Annual Report 2010

BMG Management Committee 2010

1 Directors (elected by membership) President (3 years plus 1 year as elect non-renewable) Roger Payne Dec 2008 -Dec 2011

Training Officer (4 years plus 1 year as elect, renewable to max 9, plus one year as retiring TO on TC) Terry Ralphs Dec 2008 – Dec 2011

Treasurer (4 years, renewable to max 9) Steve Monks Aug/Dec 2009 – Dec 2012

Secretary (3 years renewable to max 9) Libby Peter Nov 2007 – Nov 2010

2 Area Representatives (2 allowed per area, 3 year renewable to max 9, elected by area groups)

Alpine Areas John Bracey Dec 2008 –2011 Paul Farmer Dec 2008 – 2011 Lakes Phil Poole 2010 - 2013 North Wales Tim Neill 2009 – 2012 Stuart McAleese 2010 -2013 Other Areas Dave Hollinger Dec 2008 -2011 Scotland Steve Mitchell Nov 2007 -2010 Mark Diggins

3 Co-opted members (non-voting, 3 years renewable to max 9)

Chair PSC Pete Cliff Nov 2007 – 2010

Publicity Officer Martin Chester Dec 2008 – 2011

Equipment Officer Stuart Macdonald Dec 2008- 2011

Website Coord Bruce Goodlad

4 Observers (non-voting) MLTUK

Other BMG interests and links

BMG links with Mountain Leader Training BMG has maintained links with Mountain Leader Training (MLT). The following BMG members attend the meetings as a BMG representative of the MLT Boards who meet 3- 4 times a year:

Mark Diggins MLT(UK) Phill George (MLTW - Wales) Robin Andrews (MLTE - England) (MLTS - Scotland)

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President’s Report

2009 ended in the worst possible way with the tragic death of Rupert Rosedale in an avalanche on Ben Nevis. A shocking loss for Rupert’s family and friends; a sobering reminder about the hazardous environment in which our sport and work takes place.

At the spring IFMGA meeting (5-6 May), following a discussion about the number of fatal accidents to IFMGA guides and clients, I was asked how many fatal accidents there had been involving BMG members. I was not able to offer an answer at the time, and the office had no official record. Subsequently I sought information within the Association, and as far as I have been able to establish, since 1980 the following fatalities have occurred: • Four BMG members while personal climbing. • Five BMG members while leading others. • Nineteen clients of BMG members. • Four fatalities due to pre-existing medical conditions (2 BMG members, 2 clients).

Of the fatal accidents, thirteen occurred during the past 10 years. Having now seen almost 2 years of BMG Accident Reports, and reflected for some time on potential ways to help avoid accidents, the following were put forward for consideration by Areas and the Management Committee: • Improve understanding of the role of non-technical skills to achieve success and avoid accidents. • Develop an internal information exchange system for recent unusual hazards and accident reports in the media (such systems are used by the Canadian Mountain Guides and the American Institute of Avalanche Research and Education). • Consider a system for members to report ‘Unusual Occurrences’ (evidence shows that where ‘UNO’ reports are made accident rates go down).

So far the response to these suggestions has been positive and, if members wish, can be further explained and discussed at the Discussion Forum following the AGM in Scotland. As an immediate development, on the Sunday following the AGM, Mark Diggins has organized a CPD day that will focus on risk perception and analysis, the role of non-technical skills to achieve success and avoid accidents, and learning from unusual occurrences.

Management Committee Since the 2009 AGM at Plas y Brenin, the Committee has met on two occasions (May and September) and a third meeting is planned for 26 November just prior to the 2010 AGM in Scotland. Reports from the Committee meetings have been circulated to members via News from the Mountains and discussed at Area meetings. The Management Committee meetings have had very good attendance, which has led to a valuable and productive exchange of views and discussion of key issues. The 2009 Discussion Forum at Plas y Brenin took the view that the quorum for Management Meetings should be changed, and that each Area should have one vote and could be represented by two members. Hence, a resolution to amend the Articles of Association is on the agenda for the 2010 AGM.

IFMGA

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Terry Ralphs and I have represented BMG at the IFMGA meetings hosted in Austria (5-6 May) and the USA (12-15 Nov). IFMGA is making very good progress and has discussed its future strategy. This includes a possible international framework for professional mountain leadership and instructor qualifications and specialist national guides. This is a very important issue, which if followed through carefully, could result in significant opportunities for national mountain guide associations. Hence, this will be on the agenda for the Discussion Forum that will follow the BMG’s AGM in Scotland. The summary report of the IFMGA meeting in May is at the end of this report, and a report from the November meeting will be presented at the BMG AGM in Scotland.

Now that the BMG invitation to host the IFMGA meeting in autumn 2012 has been accepted and confirmed, Steve Mitchell, Mark Diggins and Mac Mackay have each indicated a willingness to make the necessary arrangements. This will now be a regular agenda item for the Management Committee, and an important responsibility for the next BMG President.

Accident Reports and Professional Standards As President I have a role in PSC matters. These are reported in this Annual Report by the Chair of PSC.

Professional Recognition by UK authorities As reported at the last AGM, the Management Committee decided last December that new action should be initiated by the Directors towards obtaining some form of professional recognition similar to our colleagues in the alpine countries and many other professions in the UK. Hence, during the year the Honorary Secretary and I have made contact with Skills Active, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and Sport England. Progress towards this important goal is likely to be slow, and will certainly require persistence and persuasive diplomacy on BMG’s part.

Trust Funds Last December an update was requested on the situation with the Trust Funds that generously support the BMG. The Ceinwen Faulkner Trust has released its funds to the BMG, and is essentially wound down. After discussion with the Cartwright Trust, changes to the application procedure have been agreed to make this more personalized. The Fred Harper Trust is happy with the current arrangements. In addition, The Chris Walker Memorial Trust has kindly offered to make an annual donation to the BMG’s avalanche training. Chris Walker was a young climber and instructor based in the Lake District who was aiming to apply to BMG. Tragically, he was killed in an avalanche in Scotland, and his friends and family have created a Memorial Trust. The kind offer has been accepted, and the question of how best to use the donation is with the Training Officer and avalanche course convener.

AMI, BAIML, MLT Through our representative (Mark Diggins) on MLT, BMG has continued to develop good relations with the other mountain leader training organizations, while also sharing information on professional recognition in the UK and overseas, and finding areas for mutually beneficial cooperation.

Website Member Search Facility This subject re-emerged and caused comment in February, as it seemed that the decision of the Management Committee that had been announced at the 2009 AGM had not been implemented. The Committee decided that there had been a breakdown in the normal process of decision-making, communication and implementation, and an apology was published in News from the Mountains. Members were also reminded about the agreed objectives for the website, and invited to reconsider the concern that had been raised (i.e. that any selective search system can provide some members with a competitive advantage,

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which some view as an undesirable discrimination and not appropriate for a professional association).

The Alpine Club Following last year’s Annual Dinner at Plas y Brenin, the Alpine Club kindly made a special membership offer to BMG members and reduced cost AC guidebooks. AC Vice President Simon Yates attended the BMG Open Day so that potential applicants are aware of these offers.

Post-Holders and Succession Planning During the year the BMG’s reliable Office, Area Representatives, Committees, Post-Holders, and other members contributing through the Area structure have worked to ensure the smooth and effective running of the Association. Hence, I would like to express our collective appreciation and thanks to all those who have contributed to the running of BMG during 2010.

As announced at the last AGM and subsequently in NFTM, at the 2010 AGM the terms of office for BMG Secretary and Chair of PSC end and are open for renewal, and there will be an election for President Elect for the period from the AGM 2011 to 2014 (my term in office will end at the 2011 AGM). Libby Peter and Peter Cliff have both kindly indicated that if no other candidates wish to take on the responsibilities, they are willing to stand for a 2nd term, and Tim Walker has kindly indicated that he is available to stand for President Elect (proposed and seconded by Mark Diggins and Steve Mitchell).

Also, the post of Website Coordinator will become vacant at the AGM as Bruce Goodlad is stepping down. Bruce initiated the review of the website in 2007, led the process through selection to launch in January 2009, and has coordinated the content since launch. Bruce has done excellent work, and made a very valuable contribution to the Association. Rob Jarvis has kindly offered to take on the role of Website Coordinator, which is a much appreciated offer. The Management Committee will finalize this appointment at the meeting on 26 Nov.

I am sure all members will want to join the Committee in thanking Bruce for his contribution, Libby and Peter for being willing to continue, and Rob and Tim for being willing to undertake new responsibilities for BMG.

I hope that members reviewing this report will recognize the importance and value of the work undertaken for the Association, and consider how they might help the Association to make progress in the year ahead. The Area Representatives, Committee and Officers are keen to get your views via the Area meetings and at the AGM and Discussion Forum in Scotland. So I hope to see you there.

