Clearing skies

Yes - it's my now almost annual "I'm working at Plas y Brenin" blip....


Those of you who've done a job with a social aspect will know that (a) its a privilege, (b) its a lot harder than it looks & (c) however much you enjoy it (& appearing to enjoy it is a large part of the show) ultimately its work - so starting with meet & greets over breakfast at 07.30 and ushering the last people out of the bar & safely to bed (its a long walk across the bridge to the farmhouse accommodation...) at 02.00am makes for a long day.

The event itself was a resounding success; that was never really in question - delegates have 14 cutting edge sessions to choose from, several offering certified CPD - a host of world class speakers - and a chance to mingle with their peers - a group that includes many of the best rock climbers, competition climbers and coaches that this country has seen over the last 30 years - its a tough but fun crowd.
As I suspected my 'contentious' presentation was only really that to the slow to evolve minority - most delegates were really enthused, wanted to know how to get involved & could see the benefits not just for their own operations but for the sport in general. With the Olympics 4 years away there's a real buzz in climbing at the moment - and it was very satisfying to see how many members get that too.
We've tried a few after dinner things since we launched this event - from nothing to famous speakers and in-between - this year we settled on a quiz in the bar - with everyone taking part - as you'd expect it was very specialised and the questions were tough - you didn't just have to name a route from the Dingbat drawing - but also the crag, first ascentionist (many of whom were in the room) and the grade. The music section saw no-one get all the answers - though I was surprised only the youngest team in the room got Marvin Gaye. Two hours of competitive friendly debate saw teams as diverse as "We're young but we've got hair" and "a poor choice of name" (the very game BMC CEO) defeated by the Norfolk Escapee's - I can see us staying with this format for a few years to come - a laughter filled end to a very very long day.