Self reliance is a fundamental principle of mountaineering. By participating we accept this and take responsibility for the decisions we make. These Conditions Reports are intended to help you make good decisions. They do not remove the need for you to make your own judgements when out in the hills.

Tuesday 2 December 2014


We go on at length about how good mountain biking is in Scotland. Here in the Outdoor Capital of the UK it is at its best when you think of the variety as well as the quality of what is on offer. The trail centres are excellent and the enduro riding is second to none in Kinlochleven, but for me it's the adventure riding which makes the biking here stand out.


At the end of last week I rode a three day tour of Ben Nevis with students on the Advanced Certificate in Outdoor Leadership Course at West Highland College. The first day was along the West Highland Way to Kinlochleven, a fabulous, technical ride with one of the best descent in the country, down to the shore of Loch Leven. We had brilliant weather for the second day which went up to Blackwater Dam first. The section from there past Chiarain Bothy to Loch Treig is outstanding and one of my favourite bits of trail anywhere. You then get a fast, mostly downhill section of double track in the back of beyond before emerging to stay at Tulloch. The Puggy Line then made a brilliant return to Fort William. World class mountain biking as part of a college course for these students. We were all very lucky!


As a counterpoint to the expedition we went to Laggan Wolftracks on Monday. The technical trails and fast flowing berms and bumps felt so much easier and more fun than the expedition trails but lacked the big wilderness feel. It's a great venue for coaching though and the students were doing some video analysis. See if you can pick up the learning points from these video clips.








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