Been out here and there in the last few weeks, before the early December cold snap broke down in the middle of the the month managed to climb the excellent Inclination (VII/7) in Stob Coire Nan Lochan with Konnie and Viv, Route I with the direct start (VI/6) on the Ben with Konnie and the nails Genie (V/7) in Sneachda with Steve (along with some airtime on my part). Ironically the very cold few weeks we've just had in Scotland weren't brilliant for winter climbing as there had been quite a major thaw previously and during the cold snap the weather was very dry. A week ago on Saturday I made the long (4hrs) slog into Braeriach with Konnie and Gaz to climb the icy Vulcan (V/4) in Garbh Coire Mor, supposedly the snowiest place in Britain. An awesome, wild and deserted place but quite a long way to go for two pitches of climbing. At the top I had to deal with a 7 metres of horrific vertical sugar above less than convincing runners and belay, it eventually succumbed to over an hour of character building tunneling after convincing myself that I was Colin Haley on a top rope.
No.4 Buttress, Coire an Lochain
Fallout Corner
Despite the warm and windy forecast, last Friday the conditions in Coire an Lochain were excellent with all the buttresses nicely hoared and the temperatures below zero even if the wind was fairly savage... Viv and climbed the classic Fallout Corner (VI/7) that provided a couple of pitches of very well protected climbing, maybe a touch overrated though and very soft for the grade. I would have no complaints if it was given V/7 and definitely easier than the Genie.
I must have walked up the Ben path in winter at least twenty times in winter but I've never seen it quite like it was on Saturday. It was clearly going to bright and chilly day, the car thermometer read a toasty -8 at Dalwhinnie and had warmed up to a positively balmy -2 at the north face car park as we started to walk up. There was a good covering of snow to sea level and all the pine trees on the initial path were plastered in snow. It felt more like walking along a wooded track in the Alps rather than a dank forest path on the West Coast of Scotland. Luckily some kind souls had blazed a trail in already, so we were spared the purgatorial thigh deep wade that I was dreading.
Carn Dearg
The mighty north face of Carn Dearg looked absolutely plastered in snow so we decided that it would be silly not take advantage of this and we made a beeline for Route One. Unfortunately there was a team already at the start but they had decided not climb as the turf looked pretty unfrozen. We thought we'd check it out so I soloed up a bit to test a couple of lumps, all of which were resolutely soggy, bugger.
South Trident Buttress - Slab Climb is the obvious slab high up
I wasn't particularly psyched by the wade up in the Ciste but walking slowly has its advantages and Gaz and Konrad kindly improved the trail ahead of me. Plan B was to to try Slab Climb (VI/7) on South Trident Buttress. Luckily Ian Parnell and Andy Benson were making the first winter ascent of Devastation, an E1 just to the left of our route so there was a good set of tracks to the bottom of the route.
Gaz on the first pitch
Due to the amount of faffage we didn't start climbing until twelve, Gaz led off on the first pitch whilst Konnie and I played paper, scissors, stone to decide who got the meat of the route, the 40m slab that made up the second pitch. I won.
Getting Dark...
Once Gaz had a set up a slightly iffy looking belay we moved across and I stared up at the slab. It looked fairly intimidating and once I started up I realised it was pretty verglassed as well. The route climbs a crack in the slab to an overlap then transfers left to another crack and then up. I spent a while at the beginning trying to get a wire in and once I'd done this, I began to have serious commitment issues. Time was moving on rapidly, I wasn't sure I'd be able to get that many runners and the climbing looked hard and delicate. Eventually after moving up and down a few times I got so high there didn't seem much point in going down again so decided to press on.
Darkness
The climbing was absolutely stellar, really absorbing and technical but never pumpy. Alot of the small edges were covered in ice so I had to do a fair bit of chipping for footholds but once established the gear was great. The highlight was moving around the overlap. It felt a bit like the GBH window traverse, sidepulling of a big edge, then shuffling along a narrow foot ledge before grasping the sidepull on the other side. From here I reached the edge of the slab and had to make a tenuous move off a very small torque (just using the tip of the pick) to regain the crack. Once the halfway ledge was reached the climbing eased and I was soon on the small belay ledge.
Enjoying the Offwidth
It was now quarter to four and darkness was rapidly approaching, Gaz decided he was going to abb off and go down, but there was no way I was going to go down after the effort I'd just put in. Luckily Konnie was still keen and began to second the pitch with the headtorch coming into play half way up. The top pitch was a heinous looking overhanging chimney/offwidth disappearing into the night. It succumbed to alot of grunting from Konnie. It wasn't much fun to second with a pack in the dark but the rest of the pitch was good and we were soon on our way back to the car. None of the snow had melted and the car park was looking just as alpine as in the morning. We all decided that spending the night in a house in Aviemore was preferable to the car so back to Gaz's it was. Needless to say our psyche levels were low in the morning so after dropping the keen Kiwi and other Sam in the Coire Cas carpark we made a big fry up.
