David, Julia, Martin, Nige, Beth and Barny from CSCC got out on Sunday to catch some snowmelt on the local river Frome, It was at a very good level and the sun was shining! The Frome is flat with lots of wiers, the firm favourite was a wier which had a drop onto a slide onto another drop, great fun! We even entertained some walkers with cameras by doing it multiple times and even backwards. The zoom flume suprised most people providing a big bouncy wave train. Well done to Beth who finsihed the trip despite feeling under the weather.
Thanks to Martin and David for organising the trip.
Tuesday, 19 January 2010
Saturday, 16 January 2010
Discretion is the boring form of valour...
So the snow melted this week and with the heavens opening we decided we would head for a trip to South Wales there would be some water right?
Driving up into the Brecon Beacons we soon realised there was some water, actualy no there was alot of water. All the rivers were running chocolate brown and what is best described as flood. We carried on anyway on the assumption that the Tawe had a small catchment so would still be at a 'safe' level, Luckily the Sat nav took us through a slight de-tour over a bridge of the Tawe. It was a swirly river of death, Some of the group were keener than others but a swim would have turned into an epic as there were very few eddies interspersed with huge waves and stoppers. Luckily we had a backup plan.
Parking in the Gwyn Arms car park we wnet for a walk up the Haffes, if we could'nt paddle whitewater we could atleast look
Driving up into the Brecon Beacons we soon realised there was some water, actualy no there was alot of water. All the rivers were running chocolate brown and what is best described as flood. We carried on anyway on the assumption that the Tawe had a small catchment so would still be at a 'safe' level, Luckily the Sat nav took us through a slight de-tour over a bridge of the Tawe. It was a swirly river of death, Some of the group were keener than others but a swim would have turned into an epic as there were very few eddies interspersed with huge waves and stoppers. Luckily we had a backup plan.
Parking in the Gwyn Arms car park we wnet for a walk up the Haffes, if we could'nt paddle whitewater we could atleast look
So we looked at some fantasy lines on the very steep Haffes (a Tawe tributary) and were very tempted but beacause of the lack of any feasable eddies and several sheep fences on the lower section we gave it a miss and went to the Pub instead. The Tawe had dropped to a high level and was very temtping but we didnt have time or a shuttle.
We found something very interesting on the way home but youll have to wait for info on that :P
Tuesday, 12 January 2010
Scotland 3-9th Jan 2010
This trip was planned and booked way back in August, long before we had any idea about the snow! Never the less we headed up with boats in the hope that some of the rivers might thaw out... they didn't!
The first day we all took a trip to the Etive (without boats) to see how frozen it was... very as it happens. Every fall on the rivers was frozen over with the water flowing beneath the ice. It was absolutely beautiful especially the 20foot right angle fall. After this we all stopped at the side of the main road for Sam and Mike to do some ice climbing. We all set up cameras around the 40foot wall they were aiming to assend. As Sam got towards the top he started to struggle as the ice was running out and any screws he managed to put in weren't very strong and a fall would almost certainly result in 40foot drop into the freezing water beneath him! Luckily he made it and Mike top-roped it with no drama.
The second day Mike and Sam went off for some more climbing and the rest of us headed to Glencoe Mountain for some skiing. Unfortunetely Jess sprained her ankle early on and couldn't carry on skiing. The weather was very misty and the skiing was hard with very little visibility.
On Wednesday Mike and Sam went off on a big Ice climb trip aiming to accend 260feet of a well known icey gully. The rest of us went into Fort William for a few hours before heading back to the cottage and going for a walk up the mountain behind the house. The views we stunning as we looked over to the Pap of Glencoe and out over Loch Leven. At about 16:00hrs though we got a phonecall from Sam. He suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome and had become too tired to continue climbing and Michael wasn't experienced enough to lead the route out of the gully, We called mountain rescue who set out after the,. Luckily the had taken plenty of warm clothes and food but none the less they were both very tired and cold when they returned home at 20:30hrs!
On Thursday 4 of us went skiing again leaving Mike and Sam at home to rest for the morning before joining us on the slopes later in the afternoon. After a bit of messing around on the easiest slope we all took the t-bar lift up to the next section. However it proved difficult on the snowboard as it get very narrow at one point and Charlie just couldn't make it all the way up. Simon and I had a few runs of Mug's alley before heading up to the top of the mountain. We did a couple of runs right down before Simon's legs got too tired. I then met up with Sam and Mike and we did another run on Mugs alley (mainly to laugh at Mike who cannot even stand up on skis!). Sam and i then headed back to the very top of the mountain and skied right to the car park at the bottom whilst the others took the chairlift. The route was hard; narrow, rocky with a mixture of powder and ice it was very unpredictable and we both fell plenty of times!