Roger Payne BMG President

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Treasurer’s Report

I again have the pleasure of presenting the Report of the Directors and Financial Statements for the year ended 30th June 2010. I would also again like to make clear how indebted I am to Sue Doyle, who, besides her many other duties as the association’s administrator, continues with the day to day book keeping for the Association, as well as the initial preparation of the accounts for our auditors. The BMG continues in a sound financial position with a substantial surplus for 2010 (after last year’s small loss) and further increases to its cash reserves. A surplus of £9,512 before tax, and £10,303 after tax, was recorded for 2010, with net assets increasing to £69,299. The positive figure for taxation is one factor in the large surplus for 2010. It results from a change to the way that the BMG’s corporation tax liability has been assessed and the subsequent refund of tax overpaid for previous years. Another significant factor in this surplus has been a larger than expected decrease in expenditure, particularly for publicity and on meeting and committee expenses. These issues are expanded on in the relevant sections below. A significant change was made in 2010 to the Civil Liability insurance scheme, with the minimum level of cover being increased to £5M. Further details of this are also given below.

Membership BMG membership in November 2010 is as follows. November 2010 November 2009 Full Guides 138 142 Honoured Guides 5 5 Retired Guides 19 17 Aspirant 2 3 Trainee 8 4 Associate 14 11

TOTAL 186 182

There are also 8 applicants currently accepted by the association. Total income from subscriptions has risen by 7% since last year. Subscriptions for full guides and aspirants were increased by £20 for 2010 (8.7%) to cover the similar increase in the cost of the IFMGA subscription. During 2010 it was agreed by the committee that subscriptions for subsequent years will be due on the 1st of December preceding, rather than on the 1st January, as at present. This will enable me to send out IFMGA and BMG stickers in December, in better time for the start of the winter guiding season. Subscription rates for 2011 will be set at the committee meeting immediately before the 2010 AGM.

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Interest income As expected, income from savings account interest has dropped (by 28%) due to the further decrease in interest rates over the accounting period. The money held in the main deposit account was moved during the year to a different account within the same organisation (Standard Life Savings), which paid a higher rate of interest. Since October 2010 the interest rate paid on this new account has again decreased and I will move our reserve funds again, when, and if, I can find a better rate.

Training and Assessment Scheme Training and Assessment scheme activity was down markedly on 2009. This is due to the small number of aspirant guides coming through the scheme in this accounting period. This is certain to increase again in 2011, with a much healthier number of trainees and new applicants accepted onto the training scheme. The surplus on the operation of the Training and Assessment courses was £4582, a margin of 19%. A surplus is very necessary to contribute towards the costs of administration of the scheme, but has previously been expected to be about 10%. I will be working with Terry to review the training and assessment scheme pricing for next year to see if we can make a reduction in the cost of the courses. The training scheme continues to receive the valued support of the Fred Harper, Ceinwen Faulkner and Jules Cartwright trusts, which help fund candidates for the ski touring, alpine training and winter training courses.

Civil Liability Insurance Scheme There was a major change to the Civil Liability Insurance scheme for 2010, with the minimum level of cover being raised to £5M, and the option for £2M cover dropped from the scheme. This followed a decision made by the committee in 2009 to accept the advice of our brokers, Perkins Slade, in this regard. Following some considerable investigation by Perkins Slade, the policy was kept with Zurich insurance and a reduction was negotiated in the previous premium for the £5M level of coverage. The premium scale (determined by turnover and business structure) was also weighted slightly to benefit individual guides with lower levels of turnover. By these means, the increase in premium to such guides who had previously bought £2M level of cover was kept to a minimum (15-17%). Those that had already been taking the £5M level of cover, benefited from a similar decrease in premium. Overall Civil Liability Insurance income (and expenditure) increased by 28% compared to 2009. The number of BMG members buying their insurance through the BMG scheme remained exactly the same as in 2009 at 105.

Sponsorship The Association continued to benefit from the sponsorship deal with Mountain Equipment for £1750 per year, plus open day support and a beneficial trade deal for all members.

Expenditure Overall expenditure has decreased markedly on last year (by about £7500 or 18%) and has been an important factor in this year’s large surplus. There are two main categories of expenditure that account for this: 1. Publicity, down roughly £4000 on last year. This is principally due to last year’s expenditure including the costs of the new web site and hence a decrease this year was expected. Even so, overall publicity expenditure was appreciably below that budgeted for 2010.

2. Meeting and Committee expenses, down £3600 on last year. This follows a considerable increase in these expenses last year. Particular frugality by the committee members may be a factor, but it is most likely attributable to changes in the total numbers travelling to

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the committee meetings (as was expected). The IFMGA meetings were also held closer to home during this accounting period. I do expect that this item will continue to be quite variable from year to year. The fact that a large number of the current officers and committee members are resident outside of the UK (as well as an IFMGA meeting in the USA), mean that this item is unlikely to decrease in 2011.

Expenditure on IFMGA membership rose by £1300, as expected, with the increase in IFMGA fees. This was offset by the increase in subscriptions, as mentioned previously.

Taxation Our accountants and auditors, Bentleys, have been successful in establishing with HMRC that the BMG is an organisation that is principally trading with “itself”, i.e. between its members. As I understand it, this means that the BMG is not liable to corporation tax on the portion of its income derived from its members, which is most of it. Income not derived from its members, which is mainly deposit interest, is still liable to corporation tax. Bentleys have been successful in resubmitting our last 3 years of corporation tax returns on this basis, with the result that we have received a net refund of corporation tax of £791 this year. This situation is especially beneficial to the BMG this year, when deposit interest is low and we have a particularly large surplus; a surplus which would otherwise have been fully subject to corporation tax. A downside is that, in years where we do make a ’loss’ (such as last year), we may still have a corporation tax liability. Overall though, this is likely to be very beneficial to the BMG in the future.

Budget for 2011 I will be making a recommendation for subscription rates, honoraria and other budget items for consideration at the committee meeting before the AGM.

Steve Monks BMG Treasurer

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Training Officer’s Report

The training committee members are Terry Ralphs (TO) Graeme Ettle, Adrian Nelhams, Andy Teasdale, Rory Gregory, Bruce Goodlad, and Steve Long (MLT Rep).

Introduction This will be the end of my second year as training officer. As I am sure most of you are aware that this year started really badly for us with the very sad loss of Rupert Rosedale (BMG trainee guide). He was taken by an avalanche whilst climbing on Ben Nevis. It is always very traumatic to lose a Guide to the mountains, but I felt this was especially tragic for someone so young and talented. My condolences (again) to his family and friends.

Otherwise this has been extremely positive year which has passed very quickly. When I look back as I write this report I see how busy the BMG training scheme (and the BMG) is and what it has achieve. We have had a very healthy interest in the training scheme with 12 applications and we have accepted 8 of these. Also the Open Day was a big success having 18 participants. This and the rest of the training courses are all very positive. Increased numbers on the courses meant that we have had good exchanges of ideas from the guides working on the training scheme and this has given rise to some really useful course development. This has also meant that we have now a larger core group of guides working on the scheme so continuity and specialisation has been enhanced. The increase in numbers has really given the courses a more dynamic feel, and I hope that we can sustain an intake each year of 6 to 8 as this makes a big difference to our courses. On considering these exchanges of ideas from the guides working on the courses I realise that it is easy to keep adding days to enhance the training but I am sensitive to the financial burden that the scheme imposes. I am keen to make the training courses as best value as possible and for them to give the folk on the scheme the most rewarding time. The high pre requirements mean that we very talented alpinists on our scheme and I will endeavour to make their time on the scheme as smooth as possible by further developing and tweaking our courses to maintain the high standards. During this year I have observed the Avalanche and Rock 2 Courses so that we can get an overview of how these courses fit into the scheme. We are now making some careful changes to extend the learning experiences of the participants whilst not adding in any extra financial costs.

Again I have attended the two IFMGA meetings held each year (spring and autumn), along with Roger Payne, (BMG president). The BMG has a very good relationship within the International Guiding community and is much respected. Our reports from these events are published in NFTM. In Boulder this autumn the main talking point at the IFMGA Assembly are the rules and regulations that apply in each member country for guides and aspirants working in that country. The IFMGA have also asked the BMG to run the technical day on “Guiding Traditional Rock Climbs”. I will run this as a workshop using the BMG rock training courses as a template to work from. The exchange of ideas should be very interesting. The IFMGA are looking to member associations to have a good presence in their own country. This lack of presence has caused major problems for Greece (suspended) and Spain (suspended but working hard for regaining membership). The problem with these two members of the IFMGA was that there is competition from other national training bodies. This either diluted quality (Spain) or they had no new entrants (Greece) due to competing organisations taking the easier/cheaper standard. As a result the IFMGA are going to discuss the possibilities of having national qualifications with potential cross country equivalence in May 2011. It is with this and the fact that the BMG

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seems to have lost is presence in the UK in mind that I have raised the issue of the BMG implementing National qualifications in the Rock and Winter environments. You will find my article on this in NFTM issue October 2010. I hope that we can re-discuss this at the open forum at this AGM. I think that we need to be very measured and careful how we proceed so the TC will be talking in depth on this subject at the meeting before the AGM. I think that input from the membership is very important so please share your views at the AGM, through area meetings or by direct contact with me or a member of the TC.