The midweek plan was to head to Lochnagar on Tuesday with Mike then possibly head somewhere else on Wednesday if motivation was high. After a frosty bivvy in the car which iced up on the inside, the day dawned frosty and clear as we trudged up the dreary road to the coire. There wasn't much snow around and we were slightly worried about the possibility of black cliffs but were pleasantly surprised by the view of a frosty crag, although there was minimal snow on the coire floor. We climbed Shadowlands (VI/7), a 'modern classic' that tackles the steep lower section of Shadow Buttress A. Not too sustained and a good, well protected crux pitch. By the time we topped out the weather had changed and it was almost dark, after a slight faff finding the Meikle Pap col and a walk out in heavy snow, psyche levels for a second day were low.
Shadowlands takes the right-left slanting corner that rises from the large cave on the central buttress
The last month has definitely been the best start to a winter season since I've been climbing. It's still only November and we're already onto our third cold spell, no doubt we'll pay for it come January... In the spirit of peversity I decided not to go climbing at the weekend but instead went to the Kendal Mountain Film Festival, except I didn't see any films. It was a bit of lost couple of days, mainly spent in the pub. To make up for it, Duncan and I got up bleary eyed on Monday morning and went for a wander in the Southern Highlands. after deciding that Arrochar wasn't in we ended up at the old faithful Beinn an Dothaidh. The main buttress was looking a bit black so wed did a IV/5 on the lower cliff - Circean. A bit of one pitch pitch wonder but a good one at that. A steep corner on excellent turf, then a pull through a burly undercut wall. Back off to play in the snow in the morning...
The Blog kind of went into hibernation over the summer, mainly due to the loss of my digital camera (somewhere below Scafell East Buttress) and the lack of a computer for July, August and September. However with the first snows have roused me from my estivation and with the winter horn rapidly hardening I thought I'd bore you all (if anyone is still out there) with a selection of summer photos. From Gogarth to Colombia via the Alps, Scotland and elsewhere.
Ogmore Scariness
Minus One Direct
Only Another 15 Hours To Go Viv
Most Beautiful Place to Climb in Scotland?
Happy Campers After an Awesome Day on Carnmore
Main Cliff
Gogarth
Frendo Spur
Snow Arete
Alps
Dru North Face
Aiguille De La Vanoise - Demaison Route
Near the Summit of a Very Cold Aiguille Verte, Having Climbed The Nant Blanc Face
On the Top of the Verte
A Broken Man
South Ridge of the Aiguille Noire de Peuterey, A Long Way
It had to come to an end at some point and Tuesday proved to be a fitting climax. With mild westerlies predicted to set in on Wednesday, it looked like the last day to enjoy the awesome spring skiing conditions on the hills. Last week I’d wanted to take advantage of the ski-lifts on Aonach Mor to gain height initially before traversing the Aonachs and then the high ridge of Grey Corries. However, only the Gondola was running due to high winds and I couldn’t be bothered to skin up the piste, so instead I went and skied the two mountains just north of the A86 near Fersit, Beinn Teallach (917m) and Beinn Chaorainn (1049m), a very pleasant afternoon in the sun but kind of ducking the main challenge.
Nearing the top of the Ben
On the summit on skis - strange
So on Tuesday morning I found myself leaving the car park at Achintee at the ungodly hour of 3.45am about to set on the ‘Haute Route de Ben Nevis’. Rather than risk the capricious nature of the lifts at the ski centre I’d decided to extended the traverse, starting by ascending the Ben, down and then along the arête to the summit of Carn Mor Dearg, across to Aonach Beag before finishing along the high level ridge of the Grey Corries and the final slog down to the road. It looked like it was going to be a fairly long day of around 32kms and 3000m of ascent. Hence the early start.
The way ahead
I’d never walked up the tourist track on the Ben before so didn’t have much of a clue how long the 1300m climb would take especially lugging skis and boots for most of it. It was actually pretty painless, well-graded track, head down, ipod on but no need for a headtorch in the pre-dawn light. I put skis on at about 800m and then skinned up the Red Burn and along the summit plateau with familiar cliffs of the mighty Nordwand dropping away to my left, before reaching the summit at about six thirty. The weather wasn’t as sparkling as previous days, a very strong wind (that was only to get worse) battered the summit shelter and although clear, the sky was a depressing shade of uniform grey, not a place to linger.
