussed, too much paddle waggling. Leo gave us feedback between the eyes – “adjust your trim, approach with a different angle, don’t go too fast at this point”

“OK Boss” – he laid it out clear and we went for Run 2 with a plan that changed our tactics at each section of the rapid.

Feedback time and this time we were met with questions. “how did that go? Talk me through it “ Now we were remembering what went well and what didn’t. Analysing our own performance and by asking leading and open/closed questions we were being forced to scrutinise our performance and come up with ways to improve it.

Run 3 – and there are dramatic improvements to our performance, we are making the difficult break-outs and nailing the high-crosses.

Feeling please with our improvement we return for our briefings ….

How did that feel ? This time the questioning focussed on what went well and forced us to reflect on how things “felt” when they worked.

We had each spent 6 minutes paddling and a few minutes more being coached and given feedback. The performance improvement was staggering

The learning points:-
Quality not quantity
Individual feedback important
Shift from directive to questioning and reflective coaching

Then it was our turn …..to coach tandem crews on the same stretch – wow!

In short …..

A fantastic two days covering both traditional skills and high performance coaching techniques. Leo understood what we needed and tailored the course to suit. His style and experience enables him to set people up for success and he’s only too willing to share his considerable knowledge.


Ian Hayward
Whitlingham OEC
Norfolk

18th/19th July Charity walk, yes walk !!

I recently organised a charity fundraising event that involved a group of eight of my best mates and me walking up mountains for two days in Snowdonia. We were all pretty inexperienced when it came to mountain walking so we enrolled the help of Leo Hoare to help us plan a suitable challenge and accompany us on the event. Leo is a bit of an outdoor pursuits guru who worked in Plas-y-brenin for 7 years, and whilst his main talents revolve around canoes and kayaks, he is also a qualified mountain leader and is equally as happy on the high ground as the lakes!

We first met up with Leo in a bar in the Ruthin Castle and after discussing the general fitness of the group we opened Ordnance Survey Map 17 (Leisure) and Leo mapped out a couple of routes to keep us busy for the two days; we would tackle Snowdon on the first day and the Carneddau range on the second. The challenge was therefore set and everyone had a couple of months to get into shape and get the sponsor money rolling in!

On the morning of 18th July 2008, we met up in the car park at Pen-y-pass. The weather was wet, in fact it was very wet. Leo gave us a briefing with the aid of the map on what the day would entail and went through a check making sure we had the essentials packed – food, water, waterproof jackets etc. … and at approximately 9.00am we set off on the Pyg Track.

From a navigational point of view, Snowdon is fairly straight forward from Pen-y-pass, with the Pyg Track and Miners Track being defined routes leading you directly to the summit. Crib Goch is a notoriously dangerous route that branches off from the Pyg Track and whilst the sign directing you there looks appealing, the stark reality is that not many calendars pass by without someone dying on the Crib Goch ridge. Never a consideration for our inexperienced group then, and after since looking at a few clips on You Tube, not a route I personally ever fancy taking!

The trek up the Pyg Track was fairly uneventful. The weather got wetter, we got wetter, and we learnt that gore-tex jackets actually have a life span – which for a few of us appeared to have expired! The mist was fairly low so the views of the Snowdon horseshoe were limited.

At the summit, the weather stepped up a couple of gears: the rain got heavier (if that was possible) and a strong wind also came into play. By this point quite a few in the group were soaked to the bone and getting cold. This is where Leo’s ‘tardis-like’ rucksack came into play. First out came what we christened ‘pac-man’. I am not going to try to describe what this is so you will have to refer to the photos. This piece of equipment was amazing and within a few minutes we were all fully sheltered from the elements. Andy Fleming opened up a corner shop and within minutes we were supping steaming-hot-Bovril and tea. Leo sorted a few of us needy ones out with an extra top and waterproof pants; the weather was so bad that we were all quite keen to get back and get the blood flowing again! The site of Gareth who kept bragging how he was brought up ‘in these parts’ soaked to the bone in a pair of skimpy football shorts and Hi-tec trainers was secretly hysterical!