I would like to thank all the guides on the training committee and those who worked on the BMG training courses this year for their efforts and hard work. Working on these courses demands high standards which I know we all to strive to exceed and this is quite a big responsibility. I would also like to thank the staff at PyB, especially Martin Doyle and Gaynor Lewis, for their support during the BMG courses and Open Day which were based at PYB. PyB provides us with an excellent venue to base ourselves and as always they go the extra mile to see that the BMG are well looked after. We had five courses based at PyB this year, plus the Open Day, one management committee meeting and the Kyrgyz guides. And of course last but not least, a big thanks to Sue Doyle for her excellent and diligent work in supporting the BMG training and the BMG.

Applications 2010. We have been fortunate to have a 12 applications submitted this year which is a healthy number. It is good to see so much interest in our training scheme and I hope it continues. We have accepted 8 of these applications on to the induction phase of the scheme. They are Matt Spenceley, Tania Noakes, Ben Bradford, Bruce Poll, Gavin Pike, Matt Stygall, Alasdair Buchanan, and Dave Evans. Some have very minor experience to make up their pre requirement level and I don’t anticipate any problems with this.

Training Scheme Update Rupert Rosedale (Trainee Guide) was sadly lost from the scheme. Toby Keep (Trainee Guide) has withdrawn from the scheme after the winter training. Robin Thomas (Trainee Guide) has withdrawn from the scheme after the winter training. New Registrants:( 8) Matt Spenceley, Tania Noakes, Ben Bradford, Bruce Poll, Gavin Pike, Matt Stygall, Dave Evans, Alasdair Buchanan. Rock Trainees: (2) Ross Hewitt and James Edwards. Winter Trainees: (6) Andy Nelson, Rocio Siemens, Andy Houseman, Andy Townsend, Paul Chiddle and Euan Whittaker. Aspirants first season: depends on winter assessment results. Aspirants second season: (2) James Thacker and Mark Walker New Full Guides: (3) Peter Rowlands, Paul Warnock, Phil Ashby; Congratulations!

BMG Open Day We run the open day every two years. On the 22nd May 2010 the BMG held an Open Day for future guides at PyB North Wales. This careers day was well attended having 18 participants. This was a very successful day well attended by guides and participants. The weather was extremely hot and the crags tinder dry, so we made a beeline for the pass in the afternoon after a very productive morning presentations. Simon Yates from the Alpine Club came along to recruit new members giving a very informative talk on the benefits of being an AC member. I would say that it is well worth joining as we now have a “fast track” way to apply as the AC will provide proposers and relax on how much experience we need to put on the application form. There were some very strong alpinists and climbers on the Open Day and I hope some day soon with submit an application. We are now seeing some of the past open day participants

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submitting applications and starting the training scheme so this is obviously an effective and valuable day.

Programme Saturday 22nd May 2010 9.15 Assemble in main lecture theatre at PyB Tea/Coffee 9.30 Introduction and Outline for the Day by Terry Ralphs 9.45 The BMG Training and Assessment Scheme, presentation by Terry Ralphs (BMG training officer) and course convenors. 10.45 How to meet the pre requirements talk by Andy Teasdale 11.15 Alpine Club Presentation Simon Yates 11.45 Questions 12.00 Lunch 13.00 Outdoor practical sessions. Climbing in the Llanberis Pass and bouldering at the RAC boulders. 18.45 Informal drink at PyB bar 20.00 Lecture: “The Work of a Mountain Guide” Terry Ralphs Open to public

We have already received good feedback from the participants who would like to thank all involved with the day. I would like to say a special thanks to the guides who helped out on the day: Andy Teasdale, Roger Payne, Steve Hartland, Stuart Macdonald, Peter Rowland, Matt Helliker, Libby Peter, Tim Neill, Martin Chester, and Steve Long. It was great to have their support and it made it possible to do some 1:1 and 1:2 rock climbing in the afternoon. The small guide ratio was really appreciated by the participants. Also thanks to Martin Doyle, Gaynor Lewis and the staff of PYB who helped to make the day run so smoothly.

BMG Pre Scheme Training Courses We have had some excellent feedback from the open day and I also probed to whether a BMG training course in rock climbing guiding and improvised rescue would be beneficial to these folk who are interested in becoming guides. Their was a positive response to this and I feel that BMG pre training courses open to the public would be a positive step in enhancing the public profile of the BMG whilst providing a useful service. It will also provide work for our members and really help promote the BMG and the guiding profession. To start these courses rolling it might be prudent just offer a rock guiding training day as an extension of the next Open Day in 2012 and then see how popular it becomes. There would have to be some kind of control to the calibre of climber to be accepted on this course (as with the Open Day). I would hope that this wouldn’t compete with BMG guides running rock climbing courses to the public as it would be targeted towards climbers wanting to become professionals. I would welcome any thoughts or feedback from the membership as this is a new direction for the BMG.

Please find a resume of the course reports from the course convenors below:

BMG Ski Technique Course 4-6 Jan 2010 Convenor: Steve Jones Summary: The course ran successfully in Leysin with good snow conditions. Very professional enthusiastic and expert tuition was delivered by the instructional team. Also included an excellent presentation by Jean on Adventure Skiing Skills and an equipment seminar by Alex. Thanks as ever to the FH fund for making this possible and providing a really pleasant & fun learning environment for the candidates and the opportunity to meet other members of the association.

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Instructors: Alex Languetin, Oliver Scherrer, Jean Pavillard (Guide) Participants: Candidates: Andy Townsend, Andy Nelson, Paul Chiddle, Rocia Siemens, Ross Hewitt, Euan Whittaker, Andy Houseman. Aspirant: Pete Rowlands Guides: Rob Collister, Andy Teasdale, Owen Samuel, Andy Perkins, Peter Cliff, Nick Willis, Jonny Baird, Phil Poole, Kathy Murphy, Steve Monks, Steve Jones. Guest: Gilli Cliff

Ski Induction 7th January 2010 Course Staff: Terry Ralphs, Steve Jones Participants: Andy Townsend Andy Nelson Paul Chiddle Rocio Siemens Ross Hewitt Euan Whittaker Andy Houseman Weather: Good, cold and a bit windy. Flat light in the afternoon Itinerary: Diablerets, Glacier 3000. TR took AT, RS, EW. SJ took AN, PC, RH, AH in morning. TR took AN, PC, RH, AH. SJ took AT, RS, EW in afternoon. 4 descents of the combe d’ Audon were made by each team via off piste routes. All registrants all passed.

Cascade Guiding Training Day 8th January 2010 Course Convenor: Terry Ralphs Course Staff: Terry Ralphs, Roger Payne, Greame Ettle, Steve Hartland Participants: Andy Townsend, Andy Nelson, Paul Chiddle, Rocio Siemens, Ross Hewitt, Euan Whittaker, Andy Houseman, Phil Poole

Venue: La Gouille and Cascade Usine, Arolla The cascade guiding day is to cover issues specific to cascade climbing and guiding. The day was run at a lower ratio than normal and although this increased the cost and logistics of the day it was felt valuable to have the more focused input. Next year this course will be compulsory for all new registrants. I also think that it helps soften the induction process as it helps prepare the registrants for the winter induction.

EAS Avalanche Course La Grave 10-15 Jan 2010 Convenor/instructor: Steve Jones BMG/AGS Guide/instructor: Per As SBO/SGF

BMG Participants: Andy Nelson, Euan Whittaker, Rocio Siemens, Ross Hewitt, Paul Chiddle, Andy Houseman (candidates) Terry Ralphs (Training officer BMG) Phil Ashby (aspirant) 1 day Andy Townsend went to Rupert Rosedales funeral and will complete this course next year.

Summary: Avalanche hazard 'considerable' all week made for interesting conditions, especially re. terrain choice. The course ran close to the programme attached. Less time spend on assessment to spend more time in the field. It was agreed that participants all had a good level of knowledge and good mountain sense. This then needs to be built on during the training with a very thorough assessment before becoming a guide. 1. Meticulous planning 2. Accurate hazard evaluation from observations 3. Appropriate terrain choice/decisions. 4. Group management

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5. Skilled in self rescue search and organisation. Important that the BMG Training Officer attended this course and is involved in its development so there is a good progression through the training to becoming the expert in the field once qualified.

I was invited by Steve Jones to come and observe this course which I did and felt it very useful. It is important for me to have a good overview of the training scheme so that we can carefully develop the courses to have continuity and to be as efficient as possible.

Phil Ashby had two days outstanding from his avalanche course as he had to leave this course in 2008 to go to a war crime tribunal as a witness. He later completed one day on the avalanche course this year and another day with me later the next week. He has now completed this course.

Scottish Winter Training 25 to 27th January 2010 Convenor: Chris Ensoll, Course staff: Chris Ensoll, Blair Fyffe Participants: James Thacker, Toby Keep This course is supported by the Jules Cartwright Trust This course was based in Fort William. Sunday 24th January (evening) Met the participants at Alan Kimber’s in Fort William for the course intro.