Dawn over the Mamores
A steep descent down to the head of Coire Leis on grippy, re-frozen snow augured well for the rest of the day, before I shouldered skis and scrambled along the airy knife edged arête to the summit of Carn Mor Dearg (1223m). The 450m descent from here to the col below Aonach Beag (1234m) was probably the best of the day, a small cornice drop and then a perfect steep bowl coated in delicious spring corn (a slightly worrying sign that temperature was already rapidly rising at 7am). It’s moments like that that make long climbs worth it. No one else around for miles, no evidence of other skiers and a wide expanse of whiteness to rip up.
Looking back to the Ben and Carn Mor Dearg, descended bowl on right of peak just right of centre
I made a slightly poor decision on the ascent to Aonach Mor – Aonach Beag Col, starting the ascent a bit early and having to scramble along some exposed ledges in order to regain more secure ground, the rest of the climb was too steep for skins and I slogged up to the summit of Aonach Beag in the constant wind. At this point I had a decision to make, the wind was a concern (I’ve rarely been out in such a strong, constant wind, I guess around 35-40mph with no gusting). In the end I decided to press on, the ski down to the pass was another goody with a steep and narrow couloir off Stob Coire Bealach, I also passed a Spanish walker who’d bivvied on the ridge the night before, the only person I saw all day.
The low point of the traverse
Looking back along the ridge, the Ben is the big one in the background
The col at 750m was the lowest point of the day and I had to take off my skis to walk a few hundred metres to begin the climb to Sgurr Choinnich Beag (963m)and then up to Sgurr Choinnich Mor (1094m). There was a fairly decent descent off this Munro to Bealach Coire Easain where the Grey Corries proper started. From here the ridge never drops below about 950m so I kept skins on throughout as none of the ski descents are massive and the terrain fairly undulating. I was still making good progress despite being pummelled by the brutal wind and by the time I reached the final Munro of Stob Coire Claurigh (1077m) the sun had even come out. From here a big bowl of snow led steeply and invitingly downwards into Coire na Ceannain and the Lairig Leacach. The snow at the top was excellent but towards the bottom it had turned very heavy despite being north facing and was hard going with heavy legs. It eventually ran out at about 600m and I shouldered skis for the last bit of the descent. When I reached the path I still had a good 5kms down to the road but the it was a good landrover track and Coirriechoille farm soon appeared.
Nearly there
Looking back at the final descent
The plan was for Gaz to maybe pick me up here so I could collect my car round at Achintee. I’d been much quicker than I expected, only taking about 12hrs for the whole trip and he’d gone up to Tunnel Wall for the afternoon so wouldn’t be able to pick me up for a while. So I dumped my bag in the woods and ambled the three miles down to Spean Bridge to try and get the bus back to the Fort. Unfortunately I’d realised I’d left my car keys in my bag when I got to Spean Bridge and I couldn’t be bothered with the six mile round trip to get them so I sampled the delights of Little Chef and then the Commando Inn for 4 hours until Gaz could pick me up and I could start the trip back to Edinburgh.
The walk out
A great way to end the winter, starting at the highest point in the country and then traversing some magnificent and remote mountain scenery with the added bonus of a few excellent descents. Let’s hope that summer 2008 lasts as long as winter did.
I've also stuck on a few photos of the tour of Beinn Teallach (915m) and Beinn a'Chaorainn (1049m) that I did the week before.
I've been a bit slack updating recently, been up to quite alot a really enjoying this late season Highland snow bonanza, I'll stick a load of photos up in the next couple of days.
Anyway, yesterday Duncan, Viv and I went for a ski tour round Creag Meagaidh in the Central Highlands. At the moment there is absolutely tons on snow everywhere in the Highlands, pretty much complete cover above 700m with the Cairngorms absolutely plastered (most snow at this time of year for 15 years apparently).
We had to walk about 40mins or so from car before sticking skis on for the first Munro on the circuit Carn Liath. The snow was absolutely perfect, soft and grippy, more reminiscent of midwinter than mid April. At this point the weather began to change from the glorious sunshine of the early morning, the clouds came in, the light flattened and we made steady progress following the fence posts along the ridge tops with occasional views to the massive cliffs of Coire Adair.
As we descended down to the Window (the lowest point of the ridge) the weather began to clear. Earlier on in the morning we'd seen a steeper descent off the ridge that I was keen to ski. As we peered over the heavily corniced edge it was clear that the slope I was after was a few hundred metres further back, I told the others that I was going for a look and skinned back up, leaving them to descend to the Window. There was no obvious way over the heavily corniced rim as I backtracked, keeping a few metres back from the edge(for those of you who don't know, a cornice is an overhanging lip of snow formed by drifting and blown snow). Having been carefully avoiding the edge, I went closer to what seemed like a less overhanging section. Then, deciding against dropping down I was just about to go back and join the others when I began to fall. The whole cornice broke away about 6 feet from the edge, just where I was standing and took me with it.
