Life takes different paths, we all know it, and it depends whether you try to fight it, or just go with the flow, as to what the outcome will be.

I have found myself in another life change, it usually happens every decade, as far as I can see. The sorting comes through the years in between & then when your approaching your next decade change, you find it all starts coming together. I have remained without children for my 37 years, and it has been fine, I have never had the great want for kids, not to say I don't enjoy them, I love playing & kids are the best at it, adults tend to become boring & lose all their fun. Maybe I haven't wanted for kids, as I am still a big one myself, anyway a digression is in process, so lets get back to it. I have a beautiful girlfriend, Nicola, who has 3 children, one who has now flown the nest, the other two are ages 5 & 8. The long & short of where I am going is that now I have a girlfriend with children, it means I must give up some of my time to them & their needs, can't be a selfish ass all my life. So Isaac, the 8 year old has gone away on a ski holiday with his Dad, and good for them, this left me & Nic with her 5 year old Millie. So we decided to take her upto Scotland, with the thought we might get a good amount of snow & be able to take her skiing (we were hoping!!). Its always a risk if you head to Scotland for a bit of piste skiing, you can be pretty much guarenteed to get ski-touring during the winter season in Scotland, but skiing on piste can be very hard work, icey, windy, not much snow cover.... but then sometimes you hit jackpot & you wonder why on earth anybody ever goes to Europe!! This was one of those times.

I learnt to ski in the Lakes & Aviemore from the age of 4, plastic skis, a bit of sliding around, and then the next year we headed to Italy & Sauze D'Oulx, so from the age of 5 I was very lucky to be on good pistes, with great snow. So this little holiday takes me back to when I learnt to ski. But of course, I remember the fun, but I can't remember how I was taught, what problems I came across, or how to deal with them, so to me it is all a new experience, as much as it was for Millie.Thr first day we had low cloud, but the snow cover was amazing, especially since there was no snow the week before, it had been stripped as Honza and I found out when we arrived at Ben Nevis. Luckly for the last couple of days it had been snowing like crazy, putting over 2 feet of fresh snow, maybe more. We opted for Glencoe to to high winds forecast, but found the conditions fine, bar the whiteout. Glencoe is not the friendliest places to ski with a 5 year old who has never been on ski's before, but we set off up the chair lift & then I made an effort of getting Millie up the Poma to the green runs above. this was no mean feat, as I had to carry her, not trusting she could stand up on ski's having never worn them before. We made it to the top & set off down the green to the rope tow, Millie between my legs, snow ploughing all the way (me not Millie that is). This again, didn't prove as easy as I thought it would be. The skiing was simple enough, but controlling Millie's extra weight whilst snow ploughing down the runs was pretty tough. My legs were on fire when we reached the little rope trainig tow. It was of course not running, but no matter, it wasn't a big slope to walk back up. And so I preceded to snow plough with Millie between my legs, trying to get her to stand upright.

It all worked pretty well, but she spent alot of the time relying on me to keep her standing, not taking much of the weight herself. I then moved to skiing backwards infront of her, supporting her from the front, but she still relied heavily on me. Did I experience this lack of balance when I was her age? Did I have the same fears she looked like she was experiencing? I can't remember, I was only 4 at the time.To finish the day, I thought it would be ok to ski down the final run to the carpark, with Millie again between my legs. It looked reasonable from the lift on the way up. Whoops, bit of a mistake. It was ok initially, but then the slope steepened & then narrowed, as they tend to in Scotland. Nicola, who has skied enough time before to be comfortable on red runs in the Alps, was now being tested after not having skis on for 3 years, whilst getting to grips with sloppy hire boots & not so great hire skis. I was having to pick Millie up & ski with her in front of me, but al was well & with a little walking past the rock exposed gun barrel, we made our way safely to the bottom. A good first day's skiing and Nicola & I had managed to get a couple of runs in separately ourselves. With beautiful views across Rannoch Moor, we set off to spend another night in the Van down in the woodland behing Glencoe Village.

The next day we woke & thought we would check out the Nevis Range. The snow cover was full, all runs open & the weather was a little claggy, but clearing. We hired kit again, set off up the bubble and arrived at the slopes. The rope traning tow was working here & so with ski's on we set to teaching Millie again. Nicola went off to get a run in, whilst I tried to get Millie to support herself & start to learn a snow plough, and we did pretty well, but she couldn't get the snow plough quite sorted & still wanted to lean on me a litle too much. With Nic back, we went for a break & then I got a couple of runs down the Warren in excellent snow conditions. There had been a Polish guy in the hire place, who had understood I wanted a nice stable fast ski and had given me a set of Rossignol something or other... it was a good choice & I had 2 great runs. When I got back, it was almost time for heading down, we had had quite a late start, but then its ok when you have a 5 year old with you. Lazy days!! Back at the van & we headed this time up Glen Nevis, after deciding to stay an extra day, due to being told it would be a blue sky day on Wednesday.