Monday 25th January • Weather: started cold and clear, cloud came in later. • Teams: CE with JT & TK • Objectives: short roping, skills teaching, night navigation and route finding. • 0800 at Glen Coe. Up Dinnertime Buttress on Aonach Dubh (II). Skills teaching in Stob Coire nan Lochan. Walked to bottom of Dorsal Arete (II), short-roped down, then climbed back up looking at route choice and changing from short roping to pitching in ascent. • In the mist and dark went on to Bidean nam Bian, along the ridge to Stob Coire Sgreamliach, then navigated in limited visibility down to Ston the Larig (II) in descent. • Back at cars at 2030. Tuesday 26th January • Weather: thaw conditions, damp. • Teams: CE with JT & TK • Objectives: pitched climbing, stance management, changing from short roping to climbing, abseil descent, short roping in descent, climbing in series and parallel, avalanche evaluation. • 0830 left ski car park. Walked in to Coire an Sneachda - Fiacail Buttress. Climbed various routes Grade III-IV. Back at car park at 1645. Debrief and feedback. • Evening session: Blair Fyffe on SAIS. • Finished 2100. Wednesday 27th January • Weather: very damp start, got colder later. • Teams: CE with JT & TK • Objectives: changing from short roping to short pitching and pitched climbing, navigation on Ben Nevis plateau. • Met 0700, went up Tower Ridge. Navigated on summit plateau. Went down Ledge Route. Back to car at 1630. Returned to Alan Kimber’s for debrief and feedback. Finished 1900.

Winter Induction 28th February 2010 Course Convenor: Graeme Ettle Course Staff: Graeme Ettle, John Lyall, Jonathan Preston

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Participants: Winter Induction: Rocio Siemens, Paul Chiddle, Andy Houseman, Ross Hewitt, Andy Nelson, Andy Townsend and Euan Whittaker Winter Non MIC Training : All of the above except for Euan Whittaker

Saturday 28th February: 7 Inductees. Four feet of fresh snow in Aviemore and most roads officially closed gave rise to the day being cancelled.

Rescheduled inductions: Monday 1st March John Lyall and Jonathan Preston headed to Applecross to avoid the very heavy snow which covered most of the Highlands. Venue -- Coire na Feola, Bheinn Bhan Inductees -- Rocio Siemens & Paul Chiddle with John Lyall Route -- Flesheater Grade -- V,5/6 Guide: John Lyall with Rocio and Paul: both passed Inductees:- Ross Hewitt; Andy Houseman with Jonathan Preston They climbed Bounty Hunter IV,5 on Suspense Buttress, 180m. Weather was cold and clear to start with followed by heavy snow showers throughout the afternoon. They climbed a slightly more direct version of the original line which gave a route of overall grade V,5. Ross Hewitt and Andy Houseman passed

Tuesday 2nd March Graeme Ettle went out with Andy Nelson and Andy Townsend. Venue: Coire an’t sneachda Route: Rampant and Seamstress Grade: V,5 In very icy conditions, both led pitches of technical V with little good protection. Both made good climbing decisions and easily operate at the standard required. Both passed.

Euan Whittaker did his induction on 28th March with Euan Todd and passed.

Winter Non MIC Training 28th February 2010 Six inductees: Rocia Siemens, Paul Chiddle, Andy Houseman, Ross Hewitt, Andy Nelson, Andy Townsend and Euan Whittaker were taken out for one day on Sunday 28th February. Second training day will have to be rescheduled for 2011. The original 2 days of training was curtailed due to weather and snow conditions. Weather on 28th Feb was dry and bright, ski road still shut am after 2metre snow drifts during the previous 2 days. Venue -- Meall a' Bhuachaille Trainees -- Paul Chiddle, Ross Hewitt & Andy Houseman ( non - MICs ) Trainer – John Lyall There was a deep blanket of fresh snow, which limited the things we could cover. On the walk to the hill we looked at map reading, pacing and timing. We then looked at the progressions of teaching people to walk on snow, kicking steps to cutting steps. This led on to looking at ice axe arresting and teaching this, but the practice was not possible because of the soft snow. A long session looking at snow anchors, their use in different situations, strengths and weaknesses. Crampon instruction then led on to an introduction to short roping, which was enthusiastically practised. Participants:- Andy Townsend; Andy Nelson; Rocio Siemens Trainer:- Jonathan Preston Venue:- We parked at Glenmore and used the area towards Ryvoan, ending up on Creag nan Gall.

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Topics covered:- This group all had the MIC qualification, so most of the day was revision for them and run more as a seminar with all parties contributing. We looked at navigation; kicking steps; cutting steps; ice axe braking; snow belays; snow pits; short roping. Deep snow cover everywhere, but we found a good spot high up on an east facing slope that consisted of good firm neve. Some very unstable snow was found on the west facing slopes on the descent.

Congratulations to all registrants who all have now passed their induction process and they then went on with Robin Thomas to do the UK Rock 1 training in early May

Winter Assessment 28th February to 5th March 2010 Course Convenor: Graeme Ettle Course Staff: Graeme Ettle, John Lyall and Jonathan Preston Participants: James Thacker (and Mark Walker for a 2 day resit)

Sunday 28th Feb and Monday 1st March In Cairngorms with Graeme Ettle. Most basic skills covered. Short roped two ascents at Grade I/II very well and two descents. Dealt well with high avalanche risk. Navigation, client care, fitness and overall attitude were excellent. Tuesday 2nd March Mixed climbing with John Lyall. Bellhaven, V,6 in icy conditions. Wednesday 3rd March Ice climbing with Graeme Ettle. Climbed 3 big pitches of The Cooler, V,5 on Beinn Bhan. Climbed steadily and safely, then evacuated the team back down the line well. Thursday 4th March – Client Day I Climbed Fingers’ Ridge and Rampant with Jonathan Preston. Friday 5th March – Client Day II Climbed The Message and Hybrid with Graeme Ettle.

James Thacker passed his winter assessment.

Mark Walker’s Re-sit (2 days) 4th and 5th March 2010

Thursday 4th March Client Day I with Graeme Ettle. Climbed Stirling Bomber V,7, Seamstress IV, 5 and Short Circuit III. Friday 5th March Client Day II with John Lyall. Climbed Fingers’ Ridge IV and Fluted Buttress IV. Mark Passed his winter 2 day resit

Congratulations to James Thacker and Mark Walker.

Ski Touring Training 12th to 16th April 2010 This course was cancelled as only James Thacker was entitled to take it. He will do this course next year with the new trainees. This will extend his minimum time on the scheme by 6 months.

Ski Touring Assessment 25th to 30th April 2010 This week was split between Richard Mansfield and Steve Hartland so that we could have 2 experts examining. Guides; Richard Mansfield, Steve Hartland Candidates; Phil Ashby, Paul Warnock, Pete Rowlands. Venue; Chamonix/Valais Alps.

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For the first 3 days Richard worked alone assessing the 3 candidates based in the Chamonix area. Steve Hartland then spent 3 days alone assessing the candidates in the Valais Alps.

Day 1 Sun 25th April Aiguilles Rouge, we ascended the Index lifts and traversed on skis to climb on foot a steep couloir towards the Col de Dard, we then skied and skinned to the col Belvedere. A long lower was required from the col followed by steep skiing into the Berard valley.

Subjects covered were – skinning, track setting, track preparing/cutting, route finding, avalanche awareness, down climbing/lowering clients on steep exposed ground, steep skiing with clients (approx 40 deg), group control/dynamics in descent, basic navigation, transceiver skills and a presentation on “an introduction to touring equipment and skinning”.

Day 2 Mon 26th April Aiguille du Midi, tour to col Freshfield and then to Hellbronner and descent of the Valley Blanche. Another good day with a variety of skills covered. The start of the day was in very poor visibility requiring near whiteout navigation.

Subjects covered were- skinning, use of the rope when skinning, track setting, track preparing/cutting, route finding, avalanche awareness, group control/dynamics in descent, whiteout navigation, use of the rope when skiing, two presentations on “crevasse rescue”.

Day 3 Tues 27th April Grand Montet lift, descent of Rognon Glacier and ascent of Glacier de Ametheyst return to Argentiere.

Subjects covered were- skinning, track setting, track preparing/cutting, avalanche awareness, group control/dynamics in descent, basic navigation, ski technique/help for clients, transceiver searches, a presentation on “snow study and snow pit analysis”

Throughout the 3 days all three candidates performed to a high standard.

