Chris Dickinson: March 2010

Lillehammer, Norway, XC Skiing 16-23 March 2010

Organized a group from Argyll Mountaineering Club to Sjusjoen above Lillehammer.

Rented a beautiful cabin seen here with Sally and John Ferrie.

Dougie, John, Morna and Sally working on their uphill track skiing.

During our stay the Birkebeiner 54km race was held. The racers travel from Rena across the mountains via Sjusjoen to Lillehammer, some 16,000 of them!

The wonderful terrain around Sjusjoen.

A sunny lunch spot.

John.

Hazel.

Chris at the Birkebeiner finish line, day after the race!

Cruising along on perfect snow, day after a powder storm!!

Cabins buried on the Saeters.

St Andrew's Uni - River Spean Gorge 14 March 2010

Second day with St Andrew's University crew. Spean had come up to just above 1.5 on gauge and so we set off into the Spean Gorge to work on personal skills and then gorge river running skills. Great to get a decent level.

James runs Headbanger with Emily on safety duty.

Sarah stroking confidently into Headbanger.

Hugh approaching the awkward corner above the cauldron.

Hugh heading for the boof on the right side of The Constriction.

Laura showing good style approaching the same drop. Neither she or Hugh made it through though.

Gotta get some leverage on the last stroke to make the boof!!

A good weekend all round.

St Andrew's Uni - River Roy 13 March 2010

Paddling on the Uper Roy with St. Andrews University Canoe Club. Was running an intermediate coaching course for the Club with Hugh, Laura, James (above), Sarah, Patrick, Emily and Melissa. Finished our training day by running the first half dozen rapids of the gorge section, takinbg out river right before Achavady and the siphon at Headbanger.

Sarah enjoying a clean run down the lower half of the gorge entry rapid.

Melissa dropping through the hole on the second last rapid.

Glovers Chimney Ben Nevis 12th March 2010

Headed up to climb Glover's Chimney on Ben Nevis with Caroline Phillips from the village.

Here Caroline leads the first ice pitch. I led the final chimney which is quite tricky at times although the rock protection is good. Hardest move of the climb was the exit from the Tower Gap. Tower Ridge was plastered in snow.

Silvery sea on Loch Linnhe as we head down the Red Burn.

Ski tour on Grey Corries 10th March 2010

Headed out for a solo ski tour, main objective being to climb Stob Ban 972m behind the Grey Corries. Hiked in via Lairig Leacach bothy and then skinned up to the summit.

From there skied down the south flank and round into the bottom of the corrie to the north and climbed from there on skis all the way to the summit of Stob Coire na Ceannain. The last few metres had to carry the skis as it was both steep and icy.

Nice views of the arete from Ceannan to Claurigh.

Finished the day by descending the arete, dropping slightly into the basin on the right side of the arete and skiing all the way back top the Leachach trackway through Coire na Ceannan.

Both peaks and corries were new for me. Both corries are rarely visited.

A splendid ski tour, but I was a wee bit out of shape in the legs for this and suffered a few bouts of cramp en route to the second peak! Needed a long cold beer and a hot tub when I got home!

Skiing Aonach Mor 8th March 2010

Beautiful weather tempted us up onto the Aonach Mor ski area. There was a good cover on the top half of the field, although it was bobbly in places where the groomers had chewed up frozen snow. Sally gave it half a day and I stayed for the duration.

The best snow was on the rim of the West Face seen here. Also skied down Winger and into the back corrie. Nid Wall was the hardest run I did as it was icy and lumpy. There was an unusually large cover on the slope east of Snowgoose which meant that there was an excellent run right from the summit straight down the hill to the top of the high traverse.

Bonaire, Dutch Antilles 20 Feb to 6 March 2010

On way back from Ecuador spent two weeks in Bonaire, Dutch Antilles.

Signed up with Wannadive for a PADI open water course in first week.

Based at Eden Beach, using pool and the sea. Course included 4 open water dives.

Lizards and iguanas abound!

Bonaire is pleasant and warm!!

Nice restaurants, like this Argentine steak house, but self catered mostly.

Made a couple of boat dives on Klein Bonaire, a smaller uninhabited island ringed by coral reefs.

The diving was excellent, good viz and great coral formations.

Plenty of fish, like this parrot fish, and also saw rays, a turtle, squid, lobster and so on!!

Snorkelled at various places in between dives.

Bonaire has around 100 dive sites, many of which can be accessed from the shore and the whole coast is a marine reserve

Large cruise shjips visit from time to time.

Aboard the Wannadive boat.

Driving into the National Park on North end of Bonaire, a wild place!

Did about 12 open water dives whilst on the island.

Rio Cosanga 19 Feb 2010

Finished our trip with a really great run on the Cosanga (lower) with some rain boosting the flow.
Here we use a sports facility for changing in the rain!!

Dan Dixon cruising on the Cosanga, amazingly a first time down for him!!

Ricky threads his way through one of the longest rapids.

Olga and Oleg steering the catamaran through a long rapid on the Cosanga.

Rio Piatua 18 Feb 2010

Teamed up with Ricky, Dan Dixon, Matt Terry plus Oleg and Olga to run the Piatua, a recently discovered gem of a river that drains into the Anzu, itself a tributary of the Napo. This is a river that is described as "California in the jungle" with magnificent granite boulders in the streambed throughout the run and crystal clear water from the wild Llanganates.

A short hike takes you to the put in from a suspension bridge.

The action starts immediately and is characterised by steep and complex rapids of grade 3 and four for the whole of the run. The vast majority of the river can be read from one's boat.