Saturday 22 March 2014

March 16 2014. Craig Yr Wrysgan, Blaenau Ffestiniog

Looking down from Y Gelynen, the first VDiff of the year. Small holds and long runouts with high exposure made it pretty bold for the grade. Will was threatened by a wayward sheep stuck on a grassy ledge on the route!


Scattered detritus left over from the quarrying around the back of the crag. The way down is through the tunnel in the background which used to service the quarry. An adventurous descent!

March 15 2014. Cwm Glas, Snowdon

Will walking past the evil looking Cyrn Las on the way up to the Clogwyn y Person Arete. In big boots and with strong winds, he got stuck on the first pitch of the Parson's Nose and we had to retreat.


 On the way back down. Me looking a bit grumpy but thankfully warm again, Will quietly contemplating the bitterness of defeat.

January 19 2014. Y Garn, Ogwen Valley


 Lord of the mountain, completely un-phased by our presence.


Looking down the shoulder of Y Garn to Llyn Ogwen and Tryfan.

June 2013. Stanage Edge, Derbyshire

Stanage on a glorious early summer day. Why would you choose to be anywhere else!?


Black Hawk Hell Crack. My first Severe!

March 25 2013. Snowdon

After three days of howling blizzards and neck deep snow, these were the views that mocked us on Monday morning at the start of the drive home.

October 14 2012. Snowdon


The mighty peak of Yr Wyddfa rising over Glaslyn, the final resting place of the sword Excalibur.


 Looking back at the Snowdon Horseshoe.


Moel Siabod reflected in the still waters of Llyn Llydaw.

August 23 2012. North Face of Ben Nevis

On the way down following an aborted attempt to climb Tower Ridge. The most sobering mountain experience to date.

August 20 2012. Glencoe

 Descending from the Aonach Eagach Ridge. A ray of sunlight briefly pierces through the gloom.

August 2011. Mont Civetta, The Dolomites

A somewhat foolish attempt to climb the awe-inspiring Mont Civetta. Slow progress, worsening weather and the warnings of other climbers who were actually equipped for this sort of thing forced us to abandon the idea a long way from the summit.

July 31 2011. 2650m, Karwendel Alps

Day 4 of our trip. A high col just beneath the highest summit in the region. We didn't go to the summit but continued down the screes on the other side. Not a bad start to a 'walking' holiday!

First post

I'm Matt. I'm 24 years old. I live with my parents and work in an office in Central London on a healthy wage for someone my age. I have a great bunch of friends and a good masters degree from a good university. I also suffer from cripplingly low self esteem.

This has simmered under the surface throughout my teenage and adult years. It has infiltrated every aspect of my life, filling my head with evil lies that I came to believe because there seemed to be no alternative. I've never felt myself to be good enough, often in spite of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, never been able to take pride in my achievements, and never really felt that I've deserved any better. Self destructive thoughts have led to self destructive actions, which feed back into my self perception. The vicious cycle seems inescapable and at times throughout my life bitterness and despair have threatened to consume me. It is only now, approaching the age of 25, that I've realised the full extent of the problem and decided to get professional help.

But that isn't what this blog is about. This blog is about my love of life and the world around me.

I graduated from my masters degree in July 2011. It ought to have been one of the proudest days of my life. Instead it was lost to regret for everything that I didn't do during what were supposed to have been the best four years of my life, and fear about the future, which didn't possibly seem like it could be worthwhile. But I had this one opportunity left to me... I was heading to the Alps for a trekking holiday, between Bavaria and the Dolomites.

Having never set foot on a proper mountain before, this was a massive culture shock at first. It soon developed into the greatest adventure I've ever experienced. Storms, encounters with Alpine ibex, exposed paths on cliff edges and a chance ride on the back of a tractor, all set in continually magnificent scenery. On returning to the UK I found I wanted more of the same, and soon found myself scrambling up Tryfan and crossing the exposed knife edge of Crib Goch. One thing led to another, and I now find myself regularly tied in to a rope in positions I never would have thought I could get myself into (or out of)!

I'm not going to wax lyrical and claim that climbing has turned my life around, or helped me overcome all my other fears. But it has given me hope, and something to be excited about, and will hopefully be a catalyst for change. This blog will be about my adventures, routes climbed, summits reached or missed, photos taken, good times had.

I'm going to start things off with just a few or my favourite photos from the last few years. When this is up to speed I intend to use it to log my climbing days out.