On Friday Charlie, Simon and I decided to go skiing again. This time we went straight to Mug's Alley. I then went up to the top on my own and was led down a challenging route by a couple of 12 year olds who proved much better than me! After lunch we all headed up to the top and came down some of the best runs on the mountain! I then managed to break my finger trying a jump which Charlie and Simon then decided not to try! We did one more run before taking the same route Sam and I did the day before back to the carpark.
We left early on Saturday morning and got home at about 14:30hrs after a fantastic and eventful week- albeit with no actual boating!
Ross
The first day we all took a trip to the Etive (without boats) to see how frozen it was... very as it happens. Every fall on the rivers was frozen over with the water flowing beneath the ice. It was absolutely beautiful especially the 20foot right angle fall. After this we all stopped at the side of the main road for Sam and Mike to do some ice climbing. We all set up cameras around the 40foot wall they were aiming to assend. As Sam got towards the top he started to struggle as the ice was running out and any screws he managed to put in weren't very strong and a fall would almost certainly result in 40foot drop into the freezing water beneath him! Luckily he made it and Mike top-roped it with no drama.
The second day Mike and Sam went off for some more climbing and the rest of us headed to Glencoe Mountain for some skiing. Unfortunetely Jess sprained her ankle early on and couldn't carry on skiing. The weather was very misty and the skiing was hard with very little visibility.
On Wednesday Mike and Sam went off on a big Ice climb trip aiming to accend 260feet of a well known icey gully. The rest of us went into Fort William for a few hours before heading back to the cottage and going for a walk up the mountain behind the house. The views we stunning as we looked over to the Pap of Glencoe and out over Loch Leven. At about 16:00hrs though we got a phonecall from Sam. He suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome and had become too tired to continue climbing and Michael wasn't experienced enough to lead the route out of the gully, We called mountain rescue who set out after the,. Luckily the had taken plenty of warm clothes and food but none the less they were both very tired and cold when they returned home at 20:30hrs!
On Thursday 4 of us went skiing again leaving Mike and Sam at home to rest for the morning before joining us on the slopes later in the afternoon. After a bit of messing around on the easiest slope we all took the t-bar lift up to the next section. However it proved difficult on the snowboard as it get very narrow at one point and Charlie just couldn't make it all the way up. Simon and I had a few runs of Mug's alley before heading up to the top of the mountain. We did a couple of runs right down before Simon's legs got too tired. I then met up with Sam and Mike and we did another run on Mugs alley (mainly to laugh at Mike who cannot even stand up on skis!). Sam and i then headed back to the very top of the mountain and skied right to the car park at the bottom whilst the others took the chairlift. The route was hard; narrow, rocky with a mixture of powder and ice it was very unpredictable and we both fell plenty of times!
On Friday Charlie, Simon and I decided to go skiing again. This time we went straight to Mug's Alley. I then went up to the top on my own and was led down a challenging route by a couple of 12 year olds who proved much better than me! After lunch we all headed up to the top and came down some of the best runs on the mountain! I then managed to break my finger trying a jump which Charlie and Simon then decided not to try! We did one more run before taking the same route Sam and I did the day before back to the carpark.
We left early on Saturday morning and got home at about 14:30hrs after a fantastic and eventful week- albeit with no actual boating!
Ross
Friday, 1 January 2010
31st December- Slots, Falls and Portages on the Mellte
Ross, Rheanna and Barny met a crazy man called Sam to paddle the river Mellte in South Wales. The Mellte is famous for paddlers being air lifted out with broken backs, excellent. After getting on the river below the first 20metre fall onto rock we soon found the second big fall, its 2 20metre drops onto rock making something you REALLY dont want to get swept over, nervously catching an eddy we peered over the edge and took our boats for a walk, leaving them high up on the bank we scrambled down the bank to inspect the 'first runnable' drop.
A narrow slot leading into a 5 metre fall onto shallow rock, To make this worse the water seemed to be slamming into the side wall. Sam said that this drop would dislocate you shoulders and rearange your face if you got it wrong. We decided to run it anyway and Ross launched into the waterfall's plunge pool looking very nervous, lining up he dropped through the slot getting knocked onto edge and landing in the plunge pool with a quick high brace and he was down looking releived, Rheanna's turn next lining up the Mamba and dropping throught the slot she made it look super smooth and slid over the next 2 metre drop, Barny next, dropping in the water slammed him into the wall knocking him over and leaving him upside down in the pool and Ross and Rheanna thinking they'd have to put major rescue and first aid skills into practice, luckily he rolled up with nothing but scratches on his helmet. Sams turn and dropped in lifting his paddles leaving his ribs exposed to the rock wall, he'll feel that for a while. From re reading the guide it turns out this one is often portaged.