Waking in Glen Nevis, at the top carpark, was a beautiful experience. The sun was shining on the mountain tops, that were plastered in snow and we were surrounded by them. What more can you ask for. We went for a morning stroll up towards Steele Falls, but with limited time, due to a lasy breakfast, we turned back before we got there. We wanted to get Millie a ski lesson with someone else, thinking it would benifit her confidence & she may learn more quickly. It would also have given Nicola and I the chance to get 1 hour skiing together. It ws not to be. Millie is quite shy with people she doesn't know & would be left with the instructor, a lovely guy called Tristan. But this was not a bad thing, ok Nic & I could get some time to ourselves, but then we were there for Millie & her benefit and for me this is the life changing stuff. Having to think about others again... it comes to us all. We figured it would be good for Tristan to show me at the same time, how to carry on the tuition after had finished.

Quite quickly he had Millie up the Poma & I learnt how you take kids up a Poma, and then coming down the slope as Nic and I watched at the bottom. After a while I skied down with them & then took over what he was doing, with him directing. At the end of the lesson, we used a great device, which allowed Millie to support herself, whilst I was there to control her speed if needs be. It was basically a couple of slalom poles with a shorter fiberglass pole in between, held together with a rope strung though them to make a frame. It worked a treat & Millie snow ploughed and steared her way down the slope with very little help from me. A major success!!

For the rest of the afternoon, which was only a hour or so, we played in the wooden climbing/play/swing area whiclst Nic & I took turns to get a couple of runs in. Millie enjoyed the swing looking down at Loch Lihne and the surrounding mountains & snow cover. What a beautiful finish to 3 great days in Scotland & Millie's first experience of skiing. We could have asked for more. We headed down to the van and got our heads ready for the long drive home. We set off from Fort William & stopped on the back road to the Kings House on Rannoch Moor to have dinner in the van, before making the rest of the journey, the beauty of a camper van.

Driving away I couldn't help but think that I had been in Scotalnd, with the most amazing snow conditions & I had not got to do anything I really wanted to do. I could have run, climbed or skied all over the mountains, the Ben was plastered, there was snow cover & I had my Kahtoola KTS's and Camp Corsa axe with me, but the oppertunity just hadn't arisen, but I felt warm inside, that I had been able to give Millie the same experiences I had grown up with & I knew inside, that Scotland is always there. Ok, it was good snow cover, the best they had had all season, but I new it will come again & I will get my time again. And best of all, although tired, I wasn't as exhausted as usual.

Tried to get a few days climbing up on the Ben late last week, but I knew it was destined to fail as I have had a bad cold/chest for a few weeks & was only just recovering, but sometimes, especialy when you haven't had much action due to work, you have to push the preverbial boat out... so we did. Honza & I set off for Fort William at 6pm on Wednesday, typically 2 hours later than planned.

We made good time in my van and got to the North Face carpark at 11:30pm. We had said we would walk in, so we did, after getting our kit ready & consuming too much wine. This led us a a large detour as we walked the track through the forest, towards Aonach Mor, not the Allt a'Mhuillinn path upto the Ben... Mmmn, mental note not to get blind drunk late at night before walking into the Ben. We turned around and headed back the same direction before getting back on track. It put us a long way behind & left us pretty tired for climbing after walking for miles with 25Kg+ packs on our backs for 3/4 days climbing we had planned. When we woke, after me pitching the GoLite Shangri-la 3 on a little flat platuea just above the CIC hut in the early hours of the morning, there was a thaw in progress. The freezing level had risen above the summits. Next mental note, remember to check the weather before driving 5 ½ hours north for winter climbing. Honza felt dreadful, suspected hangover... but maybe something more. Both tired, we slept a little longer, but I awoke to warmer temps & a groaning Honza, now suspected ill. I still had a terrible cough, so after looking at the Orion Face and getting a weather report to find we would have warm temps until Saturday, we decided to head back down to the van & drive across to the Cairngorms for a day or 2 of ski touring.. we or I fancied a traverse of the platuea to Ben Macdui.

We got to the van after a slow walk & then a lift off Roger Cauldershot, a guide from the Lakes who works for Lyon Equipment, this took the sting out of the walk through the woods. Roger had been out & climbed Tower Scoop, a grade 2/3 ice line of 2 pitches with a client and reported good ice, 7 screws used. At the van, after assessing how we both felt, we decided, as crazy as it is, to head back to the Lakes. 5½ hours later we were back at home, tails between our legs, both feeling pretty awful.  2 days rest and I was about back on my feet, Honza has needed a little more time, as I was already through the worst of the virus, just with the cough left to deal with. Moral of the story is: If your feeling a little tired & under the weather then don't head for 5 and a half hours north in your van to push it out climbing winter style, stay at home in bed & get some rest. And if you do go, don't be tempted by a bottle of wine and a lovely walk to the north face, actually go to bed, get some rest & slog it out the next day!! Still, you live and learn & its all training at the end of the day, but you may not see it like that at the time...

