Greetings yal!
Winter is finally here and in full swing. I’ve been making the most of every opportunity to get out on the hill and practice my skills.
I’ve learnt a hard lesson in patience and that the key to a successful day out here is to plan your activities around the fickle freeze-thaw cycles of Scottish winter. This means constant weather monitoring, speaking to local climbers and praying to the snow gods.
This month I’m sharing the perfect film to get excited about winter climbing, a book to get the most out of your ski touring and thoughts on why achieving your goals can take longer than you think.
What I’m Reading
Ski Touring: A Practical Manual - Bruce Goodlad
I went for my first ski tour last Friday around the The Northern Corries in the Cairngorms and let it be said, I learnt a lot. I picked up Bruce’s book on the recommendation of a friend.
If you want to leave the confines of the piste, and explore the mountains and valleys beyond, then this is the book for you. Everything you need to make the transition from piste skiing to ski touring is here, from downhill off-piste and uphill skills to avalanche awareness
Check it out here.
Music I’m Diggin
Valleys of Neptune - Jimi Hendrix
It’s Jimi Hendrix. Need I say more?
Valleys of Neptune is one of his better posthumous compilation albums. Stone Free was a particular favourite.
Listen to the album here.
Who I’m Following
Jamie Windsor
One night whilst surfing Youtube I stumbled across Jamie Windsor’s channel and more importantly, his video on Why Focal Length Matters. That video changed my whole approach to photography. How the focal length you chose can affect the audience’s psychological interpretation of your image.
The production and thought that Jamie puts into his videos stands him far above other Youtubers.
Check out his Youtube channel here.
What I’m Watching
The Place of The Gaels
I’ve been scrying the web recently for inspiring films and images on Scottish winter climbing and unfortunately, there aren’t many out there. One gem I did find was ‘The Place of the Gaels’ by Rab Equipment.
The documentary explores the community and culture of winter climbing in the Highlands and introduces three American athletes to the notorious Scottish winter.
Check it out here.
Quote I’m Pondering
I tried to quit my finance job twice in 2018. My reasoning was that I needed my back against the wall to truly move forward. Nothing like a bit of fear to get the cylinders firing. Back then however, I didn’t realise how long the journey towards becoming a professional outdoor photographer was.
It’s been five years since I started that journey and only now feel like my ambitions are coming true.
In our world of instant gratification and leisure we’ve seemingly lost the art of patience and temperance and think success comes overnight. What we often don’t see are the months, years and sometimes decades it can take to achieve a goal.
As the old saying goes, “Good things come to those who wait.”
I’m going for my first multi-day ski tour this week, hopefully there’ll be room in the bothy!
Whatever you do, have a good one,
Alex
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As I write this newsletter the rain is drumming relentlessly against the climbing hut window here on the west coast of Scotland and I am feeling resigned that maybe, just maybe, the Scottish winter climbing scene is finally over.
This month I’m sharing the perfect film to get excited about Scottish winter skiing, a book to think differently about wealth and thoughts on how finding a mentor can appear in places least expected.