I saw the crack appear as I began to silde down, surfing on top of the large blocks of snow and ice, falling for about 30-40 feet until I suddenly came to halt, wedged amongst the blocks. Below me there was an ominous rumbling as the avalanche continued on for another 500m towards the coire floor. After a brief moment I realised I wasn't hurt but was missing a ski that had probably been buried under tons of snow. It was soon clear there was no way back over the 10 foot cornice above and I gingerly made my way down to valley bottom along a rock rib.
As I sat pretty shaken at at the bottom, just below the debris from the avalanche run out, I began to go over what had gone on. Clearly what looked like a vertical cornice was heavily undercut and thus prone to collapse. As I looked up at the path of the subsequent avalanche I really shuddered. If I hadn't fortuitously come to halt so soon I would have been funnelled down the gully with it. At best, had I been spat out I, I think the large blocks of heavy, wet snow would have broken bones, at worst I would've been buried under tons of wet snow with the consistency of concrete. Considering the others were over a km away and we didn't meet up again for around an hour, this would have certainly resulted in me dying. Although a cornice could have collapsed on anyone I was definitely too close in retrospect, but the really stupid mistake was impetuously venturing off by myself, leaving little hope of speedy rescue if something went wrong. Lessons learned.
Eventually the others came down to me, extolling the quality of the snow on the descent down to the Window (so good they did it twice) and then on the ski down to me. I'll have to make the trip back up when the snows have melted to try and find my lost ski, at this rate that won't be until June as the quantity of snow on the mountains is breathtaking. Out to enjoy it again tomorrow.
On a slighly happier (ish) note, I went and saw Portishead in Edinburgh on Saturday night, absolutely amazing, Beth Gibbons has an extraordinary voice; at one moment quiet and melancholy and then suddenly a raw, powerful scream. Lots of old classics: mysterons, wandering star, numb, glory box, cowboys. Lots of stuff off the new album, the only track I knew was machine gun which I really rate and of course the spine tingingly unsurpassable roads as an encore.
Last Monday Duncan and I undertook the epicly long walk in the mighty Garbh Coire of Beinn a'Bhuird aka 'The most remote coire in the Highlands™'. It was quite a long way, 30kms round trip. Typically as we started on Monday evening it started to snow and continued for the all the two and half hours it took us to reach our camping spot. Putting up your tent in a blizzard is never that much fun, especially when you stuff the inner right at the bottom of your pack.
A quick call to our weatherman at the 'crucible of pysche' (Banff Crescent) revealed an 80% chance of cloud free munros and light winds for the following day. Clearly Geoff has got a sense of humour as when we woke up the next morning it was still snowing and as we tramped up to the Sneck (the col that gives access to the coire) the bitter north wind freshened considerably, blowing lots of loose snow into our faces and providing a free exfoliation. The two routes we had in mind were the uber 4* classics of Mitre Ridge (V,6) or the slightly harder Cumming Crofton (VI,6). We settled on the latter, a soaring corner line that dissapeared up into the mist and according to the guidebook 'a superb, sustained and technically hard winter route, a highly prized ascent, ' rock on.
The first pitch (the picture in the new cairngorms guide) was the crux, involving some hard moves past a jammed flake that took me while to figure out. Duncan then did a short pitch back into the main corner line, he also managed to drop the large wires which made the rest of the route a little bolder. The next pitch was the best I've climbed all winter, sustained bridging up a steep corner line with just enough gear and slightly worrying rippy neve, absolutely stellar stuff.
We then reached a col at the bottom of the top half of Mitre Ridge, which we followed to the top. The weather throughout had been vile, with spindraft billowing up and down the crag that continually lacerated the eyes. Then, just as we topped out the clouds parted and the sun came out, revealing the Southern Cairngorms in all their glory. It made the 4 hour walk back to car slightly more pleasnt (definitely take bikes if you go there). All in all a fantastic place to climb, wild (saw nobody for two days), remote and majestic.
Went to North Wales at the weekend for Susie's birthday which was fun and debauched, but managed to squeeze a routr in at Gogarth and also got scared witless on a VS at Tremadog. Endured the purgatory that is travelling on a Virgin West Coast train on Easter Sunday and eventually made it to Dalwhinnie at 1230 am where I slept in the car in blizzard. Up at sparrows fart for a route on the Ben with Gaz, climbed Minus 2 Gully (V,5) in a bitter North wind, great climbing and very cold. Off to Beinn Bhan in a hour or so with Tony and Kiwi Steve.