The river widened untill the next big waterfall, this one is sometimes run but the lip looked too dry meaning you couldnt get speed and would probably faceplant, not fun on a 20 metre fall. We took the boats for another walk. This marked the entrance to the Mellte gorge where the real fun started, the drops became cleaner and the water was channeled making features more powerfull. The next drop which need inspecting was a large slot known as the Backlooping slot, which led into a 2 metre drop onto rock which had to be boofed if you like your ankles as they are, this one is also sometimes portaged. The backlooping slot was run first without too many creekboat acrobatics, then came the shallow drop.
Grade 4 rapids continued untill we reached the 'Looping Pool' this is a 20 metre deep pool with a powerful jet of water flowing into it, everyone ran the rapid leading into the pool fine and then the playboating started, Sam, Barny and Rheanna all managed to throw cartwheels and pop outs in their creek boats and Sam alomost got a full loop in a Big Dog Force! Ross managed to throw several ends in his Project 52, Once we'd finished we wathced Sam frontflip of a cliff which made Green Bridge look tiny, the rest of us followed, whilst satisfyed ourselfs with just jumping, The looping Jet, dished out some serious down time when it was jumped into. A few small rapids led to the get out.
What a trip! Have a good new year everybody. Barny
A narrow slot leading into a 5 metre fall onto shallow rock, To make this worse the water seemed to be slamming into the side wall. Sam said that this drop would dislocate you shoulders and rearange your face if you got it wrong. We decided to run it anyway and Ross launched into the waterfall's plunge pool looking very nervous, lining up he dropped through the slot getting knocked onto edge and landing in the plunge pool with a quick high brace and he was down looking releived, Rheanna's turn next lining up the Mamba and dropping throught the slot she made it look super smooth and slid over the next 2 metre drop, Barny next, dropping in the water slammed him into the wall knocking him over and leaving him upside down in the pool and Ross and Rheanna thinking they'd have to put major rescue and first aid skills into practice, luckily he rolled up with nothing but scratches on his helmet. Sams turn and dropped in lifting his paddles leaving his ribs exposed to the rock wall, he'll feel that for a while. From re reading the guide it turns out this one is often portaged.
The river widened untill the next big waterfall, this one is sometimes run but the lip looked too dry meaning you couldnt get speed and would probably faceplant, not fun on a 20 metre fall. We took the boats for another walk. This marked the entrance to the Mellte gorge where the real fun started, the drops became cleaner and the water was channeled making features more powerfull. The next drop which need inspecting was a large slot known as the Backlooping slot, which led into a 2 metre drop onto rock which had to be boofed if you like your ankles as they are, this one is also sometimes portaged. The backlooping slot was run first without too many creekboat acrobatics, then came the shallow drop.
Barny ran first boofing and breaking out, no dramas. Rheanna's line was a bit more dramatic, missing the boof she landed sideways and capsized and drifted towards an undercut leaving Barny slightly worried but a sweet roll and some casual paddling later she joined Barny in the eddy in time to watch Ross land with a crunch in his playboat (an interesting choice for the Mellte) and got the eddy with an "Its a bit shallow", Sam followed and we carried on down the river.
Another large horizon line apeared, Sam scouted and pointed a line between a tree stump and a metal rod. Ross: "Paddle hard and make sure you boof" Rheanna: "I don't know how!". After dropping of the lip I wondered why hadnt I landed? Turns out the wier was quite a big one and landed on to not very much water. Ross, Barny and Rheanna got down fine. Ross used the opurtunity to explain to Rheanna what boofing was whith a "just watch Sam". Sam paddled hard toward the lip, hit the metal bar and lost all speed, span round and ran the wier sideways and got surfed in the stopper. "Thats not boofing"
Grade 4 rapids continued untill we reached the 'Looping Pool' this is a 20 metre deep pool with a powerful jet of water flowing into it, everyone ran the rapid leading into the pool fine and then the playboating started, Sam, Barny and Rheanna all managed to throw cartwheels and pop outs in their creek boats and Sam alomost got a full loop in a Big Dog Force! Ross managed to throw several ends in his Project 52, Once we'd finished we wathced Sam frontflip of a cliff which made Green Bridge look tiny, the rest of us followed, whilst satisfyed ourselfs with just jumping, The looping Jet, dished out some serious down time when it was jumped into. A few small rapids led to the get out.
What a trip! Have a good new year everybody. Barny
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