UNDISCOVERED IRELAND AND "THE REALMS OF CHAOS"...AN EVENING OF WILD ADVENTURE WITH IAIN MILLER...

“The Realms of Chaos” - An Evening of Wild Adventures with Iain Miller in Cork helps raise €286 for SARDA!!!!

Proceeds of this entertaining,inspiring and highly informative talk are going to SARDA Search and Rescue Dogs...

SARDA Ireland is a voluntary 999 / 112 emergency search and rescue organisation concerned with the training, assessment and deployment of Air Scenting Search and Rescue Dogs to search for missing persons. Their dog teams, which consist of the handler and their dog, search anywhere in Ireland and are effective in the mountains, woodlands, rural and urban areas, waterways and seashore.  www.sardaireland.com  

This talk follows on from a highly entertaining and successful evening held recently with Andy Kirkpatrick on his “Cold Wars” book tour which raised the fantastic total of €864 for Kerry Mountain Rescue Team.  We are delighted that this talk by Iain Miller was able to raise much needed funds for another of our Mountain Rescue teams and highlight the invaluable resource that they are and the magnificent job that they do.

Iain Miller – The Realms of Chaos

• First Ascents of over 60 virgin sea stacks in both Orkney and Donegal.

• Over 100 new climbing routes up Donegal sea stacks. Mostly solo and always totally and utterly alone.

• Over 1000 new rock climbs in Orkney and Donegal.

• Developed a unique method of nautical access ( a €20 Lidl Dingy !!! ) 

“It was 6am and I was nearly 30km from the nearest main road, 5km from the car, at the base of a 250m sea cliff and I was totally and utterly alone, no-one knew where I was or what I was doing, I had no means of contacting the world in the event of the proceedings resembling a pear, and 300m out to sea was the object of my desires. The south-westerly winds were causing the distant sea to smoke, Neptune and his legions of the damned were “in the Building”. I was standing on a small outcrop 6 metres above UBER white water violence, a Lidl dingy mattressed in front of me, a dry bag full of climbing toys clove-hitched to my left wrist and the beast on my right, a 60m half and a 60m single alpine ropes sacked on my back and all that was left to do was commit to a super-scary big leap into the rage and thus enter The Realms of Chaos.”

(You can check out Iain’s website at www.uniqueascent.ie

Raffle on the night with prizes  of :

Down Jacket thanks to Wild Side Sports - Bandon

Dinner for 2 thanks to the Gleneagle - Killarney

€25 voucher thanks to Landers Outdoor Shop - Tralee

Handy outdoor accessories pack thanks to Army Surplus Store - Killarney/Midleton.30

30 Litre ruc-sac from The Outdoor Adventure Store-Cork

A massive thanks to those who donated the above and to UCC Mountaineering club for providing a great venue...

And of course thanks again to all who attended!!!

WINTER CLIMBING ON CORRÁN TUATHAIL...

18th of December 2011....Mild weather on its way...One day of cold left!!!  
None of the boys can come out to play today....Christmas shopping to be done - Which is what I probably should be doing ...aswell as taking my daughter to see Santa!!! But there's only one cold day left .....one !!!!

I decide to rise at silly o clock and head to Corrán Tuathal alone to see how "The Lick" is getting on!!! The Lick is an ice climb which starts at about 680mtrs and rises in a series of steps to about 950mtrs. It was first climbed in 1984 and is a fine route of ice and snow when in decent condition and is a grade III.

I walked into the Hags Glen in the dark with only the gentle early morning classics on lyric fm through my headphones to keep me company. I was positively optimistic as I slogged up to the start of the climb in Coimín Láir under the NE face.  By now the day had begun to get brighter and other climbs and lines could now be seen and they were in condition!!!  If they looked climbable there was hope for "The Lick".

It was in-YEEESSSS !!!
Geared up,I breathed deeply and started to climb. Ice and snow conditions got better and better the higher I went. There was less snow on the route than there was during the big freeze of last year but more ice pitches than I remember.  

A special day...Alone... climbing on the NE face of Corrán Tuathail... in such a spectacular situation, surrounded by beautiful icy peaks....it's hard to believe this is Ireland. You could be anywhere!!! 

Well, the mild spell is here and the ice and snow is all gone for now but the memory of such a wonderful day will remain for a long time... 
  

The view looking down

Andy kirkpatrick visit to Cork raises €864 for Kerry Mountain Rescue Team!!!

A massive thanks to everyone that came to see Andy Kirkpatrick on his "Cold Wars" book tour visit to Cork. Andy was in top form with some crazy stories about his climbs in the Alps and his more recent solo attempt of the infamous Troll wall in Norway. There was a fantastic turnout  for the evening estimated at 150+!!!

 We are delighted to say that the evening raised the grand total of €864 for Kerry Mountain Rescue Team!!! Not bad eh!!!

KerryClimbing with Andy Kirkpatrick

Once more a huge thanks to UCC Mountaineering Club for providing the venue and all the retailers and suppliers that donated prizes - Hillwalkers, 53 Degrees North, Paul Innes from Edelrid, Cascade Designs, Mahers Outdoor Shop and Stephen Pearse Pottery.