Again the descent was fairly uneventful - by the end of the following day we learnt that ‘uneventful’ is actually a good thing when up in the mountains! The mist appeared to clear up slightly, affording us some of the spectacular views of the ridges and waterfalls leading down to Glaslyn. For the record, the weather was still bl**dy wet!

It was probably about 3.30pm when we got back to Pen-y-pass…and yes you guessed it, the rain finally stopped!

“As long as you keep dry it’s pretty easy this mountain walking lark” we thought as we headed off to our digs for the night and a couple of well earned pints. How naïve we were; tomorrow’s events would teach us a lesson we would never forget…


We met up in a coffee house in Betws-y-coed at 8.00am and Leo explained the route we had planned. We were to start with a climb and a scramble up Pen-yr-ole-wen and then navigate across the Carneddau ridges to Dafydd, Llewelyn and then Yr Elen. To give you an idea of the heights, these peaks rise to above 3,400 feet whilst Snowdon is only a fraction higher, being around 3,500 feet, although you start from a much lower point than Pen-y-pass so it is actually a greater climb.

Leo had checked the Met office weather website for the day and reported that whilst there would still be plenty of rain about, it wouldn’t be as wet as the Friday, but the winds were forecast to be stronger at around 40mph and north westerly therefore it would be a much colder day than the Friday. The bottom line was that no one was coming today unless they were properly dressed. Leo, looking like he had just broken into the local Millets, starting dishing out spare bits of kit he had brought along. We would be very thankful for that later on.

So off we set in our convoy, through Capel Curig to the main road that splits the Glyders and Tryfan from the Carneddau range. We parked up on the long lay-by, got kitted-up and set off for Pen-yr-ole-wen. For the first part of the walk you follow a stream and pick up odd bits of path and after a fair slog you get to the same level as a lake, Ffynnon Lloer, at which point you look west to the steep ridge that you are about to scramble!

The next hour or two was brilliant. Plenty of climbing, plenty of steep rocks, the weather had turned wet again by this point, which made the rocks slippy and trickier to climb, but we all got a real buzz here. There were no parts that were overly dangerous, but technically it was a great challenge for people of our experience.



About half way up the ridge we found a plateau that was sheltered by protruding rocks so stopped to get stuck in to the pork pies and scotch eggs, kindly provided by Mrs. Parry! As everyone was sitting down I stood up to look at the views when this huge gust of wind came out of nowhere and literally blew me a couple of yards off my feet. Everyone felt the gust, and whilst nervously laughing at my wobble, it was an insight into what we were getting into and how dangerous things could get.

After some more scrambling, the rocks levelled out a bit and there was a steep grass incline to the peak. At this point the mist seemed to come in from nowhere and all of a sudden we were in a totally different situation. Leo called for the troops to stay close together and we steadily made our way up to the summit. The wind was now battering us making walking a real effort as we reached the cairn at the summit.



On a clear day navigation is fairly straight forward as you can use your eyes to guide you. On a day like today however we learnt quickly that you need to be able to accurately read a map with a compass and measure your way to the correct route because if you miss the path over the ridge you could literally end up standing on the edge of a cliff – not really what you want to be doing with strong winds about!

So Leo navigated us to the correct path along the ridge and we started making our way to Carnedd Dafydd. If it was possible, the weather seemed to be getting even worse and the combination of hard driving rain, very strong winds and thick mist was making walking very difficult and taking ages. We therefore made use of the next cairn at Carnedd Fach and welcomed the shelter as an opportunity to get some more food and hot drink. In the cairn there were two couples; one was a couple in their 50s who we had bumped into earlier and seemed to be fairly experienced, but had decided to turn back - they had all of the electronic equipment with them and measured the wind at 75mph! The others were a couple of city-slickers who were clearly out of their depth. The younger of the two fellas was visibly shaking and obviously scared. We gave him some of our hot drinks which seemed to help him and they were comforted when the other couple offered to accompany them back the way they had came.