BMG Alpine Ski Mountaineering Assessment 28-30th April 2010 Assessor Steve Hartland Wednesday 28th 05.40 Depart Super St Bernard Climb Hannibal Couloir Mont Velan 3724m Ski down to below La Gouille and re-ascend to Velan Hut. Group discussion, improvised stretchers and rescue. Thursday 29th Ski below hut and re-ascend past the Valsorey Hut to Col du Meitin. Descent awkward ground to Glacier de Panossiere using ropes to lower and abseil before skiing to the Panossiere Hut in the afternoon. Friday 30th Descend early morning after an assessment of improvised ski stretcher. Difficult snow conditions and route finding following the summer route down to Fionnay. This was a good opportunity to look at client care as we were accompanying a hut visitor to Fionnay. Conclusion

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All of the Aspirants coped well with the assessment and showed a good sense of judgment throughout the three days. Their ski ability is well up to the standard required of a Mountain Guide. Steve Hartland

The 6 day assessment was generally conducted on terrain unknown to the candidates and involved a wide variety of techniques in ascent and descent. All candidates performed well throughout the week and all were above the standard required for the test. Pete Rowlands, Paul Warnock and Phil Ashby all passed. Congratulations

Richard Mansfield Course Convener May 2010

Summer Rock 1, 9th to 12th May 2010, 3 days This Course was Convened by Adrian Nelhams with staff Paul Farmer, Tim Neill, Andy Owen Participants: Andy Houseman, Andrew Townsend, Rocio Siemens, Andy Nelson, Paul Chiddle, Euan Whittacker, Ross Hewitt, Robin Thomas

The course was based at the Fylde Hut in the Lake District. Venues – Raven Crag in Langdale, Dow Crag & Raven Crag in Yewdale, Black Crag & Shepherds Crag in Borrowdale.

This course covers the technical hard skills of guiding on rock. They also do another 2 days of this on the non MIA training after the rock induction.

Summer Rock 2, 24th to 27th May 2010, 4 days This course was convened by Martin Chester with course staff: Rob Spencer, Tim Neill, John Cousins, Lew Hardy, Dave Cheetham, Tim Jepson

Participants: Rocio Siemens, Paul Chiddle, Andy Nelson, Andy Houseman, Andy Townsend, Ross Hewitt, Euan Whittaker, James Thacker

This course was based at PyB which was an excellent venue having all the resources and comfort necessary. This course mainly deals with the soft skills of guiding (communication skills) Coaching, teaching styles and effective teaching techniques, client psychology. As mentioned I observed this course so that I could get an overview of how this course fitted within the scheme.

Alpine Training Course 13th to 18th June 6 days Course convener; Richard Mansfield plus Steve Monks. Course met on Saturday evening in Les Houches. The first 3 days were with RM the next 3 days were with SM. Sunday 13th; Meet 0830hrs in les Houches, travel to Thones for Via feratta training this day was also attended as CPD by Walter Phipps. Warm and sunny. Monday 14th; Meet 0800hrs at Aiguille du Midi, short roping, short pitches on rock/mixed ground, client lowers, pitching and moving together on steep snow/ice. Climbing on Point Lachenal and the Cosmiques arête. Cloudy and windy, afternoon storms, very poor forecast. Tuesday 15th; Aiguille du Midi, short roping, crevasse rescue training. Strong winds, snow and heavy cloud cover. Wed 16 Jun: Heavy cloud cover, intermittent snow flurries, brief clearer periods later in the afternoon. Visibility intermittently good to poor. Wind moderate. 8.30am meet in Martigny and discussion of objectives. Car to Champex. Walk in to Trient hut via Aiguille d’Arpette and Orny glacier.

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Climbed Aiguille d’Arpette up and down on the S ridge (from Orny hut) with mixture of short roping, short pitches and lower. Mark led up, James down with feedback and discussion. Ecole de Glace session on bare ice on the Orny glacier on way up to Trient. Thur 17 Jun: Heavy cloud cover with limited visibility all day. Snowfall all day from light to heavy. Winds initially v. strong, abating to moderate later in the day. 10 -20 cm fresh snow on unfrozen old snowpack. Left hut at 6.00am in a lull in the poor weather. Abandoned attempt on Aiguilles Dorées half traverse at the base of the climb. Returned to hut. Afternoon session on crevasse rescue in the wind scoop below the hut. Both Mark and James holding simulated falls and improvising rescues with feedback. Discussion and comparison of different techniques. Fri 18 Jun: Partial cloud cover, good visibility. Occasional snow flurries. Winds moderate to light. 10 – 20 cm fresh snow on unfrozen base. Left hut at 6.00am, crossed Fenêtre de Chamois and descended to Col des Ecandies. Traversed the Ecandies ridge, with both Mark and James taking the lead with feedback and instruction. Short roping en fleche, short and long pitches with double ropes, lowers and abseils. Discussion and comparison of single and double rope techniques on more difficult ground. Traverse completed in good time. Descent to Champex. Richard Mansfield and Steve Monks

Alpine Assessment 5th to 10th September 6 days Also including a one day re-sit for Phil Ashby Convened by Terry Ralphs, Staffed also be Graeme Ettle. Terry worked the first 4 days and Graeme the last 3 days. Mark Walker, James Thacker and Phil Ashby (1 day) attended. Sunday 5th September Terry Ralphs with JT and MW Itinerary: Traverse of Aig Entreves approach Fourche Bivy hut Monday 6th September Terry Ralphs with JT and MW Itinerary: Arete Kuffner to summit of Mont Maudit descend back to Torino hut via col de Midi Tuesday 7th September Terry Ralphs with JT and MW Itinerary: Glacier de Moiry upper section Crevasse Rescue and ecole de glace Wednesday 8th September Terry Ralphs with MW. Graeme Ettle with JT and Phil Ashby Itinerary: Traverse of Point de Mourti and Dents des Rosses Thursday 9th Graeme Ettle with JT and MW Itinerary: “Take it Easy” and Dri Hornli traverse Friday 10th September Graeme Ettle with JT and MW Itinerary: Sonnighorn Traverse Results Phil Ashby passed he one day re-sit. James Thacker passed this week. Mark Walker needs to do a one day re-sit during the next alpine assessment in 2011

Completion Seminar 18th September This was convened by Richard Mansfield and attended by Phil Ashby, Peter Rowlands, and Paul Warnock. This course is a classroom day discussing professionalism and preparing the aspirants for independent work. The above attendees are now full guides.

Congratulations to Phil, Peter and Paul who are now full IFMGA guides. We shall look forward to seeing them at the AGM in Scotland to receive their diplomas.

Misha Danichkin and Oleg Turaev from Kyrgyzstan also attended for observation.

James Edward Re-sit 18th September

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Graeme Ettle took James for his one day re-sit in improvised rescue. He unfortunately failed this day. He will return next year to do a 2 day re sit during the rock assessment.

Rock Induction 19th and 21st September Course Convenor: Andy Teasdale Course Staff: Steve Hartland, Libby Peter, Richard Mansfield.

Participants: Matt Spenceley, Bruce Poll, Tania Noakes, Alasdair Buchanan, Gavin Pike, Ben Bradford, Dave Evans, Matt Stygall

Due to bad weather the rock induction was delayed until the 21st for all but Matt Stygall and Dave Evans who were not attending the training for non MIA’s. They did the course as scheduled (19th) at Tremadoc and both climbed to the standard in the rain! The rest did their induction on the 21st at Gogarth all passed except Alasdair Buchanan. Alasdair Buchanan has since retaken his rock induction with Andy Teasdale and passed. He will go on with the others to the ski induction courses. Misha and Oleg also attended this course with Chris Ensoll looking after them.

Training for non MIA’s 19th and 20th September Course Convenor: Andy Teasdale Course Staff: Steve Hartland, Libby Peter, Richard Mansfield. Participants: Matt Spenceley, Bruce Poll, Tania Noakes, Alasdair Buchanan, Gavin Pike, Ben Bradford. These days were based at Tremadoc and the Pass. There was also an evening of night navigation on the 20th. All candidates performed well especially the two MIC (Noakes and Poll). Misha and Oleg also attended this course with Chris Ensoll looking after them.

Rock Assessment 20th to 25th September Course Convenor: Terry Ralphs Course Staff: Terry Ralphs (TR), Richard Mansfield (RM), Graeme Ettle (GE), Martin Chester (MC), Andy Teasdale (AT), Steve Hartland (SH), Libby Peter (LP), Participants: Andy Nelson (AN), Andy Houseman (AH), Andy Townsend ((ATo), Rocio Siemens (RS), Paul Chiddle (PC), Ross Hewitt (RH), Euan Whittaker (EW), Chris Ensoll (CE)

Introduction: This course was based at PyB in North Wales Monday 20th September • Weather: Windy cloudy but dry, damp in cracks and corners • Team: TR RS ATo; RM AN RH; GE EW; MC PC AH • Itinerary: Castell Helen, and Main cliff Gogarth • Objectives: To assess ability to climb E1 5b and multipitch ropework. Evening Presentations Tuesday 21st September • Weather: Dry • Team: TR AN; RM EW PC; MC RS AH; GE RH ATo • Itinerary: Tremadoc, • Objectives: Improvised Rescue Evening Presentations and written test Wednesday / Thursday 22nd and 23rd September Mountain Expedition • Weather: Initially dry then very very wet • Team: TR EW PC; RM RS AN; SH AH RH; GE ATo • Itinerary: Idwal Slabs, Glyders, Llanberis Pass, Snowdon • Objectives: To test rock at VS in big boots, navigation and general mountaineering skills. Night out spent at Ynss Ettys due to very wet conditions.