Next up is "The Realms of Chaos"...An evening of wild Adventures -Iain Miller
Put it in the diary!!!







An Evening With Andy Kirkpatrick hosted by KerryClimbing

KerryClimbing are delighted to host Andy Kirkpatrick on his Cold Wars book tour to Cork!!!

Andy has a reputation for seeking out climbing routes where the danger is real, and the return is questionable, pushing himself on some of the hardest walls and faces in the Alps and beyond. He was born and raised on a council estate in Hull, one of the flattest cities in the UK, and suffered from severe dyslexia, which went undiagnosed until he was 19. Thriving on this apparent adversity, Andy transformed himself into one of the worlds most driven and accomplished climbers, and an award-winning writer.

Cold Wars charts a period of his career where he became drawn into increasingly high-risk climbs as Andy relives his 15-day winter ascent of the Dru in the Alps and the first winter ascent of the East face of Mermoz, Patagonia. As his brother is drawn into the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, Andy juggles family life with an almost compulsive obsession with climbing the most difficult and dangerous winter routes he can find on the planet.

A gripping account of modern adventure from the UK’s only “stand-up” mountaineer.

“Gut-wrenching, entertaining and challenging - appeals to the adventurer in all of us” The Guardian

Andy is quite simply hilarious and appeals to climbers and non- climbers alike.

Tickets on the door €10 and €8 for students with card.
Proceeds will go to the Kerry Mountain Rescue Team.

Andy will be happy to sign any books on the night.

Date and Venue: Friday 9th December Boole Theatre 1 UCC Campus, Cork at 7.30pm (Doors open from 7.00pm)

Show Length: Varies depending on venue (90 - 100 minutes)

*Contains strong language and adult content
Contact: E: info@kerryclimbing P: 0877440523 or 0879323527 for more info.

Raffle on the night with fantastic prizes including  a €200 voucher for 53 Degrees North - DMM Harness, Chalk bag and belay device( Viper Pack ) from Hillwalkers - NeoAir Therma Rest sleeping mat from Cascade Design -, Harness from Edelrid - and more to be confirmed... Very grateful to all that have donated prizes - Thank you !

Special thanks to U.C.C Mountaineering club for providing the venue.....

Wet and Wild weekend of KerryClimbing !!!

Here are some smiling faces despite the fairly "soft" weather that Blackrock Walking Club had for their Full day Intro Rock Climbing course with KerryClimbing.  It was a very enjoyable day, if at times wet but we all had a good laugh and still got plenty of climbing and tuition in !!!

The rain eased off for the following day spent in The Gap of Dunloe also, with Dave, from London having a Full day Rock Climbing tuition to prepare for his ascent of Corrán Tuathail by Howling Ridge the next day.  The weather forecasters got it a bit wrong ( how unusual eh !!!! ) and we ascended in sidewards rain - but Dave was still blown away by this great route up Ireland's highest....so well done Dave!!!

What we have been up to....

Well summer is slowly drawing to a close, (though some will say it never really began!!),and people may be thinking that KerryClimbing will be taking it nice and easy for the Autumn and winter months...Not a chance!!!

We already have plenty of bookings for the months ahead for various grades of ascents of Corrán Tuathail and others...

We guide ALL the mountains of  Munster ALL year round.....Of course now that the days are getting shorter,our walks,scrambles and climbs begin a wee bit earlier but don't let this put you off!!!!

These next few months are a magic time to get into the hills....The mountains are great deal more peaceful and quiet as they are free of the summer crowds....

It is common not to meet another soul while out  walking or climbing which helps you appreciate the wild and rugged scenery all the more....Another bonus is how clear and fresh the days can be!!!The views are alot less hazy and so photographs are clearer and have more clarity...

And then, when the cold North East winds bring the frosts and snows......YIPPPPPEEEEE...Happy Days....

So don't think we will be taking a break or slowing down...Nothing changes but the season!!!

Guided Corrán Tuathail climb for 22...

On the 14th of August just gone, we guided 22 staff of "Lee strand co-op creamery" of Tralee to the top of Ireland's highest....21 of them for their first time!!!

The group were raising funds for a great local charity in Tralee which provides a bus service between Tralee and Cork city for people receiving cancer treatment and support.

We climbed the mountain via the straight-forward "Devil's Ladder" route and descended by the "Zig-Zags".....Heavy showers which were forecast never came and everyone made it to the summit and were rewarded for their toil and effort  with the spectacular views from the roof of Ireland!!!

After celebrating their achievement with a wee sip of champagne which was produced from a someones laden ruc-sac we began our descent. Half-way down the Zig-Zag track the group witnessed at first hand the great work done by Kerry Mountain Rescue team and the Coast-guard helicopter as the rescue of an injured walker un-folded on the slopes of Corrán Tuathail just across the glen from us...With the rescue over and with the casualty winched to safety the chopper flew off and we continued our descent into the glen....

6 hours after leaving we returned to Cronins yard and with sore legs and happy hearts we slapped backs for a fantastic day and a job well done!!!!

I still don't know of the total monies raised but congratulations to all on a successful and enjoyable days climb....