Leo was already weighing up the options of our trip, however going back down Pen-yr-ole-wen was not a great one because it was a fairly tricky climb up which would make it a far harder climb down, especially with the wet, slippery rocks. The ridges in this area were still fairly wide so it was a safer option to carry on and for Leo to navigate us to Carnedd Dafydd.

Conditions kept getting tougher and it really was taking an age for us to get a short distance. This was obviously down to the weather severely restricting our movement, but also because Leo was having to pace everything out and keep taking reference points from the map. Visibility was down to 10 yards which has to be experienced to be believed.

Eventually we reached the cairn at Dafydd and had another committee meeting. Some of the lads were quite wet again by now and quite a few were feeling the cold. The conditions really were unbelievable and something none of us had ever experienced. Leo reckoned the weather was abnormally severe for that time of year and was certainly far worse than the Met office had forecast. What was quite obvious was that we were not going to be able to make it to Yr Elen. The ridges become a lot narrower as you approach Llewelyn and in parts are really narrow up to Yr Elen with very steep drops on both sides. There was no way that Leo was going to take us down that route in this weather – it just wasn’t safe; we already knew those 75mph winds were more than capable of blowing you clean off your feet. The other thing to consider was that we were moving very slowly in this weather and as members of the group were already feeling the conditions we couldn’t stay on these ridges for too much longer. Hyperthermia can kick-in in minutes and the last place you want to be when that happens is 3 hours from climbing down a mountain. Our faces felt like they’d done ten rounds with Mike Tyson such was the battering we’d had from the wind.

It was a shame that we were forced to alter our route and not do exactly what we had planned, but by the time we changed direction the reality was that on a clear day we were probably only 45 minutes away from Yr Elen over flat land that would have been a doddle to reach in clear weather. What we actually got put through was a far tougher challenge than it should have been, but as any mountain leader will tell you, safety always has to come first.

So we headed off, still on our original route towards Llewelyn, however after another long slog in Wales’ version of Siberia we changed direction about half way on the ridge. Leo had been carefully pacing the route and after a certain number of yards changed direction and headed us down the ridge at a point where the gradient was manageable. Again he paced the route so far and again we changed direction as the map highlighted a steep and dangerous drop on our previous route. It was about this point that we got beneath the clouds and I think it’s fair to say that a huge sigh of relief was had by all.

We stopped for another well earned butty break. I think I will be taking whisky with me next time though! As we continued the descent, Tryfan across the way came spectacularly in to view, and as with the law of the sod, didn’t have a cloud near it! Another thing I learnt on this trip was that each mountain range in Snowdonia actually has it’s own weather system.



A few of the old dogs in the group felt their knees almost breaking on the descent to low ground (stand up Si Bonnet!), but we all made it back safely and soon ended up back in the café in Betwys-y-coed, except this time sitting outside in scorching heat! Unbelievable!

We all had a magnificent experience and pretty much everyone has caught this mountain bug BIG TIME. We are already planning the next one. The help and guidance we had from Leo was immeasurable. We learnt so much in two days. The weather meant we were thrown right in the deep end and I am just thankful that we were lucky to have Leo along … or we would have no doubt been making a phone call to the big yellow budgie!

D4DR The Austrian Road Trip weeks 3+4

D4DR The Austrian Road Trip

We left for Austria on Thursday 3rd July with what we thought we would need for camping. I bought a tent the day before coming to Slovenia as the two others I have were too big or heavy for the flight. I paid the grand sum of £10 in argos & they will be receiving a letter of complaint when I get home, the reason will be revealed later.

The drive from Slovenia was fairly relaxed, lots of beautiful scenery, we were making good progress until, not long after crossing the border into Austria, we were waved into a checkpoint by the short hairy arms of the law. He checked our passports & weighed the van, when he realised we were clean he waved us on with a cheery frown.