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Friday 24th September • Weather: Showers • Team: TR AH; RM ATo; GE RS; AT PC; CE EW; SH AN; LP RH • Itinerary: Tremadoc, Wassted and Moelwyns • Objectives: Client Guiding day Saturday 25th September • Weather: Dry • Team: TR RH; RM AH; LP AN; AT RS; GE PC; CE ATo; SH EW • Itinerary: Tremadoc. • Objectives: Client Instructional day Misha and Oleg joined this course for the mountain expedition 22nd and 23rd September again Chris Ensoll looked after them.

Results Andy Townsend, Rocio Siemens, Paul Chiddle Andy Houseman, Andy Nelson, and Euan Whittaker have now all passed. We asked Andy Nelson and Euan Whittaker to do a one day re-sit. We also asked Andy Houseman to do some observation in teaching this has now been completed. The two one day re-sits have now been completed. Ross Hewitt needs to come back next year to retake three days of this assessment course although he performed well he was just short of the standard in a few areas.

Kyrgyz Guides on BMG Courses 17th to 26th September 2010 The aim for this trip was for Kyrgyz aspirant guides Misha Danichkin and Oleg Turaev to study the three BMG rock courses and the BMG Completion Seminar, which take place at PyB in September, so that they can further develop their skills as experts for the KMGA. This trip was funded by Mammut and the Swiss Guides Association as part of the Mammut Kyrgyz Mountain Guide training Project. Misha and Oleg were met at Manchester airport on Thursday 17th September by Terry Ralphs and taken by car to PyB Capel Curig North Wales. They stayed at Plas y Brenin from the Thursday 17th to Thursday 22nd September. Plas y Brenin is the National Centre for Mountaineering and Outdoor Activities in the UK (http://www.pyb.co.uk/). The BMG office is also based at PyB On Friday 18th September Terry Ralphs took Misha and Oleg on an orientation day at Tremadoc to familiarise them with the local cliffs. We did three routes Merlin Direct (6a, 2 pitches) Grim Wall (5, 2 pitches) and Christmas Curry (4+, 4 pitches). Misha and Oleg led Grim Wall and Christmas Curry. Rock guiding techniques were discussed during the day. Saturday 19th September. BMG Completion Seminar which was run by Richard Mansfield, who was the previous BMG Training Officer and is based in Chamonix. This is the final day of the training scheme. It is a classroom day covering professionalism, risk management, and preparation for independent work. We also have a review of their time on the training scheme. The day finished with by celebrating their achievement on attaining full guide status.

During the next five days they were guided by BMG guide Chris Ensoll. Chris has been a BMG expert guide for ten years and is based in the Lake District. Please see Chris’s report below. They worked closely within the course structure of three BMG courses which were being run that week, so that they could not only benefit from Chris’s input but also see the logistics and running of the BMG courses. We had approximately eight BMG participants on each course.

The Training for non MIA course on 19th and 20th September. This is a course to bring registrants from an amateur climber background up to a basic foundation in rock climbing instructional techniques. The MIA is a UK based award in rock climbing - Mountain Instructors Award.

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The Rock Entry Test. This assesses the new registrants ability to climb E1 5B (French 6B) in rock boots and VS (grade 5) in mountain boots. The two day expedition on the Rock Assessment. This involves climbing VS in mountain boots with a rucksack (bivy equipment). It also tests overnight navigation, scrambling and ability to look after clients in poor weather and conditions in the UK mountains in summer.

Conclusion I believe that the time spent in North Wales was of great benefit for Misha and Oleg. They were exceptionally attentive to the lessons and totally committed to learning as much as they could. The UK has a very unique mountain environment and rock climbing tradition which Misha and Oleg warmed to very quickly. I think a highlight was Misha leading Gogarth (E1 5b, 5 pitches) at Gogarth Main Cliff, an overhanging 100m high sea cliff.

KG Guides Course Report from Chris Ensoll 19th – 23rd September 2010 Trainer: Chris Ensoll Participants: KG Guides Misha and Oleg Day One - Sunday 19th September First day of the non-MIA training Morning Venue: Tremadog Upper Tier Should have been the rock induction day but this was moved to 21st due to adverse weather conditions. Areas covered: • Introduction to movement coaching on approach to crag • SPA rigging for top rope, bottom roping and group abseiling • Selection of anchors: how to evaluate nut/cam, spike/thread, in situ stakes etc • Simple problem avoidance and solving • Teaching leading progression: 1. Runner placements 2. Building belays using the rope 3. Building belays linked with slings 4. Use of ghost or invisible rope 5. Placement of runners when climbing 6. Teaching belayer how to belay a leader 7. Teaching leader how to tie in to anchors using the rope 8. Using gri-gri and jammer to be next to client when learning to lead Afternoon Venue: Tremadog Main Crag Looked at multi-pitch progression for the above.

Day Two - Monday 20th September Improvised rescue day Venue: Plas y Brenin and Tremadog The weather was poor again so we revised the previous day at Plas y Brenin before going out to Tremadog. Areas covered: • How to escape from the system • In system pulley • Out of system pulley • Abseiling past a knot • Accompanied abseil • Fallen unconscious leader at end of traverse

Day Three - Tuesday 21st September Rock induction day Venue: Gogarth Misha led Gogarth (E1 5b). He climbed well and made good belays.

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Day Four - Wednesday 22nd September Joined the summer assessment mountain day and bivi Venue: Llanberis Pass The forecast was for extremely wet weather so we decided not to bivi but to climb into the night, do some night navigation, and return late. We climbed with three on one rope. Oleg led Brant (VS 4c) on the Grochan, climbing well in boots and placing good runners, both for leader and for second. Misha short-roped in descent on steep grass and did a lower over a cliff. After dinner on the hill we short-roped and pitched up lots of broken ground on Glyder Fawr, and then did night navigation training around the area and back to the pass Day Five - Thursday 23rd September Joined the summer assessment mountain day Venue: Idwal Slabs Climbed Hope (V Diff), Javelin Gully (HS 4b) and Continuation Wall (S 4b), and did the normal descent. Misha led well, built good belays and placed good runners. Oleg led well and placed good runners but still needs some work on building belays. We did more coaching on short roping in descent down to the valley. Chris Ensoll Onward Travel On the evening of Thursday 23rd September Misha and Oleg took the train to London and stayed at the YHA youth hostel in Earls Court until Sunday 26th September when they flew from London Heathrow back to Bishkek.The BMG would like to thank Mammut and the Swiss Mountain Guides for their sponsorship of Misha and Oleg. We would also especially like to thank PyB for their hospitality in looking after Misha and Oleg.

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan was accepted as a candidate country at the IFMGA meeting in May. The Kyrgyz mountain guide training project is sponsored by Mammut and run by Swiss guide Adolf Schlunegger and essentially provides most of the training to help the KG guides attain IFMGA standard. The BMG is involved as a technical sponsor and has no financial responsibility. It has and will provide more work for some of our members training the Kyrgyz guides in the Kyrgyzstan the Alps and UK but this is still dependant on Mammut’s purse. Three aspirant KG guides came over to Europe in August and September. After attending a Swiss Aspirant course two of them then joined the completion seminar, rock induction non MIA training and Rock assessment. This was to help them improve their personal skills and develop their own training scheme. Chris Ensoll looked after Misha Danichkin and Oleg Turaev during the rock assessment week in North Wales (see course report above). They also did an orientation day with me and the completion seminar (7 days in total).

I went to Kyrgyzstan on Friday 15th October for two weeks for the first Alpine training course for the second intake with Adolf Schlunegger (Project Director and Swiss Expert Guide). This was a very successful course having 16 participants all of who were at a high standard as there had been a selection process (entry test) the previous year. Four of the participants were ladies. The project continues with the ski training course in March 2011, and then in October 2011 there will be a Mountain Guide assessment (11 participants) and an Aspirant course (16 participants). The participants came from Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Kazakhstan and were all very motivated and of a good standard (some climbing 7a/7b on sight) Work continues with the IFMGA and Mammut to try and set up a Mountain Guide Training school at IFMGA standard in Kyrgyzstan. The situation is very positive at the moment.

Terry Ralphs Training Officer

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Equipment Officer’s Report

This has at times been a frustrating year for me as Eqpt Offr with a vast input of time and effort, and often little to show for it. I attended ISPO in Munich for three days in February hoping to secure further commercial sponsorship for the BMG. I think that the increased amount of communication between myself and the various companies involved in the Outdoor Trade has helped raise our profile. The efforts of the Publicity Officer have also been a great help in this area. The BMG’s grant of £1000 towards expenses incurred has been a very positive move and I hope this will continue. We do now have a number of excellent new trade deals (see below), and we are moving towards increased commercial sponsorship. Attendance at ISPO was very well received by the Outdoor Trade. Ongoing Sponsorship Work Lengthy negotiations have been taking place between myself and numerous companies. It is hoped that some will bear fruit and I will keep the committee updated on progress. Forthcoming meetings – Adidas Eyewear (9 Sep, London), Mountain Equipment(25 Sep, PyB) Mountain Equipment Sponsorship I am still not convinced that this is the best deal possible for the BMG and will be in negotiations with them at PyB on 25 Sep to try and improve the deal. Main areas for improvement are : • Financial Support/Annum – currently £1750 (plus £250 every two years for Open Day support).

