BFF & Banff Film Festival 2013

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Last weekend I went to the Banff Film Festival in Stafford, I nestled in to my seat in the theatre full of down jackets and 40 something year old men and watched with awe, excitement and sometimes fear as the intrepid jumped, climbed and paddled their way across the screen. As inspiring as the dare devil acts were, for me there was one overwhelming theme that ran through the first few films: Crossing the Ice, Wide Boyz and Flow Hunters were all about groups of friends doing the things that they love… together.

I had a heart-warming moment as I thought of a friend’s birthday trip I was part of only a few weeks ago in Snowdonia. A T4, T5 and a VW Golf estate parked up in a lay-by housed 6 sleeping climbers one Friday night after work. We woke early took in the snowy views, yawned and headed off up to the Llanberis Pass. We walked up and up and up in low visibility, navigating through gaps in the clouds toward Parson’s Nose. As two groups of three we roped up and started the ascent with two more groups hot at our heels. We topped out on Crib Y Ddysgl and gently strode to the top of Snowdon in almost white out conditions, then gingerly descended down the Miner’s Path in the ensuing darkness. It felt good to get to Eric’s Café in Tremadog that evening to eat birthday cake, drink wine and chat about the day.

The highlight of the trip for me was at one point during the climb, a solo climber pranced quietly passed us stopping only to ask quickly ‘are you with a guide or instructor?’ to which I responded ‘no, we are just a group of friends!’ As I answered I was hit with a huge sense of pride and I can still feel it now, I’m so happy and constantly amazed that my friends and I have the ability and inclination to go on these adventurous trips. We all look after each other, without the need for baby-sitting or hand holding, there is little or no fear and no drama queens. Having capable friends around you makes these trips even more memorable experiences, knowing you can trust them with your life and that they are willing to trust theirs to you makes the experience and the friendship much stronger. Plus it’s just more fun to do things with your friends!

There was sadly one massive thing missing from the film festival, this was the inclusion of films about women (and no a cute film about a dog called Lily doesn’t count!). I know there are excellent films out there for example Jen Randall’s film Push It about her and her friend Jackie’s fun but remarkable ascent up El Cap; it even fits in with the friendship theme. There is only one thing for it, I’ve decided that I and a few of my female friends are going to have to get out there and start making films about the things we are up to. I’ll have to start saving for a video camera!

Check out a taster of Push It by clicking here...

Venting: Pros and Cons of Staff Housing

 

When I first started looking at working in the Outdoor Industry I was massively put off jobs/apprenticeships that required you to live on site. I had my own life, was renting a house close to my friends and didn’t want to have to up sticks for a job, it felt like it would be a backwards step. However, since getting my lovely, rare, 9-5 outdoor education job one thing has led to another and I am currently living in the staff housing. 
 

I’ve always told myself that it’s different to any other staff accommodation. Yes you can hear the evening or weekend activities when you’re trying to relax on the days you’re not working, but nobody ever expects you to do anything for work once you’re home or to work longer hours or anything like that. In fact it’s almost like not living at work at all. It’s actually really good quality accommodation and somehow I’ve managed to end up with a three-bed semi on my own for the last 6 months, well with a semi-permanent live-in boyfriend. And it’s cheap, although my savings don’t reflect that after the recent ski trip! But a few weeks ago something clicked and I haven’t been able to help taking a less positive look on the whole living at work thing.

It started when I got a bit fed up of people assuming they could access the house whenever they wanted, without giving notice. I never thought I was a prude but I just don’t want the fire inspector seeing my underwear drying in the spare room. I asked that we get 24 hours notice; the request was ignored twice until I shut myself in with my boss in his office until he saw clearly my point of view. I now get notice, but not about what they are doing in there. To cut a long story short a private company is buying out our service and they are doing all over surveys quickly before they take over in about a months time. I found out today that part of the survey involved them having to go into my built-in wardrobe; I officially have no private space and I was really pissed off. At least the guy who did the survey looked suitably more embarrassed about it than I felt angry. Now even innocent comments that are only slightly related to the fact that I live at work are met with a forced smile/grimace.

Apparently the new companies plan C for the staff accommodation is ‘holiday lets.’ Who knows what plan A, B, D, E or F are. We could be out on our ear in who knows how long and I can’t really afford to move out, so I have no other option than just to try and relax and ride it out. I am, therefore, going to make the most of being able to save, walk to work, live in the countryside and have a big house to myself with off road parking! Maybe I can live with a few unexpected visitors after all…

Ski Trip... finally!

I've always wanted to go on a ski holiday, but you know the story... loads of people all say 'yeah let's do it' 'we should go as a group it's always better in a group!' but when it comes to the crunch nobody ever actually pulls their finger out and books. Well I'm happy to say I finally found a man who books! So a few weeks ago I was setting my alarm for 3am to catch a flight to Geneva.

I’d be lying a bit if I said I'd never ski'd before, I did spend a day in Scotland on very little snow, lifts closed, trudging up the slopes in my boots and trying to film a friend whilst ploughing slowly down. But when we woke up for our first day in the Aosta valley, I knew I was in for something completely different. Everyday of the holiday I was struck by the magnificent beauty of Mont Blanc and the surrounding mountains, how clean the streets were and how much fun it was to communicate in French with the Italian locals.

After the initial semi-stress of finding the lifts, ski hire and ski school, I was happy to bumble around on my skis with Alessio my instructor whilst the other more experienced of the group bombed off around the mountains. I quickly became confident on the skis but not so much with navigating the slopes and the lifts. My fear was that I would end up at the top of a black with no way of escape but down.

On my first day without lessons I got really fed up. I was on my own skiing the same slope over and over, getting quicker but stuck in a blue rut. I didn't have the confidence to try a red on my own and I didn't want to drag one of the boys with me. I was going to ask for the apartment keys, go back and never ski again... The two snowboarders in our group bumped into me at exactly the right time...'if you can do that blue you can definitely do this red... come on.' I was nervous but something clicked half way down. I could do reds! Now most of the mountain was open for me, my boyfriend showed me some more lifts and red slopes and I was off! Every slope left me more confident and I even started skiing down unknown slopes and getting unfamiliar lifts. I was so excited; of course Simon was too cool to be excited just saying 'I knew you'd be good at it' (not even a smile… tut).

By the end of the week I'd fallen lots, messed up so much my skis had popped off, had a ski tantrum, was happily skiing on reds and had seen most of the mountain. More than I thought I would ever achieve on the trip. It was tiring but worth it, up for the first lift every day, only coming down when the last lift had closed. Leaving us with barely enough energy for drinking and eating in the evening.

I hadn't really realised how much fun I had until I was putting my shoes on for work on the following Monday. I found myself thinking 'the last time I wore these was walking back to the apartment after my last day on the slopes.' Since then I've wished I were back there shooshing around. Before the trip I was so nervous about every aspect of the holiday, when people asked if I was excited I'd say 'I'm excited about the next ski trip, when I know what I'm doing.' It's still true; I'm so excited about my next trip, whenever it will be.