560 Miles - 3559 Feet - 11Km

Setting off at 4.30am, we drove through a couple of storms towards Snowdonia where we found a beautifully decorated Snowdon with just a touch of white stuff visible on the upper slopes. Certainly nothing like what we experienced back in April but there was one element that made this day challenging in its own right - 100mph winds on the summit.

We took the Pyg track which in fine conditions is a very easy route. However, the strong gusts of wind made this route very interesting, with slippery ice as you reached the ridge on the last section. We made it despite all this and ticked off yet another summit on what has - in 2013 at least - proved to be a very versatile mountain with a range of challenges to throw at us.

We climbed with a highly experienced Norwegian pair, Sissel Smaller and her partner Petter. We met them as we set off and spent the day with them, not only are they incredibly friendly people but their knowledge and stories from their many climbs, including the '7 summits', made for some awesome conversations throughout the day.

We made it up there in what was for myself at least, a personal best. 2 hours up 2 and half down, we then came back down safely and drove the long but completely worth it journey home back to Kent.

Pyg track.

Scouting the route.

On the ridge.

Summit - Santiago, Sam & Roy.

...Rome!

First of all i'd like to wish happy birthday to a very special person...Millie i am so happy that i am the one that gets to spend these special days with you and share all the special moments of our lives :)

We spent four glorious days in the Italian city of Rome last week. I'm not much of a city person as you have probably gathered by now, but Rome was a place that i would go back to any day. Standing at the place where thousands of people cheered as Gladiators fought to their glorified and bloody death. It sends shivers down your spine and although it is merely ruins compared to what it was back then, it feels so very real. We also visited the Vatican, full of gold and immense masterpieces by the likes of Michelangelo.

One of our favourite dishes is indeed pizza and needless to say we had our fair share of it! Together with litre mugs of beer and endless sun i was well and truly sorted! Perhaps because we didn't expect much from a short break, but we both felt that we felt more relaxed during four days in Rome than our whole two weeks in Cancun back in May.

That's all for now, i'm half way through a much needed two weeks off and just about got rid of yet another cold! hopefully hit the top of the red at evolution tonight and start on my next challenge on the wall :)

Santiago.

1 whole litre of the good stuff!

quick before it melts!

Millie and I <3

Two weeks in the sun

I have just got back from a sunny holiday in sweet Cancun, Mexico. The long flight was a killer but our "all inclusive" hotel was absolutely amazing, much was eaten, much was drank. Temeperatures were in the 30's and the beach was beautiful. Didn't really do a lot of exploring the local area as the hotel had everything you could have wanted. It was lovely to get some peace and quiet, and of course a very nice tan :)

Just Chillin'

I did a lot of reading whilst sipping on beers and cocktails. I normally take a very long time to get through a book but in this ocassion i had some really good literature at hand and got through nearly three books in two weeks. I picked up at a copy of Joe Simpson's "Touching The Void" which tells an incredible tale of mountain survival first hand. Another masterpiece i came across was "K2-No Way Down" by Graham Bowley, a journalist from New York City. He wrote a detailed account of what went down on K2 in early August 2008. It is a recent example of how crazy things can get up there on the mountain and describes how 12 lives were lost in just three days high above on the slopes of K2 in Pakistan. Finally i polished off the rest of a book i've been slowly working through for the last few months. This is "The Longest Climb" by Dominic Faulkner, it follows the EVERESTMAX team as they cycle more than 5,000 miles from the lowest point on earth - the dead sea - to the highest peak on the planet - the summit of Mt. Everest. Not only is it an incredible journey but also a superbly written account of what happened during one of the deadliest seasons on the mountain.

That's all for now. I will be going out for a much needed skate tomorrow afterwhich It will be a busy week this one no doubt as i'm shooting my first wedding video on Thursday. I will let you all know how it went but i'm confident it will go well!

0610h the sun rises over the Caribbean.

Thank you for reading!
Santiago.

less is more

A hard day at work today as it always is catching up on the missed hours due to the bank holiday earlier in the week. Nevertheless yesterday i had a pretty active day. I headed down to Evolution for a climbing session, about an hour and a half trying out a couple of new routes and training up the old ones too. I wanted to go running too, i want to really get into shape so i have been trying to cut down on unnecessary binges of food at work and at home. This with a bit more exercise should do me some good. I came home after climbing and went back out again for a 5 mile run, over to Tonbridge and back again there is a nice gradient on the way back. I enjoy running up-hill more for some strange reason, it's more of a challenge i guess.

I also had a new idea for a possible trip. I was going through the books in Cotswold when i found a book about Norway's great outdoors. There is some incredible scenery and the mountains and lakes are just amazing. Maybe i'll head that way for a few days, camp out by a lake and climb a few peaks. It should be a nice drive too!

That's all for now, i have a day off tomorrow in which i plan to maybe go for another run and buy some vinyl. I might head down to Brighton as they have some decent shops in where to buy such things for little money.

"Mexico in 10 days babyy!"

April showers

Despite having to repeatedly flee to the car for shelter from the pouring skies, waiting for it to dry, going back out, getting shouted at by retarded grumpy old men who have no idea how to coexists with fellow citizens in a car park, we did eventually manage to film a couple of tricks for the slowly accumulating collection of clips that will one day form part of a bigger piece of work.

On a separate note if you're into climbing my friend Alec Turner is in the Himalayas en route to climbing Lhotse, this being the peak next to mt. everest. He is attempting to summit without the use of supplementary oxygen, an amazing achievement. I have been following his steps on his journey up there and the most exciting part is about to start so check it out on "www. glacierboy.com".

Thinking of going on a short run before work in the morning to kickstart my running habits. I've not done much running since my half marathon in late February and besides it will be nice to wake up doing something different. I shall let you know how that goes. I am probably more likely to snooze and sleep knowing me but it sounds a good idea! Anyway that's it for now I shall leave you with a quote from a book I'm currently trying to read.

"The main street finishes in a dead end, only a rusty piece of corrugated iron and a pile of sandbags marking the end of Nepal. Behind them sat a teenage soldier playing with his helmet, the muzzle of his rifle resting under his chin. The defence of the nation was clearly in safe hands".

Climbing

For the past month I've been going climbing again, and I have definitely noticed the strength and stamina building in just a few sessions. Today was one of those days and after work Big ash and I headed over to evolution and hit the wall for a couple of hours, they've made a really fun route on the overhang that has left us shattered! We shall be going back next Wednesday and hopefully see some improvement!