• Equipment Support – currently only one intake of trainees received a free jacket. I think we should get a fixed amount/annum. Preferably a full waterproof suit plus fleece etc.

I have been trying hard to foster stronger links between the BMG and ME, but have found little enthusiasm from ME. Our current deal with ME runs out in June 2011, and hence we should be looking to sign either a renewal or a new contract end 2010/early 2011. Future attendance at ISPO – Munich 2011. I am keen to diversify our sponsorship deals, and as such see attendance at ISPO each year as being highly important. Currently we only have a deal with an equipment producer. I think there is scope for a range of complimentary brands of outdoor gear, plus other associated products (eg sun cream). These other commercial companies are likely to be far more affluent than gear manufacturers.

New Trade Deals Last year I highlighted the problem that nearly all BMG trade deals were geared towards those resident in UK, even though the majority of active BMG members now lived abroad. The following deals have now been established to help with this problem: • Arc’teryx will deliver (free of charge) anywhere in the world, offering BMG members 50% off RRP.

• The Grivel Shop in Chamonix offers a 30%-35% discount over the counter to BMG members.

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• Dynastar have a factory and Pro Shop in Sallanches and offer a Pro Deal over the counter.

• Stamos Sports in Argentiere offer BMG members 25% off.

Gear Testing As a direct result of ISPO attendance 6 BMG members recently trialled new jackets on behalf of WL Gore. The trial has now been completed and all 6 have been given a free jacket by WL Gore for their assistance. It is hoped we will become even more involved in trialling new products for WL Gore and other firms. Summary of best Gear Deals: (to be reproduced in NFTM) Ropes – Mammut (via DMM), Beal (via Lyon Eqpt), Rocca (from Grivel Pro Shop, Chamonix) Hardwear – DMM, Grivel (from Pro Shop in Chamonix), Petzl (via Lyon Eqpt) Boots – Sportiva (via Lyon Eqpt), Scarpa (via Mtn Boot Co) Clothing – Mountain Equipment and Arc’teryx. Skis – Scott, Dynastar (from Pro Shop at factory in Sallanches), Salomon, Movement Bindings – Dynafit Poles – Scott, Black Diamond (adjustable via First Ascent) Ski Touring Boots – Garmont, Scarpa (via Mtn Boot Co) Alpine Ski Boots – Lange (via Dynastar shop), Salomon

Stuart Macdonald Equipment Officer

Publicity Officer’s Report

As the end of my second year in office, this period has been all about building on the success of those initiatives started in the previous year. We set out with a couple of clear aims for the season which are well on the way to being achieved – namely to break into UKClimbing; and use the improved brand to broker a better level of sponsorship.

Key events on the publicity calendar have included: continued involvement in the editorial of fall-line skiing; the publicity surrounding the BMG open day; the winter skills ‘bookazine’ with Trek and Mountain, and the long awaited series with UKClimbing. We’ve got continuing and improving relationships with most mainstream outdoor press, with branded copy in the editorial, and good deals on collaborative (and freely branded) advertising in the classifieds of our established areas of the media. The next challenge has to be going beyond ‘preaching to the converted’ to get greater publicity outside of those folks who already know us.

The publicity budget is very healthy – as we’ve spent very little money on advertising this year. Despite the lack of spending, we have way more BMG logos in each magazine, thanks to the above. I would encourage all Guides to continue to brand up their promotional efforts accordingly, to make the most of every opportunity. This finally leads us to question how we are best spending the cash in the future (without losing sight of the real cost of significant advertising). The BMG showreel will be under way by the time you read this, and read on for some exciting future possibilities.

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The details of the year For those of you who wish to know more about the specific success stories and models from the season– read on. For those more interested in what comes next, leap to ‘exciting new initiatives’ towards the end of the report.

BMG ‘Advertising’ I have spent less on classified ads this year than ever, but for good reason. This advertising is too often poorly targeted, poorly placed, hard to measure success and downright expensive. On the occasions that I have taken a punt on a last minute cheap placement, I have invariably been disappointed in the result. In its place we have targeted the editors of key magazines to increase editorial presence, in preference to adverts, and developing branded deals on sections of classifieds. The results are obvious - collaborative advertising in the outdoor press seems to be working well – the numbers are growing and you see the BMG logo a lot more than we used to. Just check out the classified pages of Climb magazine if you need persuading. Better still are the series of articles in the editorial of key magazines, especially when well branded and targeted to our clientele in content. Fall-line skiing was a great example of such success (in return for regular free advertising space) with the winter skills ‘bookazine’ being another. We get to promote our credibility, inspire confidence as the ‘experts’, promote the profile of the individual contributors, whilst the association get ‘paid’ in advertising in return. Everyone’s a winner! At the end of the day, the members are the greatest advert we have (and the BMG has a sales team of some 200 people) so if there is anything that I or the association can do to support the members in their cause. . . The next step is to go beyond the outdoor press. . . . .

Individual use of BMG logo. When I took this post on it was a frustrating environment where one would see 20 AMI badges for every BMG logo. Now flick through the back of a magazine, or book, Guides websites, event promotion material, and expedition blogs and reports, and you will see a different story. Suddenly the logo (and/or link to the website) is a valuable currency. All credit to the individual Guides using the BMG logo so correctly and visibly.

Promotional material Anyone visiting events and festivals will have noticed that we are miles behind the AMI, MLTA, BAIML, etc in our ability to brand up our presence at such events. I am open to persuasion regarding the production of BMG boards and pop-up banners, etc for such occasions, as we now have the budget to afford them. The issue for us is where they would be kept, and transported to different events by different people. We have recently produced a BMG promotional board (at negligible cost, thanks to Dave Cheetham of PyB) to go alongside those of AMI and BAIML at the Brenin. I am inclined to think that an advert in Liverpool airport, for example, would be a better use of any future funds, and make great use of this artwork. In pursuit of a better solution, we have commissioned Rich Heap (of Slackjaw) to edit a short ‘showreel’ type film loop of the work of a Guide.I am grateful to the ‘essentials’ DVD team of the BMC and MLT for freely allowing the use of existing footage. This could clearly be used on web based media, sent electronically for folks to use elsewhere, and displayed by anyone with a laptop and projector.

The link between publicity and equipment The new branding of logo and website have resulted in greater web stats and a better brand which is now worth more. This has been acknowledged already by fresh negotiations of sponsorship, but in seeking higher sponsorship, we need to be realistic of what we can ‘give back’ in return. This will be covered by Stu in his equipment officer report I am sure. The ‘publicity’ challenge, is now to look at complementary sponsorship and branding deals. Examples of this include the publicity trade off from the ME sponsorship; and encouraging

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DMM to produce a ‘Guide Glacier kit’; as two simple examples. These are the start of some great new initiatives, so all ideas on a postcard please . . . . .

UKClimbing and web communities There is no doubt that building and maintaining an on-line community, linked in to social media, has become one of the most effective forms of marketing. The next phase for the BMG will be to maximise the presence on as many of these as possible. Increased use of twitter/facebook needs watching to make sure we don’t get left behind, and to see what is a fad and what’s on the way up! I would be keen to work closely with the new web officer to develop our Facebook page, and ‘team BMG’ Facebook groups, as possible suggestions. Regarding UKClimbing, I am in the process of discussing regular developments with Mick and Jack of UKC, and we now have cut price classifieds; links, and regular features (all branded up of course).

Exciting new initiatives The next exciting new development for me will be the roll-out of a BMG advertising campaign beyond our existing and established media. To this end, there have been some exciting suggestions recently. Watch this space for BMG awards (best hotel, best café, best shop etc); watch team BMG pool their posts on Facebook; See how many summits can be photographed sporting a red nose on comic relief; read all about us in EasyJet magazine, the broader travel press, leisure and fitness magazines (and come on girls – get us some profile in Marie Claire, or even Heat), etc and so on. Until we have put a BMG logo on TV, and blagged a free bill-board in Liverpool airport (as an example of the perfect place) I won’t be happy. This is just a start; any more great ideas will be gratefully received . . . !

Conclusion I would like to conclude with personal and heartfelt thanks to all those contributors this last year. It is only possible to realise any of these ideas with your help, continuing support, and efforts. These have almost always been rewarded (despite the fact that the ultimate choice is out of our hands and with the editors). I am now keen that the well established models will continue to roll, freeing up time for the next level of initiatives. This could get really exciting! I would just like to thank you all and ask you to keep the ideas for future initiatives and direction coming. Many thanks.

Martin Chester Publicity Officer

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Professional Standards Committee Report

SUMMARY. 27 Accident Report Forms were received, of which 25 resulted in No Inquiry decisions and 2 resulted in PSC Inquiries. Out of interest, over half of these incidents happened on paths, close to roads, skiing on-piste or skiing off-piste close to a lift system. There has been one PSC Hearing; and there has been one Complaint, which was resolved through conciliation. I regret to report 2 fatalities - one client and one Trainee Guide.