So I managed a long awaited trip to Scotland with Nicola over last weekend (6th & 7th Nov). We headed out on Friday afternoon/evening & drove straight upto Rannoch Moor. Its a long haul, but always worth it, once you have made the effort and I find, although the distance is long, that the time passes quickly with the excitement of what the next few days might bring. I'd looked at the forecast for the Lakes on friday, yes I hear you, classic error... should have checked the place we were going, and it had showed to be clearing for Saturday & great for Sunday. It wasn't until Nicola had said her friend wished us well with the weather that I thought, whoops. Nic fell asleep at around the Green Wellie stop in Tyndrum & when we arrived at the back road to the Kingshouse Hotel, I parked up, got the burner fired up, sat down for a brain rest (after 5+ hours of driving) and set to looking up the weather on MWIS (thank something for Iphones!) and checking the map. The weather report was for 2-4 hours of snow on Saturday, but clearing for Sunday, with heavy snow/rain coming in after dusk on Sunday evening. Well, not too bad, but I felt a bit of a fool, as I hadn't checked conditions,  I had left axe's, crampons & kahtoola microspikes at home. Silly boy. I planned a couple of low level routes for saturday, with a high level route in the Mamores as a backup & left Sunday open to see what the weather gods brought us. As it happened, we awoke in the morning to a mist capped Buachaille Etive Mor and pretty clear skies. We were tired from long weeks apple pressing, working & exercising so coffee was on, burner was once again stoked & firing away and we took an easy morning discussing microspikes.. or the lack of them & what we might do. Plans were made, the burner was left to die down & we got ourselves together, ready to drive round to Kinlochmore ready for our first Munro's of the weekend. We had made our decision on the weather we saw, what was predicted & the ease of being able to descend from our chosen route safely, had the weather turned to snow. It had said, cloud free summits well inland, so we took a gamble.

Our route today was to be from underneather the Mamore Lodge, up into Alt corie na h-Eirghe and upto the bealach in-between Sgorr an lubhair, then we would head for Am Bodach & see what time we had left. When we got to the bealach, we could not 'not'  summit Sgorr an lubhair, so we did & then headed back on ourselves to pick up Am Bodach (can anybody tell me why Sgorr an Lubhair is not marked as a Munro on the BMC Ben Nevis/Glencoe 1;140'000 map? Comments welcome!!). At the summit, we decided, with on-coming dusk & tired bodies, that we would head back down, as the prospect of Stob Coire a'Chairn wasn't the best option for how we felt, head torches or not. Good decision, as it was impending darkness on our arrival back at the trusty van. A quick salad & then we headed off to Glen Nevis for the next days fun & games. We parked at the head of Glen Nevis in the top carpark, again, burner on, food on the stove, music, all was well. Nipping outside for the obvious calls of nature revealed a starlit sky & the surrounding mountains showing their releif against the night sky. Amazing place to be/sleep. We woke to the sunshine hitting the tops of the Mamores & as we breakfasted, got ourselves ready & headed to the Falls of Nevis carpark, the sun came up & lit the summits around in a warm winter glow.

Today's mission: From the Nevis Falls up onto Sgurr a'Mhaim, then Devils Ridge, cutting out Sgorr an lubhair, as we had summited the day before, passing the little lochan under the crags & up onto Stob Ban. The thought of on coming snow was in the back of our minds, so not too long a day was the best option. The weather was perfect, a mixture of sun until midday & then cloud cover & snow in-coming. It reached us as we summited Stob Ban, perfect timing. All we had to do now was the long descent back to the Falls of Nevis & of course the long drive home. Back at the van we made some food, got the burner on a again.. oh the joys of a wood burner in my van, and then as the rain started we set off for home. Sad to be leaving such a beautiful place & the thoughts of monday morning and work creeping back in. The weather was hardcore & as we head up Glencoe, the wind was trying to pull us over the barrier & down into the valley far below. Funnily, as we got to Rannoch Moor, we hit a lull & we crusied across the flat plain, until the descent started the otherside & the wind & rain/sleet started its barrage a again. It was a long drive... 7 hours... couldn't drive fast, the weather wouldn't allow. And thoughts mused around, brains became tired, we arrived at the Penrith junction & headed along the shores of Ulswater for Kirkstone Pass & Windermere beyond. We had 2 great day's walking those mountains, talked & thought, absorbed & learnt. Looked at the flora, through not much fauna, but as I just remember, we were greeted just off the north flank of Stob Ban by 4 Ptarmigans flying through the turbulent air looking for a place to land, only to carry on when they saw us. Its only tuesday as I write, but I can't wait to get back up there again.. this time for winter climbing & the exhillaration/fear that comes with it, as a matter of course. Kits used over the weekend (all of which performed perfectly, given the weather): Marmot DriClime windshirt & pants Inov-8 Roclite 400's (reveiw coming shortly, we will have stock arriving in Feb 2011) OMM Rotor Smock Montane Feather Light Smock Montane Fireball Odlo Base Layers Haglofs Active Boxer's OMM Adventure Light 20 Inov-8 Race Pro 12 Marmot Spring Gloves Montane Beanie Fox River Primaloft Socks