Ron James (mountaineer)

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Ron James is a mountaineer, rock climber, writer and was Chief Instructor and instigator of the mountain rescue post at Ogwen Cottage.

Amongst his many achivement in the Alps, the UK and especially North Wales, he played a pivotal role in the settting up Ogwen Cottage as an outdoor pursuits centre but also as a Mountain Rescue Post. The combined services of the mountain rescue posts Plas y Brenin and Pen-y-Gwryd, mean't that people had a lifeline for any beleaguered mountaineers & climbers. Mountain rescue services were further enhanced by additional services provided by the Air-Sea rescue of RAF Valley, Anglesey.

James's work was crucial to the later setup of the Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation (OVMRO), which is still very much in operation today.

[edit] Writing

James's Rock Climbing in Wales is a guide to Snowdonia and its five centres: The Ogwen Valley, The Llanberis Pass, Beddgelert, Dolwyddelan and Holyhead Mountain. The book details 200 climbs chosen by the author, after 30 years' experience.

Crag and route descriptions; standards (from difficult to extremely severe); route and pitch lengths; first ascents; winter ascents; and belays are all included.

The introduction to each area includes information about the type of climbing, accommodation and campsites, equipment shops, mountain guiding centres and mountain rescue facilities. The book was published over 20 years ago so some of the details vary greatly, however the guide to the climbs are just as insightful as they were originally printed.