Thanks for having a look. © 2020 Alpine Guides. Unhelpful for the most part but leaving N Faces in good shape during good periods of weather and especially so by its end and through the following autumn. Heli-skiing as an Aspirant Guide, spending a week in Scotland climbing pristine Grade 4/5s with 2 blokes aged 68 and 70, climbing E4 at work, working with Allen Fyffe, stuff like that. Timmy O'Neill is a professional rock climber, first ascensionist and public speaker. So for a young instructor whose life revolved around climbing, it was the obvious goal. He is nicknamed the "Urban Ape". climber. Words by Tim Neill… I go to work, tell everyone the plan then go climbing or mountaineering etc. I caught up with Tim at the Galt y Glyn hotel in Llanberis for a pizza and a pint to find out more: Job Title: Timmy O'Neill, South Lake Tahoe, California. The Boccalatte hut (guardiened in summer) is a wonderful, friendly place if at that stage you’ve run out of beans. Plas y Brenin is managed by the Mountain Training Trust. Any friends through work? Grimer's job at the BMC sounds cool, researching your fave crags for the next guidebook. Here the route winds in and around big towers with minimal input from the guidebook to land you on mixed ground leading to the summit of Point Walker. MTT is a registered charity, set up by the British Mountaineering Council, the Mountain leader Training Board, and the United Kingdom Mountain Training Board, specifically to run the centre. This work has included training and assessing at all levels of UK mountain qualifications. Is it all cruising to Tremadog, climbing the best routes and eating ice-cream in the sunshine? Timmy O'Neill is a professional rock climber, first ascensionist and public speaker. Whilst a lift will take you part way towards this route, the majority of climbs on this side are big “from the valley floor” endeavours. The interview was full-on, with opinions and views of the bigger picture of climbing being much more weighted than grades, certificates and badges. Further successful trips have taken him to Patagonia, Peruvian Andes, USA, Greenland, Morocco, Australia and extensively throughout mainland Europe. If I'm in Scotland, the day is almost the same but starts earlier and ends later. When winter has appeared here, I’ve been lucky enough to have only a very small selection left to do. I wake up thinking about the weather, our students' needs, the rest of the staff and where we should go to get the best from the day. Whilst arguably this is a route for the alpine connoisseur it will divide opinion from its very few ascensionists. Best done early to allow a little recovery time and a chance to recce the following morning’s route finding through the first rock bands. This is definitely the wild card of the list. The worst day? © UKClimbing Limited. Why is it great being a Senior Instructor at Plas y Brenin, and why is it rubbish? The summer of 2014 was an anomaly. We made it back to the road without use of our headlamps, had pizza and got ready for the next big day. Our staff are amongst the most experienced, committed and competent outdoor enthusiasts you could ever hope to meet and it is their unique talents that make a visit to Plas y Brenin so special. Opposites attract. He is a committed Rock Climber, Alpinist and Pizza Eater. Tim Neill highlights his personal favourites from the abundance of brilliant winter routes that festoon Britain's highest mountain. https://www.patagonia.com/ambassadors/climbing/timmy-oneill.html Laugh?! It's not every climbers' perfect job, as I've seen good climbers lose their own passion and turn into “Instructors”. This will feel exposed going up. He is nicknamed the "Urban Ape". These are just three that I was lucky to enjoy with great people when conditions, weather and stars all aligned. About Plas y Brenin: Tim Neill is a highly experienced British Mountain Guide who began Alpine climbing in the early ’90s. Normally I'll be the coordinating instructor on the given course, making sure the students and other staff are doing the most appropriate things and having a good time. Having climbed almost everything there, he has also climbed widely throughout the UK and Ireland. I love whichever I’m doing with equal passion. O'Neill is originally from East Lansdowne, Pennsylvania, one of seven children. In the autumn much more of this could be done in the light with cooler weather of course. Access to a year's subscription to the Rockfax App. Access to this face is quite complicated and not without exposure to major objective hazards. In this new article series I Want That Job! Is it how you/other people imagine it to be? 0 Comment. As your guide I would endeavour to do the best routes we can, whether it’s a classic or a path less travelled. - Ken Yager, founder and CEO of the Yosemite Climbing Association, © 2019 Timmy O'Neill | Site Design JDial Creative. 213 - Tonta Suerte (Dumb Luck) VI 5.10 A1 WI3, 1800 m, Cerro Fitz Roy, West Face, new route done in 51-hour push, partner: Nathan Martin - Regular Route, Half Dome + South Face, Mt. Over the years as well as with my own clients, I’ve guided for numerous other independent guides and well-respected outfits (for example ISM and Alpine Guides), in addition to a long stint at Plas Y Brenin  (culminating in heading up their rock climbing, Scottish winter and alpine work). Tim is a regular face on the North Wales climbing scene, his friendly and open attitude and his endless passion for climbing make him everyone's first choice for a climbing partner. I've done this job for 3 ½ years now, I'll probably do it for 6 in total. Ideally it’ll be good snow and not too icy as you’ll be coming back down here shortly. Whether you want a residential course, an update on the weather and climbing conditions, a bar meal and a chat or a qualification that could help you in your work you will find it here at the National Mountain Centre. You can read Tim's Staff Profile on the Plas y Brenin website. Be well acclimatised. Highlights include many North Faces, the Peuterey Integral and Freney on Mt Blanc as well as summiting Fitzroy, Patagonia. Be an all-rounder, as it stops you becoming a climbing bigot. Further successful trips have taken him to Patagonia, Peruvian Andes, USA, Greenland, Morocco, Australia and extensively throughout mainland Europe. After whitewater kayaking as a child, he began climbing as a teenager, scaling the cables of the Brooklyn Bridge and climbing in Yellowstone. This is a big trip in every sense. Timmy O'Neill (born 1969) is an American professional rock climber, guide, and comedian. Words by Tim Neill If you are ever staying at Plas y Brenin then it is likely that Tim will be running your course, or running amok in the building. Good luck! 8th Oct '19. You can read Tim's Plas y Brenin is under the direct management of the organisations whose members are the key users of the centre and its facilities. The hut book will probably never run out of page space for signatures. A rundown of the top ten classics by Sam Leach The Climber's Voice - Easter Weekend: A Pass Challenge. I'd been at PYB for 9 yrs on and off and some positions came up as senior staff were going part time or moving on. Here are three climbs in the Western Alps that span a broad range of difficulty yet have many common themes. Tim is very generous with his PYB lunches, don't be shy in asking to share his sandwiches! Following the excellent climb with Uisdean, Keith arrived for a solid week... Here’s some photos of a great adventure last Thursday and Friday on... A few days at home after the Guide’s course I was... Back in late January I was privileged to run a couple of... Here’s a few photos of some elusive winter climbing lately. Click or tap this notice to hide. At Plas y Brenin we like to think that we offer training opportunities that give you the best opportunity to make the most of your skills and ambitions. Tim O’Neill of Paradox Sports, who recently led a group of nine veterans through Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, says the trip helped to remind them that “your life isn’t over. Tim is very generous with his PYB lunches, don't be shy in asking to share his sandwiches! When I started at PYB, Twid (Mike Turner) had this job and he always seemed to make the best of the opportunities that it presented. He is equally passionate about rock, winter and alpinism! How long have you been in the job now? Sometimes the weather plays ball (mostly), but sometimes it makes it really tough. Gear: Long thin ropes, gear to climb fast up to AI 4/5, stove and bivi gear depending on speed and conditions, luck and a good partner or two. There's no average week, sometimes I work for 5 days on the trot, sometime for 10 or more.