Page 24 - 2000 AMA Summer

Seven go mad in
aspect provided the flexibility required to make the most out of the time available.
The instructional team consisted of W 02 Mike Holman MIC, Lt Tania Noakes JSRCI and Course Provider,2Lt Richard Vowles JSRCI currently at RMAS, ably assisted by CpI Ewen Whitney a JSRLT with experience above many active JSRCIs. My thanks have already been extended to them all for stepping in at the last minute in the knowledge that without them this excellent opportunity may have been lost. I know that they all enjoyed the experience and hope that there will be many a reunion in future!
The Costa Blanca is renowned amongst British climbers for providing an excellent winter-sun climbing experience on both bolted and traditional routes. Three weeks are barely enough to scratch the surface of what is available. There is a wealth of venues of very different character all within one-hours’ drive from Calpe. These varied from small, difficult but bolted sport crags, to single and multi-pitch roadside crags and sea cliffs. There are also plenty of long multi-pitch crags with straightfor­ ward access and very long Multi-Pitch Mountain Routes for the full-on Mountain Day experience. If you haven’t climbed at Puig Campana whilst in the area where have you been? (See photo
for a rock-climbing haven)
The variety of climbing sites available allows most weather to be dealt with. If it is raining in the mountains it is usually dry on the coast and for those rare days when it is raining everywhere some specific routes stay dry. Out of twenty-one climbing days only two were rainy. On the first the corner route of Povlos Magicos on the Penon D’lfach was found to be dry and on the second the rain had cleared sufficiently by midday to visit Toix Oeste and conduct Lead Climbing Instruction. The areas, which we used during the course of the three weeks, included, Toix Este and Oeste, Candelabra Del Sol, Mascarat and Aguja Inferior, Penon D’lfach, Gandia, Sella Cul Del Rino, Sella The Divino and Puig Campana, (a pretty busy three weeks!)
The area lends itself very well to teaching a group of reasonably strong novices. The courses that were run covered in depth the multi-pitch climbing system and introduced all the students to leading their own climbs by the end of the week. I would mark out two particular elements which were key to the success of running these rock-climbing proficiency courses in such a challenging environment. The first was an element of selection and training of the candidates before the Exercise proper. From the start it was emphasised
that the exercise was aimed primarily at identify­ ing potential future instructors and the level would be pitched as such. By far the most important element however
By Lt TM Noakes
I n November of last year I was fortunate enough to lead a rock- climbing exercise to the Costa Blanca in Spain for three weeks Exercise LIZARD-ROCK BACKSTOP aimed at qualify­ ing three successive groups of six soldiers in the rock-climbing proficiency award. The participating soldiers were all from 7 Signal Regiment, most of whom had only recently returned from Operations in Kosovo. Some of the soldiers returned early from their post operational leave to take part in the exercise. The previous rock climbing experience of the soldiers varied considerably from novice to indoor lead-climbers. All of them were to find the multi-pitch limestone crags of the Costa Blanca
an eye opening, and challenging experience.
The original idea was born from the knowledge that under the remodelled adventure training system a unit JSRCI is encour­ aged to supervise and instruct rock climbing proficiency courses for soldiers within their unit. Thus encouraging young soldiers to participate in AT activities early in their career and foster development towards becoming an instructor. This opportunity was like a red-rag to a bull. Having recently passed my JSRCI during my R&R from Kosovo in May upon my return from Operations in August I set the wheels in motion to enable Lizard-Rock Backstop to be born. Many of you will recognise this as a Hot-Rock' style Exercise for the soldiers of a particu­ lar Regiment.
This was the first full scale Adventure Training Exercise that I have organised through the military system and in hindsight I hope it will not be the last I have certainly learnt some lessons that will make such a task in future less draining. Like many other Exercise organisers there were moments when I swore 'never again', when my instructors pulled out days before kick- off and had to be replaced at the last minute. That said, the appreciation of the eighteen soldiers involved and the quality of the memories that I take away were more than worth the effort.
The Exercise was organised so that the instructional team was based in Spain for the whole period whilst three groups of six soldiers flew out successively from Germany to partici­
pate in their one-week course. Each course
ran Monday to Friday allowing the weekends free for instructor training! Our permanent base was a Villa called 'Casa Mabeni’ in La Fustera
on the outskirts of Calpe. The Villa not only provided a hard base from which to conduct evening teaching sessions
and lectures, but the self catering
Puig Campana
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Army Mountaineer