NO INQUIRY DECISIONS. It is essential that any incident requiring medical assistance, however minor it may seem at the time, is reported; as it shows the insurance company that we have a thorough system in place and that we are not hiding anything from them.

19.12 Off-piste skiing in the Porte Soleil, client broke a shoulder bone, short walk to car. 12.02 Off-piste skiing in lift area of Dombai, Russia, client dislocated shoulder; pisteurs’ ski doo. 17.02 While skiing a blue piste at Avoriaz, client fell and hurt her knee - possible ligament injury, pisteurs evacuation. 22.02 Client slipped on icy road in Norway, dislocated elbow and fractured wrist/arm, close to car. 25.02 Off-piste skiing in Tschiertschen, client fell, twisted her knee, minor ligament injury, skied out. 09.03 Client overbalanced while reaching for small tree, dislocated a shoulder, Stob Bhan; walk out. 16.03 Client helicoptered out after falling off-piste at Le Tour, ligament damage. 23.03 While skiing N flank of Lochberg, Urner Alps, client slipped on ice; cut to knee; skied part way out, then skidoo and 4x4; stitched by doctor. 29.03 Skiing off-piste close to the piste at Ischgl, fell and broke his femur - pisteurs and helicopter. 31.03 Skiing off-piste close to the piste at Samnaun, client fell and broke a rib possibly against his avalanche transceiver; skied out. 02.04 Client fell and binding failed to release above Benevolo Hut; twisted her knee, but made it back to the hut; next day helicoptered to Aosta where hospital advised MRI scan on return to UK . 05.04 Off-piste in Chamonix area, client suffered a detached cruciate ligamen; helicopter. 15.4 Skiing off-piste close to lifts, Obergurgl, client fell and tore lateral knee ligament; skied down. 01.05 Client twisted knee while skiing down from Panossiere Hut; binding didn’t release; helicopter to Martigny hospital where treated including a leg brace. 21.06 Slip on path resulting in soft tissue injury; Switzerland. 26.06 Client lost control while bum sliding above Nid d’Aigle station, suspected fracture lower leg, helicopter to Sallanches hospital (client in care of French guide, Report sent in by BMG member). 26.06 While descending path to Nid d’Aigle station, client tripped over crampon and injured head, helicopter to Chamonix for stitching. Group had removed helmets and guide feels this undoubtedly contributed to injury. 29.06 Due to difficult conditions and tired client on Kuffner Ridge, guide phoned for assistance, helicopter to Aosta. 30.06 While prusiking on a boulder near Arolla, a wrong rope was incorrectly threaded into a belay plate, resulting in a client falling 2m. Drove to Sion hospital for x-ray and treatment of minor injuries.

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23.07 A gust of wind caused a client to fall on dry glacier below Gandegg Hut; Zermatt doctor diagnosed shoulder fracture; operated in London – plate and 9 screws. 07.08 On path below Moiry Hut, while stepping round a young boy, client slipped and fell 4m into boulders. Helicopter to Sion hospital where left hip joint relocated. 22.08 While making an upward move on easy rock climbing above Arolla, client dislocated shoulder; helicopter to Sion hospital where relocated. 28.08 Slip on path in France resulted in fracture of small bone in hand; walked out. 31.08 Client slipped on icy rocks directly behind Albert Premier Hut and hurt wrist; continued trip to Trient Hut; doctor later diagnosed hairline fracture. 6.09 Client (anaesthetist) slipped on path in Indian Himalaya; deep gash to knee; walked out; then put 20 stitches in to his own knee; by air to hospital where fractured patella diagnosed.

PSC INQUIRIES. The purpose of an Inquiry is to establish facts and decide if there are Matters Arising - i.e. there are no disciplinary implications.

1. Ben Nevis Avalanche. Two BMG Trainee Guides and a friend were climbing on Ben Nevis when one of the Trainees and the friend were killed in an avalanche - the second Trainee survived. The Inquiry Committee believes that the group triggered a small windslab avalanche, which in turn fell onto and triggered a bigger unstable slope of windslab in which facets were present. There were no Matters Arising. The Inquiry Committee met by teleconference and was Alan Kimber (Inquiry Guide), Terry Ralphs (Training Officer) and Peter Cliff (Chair PSC).

2. James Ryan Fatality. On 28th March 2010, a guide was with 5 clients above the Benevolo Hut when an avalanche released, followed by a second. Three clients were caught and tragically one of them, James Ryan, failed to survive. An Inquiry Committee of Ric Potter (Inquiry Guide), Terry Ralphs (Training Officer), Bruce Goodlad (Training Committee) and Peter Cliff (Chair PSC) met on 10th April in Chamonix, submitting its Report to the President on 15th April.

PSC HEARING (James Ryan Fatality). Following the submission of the Inquiry Committee Report into this incident, the President and Chair PSC decided that the guide had a case to answer on disciplinary matters. The PSC Hearing was held in Manchester on 9th November with the following present: the Guide with a friend/supporter; two clients called as witnesses; Helen Ryan (wife of James Ryan) with a friend/supporter; Mel Ryan (father of James Ryan); BMG Hon Sec taking Minutes; and the PSC Committee of Mark Diggins (Member), Steve Jones (Member) and Peter Cliff (Chair PSC). An oral Report will be made to the AGM.

COMPLAINT. A Guide from another IFMGA brought a complaint that a member had used an All-Guides email as an inappropriate way of making an unjust inference about him. The issue was resolved by conciliation.

OTHER ISSUES.

1. Lurchers Inquiry. The Guide involved was required to address five issues relating to insurance, legal advice, his website and the use of BMG and IFMGA logos. On 29.12.09 the Inquiry Committee decided that the guide had fully complied with these requirements. The Inquiry Committee was Iain Peter (Inquiry Guide), Tim Walker (appointed by Chair PSC) and Peter Cliff (Chair PSC).

2. “How Guides Employ Others”. Following the Lurchers Inquiry, the same Inquiry Committee produced a discussion document which was circulated round the membership.

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Following some feedback we produced an initial paper which, again, was circulated, and placed on the website. One aspect of this paper, namely what we mean by supervision, is for discussion at the AGM.

I thank all those who have been involved in the PSC this year, especially the President, the two Inquiry Guides, Members of the Inquiry Committees and the two Members of the PSC Hearing.

Peter Cliff, Chair PSC

Website Coordinator’s Report

We have now had our new website for almost 2 years, thanks to the effort put in by members and our web designer Richard Lundberg the site continues to grow and enhance the visibility of the BMG.

Lets start with a few numbers; In the last year the BMG website has been visited by 43,250 people with 60% of those visits being new visitors.

This is a 17% increase in traffic from last year. The visitors are finding us in a number of ways; • 63% came from search engines with Google being the biggest contributor. • 21% were referred from other websites • 15% were direct where users typed our address into their computer.

This shows that we have a vibrant site that is marketing the BMG and its members to the public, how this translates to bookings is impossible to measure but anecdotally it appeared to me that there were more guide enquiries this summer than last.

A look at the stats show the importance of links from other sites to the BMG with 21% of people finding us this way. It is important that BMG members have a link between their own personal site and ours. Currently there aren't many members with this facility, only 2 appear on the website analytics; James Thacker with 614 referals and Alan Kimber with 142. The Mountain Equipment site refered 249 people.

We have had a slow trickle of members signing up to use the site, on the list of members held by the office there are now 188 members of the association, of those members;

• 154 are registered users of the site which means they have access to the members areas • 133 members have profiles on the website where the public can find their contact details.

The importance of filling in a profile has been questioned by a number of members, especially those with plenty of work or those easing themselves out of guiding. I would like to encourage those people to put a profile on the site anyway, the benefit being that other members can then find your number and ask you to go climbing or go for a beer. The benefit to the BMG would be that we would look like a larger healthier organisation with more active members. You can mark that you are retired or not guiding at the moment. To the outside world we currently look like an organisation of 133 members.

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Unfortunatley due to the data protection act we cannot put your information on the site without your express permission. We can help you do it or you can fill in the form circulated last year giving that permission. It is not much effort so please give it a go. Please contact the web coordinator for help with this or another copy of the form.

The website is now a strong marketing tool for the BMG with a high volume of traffic, we are now a marketable commodity. The members need to help the web and marketing team keep the site fresh and active, to do this they need to feed Martin Chester news items, get involved in the Twitter feed (you can do it by text), post photos or blogs on the site.

One of the frustrations with acting as web coordinator has been the lack of involvment of UK based members. If you look at the Blogs, Tweets and photos a huge percentage of them have been posted by Alpine based members. I would like to encourage the members who live in the UK to get involved. We are in danger of looking like an organisation that does not go into the UK hills.

It is now three years since I suggested in a meeting that our website could do with a bit of a touch up (that will teach me) and it is now time for me to bow out. Rob Jarvis has offered to continue the role of web coordinator. Rob is extremely computer literate having managed a number of very successful web sites, he has worked with Richard Lundberg on his current site so is familar with the software and working with Richard. In short he is the perfect man for the job. I would like to wish him well and encourage the membership to support him.

Bruce Goodlad Website Coordinator

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