31st Jan - Paragliding

Porterville (Dasklip launch)

19min flight. Made two thermals but bombed-out quickly afterwards.

30th Jan - Paragliding

Porterville (Dasklip launch)

1hr 58mins thermalling. 10km out and back flight. Fantastic views, but tricky flying. No dynamic lift, just thermals.

27th Jan - Paragliding

Wilderness Beach Hotel launch

20mins in strong wind. Had to land because winds were too strong. Used speed-bar pretty much all the time.

25th Jan - Paragliding

Gericke's Point, Wilderness

2hrs 6mins. Great views, got 170m above launch, PB flight.

Map of Africa

1hr 19mins in reasonably strong winds. Did my first small wing-overs. Bring on the Acro! Brilliant day.

24th Jan - Run

Wilderness Beach

40 mins running (medium/fast)

Feeling fine. Did some swimming and body-surfing afterwards!

24th Jan - Paragliding

Wilderness Beach Hotel launch, 2hrs 2mins flight. PB. Only landed because I was dying for a slash. Tried Paradise Ridge in the afternoon but the lift was marginal and I fucked up the take-off, so ended up as v.short top to bottom flight.

23rd Jan - Paragliding

Map of Africa launch, Wilderness

Two soaring flights, 3hrs 12 total. Brilliant flying.

22nd Jan - Paragliding

2hrs ground-handling on dunes at Kleinkranz, then back to Wilderness Beach Hotel for v.short(!) flight.

21st Jan - Run

Wilderness, South Africa

20 mins running (medium/fast) on the beach.

21st Jan - Paragliding

Arrived in Wilderness, South Africa.

Two top-to-bottom flights at 'Map of Africa', landing on the beach. 10 mins total.

17th Jan - Run

Vicky Park and canals

43 mins easy/medium pace with Beaney.

Fine.

16th Jan - Run

Oil of Dags, Tower Hamlets

Cheeky half-marathon at medium 3/4 pace

21.1km, 1hr 29

Fine.

8th Jan - Mountaineering

Coire nan Beith, Summit Gully (500m, grade II**)

Outstanding climbing in perfect winter's day conditions. We climbed roped, but didn't place any protection and so made fast progress.

Good end to a great week of climbing.

7th Jan - Mountaineering

Tried for Coire nan Beith but took the wrong path (up the east-side of the valley), which meant that the difficult traverse round would scupper our chances on the intended route: Summit Gully on Stob Coire nan Beith. Instead we did some mucking around in a few of the Aonach Dubh west-face gullies (various II) and on The Screen (IV, which looks an epic route).

5th Jan - Mountaineering

Went up to Coire nan Lochan, site of my first proper full-on ice-climb in 2002. Less of a walk-in than the previous day, we got up to the Coire in about 1h 30. Climbed SC Gully (150m, III***) - spectacular route with 4 pitches, cited in the guidebook as one of the Scottish Classic climbs.

Crazy-horse led the first pitch, a 20m steep series of exposed ice walls. I then led the 2nd pitch up another ice wall onto a flatter snow gully. I led the third pitch which included an airy traverse round a rocky rib onto a steep ice wall and then a long run-out snowy gully with little protection which was pretty exciting. Crazy-horse then led the top 30m pitch to the summit cornice, in style. We topped out as it was getting dark and then descended in the dark to the valley.

Great day-out.

4th Jan - Mountaineering in Glencoe

Day of trip to Glencoe with Crazy-horse. Conditions were clear, ice great and snow in good condition.

We went up to the Lost Valley buttress (2hr walk-in) and did Right-hand Gully (150m, II). This was a long-walk in, then steep snowy scramble before one roped pitch at the top and over the cornice. Great views from the top on the south-side. Great to be back on the ice. The total ascent was just over 1,000m - great day.