Guides course no2 – Lofoten

I just got home from the last weeks guides course in Lofoten. It was a five-day course with emphasize on rock climbing and short roping.

Our 9 guys strong crew got led and thought by Mike Wright, C-P Engström, Martin Swenson and Daniel Jonsson. The weather was like normally in Lofoten with everything from calm bluebird to rain and hard winds, but we where able to go through everything on the schedule and ended up having a really good course.

On the first day at Kalle we went through the main climbing guidelines for the Swedish Mountain Guide Organization (SBO) (Swedish only) and got tested on our mountain rescue skills.

On Sunday, the second day, we did short rope training in the rain on the Rock N Roll ridge and on the third day we got tested on our rock climbing at the Gandalf wall.

On the fourth day we did a eight pitch route on Råna in big boots and on the last day we had efficiency training in big boots on Piano wall. In the evenings we had theory and dinner together in the climbing Café at Nordnorsk Klatreskole.

It was great to spend more time with the crew and to learn from really good guides and instructors. I´m looking forward to the summer alpine course in Chamonix, France and Valais, Switzerland that´s starting in three weeks.

For more info on how to become a mountain guide on the Scandinavian system, visit www.sbo.nu (Swedish only).

For more info on the UIAGM, check www.ivbv.info/en/

Welcome meeting at the Climbing Café 

Instruction at Kalle 

Eva 

Calle P and Martin 

Morgan and HK

Vågakallen 

HK climbing up to rescue Morgan, part of our rescue skills test, with examiners Calle P and Daniel (strong man) 

The Paradise, colder than normal 

Theory at the Climbing Café 

On our way to the Rock N Roll ridge 

Short roping 

The Rock n Roll ridge 

Head instructor and mountain guide: Mike Wright 

The crew on the top 

Jesper leading a team 

Calle P is following Sami on Gamle Rev (Old Fox) 6 at Gandalf 

Calle P and Sami 

Teams on the ground 

Sami on one of the cruxes 

Sami and Calle P following on Tromsö Expressen 6, at the Gandalf wall 

Morgan, Mike and Eva

Daniel and Eva on our way to Råna 

At the start of the climb 

CH leading me up the lower parts of Råna 

Can you find him? 

Mike Wright following me over the black slabs 

And up the crux, 6- in mountaineering boots. 

Mike at the top 

Oskar taking Daniel up Pianohandler Lund´s Rute 

Sami, Tobias and Mike 

Daniel

Oskar and Morgan taking us up in the rain 

Finishing meeting 

Morgan in the Presten couloir on our Luca Pandolfi mission. No, sorry Luca, we didn't find your stuff, sorry...