We arrived in Lienz, found the campsite & while the others erected their tents I read the instructions for my new purchase, 'This item is showerproof not waterproof!' What sort of lunatic would design a tent & sell it in a country renowned for rain without that little gem of info on the outside? Thinking about it, a very rich lunatic!

After deciding I would sleep in the van we drove to a put in on the River Isel. We put on & instantly felt the river had more power than the ones we had paddled before. The eddies were man made & quite boily, making for some interesting break ins & outs. The wave trains were bigger & the pourovers were grabbier with not many calm portions.

On Friday we had a look at a part of the River Drau, a dam release river with almost as much power as The Isel. We put on after lunch & practiced eddying in & out until we got to the slalom site. Big boulders had been put in strategic positions to create pourovers, stoppers & eddys. Deb P. & Rob were playing around with the various features, attaining (going up) the rapid & going through the hanging gates. I was happy to ferry glide from one side to the other & hope I didn't get washed away. Deborah had a go at attaining but was pushed back into the eddy I was in. She had another go, got caught by the main flow & hurtled towards a mid-stream boulder. She was pushed around it & into the boil behind which tipped the boat. After quite a few roll attempts in aireated water she swam & was carried off downstream with Deb P. & Rob in hot pursuit. I caught up with Deb P. & we eventually got the boat into an eddy after being bounced out of two.

Reunited, we carried on to the playhole a bit further down. Sat in the eddy river left, I grabbed a rock so I could watch the playboaters fooling around & managed to pull a muscle in my arm. Deb P. & Rob jogged for the van & Deborah had a swim in the nearby pool.

Deb P. & Rob had entered the rodeo which took place on the Saturday. The funniest moment for me was when the anouncer called out the womens heat starting with "World freestyle kayak legend DEB PINNIGARRRRRRRRR" everytime Deb paddled. Deb won the heat, semi-final & final. Rob put in quite a rousing performance for someone unfamiliar with freestyle in a borrowed boat, sidesurfing, flatspinning & even a backloop! The world number two was in his heat & I think Rob just didn't want to show him up.

On the Monday we went for another paddle on the Isel, dropping Deborah at the put in we went to before. Deb P. Rob & I went further up. Putting on & paddling into the first set of waves I realised I'd left the iron on, or hadn't fed the cat, or hadn't put the milkbottles out, any reason why I should be somewhere else. The waves were breaking over me, one second I could see Deb, the next was just a wall of greyish with white foam. I paddled hard & got used to the way the water was acting, eventually breaking into a smile, that was until THE stopper. The one that flipped me over & had a mate behind it that gave my roll a spanking. I swam & swam & swam some more, getting to the bank to watch Deb trying to push my boat to the side. I found myself on a gravel bar, out of sight of Deb & Rob. Thinking I could be in for a bit of a walk, I looked for a safe route to cross river right through what looked like a tributary stream. Rob appeared on the next gravel bar & said I'd have to swim down a bit to Deb & my boat. Wading out, the river was grabbing at my feet just three feet from the bank, I did a reverse swan dive with two twists for artistic impression into the current & was carried swiftly downstream to see Deb waiting with my boat. Knackered, I clambered in & we picked up Deborah just around the next corner. Without any major wobblies we got to the takeout & travelled on to a town called Loafer.

Nice campsite with all singing & dancing toilet block.

Went for a paddle on a nice easy grade I/II, practicing breaking in/out. Back to the campsite for a quick coffee then met Debs' friends Ingrid & Olli Grau, paddled a stunning grade I, great to see world class paddlers fooling around on the easy stuff like us mortals. I capsized while seeing how far I could edge my boat & Rob laughed.

The next day Deb took Rob & I for a paddle from the campsite down to a slalom course where I grew in confidence running the section three times. Rob & Deb went further downstream into a class V section. We stopped on the way back to Slovenia at a couple of lakes to do some rolling practice, then paddled a 20k section through a gorge where I had two swims in shorts in freezing water & ended up speaking an octave higher.

Back at Trnovo we dropped Deb P. at the train station & eagerly awaited the arrival of Gez to start the raft training.......

By Martin Mills